I loved this thriller. A nasty-beyond-belief villain that made my heart race and head ache just thinking about him. Syd and Jack have moved into a new home . It's full of the past owner's belongings and it's taking some working through, but there's this smell, a pervasive, rotting smell and Jack investigates in the attic. What he finds up there horrifies and mystifies in equal amounts. There's a link there to Syd's past, a link that couldn''t be accidental and so begins the downward spiral of Syd's happy ever after. A deep, dark and twisting tale that chillled me to the bone, Highly recommended.

After getting a third of the way through, it hadn't really grabbed me. The story didn't seem to be going anywhere and the style of writing and how the story was presented was clumsy and I felt it struggled to flow. I came back to it a month later as I always try and finish a book, and I managed to finish it within a week, the pace picked up and I stuck with it. The story itself was a little unbelievable in my mind, it tackles a tough subject but the characters seemed hard to relate to.

Great read. very interesting plot. really enjoyed reading

A thoroughly enjoyable thriller, full of twists and turns, you'll wonder what is going to happen next! Well written, with all the characters seamlessly interwoven! Well recommended!

Simon Lelic has created an interesting and addictively suspenseful psych thriller with enough twists and turns to classify for rollercoaster level fiction. He writes his story from the point of view of his 2 main characters which adds this extra layer of intrigue to see how things unfold from the different perspectives.

The first half of the book reads like journal entries which two very obviously distinct voices and personalities are narrating; later you discover why the book starts off with a 2 person diary. You learn practically everything about the 2 main characters, Syd and Jack. What was really fun was how the author so seamlessly pulled both of their stories together, where one character left off the other would pick up in their chapter so on point you can easily imagine sitting in front of this couple as they take turns interrupting each other to tell another part of the story. It really played a lot to their character development how easy you can tell they have a strong relationship just by the dialogue.

Where it really starts to flip the story on its head is in the second half of the book where it changes from journal entries to a more traditional story so you discover why the characters were keeping the diary and how everything falls out.

All the characters felt realistic and their actions believable, even the villains unfortunately which causes its own emotionally draining problems. If there was ever a case to make for why kids should be allowed to blame their parents for them growing up to make bad choices, this book sure gets the gold standard.

As someone with their degree in Psychology I have a habit of reading tons of purported psych thrillers out of curiosity to see why the publishers are marketing them as such. This one really does justice to the term because it’s one of the few where you are treated to a complete analysis of why the characters make the choices they do and how nurture in childhood has such a strong impact on who we grow up to be.

It was interesting to see how the consequences of choices and actions played out right to the last chapter.

I love a Psychological Thriller, so the description of this book attracted me as did the cover so when I got the opportunity to read it I snapped it up. However, it did take a couple of weeks to read as it just didn't grab and hold my attention the way I thought it would and I found that some of the events in the story just didn't tie together as well as they should have. I also didn't really enjoy the journal format of the book.

I liked the character of Jack but I found it difficult to warm to Sydney.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin books for copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel kept me on the edge of my seat right til the end. Told from the alternating points of view of a couple, a new house holds more than the junk left by the previous owner. I found it a real page turner.

I enjoyed this book, I found it pulled me in and I couldn't put it down.
Not sure if it was the title but I felt the 'house' was alive and there was a greater force at work. Which matched the actions of the 'dad' and made me feel quite scared of what exactly he was capable of.... the dad was the greater force and I certainly felt his presence before his character made his entrance. It wasn't that predictable and kept me guessing though I knew there was more to come though I wasn't sure what.

Unfortunately wasn't too impressed with this book. It was written in Diary format between Two characters. It felt like it was just trying to hard within the book to put across a feeling of suspense and I think that got tedious. It was fast paced though once you get through the beginning so if you like a quick fast read then this might be for you.

The House is an unpredictable psychological thriller! Told from two perspectives of new home owners, The House keeps readers engaged in following the clues for a surprising ending.

The House had quite a peculiar narrative style. Jack and Sydney, our main characters, are also our narrators. They write the story as a way of coping with the grisly events they have faced as well as figure out what to do next. It is almost a form of couple therapy too, since they end up writing as much to each other as to the one they want to read the manuscript. The narrative evolves at first as you would expect from someone who is not used to writing, gradually becoming more cohesive and culminating in a chilling diary for both parts.

The House was extremely enthralling. I could not bring myself to put it down and ended up reading it in two sittings, several hours past my usual time to turn in.

There were a few things I am still not sold on. (view spoiler)

Some things felt like plot devices to make the story move along a certain way, that the characters came across certain information only later on to cause the plot twists. For example, (view spoiler)

Other than those things, this was a superbly written book featuring very real, vulnerable characters struggling to find happiness. Even if at first I did not like Syd's voice (she came across as a wee bit bitchy and implicative), she grew on me and I felt all characters were pretty well developed, even the secondary ones.

