Now the thought of strangers staying in my house when I’m not there isn’t one that appeals on any level but for Caroline and therapist husband Francis the house swap gives them an opportunity to take a cheap break in Chiswick, close to London. So they make a folder of important information and leave their Leeds apartment to be enjoyed by a stranger in their absence.

Francis and Caroline leave their young son Eddie with her mother and drive to Chiswick and the boxy house which will become their base for exploring museums and the like in the big city for the next week. As they walk inside the lack of personal possessions is immediately apparent. Who’d live in a house like this?

This is a domestic thriller and as such a portrait of a marriage under an enormous amount of strain. Francis has suffered with an unspecified addiction while Caroline, the breadwinner, cook, bottle washer and parent, eventually snaps and starts a lurid affair with a younger colleague. The affair is hot, as are both Caroline and Carl, her paramour and the sections of the book set in the past are full of sex and the excitement of new passion. Caroline believes the lies she tells herself and her enjoyment of the attention in contrast to her empty marriage is very well done. But all this is in the past, two years before the trip away. So when Caroline notices things that remind her of times passed and she becomes spooked, as you would.

This is a good debut novel although not suitable for those readers who need to like or admire the characters. I would have liked to know more about the background to Francis’s addiction but as The House Swap is mostly told from Caroline’s point of view, we hear her thoughts on him but little of what makes him tick (when he’s not out of it on whatever pills he’s addicted to) In fact the woman who seemed most ‘real’ was the intense neighbour but that is probably because we know Caroline is hiding, from herself as much as Francis.
What The House Swap does really well is to shine a spotlight on how one person’s behaviour can cause a ripple effect, and it does it well. It’s also a lesson in how lack of communication can cause huge issues that can’t be overcome without a level of trust.

Caroline has only just made herself at home before a neighbour introduces herself and becomes a little bit keen to spend time with her which is just odd considering she’s only staying for a week.
There is plenty of intrigue that kept me turning the pages of this novel which is the ideal beach read. After all we all like to peek behind someone else’s curtains, even if the thought of the favour being returned makes us recoil in horror. The plotting is accomplished so even though I could think of various ways the storyline could play out, I wasn’t right in any aspect at all.

I'd like to thank the publishers Transworld who allowed to me read a copy of The House Swap before publication on 3 May 2018. This unbiased review is my thanks to them and Rebecca Fleet for an entertaining read.

First Published UK: 3 May 2018
Publisher:Transworld
No of Pages: 320
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Amazon UK
Amazon US

House Swap

I requested this book thinking it was going to be an edge of seat nail biting read but unfortunately it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I found the first 50% a bit dull to be honest. The male character Frances had many issues but we were given no reason or backstory for this at all. The second part of the book was better and I thought the ending was pretty good.

I thought this book was very good especially as it was the authors first book. It was written from three different perspectives but easy to follow and flowed from one to the other. It's perhaps not quite the nail biting tingles down the spine psychological thriller that I am used to but I still think it is worthy of 4*

This is the story of Caroline and Francis, who have been going through turbulent times in their marriage. They go for a short holiday together to try to build some bridges through a house swap website, however, they don't actually know whose house it is they are staying in, or more worryingly, who is staying in their house!
I would describe this not so much as a thriller or domestic noir, but more a family drama with some surprises. It was very well written and I did enjoy it, but there were a few points which lessened the appeal of the book for me. I felt the character of Francis could have been fleshed out more, I would like to know what led to his addiction and hear more of his side of the story. Caroline was just hideously selfish and I had absolutely no sympathy with her predicament at all! Their poor son should have gone to live with his gran permanently, he might have got some attention from her! Very sad at times, and I did think the ending was a fitting one.

I really couldn't get in to this book. I read over half way hoping to become interested but I really couldn't care in the end. Sorry but gave up!

When I first requested this book, I was expecting a taut, nail-biting psychological thriller, whereas it was more an analysis of a relationship and how things can go wrong. I didn't feel that the book conveyed a sense of drama behind what was going on, it was more subtle than that. I would have liked more depth to the male characters as they seemed a little two-dimensional at times.

So, this wasn't quite the book I was expecting but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good read. Once I adjusted to it, I quite enjoyed it. After reading a rash of books where the men are up to no good, it was a change for the woman to be one with doubts and other options.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers, Random House UK / Transworld Publishers, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

The House Swap by Rebecca Fleet is a thriller that keeps you guessing.
Caroline and Francis are trying to save their marriage and trip away by themselves sounds like a good idea. They house swap with a person on the Internet for a week on a townhouse near London to try an reconnect with each other. Strange things happen in the townhouse that causes more difficulties and Caroline thinks she is being watched and becomes afraid. I enjoyed this book and all the twists and turns in the story. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld Publishers for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a family drama of sorts jacketed as a thriller. The story has 2 time lines with 3 versions. One was way in the past in the year 2013, where the main character Caroline, goes through turbulence in her marriage, with her prescription pill addict husband and so has an affair. The second version was Caroline in the present, year 2015, when she is on a holiday with the same husband Francis, trying to save the marriage, on a house swap, where the stranger's house has reminders of her past. The third version is by a stranger who has house swapped with Caroline and is staying at her place. There is the occasional POV of her husband, Francis. This story sounded so exciting when I read the synopsis.

