Isla's story in the The couple on maple drive is intriguing but for me wasn't suspenseful. It started off great with the chapter on the attack and the aftermath. But there on it got very predictable. Every single character in the book except Isla is almost unreliable and although when you can't tell who the perp is its generally a good thing it kinda annoyed me that she had such sad excuses for friends in her life. Only the storyline on Isla and her mother Rowan could bring some warmth into what felt like a bleak existence. I 100% rooted for Isla from the start and came to really like her by the end, but the plot felt very much like multiple bad things happening together just for the heck of it. The part of the podcast running in parallel with the storyline was also something different and I liked that. In the end, my favorite character Isla was not like other template protagonists that make dumb decisions so that counts for a lot! I would recommend this as a 1-time read.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon books and Sam Carrington for the arc!

Although I found this a bit slow to start (and again in some places) once it got going I was enthralled.
I loved the added podcast to break it up a bit. It helped develop the suspense and lines of suspicion.
The characters were well developed and I was constantly second guessed the outcome.
Overall, decent thriller/mystery that I could see becoming a tv show!

Loved it, really good fast paced thriller full of twists and turns and had me racing through it to get to the end!! Will look out for more from the author…

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝘿𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙢 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣

I really enjoyed THE OPEN HOUSE by Carrington so was excited to read another of her books. This was told through alternating perspectives from Isla and Zach in both the past and present, and also featured chapters from local true crime podcast ‘Christie’s Crime Addicts’. True crime podcasts are something I am obsessed with so I really enjoyed this aspect and found all three to be intriguing POV’s; Isla’s allowing us to get right into her mindset and experience her post-attack anxiety and paranoia firsthand, whilst the unique podcast viewpoint kept us updated with ongoing investigations. I have to say I was really not a fan of the main characters: Isla was annoying, repetitive and whiny and I despised Zach from the start, literally *a walking red flag* - thankfully Jase redeemed the character front for me.

I found the plot a very slow starter and there was a LOT of ruminating and repetition, but the second half ramped up the tension and kept me wanting to read on. I think the ‘lone female gets attacked walking home at night’ plot was relatable and topical and certainly anxiety-inducing and the chapters were short and snappy. I guessed a couple of the twists very early on and there wasn’t quite enough of the open mouthed shock factor for me but overall it was a good solid story and one if I’d recommend for someone dipping into or starting out with thrillers.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5)

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 + 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂!

The Couple on Maple Drive really intrigued me from the description and cover because it seemed like it ran along the same line of other domestic thrillers I have enjoyed. I was not disappointed because this certainly fit the bill. As Isla recovers from a vicious attack on her way home from a work party, she cannot remember who attacked her and begins an investigation of her own to figure out who the culprit was. As all of the signs point to her current boyfriend and the boss's son, things start to get dangerous for her. I loved that the author incorporated a true crime podcast into her investigation (those seem to be a common theme in the books I've read this week! See my review for Dark Circles). This was fast paced and full of twists I didn't see coming. I loved that the author threw in some red herrings and made you constantly wonder who the culprit could be. This was very exciting and I found the ending to be very satisfying. I look forward to reading more from Sam Carrington. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 7/10

I thought this book was a page-turner right from the start – and what do you know, I wasn't mistaken. At first, it seems like a story about a typical couple, but Zeke and Isla's situation is far from typical.

We see the story from Isla's eyes. She fell victim to a vicious mugger, which resulted in her being traumatized by the event. She doesn't even remember what exactly happened. She's absolutely terrified of everything around her and is constantly worrying that the mugger will come back and end her life for good. Eventually, she finally gathers the courage to start going out again... but of course, things aren't as perfect as she would've hoped.

It's full of suspense and thrills. There are also plot twists along the way that will definitely take you by surprise. That said, there are times when Isla felt a bit annoying to me. The ending was also a bit unexpected. Still a solid 4-star read, though.

Thank you, NetGalley, but I wasn't able to download it to my shelf and thus had to find a Kindle version elsewhere. Worth it, though!

Our protagonist, Isla, was mugged on her way home from a party celebrating her promostion at work and she suffes from PTSD amnesia and severe parania. I love an unreliable narrator and Isla really ticked this box for me but I did find her somewhat hard to relate to, some of her decisions just seem irrational from a character who is initially presented as rational and highly functioning.

