The ending is fantastic and brought everything together that had developed throughout this book.
At points, I found the story a little slow, however I’m glad I stuck with it as the ending more than made up for it.
The characters are all well developed and intriguing.
Overall, it’s a very enjoyable read.

You knew from the beginning that there was a big secret here, but what I enjoyed is that it wasn't one of those secrets that you think you've guessed quite early on. It was a slow burn but as it was such a good story it made it all the better when it was revealed.

Hope Close is a neighborhood with secrets. One neighbor, an older bitter busy body is so obsessed with her neighbors she neglects to realize one fact, a couple who are empty nesters and their child substitute their aging dog. A beautiful young woman who is married to a much older man, their 10 year old son and their cat Lastly, the new mysterious young, handsome man who they are all curious about much to his horror. Hope Close by Tina Seskis is good. I was so caught up in the characters, their lives and secrets I read it in one day. I just could not put it down!

I was quite excited to read this book as I have enjoyed the author's previous books. However I did not find this book as compelling as the previous ones. The plot was great and the characters were quite interesting however there were too many story lines and the pace was quite slow. Still a good book to read but not one for one sitting reads.

Where to start?! I got so invested in this story that I felt like a resident of Hope Close myself. I could not put this book down and the author kept me hanging on as to who Andy Meyer really was. Caused a lump in my throat at times and had me hooked.

This book follows the residents of Hope Close, an exclusive development where the neighbours know everything about each other.

It took me a little while to get into the narration of the chapters. Some first person, some third. I found however that the author was skilful in portraying the characters and their narratives were authentic and believable.

The story follows a new resident in the cup de sac who arrives shrouded in mystery. Events then unfold and we see the various links, relationships and mysteries the Close is hiding.

For me, it was interesting enough that I happily finished it. I just wasn’t gripped. There wasn’t enough mystery or suspense for this to be unputdownable. The characters were largely fairly unpleasant so it was hard to invest in them. I just felt like I kept waiting for something big to happen or a big twist or reveal and it never materialised.

This book is ok. It’s not awful, just a bit middle of the road.

Thank you to Netgalley for a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With chapters told from each of the characters point of view, the reader is immersed in Hope Close with its tension, antagonism, grievances, loneliness, unhappiness and secrecy. An uneasy dynamic to say the least.

Hope Close is a place which I would not want to visit in person. It gives off vibes of unfriendliness and unhappiness which makes its name a misnomer. The characters were for the most part unlikable and all had secrets of one sort or another. That being said, I did enjoy reading about this place and these characters which kept me wondering and speculating throughout the book. What was Andy hiding? What would happen when the others found out about his secrets? Would Layla ever find marital happiness? Would Nicole? And what of Joan? Was she a harridan – or someone who deserves our pity?

For the most part, this was a page-turner, though it did lag around the middle. I found myself impatient with the characters at times. The ending was satisfying though ever so slightly anticlimactic.

This is the first title I’ve read by this author, but would definitely read more of her work when the chance presents itself. Recommended to those who enjoy an atmospheric domestic thriller.

3.5 stars rounded UP for NetGalley, Amazon and Goodreads

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was not aware of the storyline of this book before starting to read but was intrigued following reading one of Tina Seskis' other books, The Honeymoon and loving it.

This is a surbaban drama of a small cup-de-sac not far from London. Only 4 houses occupy the plot. We meet Andy as he moves into the close and discover very quickly that there is more to his history than he wants known publicly. There's the standard neighbourhood busybody, Joan and Layla's family and Nicole and her husband.

Considering there are not that many characters, it did take time to feel invested in any of them. There didn't seem enough differences between Layla and Nicole. Both have got their issues and neither of them seemed particular strong.

There's a strong resemblance between this book and Those People by Louise Candlish but I think Those People just has the edge on this storyline. As readers, we have a sense of impending doom but not really strong enough to keep me engaged.

The ending of the book does tie answers up as expected and is definitely the better part of the book.

I enjoyed bits of this book but found some of it to drag along too much. There were some clever storylines but they didn’t always blend together in the way I think the author was aiming for.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Hope Close by Tina Seskis.

Hope Close is a cozy English suburb, quiet and beautiful. But as most neighborhoods, this one is not without it's secrets and long standing feuds. But what really shakes up the community is when a mysterious new neighbor, a single man moved in. He is stand offish and an odd fit for this family community.

But feuds and tensions come to a head one fateful Christmas party. After a scorned neighbor marches over there, outraged for not being invited, she drops a verbal bomb on the whole community.

I did enjoy this one. I love a quirky cast of characters, and I especially love reading about casual interactions because they are so much of what makes up normal life. I was disappointed in the ending. It just didn't have that satisfying click that you would hope for after so much escalation.

Hope Close, by Tina Seskis, is more of a domestic suspense novel versus thriller. The story unfolds in Hope Close, a neighborhood near Surrey, England. The book follows the lives of 4 different neighbors, each with secrets of their own: Nicole, Layla, Joan and Andy. Andy, the new mysterious neighbor, has drawn everyone's attention as he has constructed large gates on his property that shield the view. What is he hiding?

Told from multiple viewpoints-and through more narrative than conversation-the story picks up in the second half of the novel. Without any spoilers, I did not expect one of the revelations that was the catalyst driving Andy to Hope Close.

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Hope Close was another addictively clever domestic drama from Tina Seskis, featuring an engaging group dynamic of characters all living on the same close, all hiding secrets behind closed doors, whose steady lives are disrupted by a new arrival.

This author is truly excellent at bringing people to life on the page, absorbing the reader into their lives and keeping you on your toes as to their actions and consequences. 

