Four girls are born within six months of each other on the same street. Four girls destined to be friends for life. Four girls who share all their secrets – except maybe secrets are being kept about them...

Chantelle has twins and has just found out her husband, Andrew, is having an affair. When she prepares to deal with the situation, her husband is found dead. Jess wants a baby and possibly a job, but her husband, Mike, wants her at home as his career comes first. Mel is a paralegal but has fallen out of love with her job and is having an issue with a coworker. Erin loves her job working with books but feels something is missing in her life. And it’s not the guy who buys the first editions and constantly flirts with her.

Now having to deal with Andrew’s funeral, the four friends all have a turn in their lives where more deaths occur and life-changing decisions must be made.

This was a very quick read, but didn’t come across as a psychological thriller at all. In fact, the thriller part, or even the psychological reasons behind it, didn’t make much sense. When a confession is made, the reason behind the decision to make sure the girls are safe seems trite. And the twist? Well... it was accepted rather easily.

If it had been advertised as a friendship drama, it would have made more sense. In the prologue, you are told that a murder will be linked to one of the girls so the thriller part is not unexpected. The repetition of only “one glass of wine” or about tea/coffee became a bit tiresome. I did feel, however, that the emotions brought across by the characters in having to deal with grief and love or loss thereof, plus the friendship was done well. The editing was good and the story easy to read, but in one section Pam is Mel’s secretary and then for three lines after that Mel is referred to as Erin. A definite mistake in there.

Not a bad story but it didn’t engage me in the way I’d hoped. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

I am a huge fan of Anita and her work and I have been for a few years now. I haven't quite caught up with everything that she has written but that is something that I hope to rectify in the not too distant future. I read the synopsis of 'The Girls Next Door' and it certainly sounded like the sort of book I have come to expect from Anita - an addictive and fast paced psychological thriller with more than one twist and turns along the way. Well it was certainly all that and so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Girls Next Door' but more about that in a bit.

As with all of Anita's books, I was drawn to 'The Girls Next Door' by the eye catching synopsis. When I started reading the story itself that was it. To say that reading 'The Girls Next Door' became addictive is a bit like saying that I like eating cake - in other words a huge understatement. I would pick the book up only intending to read a chapter or two but I would still be sat there several chapters and an hour or so later. My Kindle wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn't bear to miss a single second of the story. Besides I had to keep reading to see if the story was going to turn out the way that I thought that it would. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. All too quickly I reached the end of 'The Girls Next Door'. I found 'The Girls Next Door' to be a gripping and tense psychological thriller, 'The Girls Next Door' certainly kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat.

'The Girls Next Door' is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Anita Waller. Anita certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a story and then some. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. Anita clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes her characters seem just as real as you and I. Reading 'The Girls Next Door' felt like being on an at times rather unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'The Girls Next Door' and I wholeheartedly recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Anita's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I wish publishers would stop calling things thrillers that are not thrillers. This was a book about the relationships among women. The crime felt like it was thrown on top to market it as a thriller. Simply letting the characters support each other in a normal tragedy would have been enough. It was a decent piece of women’s fiction, with strong and supportive characters.

Jess, Erin, Mel and Chantelle are childhood friends who are more like sisters.

Chantelle caught her husband cheating, and now he’s dead. Jess’ grandfather is critically ill and he’s been a grandfather to all the girls. Erin is about to expand her bookstore. Mel desperately wants out of her job.

The four girls keep each other’s secrets, cover for their lies and support each other in everything.

Slowish but steady and kept my attention from page 1.

