WOW! Still reeling from the moment I read the final chapter, THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS by Ruth Heald is a book I devoured easily in just over 24 hours. It is addictive, unputdownable and oh so twisted. Ruth had me hooked from the beginning that I quickly became invested in the lives of Katie and her twins.

Throughout the story there is an undercurrent of danger with a real sense of foreboding that had me waiting with baited breath wondering what was going to come next. And as readers, although we know something bad is going to happen, we are powerless to stop it as we are immersed into the storyline and absorbing every page. When I tweeted my thoughts upon finishing, Ruth told me she "wanted to capture that feeling you get in horror movies...when you know the heroine is walking into a trap, but you can't stop her!" And boy, did she succeed!

The story begins with Katie who is shocked to learn that she is pregnant...and even moreso when she discovers she's having twin girls. However, her relationship with Ian, the father, was only ever a casual thing and not all that serious...until now. Despite this unexpected turn of events, Ian is delighted and supportive and eager to start their family. As a property developer, Ian's business acquires houses in need of some work before renovating them and then selling them on at a profit. It is one of these houses that Ian has set aside for them to move into in an affluent part of London.

But when Katie arrives to move in, the house is nothing she expected. It is completely derelict, rat-infested, damp and uninhabitable. Heavily pregnant by this stage, Katie knows she can't stay there. She tries ringing Ian but the calls go unanswered. She calls her best friend with whom, up until now, she had flat-shared with. But Amy is distracted with a new tenant moving in and thinks Katie is just nervous about the move. Even Katie's mother refuses to help, unable to believe the house would be that bad. In the end, Katie has no one left to help and resigns herself to spending the night on the damp mattress on the upstairs bedroom floor.

When Ian arrives, he is as shocked as she is at the state of disrepair the house is in. Full of apologies, he moves Katie into a hotel and sets to work on renovating the house into some kind of living standard. It isn't long before an entire new state of the art kitchen is intalled as well as a new bathroom. The living room and two bedrooms upstairs are also painted with new furniture and fresh carpet, leaving the rest of the house to be completed as and when. Ian also thought Katie would like to choose the colours for the nursery so left that untouched. Katie is speechless. The house is beautiful. Filled with happiness and a surge of love for Ian, Katie new that this was the start of a new life together with their twins.

But soon, Katie becomes increasingly worried with Ian spending so much time at work, leaving her in the house on her own...with all its creaks and groans. Sometimes she even thinks she hears someone on the stairs or music playing...but soon dismisses the thought as being just nerves. As the time of the birth approaches, Katie asks Amy to be her birth partner in the event that Ian is unavailable and as her best friend, Amy is thrilled.

When Paula befriends Katie, she appears to be something of a saviour. Professing to be a doula, an expert trained in childbirth and infant care, she offers to help Katie in exchange for room and board. Katie is relieved to have her there, especially when Ian spends so much time at work, to help ease her fears as the birth approaches. But soon after at the baby shower Amy, a little drunk from the festivities, falls down the stairs and breaks her leg. Now laid up, Amy is unable to be Katie's birth partner should the need arise.

But then Ian is called away urgently on business in Thailand. A huge deal is going through for a string of hotels that could secure the business and set them up for life. With the due date so close, Katie is terrified he won't be there but Ian promises he will be only be gone a week and will be back by the time the girls arrive.

However, it soon becomes clear that Ian is unreachable when Katie tries calling and texting him. And then she goes into labour. Fearing it is too soon and that something is wrong, she tries Ian again. But to no avail. Thank goodness Paula is there to help support her, as it's clear she cannot depend on Ian, and she proves to be a tower of strength for Katie. Then as the twins come into this world, baby Alice's entry was smooth sailing while baby Frances' was traumatic. And by the end of it all, Katie is exhausted. Thankfully, she has Paula who been a Godsend. Or has she?

It soon becomes evident that Paula not only has taken over Katie's care but also that of her twins, moving into the master bedroom with the twins sleeping in their cots beside her while Katie has the spare room. Paula claims this is because Katie needs her rest after such a traumatic birth. I was angered on Katie's behalf at this because they were her babies - she had every right to be with them during their first days in the world. And what's with taking over the master bedroom while Katie was relegated to the damp spare? Alarm bells were ringing loud and clear for me but Katie was seemingly oblivious to them.

