The Couple Next Door: The fast-paced and addictive million-copy bestseller

Upon its initial release, I reviewed this book. While my recollection was initially hampered by memory limitations, I'm pleased to report that a reread proved highly rewarding. I found it captivating and couldn't put it down; a truly stunning and gripping read.

So firstly let me say that I liked this book. I also read it in a manner of days, which is both a good and a bad thing for me. It's good as the story pulled me along, it's bad because it proves just how easy the book is to work through. Let me break this into a few parts. Firstly the story. Without giving anything away, it is slightly telegraphed through most of the book, the start does hint at other things, which then get lost through the actual narrative. Secondly the main twist seems to happen very early on in the book and just leaves a poor feeling in the story, in how could that happen then. It does work out, but it feels pretty poor where it is placed in the story. There are also parts which just aren't explored at all, things that could bring so much more to the story, but are just left. Also once finished and thinking back, it's a pretty rubbish story and motive by the end of the book. The title hints at a story much like Girl On The Train, where you watch the story next door, or work out what someone has done etc. This never happens, the couple next door are in the story for less that 20 pages, probably, and even then it is only one of them. It is just a waste of what would be a good title and idea. If we then look at characters, honestly they aren't that great. The descriptions of the next door neighbour are sexist and don't really add to the story. Each character is pretty ruthless and not really developed which doesn't help. You are also rushed through back story and motive, never really sure what is going on with any of them. And finally dealing with the actual writing, I found it very poor. It was weakly put together, with simplistic language and little in the way of clever narrative methods. The moving from character to character was interesting, but never really helped the piece move on. Having said all this, I did enjoy it as a book and a story, but I won't be looking for anything else from the author.

I found it simple and disappointing. One twist was okay but not really great. For me the ending would have been okay until the author continued a chapter and made it a bit ridiculous and unfortunate and went away from the tone of the book. I guess I wouldn't say steer clear, but it's not really anything special, in my opinion its on the egde of terrible yet somehow also tolerable.