The House is a great thriller with lots of twists and turns - some predicted, some out of the blue. The storyline is dark with lots of paranoia, secrets, drugs and violence.
I didn't really 'connect' with any of the characters but the storyline made me want to find out what happened next so I found it hard to put down when I needed to and couldn't wait to pick up where I left.
I don't want to say much more as I wouldn't want to ruin it but would definitely recommend if you like suspense thrillers.

Thanks Penguin UK and Netgalley for accepting my request to read this book!

When I finally got around to reading The House I did so reluctantly, after all the title didn’t exactly encourage the idea that it would be an interesting read. Luckily my first impressions were wrong.
Simon Lelic gives you everything you need to figure out the major twists in the book but they are so well hidden that I didn’t notice anything until I was rereading it for this review.
Jack and Syd have found the perfect London home, the only problem is that there are lots of other couples at the viewing who have the same thing going through their head.
Syd is head over heels in love with the house but Jack isn’t so sure. He knows Syd loves it though so he agrees to put an offer in even though their agreed mortgage doesn’t meet the asking price.
“I suppose all I’m saying is I didn’t like the place. All that junk, the building itself: it just felt wrong. The problem I had was that Syd was clearly smitten.”
When their offer is accepted because the owner wants a young couple to have it Syd is over the moon but Jack feels like it is all too good to be true. He doesn’t want to spoil it for Syd because he knows how important having a place she can call home is to Syd because of her tumultuous past.
Once they are in the house the sheen of having their own home soon begins to wear off as they begin to sort through the former owner’s junk which he left behind in the move.
Jack feels as though something isn’t quite right about the house and doesn’t quite buy the estate agents story that the previous owner had found love online and had run off to Australia or that the reason their offer was excepted over so many others was because the owner wanted a young couple to have it.
When an odd smell leads Jack to a gruesome discovery in the attic Jack realises his uneasy feelings may not be entirely unfounded.
Now it is a few months later, a body has been discovered and the police are watching the house. Jack and Syd are both having trouble sleeping. The once close couple are keeping secrets from each other and the stress of their situation is beginning to get to them both.
The House is written in the style of a journal with entries from the point of view of both Syd and Jack. One of the things I enjoyed about it the most was that the author showed the couple’s reactions to each other’s entries.
I enjoyed this writing style as it was something that I hadn’t encountered before. It was part written account, part conversation and because of this I felt that I identified with the protagonists much quicker.
I also liked the use of flashbacks to glean relevant information about the past of each of the characters and the things that happened in the months leading up to them deciding to write the journal-like entries.
Both characters are flawed and far from the perfect couple you would initially expect them to be. Syd has a lot of baggage from her upbringing, some of which she has kept from Jack. He knows that there was a history of abuse and that is why she no longer speaks to her parents but he doesn’t know everything that happened.Jack knows that she had a drug problem after she left home and that sometimes causes a bit of tension between them now especially as things in the house begin to escalate.I think Syd was my favourite character in The House because there was so much depth to her.
I felt like the character development was one of the major bonuses of the book and made it easier to understand some of the major twists because you know the background.
The House is much Darker than you would initially think and the sense of unease grows throughout. It isn’t a fast-paced book initially but I think that makes it all the more effective.
The reason I rated The House as a four and not a five is that I struggled to know what to rate it. I really enjoyed it and I didn’t want to put it down but there are times when the slow nature of the book was frustrating. Also, although I really did enjoy reading it and loved all the little twists it was one of the books that grips you while you are reading it but doesn’t keep hold once you have finished it.
Having said that, I would say that The House was a genuinely menacing read and one to watch out for.

Creepy and gripping. A book you struggle to put down.

This should be on everyone's holiday reading list .

The alternating narratives are interesting Lelic has put together a plot that grips and whilst he creates characters who live they serve the plot.

The book works as it rations the truth and allows the reader to try to predict the path it will take.

Highly recommended it works for literary fiction readers as well as readers of thrillers

When Jack and Sydney move into their new London home they can't believe their luck. It's everything they've ever dreamed of and more. However, while investigating a noxious smell, Jack makes a disturbing discovery in the attic but decides to try and forget about it. Meanwhile Sydney befriends Elsie, the sad-looking girl who lives in the house opposite with her father. It starts a series of events leading to a catastrophe which changes all their lives forever.

What a fantastic psychological thriller! I'm so pleased I was given the opportunity to read The House. It was brooding and creepy. I loved all the twists and turns. Although the first few chapters felt slightly disjointed, once it found its pace it was fantastic; with plenty of those 'I didn't see that one coming!' moments. The book is written in the style of a journal with chapters alternating between the perspectives of Jack and Sydney. It works very well, especially at the end where, without giving too much away, the reader discovers how all the pieces fit together.

