This one did keep me guessing. After she is mugged on the way home one night, Isla's boyfriend moves in with her (he also happens to work with her). Having trouble feeling confident in the world again, Isla recovers by staying home, watching true crime shows and listening to a local crime podcast. The story follows Isla and also has transcripts of the podcast in between events. As the story progresses, Isla starts to wonder if Zach is as perfect as he seems and if her attacker might be someone a little closer to home. A few twists and turns at the end. Solid read.

Now this is a book that has been popular on Bookstagram and I was very lucky thanks to Sam Carrington and Netgalley for allowing me a copy of this ARC!

I mean, what an absolute beauty of a book. I cannot even begin to put into words how great this book was. It captivated me from the beginning. I read it all in one sitting, I could not put it down. It kept me guessing right from page to the last page and I don't think I could have told you what was going to happen!

I loved it

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved all of books that I've read from this author, and while this read didn't bore me, I found it very slow going. For me, althought i definitely felt for the main character, the story itself was instantly predictable. I could see that reveal a mile off!
While still a read I continued to read - purely to see Isla find out the truth - this wasn't my favourite from this author.

Isla is suffering from PTSD after her mugging. After her boyfriend Zach moves in to look after her, she is still haunted by suspicion and doubt. Is someone out to get her? Is the culprit unknown, or is danger closer to home? Could Isla just paranoid and her over active imagination just be playing tricks on her? This is a fast paced page turner I could not put down! I enjoyed the podcast element included in the story. Thank you Avon Books and NetGalley for my copy.

What really happened in the house on Maple Drive?
After being mugged and left unconscious, Isla barely leaves her house. To help her heal from the attack and feel safe, her boyfriend Zach moves in. He takes care of her before he leaves for work and when he gets back home. Something doesn't seem right to her though. She can't remember many details from the night of the mugging, directly before, or directly after. But it's all starting to come back to her in bits and pieces... Was this truly a random mugging like the police say or was someone she knows behind this hoping for a different outcome?
This is the second book I've read by Sam Carrington. I found many of the characters to be unlikable but overall, I enjoyed the story. I really enjoyed the addition of podcast episodes sprinkled throughout the book. I switched between listening to the audiobook and reading the ebook. The audiobook was fun to listen to and gave more style to the podcast episodes. There is also an extra Christie's Crime Addicts episode exclusively for the audiobook at the end of the audiobook. If you are looking for a suspenseful read, filled with tension and mystery, then you may want to check this out.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

If I'm to be honest, my self-imposed challenge to read only books by new-to-me authors during January wasn't going all that well. Partly because, with only two weeks gone, I had to break my own rule in order that I could just about read and review my Netgalley copy of 'All For You' by Louise Jensen prior to its publication date. But also because neither of the two other books I'd managed to read - which were by new-to-me authors - had managed to blow me away. Oh, don't get me wrong, they were good and I enjoyed reading them both. But they didn't give me that sensation of being almost fiercely glued to my kindle to the extent that putting it down felt almost physically painful. Which is what I really want.

Good news: this book did. Cor, blimey, this one did.

Chapter One opens with an excerpt from a crime podcast. I hoped this was a good sign given that the other book I've read that does such a thing - The Night Swim by Megan Goldin - went on to become my second favourite read of last year. But it's in Chapter Two that the hook really finds its target. We meet Isla, whose arm is in plaster after she was violently mugged whilst walking home from an after-work party. Unable to identify her attacker, or even to remember everything that happened, she has been left fearful of leaving her home and consequently unable to motivate herself to dress, wash or do anything except sit on her sofa and watch endless repeats of cosy crime dramas. The feelings of helplessness, depression and despondency are so beautifully conveyed that I could see, feel and indeed smell Isla's living room as clearly as if I'd been there with her.

As the book progresses, snippets of Isla's memory begin to return to her and the sense of unease grows. Was she really subjected to a random mugging? Could her attack have been something more personal? Has her boyfriend Zach really moved in just to care for her? Surely he couldn't have a more sinister motive? Could her fear of leaving her home be justified?

I absolutely loved this story. Yes, it relies on the character of Isla being a bit naive, but not impossibly so. And it really doesn't matter anyway, because it means that the reader is able to silently scream at Isla to realise that the truth is staring her in the face, but that she is refusing to see it. It certainly worked for me; I was glued to my kindle in the way that I'd been longing for.

The only real problem with this book, for me, was its ending. I may be wrong, but it rather felt as though the author hadn't quite been able to decide how the book should finish and as a consequence, had tried a bit too hard to include a bit too much. A lot of things happen, and a lot of revelations come very quickly indeed and the overall result is that the final part of the book is just that bit less believable than everything that had led up to it. And it's for this reason that I have to deduct a fifth star from my rating.

That's not to say that I didn't really, really enjoy the book though. It was my first novel by Sam Carrington and I'm already looking forward to reading another.

Maybe this should be my next challenge. Read a second book by the authors whose first novels you have loved. It's going to take me rather more than a month to complete that one.

My thanks to the author, Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book, which was published on 9th December 2021 and which I have reviewed voluntarily and honestly. I will post my review on Goodreads, Amazon and my personal blog.

After Isla was attacked late one night, her boyfriend Zach moved in to look after her. But gradually, as her memory starts to return, she begins to wonder if Zach might know more about her ordeal than she’s letting on.

