I really wanted to get into this book but the plot was so slowly paced and boring. I could not finish this.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

I tried several times to get into this book, but failed miserably. The story was very disjointed and I could not follow it very well and had to keep going back to familiarise myself with it. Not one of the Author's best.

Well, it was definitely not what I expected. I was expecting more. It is all from an elderly lady next door point of view. The whole thing. While I am sure the author was like: "this will be a new take on the thriller" it was just too much. there needed to be another person's voice in there. And the complaining about everything- aches and pains and all To be honest if I had to pay for this I would have been really upset. It almost went to my Did Not Finish box.

*thank you to Netgalley, L.A. Detwiler and Avon Books UK/One More Chapter for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


2 stars.

This story reminds me of what being in the mind of Norman Bates would be like.

It's extremely slow building and I hadn't expected that. Yet, I still managed to read it all so that's why it's 2 stars which means 'just ok.'

I will definitely be filling this under psychology as it's definitely all about how a person's mind can become after certain events.

I wasn't sure where this story was going and I feel I'm still processing it. It was just a bit too dull at times for me but if you are really interested in the human brain and environmental factors that contribute, then this will probably be a really informative and interesting book. Otherwise, if you expect a fast paced or even moderate pace thriller, this isn't where to find it.

Such a great book. Makes for a wonderful read. I can not wait to read more from this author. I love books like this.

When newly weds Jane and Alex move into 312 Bristol Lane, they are totally in love and dreaming of the long and happy life that they are going to have together in their dream house. Their nosey and widower neighbour takes a liking to the couple and decides to sit in her rocking chair by the window, watching their every move. Jane soon becomes a friendly neighbour, visiting for tea and rhubarb pie. Soon it is apparent that things are not what they seem when there are less hugs and kisses from the porch at 312 Bristol Lane but more fighting and screaming matches. The more Jane visits her neighbour, the more the dark side of Jane comes to life. Desperate for children and blaming not being able to conceive on her husband, she soon decides that he will have to pay for not giving her children and making her look like a fool. Only the eyes of the widow next door can see the true events unravel, making her relive her traumatic adulthood all over again.

I loved this book. I loved the way it swapped from the past to show how the widow became the lady she was today. I was hooked all the way through and could not put the book down. It was a true thriller in all aspects of the word and the twists at the end I never saw coming. Brilliant.

There is literally nothing about this book that I would change. I honestly really enjoyed it.

I would recommend this book to late teens and over, purely because of the dark side to it. I don't think it's suitable for anyone under the age of 16.

I would give this book a 10/10.

A brilliant domestic suspense thriller that gripped me right from the very beginning, I look forward to reading more from this author,

All seems well on Bristol Lane when Jane and Alex Clarke move into their new home. There is an older woman who enjoys sitting on her porch watching the people come and go. Jane approaches and speaks to her. It is not long afterwards that Jane is invited inside her home. Something seems off though. The writer has done a brilliant job of adding suspense and mystery to the story and the characters are developed with class and intertwine perfectly together.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review..

I am afraid that I could not get in to this book at all. I found the plot to be boring and a bit turgid. I could not engage with it at all.

How well do we really know our neighbours? This books sets out to demonstrate that all is not always as it seems, even when it comes to little old ladies. Recommended.

I really liked that you were never quite sure throughout this story who bad guy was but unfortunately, for the most part, I found the story to be slow and boring. I didnt find the characters believable and the plot didn't interest me at all. The book was ok and i am sure sime will find it better than i did.
3 stars

Newlyweds Alex and Jane move to an idyllic house on Briston Lane. They are excited about their new home and an elderly neighbor seems to be very welcoming, but she seems to watch them from the rocking chair every day. Alex doesn’t find it disturbing, is he right?

I was really excited to read this book, the premise sounded so interesting and very suspenseful. Unfortunately I didn’t finish the book, because it didn’t grab my attention, it was very slow paced. It was mostly filled with an elderly woman’s day to day life and I didn’t see the character development to compensate the lacking of suspense I expected. Because it’s a decut novel, I want to try the author’s next book to see whether I’d like that one better.

The Widow Next Door by L.A Detwiler is one of those novels that ratchets up the creepiness factor that it borders on being Hitchkockian by its very nature. This is a tale of secrets and the darker ones we try to keep to ourselves.

"...Looking back, there were warning signs. Flickers of who she was hiding, what they were hiding. I just didn't want to see. Maybe I didn't want the fantasy world I'd created to disappear. Maybe I wanted to keep believing their love story was perfect, would be my comfortable company for may final years..."