Thanks to Penguin Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a new author to me that I discovered from adverts all over Facebook.

To begin with I really struggled with "The House" as it's written in diary form which I tend to dislike on the whole. However as I got further into the book it became clear why it was necessary to write in this way and I really enjoyed the book.
As the reader, you think you know where the book is leading but then another twist is thrown in to put you off the scent.
A tightly written psychological thriller which kept me glued to my kindle for a suspenseful few days.

This is a wonderfully dark and twisted psychological thriller by Simon Lelic. It shifts and runs into unexpected places, different from the blurb given about the book. Jack has uncomfortable feelings about a London house that his girlfriend, Syd Baker, thinks is perfect for them. To their surprise, given they tendered a lower offer, the owner chooses them. When something is too good to be true, they should have been more wary, but they move in without a second thought. The previous owner has left behind all his belongings, which the happy couple begin to sort through. However, there are strange sounds, and gruesome discoveries in the attic. There is a child's treasure box with a familiar name on it. The story begins with the police watching the house, with Jack and Syd writing down their experiences of living there, with the occasional contentious perception. This is a novel about the past haunting the present with its firm and tenacious grip.

The narrative is delivered through our couple, Jack and Syd, documenting how their lives begin to spiral out of their control. Jack is a housing officer who goes out of his way to help his desperate clients. He is not close with his middle class parents who disapprove of Syd. Syd's past contains trauma and drug taking, making her a more volatile character, but she is committed to Jack, hoping for a more settled future with him. Syd's mother visits and recognises a picture on their wall. Syd finds herself becoming close to Elsie Payne, a young girl that lives locally. We learn of the details of the historical past of Syd and Jack, and how it connects to their dire present situation. This is a story that covers the issues of dysfunctional families, fathers, trust, loss and the search for justice, by whatever means possible.

Lelic has a gripping writing style that just grabs the reader right from the beginning. His plotting is remarkably well handled, and the narrative is so compelling, tense and suspenseful, driven by the well executed twists. I find psychological thrillers a hit or miss affair, this is a hit in every sense, I can see this being a bestseller, and deservedly so. What is really outstanding is the characters of Jack and Syd, they are superbly developed, particularly Syd. A morally ambiguous and brilliant read that I highly recommend! Many thanks to Penguin for an ARC.

"This thing I've planned for so carefully; it has all gone drastically, horribly wrong."

The House is one of those books that I enjoyed and read quickly, but that hasn't stayed with me afterwards. I only read it a couple of weeks ago and I've already forgotten a lot of what happened (don't worry, I made notes). This may be because I read a lot, but some books stay with me and some don't. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. The House is a great thriller, very twisty, and tackles some dark subjects, but I was happy to let it goo afterwards.

That's not to say that The House isn't disturbing, because it is, and it deals with some difficult subjects, such as abuse and some parts were difficult to read. Lelic also tackles them with a good balance, unsettling the reader but not including unnecessary shocks.
This is a well written book and a good read but it didn't have that extra something that makes it a favourite.

I did enjoy trying to guess some of the twists, which I found difficult. Anyone who likes a knotty thriller will enjoy The House. Lelic is good at dropping hints throughout the narrative too, which keep you interested without giving away too much.

It also focuses on familial relationships and is definitely a domestic thriller, which Lelic does well, weaving feelings and emotions throughout the script.

There is a prevailing creepiness throughout The House. It's not something supernatural, like The Upstairs Room, but an undercurrent of something rotten and unsettling, which gradually becomes revealed.

The House is written from the interchanging view points of Jack and Syd, who are also writing too each other in a way. At first I wasn't sure about this as it felt a bit contrived, but as the narrative moved on it started to feel more natural.

Mainly I enjoyed The House but one let down for me was a rather cheesy ending. I won't go into details but just the last line almost takes away from the rest of the novel.

Ultimately, The House is a good read and will appeal to fans of well-plotted thrillers.

My Rating: 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4 for Goodreads etc)

I received a copy of The House via NetGalley in return for an honest review. My thanks to the author and publisher.

Just finished reading The House. I have mixed feelings over the book. My review may go against the grain of other reviews you may read. Therefore for me I would put this in the "you need to read yourself to make your mind up"

I struggled from the start of reading, but persevered.

1. I found the approach and dialogues between chapters - Jack and Syd - confusing and often I struggled to make sense of what was happening, where the story was going, relevance of chapters and often felt like it jumped around.

