Helpful Score: 4
Ugh. I like a psychological thriller, but this was just stupid. It started out with some promise, but it quickly deteriorated. The plot was just over-the-top contrived, and the writing was that of a high school literary student. On the plus side, it was quick to read. Now on to something (hopefully) better.
Helpful Score: 1
Great plot with lots of twists and a surprise ending besides.
Overall, not a book I would recommend to a friend. The first 20+ chapters has no foward movement and I had to force myself to keep reading. When twists finally started happening it was easy to figure out the end before the author got around to confirming. Disappointing.
I enjoyed this book...At first I thought I wasn't going to like it...and I did guess soooome of the twists...but not the BIG twist!
After I read The Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena, I vowed to never read another of her books. Oh, such juvenile writing style. I'm sure the essays and stories I read in high school were better developed. But a friend gave me her copy of The Couple Next Door and gushed over how much she enjoyed reading it. I could have just declined the book, stating my aversion to wasting time on mediocre writing but I didn't want to insult her opinion. And I knew she'd want to discuss the book so I had to read it.
I trudged through the first 7-8 chapters, just shaking my head at the absolute stupidity of Anne and Marco, parents of Cora who is only 6 months old. The parents are invited to dinner party next door and when their babysitter cancels due to death in family, they argue about not going to party but Marco insists Cora will be ok at home as long as they take turns checking on her every half hour. And they take the baby monitor to listen in. When they get home at 12:30a, the front door is ajar a few inches (to build suspense) and Cora is missing. No spoilers here but a few red flags. This couple is rich (Anne's mother's money) so why do they use a baby monitor with a broken video screen? And Marco has been using back door to access house but front door is open. Did Anne leave it open? She can't remember.
Story twists and turns, lots of suspects and police questioning. Overall, I was somewhat surprised by the motive of the kidnapping even though I suspected the culprit. No more Lapena books for me!
I trudged through the first 7-8 chapters, just shaking my head at the absolute stupidity of Anne and Marco, parents of Cora who is only 6 months old. The parents are invited to dinner party next door and when their babysitter cancels due to death in family, they argue about not going to party but Marco insists Cora will be ok at home as long as they take turns checking on her every half hour. And they take the baby monitor to listen in. When they get home at 12:30a, the front door is ajar a few inches (to build suspense) and Cora is missing. No spoilers here but a few red flags. This couple is rich (Anne's mother's money) so why do they use a baby monitor with a broken video screen? And Marco has been using back door to access house but front door is open. Did Anne leave it open? She can't remember.
Story twists and turns, lots of suspects and police questioning. Overall, I was somewhat surprised by the motive of the kidnapping even though I suspected the culprit. No more Lapena books for me!
This book was horrible. Not worth your time. The big "secrets" they refer to are not big secrets at all. The couple next door doesn't even come into play until the very end and the ending is really horrible. Don't waste your time!
Anne & Marco Conti are a happy couple. They have a new baby, Cora, and seem to be a very happy couple.
They are attending a dinner party next door, with Cynthia & Graham Stillwell. They don't have Cora with them, as Cynthia had insisted that it was "adults only". Unfortunately, Anne & Marco have left the baby alone in the house, as the babysitter had called and cancelled.
Anne & Marco are going over to the house every half hour to check on Cora. When Anne goes to check on the baby at 1:00 am, the baby is not in her crib.
The police are called and we are then taken through the next days on a rollercoaster of guilt and backstabbing, etc. This is a great thrill ride with all of the suspects involved in the kidnapping of Cora.
Very interesting, never boring, infinitely changing your feelings about every character in the novel.
They are attending a dinner party next door, with Cynthia & Graham Stillwell. They don't have Cora with them, as Cynthia had insisted that it was "adults only". Unfortunately, Anne & Marco have left the baby alone in the house, as the babysitter had called and cancelled.
Anne & Marco are going over to the house every half hour to check on Cora. When Anne goes to check on the baby at 1:00 am, the baby is not in her crib.
The police are called and we are then taken through the next days on a rollercoaster of guilt and backstabbing, etc. This is a great thrill ride with all of the suspects involved in the kidnapping of Cora.
Very interesting, never boring, infinitely changing your feelings about every character in the novel.
I loved this book! Lots of suspense, twists and turns. It kept me guessing.
I really liked this book. Usually I figure out the culprit pretty quickly but this had several twists and turns that kepf you guessing all throughout it. I would have given it 5 stars but it did have an open ending which I do not like.
I can't believe I finished this nonsense!! This book started out with so much potential, but then it hit a brick wall a few chapters in and was a complete disaster until it ended. I think I finished it just to see how bad it would get. It's like watching a car wreck. You know it's going to be bad, but you can't pull your eyes away. I did at least finish the book, so it kept my interest enough until the end, but I seriously laughed at the stupidity. And the writing was fairly amateur. I don't really understand how this is a bestseller. I work in a library and I had ordered this for our collection, but now I regret that decision.
