Gripping, intriguing and completely unique. I adore Jeffrey and this is a truly amazing read. I have loved this book.. And it’s been one that I have been unable and unwilling to put down.

A little slow to get started but it ended up being a great psychological thriller that takes place on an island coast of northern Ireland - an awesome setting for this dark and twisty read.

This is a nicely paced psychological thriller that I found hard to put down.

The atmospheric setting of Rathlin Island is beautifully described and the lead characters are complex, unlikeable (in my opinion), but very well written. There are plenty of plot twists and suspense, with a dark undercurrent that leads to a dramatic ending.

This is the first book I've read by Diane Jeffrey but I will certainly be reading more from her.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Right from the start I was sold. Kat and Mark move to an Island off the Northern Irish Coast for a new start. Both have secrets. Then they meet Darragh, does he know he know Kat’s past? This is a wonderful book where you are lulled into the beauty of the island running alongside something sinister. As the book comes to its conclusion everything becomes that much more clearer and it ends with a wonderful twist.

A psychological thriller set on an island on the coast of Northern Ireland. A dark twisty read and I enjoyed and got it finished in one sitting despite the fact that the beginning of the book was very drawn out.

A dark story set in a wonderful setting. The descriptions of the island were great. The book kept me guessing and had several good twists and turns with a good ending. Enjoyed reading this one.

This was a well written thriller, with lots of atmosphere and a good sense of impending disaster. Kat & Mark move to a small island hoping for a fresh start, but the cracks start to appear almost at once and the secrets each is keeping from the other make for a gripping read.

Thank you HQ, HQ Digital and NetGalley for this eARC!

Diane Jeffrey is a new author to me and I found her writing to be very engaging. I was pulled into the domestic story from the start and found the pacing to be perfection. The setting was incredibly atmospheric and I wanted to travel to Ireland right then and there. I would have given this novel 5 stars, but around the second half the plot took a turn and I wish that the novel had come with some trigger warnings. Though the book had a darker undercurrent from the beginning I found the second half to be exceptionally dark and triggering. I did not enjoy the ending half as much as the first half and was disappointed with how the book concluded. I may pick up another Diane Jeffrey, but I would research any possible trigger warnings first.

Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌑 (3.8/5)

Genre: #pyschological #thriller #suspense

Diane Jeffery's The Couple at Causeway Cottage is a fast-paced psychological thriller that is impossible to put down. From the start, the book had me enthralled.

The plot centres around Kat and Mark, who relocate to an island off the coast of Northern Ireland. They leave London's fast-paced lifestyle in the hopes of making a new start in their ideal house, The Causeway Cottage. But not everything is as straightforward as it seems. While it's a new beginning, their past secrets resurface to haunt them. The narrative that follows has several unexpected turns and a breathtaking climax.

My first book by the author, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I adored the backdrop of Rathlin Island, which contributed to the tense and eerie atmosphere that persisted throughout. All of the characters are nicely developed, and the writing style and flow are both clear. I enjoyed how she kept introducing new suspense components here and there. The plot is well-developed and, to some extent, predictable. The climax, on the other hand, surprised me.

The story concludes with the prospect of a sequel. If there is one, I would really like to read it.

Overall, Diane Jeffery's The Couple at Causeway Cottage is a terrific read. I would most certainly read more works by this author.

Mark and Kat want to start afresh and move to Rathlin Island off Northern Ireland. Interesting storyline, full of intrigue, secrets and deceit. Complex characters. Plenty of twists and turns that have you guessing but enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers HQ for an arc in exchange for an honest opinion

A psycholical thriller. Very drawn out at the start, Kat & Mark move to an island in Northern Island. A few strange things start happening within their house. Their marriage seems to be based on their perceptions of each other rather than communication. I thought the book was too slow moving up until the last couple of chapters. Not too much action, then a lot in a short space of time. The plot is quite convoluted but ok.
My rating is 3 stars, OK , not great
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61142670-the-couple-at-causeway-cottage

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book.. The synopsis was fresh and original, which can often be difficult to come by in the thriller genre. The imagery for the setting was powerful, I felt like I had been transported to Northern Ireland!