Then when Ian returns, Katie is so furious with him and refuses to believe his claims that he got the first flight back as soon as he got her messages, which apparently only just came in. How could that be? She had called him over and over and sent him message after message - but he has no other defence than that they never arrived till now.

It soon becomes clear that nothing is at it seems. But Katie is vulnerable and isolated with no one else available to help. She certainly couldn't rely on Ian. All she had was Paula. So with the upheaval and confusion that comes with being a new mum, as well as the distressing experience of such a traumatic birth, and now sleep deprivation puts Katie in the ideal position to be gas-lighted and manipulated. And so, Katie becomes more and more dependent on Paula.

As all the lies slowly start to unravel, Katie discovers that these very lies have put her and her babies in danger. So who can she trust? Ian? Paula? Her family? Herself? She didn't know anymore.

But one thing is for sure, she could not foresee how everything was going to end...Could you?

Told in dual timelines with frightening flashbacks to a scared unknown child, THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS is cleverly plotted, disturbing and twisted in more ways than one. And I loved every second of it! Although I could see what was happening, I was twisting myself in knots unable to warn Katie. I found myself wondering how she could trust someone so blindly without really knowing anything about them.

Honestly, I had most of the reveals figured out before I'd reached halfway but that didn't deter me. I love trying to piece everything together and then seeing if I'm right by the end...and in this case, I was pretty much bang on. Despite this, THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS was still a chilling atmospheric thriller so disturbing it will leave you wondering who you can trust.

THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS was my second read by Ruth Heald and just as brilliant and as chilling as her first. I can't wait to see what twisted plot she comes up with next!

It goes without saying that I highly recommend this book! Grab yourself a copy...you know you want to.

I would like to thank #RuthHeald, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheWomanUpstairs in exchange for an honest review.

When Katie falls pregnant by Ian her life is going to change. From a dreary flat share to a posh house her life is on the up! Soon not all is as it seems. Katie is befriended by Paula who offers her doula services. Interspersed with a different person’a POV it soon becomes clear the babies are not safe.

Wow! I loved Ruth’s first book and this one was perfect! So twisty and gripping! Highly recommend. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Also known as Your Guilty Lies.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this. I was hooked from the beginning and took any opportunity to read that I could. I did not figure out the twist early on which is good because I’ve been all about the thrillers lately. Once I did think I had it figured out, I had to know if I was right. I didn’t give this book five stars because I thought the ending was abrupt.

The Woman Upstairs is another excellent stand alone psychological thriller from Ruth Heald .Katie finds herself pregnant and expecting twin girls Alice and Frances,Ian her partner seems to work away a lot and when she goes into labour Ian is in Thailand on business and so the new friend she has met Paula accompanies her to the birth and gradually Paula starts to worm her way into Katie's life moving into her new home while Ian is still away and making sure she makes herself indispensable to Katie,all the characters in the book seem to tell each other lie after lie after lie until they are all caught out as their lives start to unravel in the last 10% of the book.I really enjoyed the book which was full of twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the final few chapters.An excellent 5 star psychological thriller and i look forward to reading more from Ruth Heald.

Books often remind me to be grateful for the quiet life I am living. The Woman Upstairs definitely sent me a reminder of what I really don’t want my life to turn into!!!

The novel tackles relationships through different angles. A couple. A mother-daughter. Sisters. Strangers. STRANGER DANGER! You think it’s only for kids, don’t you? Well, us adults (or tall human beings pretending to be adults) should remember this one.

Katie’s life is changing faster than she can cope with. An unplanned pregnancy with her long-time boyfriend forces her to try and paint a new world for herself and the babies to come. As if a baby wasn’t enough, she’s blessed with two! I used to think I’d like to have twins so I wouldn’t have to go through more than one pregnancy, but I never considered the after… With her mother getting on her nerves and her relationship with her sister strained by the fact Melissa has been dying to have kids for years, Katie is lost. Even more when her boyfriend’s work sends him away, leaving her to deal with a future full of uncertainties.

