This is my first book by this author. It took me some chapters to get into the story. While I managed to finish it, I found it quite dragging. There were some parts which left me feeling frustrated. For instance I couldn't understand why the wife was not leaving her husband!

"On A Quiet Street" is a standalone novel by Carla Kovach, the author most known for her Detective Gina Harte series. I love the Harte series and have read and reviewed several of them over the years here on the blog.

Kovach's writing style is always seamless. It's descriptive enough that the story just flows, but not so detailed it becomes boring. The characters are always so well developed. The plot of all her books are well thought out, with twists and turns in all the right spots.

This novel was no different plus the storyline was so unique. I have to admit there wasn't a single character I liked in this book though. The plot is broken into parts and it also alternates between characters. I do like that I got to see the full story from different perspectives- certain blanks getting filled in as I read the same scene happen from another character's view.

Despite the unlikable characters I really did like this book and do recommend it. The plot and ending is unpredictable, which is the most fun of any mystery. At no point in the story did I know what was going to happen next.

"On A Quiet Street" is set to be released on January 15, 2024 here in the U.S. so pre-order it now! It was a solid 4 star read! Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the advanced e-copy to read and give my honest review.

Happy Reading!

Leah is getting increasingly suspicious of her husband Cain, his constant late night working, unexpected meetings and text messages that he claims are from an important client, and then there's the smell of perfume when he eventually makes it home and she is convinced he is having an affair, after all it wouldn't be the first time. Then there's a knock at the door and a young girl is stood there saying she's looking for her biological parents and she's been told this is where they live. What other secrets has Cain been hiding from her and does she even know him at all? But when she agrees to meet Charlotte, she's not prepared for the impossible news that Charlotte hits her with and she's desperate to uncover the truth of her past.

On A Quiet Street is a standalone thriller told in four parts and from various perspectives. At first I didn't know how to feel about Leah and her suspicions, was she simply being paranoid or did she have just cause, but as the story unfolded I trusted Cain less and less on the turn of every page and couldn't understand why she stayed with him, but she did have far more pressing concerns with the appearance of Charlotte. This was a fast paced read with lots of twists and turns and I really had no clue as to where the story was heading but, as it progressed and the pieces began to slot into place, it all began to make sense and came to a very satisfactory conclusion. This is the first I've read by this author, but it definitely won't be the last.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Book Review

I will admit I struggled a little to get started on this story. I found the beginning to be a tad confusing but once I settled in to it I was fine. More often than not the problem lies with me and my frame of mind at the time. But I am very used to taking my time to settle with a book. If I am not feeling it but I know the author is very good, then I will put the book aside and come back to it at a later date.
On a Quiet Street I found to be almost creepy in its telling. Maybe sinister might be a better way to describe how I felt. The author worked really well to give that creepy, intense feeling to her readers. Her main characters Leah and Angel I enjoyed. Theirs was a sad story with devastating consequences.
Angel's whole life seemed to be a lie while secrets had a detrimental effect on Leah's. Both women struggling with who they are and what has happened to them.
Who do we trust when those who are nearest to us keep us in the dark and don't feel the need to be honest.
The storyline was intense throughout. I enjoyed the dark setting despite the hairs standing on the back of my neck more times.
Very sad too in places where so many lies were told to save face, protect and not acknowledge.
Well worth your time

I haven’t read anything from this author so I didn’t know what to expect. I started this book and absolutely couldn’t put it down. I loved the writing style and just how fast paced it was. I don’t think there was any filler in this book. It was go go go from the get go. The ending wasn’t my favorite but i still will pick up more from this author!

Leah is faced with a multitude of stress...cheating husband, secretive best friend and a not-so-dead daughter who reappears in her life. On top of it? She's being stalked. I enjoyed the different timelines and POVs this book utilized but I did find the storyline to be confusing at times. I would never have guessed the ending which left me pleasantly surprised.