The book was fast-paced. I definitely was locked in from the very beginning. The short chapters kept me wanting more. I felt a connection with all of the characters and was invested in the outcome. This was my first read by Diane Jeffrey - I cannot wait for more! Definitely recommend for anyone who loves a good thriller.

This book was enthralling from start to finish. The main characters were complex, and seemed to be each holding secrets from the other. I would have to call this book a thriller as well as a mystery. I look forward to reading more of this author's books. I highly recommend this book to other mystery and thriller readers.

Newlyweds Mark and Kat relocate to Rathlin Island to be closer to Mark’s mother. At the same time, it is a move away from Mark’s ex Fiona. All in all, a new start for the couple. Maybe. Until things start to happen, the couple is keeping secrets from one another, and one particular secret from the past is ready to blow up the picture-perfect life Mark and Kat are building.

First things first, the setting of Rathlin island is just beautiful. The scenery and wildlife made me want to hop on to the next flight to Ireland. There is also a certain creepiness in some of the descriptions, which I always enjoy in my thriller reads. The story is told from Kat’s perspective, and I am sorry to say that I couldn’t always reason along with her. Moreover, while there were some twists I did not see coming, there was quite a bit of predictability and I suppose the pace didn’t really help me love the book more. All in all, an amazing and isolated setting with an okay story for a psychological thriller.

The protagonists of the novel are Kat and Mark, a young couple who have only lately purchased a cabin in Rathlin, a small island in Northern Ireland. They just moved from London so that Mark could be near his dying mother. They are also trying to have kids. Mark is originally from Northern Ireland while Kat or Katherine is from Devon but she spent time with her grandparents in the area when young. They have a funny marriage, they seem in love but they tend to lie a lot and Mark had an affair with his ex wife Fiona which makes difficult to trust him.

On the island, they meet a few locals; Darragh, Jenny and Tim. Mark doesn’t like Darragh from the start while Kat seems a bit fascinated and starts a friendship with him. The problem is that Kat, Mark and Darragh have big secrets. Some has to do with guilt but others are a lot more serious than guilt. The story is not totally unpredictable, I worked out quite a few things well before the end. It’s not the first book by Diane Jeffrey I read and I don’t think it’s her best. But it’s an ok psychological thriller to read in a weekend. What stands out is the author’s description of the small island with its constantly changing weather.

A clever suspenseful novel full of twists that keep you engaged and wanting to find out more. The story gripped and intrigued me right from the first chapter. The plot builds, the suspense is tense and the ending is definitely not one you see coming.
I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

★★★★ 4.5 stars

I have only read one Diane Jeffrey book, "The Guilty Mother" , the others seemingly to pass me by unnoticed (which of course I shall have to rectify). And I loved that one so much I suggested a follow-up for another backstory that remained unsolved to which the author pondered that maybe she should. I've no idea if she has or not but I sure hope so as it was an intriguing case.

Anyway, I digress. THE COUPLE AT CAUSEWAY COTTAGE is at the forefront in this supberb atmospheric thriller, and is of course the title. The chilling and remote setting of Rathlin Island is so completely atmospheric I could feel the isolation and the sea spray on my face as I was immersed within the pages. I found myself googling the island just to see it for myself, and what a setting! If it weren't for the tense atmosphere, I could almost see myself curled up in front of a fireplace alongside (my) Dexter.

What should have been a new start for Kat and Mark on the beautiful Rathlin Island off the north coast in Northern Ireland turns out to be something quite different from what they expected. Moving from the rat race of London to the idyllic locale of Rathlin Island had initially been to care for Mark's ailing mother who was suffering dementia and was now living in a care home in Ballycastle. Rathlin Island is just a short ferry ride from Ballycastle where they could commute as the need arises.

The couple purchased Causeway Cottage on the island, with Mark having undertaken all the viewings and the legwork and Kat had thus far only seen photos and taken a virtual tour. As they journeyed from London to Belfast from there to Ballycastle and finally to the island itself, Kat was preparing herself to see their new home for the first time. With a very small population, they had already agreed that Rathlin Island would be the perfect place to raise the family they longed to have. Despite the distance, Mark would continue to commute to Belfast for work, sometimes staying overnight or week-long stays while Kat remained at home. Her own plans were to take her passion for photography to a professional level and Rathlin Island provided numerous opportunities for the perfect photo op.