No matter how many plans we make, life isn’t a house, and we are not architects. The universe is only one step away to show just how little control we have over what happens to us. And what we have control over usually gets messed up. At the end of The Woman Upstairs, it dawned on me that we often are the ones making our life more difficult than it is. Funny, coming from a control freak like me! I couldn’t help but ‘tut’ or sigh at Katie’s decisions, but in the end, we choose our path according to what’s at hand at the moment. Could I really blame her for allowing access to a lovely doula who seemed eager to help? I am all for hospital, midwives, and drugs! But I understand the appeal mothers-to-be can see in this way of doing things. Truth be told, I never trusted Paula. I tend to bark at people who take over your world within minutes, but again, it’s only because I like to be captain of my ship, and that I don’t have to face my life high on hormones! I didn’t see eye to eye with Katie but her situation got to me and I began talking to her like you do when watching movies. You know, when young Blondie hears something and goes alone in the basement only to get killed by the murderer playing around?

The Woman Upstairs is a staircase (see what I did there?) With each step, tension is added to the novel, slowly but surely taking away your sanity. One lie this way, one odd detail over here. The author makes it easy to feel something is wrong. Except many things are wrong, and in more than one way! I didn’t know where to turn, finding myself incapacitated by the seeds of doubts left by everyone in the book.

I really enjoyed the exploration of families. Katie and her babies, Katie and her sibling, Katie and her mother… I had this image of everyone of us held up by threads sewed by those who came before us, with us, around us. We are shaped by what others let us see, feel, and understand. But that’s not all there is. Growing up means sewing your own threads.

The Woman Upstairs is a tense and suspenseful tale of families hiding skeletons in the basement…

Katie is surprised when she finds out that she's pregnant...and she's even more surprised when she finds out she's having twin girls. Despite the surprise, her boyfriend, Ian, is supportive of her and is eager to start their family. They're all set to live in a huge house purchased by Ian's property developing company and, after a rough start when the house turns out to be in subpar condition, Katie is excited for the birth of her daughters. When everything starts to unravel, Katie feels lucky to have the support of her new friend and doula, Paula...or is she?

This book had some great twists. I liked that I really wasn't sure who the "bad guy" was for most of the book--is it Ian? Paula? Katie's mom and/or sister? The weird neighbor who keeps popping up at inopportune times? I also liked the flashbacks; at the beginning, I wasn't sure if they were flash-forwards or flashbacks and what character they were following. I thought it was an interesting dynamic to add to the creepy history of the house. As Katie explored the house, the flashbacks started to make more sense and the suspense escalated. Honestly, I would totally read a book that tells more about what was happening with the original family in the house.

However, my one criticism is that I really felt like I knew nothing about Katie, which is surprising considering she was the main character. Most of the other characters had a lot of depth and we learned more about their secrets as the book went on. But Katie? All that I could tell you is that she played the piano, worked as a barista, and had a strained relationship with her mother and sister for reasons that still aren't totally clear to me. I would have liked to know more about her, especially her past, so I could better understand her motivations over the course of the book. The other thing that bothered me was that Katie was so naive. One of the other characters even points this out towards the end--she tells Katie that she would believe anything, and it's really true! So many of the other characters are constantly lying to her, but Katie never really seems to question anything they're telling her--even after she's already unveiled some of their other lies. I don't know; it just felt like that level of naiveté just wasn't really believable at a certain point.

Overall, though, I thought this book had an interesting premise and a pretty well-executed plot.