In September 1987 the local newspaper reported on the four baby girls all born within months of each other in Larkspur Close in the village of Hackenthorpe. They may not have been sisters by blood but the four have remained just as close over the next thirty-five years. Now Chantelle has a husband Andrew and twin girls of her own. Jess, married to Mike, wants for nothing but a job and a baby, but worries about her aging grandparents who raised her after her mother abandoned her with them as a baby. Melissa is single and a paralegal, a great well-paid job but with a very unsavoury co-worker. Erin is also single and, after inheriting and successfully running her grandfather’s bookshop, now has plans to turn the free space next door into a tearoom with Jess as the manager. Then things turn sour when Chantelle spots Andrew kissing another woman. A meeting of the “sisters’ coven” decides she should bide her time and plan the divorce well first but before she can do this, Andrew is killed. A fatal accident or has someone given Andrew what they think he deserves and Chantelle the chance she needs to be free? And what other surprises will the hand of fate deliver to the girls in the coming days?
There’s loads going on in this beautifully crafted story of family, friends, love and fierce loyalty. The characters are excellently described and immediately easy to picture and get to know, and there is such a lovely bond between all the main characters that it’s impossible not to be rooting for them. There’s also plenty of mystery and intrigue for the reader to ponder over as the story unfolds in a smashing tale involving people you’d really want for your own best friends! Warm, funny, poignant and heartbreaking in places, and a completely engrossing read with some great twists this author so expertly delivers you never see them coming!!

This is a heartfelt story about four women with a special, unbreakable bond. They were all born within 6 months of each other and live on the same street. In the story, they're 35 and all experiencing major shifts in their individual lives. Some reviews I have read say they wouldn't categorize this book as a thriller, but instead as a women's fiction, but there's a murder mystery aspect to the story as well as the sisterhood bit. While I do enjoy chick lit, I have to be in the mood for it.. and when I started this one, I wanted to read a thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the characters in this, all with their own backstories that intertwine. Four mothers giving birth to girls a little while between each other, daughters growing up together and creating a life long bond. Strong and determined like the women they become. You learn more about the women as the story progresses and why their bond is so meaningful. I really enjoyed reading this book, I have a soft spot for Nora and Erin. I liked the others too but I like Nora's demeanour and the idea of Erin and her bookshop!

The close relationships to Nora and Arthur and the closeness of the four women is something to cherish. Supporting each other through all sorts. Strong characters and personalities makes this an easy to follow read.

This was well written, with a strong storyline that was nicely brought together as it went along. It has a sombre feel at times and makes you appreciate your own life and family in times of need.

Anita Waller is fast rising up my list of favourite authors!

Over thirty years ago, four baby girls were born into the new homes in Larkspur Close; a newspaper article gave them their five minutes of fame. Growing up together, they were closer than sisters and have kept that camaraderie into adulthood. Whenever any of them has an issue or a problem, the others are their first port of call - they have no secrets. Then one of them discovers her husband is cheating on her and, naturally, she shares with the other three. Then his body is found; was it an accident - or is something else going on here?

This is, as always, a cleverly plotted and most beautifully written novel. I have a fondness for books based on female friendships and relished every detail in this one. Who to trust? Well, everybody of course! Was I suspicious of anyone? Well ... everyone! Did I see the end coming? Not on your life! I was hooked from very first to very last and can't tell you how much I enjoyed each and every word. No doubt about it, this earns every one of the five sparkling stars I'm happy to give it, along with my highest recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

We follow 4 girls who started life on the same street and within 6 months of each other. Its as if they were Destin to become friends. They formed a sisterhood and were always there for each other through good and bad. So now when people close to them start showing up dead this sisterhood starts cracking a bit.
This starts at slow as we learn about the girls and their lives but picks up soon as the action soon happens with twist and turns. See if you can figure out what’s going on.
This is an easy intriguing mystery.

This book tells the story of four women who were all born in the same street within a few months and grow up like sisters. In their 30’s they all have important decisions to make. One is unhappy in her marriage and has just discovered her husband is cheating on her, another wants out of her job but doesn’t know what to do next. Another wants to extend her business and the other is worried about her grandparents who brought her up when her mother deserted her.

Then an accident happens resulting in a death which helps one of the women with a problem but it is not the first death and are they all linked or all accidents or just bad luck?

Will all the women get their happy endings?

Slightly different style to the authors previous books but loved it nonetheless and read it in a day and a half and have not read a book that quick in a long time.