The House is an utterly amazing read that will surely have you glued to the screen/pages, flipping them as fast as you can.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes you should look a gift horse in the mouth! Syd and Jack manage to secure their dream house against all their expectations. The seems a steal and it is as the true cost comes later. A w wonderful entertaining psychological thriller

Thanks to netgallery and the publishers for an advanced reading of The House.
After reading the description for this book I was expecting another story not to different from The Magpies ( which I loved).. this is nothing like the magpies and quite frankly I am still unsure as to why it is titled The House. The house itself has a very small part to play in the plot of this book. I found the story really quite fast paced ( not in a good way ) and a bit of a jumble . I think it would have run a lot smoother if the diary entries were dated maybe?
I don't feel like I've wasted my time reading the book however it could have been a lot better in my opinion.

I am not sure what I was expecting when I chose this title from Net Galley, but I am glad I did. I was in the mood for something creepy or suspenseful, and the cover is what drew me to this title right away. This book is written from two different perspectives, Jack and Sydney. At the beginning of the book we are brought to a snippet of a scene where it seems like something has happened that has caused the police to be watching their house; however, at this time no explanation is given because the author then brings us back to the beginning of Jack and Sydney’s story. They start off by deciding to house hunt in London and look for what they would like to be their ‘forever home.’ After finding what seems like could be their perfect place, they begin to move in only to find out that strange things are occurring in this house. Did the old owner of the home decide to up and move quickly because there was something eerie going on, is he guilty about something, or is Jack and Sydney’s past coming back to haunt them?

I really did enjoy this book, and it definitely left you guessing the entire time. I enjoyed reading from both Jack and Sydney’s perspectives, and I thought that reading from the perspectives as if it were written in a journal was a unique idea that I haven’t really seen done before. The author is obviously very talented at being able to create such an intricate detailed story with mind bending twists and turns; however, at times I almost felt there were too many plot twists. I started to get confused once I reached the halfway mark in the book, the story ended up going in a completely different direction than what I thought would happen, and then further on it turned about 3 more times. I really do enjoy a good book that messes with your mind, but if it is overdone, it could start to get confusing. I also thought some of the things that happened in this book were a little far fetched and unbelievable at times, but overall I did enjoy it.

I rated this 3 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, but if I could, I would give it a solid 3.5.

I am sorry but I found this book to be very irritating. I found the plot confusing and really rather stupid. I could not engage with the characters.
The plot outline gave the impression of a mystery surrounding a house, but it turned out to be a miasma of personal relationships that really began to bore. Sorry

Thank you Simon Lelic and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Wow there is nothing to say other than READ THIS BOOK !!

A psychological thriller featuring a young couple - Syd and Jack.

Syd brings lots of baggage into the relationship from a trouble childhood, which is revealed in a diary style writing. Their lives become complicated when unnatural things start occurring in the house, in the streets around their house, and at Jack’s workplace.

While the plot is well developed, the characters, particularly Sydney comes off as cold and calculating.

The twists keep you interested, but I thought the ending was a bit of an anti-climax.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I give this book 3.5 stars, but will round up to 4.

I can see from other reviews that I'm in a minority to have not LOVED this book. I mean I liked it, but love is a strong word.

The House isn't a 'horror', although the title and cover suggest it is. But the House is central to the plot. Jack and Syd have just bought their first home, when they get wrapped up in a story of murder, and the past comes back to haunt them.

I'm a big fan of psychological thrillers, and this didn't disappoint! The reason I didn't love this book, is because I didn't like anyone in it. I get we're supposed to root for Jack and Sydney, but I just didn't like them enough.

The twist was good - but I did guess it, probably cause I knew there was a twist coming.

Worth a read! Definitely- and I can see it becoming a hit on release!

The House
By Simon Lelic
3 Stars
A psychological thriller featuring a young couple - Syd and Jack.

Syd brings lots of baggage into the relationship from a trouble childhood, which is revealed in a diary style writing. Their lives become complicated when unnatural things start occurring in the house, in the streets around their house, and at Jack’s workplace.

While the plot is well developed, the characters, particularly Sydney comes off as cold and calculating.

The twists keep you interested, but I thought the ending was a bit of an anti-climax.

I read this book in one day. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorites, but it was certainly very good and interesting. The unusual way it is written (I can't describe it better than a past double first-person testimony until the middle and then afterwards a present double first-person. Confusing.) could have gone totally against the narrative, but actually, I enjoyed it.

It's different, alright, but that adds to the story. All of the insights provided by the author create a real sense of closeness to both of the main characters - which, I gotta say, took me a while to like. I still dislike Sydney. But that doesn't interfere in the enjoyment of the mystery, even though it did took me a while to accept them as the leads of the story and stop judging. Once I did that, it became a really good novel.

The plot is very rich: it alternates between a confusing present and an abundant past, which was imperative throughout most of the book. All of the characters are well written and believable, although the bad guys felt a little stereotyped. Nevertheless, it actually scared me a lot, and the psychological aspect to the relationships between the characters is really well supported and juicy. There's plenty of Lelic's thoughts and opinions about life between the lines, and that makes a strong case for a recommendation of The House.

Although the pop culture references were a little annoying, sometimes they were fun. The genre may be mystery/crime, but there's a lot more behind this fun, dark and complex story. I greatly recommend it.