Better than average mystery with several twists. A fast read, it keeps you guessing until the last page.
Upstate New York - Baby Cora was kidnapped while her parents, Anne and Marco Conti, were visiting their neighbors, Cynthia and Graham. Suspicion falls on the parents. Det. Rasbach knows they are hiding something. The couple do have secrets theyâve kept for years. I loved this book as many twists and turns led to a very surprising ending. Iâm looking forward to another book by Lapena and highly recommend this book to those who love thrillers.
Wow! This is a really intense thriller with a twisty plot and some malevolent characters! Hard to put down!
Kept me on the edge of my seat...very good!
Now this is how a missing child story is done! The Couple Next Door is a riveting, well thought out thriller I struggled to put down! I loved it!
The pacing is excellent. And the groundwork for each twist and reveal is so well laid, it kept me guessing about what really happened with the baby right up until the end, even though some of my guesses, especially about the husband Marco, were spot on. And that's hard to do!
Bottom line, you don't find this level of competence in most commercial mysteries and thrillers. For a debut thriller writer, Shari Lapena knocks it out of the park with a showcase of superb plotting and narrative skill that strikes the perfect balance. The ending scene is sufficiently chilling...and brilliantly set up as the ultimate Chekhov's gun going off!
Bravo!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Can't wait to read her next book! A+
The pacing is excellent. And the groundwork for each twist and reveal is so well laid, it kept me guessing about what really happened with the baby right up until the end, even though some of my guesses, especially about the husband Marco, were spot on. And that's hard to do!
Bottom line, you don't find this level of competence in most commercial mysteries and thrillers. For a debut thriller writer, Shari Lapena knocks it out of the park with a showcase of superb plotting and narrative skill that strikes the perfect balance. The ending scene is sufficiently chilling...and brilliantly set up as the ultimate Chekhov's gun going off!
Bravo!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Can't wait to read her next book! A+
Halfway through this novel, I was contemplating a five-star rating, and wondering what all the negative reviews were talking about. I really liked the way the author developed her intriguing -- and frightening -- premise, and alternating between the points-of-view of the frantic parents and the chief investigating detective was very effective in emphasizing how no one sees the same thing in quite the same way. (Just for example, the mother who see herself as fat, unattractive, with greasy hair, is described by the detective as a lovely young woman with glossy brown hair. This goes further than any author exposition to make the mother's post-baby blues real and relatable. I even liked the cool, slightly stand-offish tone -- it was a nice counterpoint to the emotional currents of the missing baby.
But ... but ... but ... after the halfway mark, everything goes very, very wrong. I'm not sure that Lapena does anything very different, but perhaps her plot just requires her characters to behave more stupidly. The "big twist" was pretty obvious, and yes, to echo other reviews, the ending was pure melodrama. Very disappointing.
But ... but ... but ... after the halfway mark, everything goes very, very wrong. I'm not sure that Lapena does anything very different, but perhaps her plot just requires her characters to behave more stupidly. The "big twist" was pretty obvious, and yes, to echo other reviews, the ending was pure melodrama. Very disappointing.
Talk about a page-turner! This is one book you just can't put down! Anne and Marco Conti's baby Cora is kidnapped while they were just next door at a dinner party. They were checking on the baby every 30 minutes and had their video baby monitor with them and yet, somehow, baby Cora was kidnapped. Police suspect the parents, but can't prove the baby's whereabouts or the reason for the kidnapping, as no ransom demand is made. Everyone is a suspect and no one wants his or her secrets revealed in this twisted, riveting story of a family in turmoil.
I agree with Junie's review in that it was a lousy ending, pretty lame. But then, I almost quit listening a few times due to its tedium. Blah blah blah, a lot of repetition of what had happened and what was going on. An entire book of unlikable characters. I ended up not caring if they ever got their baby back or not.
Anne and her husband Marco are at a dinner party with the couple who live in the townhouse next door to theirs, when a parents' worst nightmare comes true: their baby Cora is kidnapped from her crib. Marco and Anne are not exactly nominees for parents of the year, as they left the child alone in their home, but they may have made the long list, as they brought a baby monitor to the party and took turns checking on her every half hour.
The detective in charge of the investigation (whose name I cannot remember because he was so one-dimensional) is immediately suspicious of the parents, particularly the father. The parents' stories and the circumstances of the crime don't seem to jive. As the story unfolds, there are twists upon twists upon twists.