2. Child and domestic abuse - is a topic I struggled to read. There are some detailed areas I had to skip through.

That said, the ending is very cleverly written. But again it jumps to a previous date. Not sure if dates as well as names on chapters would have helped. I often found myself flicking back through pages to see if I had skipped chapters.

Overall it's a good story, good twists. Suited to some but for me I struggled.

Thank you for the advanced copy in return for an open and honest review.

The story revolves around the main couple- Syd and Jack-and the strength of their relationship is central to the credibility of the plot when it is tested to its limits. Jack is a great character as is Syd and although the initial narrative and the style of the narrative was a surprise and a little grating for a few pages, I soon got into the swing of it and started to really like the way it was written from both perspectives. It's interesting because Syd's POV is more masculine than Jack's and I wondered if this was deliberate on the writers part?If so, it's certainly a different slant on the normal genderised narrative POV's. Throughout the book this narrative continues with alternative chapters from each character and in the first part of the book, it really does work. The second part of the book however, felt too 'samey' and I would have been tempted to switch it up a bit and change the narrative for the second part and perhaps only see it from one character's perspective (Syd's) or the perpetrator? Unfortunately for me, the police character seemed cliched and unbelievable and I really didn't find this character authentic at all.I switched off when this character appeared which is a shame because they should have been really pivotal to the plot and made it soar/ come together.
Having said that, the book starts with an incident that makes Sid and Jack agree to record their thoughts and feelings for future reference, and this draws you in although it appears a bit cryptic at times and takes a while to unravel what exactly the issue is. I would have preferred perhaps to have found out what they were going on about much earlier than I did so I could get on side I think that way, I would have felt there was more at stake and championed the characters more.
Initially, I was immediately drawn in to the story, and gradually the plot started to move smoothly and quickly. It was easy to read and Lelic - unlike some authors - writes with n easy, understandable and natural style (rather than worrying about writing beautiful literary fiction) which in itself is like a breath of fresh air and a really hard thing to pull off. In this book, he does that beautifully..
The story line illustrates beautifully how the impact years of fear, guilt, psychological and physical abuse might affect victims when the experiences or people from the past resurface once again.
Some readers may not like Jack and Syd but they both felt entirely real, with Jack being a bit ‘too nice’ and Sid being less than perfect. Although very different, both characters are easy to relate to.
Simon Lelic did an excellent job of leading the reader towards an obvious conclusion. This isn't one of those books where you scream out loud and say,'I never saw that coming.' If the writer was wanting to highlight abuse as a theme and not write a tense, suspense novel, then he did a good job. There were no real twists and turns or surprises but the characterisation and narrative was so strong that you get carried away by it and really want to reach the natural conclusion with the characters, even though you know what's coming. Having said all of that, I did enjoy this book and I would recommend it. It's well written and entertaining. I could definitely see this as a Tv series (but with a new police character please Simon). The themes in the book are consistent and strong and it does leave you marinating on the content well after you've finished the book.I am not sure I would put this book in the same suspense category as King and Hithcock as the cover suggests, but very good and thoroughly recommend it for a beach or summer read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance copy.

Loved this. Will look out for other books from this author. Once I had started it I couldn't put it down. Thanks Netgalley!

Jack and Sydney are a young couple, hoping to be able to afford a house in London. They attend the Open Day of what appears to be their dream house. The estate agent tells them the owner has gone to Australia and left the house, furnished. They put in an offer and, to their surprise, find it has been accepted. However, before long, Jack especially, begins to feel uncomfortable. There is an uncomfortable atmosphere, then an odd discovery in the attic…

We hear of many of the events in this book afterwards, as they are written down by Jack and Sydney. Jack is a little too nice – a housing officer in London, he is very caring and does not want to upset Sydney. Indeed, he is very protective of her. We know that Sydney had a troubled childhood and these past events are brought into focus after she befriends a local girl, Elsie, who reminds her of her own struggles as a young girl.

The central theme of this novel is abuse and the way that the past impacts on the present. Although it seems that Sydney has escaped her own demons, and created a happy life with Jack, if things appear too good to be true, they often are. Being chosen as the buyers for a large property in London, when your bid was surely not the largest, is found suspicious by the couple, even at the time. Understandably, though, they ignore their misgivings and, initially, just feel lucky.

The beginning of this novel was very enticing. Although Jack seemed just too good to be true, I enjoyed the unfolding of his and Sydney’s story. However, once I could see where the plot was going (which was quite early on in the novel) it was a bit of a disappointment. An average thriller, which begins well and does not quite turn into the page turner you hope it will.