There is one secret and/or lie right after another making the web of secretes and lies so thick that no one could get through them. Everyone in this book had secrets and had basically lied about one thing or another. This one started off a little bit slow, but it did not take long for the tension to amp up. Leah suspects her husband, Cain, is cheating on her. All the signs are there, but she can't seem to stand up for herself. This irritated me, but once you learn more about her past, you will more fully understand why she is almost incapable of standing up for herself. To add to all of this tension, Leah is cleaning out her mom's home as her mother recently died, a mother that she had not spoken to in quite some time. I knew there were some deep, dark secrets hiding in that house, but I must confess that I did not expect the secrets to be quite so vile. As if these two problems were not enough, now a young lady has shown up on their doorstep looking for her biological parents. So the spidery web of secrets and lies begins to get thicker.

This was an interesting book to say the least. I have to confess the ending left me speechless and wondering what just happened. There are some very unlikeable characters in this story. I despised Cain in every way possible. He was a cheater and a liar and verbally abused Leah. However, Leah was weak and would not stand up for herself. She also made excuses for Cain's behavior. However, as I stated previously, once you get a glimpse of her past, you will more fully understand her timidity in taking a stand. If you enjoy a good psychological thriller, you will enjoy this book because this one will definitely play with your mind. Just give it a chance when you first start it because it will pick up steam pretty quickly, and then you will not be satisfied until you finish it.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The rating for this book went up and down as I read. At times, I was impressed. Sometimes, not so much.

I enjoyed the plot twists, and there is a bit of mystery for the characters to solve. That said, there were too many moving parts at once. It felt like every character was forced into an unknown connection that made for a few too many overlaps.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I got to about 40 percent and that was with pushing myself through and I gave up. The main character, Leah, is just too annoying for me. Leah is constantly complaining about her husband cheating on her and he has several times and she stays with him even though she just inherited a house from her mom. It was just too over the top for me but I tried.

I was really pleased to be able to read an advance copy of On a Quiet Street as I really enjoy the way Carla Kovach writes, I have read all the DI Gina Harte series and it was nice to read a standalone. I enjoyed this book and found that I was drawn in to Leah and Cain and their relationship and the shock that she feels when 18 year old Charlotte knocks on their door saying that she was adopted and is looking for her biological parents. This then blows open the whole life that Leah knows and causes suspicion to fall on all and it is a real rollercoaster of a ride to get to the truth and the end of the book. I admit that I changed my allegiances several times throughout the story and raced to the end. Carla is very good at getting you under the skin of the characters and being able to put yourself in their shoes, you feel fully invested in the story! This book will leave you breathless - one of Carla's best!

On a Quiet Street by Carla Kovach is a standalone novel from the author of the Gina Harte series of which I am a big fan of.
This book will keep you intrigued, the twists and turns make for a brilliant read!
A great psychological thriller full of suspense, you won’t want to put it down!
Very well written, engaging and interesting characters to keep you turning the pages.
This story will keep you on the edge of your seat as the plot cleverly twists and turns and your brain frantically tries to unscramble who is telling the truth.
It has everything you need in a good thriller, suspense, a great mystery and plenty of twists.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Wow!
What an amazing read. It is full of twist and turns. One minute I think I know what is going to happen then all of a sudden I’m left guessing. Trying to figure out where it’s going.
This is my first book by this author and I have to say she nailed it. It’s a great thriller that will have you chomping at the bits to figure out. I really liked it and will definitely check out other books from this author.

This was my first Carla Kovach book and I may have found my next favorite author. What begins as a slow dance into Leah's life quickly becomes a fast-paced guessing game. I was obsessed with finding out what happens next and devoured this book. The characters are believable with a plot that has me asking how didn't I see that. It all ends with a surprise and a secret. I would recommend this and her other books to others in the future. It was a fast ride!

Everyone has its secrets...Some are more deadly than others...

What a delightful, and creepy, little gem this is! ON A QUIET STREET is a domestic thriller with all the psychological chills that lend a sinister and eerie air to the tale. Packed full of lies upon lies and a wealth of secrets, deceit and unlikeable characters, it was really hard to know who to trust.

Leah and her husband Cain live a quiet life on a quiet street in a quiet village. But with Cain's late night meetings and hidden text messages, Leah is suspicious of his behaviour. And she has reason to for many years before Cain had a six month fling with their then neighbour who, upon discovery, upped and left disposing her house in a quick sale.

So now, is it any wonder that Leah is suspicious of his behaviour which bears a striking resemblance to when he was cheating on her. She smells the strange perfume on him and his continual cancellation of plans they've made for another "late meeting", Leah is sure Cain is at it again. The question is, with who?

