“The New Couple” is an enjoyably readable thriller – it doesn’t break new ground, but it’ll keep you absorbed and entertained.

Sycamore Gardens is one of the more exclusive areas of London. If you live there, you either have pots of money, or you bought years ago before it gentrified and prices escalated. Jane Headley and her husband Fergus are among the second group. They bought their house when the kids were little, and now they’re grown and left home.

But now a new couple in an interesting situation are moving in. They’ve won a house in a charity raffle, so they don’t really fit with the existing residents. They don’t have a lot of money, they’re not well established, and they certainly haven’t been in the area for long.

Jane tries to be neighbourly when they first move in, and soon finds herself puzzled by them. There’s something not quite right with the young couple. Her husband thinks she simply has too much time on her hands, with the kids gone and a part time job that doesn’t demand much of her intellectually, and should leave the neighbours alone.

But as Jane’s concerns grow, she finds it harder and harder to look away from the new couple on the street.
As I said, this doesn’t exactly break new ground, and James chooses not to build any real mystery in. The reader knows pretty much what’s going on from very early in the novel, and the few “surprises” are well telegraphed too. However, there’s considerable tension in wondering how it’s all going to work out, and what the impact on each character will be.

This is a well paced novel that moves along at a smart clip. It’s a pretty well worked out plot, even without any big surprises. Most readers will find themselves swept along. It’s not unputdownable, but it is very absorbing.

Characterisation is a strength. While many of the characters are familiar types, they’re also individual and alive. For example, Liam’s entitlement, selfishness, refusal to take responsibility for anything, and self absorption all feel very familiar. We’ve all met men – particularly young men – of this type. However, James also paints him as an individual, so that we’re not quite sure what he will do at any given moment.

I really enjoyed reading this. It absorbed me, immersing me in Jane’s world and concerns. I found it a fairly quick read, partly because once you settle into it, James leads you through it at a good pace. Reflecting on it, I felt that there were no surprises and it wasn’t astoundingly original, but none of that was near the surface of my mind while reading. The story pre-occupied me.

So this is a really good reading experience, although not perhaps one that will prove particularly memorable. If you’re looking for a solid domestic thriller, this should appeal to you.

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An addicting psychological thriller pulled me in from the beginning. I liked the setting and character development.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC.

Wonderful book that kept me guessing until the end! Looking forward to reading more books by this author! Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC!

It was a good book. I think I was more intrigued by the blurb and had high expectations from the start. It still held my interest and happy with the twists. Would still check out other works from the same author.

The story is told in what seems like two parts. The first part, a new couple moves into Jane’s upscale neighborhood. When she takes a casserole over to the couple, who won the house in a drawing, things just don’t seem quite right. Jane attempts to figure out why they seem shifty and unfriendly. The second part of the book tells the story of the new couple in the neighborhood.

This story is quite the domestic thriller. Many twists and turns and nothing is quite what it seems. It is hard to tell too much without giving the story away, but it’s good!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This was a great book to read on a blustery, cold rainy night. I was hooked right from the beginning and quickly made my way through the book. Jane Headley is interested to learn that one of the properties in their community is being raffled off, and even more interested when the new owners move in. She tries to be a good neighbour and welcome the couple, Richard and Stephanie and their baby, Poppy, but something is off about the couple and Jane just can't let it rest. Jane keeps an eye on the couple and discovers they are not what they seem, and when the couple disappears in the middle of the night, Jane ramps up her investigation. Is Jane putting herslef at risk, or is she imagining things?

This was a good story with a few twists and turns to keep you guessing. I enjoyed the book and would definitely read more books by this author.

This is was interesting. I was intrigued by the blurb and needed to get my hands on it. Overall it was enjoyable. Kept me interested and is one I will be recommending to others. Don’t want to give too much away but it a worth the read.

The cover is eye catching. I had a lot of fun reading this. It was well-written - never a dull moment, lots of suspense, and it was good to get a few different POV's to understand this new couple who won a dream home in the prestigious Sycamore Gardens. I didn't want to set it down but when I had to I could not wait to get back into it. This is my first read by Alison James but I will definitely check out more from this author.

You never know what happens behind closed doors. James’ novel lands us in a highly regarded neighborhood filled with money, infidelity and most of all, secrets. Told by the point of view of 3 individuals, part of the story were repeated in order to provide details from that character’s point of view. This sometimes seemed redundant, yet provided a clear look into character motivations. While part of the story seemed as though it was predictable in nature, the ending was anything but. Thriller fans will enjoy the slow burn and eventual fast paced resolution.

