Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of The couple across the street by Anita Waller.

I’ve never read anything by this author and this book was definitely a fab one to start with.

Keeps you engaged and on the edge of your seat. Would definitely recommend.

I have followed this author now for many years and never been disappointed with her books. The storyline was good with interesting characters, very easy to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Another good read from my favorite genre, domestic thriller/psychological thriller. If you enjoy a good “who did that” or a suspenseful read that incorporates good storytelling and interesting characters, I definitely would recommend this. Fast paced read with the goal of determining who could’ve killed Claire’s husband and was he really who he said he was after all?

Read in one sitting, I found this had plenty of twists to keep the pages turning.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was really mixed up like it has a split personality. One minute it's about the murder of the guy across the road and the next thing you know it's about a husband cheating on his wife and fathering a child. The two plots had no cohesion and had absolutely nothing to do with each other, it felt very disjointed. I don't know why the author decided to throw them together into one book.

I really tried to like this story but the characters were hard to connect with and lacked any depth plus the murder plotline was a little out there. The police procedural parts were too easily solved and everything was tied up neatly in the end. The twist wasn't a big surprise and I figured it out before the reveal. It is a very short book that I managed to read in a couple of sittings and was fairly fast-paced. There was a lot of domestic drama so if that's your thing this book would appeal to you. Waller has an easy-to-read writing style and I liked that she used The Queen's death and funeral as a backdrop to the story. This is my third read by Anita Waller and I am sorry to say she just isn't for me.

3/5

Not great but not bad at all.
It’s a quick and easy read.
There’s a lot of twists that happen that keep you interested. Clare is a great mom and friend. She really tries to watch over her girls and her responses to the twists are great.

A straightforward domestic suspense novel with strong characters that’s easy to read. There are two strands to the plot which are resolved satisfactorily, but the novel is short on suspense. I have now read three Anita Waller books and have enjoyed them all without feeling gripped. I think this would make for a good, undemanding holiday read.

Now this is a good story, a whodunit thriller with 2 main big stories that are actually separate yet both involve the main characters ( hope that makes sense )
Interesting premise (s) and a good storytelling feel to the book that had me wanting to know the why’s and where for’s and the when’s!
Also the first book I have read with the death and funeral of The Queen as a backdrop ( not a major part of the book but was there as a reminder of events throughout and brought vivid memories of that time a few months back ) it worked well
The author managed to bring dark, sad, warm,very dark and humour all together in one package, not easy to do but again it worked well
Now my only small criticism is the inordinate amount of coffees and teas in the book and the preparation of them!,these characters must be wired by all the caffeine zooming through then…that aside a good enjoyable and at times factually really interesting read

This was an ok read but wasn’t a favorite. It centers on Clare and her family after the death of her husband, Clare’s neighbor Vic and the murder of her husband, and a guy named Jed who is trying to figure out who is father is.

I found the writing to be overly formal and stilted and thus I had trouble fully engaging in the story. There were also details I didn’t need about what kind of takeout food they ordered whereas more meaningful things were glossed over. While I understood the motivations of the murderer I wasn’t sure I understood exactly why it happened when and how it happened, and I was just confused overall around motivations of other characters to do what they did. That being said, I enjoyed the banter between the 2 detectives and I also thought that the book kept me guessing.

Overall, just an OK read for me. I was never fully immersed due to the writing style but I did think the mystery was sound. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Anita Waller has written a suspenseful novel called, The Couple Across The Street.
With a vast variety of characters, each character with their own individual story.
**From a young girls traumatic rape by a neighbor, to a young man trying to find his biological father through DNA, an abusive marriage and a wife trying to hold her family together while the police are searching high and low for a murder weapon.
It was an enticing book from the start for me, because I enjoy trying to figure out who done it.
Come find out for yourself what was going on with; The Couple Across Across The Street.

Book Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
The Couple Across The Street
Author: Anita Waller
Pub date: June 20, 2023
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers/General Fiction

Clare’s husband has lost his battle with cancer so this leaves her with time to do and change things that she’s put off for years. While cleaning her deceased husband’s office she finds a hidden secret that she never would’ve imagined. It could affect her two grown daughters.