And then one day a stranger knocks on their door searching for her biological parents and Leah immediately suspects that Cain had fathered a child with their neighbour during their fling and this 18 year old woman had now come in search for answers. But when the woman, Charlotte, reveals that it's Leah she's looking for, the tables are turned and she wonders whether the secrets that she's been hiding for the past two decades are about to come to the surface threatening her now comfortable life.

I love this author's Gina Harte series and have enjoyed one or two of her standalones. But this one is one of her best, despite its slow start and rather unlikeable characters. It is hard to connect with anyone as they really are unlikeable. Leah is irritating for the most part with her constant suspicions and sniping at Cain. And Cain? Well, anyone could see right through his lies as she tried to weasel his way out of every lie Leah caught him in. Her mother was horrible, the neighbour was just as horrible, the three teenage girls were sneaky.

But what made this story work so well was the way Kovach delivered it. First, from Leah's perspective, then "the girl's" as she slowly revealed every plot twist until it all fell into place. And then that final page was just a perfect ending.

This was a most enjoyable read that addictive from the very first and I couldn't put it down until I got to the very end, devouring the book in one sitting.

I would like to thank #CarlaKovach, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #OnAQuietStreet in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Leah Jones has a problem. Her husband Cain has cheated on her before and she’s sure he is at it again. She’s feeling stressed, ignored and angry. She has no idea that her biggest problem is standing at her front door. It’s an eighteen year old girl who believes Leah is her mother. Leah did have a daughter who would be that age but her daughter died at birth. Didn’t she? Her mother told her so and that was true, wasn’t it? Welcome to On a Quiet Street, a psychological thriller that pulls you in slowly and keeps you guessing until the very end. It will take Leah that long to untangle many secrets and learn who her real friends and …family are.

You feel Leah’s desperation as you turn the pages of this impossible to put down thriller. Who should she trust? Her mother’s neighbor? Her own best friend? Her “maybe” daughter? Or untrustworthy husband Cain who tells her he loves her? On a Quiet Street is a jigsaw puzzle of a novel and one of the best you’ll read this new year. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Carla Kovach for this ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for offering this book to me in exchange my honest review.

It is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep me on the edge of my seats until the very end. The novel is expertly crafted with a perfect balance of suspense, mystery, and psychological depth. The author’s writing style is engaging and making it easy for me to get lost in the story. The characters are well-developed and relatable, making it easy to become emotionally invested in their journey. One of the strengths of this novel is the way the author builds tension and keeps the me guessing. The plot twists and turns are unexpected and will keep me guessing until the very end. The pacing is also well-done, with just the right amount of action and slower moments to keep the story moving forward. Overall, it is a well-crafted and suspenseful read that will appeal to fans of the psychological thriller genre. The author’s attention to detail and skillful storytelling make this a standout novel that is hard to put down. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a gripping and unpredictable read.

On a Quiet Street is a psychological thriller that consumed all my attention while I dive into the story of Leah and Cain. It’s such a twisted story with so many twists and turns that I didn’t saw coming. The book is divided in different parts with a dual POV.

The plot was so intricate created, and the characters so deeply described it was the perfect read. The number of secrets and suspense were the cherry on the top. Somewhere along the journey I didn’t know who knew something and who was hiding information. It was an interested ride on a roller-coaster of intrigue, suspense, and domestic drama.

I really recommend it since it’s not a predictable story, I could not how it was going to end and the fact that the story is told in a dual perspective really added to the story, making it more immersive and keeping me so engaged with the characters and their relationships while unravelling their secrets.

Thank you, Bookouture & NetGalley, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

You’ll need to keep your wits about you reading this and even then you’ll find so many “what the hell”!? moments.
A brilliant, twisty, turny read ,that will stop you in your tracks.

I swear this book is insane. It is jam packed with twists and turns that you will definitely not see coming.
The characters where fantastic, all so different, but so perfect for this story.
The way this book is written in the different parts from the different perspectives I absolutely loved. It was brilliant reading the events from another characters side.
Definitely will be recommending this book!

I found this to be an enjoyable read. While the story starts out with a slower pace, I was intrigued by the premise and the twists were good. This was an okay read for me.