Her obsession with local true crime blogs and documentries highlights her sheer desperation to process what has happened to her and I thought this brought a fresh element to the book. and I felt her frustration with Zach as his "love and affection" suffocates her.

A decent thriller but nothing to blow your mind so a solid 3.5 stars from me.

Wow! I love Sam Carrington books and I would definitely recommend this one. It’ll keep you guessing and is a story that definitely won’t leave your mind when you sleep at night. The characters are so well developed and the plot layered perfectly. A fab read, would definitely recommend!

This book didnt live up to my expectations. I found it hard to connect with the characters. It just didnt have that thrill factor for me.

I really enjoyed this book. The story moved at a good pace and I quickly found myself lost in it. I also thought having Christie's Crime Addicts was a clever idea and I liked how they became involved in the story

This book was excellent with so many unexpected twists. I genuinely couldn’t believe some of the directions it was heading at times really great for that if you’re looking for something that is impossible to put down.

Amazing book that is full of surprise and big twists. I was so into this book I finished in a day. Perfect if you love a good thriller.

When Isla finally manages to get the promotion she has worked hard for - she goes out celebrating with her friends and work colleagues. She leaves her party early to meet her boyfriend but wakes up in hospital after being violently attacked in the park.
Suffering from concussion and loss of memory - her boyfriend moves in to help look after her. Soon her paranoia, fuelled by her addition to true crime podcasts starts her suspicions of everybody she meets but also pushes her to find out the truth of who attacked her.

A bit of a slow starter but soon picks up pace and leaves you guessing about who is to be trusted. A brilliant read.

This was an ok book. Written well enough but the first half was just so bloody slow.

Told from the perspective of Isla who was mugged as she walked through a park one night following a party to celebrate her promotion. Isla was confused and suffered a broken wrist. She lost her purse, her phone and is now suffering so much that she is too afraid to leave her own home.
Her boyfriend is Zack. They haven't been together long and he has moved in with Isla to look after and protect her. Before long, Isla resents Zack.

During the days, Isla spends her time listening to a true-crime podcast and watching similar documentaries. She's not happy that the Police don't seem to be treating her mugging as a priority so one day, Isla goes to the meet with the people involved with making the podcast.

I believe that I am in the minority of not enjoying this book but i really just couldn't stand Isla and struggled to find any sympathy for her at all.

My first book, that I have read by this author, absolutely brilliant! Highly recommended, and I will definitely read others written by this author!

Not the most thrilling of reads.

I enjoyed the short chapters and how the book was set out with the podcast.

Predictably the ending was not a surprise. But a good enough thriller.

Isla has been mugged and cannot remember anything about what actually happened. She’s terrified and to help her feel safe, new boyfriend Zach moves in.
But something is not quite right. And gradually the pieces begin to slot into place for her.

A good read, I enjoyed this, though a bit slow in places and I didn’t find the ending very convincing.

Wow what a great book! Thank you NetGalley for the copy which I loved. I part read and part listened which was great for the podcast sections of this book.
We meet Isla and Zach ‘The Couple on Maple Drive.’ When Isla is brutally mugged after a night out Zach makes the decision to move in with her to keep her safe.
I loved the way this author writes her books leaving you wanting more and I really felt for Isla’s safety several times throughout the story. There were a few characters I disliked but you are really made to wonder who did it! Kept guessing until the end I was surprised but also not but overall would highly recommend.

Superb! A twisted tale of how far people will go to protect what’s important to them, showing that we never really know anyone fully! Kept me turning pages and wanted to read more!

The Couple on Maple Drive starts of really well with the mystery of what happened on maple drive, who was arrested, who was taken away in handcuffs. There was plenty of potential culprits and guilty characters in this book, that's for sure.
While the podcast sections were unique, I found some of them to be a bit overly repetitive of things we already knew, it felt like they were there just to give a fuller explanation to the reader to make sure we were following where the author wanted us to go.
It's a good book, well developed and fairly enjoyable. It wasn't particularly stand out for me but not dislikeable either.
---
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Sam Carrington for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.