The Couple on Maple Drive keeps you guessing all the way through. Whilst you know there’s a murder happening to somebody, the actual identity of the victim is not revealed for quite some time. Sam Carrington has created an entertaining story, with many strong characters - Isla, gradually picking up the pieces of her life following an horrific attack; Zach, whose concern for Isla could be bordering on the stifling; and I think my favourites are the members of Christie’s Crime Addicts, whose true crime podcast episodes were great entertainment. The neighbours were a strange addition to the plot, as they’re there, but you’re not really sure why.

A great story, good entertaining read with a mystery to keep you hooked.

Poor Isla, she's happy and settled. Life is going her way until one night she is brutally attacked. The aftermath involves her not being able to remember the run up to it. Isla is full of mistrust, anxiety and fear. A tense story as the reader is left trying to figure out the culprit- and there's plenty to choose from! A good solid thriller which held my attention throughout.

I found this book a little slow at the beginning but once the suspense started to build the pace quickly picked up. I loved the added true crime podcast, I thought that was a cool and unique addition to the story. If you enjoy a twisty thriller with a great ending I recommend picking up a copy of The Couple On Maple Drive. I will be checking out Sam Carrington’s other books, I love enjoying a book enough to add a new author to my tbr.

3.5 stars

The Couple on Maple Grove by Sam Carrington is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Avon Books and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Isla MacKenzie is trying to recover from a mugging, but her fears of even leaving the house are hindering that recovery.   She had been partying to celebrate her new promotion, and on the walk home, she was hit over the head, and left for dead.  She has amnesia, and doesn't remember anything about that night, or days prior.

Isla's boyfriend, Zach, has moved in to look after her, but that doesn't seem to be helping either.  Mind you, it was pretty early in their relationship to be living together, and sometimes she wonders if he is only there so that he can get away from his father.  It's enough that they both work for the cantankerous old man.

But as memories start returning, Isla is starting to wonder about Zach, and about others.  She is a big fan of a true crime podcast, and decides that finding out who attacked her is the way to recovery.  She decides to investigate herself.


My Opinions:   
To be honest, I had problems getting into this book.  I didn't really like the main character, or any of the others.  It seemed slow.  I kept hanging on, because I have really loved this author's other books.    About 25-30% in, I started taking an interest.  As soon as Isla started standing up for herself, the book got better (in my opinion if the main character is weak,  I won't enjoy it).

Anyway, it still moved slowly, but once Isla started investigating her own mugging, it got more interesting.  The suspense started building, and it ended with a bang.

So although I liked some of the author's other works better, this still ended up being a good read....just not great.

Isla finally has the life she's always dreamed of. She has a boyfriend who she thinks might be The One, a nice home of her own and has just received a job promotion. However, Isla's happiness comes crashing down after she's brutally attacked while walking home alone one night. She can't remember the events leading up to the attack and has been unable to leave her house since. Her boyfriend, Zach, moves in with her but that doesn't seem to ease Isla's anxieties. Because she's certain this wasn't a random attack. She's positive it's someone she knows, but who? With only bits and pieces of that night intact, how is she supposed to trust anybody?

This is a very typical thriller, containing both betrayal and deceit with plenty of likely suspects so that the reader, doesn’t know who can be trusted. Well-plotted, well-written with convincing characters.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC.
Thoroughly entertaining and gripping thriller that hooked me in early on and the pace and intesity kept me hooked right to the end. Finishing it over three successive evenings and found it a struggle to put down.
Five stars and here's to the next one.

I keep a Master Sheet of all books for review. It's the New Year, so I'm doing some housekeeping on the sheet and saw this title - bells started ringing in my head - "hmm I'm sure I read it but can't remember a thing about it." This sums up my true feelings about the book. It's not memorable. It's a good read to pass away some rainy hours, but it certainly didn't make my pulse rate rise.

A lot of the reason for my feelings is that the characters and storyline were just that little bit improbable. The main protagonist turns from a wimp into a super-hero. That's why I found it quite improbable.

A good read
Another great book by this author
Will have you totally hooked
Plenty of secrets, lies and deceit
Thanks NetGalley

This was really good to me and was so much better than some of these earlier reviews. It was fast paced, twisty and I didn’t guess the Gillian until just before the conclusion. Read it, it’s good.

Do you know this feeling when the book is doing great when you found a perfect page-turner and then the ending ruins it all? 
I did not. Until now.


I have such mixed feelings... From one side, the plot and the story itself are awesome. Some psychological features, answers to find, and secrets to reveal are cool - I just cannot put it down and was totally into it. And then something goes wrong...


I don't really know why is that but after a strong beginning we have a slower tempo and it slows down till the very end. Why is that? Where is the grande finale? The trill, the excitement? The end was just boring.


Overall? 3/5. Expected something way better.

The pace is slow to begin with and it's the second half before the pace picks up. The culprit is revealed earlier than expected. Isla listens to podcasts which are both harmful and helpful to her as she tries to piece together the events that took place on the night of her attack. The characters are interesting and the plotline intriguing, but there wasn't enough thrill or suspense for me.

After having enjoyed books by this author before I was really looking forward to reading this one, however, I really struggled to get into the book as I found it really slow and not that gripping for the first third of the book and then the involvement of the ‘amateur crime team’ just seemed really unbelievable to me .

Although I didn’t love the characters I still loved the book and the suspense. I found myself so invested in this story and was up all night turning the pages as quickly as I could!

There is a podcast, named in honour of Agatha Christie, and there is a young woman who is badly concussed during a mugging. How these things come together forms the basis of this novel. Isla is slowly recovering from her attack when things start to feel wrong to her, and she starts to suspect it may not have been a simple act of theft. House-bound with fear, she seeks the help of the producers of a local crime podcast. An entertaining read, where the reader really needs to power on to get to see whether Isla is right to be suspicious of those near to her.