Hope Close flows in pace and is intriguing throughout, a people puzzle and an absolute delight to read.

Recommended.

Quite a fun read, it was quite engrossing in most parts.

The story was told in four POVs in a setting of a cul de sac with 4 homes, The Hope Close. A man who kept himself hidden and 3 women with their own stories. I felt like a voyeur while reading the story. And each one had a tale to tell and a secret to hide.

My first book by this author, I liked the way the story flowed. The characters were unlikable, but the writing kept the suspense taut in its prose. It felt atmospheric, a sense of impending danger enveloped me. That kept me well cocooned, I got the feel of the television series The Desperate Housewives to some extent

Emotions of loneliness and sorrow were interspersed with secrets and twists. That made it an engrossing read.

I really enjoyed this book. Domestic with a bit of mystery it kept my attention but not my favourite book by this author.

Ah the neighbors - there always seems to be stories about getting along with the neighbors, or knowing the neighbor’s secrets or finding out your neighbor is a serial killer. These type of stories seem to be all the rage lately. Hope Close is a mediocre telling of such a story. It’s not that I hated reading this book, it’s more that I found it quite predictable. I didn’t really like any of the characters in the book and the ending seemed too contrived.

Hope Close, set in the UK, follows a small cul-de-sac through a stressful few months as secrets, accusations, and tensions come to a head. Layla, Joan, Nicole, and their families, maintain an uneasy truce that seems to be shattered when a mysterious and seemingly unfriendly single man moves into the vacant house on their street.

I enjoyed reading this book, and thought the characters were interesting enough to maintain my attention. I really like this genre, and I feel that this work is a decent example of it. Living in close enough proximity to others such that we feel under a microscope is something that most people can relate to, and therefore is a good topic to write about. At times I thought the pacing was a little slow, and that there was another 10% of the characters' lives that wasn't explored. I wish the book pushed the envelope a little more at times, as the 'reveals' aren't too shocking and I think there was room for more. Overall, I think this was a strong novel from Seskis, and I would consider reading other novels by the author as well.

Note: I received a free ebook copy of Hope Close from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hope Close by Tina Seskis
I enjoyed this book, a good level of tension and good plot. There are a good few characters to keep track of but easy enough to remember who is who.
This book kept me guessing right to the end, and was enjoyable.

Enter the world of Hope Close, a small neighborhood of four houses in the bucolic English countryside. The residents are three very different couples linked together only by their unhappy marriages. Into this gloomy world comes Andy Meyer, who buys the only vacant house and may or not be a murderer. He is, however, deeply disturbed.

It’s hard to find a likable character in Hope Close. There’s Layla, beautiful third wife to Charles and mother to small Henry who is sent off to boarding school as the novel begins. That sad act is observed by watchful neighbors. Joan is perhaps the nosiest of the neighbors, a frequent complainer and a true busybody. She and her husband Lionel have lived in Hope Close the longest. Nicole and Ted are the third couple, empty nesters who have little in common now that their children have moved out. The addition of Andy Meyer adds a new focus to the residents’ lives until a disastrous party reveals most of what has been hidden for a long time.

Hope Close reads like a play. There is only one main location, Hope Close, with scenes set in each of the four houses. I think it would easily adapt to the stage and I would love to see that. Although the novel is deliberately slow paced, you will lose yourself in this perfectly described insular little world. I did. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Tina Seskis for this ARC.

Hope Close by Tina Seskis was a fabulous read that had me totally gripped from the start. With a fantastic plot-line and brilliant characters, this was a superb and compelling psychological tale that held me captive throughout.

Set in a cul-de-sac in Surrey, in the heart of the English countryside, the story centres around the small community within. Three women, in particular live there - Layla, Joan and Nicole along with their respective husbands. There is also Andy who is a bit of an oddball that mostly keeps to himself.

What really made this a top-notch read was the depth of characterisation by Tina Seskis. Though the cast were mostly unlikable, it made for an underlying sinister undertone and chilling atmosphere, present for the entirety of the plot.

This amazing twisty tale of family, loneliness, pain and secrets, and how the past generally catches up with you, by new-to-me author Tina Seskis should certainly not be missed. A magnificent read and well worth five stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

“Quiet street. Perfect homes. Not so perfect lives”.
Andy Meyer moves into Hope Close a quiet, tranquil and leafy backwater in the English countryside full of picture perfect homes. However he soon discovers that behind those homes doors are hidden not so perfect lives. Andy is just out of rehab and is not feeling very sociable and so not wanting to meet his neighbours he sets about installing large gates to keep prying eyes out. Andy’s neighbour Layla lives in the grandest house in the close and to those looking in leads a wonderful life, however Layla is unhappy, married to a much older man and missing her son who her husband has sent away to boarding school. Layla forms a bond with fellow Hope Close resident Nicole who is also lonely and dealing with her own heartache. Meanwhile the busy body of the close, Joan thinks there is something dangerous about their new neighbour Andy, but no one is willing to listen to her suspicions. The past catches up with all the residents of Hope Close and it seems Andy is not the only one with a past and something to hide.
This is a wonderfully written novel which brings together a mix of great characters and the author weaves a story around them all. Her descriptions of Hope Close are so detailed that I could picture myself there amongst the residents. I liked how each chapter was given over to one character and written from their point of view. This is a domestic based psychological thriller full of suspense and drama. I was hooked from page one and the storyline had me hooked until the final page. A great read and offered total escapism as I was fully immersed in Tina Seskis’s world of Hope Close. Definitely recommend this fantastic thriller.