A white knuckle read! The Mother’s Mistake by the same author was one of my favourite reads this year so I jumped at the chance to read this one and wasn’t disappointed. I could see where it was going and there were moments when I was screaming at Katie to wise up and spot the warning signs but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment - it added to the tension. The house with its secret basement and horrifying backstory was so well described.. Can’t wait to read more by Ruth Heald

When she finds out that she is pregnant, Katie feels apprehensive as she has not been with her partner, Ian, for long. Her fears are allayed, however, when he is thrilled about the pregnancy, even when it turns out that Katie is expecting twins. Alarm bells begin to ring, though, when the house she moves into isn’t the palace she was expecting, and Ian becomes difficult to contact. Paula, her new friend, seems like a godsend, providing her with care and support when she needs it most. With Ian and Paula at loggerheads and Katie caught in the middle not knowing who she can trust, she soon realises that someone is not being truthful. When the truth finally emerges, how will she protect her girls?

I am really happy to be on the blog tour for Ruth Heald’s latest book, The Woman Upstairs, even though I have just about got my breath back and my heart rate is beginning to return to normal! This is one of those books where there is that much happening on every page, you really don’t want to put it down! In The Woman Upstairs, practically every character in the book had a secret that they would prefer to keep hidden.

I found Katie to be an incredibly naive character and yet, at the same time, admired her courage as her world slowly imploded around her. In Ian, she feels that she has found someone who she can spend the rest of her life with, but the alarm bells were ringing right from the start. Disappearing when she is due to have her babies and leaving Katie to move into a dilapidated house when he is supposed to be a wealthy property developer, Ian was definitely not who he was claiming to be. I definitely had my suspicions, some of which were correct, but there was plenty more to be revealed about Ian and his past, much of it shocking.

If I had my suspicions about Ian, these were nothing compared to how I felt about Paula. Looking from the outside in, it was apparent that she was playing a huge game and that she was quickly getting under Katie’s skin. Acting as Katie’s doula, there was one scene, quite early in their ‘friendship’, that made me feel quite sick, and it was at this moment that I knew that Paula was not the woman she was claiming to be. As she slowly undermined Katie, driving a wedge between her and her loved ones, I could see how easy it was for the inexperienced new mother to be manipulated. At the same time, however, I yearned for Katie to just open her eyes and realise what she was allowing to happen to her!

Although there are many parts of The Woman Upstairs that can be predicted, this is a book full of so many twists and turns that just when you think you’ve got it, Ruth Heald hits you with something else to make you change your mind once again! This culminates in a shocking conclusion where Katie finally finds out the full extent of what has been happening around her.

If you are looking for a fast-paced read that will make you gasp out loud, The Woman Upstairs is the book for you!

Katie and Ian are going be parents of twins. They are not quite ready but they make all the right moves to get ready for their babies. For starters, Ian moves them into a new home. Katie knows that they are not financially ready, but Ian's job makes this possible, and so she goes along with it.

However, when Katie arrives, things are not quite right. They are not right at all, and Ian is nowhere to be found. Fortunately for Katie - at least she thinks so - she meets a woman named Paula who happens to be a doula and proves to be instrumental when Katie gives birth.

But, suddenly, Ian disappears and Katie has to have the babies on her own. She is only too glad to be able to call upon Paula for help. The problem: Ian never shows and Paula never leaves. At first this seems to be a blessing for Katie is she appears to be all alone and Paula does just about everything for her - but especially for the babies.

Ian suddenly shows up again and - simply put - all hell breaks through ... albeit in stages. One of the babies is not thriving, Ian is not what he seems and Paula is overbearing. Katie doesn't know what to do and has a very difficult time relying on her own instincts.

Sounds like a family drama, doesn't it? Yet it is listed as a psychological thriller. The reason for this is that The Woman Upstairs is a multi-layered, multi-faceted story. There are secrets, lies hints of a terrible past affecting at least one of the characters and a terrifying conclusion.

I found this book to be quite thrilling and I was very drawn to it, especially the intrigue that enveloped it. However, as a mother, I was shocked with Katie's pliant behavior. I guess this is because, even though all of my children are adults with children of their own, I remain very protective. I would have liked to see Katie take better control of her life.

I read Ms. Heald's debut novel, A Mother's Mistake, so I was quite eager to read something by her again. She does a fine job of weaving an intriguing story that kept my attention throughout. I will definitely be back for more.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This is my honest opinion.

I devoured this unputdownable novel in under a day. The author had me hooked and I was quickly invested in the lives of Katie and her twins. I was up until the early hours of the morning, unable to stop reading until I knew how things worked out for them.

