An unnamed/unknown mistress is out to take everything from Harriet. Figuring out who she is, and what secrets lurk in Harriet's past, kept me reading, but i wasn't glued to the pages and felt the novel wasn't that suspenseful.

Was just ok for me. Mostly ftom Harriet's view point..kinda seemed to dare and had a hard time keeping invested in this book.

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

This thriller kept me on the edge, wondering who was writing these notes, and who should I suspect in this close knit neighborhood? My first book by this author, and I will be looking for more. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this arc.

BOOKWORMS REVIEW:
A good family drama. Harriet is married to Oliver and has 3 kids. Twin girls and a 6 month old baby girl. Oliver works away from home as a banker during the week and Harriet is suspicious he's having an affair..it wouldn't be the first time. One day at the park someone takes their 6 month old daughter Lucy....not for long but enough of course to scare the life out of Harriet. They don't find out who was responsible but it's linked to secrets from Harriets past. Secrets even Oliver doesn't know. Told from the perspective of Harriet and sometimes "the Mistress",it's overall a good read if a slow burner. I was keen to find out what all the secrets were.
With thanks to Lesley Sanderson, Bookouture and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my review.

this book is it!!!! YES!

Definetely read this if you want a thriller with DRAMA and lots of tense action! I could not put this down

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this book. I love a good thriller, and they usually always get me out of a reading slump. The prologue immediately hooked me, and I was expecting something dark and suspenseful.

However, as I kept reading, the pace and overall plot seemed to drag. I didn’t feel connected to the characters and was confused with most of the MC’s decisions regarding what to reveal or not to other characters.

I was also not a fan of the writing; I thought the dual POV was especially confusing and didn’t add anything to the suspense. The book ended up being much more centered around the affair rather than on the suspense and thriller part of it. The final reveal felt lackluster.

In The Mistress Next Door, Lesley Anderson weaved a steady paced tale of infidelity, secrets and revenge, which will have readers guessing with each page turn. 

The Mistress Next Door introduces Oliver and Harriett. The story, which was told mainly in the present with flashbacks in 2006,  intrigued from the beginning. Several questions came to mind while reading this tale:

Who kidnapped Oliver and Harriett’s daughter?

Who is Oliver’s mistress?

What happened in Harriett’s past?

Who seeks revenge against her for said past?

Who is sending her threatening notes?

I figured out from early the identity of the mistress and the ending confirmed my suspicions. Now, in relation to the events from Harriett’s past, that information slowly unfolded through the chapters dedicated to the flashbacks in 2006. As this information slowly came to light, the motivation for revenge became clear, but how did it connect to the mistress?

Oliver is a jerk. Not only is he cheating, he refused to provide Harriett with emotional support when their daughter went missing. Granted, he was unavailable when the incident occurred, but after returning from his ‘business trip, he didn’t show concern. Harriett’s guilt over her past and fear of it being revealed led to her not informing anyone of the notes. I am not sure how she thought she would have figured out what was going on her own, because honestly, she did nothing besides panicking, entertaining paranoid thoughts, and confronting persons without any real evidence. Doing all this while trying to protect her children proved overwhelming for her.

Despite not being a fan of most of the characters, I wanted to see how the story would unfold. Even though I knew the identity of the mistress, the twist at the end took me by surprise. I can imagine the look on Oliver’s face at that revelation, priceless I am sure. All I can say is Karma. I am happy with how it all turned out in the end as everyone got what they richly deserved.

Overall, The Mistress Next Door was an interesting tale. It shows that not everyone in your circle is necessarily a friend, a truth Harriett will discover in this suspenseful tale by Lesley Anderson. Grab your copy of The Mistress Next Door and prepare for an intriguing ride.

Something happened in Harriet’s life when she was 16 years of age that she has kept secret for everyone, including her husband Oliver. With her marriage having already gone through difficult days, one day while at the park with her three children, including her twin girls, one of them goes missing. Not only is Oliver out of town, he is also out of touch and she can’t even tell him how desperate she is that their daughter is missing. Not only is she dealing with this terror, but she gets a note that alludes to her past and lets her know that nothing for her is ever going to go smooth again.