Loved this book! This fast-paced thriller kept my attention with the twists and turns! Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

I wanted to read "The New Couple" as I had heard a lot about Alison James, particularly her book, "Her Sister's Child". However, this book did not manage to meet my expectations. The story begins in the point of view of a middle aged woman Jane, whose children have left the home, and she is trying to come to terms with what she wants for the rest of her life. When a new couple settle in the house next to her's, their oddity prompts her to spy on them. This sets off a series of events that touch the lives of every person in the gated community and reveals them for who they really are. Most importantly, we get to know who the couple are and are they who they purport to be.

The author has aimed to take the reader on a twist, roller-coaster ride filled with one revelation after another. However, almost all the twists are mostly unbelievable and fairly ridiculous. It feels as if these are twists written in for the sake of a twist and they don't really get into the essence of the story. I felt the story fell short of where the author wanted it to be. One major reason for that would be the story took a very long time to actually reach the main plot point and even that plot was just not really relatable.

The story did pick up speed and capture my interest after the mid-way point. But I just couldn't care for any of the characters and so, it really didn't have an effect on me one way or the other. This is a fairly decent thriller with very few elements of psychological aspects to it. Do check it out if you don't mind reading a story which stretches your border of credulity.

I have loved loved loved this book. It’s one of those reads that will pull you in quickly and hold you hostage until the very last page. This is my first read by this author but definitely won’t be the last.

Stephanie is an interesting character and one that I have felt uneasy about throughout. The author really has you questioning her character throughout the story.

This is a book that is well written, I have felt as though I have been watching this one play out. The characters have felt familiar and the setting has been clear. The tension and suspense throughout this have kept me on edge.

I found myself torn between wanting to race through and devour each page to wanting to savour every last moment of this one.

This is a superb read. I am so excited to read more by this author following this book. This is definitely a book I will recommend to other readers,

This book was okay, it was definitely not one of my top choices. It kept me intrigued and I wanted to know what happened, but once it began to reveal itself, the story was too unrealistic and outrageous for me.

Loved this book. The plot, the characters, and the pacing had the pages turning fast. Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Thrilling. Fast paced. An incredibly gripping roller coaster of a read. I could not put it down. Read it in one breathlessly page turning sitting. Just wonderful.

I started the story not liking the way it was written, because when one chapter leaves me hanging it starts somewhere else in the next chapter. This is a story about a nosy neighbor obsessed with the new couple on the block and creating a lot of suspicion about them. I was annoyed at the pace of the story but by the second half of the story moved rather quickly as it tied up what took so long to get to, and the story finally made sense! I found some things unbelievable but thought interested the way the author wrote from differing points of view and helped the reader to see what was missing. I cannot say it was a shocking story, but very unrealistic, and farfetched. I just didn't like how the innocent couple was mistreated or hurt in the process.

This book started slowly but picked up in the second half with the storyline becoming clearer. I will look out for books by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The beginning was great because I like a stay home mom turn into an amateur detective type of stories. But then it went down the hill. Having the same events described from two more perspectives was a mistake because it added very little new information to the story and I ended up skipping through it. I really did not care that much to know what was in the heads of Keren or Liam. It did not reveal anything new about them to change Jane's perspective of them. Moreover, the cat was let out of the bag earlier in the book, so there was no mystery left and no big surprises. Thus the end was a bit flat and I only read it to finish the book.

The Eastern European model / gold digger was quite a cliché character with other characters being not very likeable or little developed.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange of an honest review.

The New Couple had a very interesting concept. The first part of the book was very grappling. Jane's point of view as an outsider to that of the "New Couple's" was interesting to read. Part Two and Three were a bit boring. Even though these two parts contain the answer to the mystery it still felt a little dull to read. Parts 2 and 3 were direct answers to the mystery and we're repetitive.

It was a nice plot and the writing was easy too. Parts 2 and 3 took the fun of reading the mystery away. If part four had taken parts 2 and 3 's place and had been more elaborate it would have been a better read.

The New Couple starts as a slow burn, from the point of view of a woman who has new neighbors. But the new additions to the neighborhood make no effort to blend in, which leads her to think there must be something wrong with them.

Well, she's not wrong. There's a lot of suspense, mystery, and intrigue.

Close to the halfway mark, the pace picks up and it gets very interesting, with several unexpected plot twists. But, to be honest, we kind of find out everything around the same time, so I just kept reading, waiting for yet more twists that never came.

The characters seem real enough, with good traits and flaws, but I would've expected the reveal to be further on.

Rating: 3.5 stars