4 stars. I really liked this book it kept me on edge the whole time. I ended up doing audio and think they helped me understand the story. I liked the spooky house elements

Disappointing mystery thriller.

Chad and Rosie Lowan are over the moon when they inherit a luxury apartment in the historic NYC building known as the Windermere. Soon, however, the atmosphere takes an ominous tone and Rosie begins to fear that there are unhappy ghosts that linger in the apartments, the halls, and the basement. Horrible things have taken place in this building. Suddenly, people they know are dying and Rosie is afraid she might be next.

This was overly long and repetitive with a dual timeline and the one thing I cannot tolerate in my crime fiction -- the supernatural. I did not care for any of the characters and even though the author dangled a lot of red herrings, it was quite predicable and the outcome no surprise. Rosie was annoying and the others quite stereotypical in their roles as friends, husband, and relatives. I listened to the audiobook as I read along, and I found the narrator very irritating with her attempts at doing all the voices though she seemed to channel Rosie's angst and histrionics appropriately. In short, this requires dealing with the slow pace and all the melodrama while suspending disbelief at every turn of the page.

Although I am grateful for the advance copy of the e-book ARC, I can't recommend this unless you enjoy those aspects of this story that I do not.

2.5 stars

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (But full disclosure, I read a library copy because the text was funky looking!)

This is one of several vacation reads that I really wanted to like but fell flat. I don’t know if it’s me or the books - maybe I’m in a rut, maybe they’re really all just meh. Our protagonists here are Rosie and Chad. He’s an actor who’s just one great role shy of his big break (or so he keeps insisting), and she’s a true crime writer. When Chad’s uncle dies, the couple ends up inheriting his fabulous apartment (instead of his own daughter, and yes she DOES take that quite personally). Rosie is thrilled because the building itself is sort of infamous and would make a great subject for her next book. I think what drew me to this initially was the Only Murders in the Building vibes, but it’s just not as fun.

Although there have apparently been multiple mysterious deaths at the Windermere over the years, the story we focus on in the flashbacks is that of the couple who lived in the apartment before Ivan (Chad’s uncle).Willa and Paul were also a married couple (I think in this case HE was the writer. She was a dancer). Although they’re trying to get pregnant just like Rosie and Chad, Willa was having an affair. There are quite a few flashbacks and honestly they left me quite bored. We know what happens going in - the husband kills her and then himself. And also in that same time frame, a child fell down the elevator shaft and died. But we know all of this very early on thanks to Rosie’s research, so going back and seeing all of this through Willa’s eyes just didn’t seem necessary (I guess it’s so the reveal of her lover’s identity has more impact? Meh).

Rosie also thinks she’s seeing ghosts - particularly the little boy who died. This isn’t really dealt with - like…were the ghosts real? Was she just imagining them? I don’t mind a supernatural bent, but it felt out of place here. I think there’s just too much going on - we’ve got the literary world and couples’ drama and ghosts and cold cases and current murders…it’s all just too much. And as other reviewers have mentioned, it felt like a slog.

I loved the twists in this book. They were not unpredictable, but still well done. I liked the use of the supernatural elements, and how the stories for previous tenants were told in back stories that wove through the stories of the main protagonist, Rosie Lowan, and her husband Chad. How all of the parts of the backstories of the other tenants in the apartments were exposed and how they ultimately all came together at the end was well done. Plus that ending twist, which was the one that was easier to see coming I think, still was a good final act for the book.

Lisa Unger is a master thriller author and The New Couple in 5B had me up well into the early hours finishing this masterpiece! Highly recommend and will purchase several physical and digital copies for library collections.

Excellent thriller, with thrilling supernatural elements that leave you questioning what's real and what isn't. At times, it feels like our main character is an unreliable narrator, and at other times, it seems like she's the only one who could possibly be right. Through murders, suicides, and scandals, the reader is in for a wild ride along with the main character, trying to determine who she can trust, if anyone. This book was well written, and kept my interest! It reads very quickly, and I couldn't wait to see what happened.

I deducted one star from my rating because the pacing was a little slow at times. I also was hoping for a little more content from the past POVs, which we didn't get a lot of. There was also a few times I thought it was a little repetitive in mentioning certain events or thoughts.

A great read overall and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thrillers!

This book had me guessing to the end. Loved the unreliable narrative, although felt very sad for her upbringing and life experiences. But made her that much more of a loveable character juxtaposed against so much dark around her.

I did find the beginning dragged on a bit much resulting in the 3 ⭐️overall

Haunted buildings, like, I mean, buildings that seem to have their own 'spirit' creep me out but in a good way. Rosie and her husband Chad inherit a posh apartment. The building has been the scene of many deaths over the years...suicide, accident, homicide. Their doorman hears everything, the basement is creepy, the neighbors are off, and Rosie's husband has too many secrets. This reminded me of a good ol' black and white Alfred Hitchcock film. 3 stars only because some things just didn't add up or make sense to me at the end, but I still enjoyed the read.

