New Release Review: The Couple Upstairs by Shalini Boland
About the Book
I should never have become friends with the couple upstairs…
The first time I step inside this cosy apartment with its sash windows, just minutes from the sea, I think it would be the perfect place for me and my partner Zac to start again. A chance to leave our troubled past behind.
Chris and Vanessa, the couple upstairs, are so welcoming: smiles, flowers, a home-baked cake. It’s strange how he does all the talking, and she seems so shy, but I’m just thrilled to have new friends nearby.
But everything starts to go wrong… my business begins to crumble, I can’t ignore the whispers at our housewarming party and loud arguments from upstairs keep me awake at night. I can’t sleep, I can’t think straight and I feel like someone is watching me in my own home.
And then Zac comes home one afternoon, his face clenched with fury, and says he knows what’s going on. He knows about my secret…
He won’t listen to me. He storms out and I’m left in tears, completely devastated.
Why has my life fallen apart since we moved here? Am I going mad? Or is someone trying to destroy us?
If only I’d known what I know now.
If only I hadn’t trusted the couple upstairs.
From the USA Today bestselling author Shalini Boland comes an absolutely heart-thumping psychological thriller with a twist you won’t see coming. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us.
Review
The Couple Upstairs is the third novel I've read by Shalini Boland. Same as the previous novels I've read by this author, it wasn't lengthy. The story was engaging, and the pacing was fair, so it made for a quick read.
There were a number of characters in the novel, though I found it easy to narrow down who was most important to the story, who was meant to be a suspect, and who was set up to throw you off. I had it pinned who was behind the meddling early on, I just didn't have an idea as to why Nina and Zac were being targeted and what the person hoped to gain or accomplish.
So while the "villain" of the story was predictable, for me their motive wasn't.
This is where the mystery lies. I wanted to know what was driving the person to target this couple, mainly Nina. (Side note, Nina's husband, Zac, I don't know how he so easily trusted sources he barely knew, but he did. I didn't enjoy him all that much, and I didn't find him to be a supportive partner in the least.)
In the end there was good build-up but I felt the full reveal of the antagonists motivation was weak. Once it was all laid out I thought, "really?"
All in all, I was kept entertained while reading The Couple Upstairs, but I didn't find it held and major shock value or surprising twists. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a quick suspense novel to read over the weekend.
*TW/CW: cancer; parental death (off page; in past)
**Complimentary copy for review provided by Bookouture. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.
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About the Author
Shalini Boland is the million-copy, USA Today bestselling author of thirteen psychological thrillers. Her titles are published by Bookouture, Grand Central Publishing, and Tantor.
Shalini lives by the sea in Dorset, England with her husband, two teens and their cheeky dog, Jess. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing psychological thrillers (in between re-stocking the fridge and dealing with endless baskets of laundry).
She is also the author of two bestselling Young Adult series as well as a children's WWII novel with a time-travel twist.
Be the first to hear about her new releases here: http://eepurl.com/b4vb45
