First it was the title and then the description.

I had a lot of expectations for this book, but it turned out just okay.

The premise of this book got me so intrigued though the story was a slow burn.
As interesting as it was, it was a bit repetitive and took forever to get to the end and the big reveal... which disappointed me a lot.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for providing me this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thrillers aren't typically my cup of tea, but the cover of this book just really caught my attention and I wanted to know more. So, I decided to give it a try.

The story did draw me in right away because it had a very creepy start, with the first chapter being from the POV of the mistress who was determined to ruin a specific individual's life. Since we're not told why, it comes across as pure evil.

As a cat-and-mouse game ensues, the mistress toys with the main character, Harriet's, life and all that she holds dear. From a missing child at the playground to a cheating spouse who's not there when needed, disturbing messages begin to unravel Harriet's world, leaving her struggling to figure out who she can trust and who's out to ruin her life by uncovering her deep, dark secret.

As a story, the psychological factors were well done. But there were simple story elements that didn't feel like they were completely handled. Those loose ends were disappointing. So, while there was some satisfaction in how everything eventually came together, there were questions I would have liked to have had answered that never were or were glossed over.

Thank you to Lesley Sanderson, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I was a little surprised by how much I actually got into this book in the end and I didn't figure it all out until the end. This is a domestic thriller that centres on the life of Harriet and Oliver who have 3 daughters. They live in the seemingly perfect Prospect Close leading a seemingly perfect well-off life. But all is not perfect. One day their daughter Tilly disappears at the park and is later found a distance away in the Woods. Oliver is supposedly on a work trip and can't be contacted, but turns out that the work part of the trip finished a few days ago so where is he now? Off with a mistress it would seem and it isn't the first time. Then notes start to appear and Harriet's teenage mistakes are coming back to haunt her. This is worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the Audiobook ARC.

This is a good domestic thriller that moves along quickly and creates dimensional characters. It took me a while to get used to the narrator. She has a strident voice that sounds like a much older woman than the characters she was reading but once I settled in to her style, it was fine.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

While this book is technically a thriller/suspense novel, I never really felt on the edge of my seat. It was good, but it wasn’t great. The whole middle part felt very repetitive, and the big reveal felt pretty anti-climatic. I did enjoy the read; it just didn’t wow me.

OMG this one kept me up and GUESSING. One twisty surprise after another. Loved it!! Can't wait to see what Lesley Sanderson comes up with next.

Thanks to netgalley for the audiobook arc! I really enjoyed this book. 3.5 stars rounded up. The book was intriguing from the beginning and I really liked that it wasn’t a slow start and got right into the story. I thought the author did a good job with the back and forth timelines and it was easy to follow on audiobook. The narrator did a great job! Definitely a fun read.

This took me a minute to get into, but once I was interested, I was fully interested. The momma in me wanted to get down to the truths and figure it all out.

I feel like there was a loose end with one character, whether it was written in to that way to throw off who the true villain is, or whatever the case is, I really dislike having loose ends. However, even with the loose ends, this is a solid book. There are twists and turns, a solid why and how, and ending to the why. The main character is persond I'd want to be friends with, an ally you would want in your corner when SHTF.

As a fan of true crime podcast, murder shows, and psychological thrillers, I was excited to have a chance to listen to and review the audiobook of “The Mistress Next Door.” The book starts off with a bang with a prologue told from the point of view of this “mistress.” She has purposely chosen to move to their town in order to pursue a particular man, wreak havoc in his life, and to destroy the life of his wife. Clearly she has a devious reason. I was intrigued! And that was apparently the end of the most intriguing and interesting part of the entire book.

Set in what seems like an idyllic town of Prospect Close, our main narrator, Harriet, spends a lot of time caring for her 3 daughters while worrying about her banker husband, Oliver, having yet another affair.
Even though she never seems to devote time to it, she also has a new children’s boutique business as well.

One day, one of her daughters goes missing while playing at the park. Thankfully, she is soon found unharmed, but they never know who took her. Right after, Harriet starts to receive threatening notes. She then seems to spend the next 80% of the book fretting over her children, snooping on her (possibly) philandering husband, stressing over who his mistress is, and jumping to conclusions. She just was not a sympathetic character.

