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.

This was a quick paced, supernatural thriller, borrowing heavily from the classic horror novel/movie Rosemary's Baby. I love anything with a NYC setting, especially the glamorous, golden age buildings, which all have their share of dark history. The fictitious Windemere apartment building, home to a slew of artists and other creative types, is no exception. Built upon the ruins of a church that burned to the ground, it's seen it's share of murders, suicides, and accidental deaths throughout the years. When novelist Rosie and her struggling actor husband, Chad, inherit an apartment worth $5 million from his uncle Ivan, they think their luck is finally turning around. When his estranged cousin, Dana, threatens to contest the will to get the apartment she believes should have been left to her instead, she ends up dead instead, wearing the same charm necklace that Chad wears, a gift from their elderly neighbors, the Aldridges. As Rosie researches the new book she is writing, on the Windmere's tragic history, past and present come together, and as more residents start to meet untimely fates, we are left to wonder if the building's bad energy will cause history to repeat itself. The side characters in this one were creepy in that refined way only generational wealth can bring, and showed that grief and money can drive people to do terrible things without thinking of the consequences. There were some timeframe inconsistencies, with present day supposed to be taking place in modern times, but the past in 1963, so characters who appear in the present should have been much older than how they were described. Perhaps this was an oversight, or perhaps a result of the building's hold on all it's residents 👻 I enjoyed this one as a NY-er, but think that it can be appreciated by anyone looking for a quick thriller with paranormal elements.

I enjoyed this story but not as much as her other ones. I love this author.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.75 stars

I enjoyed this book. I’ve had mixed feelings in the past about books by this author, but my opinion of this one is mostly positive; I liked the mix of characters, the overall story, the setting, and the twists and turns before the reveal at the ending. All in all, this was a pretty good one.

Told in multiple POVs and timelines, this book was full of creepy vibes - which I absolutely love! I really enjoyed the supernatural elements, but it seemed to move pretty slowly. Some of the twists in the end came as a surprise, though I was a little underwhelmed and expected a bit more from all of the build-up. Overall, it was a fun read and I enjoyed it.

I love a good ghost story!

My favorite parts of this book were definitely the ghosts and one of the twists that I didn’t see coming. With that said, I really struggled to get into it and pick it up. I also feel like there were a lot of unanswered questions and plot holes that I don’t want to spoil. I really wanted to love this one but I also wanted more on many of the plot fronts.

This was an easy book to get into! It gave me "Only Murders in the Building" vibes, and I love that show! I need to read more by this author.

The dynamic duo in "The New Couple in 5B" gets in the same kind of trouble as Charles, Oliver and Mabel in "Murderers in the Building," but this novel is not as cosy, expect the chilling atmosphere of "Rosemary's Baby."
In the postscript, Lisa Unger, the bestseller author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, sheds light on the influence of "Rosemary's Baby" as her inspiration for writing this novel. But there's no need to fear a demonic twist at the story's conclusion. Still unsettling children roam the basement, creepy older neighbours hold seances, and there are more secrets underneath than creaks in the old facade.
Meet Rosie and Chad, a young couple struggling to make ends meet as a writer and an actor. Their lives take an unexpected turn when they inherit a luxurious apartment in the historic Windermere building in Murray Hill. Rosie is intrigued by the building's old charm and, because she suffers from a mild writer's block, decides to uncover its secrets. Of course, her quest to unravel the mysteries of the building takes her down a dangerous path, soon blocked by a neighbour's untimely death.
As Rosie delves deeper into the building's history, she is severely gaslighted, finds a woman swinging from the ceiling, and starts doubting her friends' intentions, becoming more isolated. She wants to leave, but the building has a sinister grip on her. Her husband seems perfectly content, even if the bodies keep piling up.
Although the pace of the story slows down at times due to the flashbacks that show the stories of earlier occupants, the gripping plot keeps you hooked until the end. I loved to follow Rosie's journey as she peels back the layers of the Windermere—especially those lurking under her husband's charming exterior.

I read this at night when I was home alone, don't do that!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this book.

There are certain settings of books that instantly hook me and for some reason thrillers set in apartment buildings is one of those settings that instantly intrigues me.

I enjoyed this book and will recommend it to others, but it's not one of my top favorite thrillers. Near the end I felt like it got long and could start wrapping up faster. I felt like it took a little too long to reveal what was happening. The ending where the culprit gives their monologue on why they are doing what they are doing, seemed to drag out for a REALLY long time.

Other than that, it was a fun read that I think many other readers will enjoy.

DNF’d at about 25%. Rosie seems really naive and Chad is just… well his name is Chad. Also, the set up of this digital ARC wasn’t correctly formatted, so there were a lot of em dashes and pages and chapters that ran into each other making the flow really difficult to get into.

I had to dnf at 5%. There was just too much focus on her partner it wasn't garnering my attention. I started feeling like I was picking up a romance novel more. the first few pages are just so essential for me to be able to form that connection.