One of the first things she intends to do after settling is to capture the first peak of sunrise at Altacarry Head with Scotland's Mull of Kintyre in the background. And just as she was set for the perfect shot...she was bowled over by a very exuberant collie called Dexter. He is closely followed by his owner Darragh, and immediately Kat is assaulted by something that lingers in the dark recesses of her memory, but she dismisses it as a coincidence.

It is clear from the outset that this couple are headed for disaster. There are underlying problems that have yet to make their way to the surface and when they do, what will be the outcome? Both Kat and Mark are hiding secrets but the question is, which secret has the power to destroy? They were meant to be making a fresh start on the island and yet Mark is still texting his ex-wife Fiona, with whom he cheated on his now wife Kat just a year into their marriage. Who does that? And why is he still in contact with his ex? And keeping it from her when she queries them?

But Kat has her own secret struggles. A name from the past, a tragedy for which she blames herself - what could this mean for her? Is she at risk of her secret being exposed? And why does she always feel as if someone has been in her cottage whenever she returns from a run or a trip to the mainland? Items are moved, damaged, disappear and some even randomly appear that were never there before. And the figure she sees outside their cottage at night - is that just a trick of the light? Or was someone really there...watching them? Is she in danger?

The story unfolds solely through Kat's narrative but we have to wonder, is she reliable? Can we trust her version of events? Can we trust her at all? Added to that, she is a walking mass of conflicted behaviour. Should she, shouldn't she tell Mark? Should she, shouldn't she tell Darragh? Can she trust Mark? Can she trust Darragh? Can she trust anyone? Who's hiding secrets from whom and why? And is her own secret about to be uncovered?

To be honest, I'd guessed Mark's dark secret (he had two major ones) and in the end I didn't trust him or the story he was telling Kat. And I was never quite sure of Darragh either though he appeared friendly enough. But was that a ruse? Or as he genuine? Kat's second guessing herself and everyone around her made her appear an unreliable narrator and some of her actions were a tad questionable. And that ending! I watched and waited as it played out, expecting something else to happen...and when it did, it was chilling. And then it ended. I usually prefer my endings all tied up neatly with an explanation for everything but this one was somewhat apt in this case, I feel. It was creepy and chilling.

And as a side note, I must add that I am thrilled nothing happened to Dexter. And I chuckled immensely at his herding up a bunch of random sheep...lol

THE COUPLE AT CAUSEWAY COTTAGE is a definite page-turner but may not be for everyone. There are a lot of seemingly unanswered questions and some aspects of the story are a little vague as to actuality and plausibility. It is definitely a complex and intricate web that is expertly woven by all those involved so none of them are completely blameless, and their secrets and lies are endless.

With a brooding darkness that mirrors the location, THE COUPLE AT CAUSEWAY COTTAGE is a tense and atmospheric thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the final shocking end. Well worth the read.

I would like to thank #DianeJeffrey, #NetGalley and #HQStories for an ARC of #TheCoupleAtCausewayCottage in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

There is something about isolating people in remote places that makes a thriller more thrilling and Causeway cottage does that in spades!
The fresh start the move is meant to be just never really takes hold, with secrets and lies pervading the peacefulness of the island and dubious characters from the past making their presence felt.
Mark is a thoroughly despicable man throughout the book, beautifully juxtaposed with Kat and Darragh, both of whom seek to expose the truth in their own ways.
a really good read!

Kat and Mark are looking for a new start when they move to an island. They are looking to start a family and have trouble conceiving. But soon, Kat finds out that Mark received a text message from his ex-wife and lied to her about it. And their run-in with a local, Darragh, leaves them both stunned.
Not a great thriller, there was no real tension, it felt more like a mystery. It's full of darkness, lies, secrets and deception, but I couldn't relate to any of the characters, it was predictable, unbelievable at times (especially the ending), the writing felt flat and redundant. All in all, it was not for me. However, the setting and it's descriptions were amazing (a Northern Ireland island), and I did read it until the end (I'm an easy DNF'er) because I wanted to know the truth beneath all the lies.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a deliciously, dark ride! I want more!


What is not to love? A remote island, a fresh start for a married couple with secrets and twists and turns coming from everywhere!

Thank you Diane Jeffrey fo this page turner of a thriller! I will read more of your books in the future!