Whom did Caroline and Francis house swap with? Why are there reminders of her past in this home? What is the stranger doing in Caroline's home? What is the purpose of the rampage and destruction the stranger is on?

But the delivery of the story is pretty slow, the characters self-obsessed and undeveloped, and the whole plot too flimsy. Caroline occupies the major storyline, yet is shown selfish most of the times. The husband had a prescription pill addiction, the reason for that or the support given to him was almost nil in description.

Where is the thrill, the suspense, the twists, if this is a thriller? Where is the race to the ending and the heart pounding finish?

This book is quite unbelievable, but as I am told that is creative license, the characters are unlikable, but I am told that works, the story is extremely slow but I am told that is the new trend. Caroline is supposedly hot but that is because I am told repeatedly how sexy she is in her short dress and skirts. There are lots of erotic scenes during affair, but none with the husband, and they don't add to the 'psychological thriller' aspect.

The only character who drew my emotions out was the child Eddie, who had the mother rushing through his bedtime to meet the lover, and the father in his pill haze. He had my full-on sympathy.

The first emotion evoked was disinterest and the last emotion was happiness — thank God the book is done, and I can delete it from my kindle. It very nearly became DNF. Took me 5 days to read.

The House Swap is a very good slow burn page turning psychological thriller. I liked the character of Caroline and reading about her fractured relationship with Francis, leading her to make the choices she did and to a point in her life where everything changes for her. The level of tension and suspense rises steadily throughout the book culminating in a surprise twist that I'm happy to say I didn't see coming.

I am NEVER going to do a house swap after reading this! Caroline has a secret from her past, which she would not want anyone to know. When she house swaps for a week, trying to rebuild her marriage, she fears her past is all around her. This page-turner kept me wondering throughout and I really enjoyed it.

I was offered 'The House Swap' to 'read now' and wouldn't have chosen this otherwise. Unfortunately,my personal choice proved correct. I couldn't connect with the characters and as I had other books lined up,I gave up on it. Life is too short to read books that don't capture my imagination.

Having read the precis, I was looking forward to reading this and it didn't let me down.
The novel is certainly beautifully written in a manner that is engrossing, intelligent but not too heavy.
Several twists and turns, carefully timed, kept me second guessing until close to the end.
My only criticism (if I can even call it that) is that it becomes a tale of incredible sadness and whilst wonderfully portrayed, it wasn't the thrill ride that I'd expected.
None the less, it didn't detract from an excellent book and overall I really enjoyed it.

Twists that kept the reader guessing. Mix of home and away to allow character development

Dark, tense with lots of twists. The husband wife relationship was difficult to read and you could understand what led her to do what she did. (No spoilers). I really enjoyed it and even though it was slow paced it really held my attention.

I was drawn to this book by the Intreguing synopsis and the tag line on the eye catching cover.Caroline and Francis who are struggling to repair their shattered marriage jump at the opportunity to take part in a house swap.Only the house that they finds themselves in is so sparse and empty they find it hard to imagine that anyone has actually been living there.Not long after they arrive,Caroline starts discovering objects that remind her of someone she used to know,someone she desperately wants to leave in the past.It all sounded so intriguing and mysterious which it was,mostly but at times I also felt like I had accidentally downloaded 50 shades of Grey by mistake.

The story flips back and forth between two time frames,the present day and 2013.The house swap chapters where set in the present day and where among my favourite parts of the story.Who owned the empty,emotionless house?Who was the mysterious,stalker like neighbour? Is there a connection between what is happening in the present day and something that happened in the past? In the 2013 chapters we discover why Caroline and Francis`s marriage is falling apart.Francis had a addiction,we are never told the origins of this addiction but to put it bluntly,Francis was a doped up mess.So does Caroline try to help her husband get through his issues? Nope,instead she decides to have an affair with her HOT colleague Carl.And how do we know that Carl is HOT,well we know this because we are constantly told how HOT he is,and how short and tight Caroline`s skirts are,and how great the sex was.Caroline and Francis have a very young son called Eddie who Caroline apparently loves very very much,or so she keeps saying.She loves him so much that after not seeing him all day because she has been at work,the minute she gets home she can't wait to get him fed,bathed and into bed so she can leave him in the Care of his doped up,comatosed dad and disappear off to meet her lover.At least poor little Eddie could rely on Caroline`s Mum for some proper love and attention.I didn't like Caroline very much and not only because I don't like people who cheat on their partners.I would have liked Francis`s character to have been a bit more fleshed out,although there was a few chapters that where told from his p.o.v,we mainly learnt about his character through Caroline`s biased observations.Interspersed throughout the book was italicized chapters voiced by the person who was staying in Caroline and Francis`s flat.These parts where gripping,sinister and intreguing and contained a shocking ` please don't do that` moment that made me gasp out loud out of fear for a characters safety.