Meanwhile, her good friend, Vic who lives across the street, leaves her husband after years of abuse. Clare helps Vic with clearing out her things but before they can get started Vic finds Rob in a pool of blood.

Detectives Franks and Waters investigate. There aren’t many suspects, in fact, Clare, her daughters and their partners, and Vic are the only ones being questioned.

I thought there was a good few threads of stories here and I did like the family dynamic. A nice mystery.

Thank you @netgalley Boldwood Books @bookandtonic @anitawallerauthor for an electronic book ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) in exchange for an honest review.


#anitawaller #generalfiction #mysteryandthrillers #mystery #thriller #thrillers
#womensfiction
#literaryfiction #fiction #NetGalley
#reviewer #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviewer #kindlebook #ebook #arc

So I have mixed feelings on this book. The premise of it is excellent but it didn’t live up to it for me. I found it tricky to connect or empathise with the characters, maybe because the dialogue was repetitive and often a little bit cheesy for my taste!!

The side story of Jed trying to find who his father was didn’t really add anything to the plot. The ending felt like a everything was tied up quite neatly regarding the main event of the book which is Rob’s murder.

It does keep you guessing until near the end and I appreciate that a lot of people will enjoy this but the suspense or shock wasn’t there for me.

Thank you to #boldwoodbooks and #rachelsrandomresources for the arc

An enjoyable stand-alone book from Anita Waller with plenty o twists and turns to keep you reading. Recommended for mystery/suspense lovers. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Lots of mystery along the way that gets revealed as the author wants it too. It has alot of twist and turns in it that keeps the reader engaged throughout. A very well written book.

This is why I read novels! This book is everything! We have Claire coping with ehr divorce. She is finally learning to live her own life and she is reclaiming her life and her time. Then we have Jed, who has no idea who his father is but he will figure it out. Vic who has left her abusive husband, who is Claire's neighbor, and just sucks all around. And we have Claire's daughters and Jed's grandma and they'll all living and coping.
At first the stories are separate and then you see how it all fits together.
It gets good. There are a lot of little mysteries we get to come along and solve but it is also a wholesome story, even with the murder.
Also I love these books because in America we don't let the cops inside, we barely let anyone inside, and especially not early in the morning when we aren't' expecting them.
I just loved everything about this fun book. I want to read ten more like it.

What a delightful, sometimes humerous, sometimes dark read this is.
I love the way this book is set against the backdrop of the Queen's funeral. The way the trials and tribulations of the Staines family and friends reflects those of the royal family is beautifully executed.
This cosy crime novel is all about family secrets, complex emotions and dark deeds from the past. More than that though, it is about how we deal with all of the above.

With a deft touch, Waller unlayers the emotions of the different characters in an empathetic way which shows their strengths alongside their vulnerabilities. It is a novel about strength and fortitude in the face of adversity - and murder and is a skillful observational novel on human nature and the power of love.

The introduction of some characters and the excellent way in which Waller reveals their true intents and motivations makes for a twisty read, with a few surprises along the way.

Be prepared for not only a murder mystery to solve, but also for a series of other mysteries that run alongside the main one.
5* from me

A really good book, I haven’t read anything from this author but she is on my list now, I really enjoyed it, the storyline was good and I love how she writes, I can’t wait to see what’s next

This was a great read, got into it from page 1, it flowed so well! Well written and I sped through it! I was rooting for Claire!

Oh my gosh I literally was up all night reading this. It was so worth the lack of sleep. I started reading this novel early in the day and could not force myself to stop. It was so good that I wish I could go back and force myself to slow down, reread it and savor every moment. I loved this novel.

Fantastic thriller which had me up to late to finish could not put it down.

Claire has lost her husband to cancer Claire wants to move in with her life. When Claire’s close friend Vic comes to her saying there is trouble in her marriage Claire supports Vic to leave her husband. When Claire goes to collect Vic’s things she finds Rob’s body. Who killed Rob?

This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery and revenge. This book had lots crazy twists and turns. Definitely recommend reading this book.