Wow a really enjoyable roller coaster of a book. So many candidates in this one, so keep up. Lots of twists and turns. Is it you or is it you. I don't have an alibi so is it me? Just a brilliant read all round. Couldn't do anything until I'd finished the book!

Thank you to Random House UK and Netgalley for approving my request to read this title before its release.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great thriller that kept me guessing throughout. I liked the characters and it makes you question how much you really know your neighbours.

I look forward to reading more by Shari Lapena and have her other books ready to read. I highly recommend this book to those who like thrillers and like a good ‘whodunnit’

Neighbours everybody needs good neighbours, just not ones like this!

The story begins with a lady being bludgeoned to death by a hammer... so beings the whodunnit?

Four couples, one neighbourhood, secrets, lies, affairs, breaking and entering, murder it's got it all.

This was an engaging and suspensful read full of harsh truths that prove how something innocent can have devastating consequnces.

Great characters, lots of twists and turns makes you look and your neighbours differently and wonder what really does go on behind closed doors?

Thanks Netgalley.

Thank you to Random House UK and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

I have enjoyed Shari Lapena's books previously so was really looking forward to getting my hands on this one. The concept and plot was intriguing and interesting and the book did keep you guessing in true whodunnit style. However I found the amount of characters/ suspects and how quickly perspectives changed a little bit distracting. While I did enjoy the book I wasn't rushing to pick it up.

I think fans of thrillers that feature in depth character study and traditional, reliable mysteries will too. The book has you guessing throughout the book until the end.

This is a great mystery / whodunnit story that kept me on the edge of my seat! We get to know more about the characters in this local neighborhood as the story unfolds; some become a bit too friendly with each other leading to a jealous reaction that resulted in the murder of the siren-like Amanda.
I read Someone We Know over a couple of days and I think I changed my mind quite a few times when considering who actually could have committed the murder and why!! In the end, it was as much a surprise why the killer struck - the author cleverly only revealed the vital piece of information towards the end (even though all the signs were there all along). Overall a solid thriller.

I have enjoyed this authors other books and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. A whodunnit with a difference with a lot of red herrings thrown in. Everyone seemed to have their own secrets but it all tied up together well in the end

5 Stars from me!

Having enjoyed 'The Couple Next Door', I was keen to read 'Someone We Know' and I wasn't disappointed. I was completely hooked by from start to finish. This is a highly accomplished psychological thriller that will keep you well and truly on the edge of your seat.

There are a few separate yet very linked stories running throughout the book and they all probably would have stood up well as main storylines in their own rights. 

The book is packed full of 'what would you do' theoretical conundrums and a fair sprinkling of infidelity and untrustworthy friends.

I literally hated putting this book down, I just wanted to keep on reading and find out what was going on. Throughout all of the domestic nitty gritty and suburban life there is a murder to solve after all. I usually guess the killer early on in these things but there were so many threads and viable would be murderers that it kept the pace fast and the story interesting.

Can't recommend this enough, go read it!




Synopsis: "No-one does suburban paranoia like Shari Lapena - this slowly unfurling nightmare will have you biting your nails until the end." 

--Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Cabin 10

The new domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door, A Stranger in the House, and An Unwanted Guest, Shari Lapena

Maybe you don't know your neighbours as well as you thought you did...

"This is a very difficult letter to write. I hope you will not hate us too much... My son broke into your home recently while you were out."

In a quiet, leafy suburb in upstate New York, a teenager has been sneaking into houses -and into the owners' computers as well-learning their secrets, and maybe sharing some of them, too.

Who is he, and what might he have uncovered? After two anonymous letters are received, whispers start to circulate, and suspicion mounts. And when a woman down the street is found murdered, the tension reaches the breaking point. Who killed her? Who knows more than they're telling? And how far will all these very nice people go to protect their own secrets?

In this neighbourhood, it's not just the husbands and wives who play games. Here, everyone in the family has something to hide...

You never really know what people are capable of.