Newlyweds, Jane and Alex Clarke believe they have find the perfect house to begin their life together on quiet Bristol Lane. The area is beautiful and the sweet elderly lady across the street even welcomes them with sharing a homemade pie. But beneath that sheen of perfection there may be something quite different.

"...Something's not right. Something's not right at all. In fact, something's so grotesquely wrong and hideously tainted, I don't know if there will be any turning back.
Things haven't been right for a while now, I'm starting to realize. Behind that bubbly smile, that sunshine yellow, she's not perfect. Not even close.
Why with all bright stories is there a monster, unseen, that festers beneath the boiling surface?
As the weather gets colder, the frost settling in, it's clear that maybe I didn't really know my neighbor from 312 Bristol Lane at all..."

The lonely widow seems harmless to the young couple. They see sitting there, in her rocking chair behind the large window staring out. Only she is staring at them. She is always staring at them. Jane spends time with her and soon, she begins to talk about all of her frustrations and her conflits with Alex. The Widow listens quietly but slowly she begins to sense that there is something even deeper going on.

"...She sinks to the ground, finding a dry patch of floor to rest on. She pulls her knees to her chest and rocks, the tears falling wildly now, her sobs racking her body. I step around the puddle towards her, careful not to slip, but she holds up an arm, telling me to keep my distance. I'm not sure what's going on, truthfully. It's obvious to me, though, that the mug's not the most important thing that's broken today.
I back against the counter, staring at the tea, the blood, the shattered fragments on the floor. It strikes me how the pattern is so intricate, how it looks almost like an abstract painting. It's beautiful, just like Jane. A beautiful mess indeed.
She continues to rock and sob as I head to the cleaning closet, her incoherent chanting sounding like a religious rite of the most sinister variety. Calmly, I find a mop and bucket. No use comforting her-you can't comfort those who don't want comfort, who won't listen to reason.
I mop up around her, tired from the labor but energized by the excitement.
A little blood never did scare me...."

Jane and Alex are beginning to unravel and the Widow sits there watching the newlyweds. She has seen this before.

The Widow Next Door is a book that will just get under your skin. You are never sure who is going mad or just who is losing their mind. Is it the newlyweds are is it the widow. Or what exactly the sweet old lady has in mind. Her past and her secrets begin to become indistinguishable from what the new couple is going through. You add to the haunting idea that this has happened before on this street and in that house and you are definitely left with the sense that there is so much more to this woman than what is shown.

The concept that this elderly woman, who seems to struggle just to move around her home can pose any danger is so unsettling. But then the complete reversal that shows Jane becoming someone that may be violent and abusive. We watch along with the widow, sitting in the rocking chair as Jane goes slowly mad. But is she really? Or is it just what the widow thinks she is seeing. What really is happening on Bristol Lane?

A stunning and mind bending novel that will leave you wondering just what goes on behind your neighbors closed doors.

Absolutely gripping from the very beginning. Really enjoyed the narrative coming solely from one character. My one gripe was that this often slowed down the pace of the book as the narrator jumped back and forth between present day and past memories or went off on a tangent that could be a bit confusing. Very interesting ending!

A new beginning in a beautiful house, with the almost perfect neighbors.. This story was nice and creepy at the same time.. The widow is old and lonely, she has nothing better to do then sit and watch her young neighbors.
This book is told from the eyes of the Widow and everything she sees through her windows.
I am glad I had the opportunity to read this book, it was more creepy then a thriller for me..

New author for me but pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the approval and look forward to a book relationship with other reads in the future,

I would give this 2.5 stars.

I really enjoyed that you were never sure throughout this story who villain was. Unfortunately, for the most part, I found the story to be boring. The story was just incredibly slow paced with large parts of the story just documented the elderly main characters monotonous day to day activities. I most just found this tedious to read.

A little old lady lives in a little house in a little lane with only one other property so she’s thrilled when she sees a young couple move in. Everywhere seems to have someone who sits at the window watching everything only this one takes it to a new level. The writing was stilted, as if it had been translated into English, using a mix of English words and spellings (mum) and American (automobile), so was confusing to begin with. Great descriptions of being lonely, old and childless, how everything is a struggle but with some comical moments too. There’s only so much you can take of ailments and tea making though, so skimmed those. It had some genuinely creepy moments, both in the flashbacks and now which kept me turning the pages. A decent domestic drama!

This was an enjoyable read albeit a bit long winded and slow.
Took me a while to get in to the story it turned into a book where I was putting it down and picking it up.
Few twists that I liked and it did have an air of mystery.