I was so not expecting the twist!!!!! would rate it 4/5
This book sort of reminded me of the show "only m*rders un the building" with selena gomez but in a much creepier and dark way with less quirky characters.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, I liked reading about these NY ghost stories and picturing the apartment building, the people living in the apartments and all the sinister things that happened or could've happened there.
I didn't give it 5 stars or a higher rating because there were some character flaws with Rosie that drove me crazy.... she was way too trusting, way too naive, and way too annoying sometimes with her reactions to things, so I didn't enjoy that part too much. I was also always rooting for her editor, he gave me such nice vibes throughout the book.
The Windermere building counted as a secondary character, and I love the colorful depiction of it throughout the author's storytelling.
would've liked some characters or their stories to have been a bit more fleshed out and descriptive, but overall an enjoyable read, not too dark or scary or even too thriller focused, more mystical mystery.

note: thanks Netgalley and publishers for the free ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Started slow for me and then the mystery and thrills hooked me in. The creepy characters and the building setting I kept picturing in my mind as Unger describes them so well. I figured out the ending early on but the ending doesn’t disappoint. Another win by this author.

This book had so much hype to live up too. I went in expecting more of a thriller and it ended more of a ghost story. I was excepting much more but it just didn’t hit the nail on the head for me. I still love the author and look forward to her next book.



Thanks Netgalley on this ARC.

Supernatural, dual prospectives/timelines build to create a suspenseful story that keeps you intrigued till the end.

This book was amazing! I loved the mystery/thriller aspect mixed with a bit of supernatural. The setting in New York building and the cast of characters was so well done. I had no idea how things were going to end and who to trust throughout. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced audio of this book.
"Rosie and Chad Lowan are barely making ends meet in New York City when they receive life-changing news: Chad’s late uncle has left them his luxury apartment at the historic Windermere in glamorous Murray Hill. With its prewar elegance and impeccably uniformed doorman, the building is the epitome of old New York charm. One would almost never suspect the dark history lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade."
Thigs are not what they seem, and Rosie can't shake the eerie feeling that always seems to be nagging at her. Everything seems to bring more questions and dead bodies.
Creepy and claustrophobic, this ENTERTAINING story has a gothic feel which will pull you in and you won't want to stop listening!

The New Couple in 5B" by Lisa Unger is a quick and enjoyable read that offers a captivating atmosphere and an intriguing premise. The story follows a couple who unexpectedly inherit a prestigious apartment, setting off a chain of events that keeps the reader engaged throughout.

Unger's writing style makes for a fast-paced narrative that is easy to follow and perfect for a leisurely read. The book's atmospheric setting adds depth to the story, immersing the reader in its world.

While the book may not break new ground in terms of originality, it provides a satisfying and entertaining experience. The characters are well-developed, and the plot moves along at a steady pace, keeping the reader intrigued until the end.

Overall, "The New Couple in 5B" is a solid choice for fans of suspenseful fiction looking for a quick and engaging read. While it may not be groundbreaking, it delivers an enjoyable story that will satisfy readers looking for a bit of mystery and intrigue.

This one started out great for me, the questions surrounding the fiancee, the inheritance of a potentially haunted apartment on Park Avenue, a shady cast of characters. But by the second half of the book, I was bogged down - there was just too much going on. And I get that it is semi-paranormal and a mystery, but it became over the top.

If you like a lot going on in your thriller, this one is for you.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this title!

The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger tells the story of an author, an actor, and a creepy apartment in New York City. I went into this book thinking it was going to be a domestic thriller but it turned out to be a ghosty, supernatural story, of which I'm not a fan. I found it to be quite long and repetitive and didn't really connect with any of the characters. I did like the creepy gothic feel to the book, but felt like this type of story had been done better before. I even saw the twist at the end coming.

I have tried a few of Ms. Unger's other novels and none of them really stick with me after reading. I think maybe, although she is very popular, her books or writing style is just not for me.

If you like gothic stories, creepy characters, and weird old buildings with suspicious histories you'll enjoy The New Couple in 5B.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I love the setting of a NYC apartment building, but this one started really slow for me and was hard to get into. It definitely picked up in the second half, but I felt as though something was missing the entire time, it was all very predictable. For me, the whole female main character portrayed as forgetful and crazy, telling what happened, while everyone else is telling her that's not true storyline is getting overdone. I've enjoyed other Lisa Unger books, so I will continue to pick up her new releases!

Lisa Unger takes us on a paranormal and psychological thriller adventure, which takes us to a claustrophobic residence in Manhattan. Rosie and Chad Lowan inherit Chad's late uncle Ivan's apartment in Windermere. Rosie sees this as an opportunity for her new book & interviews her new neighbors at their Park Avenue residence. Between the murders, suicides, accidents, & the fact the apartments themselves were built on a burned-down churches property….Rosie knows something more is at play here. Literally two people are gone within a week of Rosie living there. Are these people really who they say they are? How come the doorman knows more than their letting on? Who is this young boy Rosie keeps seeing?
Who can Rosie trust, if anyone?
The slow burn novel builds well, though VERY SLOW imo, however, I was disappointed by one of the reveals at the end. You just keep hoping for more & then get let down.

For readers who enjoy suspense with a gothic horror feel The New Couple in 5B scratches several itches. The overall storyline felt very similar to Freeform's series "The Watchful Eye" but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the plot. It's another solid read from Unger; while it isn't my favorite title from her I did thoroughly enjoy it and will recommend. It also set me down a rabbit trail of research into New York apartments (and I do so love a good rabbit trail as much as a good read!).

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this title in return for my honest opinion.