Aylesford is a small community not far from New York. People know each other, are friends, have barbecues together and share their everyday problems. New to the neighbourhood are Amanda and Robert Pierce, both stunningly attractive and younger than the rest with their teenage kids. When Amanda goes missing, everybody soon blames the husband, the obvious suspect, but then, slowly, the facades of the good people start to crumble. They are not the loving husbands who go to work every day to support their beloved family, they are not the good housewives who only care for their dears and they are not the good kids of the suburbs. They all have their secrets they thought well hidden, but now it’s time for revelation.

I hardly could put down Shari Lapena’s thriller since I was hooked from the first page. She has created the perfect environment for readers who enjoy a bit of schadenfreude. Those nice people who appear to be caring and concerned about the others and who are suddenly confronted with their dark sides that threaten the picture they have drawn of themselves. A great read that was not only fun to read because all of them sooner or later have to admit their misconduct, but first and foremost, because the plot was masterly woven and thus kept suspense high until the very end.

It’s hard to say more about the plot without giving away too much. I liked how Lapena slowly unravels the revelations and shifts the focus from one character to the next. They all act suspiciously and at a certain point, I gave up believing any of them since it was too obvious that none of them is innocent in one way or the other. The author skilfully plays with the reader along these lines and this keeps you addicted since you eagerly want to find out what actually happened. It’s a brilliant, enthralling novel that you cannot stop reading once you’ve started.

4.5 stars.
This is a very character driven suspense thriller that bubbles under throughout and then explodes at it reaches its conclusion. Set in a leafy suburb of New York, the inhabitants are thrust into the limelight when a woman is reported missing by her husband. We also meet a young hacker who breaks into houses just to have a peek at their computers. Coincidentally, one of the houses he targeted belonged to the missing woman. With an eclectic cast of characters all with their own secrets, lies and exhibiting more than their fair share of duplicitous behaviour, can the police peel back these layers and get to the truth once and for all? And then a body is found...
This book kept me on my toes, guessing throughout. Boy are there a lot of secrets and coincidences to be found in this book. But, unlike a lot of this genre, none of the curve balls thrown felt contrived. It all flowed along nicely as lies were uncovered and secrets divulged. People are funny fish sometimes and we have quite a few of this ilk here. Hiding things from their families for strange reasons. Pointing the finger at others when it comes round to their turn in the spotlight. Not to mention the liaisons that have been occurring... There are some really great observations along the way, methinks the author does more than her share of people watching.
Personally I gave up trying to second guess along the way. With all the twists and turns, I got a bit dizzy trying. So I settled back and just enjoyed the ride and boy what a ride I was taken on. And then, when all was laid bare and the truth came out, well... I didn't see that coming. But, I hasten to add, it didn't come out of left field and I did kick myself for not paying enough attention. The clues were there, I just missed them :(
All in all, a cracking read that held my attention nicely throughout and left me satisfied at the end. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Shari Lapena is one of these authors who is a constant for me. Whenever she has a new book coming out, I read it right away, barely bothering to read the blurb first. And she never disappoints. I devoured SOMEONE WE KNOW, starting reading it in the evening and finishing it the next morning, right before going to work (I couldn’t wait for the evening to see how it ended).

The author takes us in a neighbourhood in Aylesford, in New York’s Hudson Valley, where everyone is friendly, they organize book clubs and picnics in the park. Until suddenly a woman disappears, a teenager breaks into houses, anonymous letters appear out of nowhere, a body is found in the lake, and love affairs are not so secret anymore.

This is a domestic thriller with capital letters. The story is well-plotted, full of suspense and revelations that the author slowly unravels, keeping me always on my toes, never knowing what to expect next. The author created a cast of characters that the reader can’t trust. Each one of them is hiding something, they are all possible suspects in the murder investigation, and every time I thought I had it figure out, I found out that, actually, I didn’t. I liked how the author keeps the tension high by switching the perspective from character to character.

Another thing Shari Lapena is good at is to create the right setting. A suburban town, a typical American street as you see on TV, and a remote cabin by the lake create the right evocative atmosphere to this gripping novel.

SOMEONE WE KNOW is brilliant, a self-paced, addictive, and riveting novel that you won’t be able to put down!!!

WOW! I expected nothing less from this author, and yet again she has knocked this one way out of the park! Someone We Know is full of twisted relationships that all get a little too close to home, whilst also giving off the impression that the community in this novel is much more disconnected from each other than they realise.