Much further into the book it jumps to a secondary timeline in the past. To me, it just appeared out of the blue and really did not add anything to the plot. Normally I am a HUGE fan of alternating timelines, but this one seemed to really slow down the already SLOW action and distract from what rising tension there was. This thriller was lacking in thrills, and a good alternate timeline could have added to it, but sadly, this time it just made the opposite happen.

FINALLY we have the big reveal and learn who this mistress was, what was their motivation, and how did this all resolve. The entire thing was a confusing muddle, implausible, and a big letdown. The most interesting parts of this book were told from the point of view of this “mistress”. I would have loved to have heard more from the alternate point of view along the way. Perhaps that is why the plot of the book just DRAGGED for well over 75% of the story. It just did not keep my attention for long! A good thriller should be THRILLING, and this one just did not hold my attention for long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

“Have I tempted fate by daring to allow myself a normal life?”

A young mother comes face-to-face with the past she’s been trying to move on from when she starts getting taunting notes following the disappearance of one of her toddlers. This story connects stressors of postpartum anxiety, infidelity, and dishonesty among its characters. The voice actor narrates this story at a good pace and is able to build excitement and suspense well. The last bit of the book wraps up all the loose ends and answers a few too many questions, leading me to understand why many authors leave us hanging & always wondering. Having this extra background after the story was resolved was okay in the grand scheme of things, but was unnecessary and left me feeling more “meh” than if I’d been left dying to know where the rest of the characters ended up,

An advance review copy of audiobook version was provided in exchange for this review.

This book started really well but then turned into a slow burner and at times I felt my attention wandering and had to go back and listen to some passages again. I almost DNF but I stuck with it as I was intrigued by the anonymous notes. Although I did enjoy the book I don't feel that it will be very memorable.

I did enjoy the narration by Eilidh Beaton.

First of all thank you to Netgalley for the ARC audiobook of The Mistress Next Door

Overall I enjoyed this book and give it a solid 4 stars. There were a few points where I found it a tad repetitive but all in all it had me gripped and wanting to know how everything was going to unfold.

This book was an interesting combination of what seem like wealthy neighbor culture, uncovering who the husband’s mistress is, and the main character hiding a secret from her past.

While I liked the premise of this novel, and the missing child at the beginning of the book is terrifying, I struggled with a few of the approaches. One is that we start with a missing kid, and after that, the stakes seem low beyond the MG receiving vaguely threatening notes. The main character delays taking action for reasons that are hard to comprehend when action could end some of the problems. Near the beginning, there was an additional narrator, seemingly the mistress, that was really interesting to me. However, that is abandoned, and instead we get flashbacks in the third person. I think I would have preferred getting that information from the mind of the mistress, even more.

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 -

This is a quick audio book, just under 9 hours. I’m not a fan of accent voices in audio narrations. When the shadows of your past haunt you! Harriet is receiving anonymous notes, her daughter briefly goes missing, and her husband is cheating. The revelation of her deep dark secret was anti-climatic. This was a middle of the road domestic drama for me. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC , Follow us @bestestbookclubever on Instant

Really enjoyed this. And it really did keep me guessing till the end I never saw that coming at all. I did find the characters slightly frustrating at times but very well written thriller.

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

DNF @ 34%

Nothing happened in this book. A summary of events: Tilly goes missing. There is a strange note. Our nanny is gone. Is my husband cheating on me. Is Tilly okay when she returns? I wonder who sent the note. I wish we still had the nanny. I think my husband is cheating. I should ask Tilly if she is okay. My husband is totally cheating, but i still need proof. We need a new nanny... Recycle those point over and over and over again and that is the book.

Narrator also wasn't great. I found her rendition of the children overkill.

Thank you for this ARC, though I definitely wasn't a fan

Lesley Sanderson's THE MISTRESS NEXT DOOR is a slow-burn domestic suspense 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 psychological 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

Harriet is at the park with her children when one of the twins falls and her attention is distracted Tilly goes missing
but this is just the start of her life unravelling someone is threatening her and her husband seems to be lying to her and she suspects he is having an affair again despite the baby only being 6 months
As the story unfolds its proof everyone has secrets
A good psychological thriller. .

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.