This was fine. I feel like this plot has been done quite a number of times, but it's interesting to see how each author makes it their own.

I liked this one, but didn't love it! The suspense was good and kept me interested, but I did want more shock factor!

I totally forgot that I hadn't reviewed this book until I read a new release thriller by a very popular author and it reminded me so much of this! Not to say that this new book copied this by any means, but just that I totally guessed the main twist because I remembered the ending of this book which I hadn't been expecting and had completely surprised me at the time.

The twist was unexpected enough and the setting and story were interesting even if at times a bit far fetched and unbelievable. I will say that the beginning is a bit slow and did take a bit for me to get into, but after that, I did finish this book quite quickly. I also did rather like the writing, and I would definitely be interested in picking up more books from this author in the future!

After finishing this book, I got it for my mom who has also finished it and liked it A LOT more than I did, so I will say that it's definitely suitable for a vast age range. She didn't guess any twists and stayed quite engaged in the story from beginning to end.

This was good, but I wish it didn't have a backstory. I'm not always a fan of going back and forth. Finding out the answer to the full mystery did keep me listening, but I wasn't glued to it. The "stamp" at the end was perfect, though. (3.5/5)

Saffy and Tom move into a cottage she inherited and set out on a kitchen renovation. Only along the way, dead bodies are discovered! A great premise and one I was totally on board with. But along the way, the story dragged a bit and had too many parts going on. It was a bit unbelievable with the police heavily relying on Saffy’s grandmother to recall things from the past and give them information, since she’s in a care facility because she has Alzheimer's so she’s obviously a very unreliable narrator.

Once the story finally picked up its pace, it was entertaining in its twists and shocking discoveries along the way. It just felt like the twists took too long in coming. I did enjoy Saffy and her mother Lorna working together in trying to solve the mysteries, and I liked the theme of family throughout and the importance of it. A middle of the road read for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

VIDEO REVIEW OF THIS BOOK CAN BE FOUND HERE: https://youtu.be/8MPeV3Fkygw?t=692

So the couple of the title, they have just moved to the house on number nine. It's a house in a small town somewhere in the UK and this house was previously owned by the grandmother of the woman that's moving to the house with her husband or her partner and for some reason her mother never wanted to live there and never wanted to inherit the house or anything because she likes big cities and people and stuff and this is a very small town, so the daughter or the granddaughter moves in.
They've been living there for not a very long time, she's pregnant, they're expecting a baby, and when trying to do some renovations, trying to expand the kitchen, workers come in, they start digging and they discover something which apparently is a person that died and that was buried in their backyard.
So it sucks, for many reasons. First of all because you're trying to do renovations and make something like really nice with your house and finding dead people in your backyard… I think it's never a good idea and of course once that happens the police has to come in, you cannot go on with the renovations up until that the investigation is finished and they start interrogating her, her mother, and her grandmother.
Her grandmother is actually alive but she has Alzheimer's, so she's in a home for the elderly and she doesn't remember much.
I think it's a great mystery, it goes back and forth showing you the past and what happened when her grandmother was alive, with that house, and what's going on now, in present day, and I think overall it's a great book.
I think the thing that I think I love the most is that I always say that when you read enough murder mystery books or thrillers, it's like you know what's going to happen, it doesn't matter how much you want to avoid it, you're like yup, this is a killer or yup, this is how this book is going to end, and even though that means that you're smart and that you're reading a lot, it also kind of spoils the book, because you want it to be like a big reveal or a big thing or reading the ending like “wow, it was amazing” and if you find out what happens before actually getting to the end, it's not as good.
So when I read this book, the ending shocked me. Maybe I figured it out like a page before it ended, but definitely not like in middle of the book or anything like that, so I thought that the author was so smart for thinking this story, for thinking about this reveal, for writing a different kind of thriller, a different kind of murder mystery book and I really, really enjoyed it, so definitely go ahead and read this one!

3.5 stars. This book had me from the beginning. It had the perfect creepy, mysterious feel to it. There were a lot of characters which did get a little confusing at times. The first part of the book was engaging and moved quickly but then the second half just dragged. The pace had me wishing the book would just end. Overall, I still enjoyed it and the twist was a really good one.