The prologue grabs the reader immediately as it's clear that some unfortunate soul is murdered - but who.. and most importantly why!? This secrecy urges you to read on as we are introduced to Olivia and her son Rayleigh, who has got himself into a spot of bother after breaking into people's houses.

From the onset the reasons behind his crimes are unknown, and slowly the focus is taken away from Rayleigh, and more onto the wider community as a body is discovered and everyone begins to be questioned to understand what really happened. Throughout, there is a nagging feeling that the two must be linked, but as a reader I found it impossible to work out how!?

The book leads you to suspect everyone, with every single character having some motive to being involved. Yet just when you think you've figured it all out, Lapena drops another character into the mix just to stir things up and spin your suspicions completely upside down!

The events of the book are so fast paced that I read it within two sittings and was left on a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter! The intimate relationships between romantic couples, friends, and between parents and their child are exposed for all their vulnerabilities and are key to the breath taking twists and turns of this novel.

Shari Lapena has done it again! Another fantastic five star read for lovers of thrillers, and certainly an author to turn to whenever you feel in a reading slump! I'm hoping the wait for her next title doesn't feel too long!

**Book Review**
Olivia Sharpe finds out her son Raleigh has been breaking into houses in their neighbourhood, he does it not to steal their possessions but to hack into their computers. Olivia sends anonymous letters to the owners of the houses to apologise on behalf of her son. But now Amanda Pierce has just been found dead and it so happens that she lived in one of the houses Raleigh broke into. What secrets has Raleigh found out from his neighbours computers and has he been doing more than just breaking in?
Set in a small tight knit community this town is full of residents with something to hide and families to protect. There’s a long list of suspects all with a good reason for wanting one of their own dead.

This book was a roller coaster full of twists and turns. There are a lot of characters in this multi-narrative book which keeps the story moving along quickly and ensures that there’s a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter. The books is full of secrets and lies right up to the very last page.
it will definitely make you think twice about how well you really know your neighbours.
If you want a fast paced crime fiction book this one is for you! Shari Lapena is the author of The Couple Next Door and A Stranger In The House which I also highly recommend
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for my advanced copy in return for my honest review.
This book is available 25th of July on kindle and 6th of August in paperback.

I thought the concept was interesting, but it was a bit too predictable for me. It's an easy read, if you are a fan of the author you may well love this.

4.5⭐️ rounded up to 5

Raleigh Sharpe has been breaking into his neighbours homes. He doesn't steal anything. He just wants to see if he can hack into their computers. His mother Olivia, finds out about the break-ins and leaves anonymous notes to let the home owners know what her son has been up to. But one of her sons victims is dead. As the news of Amanda Pierce's death spreads, the list of suspects grows. Her husband and some of the neighbours are under suspicion. Each have a reason why they might want Amanda dead, but is any of them guilty? Or could it even be some one else? The book opens with Amanda's murder.

I was hooked from the first page. With everyone a suspect, who actually held the hammer that killed Amanda Pierce? Everyone had a believable and justified reason for killing her. There are so many secrets, lies and twists. I did not like Amanda's husband from the start. It's obvious from the beginning that he's a man with something to hide. I felt at times like I was reading a script for an epsiode of Desperate Housewives. This is the best book so far that I have read by the author. I never guessed until nearer the end, who had killed Amanda.

I would like to thank Randon House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author Shari Lapena for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Shari Lapena.... I love this book ❤️ Once I got started I struggled to out it down and would have read it in one sitting if I could. I have read books from the author before so I knew it would be good but I think this one is my favourite so far. There is so much going on all the time and getting to the end of each chapter you just want to keep going.

This story has it all. A close knit community that you would not want to live in. It starts with a woman being murdered in a cracking first chapter. We then move to meet the residents of this seemingly normal street. Behind closed doors there is so much drama happening... secrets, affairs, a teenager breaking into houses, a missing wife, lies and deceit.. it is all there. When the missing woman's body is discovered there is no shortage of possible suspects. The police really do have their work cut out for them. There are characters that you wouldn't trust as far as you can throw them and then there are the ones that appear to be normal. The ending will shock you!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Uk, Transworld Publishing for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

This is the 3rd Shari Lapena book that I have read, and once again she hasn't disappointed.

