A really good read and it was intriguing for much of the book how the two stories would merge. Looking forward to reading more from the author.

Katherine is devastated to learn that her husband Oliver has died in a car accident. She is perplexed as Oliver is a pilot and should have been on a flight to Alicante. It soon became apparent that Katherine didn't know her husband as well as she thought.

A scheming traveller. A woman travelling across Europe with no name or fixed abode hops from empty villa to apartment to summerhouse in the guise of a "House Sitter." Her agenda is steal from the rich and kill anyone who gets in her way.

I loved how the two stories run parallel but join together seamlessly with lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book.
There were moments where I was convinced I knew the truth of each character only to discover I was wrong.
I found Jude to be a likeable character and I found myself wishing her well.
Both Katherine and Anna swayed me - sometimes I liked them other times I found them sly and manipulative (I believe this was all part of the plan and it was well written)

A very interesting plot with plenty going on.

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

Amazing story. Its a book that will grip you from the start and leave you wanting more at the end.
Full of deceit, treachery and families.

Well worth reading

An entertaining read that kept me guessing to the end. I liked the clever plot and use of dual timelines and multiple POVs to tell the story.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Avon Books UK in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book full of deceit, horrible family members and an array of disgraceful characters.

This is a book that pulled me in quickly, I became unwilling to put this down. I ended up devouring this book in just one sitting.

There are many twists in this one which has made this unpredictable to read. I definitely recommend this one and couldn’t predict where this was going.

The Housesitter is engaging from the very beginning. The characters of this have really added an extra element to this book. Whilst they are particularly unlikeable, they have made this book a great read.

We are given multiple perspectives on this one which allows us to feel as though we know the characters better.

This is a book I have loved from the start. I highly recommend this book.

This was a great book but it just went on a bit too long. It was predictable which affected my rating. I found it hard to connect to the characters as they were so unlikeable.

Two narratives running throughout the book keeping you hooked.
Kat has lost her husband and has to deal with lots of secrets unravelling.
Alongside we read about a young woman travelling and seeking to stay as a housesitter, taking advantage of unsuspecting home owners. She enjoys a luxury lifestyle by scamming the owners and isn’t averse to committing serious criminal activity. You are left wondering where she will travel next and just what she is capable of.
I enjoyed reading the different storylines and womdered how they would be connected.

The Housesitter by Debbie Howells was a wonderful surprise. It was an arc from Netgalley.

This is now a new favourite author for me and I will read all she writes from now on. This is a newly published book, Jan 5, 2023, and worth a go.

' A scheming traveler across Europe, a young woman with no name and no fixed appearance hops from empty villa to vacated apartment to dormant summer house under the guise of a house sitter. Her agenda? Steal from the rich, and kill anyone who gets in her way. "

Such a good read this was, so many twists and turns, kept me guessing throughout but ooh so good I didn’t want it to end ….

Katherine McKenna is married to Oliver, an airline pilot. They live in a nice home and have a comfortable life. Katherine is a counsellor with an office in their home. Thinking Oliver is on a flight, she is shocked when the police come to her door saying Oliver was in an accident and did not survive. She learns that Oliver left his job two months ago. His brother, Joe and his mother, Jude, take her home with them as she grieves.

Gemma Hargreaves is a cleaner working for a lousy company of cleaners. The manager piles abuse on her and as she’s had enough, she quits. Now, she knows she won’t be able to pay her rent so she looks for another type of job. She sees an ad for house sitters in France for second and holiday homes. The house sitter keeps up the house and grounds. Assuming a new name, she writes a CV and adds some false references.

This story is divided up and told from two different women. Gemma is a nasty piece of work as she swims along through the book. At first I didn’t see how Katherine and Oliver came into play but the two women characters moved closer together as we get to the end of the book. It’s difficult to give out what I didn’t care for in this book without giving out spoilers. I would have liked to have seen a proper comeuppance, but that didn’t happen. I also cannot imagine why someone would feel the need to have a house sitter in their home when they’re not there. Lock of the place and get a gardener in once a week to cut the grass. Problem solved.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

In the past, we follow a house sitter who goes from luxury house to house stealing and killing to get her way. In the present, we follow a wife and her husband’s family who are searching for the truth about her husband when he dies after a car crash.⁣
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Wow this book was amazing!! The two storylines were masterfully told and weaved together by the end. I was impressed with the way the author pieced the story and felt like I knew what was going on, only to be proven wrong. This is my first Debbie Howells book but definitely won’t be my last. I’m excited to see she has a backlist!

