Book Review – The Couple Next Door: A Novel by Shari Lapena

The Couple Next Door: A Novel <— MY FIRST BOOK OF THE YEAR & I LOVED IT!!! I’ve been dying to read this one for a couple of years now, and when it went on sale I one-clicked it SO HARD!!! I finally just sat down with it this weekend and devoured it. While it may not be my most favorite psych-thriller, it entertained me from start to finish and it kept me guessing. 😀

Mind you, at about a third, to halfway through, I was shocked that the big “whodunit” was revealed in full, but then I realized… ahhhhhh TWISTS ARE A-COMING! And boy did they!!!!!

Maryse: I’m almost finished “The Couple Next Door” Started it Friday and have been devouring it!!! I still have no idea how it’s going to end. The essentially let us into the “whodunit” right in the middle of the book, but sure enough… twists!!!

Tasha J: This sounded familiar, I have it on my tbr too, lost in there. Lol. You’ll have to let me know if it’s a must read when u finish.

Maryse: I LOVED IT!!!! 4.5 stars!! I’m left with a couple of questions, but… 😉 SOOOO GOOOOOOD!!

Cyn: This book was amazing!!!!!

Ashley: Fantastic book! Ending was like woah!!! Can’t wait for the movie!

Danielle: I 5 starred this one!!

Lisa: So so so freakin good

Skye: This one was.. a disappointment for me 

Maryse: I can’t help but wonder if what I loved is what you didn’t, Skye. 😉

So what’s it about?

Anne and Marco have just had a baby, and Anne is suffering from a bit of postpartum depression. She’s mostly anxious and exhausted, and out of sorts. So when her husband insists that they enjoy a babyless night out at a dinner party right next door (and let the baby sleep), and monitor the baby every half hour (taking shifts), she reluctantly agrees to it.

Anne has come to dislike Cynthia, who was once a good friend—Cynthia is not baby-friendly. Who says that a six-month-old baby isn’t welcome at a dinner party? How had Anne ever let Marco persuade her that it was okay? It was irresponsible. She wonders what the other mothers in her moms’ group would think if she ever told them. We left our six-month-old baby home alone and went to a party next door. She imagines all their jaws dropping in shock, the uncomfortable silence. But she will never tell them. She’d be shunned.

All is well (sort of… though animosity is building in Anne as she watches her husband flirt with their gorgeous neighbor), and when she finally insists they go home for the night,

Tonight he clearly prefers the beautiful, bubbly, sparkly Cynthia. Anne notices the time and loses all patience. “I’m going to go. I was supposed to check on the baby at one.”

…they come home to a horrific discovery. Their front door is open.

Anne is staring. The front door is ajar; it is open about three inches.

“I know I locked it!” Anne says, her voice shrill.

Marco says tersely, “Maybe you forgot. You’ve had a lot to drink.”

But Anne isn’t listening. She’s inside and running up the staircase and down the hall to the baby’s room, with Marco right at her heels.

When she gets to the baby’s room and sees the empty crib, she screams.

…and their baby is gone.

And all hell breaks loose, for obvious reasons, but also… some people have secrets.

…she wants to scream at him, pummel him with her fists—but their house is full of police officers, so she doesn’t dare. And when she looks at his pale, bleak face, she sees that he is already blaming himself. She knows she can’t survive this on her own. She turns to him and collapses into his chest, sobbing. His arms come up around her, and he hugs her tightly. She can feel him shaking, can feel the painful thumping of his heart. She tells herself that together they will get through this. The police will find Cora. They will get their daughter back.

And if they don’t, she will never forgive him.

*oooooomph*

This book was high intensity the whole way through, and I literally had NO idea how it would end. It couldn’t end well, right? Or could it? My lips are sealed. 😉

And at first when I realized there was the whole “investigation/police procedural” aspect as part of the story (and from the POV of the detective) I was a bit bummed ’cause I tend to get bored of that – I’m always more into the POV of the victim(s) or the villain(s). And I especially love trying to figure out which is which. Who is who (that’s why I love these thrillers so – nothing better than a jaw dropping revelation that I didn’t see coming). But I digress…  detectives, investigation and all, I got a kick out of the whole book.

And yes, some parts were quite far-fetched, but in the grand scheme of things, made a whole lot of sense, and I went with it. Such a fun and crazy and distressing read, though now I have 2 questions – though I won’t mention them here – no spoilers. 😏 Don’t get me wrong, I was quite satisfied with all the twists and the big crazy reveals and well… that ending. Oh yes. But, okay now I have 3 questions. Tee heeeee!!

Yep. I need an epilogue!!! LOL! If you’re a fan of domestic psych-thrillers with marital strife, and “stuff” and if you love books a la “Tarryn Fisher” this one is for you!!

4.5 stars!!! <— It hooked me right from the start and every chance I got, I read it. No. More like… inhaled it. I want to start another one like it ASAP!! MORE MORE MORE!!! 😀

➔➔➔  Looking for more of my must-read recommendations? Browse my 5 star and 4.5 star and 4 star reviews. 😀

➔➔➔  Love this genre? Browse more psych-thriller features and reviews on my blog.