There are a lot of characters in this story, and a lot of different threads running throughout the plot, and to be completely honest I struggled to keep up with them at first. However as the book went on all of these individual characters and storylines started to intertwine, leading to a real head scratching, 'who dunnit' moment.

I really enjoyed the authors descriptions of the characters and the setting, giving the feeling of a small, close knit American town, where everybody seems to know each others business but also each others secrets!

All in all a solid, enjoyable read.

Thank you to RandyHouse Transworld UK, NetGalley and Shari Lapena for allowing me the opportunity to read this work.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Corgi for this advance copy!

This is the third book that I read by Shari Lapena and I just can say that I love her.

The first chapter was a shock! It was perfect to keep me reading! I needed to know who had been murdered, who was the murderer and why it had happened!

The story became even more interesting once the police investigators started interrogating the neighbours of the victim.
Everyone was holding back some information, everyone was lying, everyone had secrets... I loved it! They made too difficult for the police to get to the truth but it was fun!

The writing style was very easy to understand and follow. I literally flew through the book without problem!

There were multiple characters involved in this story. Every person mentioned in the book had an important role at some point but far from making it more complicated, I found it very easy to follow.

I thought the book was funny in a way as there were some scenes that just made me laugh, especially the ones with Becky, one of the neighbors.

I had a lot of questions and as I kept reading the book, more questions appeared in my mind. Who? Why? When? Thankfully, they all got answered throughout the rest of the chapters and I ended up understanding the whole thing!

I liked that there was another story going on at the same time. The main plot was the disappearance of Amanda, but there was also something clearly going on with the kid of the neighbours next door and I liked the fact that, somehow, they were connected.

A little bit after half way through the book, I thought that I had figured everything out. I thought that I knew who had done it and why. I kept reading very proud of my investigative skills until I got to the end and found out that I was wrong!

I loved it, though. I really liked the end and how the police officers got to know the truth.

It was a very satisfying read and I will always always read Shari Lapena books!

After reading and being caught up in the mystery of The couple next door by Shari Lapena last year, I was delighted to be approved by the publisher via NetGalley for an eARC of her latest book – Someone we know. Delighted! Thank you.

Someone we know by Shari Lapena was good. So very good. A solid novel. It delivered exactly what I thought it would – a decent domestic thriller that kept me turning the pages.

Someone we know by Shari Lapena didn’t do anything original, it didn’t have any standout characters or unusual settings or twists, but all the elements came together to make a good read. I was entertained and often that is all I want from a book – to be entertained. Who doesn’t want to be absorbed in a good read?

Someone we know has a big cast of characters and it did take me a few chapters to get to grips with the various POVs and who was who. And who was married to who. And who was in love with who. This was a big soap opera of a story. There was a lot going on during the novel, a lot of secrets, a lot of lies and a lot of secrets to hide. Entertaining.

I thought the ending was great. I did have a good guess at it, but it was still very satisfying. It wasn’t a massive twist, but it was the sort of ending that was connected to the story and characters – it was the type of ending I prefer to a big twist that tries too hard and feels like it comes out of nowhere.

But.

In a month or so I probably won’t remember many of the details about the book. Someone we know was good, it just didn’t have any stand out features – not a criticism. It’s a great example of why I keep on picking up domestic drama/thrillers one after the other. I was entertained.

I have since finishing Someone we know went and purchased The unwanted guest. I’m sure Shari Lapena is going to be an author I watch out for.

I would be very surprised if the book didn’t do well, it delivered a great read. It was good. I absolutely recommend it.

Someone we know by Shari Lapena will be published on the 25th July 2019.

What a neighbourhood! Seemingly quiet and middle-class on the surface but behind closed doors, there are affairs, secrets, a teenage boy breaking into their houses and a missing woman later found murdered. Lapena keeps us guessing as the murder suspects pile up and the police keep changing their focus. Some of the characters are not very likeable and some seem pleasant enough but are hiding unpleasant secrets. An engaging, suspenseful read with enough twists to keep the waters muddy until the murderer finally reveals themselves.