This is a book full of twists and it seemed every time I caught my breath from one twist another was revealed. There was an undercurrent of danger and foreboding that had me on tenterhooks the whole time, and the unreliable characters meant I couldn’t trust anything I thought I knew.

Katie is vulnerable, isolated, and her whole world is turning upside down. The upheaval and confusion of new motherhood, sleep deprivation and an unreliable partner mean it’s hard for her to know if she’s really seeing what is happening clearly, therefore making it easy to gaslight or manipulate her. At times I liked her but her dimwittedness did begin to grate after a while. I did find it hard to accept she could be so trusting of someone she didn’t really know even though her past gave clues as to how that could happen. To me it was so obvious how unstable and shady Paula was that I wanted to scream at her for handing over her defenseless children to her. I would also feel frustrated at how she let everyone walk all over her and I was internally begging her to stand up for herself many times. She needed to find her mama bear and fight.

Paula was a great character. Though she seems kind and like she just wants to help, there is something a bit off about her from the start. She was clearly troubled and I Katie could someone like her so blindly, however desperate she is. It isn’t long before we see the extent of her calculated, controlling, manipulative and nefarious character. I feared for Katie and her children.

The story is told in dual timelines and the flashbacks to a frightened, unknown child, were heartbreaking and chilling. My ideas about who this child was changed many times over the course of the book but it was written so well that I was always second guessing myself right up until the last moment.

The Woman Upstairs is a crazy, disturbing and gripping psychological thriller. I was never sure who we could trust and completely unprepared for the shocking finale. I can’t wait to read more by this author and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Woman Upstairs’ by Ruth Heald in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Katie finds herself pregnant with twin girls and her partner Ian finds a house for them all to live in. She meets Paula who says she’s a doula and Katie employs her to help and give support during the birth as Ian’s business involves him travelling away from home. When he misses the birth of the twins Katie says she can’t trust him and asks him to leave but he’s concerned that Paula has moved in and is gradually taking over control of Katie and the babies. Katie thinks Ian and Paula are both lying to her, but who can she trust?

‘The Woman Upstairs’ is a gripping and very disturbing psychological thriller that I found made for uncomfortable reading. The chapters alternated between Katie in the present time to a time in the past where two children suffered from parental maltreatment. Although I realised the identity of these two children it wasn’t until the end that I fitted their story into Katie’s. Generally I thought the characters were shallow and unappealing and Paula’s wickedness was so overwhelming that I wanted to shake Katie for being so naïve as to give over control of her two defenceless babies to this demonic woman. Ruth Heald has given us another well-written and involving thriller but I wish the characters (with the exception of Paula, of course!) had been a bit more likeable.

Katie has just taken a pregnancy test and it’s positive. Her flatmate, Amy, sees the test package and wonders what Katie is going to do. Katie is a barista, doesn’t make much money and has no savings.

That evening Katie’s mum and her sister, Melissa, are coming for dinner. Katie is not a good cook so Amy is helping her prepare the meal. Her widowed mum is a psychiatric nurse and her sister is a successful attorney. When her boyfriend, Ian, drops in, he meets her family. Ian runs a property business. Katie is so nervous that she blurts out that she is pregnant and Ian is the father.

Six months later…

Katie is moving out of her flat. Ian has an expensive house he just inherited and she is going to live in it with him. But when she arrives, she cannot believe how run down the place is. He had inherited the place from his father who had spent recent years in a nursing home. Ian had fixed up a few rooms but the place is large and needs a lot of work.

When Katie is unable to contact Ian, she has no choice but to stay there. Across the street is a coffee shop and there Katie meets Paula who says she is a doula and would be happy to help her with her pregnancy and the birth of her babies.

When Katie goes into labor, she is unable to contact Ian who is out of the country on business. Paula is by her side all the way as she gives birth to Frances and Alice. When she gets back to the house, Paula takes over the care of the babies and puts them on a schedule bringing them to Katie to be fed. Katie doesn’t want to be ungracious to Paula for her help, but she wants to care for her babies herself.

