4 stars

Lisa Unger never lets me down. This book is another fun fast paced twisty thriller. You never quite know what’s going to happen or where you’re headed. She will forever me a buy now kind of author for me.

Suspenseful and engaging. A fast paced thrilled with an element of horror. The first 25% of the book is very slow but push past and you won’t regret reading this one!

Perfect read for thriller lovers! Fast, twisty, with a touch of supernatural elements. My first from Lisa Unger but now I want to check out her backlist!

This was a…wow. I don’t know how it managed to compile all of these amazing gothic moments with horror, uncanny, fear, and sincerity. Rosie was a stubborn but lovable character and I was on edge the entire time. The different aspects of this thriller were so well woven together. There are the occasional sections from the perspective of Willa in the 60s that added another layer of mystery. It was a dynamic, thrilling ride.

Please don’t start reading this at bedtime. You’re not going to sleep. Please choose to be a responsible reader (or don’t! Your call!)

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions and expressions in this review are my own.

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
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A couple inherits an apartment with a spine-tingling past in this unputdownable thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six.

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.

At first, the building and its eclectic tenants couldn’t feel more welcoming. But as the Lowans settle into their new home, Rosie starts to suspect that there’s more to the Windermere than meets the eye. Why is the doorman ever-present? Why are there cameras everywhere? And why have so many gruesome crimes occurred there throughout the years? When one of the neighbours turns up dead, Rosie must get to the truth about the Windermere before she, too, falls under its dangerous spell.

And I thought that I lived in a creepy building…well more honestly, a building full of creeps This book is very unsettling and right on Lisa Unger’s spectrum and in her wheelhouse: weird and unexpected characters, unexplainable things happening and a storyline that will keep you enthralled for hours! It fits perfectly into the bookbag of any lover of great, thrilling reads and I will recommend it far and wide as it is awesome! (I never like the write/say more about a plot like this as it gives too much away!)

Sometimes FREE comes at a huge price .. and what a lesson to be learned.
#shortbutsweetreviews

This book totally freaked me out! It was scary and gripping. I couldn’t put it down! A must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!

Very fun to read. The atmosphere was creepy and immersive, I loved the setting so much. Some of the twists really surprised me. Recommended, especially to thriller readers.

While the synopsis is very similar to Riley Sager's "Lock Every Door", the latest Lisa Unger knocks this one out of the ballpark! What a great novel.

I liked this a lot. Kept me guessing even when I thought I had it figured out. I am a fan of Lisa and I was happy to have enjoyed this and her last book a lot. It was a quick read for me and I would recommend.


Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Lisa Unger's The New Couple in 5B has just the right amount of creepy suspense and questionable characters to make this a riveting and jaw-dropping thrill ride.

Chad and Rosie are reeling from the loss of Chad's beloved uncle Ivan when they discover that he left his five million dollar apartment to them instead of his undeserving and now furious daughter. What follows is a series of mysterious deaths and so many suspicious characters that you will find yourself doubting the innocent and trusting the guilty.... and then doubting yourself and what you believe...

The New Couple in 5B is a horror/psychological thriller.

The plot rather closely resembles Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. The similarities were a bit too much for me but it is a chilling read. I enjoyed the addition of ghosts, and the historical aspects of the old building.

You won't trust anyone, which is of course the point.

Fasten your seatbelts for this book.

I really liked the ending of this one! I enjoyed the twists and felt it was pretty similar to lock every door by Riley sagar and the show only murders in the building! The only criticism I have for it is the beginning is sooooo boring. The first 25% of the book is not that necessary to set up and could have been written in half of the pages. Ultimately happy that I pushed through but I heavily considered DNFing

A fun fast paced thriller about strange happenings in the Windmere building. Suspenseful and engaging. An easy thriller to enjoy.

Lisa Unger has written another great thriller that will keep you guessing all the way to the very end. As I read the novel, I identified with the main character who didn’t know who to trust. The NYC apartment building and it’s residents gave a strong Rosemary’s Baby vibe which the author intended. Mind-bogglingly excellent reading experience which led to no housework being done today.

This was one of the best gothic psychological thrillers I've read all year. Will be recommending it as a great summer 2024 pick.

𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐞? 𝐓𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨'𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐮𝐬. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

Part thriller, part ghost story, and part a book within a book, this was a completely immersive read that was full of surprises.

The Windermere Building is a fictional iconic building in New York City, and struggling couple Rosie and Chad Lowan are stunned to receive the news that they have inherited an apartment that belonged to Chad's late uncle. Despite the misgivings Rosie has about the building's dark past, the couple move in.