The house was interesting read. It starts with the ordinary: a young couple looking to buy a house in London and manage to acquire one at a steal. It's seems too good to be true and it is. There are sinister goings on leading to a murder. A girl without her father but better because of it. At the centre of this are a couple Syd (short for Sydney and is a woman) and Jack. The novel reads similar to a diary entry format with his and hers points of view. I enjoyed this style and the way the central characters are portrayed both are very likable and amusing in places. The twist at the end its brilliant as its so unexpected but leaves an unpalatable taste. It's shows a completely different side to the couple and you are left wondering whether this is karma at its greatest or whether this is just too much revenge. Did they deserve the ending they had?  Overall the novel is very enjoyable however my only little annoyance was the amount of twists in the plot. It did get somewhat confusing at times and it meant I wasn't so easily drawn back. I am glad I did continue on as the ending alone was worth it. I look forward to reading some more of Simon Lelic's work in the future as he does have a talent for thrillers. Thanks to netgalley, the author and publishers for an ARC of the novel in exchange for an open and honest review.

I am going to decline to review this. Thanks k you for the chance to read it but thus far I don't have anything good to say about it.

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

1 star - did not like it.
I was concerned early on when reading this. This book is told from the alternating perspectives of Syd & Jack in a presumably deliberately chaotic way. I wasn't convinced by Syd as a character - her manner of speaking didn't ring true to me at all, and Jack was the same to a lesser extent. The writing was not of a good standard to me, and the alternating perspectives didn't seem to work well - the drip feeding of information, the potential to give clues or red herrings was totally missed in favour of rambling sections about personal thoughts and feelings that felt really extraneous - even taking into account the revelations at the end.

The mystery of what they were talking about was initially interesting - I wanted to know what was going on. But the meandering, messy narration wasn't gripping and didn't elicit the reaction it was intended to - it was just really frustrating.

When the plot seemingly veered off when Elsie was introduced, I knew i wasn't going to like it.
<spoiler>The abuse plot line is not something I want to read about anyway - but Syd's memories towards the end just seemed needlessly gratuitous. Her father's incredible acts of cruelty were not explored in any meaningful way - just as pure shock value and used to drive the plot forward.</spoiler>

The other major problem - especially for a mystery/thriller - is that it was pretty obvious who was going to be responsible. The 'twist' was totally expected.

Can't recommend it - I thought at first there were some of similarities to The Upstairs Room (a much better book about a couple in a new house...) and thought there was going to be a good mystery here. Sadly not...

When Jack and Syd move into their dream home after they clear some of the previous owners stuff the find a grisly discovery of a dead cat in the attic, Then weird things start to happen, Syd senses someone walking around the flat in the middle of the night. They also befriend a girl that has been abused. It brings back memories for Syd as Syd suffered the same by her father.
The story is narrated alternately by Jack and Syd. It was a good read but it wasn't terrifying or grisly as the tagline says. It was supposed to be about a house but this is about family and relationships. Its a good read but it won't keep you up at night...

Very clever story. I found myself at times scared, sad and then mad, all of which kept me turning pages needing to find out how it ends. Well done!

The House is perfect for all of those readers out there who love a 'domestic thriller with a twist'. Told through alternating narratives from Jack and Syd, the novel's main protagonists, who are a young couple who are trying to buy a house in London. Fortune favours them in the guise of a clutter home whose owner apparently wants a young couple to have a chance of acquiring their dream home rather than developers. From the outset Jack is wary but Syd has fallen for it and so he puts his concerns to one side. Unfortunately as their narrative blossoms, we soon discover that there is a darkness enveloping them which could destroy their happiness.

With 2 interesting characters, a plot that moves along at a nice pace and twists galore The House should be a winner in the eyes of many readers.

I have read all Simon Lelic’s previous novels and none of them shy away from controversial topics. The House is no different with its main theme of the abuse of children and the repercussions. I should say the content is not graphic, more insidious.

Jack and Syd move into a house they know they have no right to be able to afford. For reasons that become clear later, much to their surprise, their offer on the house is accepted and they buy it, as seem, with the vast majority of the previous owner’s possession left intact. The stuffed birds are a particularly creepy feature.

The telling of the novel alternates between the viewpoints of Syd and Jack as they write, almost to each other, about the events with which they have had to deal. There is a murder, an attempted suicide and a pretty astounding denouement.

What a sinister novel: Lelic creates an atmosphere of tension, fear and downright creepiness. It would make a great TV series.

If you like a book that makes you shiver in the early hours; this one is for you.

ARC received from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.