This is an interesting story and the concept is good. It shows how gullible and pathetic Katie is. What a pushover! The characters are all flawed and makes the reader shake their head at how sad some people’s lives are. I liked the story even though I wanted to kick Katie in the butt, but that’s how the author created her and very well too. It is a compelling read that will keep the readers glued to the story to see who “the bad guy” is.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When Katie discovers she is pregnant with twins, her property developer boyfriend, Ian moves her into one of his recently acquired houses, all ready for them to become a family. When moving day comes, Katie finds the house is in a state of complete disrepair and she can’t get hold of Ian at all. When local woman, Paula befriends her, Katie accepts her help until she can get hold of him. When Ian finally arrives at the house the next day with apologies and excuses of why the house hasn’t been renovated, he gets his building team onto it straight away. With Ian away on business, Katie finds herself becoming more drawn to Paula, who is also a doula. When the twins arrive, Paula moves into Katie and Ian’s house and takes over the care of the twins, much to Ian’s suspicion. Everyone other than Katie can see that something isn’t right with Paula, but who else can Katie trust?

I loved this book. It had me on edge from very early on in the story and the tension and suspense was kept high all the way through! Katie is a really naïve character and goes along with everything that older boyfriend Ian says. She didn’t really know a lot about him, despite being with him long enough where she should know where he lives or where he works, or at least an alternative phone number other than his mobile which he never seemed to answer anyway. Surely all that would have begun to ring alarm bells, but throw into the mix her new best friend, doula Paula taking over her new-born twins and it had me shouting ‘open your eyes Katie’ more times than I care to remember!!

The whole book had a deliciously creepy edge to it! You knew that there was something going on and things weren’t quite right but you just couldn’t put your finger on what it was. The writing was gripping and it had me hooked until the very end. The story twisted and turned throughout and as secret after secret was revealed it was really difficult to work out who could be trusted!! My opinions on this changed from chapter to chapter!! This book was filled with secrets, lies and mistrust. There was a great mixture of characters, some you liked, some you didn’t, some you really felt sorry for and others who deserved their comeuppance. If you can work out what the hell was going on before the end, then you are a better person than I was!! It kept me in suspense to the very last page, and when I’d finished it, I wanted to go back and read it all again. This is my second book by this author and I will certainly be adding her to my list of authors to read more of! Highly recommended!

Katie is expecting twins with her wealthy boyfriend, Ian. He moves her I to one of his properties in a affluent area. Katie is looking forward to being a mother. She meets Paula a local doula, in a cafe across the street from where she lives. Paula offers Katie some help. Ian is often away on business trips. Soon after Katie moves into the house, strange things start happening. She soon finds out that things are not what she expected them to be.

Katie is quite a naive person. It could be the lack of sleep and the pressure of being a new mum. As the story unfolds, it quickly becomes clear that everyone has kept secrets from her. She relies heavily on her doula, Paula. The characters are well rounded and a mixed bunch. Some you will like others you will loathe. I did guess correctly some of the e dents that took place in this twist filled read. The story keeps building and gets more I tense the further you get into it. I highly recommend this fast paced domestic thriller.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Bookouture and the author Ruth Heald for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are different kinds of thrillers. On the one hand you have the ones that start slowly but where the tension builds up. On the other hand you have the ones that grab you straight away and there is no escape route. You have to sit and read until you finally know it all.

I like both ways of addressing a story. I can already reveal that this one for me, definitely belongs in the second category.

I love it that the author gives us a peek into the mind of the culprit and you keep wrecking your brain. Who is this person?

Of course you have started your own investigation but there is so much going on that you don't really know who is genuine and who is not.

Are people born with an evil streak? I guess I have to say yes to that question. Even the best care can not help them, but on the other hand adults can really mess things up gravely. :(

It was a story that left me with chills running down my spine throughout the whole book and I absolutely, utterly totally adored it. 5 stars without any doubt.



Thank you, Ruth Heald and Bookouture (via Netgalley.)