Someone knows about Harriet’s past. Revenge seems to be the name of the game and she will do anything to stop what is going on. More than that, she starts to have reason to not trust Oliver and is determined to discover who he could be possibly having yet another affair with. No one in their circle of friends escapes her thoughts as to whom could be sleeping with her husband. Torn between trying to sort out what’s going on with Oliver, as well as that note that alludes to her past, Harriet is overwhelmed.

Although this book was mostly in the present, there were flashbacks to Harriet’s teenage years to give a clue as to what secret she has been hiding from that past. The drama continued to intensify as Harriet’s past begins to collide with her present, which could possibly ruin her future. I listened to this tense domestic thriller as it was wonderfully narrated by Eilidh Beaton. Whether voicing what Harriet was experiencing, or the other characters in the book, the narration lent to making this intriguing story even better than it already was.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/s3JsmYoKews

Oliver, my husband and father of our three little girls, used to be my rock. But recently he's been behaving strangely, staying out late, working weekends and emotionally absent, even when home. Now as I clutch a receipt for a hotel room and champagne for two, hidden away in his coat pocket, I'm devastated. what else can I assume other than he's cheating? I've risked everything for the life I have now. A life that's a million miles from,,,, before. Not that Oliver would know anything about that. I would do anything to hold on to the perfect future I so dearly long for. A future that is now about to come crashing down.

This story is told mostly from Harriet's point of view. The pace is on the slow side, but it still manages to pull you in. I also felt that it took a bit of a dip in the middle. There are lots of secrets and I wanted to find out what they were. I could not stand Oliver from the minute we were first introduced to him. It was the notes that Harriet was receiving that kept me interested in the storyline. There were parts that were quite predictable. Overall, an enjoyable read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #LesleySanderson for my ARC of #TheMistressNextDoor in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT: He calls me his mistress. I like it; it sounds quaint and old fashioned and brings to mind a powerful woman, à la Anne Boleyn. Milk-white skin, dark hair and dangerous eyes, swishing around in her heavy brocade dress made from cascades of the ornate fabric, only her delicate shoulders and collarbones visible above her neckline, playing hard to get before eventually securing her prize.
I've already secured mine, and once that was done, I set my attention on his wife. Who'd have thought that we'd become friends, popping in and out of one another's houses, stretching at yoga classes and sweating on the treadmill and sharing thick, green gloop afterwards, believing it is good for us. I even get to spend time with their children, which is extra sweet, and there's no danger of them becoming mine. Children aren't part of a mistress's lot. But once I'm no longer the mistress . . .

ABOUT 'THE MISTRESS NEXT DOOR': I know what you did. You destroyed my life. Now I’m going to take everything from you, starting with your husband. I’m your worst nightmare, and I’m closer than you think.

Oliver, my husband and the father of our three little girls, used to be my rock. But recently he’s been behaving strangely, staying out late, working weekends and emotionally absent even when home. Now as I clutch a receipt for a hotel room and champagne for two, hidden away in his coat pocket, I’m devastated. What else can I assume other than he’s cheating?

I’ve risked everything for the life I have now, a life that’s a million miles from… before. Not that Oliver would know anything about that. I would do anything to hold on to the perfect future I so dearly long for. A future that is now about to come crashing down.

Because Oliver’s cheating isn’t the only threat to my family. This morning I received an anonymous note. One that changes everything. The past isn’t just haunting me, it’s coming back to destroy me. It seems that someone in our close-knit community of Prospect Close knows my secret. Someone who’s willing to do whatever it takes to get their revenge. They’ve already stolen my husband. How much further will they go? And what can I do to stop them…?

MY THOUGHTS: Is it me? Or is it you? I'm not sure. Usually Lesley Sanderson's books draw me right in and I devour them in a day or two. But somehow The Mistress Next Door missed the mark for me.

The story is told over two timelines - now and 2006 - by the main character, Harriet, and the prologue from the point of view of the anonymous mistress. Maybe we should have heard a little bit more from her to keep the tension ramped up? And her revelation? - I'll deal with that later.

I do admit that I had great fun trying to decide who she was, and frequently changed my mind as to her identity.

I had no particularly strong feelings about Harriet, whom I should have felt empathy for. She came across as sulky and petulant at times. Her husband Oliver I didn't like at all. Martin and Edward were the most interesting characters, and we didn't see nearly enough of them. They had a great vantage point from their penthouse apartment and I'm sure they saw and knew far more than they let on.

The motive behind all this and the great revelation just didn't ring my bells and was disappointing, as was the revelation of Harriet's secret. It was obvious from the moment she started telling her backstory what it was going to be.

This particular novel lacked the suspense I have come to expect from this author. While have enjoyed Lesley Sanderson's books to varying degrees previously, this is definitely my least favourite. I kind of enjoyed this, mainly with a sense of anticipation that wasn't, in the end, realised.

I was lucky enough to receive both a digital and audio ARC of The Mistress Next Door, switching from one format to the other depending on what I was doing. I absolutely adored Eilidh Beaton's narration.

⭐⭐.9

#TheMistressNextDoor #NetGalley

I: @lesleysandersonauthor @bookouture

T: @LSandersonbooks @Bookouture

#contemporaryfiction #domesticdrama #mystery

THE AUTHOR: Lesley spends her days writing in coffee shops in Kings Cross where she lives and also works as a librarian in a multicultural school. She loves the atmosphere and eclectic mix of people in the area, and she loves languages.

She attended the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course in 2015/6, and in 2017 was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize.

Lesley discovered Patricia Highsmith as a teenager and has since been hooked on psychological thrillers. She is particularly interested in the psychology of female relationships.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing both a digital and audio ARC of The Mistress Next Door written by Lesley Sanderson and narrated by Eilidh Beaton. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Weird is the first word that comes to mind when I think of this book, and not in a necessarily bad way. This thriller follows Alex as she stays in a secluded mansion for a writing retreat. She's with her favorite author, and 4 other writers including her ex-bestfriend.

The positives!
- It was not a slow start book. Within 2 chapters you're hooked.
- The setting itself was spooky - an old mansion, in the middle of no where surrounded by trees and snow. It also happened to be the site of a double homicide
- It was really interesting how the author didn't really include any men in the story. I feel like a lot of times conflict revolves around men in thrillers about women. This book didn't have that at all.

The not so positives
- I usually love a book within a book but I found the Daphne story to be boring and almost like a retelling of the actual story. Like the parallels were obviously there and almost too much for me
- throw any sense of logic completely out the window
- demon sex


There was a lot of sex in this book which was surprising just because as a thriller I wasn't expecting that at all. I didn't feel like it necessarily added anything to the book either. I struggled with rating this because I skimmed almost all of Daphne storyline, but enjoyed the actual book premise a lot so for that 2.5 rounded up to 3. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Lesley Sanderson's THE MISTRESS NEXT DOOR is a slow-burn family drama of dark secrets of the past—guilt, betrayal, obsession, and REVENGE.

Set in suburbia, Harriet and her husband, Oliver, reside in the prestigious enclave of Prospect Close. They have three daughters (twins Tess and Tilly and a 6-month-old Lucy). Oliver is a banker and works out of town during the week. Harriet owns a kids' clothing business.

She decides she needs a nanny to help with the children so she can work. But instead, she spends her days and evenings stressing over suspecting her husband is having an affair. This became very old and tiring. She is just unsure who the woman is. After all, he has been unfaithful before.

She is a highly protective mom due to her past trauma. She has not even told her husband about her past. One day at the park, someone takes Lucy. She is frantic, but shortly after that, she is returned unharmed. They do not find out who took her. Then she receives threatening notes.

Told from the POVs of Harriet and a few chapters from THE MISTRESS. The unknown mistress has a score to settle, and she plans on taking Harriet's husband, children, and everything from her. She has even moved to Prospect Park to be close to her target and has planned this for years.

Instead of working and running her business, Harriet spends almost the entire book worrying about her husband having an affair. Following him, sleuthing, and looking through his receipts.

Unfortunately, the book was (drawn out) filled with drama, gossip, and neighbors. The author keeps the reveal —The Mistress (motive) and Harriet's (past) connection until the end, which is rushed and a big letdown.

Not a fan of this one. I almost gave up on this one, which was very dull, and tempted to fast forward to the end. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Eilidh Beaton, did a great job which is why I am giving this 3 stars. I also alternated with the e-book.

My first book by this author, and unfortunately was not impressed. Too many useless characters and not enough suspense or action to keep you engaged. The prologue was good and then went downhill from there. The characters were underdeveloped, and no plot twists. Overall, very underwhelming for a domestic thriller. I am sure it will appeal to some readers.

Thanks to #Bookouture and #NetGalley for a gifted ARC and ALC. The audiobook had technical issues stopping throughout.