Rosie's character was so defined, and her family background will help you understand the 'visions' she sees of long-departed tenants of the building. If you're thinking that sounds a little too "woo woo" for a thriller, rest assured, it was executed perfectly.

With every turn of the page, there was a mounting sense of dread, from the doorman Abi, who seems to be everywhere and know everything, the book that Rosie is writing about the building, and the secrets that Chad has been keeping from Rosie. Everything came together so well in a stunning climax.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the early read. This thriller will release March 19, 2024.

Can I just tell you how freaking grateful I am to have an early copy of this!? Thank you so much to Park Row!

I was so hoping that this was going to be infinitely better than Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, which for me was a major flop. (I actually wrote this in my notes before even starting to read it: “For the love of everything, please be better than SCSS!!!”)

And I’m so excited to tell you that it was! This was so captivating. I was completely absorbed into this story from start to finish.

I loved the focus on writers and publishing. I love when books give us a peak behind the curtain into what that life is like. And it’s such a fun point of connection with a character for us readers who also write.

Immediately the tone is dark and ominous and spooky.

This book is like a thriller trope soup. There’s an inheritance, a sketchy husband, supernatural elements, witchcraft and possible cult activity. I mean, you name it, it’s got it. Every facet of creepy is in this book. And you will never be able to pinpoint exactly what is happening.

There are two timelines, with excerpts from things that occurred in the past. The storyline about the character in the ‘60s was at times more interesting than the current day one. These two stories are loosely tied together and similar in nature. I can’t even really say that it was entirely necessary to have that other perspective in regards to the overall plot, but I did enjoy it.

The writing in this one really got me. I felt like I was actually there and experiencing the story for myself. It really does suck you in. (Don’t read this in the dark at night, you will scare yourself and not be able to sleep. I may or may not be speaking from personal experience.)

The ending…

Honestly y’all, it was super underwhelming. I was so disappointed in the way it ended.

It was like you spent all this time slowly chugging up a massive hill and once you finally reached the top, both dreading and anticipating a major drop, you just coast on straight ahead like it never happened.

There were so many aspects of the plot that were building the tension and ramping up the stakes and then when we finally got to the reveal, it was just some simple normal thing.

The ending is what kept this book from being a five star for me. I absolutely loved it still and highly recommend it. It was such an exciting and engaging read. I always look forward to this author’s books (even if I was also a little terrified because of my experience from this year’s release). This one was so fun to read and I devoured it. Even though it let me down and wasn’t quite the adrenaline rush conclusion I was wanting, I still can’t wait to hear everyone else’s thoughts on this one and I’m excited to be a part of the early hype!

Also, the cover has finally been revealed, and y’all OMG. I might have to get a physical copy because it’s stunning. I love the building (which is almost like a character in itself in the book), and the ominous looking background. I am also a sucker for the striking, bold font that looks like chalk or marker. And I love the color palette choices too.

Note for publishing team: I will be posting my review everywhere closer to the release date and will update the links included in my review here.

Lisa Unger has absolutely outdone herself with this one! I was enraptured from the first page, and kept falling deeper and deeper into Rosie's story. First thing: Thank GOD that our narrator was not, like in so many other books in this genre, a damsel in distress. She was a boss, and you can't help but root for her. Secondly: this book had everything- mystery, romance, great story telling (in two timelines, at that!), and a touch of the mystical/supernatural. Also, it was so layered and nuanced that the reader is constantly thrown off balance, which makes for an exhilarating ride. Lastly: just when you think the book is over, you're hit with several more revelations.... This is, definitely, my favorite book by Lisa Unger up until now, and cements her spot on my must-read author list. I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Although entertaining, with interesting characters, this book is more than an homage to Rosemary’s Baby as the author suggests. I feel the majority of the book is derived directly from Ira Levin’s classic book, with a few new variations thrown in, such as ghosts, a creepy doorman, and an inherited apartment. It’s a page turning read from first to last, but original at all it’s not. Having said that I still couldn’t put it down and enjoyed it throughly.
Chad and Rosie inherit a deluxe Park Avenue apartment from Chad’s uncle and finally feel as though their luck is changing. But all is not as it seems, and life becomes more complicated.

I’d like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book I have read by this author and in my opinion, her best her. When Rosie and her husband Chad inherit a fancy New York City apartment from his uncle things are bad from the start. His cousin was under the impression it would be left to her as she was his daughter so animosity ensues. The apartment has an interesting cast of characters, all wanting to get to know the new couple, but why, and why is Rosie seeing people no one else does. Trying to write a book about the apartment and its inhabitants is taking a toll, and at what cost? An interesting read from start to finish, I couldn’t put it down.