I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book. But it was a pleasant surprise. I ended up really enjoying this book and the relationship between the characters.
While it was a bit slow paced, I really enjoyed it and now I want to read the previous books by the author.
I don’t think I can categorise this book as a thriller, but something more like a cosy mystery combined with a friendship.

This books was an easy read, 4 girls born within 6 months of each other and forge a great friendship, always being there for each other.

I didn’t really class this as a thriller, more of a story of the bonds of friendship. It was nice getting to know these girls, the ending was very good.

This is a nice easy read

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood books for a advanced copy

Another very good book by Anita Waller albeit a bit slow at times while the scene is set. Four girls from the same street all born within a small time period and all grew up as sisters to each other. Now at the age of 35 their friendship is tested to its fullest when people close to them start dying off. Their lives are about to change forever.
The first half of the book is all very cosy and the four women have each others backs come what may. Twists and cracks appear when a husband, grandparents and parent start getting killed off and the book gains pace.
Ultimately there are twists and turns aplenty with no shortage of surprises. A very easy and intriguing read.

To say this is just a domestic noir or a thriller would be an I justice, it is all that and so much more! I can't believe I left it so far down on my tbr pile because one I started, I couldn't put this down. A perfectly written story about the strength and bond between women. The characters are so well brought to life that it's like watching a netfilx series that you binge in one sitting. A must read

In 1987, four girls were born on the same street within six months of each other. In 2022, the girls are still close, like sisters, always there for each other. I like the characters; they are complex and relatable, and the relationship dynamic between the girls is believable. The story draws you into their lives; you must know what will happen next as their lives change and tragedies occur. The plot has some clever and impactful twists, which makes it an engaging read. It's a compelling blend of family drama and psychological suspense.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This is a beautifully written book about the hidden power of women. Characters are well developed and likable. I thought the author did a commendable job interweaving different perspectives throughout the story.

A tense chilling psychological thriller,I was gripped from the first pages hated to put it down.couldn’t stop thinking about it an author to follow.@netgalley @boldwoodbooks.

This is a great read.
On the surface it’s a drama about four female friends and their very close bond, but as the story goes on it’s a bit of a murder mystery.
The four women have grown up together and their parents and grandparents are also close to them all.
So when Chantelle’s husband is found dead, they do everything they can to help her.
Soon other incidents happen and they all come closer together as a result.
I really liked all of the main characters but I did have a soft spot for Jess’ Nan.
This is a great story about friendship with a bit of a mystery thriller twist throughout.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

In 1987 in one small street in the village of Hackenthorpe, four friends, Suzanne, Tracy, Laura and Anna all give birth to a baby daughter within months of each other. By 2022, these girls, Erin, Melissa, Chantelle and Jessica have formed a bond so tight that nothing and no one will break it.

But what secrets are they keeping and just how far will they go to protect one another??

I adore Anita Waller’s novels, her words flow so easily that the pages seem to turn over with no help from me. Her characterisation of these women, with all of the foibles made me feel a real connection to them. She is also very clever at pulling off an unsuspecting murder or two and the unexpected twists caught me out a few times.

As endings go, WOW, yet again Waller has pulled it out of the bag!

Highly recommended, as are all of this author’s books.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This secret filled crime thriller follows four women who all were born in the same summer in the same street, Larkspur Close. The women have grown as close as sister’s and always are there for each other.

When Chantelle discovers her husband is cheating, she starts to plan the next steps for herself and her children, but a sudden death changes everything.

The women come together to support Chantelle, and as secrets are revealed they must keep close while they work out what or who may be behind the changes in the women’s lives.

Was Chantelle’s husband's death an accident? What secrets will the women uncover?

I felt that this crime thriller started as if it was a drama, I did start to feel towards the middle that maybe I had misunderstood and that it wasn’t a thriller at all.

Suddenly, with unexpected deaths the storyline develops more into a mystery as you try to work out with the women what is going on in their lives.

The women have a lovely relationship and support each other through everything which was lovely to read.

Overall, a secret filled crime thriller where four women must stay close as their lives change forever.