Actual rating: 3.5 stars

The Other Side of the Door is a thriller where a woman finds her boyfriend’s dead body in his apartment. Bonnie decides to hide the body to protect the killer. Bonnie doesn't know who the killer is and everybody is lying to her. The story switches between past and present. In the past, a friend requests a live band at their wedding, but things start to fall apart because Bonnie’s new boyfriend and ex-boyfriend are both in the band.

This book was a bit exciting while reading it and I was invested in who the killer was and the drama. After a couple of days, I forgot almost all of the details about this book and it is a forgettable one. The plot was just lackluster overall and while the writing was really digestible, it made this book medicore.

This book has also been out for years under a different title but was republished under this new title and with a new cover.

Thank you to William Morrow and Custom House, Nicci French, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Bonnie, a music teacher dating Neal, is asked to put together a band to play at her friend’s wedding. She agrees and pulls together a haphazard group of musicians to play and sign. One of the musicians is Hayden, with whom Bonnie has a fling. When Bonnie goes to Hayden’s apartment one day and finds his body on the floor, she calls her best friend to help her cover it up but is then wondering who killed him and why.
Told in alternating timeframes – before and after the murder – you get the events leading up to the murder and everything that happened afterward.
Well-written but a bit predictable.

I thought I’d really enjoy this given that it was involving musicians and music but this was just too slow for me. I wouldn’t have minded if the final result was explosive, but it isn’t fell flat for me. It had some proof of a solid story, but just didn’t hold my attention.

I loved that this story kept me guessing the whole way through. Even when you think you know what happened, there are still surprises waiting for you.

This is another terrific thriller by Nicci French. The characters are well done, the plot is suspenseful. I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend this book.

Another fascinating read from the duo Nick French. I enjoyed both the characters and the story line.

Did Not Finish. I gave it my best shot, but after struggling to make it 15% I gave up. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to try reading the novel. I just didn't find it compelling enough to finish.

This one was not for me, I’m sorry. The story just didn’t really cut it for me. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Would you place yourself in jeopardy to help a friend? Just how much would you sacrifice for friendship? The protagonist in this novel, Bonnie Graham is asked these questions and also asks them herself.

I received an eARC of The Other Side of the Door by Nicci French from William Morrow/Custom House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
The writing style was decent, but the story lacked. It was such a slow read for me that I almost didn't finish it. Unfortunately, it missed the mark. 2 stars.

It's a no for me. It wasn't so bad that it made me angry, but it WAS so bad that I didn't enjoy a single moment of it. It's boring and underwhelming and the time skips do not make it interesting, just annoying.

I absolutely loved this book UNTIL the very end. I was extremely confused by the abrupt ending and thought that there must be some mistake. I really do not like how this one ended at all.

Nicci French's latest novel merges thriller, mystery, and suspense into one. The Other Side of the Door is set in French, and it isn't afraid to take some risks.

Can I just say that I adore the title of this novel? It's so clever and distinct, eliciting strong imagery. It's perfect for a thriller and is more than half the reason I wanted to pick this book up. I don't normally read a lot of thrillers but I love Nicci and her stories!

First off, Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow and Custom House for the copy of this novel.

I had high hopes for this novel when I read the synopsis of what is was going to be about. Domestic thrillers are always interesting for me to read because it looks at the humanity of people in an everyday setting most of the time.

This novel contains the aspects of a domestic thriller. It shows the body being found and how Bonnie and her friends react after finding the body. It is an interesting way that French chose to write the novel because you do not know who the dead body is or why it happened. I enjoy when thrillers and mysteries start at the murder and continue to work backwards.

Although I enjoyed the writing style of this novel the ending fell a little short for me and I wanted a little more. I realized a common theme for mysteries and thrillers where the ending is just quickly finished in the last 20 pages making the readers wanting more. I do, however, plan on on picking more novels by French up because I enjoyed her writing style and how she tied her plots together.
This was a fun novel, but I just wished for a little more.

I think this is a pretty good thriller especially if you are new to them. It started out with a bang. But it did drag a little in the middle.

However, as someone who likes short chapters, I didn't with this book. The reason for that is because it goes back and forth in time with short chapters that got confusing after a while.

I think this is my first book by this author and I will definitely seek out more of her work.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for this eARC.

This book is available now.

Nicci French's latest novel merges thriller, mystery, and suspense into one. The Other Side of the Door is set in Franch, and it isn't afraid to take some risks.

Bonnie Graham's whole world has turned upside down in an instant. And it all started with a pool of blood – and a murder. She stands on the threshold. On one side is the life she used to know. On the other, a life full of mystery that she must unravel.

The threshold is also more literal, as there is a dead body inside the doorway of her boyfriend's apartment. How did she get here? How did the person die? What did she have to do with all of it? These questions run through her head as she tries to figure out her next move.

Perhaps my description is a little bit misleading, as Bonnie's story actually does begin before the murder takes place. It actually all starts when she agrees to be at her friend's wedding—cue all of the drama and the actual beginning of The Other Side of the Door.

Before I really dive into this review, can I just say that I adore the title of this novel? It's so clever and distinct, eliciting strong imagery. It's perfect for a thriller and is more than half the reason I wanted to pick this book up.

Ultimately, I do feel like The Other Side of the Door was a bit of a letdown. It was odd and jumbled in places, and Bonnie's story is not quite the compelling tale that I had hoped it would be. Normally I don't mind it when perspectives shift, but I don't feel like it added much to this story.

Honestly, there are some good parts to this novel, so it is not like it is bad or anything like that. It would be more accurate to say that it is a perfectly run-of-the-mill thriller—fun to read but quick to forget about.

Thanks to Minotaur Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own

This one was pretty good. I liked the way the book was set up to looking back on events and how each character could release their own secrets as the book went on. Theirs lots of twists and the ending was somewhat satisfying. The book did seem to drag on a bit, some scenes could have been cut without impacting the storyline.
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The only thing that really made me uncomfortable was the domestic abuse and the glamorizing of it that the book applies. I’m not one who has been abused but I’m sensitive to it so I imagine those that have survived abuse would be sickened by some of this book.

This is one of those books that sounds so good when you read the description, but ends up hitting the mark just a little bit as you're reading it.

I did like that this book jumps back and forth between time frames - to before the murder is committed, to when the body is found and moving forward. I also liked that at first I didn't know whose body it was, which lead me to try to figure it out on my own. It was a good little mini mystery during the first half of the book.

The characters, however, were super unlikeable. I wanted so much to like Bonnie, but she does really stupid things and I kind of wanted her to get caught because I felt like maybe jail would be a safer place for her.

The twist came way too early in the book, and then I felt like I was just waiting to get to the end so I could move on with my life. 

I mean. It was fine. But definitely not great. I wouldn't spend money on this.

This was an exciting domestic thriller that kept me on my toes. I loved how the story switched between past and present, I was hooked from the very beginning. I did guess a few of the twists but others were very unexpected. My only concern with this book is that I did not love any of the characters, however, that is pretty typical in thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book! At first I was hooked with the Before and After because I HAD to know what happened, but part way through I gave up on it for a little while and then picked it back up. 60% in I just needed to know who killed him! I have Nicci's other two recent books and I am looking forward to reading those next! Thank you again to NetGalley!