Although I read a lot of murder mystery this one was different in a good way. New storyline, new themes, new characters with a different love than what is typically portrayed. I liked it and I say that positively. I enjoyed that it entwined multiple families and events that culminated to one point in time that made you question who did what and what actually happened. It kept it interesting and I couldn't really put my finger on what exactly happened until nearly the end.

#TheCoupleAtNumber9 #ClaireDouglas #HarperPerennialandPaperbacks #HarperPaperbacks #NetGalley

This is a gripping and emotionally dark thriller that explores the nightmare scenario of what happens when building work unearths human remains in the back garden of a young couple's dream home.

It has an engaging and suspenseful plot that keeps readers guessing until the very end. The story is told from several perspectives and over different timelines, which works well with the strands connecting as the plot develops.

This is a must-read for fans of darkly suspenseful stories.

While The Couple at Number 9 has an intricate plot told through multiple perspectives and timelines, I lost interest as the story progressed due to its length and constantly shifting characters and timelines.

Despite my initial intrigue, I wished for a quicker conclusion, given its 400-page length. Although there were some exciting clues along the way, the frequent repetition and excessive backstory information hindered my enjoyment of the book.

Although there is a unique twist in the story, for the most part, I found it to be somewhat predictable and formulaic. The characters and narrative failed to captivate me, and I ultimately felt disinterested in the story.

Oh my goodness! I really enjoyed THE COUPLE AT NUMBER 9! Douglas’ pacing and parceling out of the twist was fantastic and she took us on icy a rollercoaster!

Thank you @harperperennial for this gifted copy! I very much enjoyed this @clairedouglasauthor story each morning on the treadmill. The miles went by so quickly with such an entertaining read!
Saffy - young, in love, and pregnant with her first baby - is settling into her cozy cottage nicely. Left to her by her gran, number 9 Skelton Place could use some updates. Putting on an extension goes from exciting (though expensive) home improvement to nightmare very quickly, when two bodies are dug up in the garden. Saffy and her mum dive into finding out who the bodies once were and who killed them. But digging could mean they're also in danger...
Such a fun mystery/thriller that I absolutely recommend to any fans of this genre. Never slow but not too fast, I was kept guessing and even audibly gasped at some of the plot twists I hadn't seen coming! I enjoyed all of the characters, except, of course, the bad ones; but that's how it should be, so. I felt a smidge unsatisfied with the ending and the exposé - almost like it was cut short - but it did not take away from my overall enjoyment. Oh! And this is told through multiple PsOV, so always love that.

I loved the different points of view and the confusion of the plot. I love feeling like I only understand the surface of story just to get hit with a big twist! The story starts off immediately with two bodies found and it keeps going from there. Smart twists

I normally love alternating character perspectives and timelines, but this was a little jumbled for me. It got a little confusing keeping things straight, but I did enjoy it overall.

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book however it just wasnt my cup of tea.. The writing style was ok but it just didnt hold my interest or have me wanting to come back for more..

After reading the synopsis of The Couple at Number 9 I had to read it. I’ve had such blah luck on thrillers and I’ve been on the search for some good ones. This book didn’t disappoint. It kept reading because I had to know what happened next.

Saffron and her husband move into her grandmothers old house, that she had no idea about until recently. When they start renovations and start on the porch they find out there are 2 bodies buried in the garden. And after more “digging” they find out they might have been buried there the same time her grandmother lived there.

This book goes from present to past and has multiple POV’s which I really enjoyed. We got to see what was going on from all sides. I ended up guessing what actually happened pretty early on, but I thought it was a good twist.

If you enjoy thrillers that keep you guessing I recommend The Couple at Number 9. I gave it ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️💫

This one was hard to put down. But also sometimes hard to keep up with. Lots of unexpecteds. Thoroughly enjoyable.

My first Claire Douglas book and won’t be my last. This book, especially the ending, was savage for a domestic thriller. Loved the alternating timelines and multiple POVs. Overall well-executed thriller, gripping me from the start!

I love the writing in this book. Love the multiple views, the characters were all interesting and held my focus. Was shocking and had twists I didn't expect. And the atmosphere was great

I wanted to like this book so much but unfortunately I didn't. The beginning started out great...2 bodies found in a young couples yard. As the story progressed more characters with their pov's in alternating timelines made this murky. Also, the story moved so slowly with only little bits of information that I found myself skipping pages just to get to the end.