Thank you Avon Books UK, Avon and Netgalley for the great arc. I could not put down this book. I suspected something from the beggining just nothing was sure till the last page if I was right... yes, so good it was. I can not say Iiked the characters this time. It was opposite. But when all is bad the story turned to be perfectly build. There were several points of view. And everyone hided something from the others. After a death all collapse.. it is interesting how all are suspicious and all know there is something but still hide from the police. And then we have a story in the past that leads as till several houses in the past.. the connection was done so well.

Another engrossing read from Howells, I was fascinated with the plot development and flabbergasted by some of the characters actions. This was a gripping read.

The novel is divided into two sections: the present-day narrative is all about the death of Oliver. Kat is, naturally, devastated by the news and her world is rocked even more when she discovers her husband had secrets. The police investigation intensifies further when suspicions are raised that perhaps Kat was involved in the tragic accident. Whilst this is developing, the narrative is split across several perspectives and I enjoyed how this disorientated the story, especially as I was so keen to learn more about Oliver’s secrets.

Yet, this isn’t the only device that the writer employs to delay revelations. Throughout the novel, readers are taken to Europe and the glamourous life of the house-sitter. Yet, from the beginning it is made clear that this house-sitter has not-so-honest intentions. I loved reading this element of the story because the lifestyle juxtaposed the actions. I delighted in being shocked and enjoyed how far the house-sitter would push boundaries to ensure their identity remained hidden. Furthermore, Howells takes a long time to reveal who this character is, and I liked how ambiguous this remained throughout the novel.

Although some of the revelations were not that surprising (especially when considering similar thrillers), it was the methods used by the writer that added to the thrill of the read. There was so much intrigue that I could not foresee how the two plot strands would eventually weave together. In terms of characters, there were plenty of motives involved that I could suspect the majority of them for wrongdoings. Furthermore, add in Ana’s character to the story and my imagination went wild with theories.

I was absorbed into this narrative and relished in the contrast established with the life of the house-sitter and the events unfolding in Deal. However, both are connected by the theme of secrecy and how far a person will go to ensure the truth is never revealed…

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The House Sitter is a twisty read with two stories happening at the same time but coming together in the most unexpected way.
Travelling across Europe is a woman who will stop at nothing to make her life better, House sitting for rich people with holiday homes she is living the best life and will let nothing get in her way. The other story features Kat who is grieving for her husband who has died in a car accident, she is helped by her mother, father and brother in law but when the police start to look into the accident not everything is as it seems.
This was a decent thriller but my only bug bear was the lack of checks done when sitting a house. Other than that this was an engaging read with characters you were meant to hate!! I liked how I didn’t get the real culprit, obviously led down a right path! This was a book I would recommend and found the pace to be the same all the way through. There were some good twists and can’t wait for the next by Debbie Howells.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

A tangled web of murder, con artists, and deceit weave through this family like a spider weaves a web.

I had no idea of what I was getting into when I started reading The House Sitter,
through two days I had my mind blown more times than I can count.

In a story where every character has secrets and a past, we find out just how far someone is willing to go to protect it all and what happens when the skeletons come out of the closet.

Kat has been many things at many times, committed more crimes than I can count, and has proven herself to have ice water in her veins, and yet somehow I was still rooting for her, to me that is the very best type of character, one that is completely wrong but there's something about them that just makes you want them to walk out unscathed at the end.

If you're looking for a murder mystery that will have you looking over your shoulder and checking your breaks this is the one for you, it's gripping in the best of ways and gives you an ending that leaves the door open to hope for our characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing an advance copy of this book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book pulled a punch!!! Definitely a page turner, edge of your seat thriller. That ending though!!! Definitely the wow factor in this read.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

Another fantastic read from one of my favourite authors.

This is a fast paced read that held my attention throughout, I couldn’t put it down, mainly because it had so many unlikeable characters (which we love to hate)

I enjoyed the different POV’s and that there were two different stories, the author linked them together perfectly.

This needs to be added to your TBR!

Well the final book of 2022 was The House Sitter by @_debbiehowells and what brilliant one to end with!

The book tells a few different stories and we see along the way how they are intertwined. It is fascinating how easily and feasibly the house sitter schemes her way around Europe.

This one hooked me in from the very beginning, taking me on a glamorous adventure. The book is written from different perspectives, and it works really well, with easy transitions. What an intriguing bunch of characters!

There is scope for a sequel - one that could go in so many different directions, so I would love to see what came next if the author did one. Either way, I will be looking out for her next book!