When all seems lost, pregnant-with-twins Katie thinks she has found the perfect helpmate in Paula. After the girls are born, Katie's world comes crashing down and Paula is there providing care and support for all 3 of them. But there's something not quite right in the house and soon Katie feels that she no longer has any control over her life and her little babies. NO SPOILERS.

The narrative unfolds between flashbacks and present day making the plot twists easy to anticipate. As the story in present day is told from the first person view of Katie, I couldn't help feeling that she was a total mess and quite stupid. Nothing she did made any sense and her decisions and reactions were none I could remotely relate to -- in short, I couldn't stand her. For that matter, all of the characters in this novel were unlikeable though some worse than others. I found it hard to wrap my head around Katie's behavior and, since I had already leapt to the obvious, I didn't feel any tension or suspense. It was a quick read, however, and some readers might disagree with my assessments. Perhaps I've just read way too many psychological thrillers and may just need to step away from what seems to be the same old secrets and lies where the protagonist trusts someone who is completely deranged or evil. And I can definitely say that there is no way I would have spent a single night in that house much less befriended a Paula. But maybe I'm a jaded cynic!

The title was changed from YOUR GUILTY LIES which I received as an ARC to read and review from NetGalley and Bookouture. Thank you for the opportunity.

This book was seriously creepy. It got to me right from the beginning and I had to race through it to find out was happening. It was quite obvious that two of the characters weren't who they made out to be and it was quite frustrating that Katie didn't realise this., although Paula turned out far worse than you could imagine. This book may not be for a lot of people as there's quite a lot of child abuse in it, although it is a necessary part of the story

Wow that was a real heart pounding end to a book.
Unusual to start talking about the end of the book first but as I’m not going to be able to say too much about the plot, I decided to go for it.
This is a fantastic psychological thriller that will make you want to shout aloud at Katie to make her see what’s happening.
One of the characters made my blood boil so much and I still haven’t got over what they did.
If you want a highly addictive read then this is for you as I literally couldn’t put it down.
I think it was because there were two newborn babies as part of the story that I felt so protective of them, and became so engrossed in the story.
This is a brilliantly addictive read and I loved it.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I really enjoyed this , I raced through it despite feeling totally frustrated with Katie .....

Katie discovers she is pregnant , and her boyfriend seems really happy about it . He has a property development business so he moves Katie into one of his properties . Things immediately start going wrong for her . Ian is working all the time and disappears for weeks on end . She befriends a woman from the local café who just happens to be a Doula and she offers help she manages to worm her way into Katies life . Massive alarm bells are ringing for everyone but not for Katie . The story had lots of twists , and was a great read BUT by the end of the book I wanted to shake Katie . Still a very enjoyable read .

This was an exciting read! Katie is merely existing in her humdrum life. Even in her 30s she shares a flat with a handful of others while working in a coffee shop and barely scraping by.

Then she meets a guy. The relationship is going great and Katie finds out she is pregnant with twin girls. Ian, her successful boyfriend, insists they buy a house in a posh neighborhood to raise their girls. Katie is excited about her new future, until move in day. The house is old and dilapidated. Barely habitable and Ian is out of town on business. Despite numerous calls and texts Katie is unable to reach Ian.

Katie, distraught and very pregnant, befriends a woman at the coffee shop across from the new house. Paula is a Douala and happy to help Katie since Ian is unreachable still, even as Katie goes into early labor.

Days after the twins birth Ian suddenly returns. He apologizes and things seem to settle down while Katie and Ian navigate the first few weeks of parenthood. But Ian doesn't trust Paula. There's something about her that just doesn't sit right...

This was a book full of a variety of characters, some relatable and likable, others that really got on my nerves. I will admit there were times I wanted to scream in frustration at the naiveness and low self esteem that caused Katie to make the choices she made.

But, twists and turns kept me engaged and reading. The craziness of the characters and the mystery of the house's past kept me wanting more. The ending was satisfying.

Ruth Heald's "The Woman Upstairs" is a delightfully thrilling 4 star read. This book is set to be released on Septemeber 10, 2019 here in the U.S. so preorder now!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me an e-ARC to read and give my honest review!

Happy Reading!