Four stars apparently means that I liked this book. I did not like it, because all the characters were despicable, but I read it in one day. I wanted to see what happened. The character of Anne is fleshed out and her husband's is somewhat, but the rest of the cast is not described in much detail (other than what the women are wearing). This book is definitely heavy on plot and dialogue versus characterization. I wouldn't say that this book is an enjoyable read or particularly well-written, but the story is clever and the twists are engaging.
Thanks to Amazon and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The detective in charge of the investigation (whose name I cannot remember because he was so one-dimensional) is immediately suspicious of the parents, particularly the father. The parents' stories and the circumstances of the crime don't seem to jive. As the story unfolds, there are twists upon twists upon twists.
Four stars apparently means that I liked this book. I did not like it, because all the characters were despicable, but I read it in one day. I wanted to see what happened. The character of Anne is fleshed out and her husband's is somewhat, but the rest of the cast is not described in much detail (other than what the women are wearing). This book is definitely heavy on plot and dialogue versus characterization. I wouldn't say that this book is an enjoyable read or particularly well-written, but the story is clever and the twists are engaging.
Thanks to Amazon and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book by Shari Lapena that I have read and I'll be reading another. I read this with a friend and we both thought at the beginning that the story could go lots of different predictable ways that would be a bit disheartening. As new things would come to light I could see each of these predictable plots playing out. And as a matter of fact, they all did happen but the way that Lapena wrapped them together made it a unique story to read. I was enraged at the characters many times because of their choices - I just couldn't figure out why they would do the things they did - but really that just added to the story line. And then the ending happened... and all I can say is what the???? Where's the sequel?
As a debut, I thought it was great. Worthy of reading, but not the best psychological thriller. A page turner, for the most part...but, didn't hold my attention to the end.
Fast, exciting, frustrating, painful and so many fun twist and turns. Great read.
It started with the kidnapping of her baby.
Oh No I thought, another kidnapping story!
Reluctantly I figured I'd give it a try.
She came from wealth and depended on her mother and stepfather for money. They didn't like the man she married, felt he was not good enough for her. Then they had a beautiful baby girl and they fell in love with their only granddaughter. The parents bought them a gorgeous home in a prestige area, funded the husband's new business and more.
I was then taken on a journey of nail biting suspense, betrayals, and so many twists and turns I couldn't keep up with them. I couldn't sleep until I read it to the end.
SPOILER
I didn't particularly like the ending. The husband got away with his role in the kidnapping and given immunity. WHY? Never should have happened!!! He should have paid the consequences.
Excellent book.
Oh No I thought, another kidnapping story!
Reluctantly I figured I'd give it a try.
She came from wealth and depended on her mother and stepfather for money. They didn't like the man she married, felt he was not good enough for her. Then they had a beautiful baby girl and they fell in love with their only granddaughter. The parents bought them a gorgeous home in a prestige area, funded the husband's new business and more.
I was then taken on a journey of nail biting suspense, betrayals, and so many twists and turns I couldn't keep up with them. I couldn't sleep until I read it to the end.
SPOILER
I didn't particularly like the ending. The husband got away with his role in the kidnapping and given immunity. WHY? Never should have happened!!! He should have paid the consequences.
Excellent book.
Very suspenseful and definitely kept me reading until I got to the end. Could not put it down. The writer lacked character development which led to some flaws and none of the characters was particularly likeable. I also felt like I figured out the "who done it" early on. But the last two pages - a creepy surprise.
It started with the kidnapping of her baby.
Oh No I thought, another kidnapping story!
Reluctantly I figured I'd give it a try.
She came from wealth and depended on her mother and stepfather for money. They didn't like the man she married, felt he was not good enough for her. Then they had a beautiful baby girl and they fell in love with their only granddaughter. The parents bought them a gorgeous home in a prestige area, funded the husband's new business and more.
I was then taken on a journey of nail biting suspense, betrayals, and so many twists and turns I couldn't keep up with them. I couldn't sleep until I read it to the end.
SPOILER
I didn't particularly like the ending. The husband got away with his role in the kidnapping and given immunity. WHY? Never should have happened!!! He should have paid the consequences.
Excellent book.
Oh No I thought, another kidnapping story!
Reluctantly I figured I'd give it a try.
She came from wealth and depended on her mother and stepfather for money. They didn't like the man she married, felt he was not good enough for her. Then they had a beautiful baby girl and they fell in love with their only granddaughter. The parents bought them a gorgeous home in a prestige area, funded the husband's new business and more.
I was then taken on a journey of nail biting suspense, betrayals, and so many twists and turns I couldn't keep up with them. I couldn't sleep until I read it to the end.
SPOILER
I didn't particularly like the ending. The husband got away with his role in the kidnapping and given immunity. WHY? Never should have happened!!! He should have paid the consequences.
Excellent book.