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pub Date: Feb 15, 2023

She's going to destroy my life..."

A quick and entertaining read, Lesley Sanderson always surprises me with where she is going to take me next. This fast paced domestic thriller, though predictable in part, was an enjoyable read that was a little surprising by the end. Namely because of the "secret". That wasn't the surprise as such, as I had worked out what happened there, but it was what followed. To me, it did and didn't make sense. I guess it is all comes down to perspective. And who sees what and why and how... And so we have THE MISTRESS NEXT DOOR, a fun and entertaining read where the pages pretty much turned themselves.

Prospect Close is a community in which neighbours look out for each other...or are they really? Could it just be a subterfuge for spying on each other? That's the claustrophobic sense Harriet gets from the close-knit community ever since she moved their five years ago with husband Oliver. Two years he promised her, then they'd sell and move to the country where they would bring up their family. But then she fell pregnant with the twins, Tess and Tilly, and their lives were taken up with double the nappies, double the nightime feeds, double of everything. Harriet may have two arms but there's only so much a woman can do, and carrying a twin in each whilst seeing to their needs at the same time can be a little difficult. And so their plans were put on hold.

Then Lucy came along six months ago and suddenly five years have past and Oliver shows no sign of slowing down or selling up and moving like he'd promised. More to the point, Harriet suspects he is hiding another secret altogether...one he doesn't wish for her to find out.

Oliver is a banker working a demanding job and making the commute to London and working suspiciously late hours. Is he up to his old tricks again? Harriet suspects so and this time she is determined to find proof and have all her ducks in a row before confronting him...but is she just imagining things?

When Tilly disappears briefly from the communal park at the centre of their community, Harriet fears her past has caught up with her and that everything is about to crumble. What makes matters worse is that Oliver is away in France for a conference weekend and is seemingly unreachable. Harriet and the police have both tried contacting him to no avail, leaving Harriet wondering (once Tilly was found safe and well) what he was really up to.

And then she discovers an anonymous note left in her handbag. Tilly's disappearance was more than her little girl just wandering away and it is only just the beginning it seems. Someone is out to unmask her for who she really is and the past from which she has run for two decades. Maybe she doesn't deserve to have a family after all. And when Oliver does return from his wayward weekend, he is unconcerned as to the seriousness of the situation, palming off Harriet's fears as mollycoddling and irrational. Even going so far as to question whether she has post natal depression. But all his behaviour does is raise even more doubts...which poses the question...is his mistress closer than she thinks? Could she even be one of her neighbours? One of her friends? Even the nanny? Can Harriet trust anyone?

THE MISTRESS NEXT DOOR is a fast paced and entertaining read which I didn't want to put down if not for the matchsticks propping my eyelids up in the wee hours. It was like a car crash where you just couldn't look away. Harriet and Oliver's marriage was obviously a train wreck. Oliver was a philanderer, make no mistake. Anyone with eyes could see that and that's no spoiler because he does nothing to prove otherwise. All he does is gaslight Harriet even further making her second guess herself, make promises he obviously does intend to keep and then continues to lie to her over and over again. From his very first dialogue to the penultimate climax, the guy couldn't lie straight in bed.

The threatening notes sent to Harriet give little away. All that it does is stir up Harriet's emotions and leave us wondering what her big secret was. As the story unfolds it soon becomes clear before it is even actually spelled out. And I admit it is one that left me a little confused because as I said at the beginning it did and didn't make sense. I can't say much more without revealing too much. But I'll leave it up to you to decide.

The story unfolds through Harriet's first person narrative, with a third person POV in the past and the odd inclusion of "anonymous" which seemed to suddenly taper off. I would have liked to see a little more them to spice things up a little further maybe.

Overall, THE MISTRESS NEXT DOOR is a quick and entertaining read that is fast paced throughout but the ending is a bit of a let down after all the build up throughout. I still enjoyed the ride getting there though. Another enjoyable twisty read with a few surprises and several unlikeable characters.

I would like to thank #LesleySanderson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMistressNextDoor in exchange for an honest review.

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

The Mistress Next Door is about Harriett whose daughter one day disappears while her husband was away on a business trip. On top of that, she receives a note asking, "are you afraid?". Later, to her great relief, her daughter is found but she continues to receive threatening notes.

I found this book pretty lackluster. Even if I wanted to know who was behind the notes but I wasn’t on the edge of my sit. There wasn’t that much tension.
This is the kind of book that I rather enjoyed but didn’t find memorable, that’s why my review is quite short, I don’t have much to say.

The Mistress Next Door is a well paced, domestic drama thriller which is told from the POV of wife Harriet and the mysterious mistress.

It's set in the affluent area of Prospect Close, a close knit, friendly community, and one resident knows more about you than they're letting on - what on earth did you do that's so bad?

The story is based on infidelity, secrets and lies, thus I was unable to trust any of the characters or make a solid connection with them.

There are plenty of twists to keep you guessing on the lead up to the big reveal at the end, which for once I'd actually managed to work out already...yay, go me!

I enjoyed it, I hope you do too!

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Harriet and Oliver live in a friendly community, the exclusive Prospect Close. One day, whilst at the playground, one of Harriet's twin daughters goes missing. The characters come alive on the pages and the tale moves along swiftly. There are many secrets, lots of misdirection and Harriet has a difficult time determining the truth along with the reader. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

There are occasions where i like to read about devious women.
Having the mistress right next door is such an interesting plot.
Sanderson kept me guessing about the identity of the lover in the side and until it was revealed I wasn’t able to guess.
I did figure out the secret of Harriet’s fairly early.
I thought Oliver was a total chump.
Read fir yourself about who is the betrayer.

The Mistress Next Door will have you hooked from the start! It’s a very fast-paced domestic thriller that tells us a story of Harriet, her husband Oliver and the mistress next door. The story contains 1st and 3rd POV and dual timelines.

You quickly learn that our MC, Harriet has secrets of her own that she’s lives with, but on top of the threatening notes she’s receiving, she discovers that her husband has a mistress… again. With multiple characters throughout the book, every gal is a suspect and the twist is awesome!

Sanderson does a wonderful job developing this story, it keeps you wanting more and to find out what her husband is really up to.

The ending didn’t have that wow factor, so a little disappointed there, but it was expected as the story was clear in the direction it was going towards the end. Nevertheless, a quick and easy thriller by a new author of mine! I’ll be reading more of her novels in the future.

Read if you like 💕
🫶🏼 Slow burn thrillers
🫶🏼 Domestic thrillers
🫶🏼 Authors such as Lisa Jewell and B.A. Paris

🤍Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

🤍Congratulations to Lesley Sanderson for this release!

Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I had the audiobook and ebook so I simultaneously listened and read. I think I might have had trouble keeping the plethora of characters straight if I wasn’t reading both.

The narration on this audiobook was lovely. The narrator’s voice was pleasing and I will never be able to say zebra again without thinking about this book/narrator.

What I liked:
The tension built up about the event in the past
The tension of what the husband was up to.
The tension surrounding who could be sending the notes.

What I didn’t care for:
The rush of action at the end
The huge amount of characters
The slightly confusing conclusion.
The ending seemed less climatic than I anticipated after all the buildup.

I will be posting this review on Instagram (link below) as well as Amazon and Goodreads.

Prospect Close is an exclusive neighborhood consisting of 8 large homes and some apartments. Harriet and Oliver Carlton live there with their 3-year-old twins, Tilly and Tess and baby Lucy. While on the playground one day, Tilly goes missing when Harriet is distracted for a moment caring for a crying child. Everyone panics but the police arrive quickly and the neighbors all help to search for Tilly. Thankfully, she is found several hours later and brought home safely. Harriet has been beside herself and is so grateful to have her daughter back.

During this time, Oliver has been at a conference in Paris that ended on Friday but, unbeknownst to Harriet, he had decided to stay over the weekend to sightsee. He works for a bank in London and Harriet has her own business making baby clothes that she sells with great success.

Harriet is still nervous because she is hiding a big secret that not even Oliver knows about and she wonders if Tilly going missing is some sort of payback for something she did.

Now, Harriet suspects Oliver of having another affair and she just can’t stand it. She is nervous, scared, and angry knowing she will not put up with anything more from him. The days toward Christmas continue to cause her so much anxiety until they reach a huge climax.

This was a good story about a woman who was so paranoid about something happening to her children that she could hardly take care of things day-to-day. Maybe that sounds like spoilers, but there is so much more to this tale to explain why she is who she is. Other side stories make this a good read.

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