The House Swap is definitely well written,the characters`s where vivid and realistic,the motive behind the campaign against Caroline was heart breaking and believable.I did enjoy the book enough to finish it and I would happily read another book by this author in the future.

I first entered The House Swap whilst on holiday and staying in an Airbnb property. I felt more and more unnerved as I looked around at someone else’s possessions and actually had to stop reading until I arrived home. With doors securely locked and surrounded by my own worldly goods - I took a deep breath and snuck back inside.

This is an inventive and creatively plotted debut. If tense could be defined by a book it would be this book - I felt deliciously on edge as the story unfolded. Caroline’s mounting sense of terror became mine. Her narrative creeping under my skin as I looked over my shoulder to check that the curtains were tightly drawn.

The words flow effortlessly. The flawlessly interspersed time shifts tell you all you need to know about the past whilst in the present you hurtle towards a conclusion that can not be avoided.

Thank you so much to Transworld Books for the ARC. This is a story of illicit obsession and repercussions that will track you down and haunt you for a lifetime. It is a debut that I highly recommend as long as you read it in your own home!

House Swap is a book I enjoyed a lot. Not only it was a good suspense, the writing was also very good.
Francis and Caroline's marriage is not going so well with many problems. In an attempt to save it and have a nice holiday, they decide to do a house swap. Someone stays in their house, and they stay in theirs. Once they start their holiday, some unknown truths come out to the surface and make things uncomfortable.

Rebecca Fleet did a really good job of combining good writing, meaningful and well executed plot. I really liked the idea behind it, I was quite tired of the 'victim' woman portrait of these days. There was a very good element of suspense, surprises emerging. I felt the tense in Caro's head and among the other characters.

All in all, I really liked this book as a thriller and I would be reading more from Fleet for sure.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for granting a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The House Swap was well written, but not really for me this one. I kept up to the end simply to see the resolution which I wasn't even terribly bothered about to be honest but sometimes the end justifies the means. Ultimately though that was a bit flat too so...

Anyway the premise is sound - a house swap, a couple trying to save their marriage after one suffers with addiction and the other has an affair. Mysterious things in the house start sparking memory in the wife and she realises that there is a tie to her past there and what happened to end said affair and start a reconciliation with hubby.

This, in my opinion obviously, isn't a thriller at all, not even the psychological kind. It's more a family drama and it's a little slow to move. My main issue with it was lack of character depth - Caroline is self absorbed and her treatment of her pill addicted husband in the flashback sequences was not endearing and I didn't feel the author explored her motivations enough to allow us to know her. Francis, said Husband, was probably the most sympathetic character, but his addiction and the reasons for it were not fleshed out at all, leaving him sat there as a kind of wishy washy "Plot device for everything else" - even when we got his POV which wasn't much it was just well, as a plot device to let us know he knew something Caroline didn't think he knew.

The "Lover" was completely unbelievable to me. There's a lot of stuff about how "hot" he is and a lot of descriptive prose and inserts about their sexual activity which didn't really add to the plot - it would have been ok if this has been trailed as an "Erotic Drama" but honestly I could have done without it. It was SO cliche. Younger man, hot and heavy, older woman whose husband doesn't understand her. Yawn.

Plus that poor child. One parent with an addiction, the other who can't wait to get bath and storytime over so she can rush out the door and have very bad sex with her lover.

The resolution is a bit pulled out of nowhere. It does have a theme that, had it really been explored, could have given this a lot of depth and perception but as we see the "villain" only in portions and those portions are mostly rather randomly connected to the rest it didn't really make me feel anything other than pleased I'd gotten to the end.

So, The House Swap will probably please a lot of people - there's nothing wrong with the writing and if you happen to engage with one or more of the characters, or you like some erotic undertones to your reading, then this one might be for you. It wasn't for me.

I really liked House Swap - it's my kind of suspense, between a few people, tense, there is a reveal/surprise element but everything isn't only spinning around to 'wow' the reader. The quality of writing was good, I'll definitely read Rebecca Fleet again.

Francis and Caroline's marriage have been on rocks, but they still hold onto each other and put an effort to stay married. They both have their own problems, and the individual problems inevitably bring more problems on to the table. They do a house-swap for an economical holiday, someone stays in their house and they stay in that person's house. They settle in their holiday house and Caroline tries to enjoy the break, but somethings will be surfacing, bringing up questions and uncomfortable truths.

I think the whole story was executed really well. Some popular thrillers paint up distressed, gold-hearted, oh-so-innocent female characters which always get tricked by the 'evil' men. It was quite refreshing to read something different, I liked Caro, thorn between two men, although she wasn't entirely ethical I still understand what's it like to be choosing between what you want and what you 'should'.

I so wanted to like this book, it sounded like the sort of book I usually enjoy, but I just didn't connect with the characters.It started out ok but for me it started to drag and lose my interest, I am sorry that it wasn't a good read for me, and hope other readers will enjoy it more.Thanks to the Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC.