I enjoyed the story itself, and I definitely didn't see the twist coming, however I found it dragged a bit in the middle. It was definitely worth sticking with. I wasn't too sure about the basin character, Freya, as she seemed very obsessed and opinionated and sure if herself, without really having any credible reason. It certainly redeemed itself and I would definitely read another by this author

Freya has a new home. It is a fixer-upper and Freya and her fiancee plan to do just that. The grounds are a mess and all the rooms need paint and renovation. Freya is a freelance journalist. She does documentary films and one of her favorite subjects is women. Shortly after she and her fiancee move in they meet Emily, the beautiful neighbor next door, and her husband. She becomes a friend, along with an elderly neighbor whose property also adjoins Freya's and Emily's. A disappearance happens and Freya's active imagination, nosiness, and suspicions about everyone go into overdrive. Emily's husband does really look guilty and what about her own fiancee?. Is he harboring secrets too? It seems the only one she can trust is the person that is counseling her about her own issues as well as giving her much-needed attention for free.
#TheNewHome is an interesting novel with a surprising plot. It takes a while to get to know everyone in the book but once the reader does it becomes an enthralling mystery. As a reader, I didn't like Freya very much so I had a real problem getting into the novel, however by the last twenty-five percent I was anxious to see what was going on. It does have a surprising ending and is well worth the read. Thanks to #TheNewHome#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I have read a few of the authors books before and couldn’t wait to read this one.

This is a read with so many twists throughout I couldn’t keep up at times. I went from thinking I knew what was going on to realising I didn’t. The story kept me gripped all the way to the end.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Heartfelt gratitude to the good folks at Bookouture for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Ever daydreamed of the perfect home for you and your family? I have but New Home will make you suscipious of your neighbors because #behindcloseddoors. The New Home follows Freya who has just fallen for her new home in an affluent suburb. Like every woman she makes friends with her neighbor Emily . Now she can enjoy wine dates and hot gossip right !? Everything changes when Emily and her daughter dissapears. Did the husband do it? I don't want to spoil it but read it when it comes out if you enjoy a domestic thriller

This book will grasp your attention quickly and will keep it to the end. The author created a very troubled main character which added a lot of suspense to the book. There are lots of twists throughout the book and you will kept wondering just what is going on. I really liked that the author tied up all of the various subplots so you aren’t left wondering.

Thank you to Bookoutre and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Interesting concept however long winded and it seemed to take awhile gor the story to develop. The main character lacked depth, and I found the whole story lacking overall.

I enjoyed the fact that chapters were short which made the reading experience more enjoyable. I didn't like any of the characters, and Freya was a total pain in the neck. The twists in the story were quite good, even though some of it was predictable. I found it too descriptive. For me, there was something missing. That said, I was glued to it! I would read more from this author.

Bloody hell! What a story! The New Home is one of those clever stories where you think you’ve got it figured out...only to have the rug pulled from under your feet!

Freya is probably the most interesting character I’ve met this year! I wish the other characters were more supportive of her since that was the hardest part of the story to believe. The twist in The New Home will leave you reeling and second guessing everything.

A strong 4/5.

Jack and Freya are engaged and move across London to Surrey to be nearer to Jack’s new job as a cardiologist. They buy a ‘doer-upper’ and start to make great plans for developing their new home.

Meanwhile, they make friends with the couple next-door or, rather, Freya makes friends with Emily, as Emily’s husband Michael isn’t a very sociable person. Freya also makes friends with the older lady, Cathy, who lives in the house on the other side of them.

One day, Emily and her little girl, Thea, go missing. The police don’t seem to be doing much so Emily takes it upon herself to find them and takes some enormous risks in her search.

This is one of those clever stories where you suspect each character and really can’t work out which one is the perpetrator. I really enjoyed it and struggled to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Jack and Freya buy a new house near to Nick’s new job. The house needs a lot of work, but they can see it’s potential, so they are both excited and raring to go. They are welcomed to the area by Emily, the next door neighbour, along with her small daughter, Thea. Michael, Emily’s husband, seems less keen to socialise with the new couple. The neighbour on the other side is Cathy, an elderly lady who gets a little confused and whose mind tends to wonder.

When Emily and Thea go missing, Freya decides it’s her role to find them as no one else seems interested. This is when secrets and lies start to unfold , and, along with Freya’s paranoia the story finally gets going!

I haven’t read this author before and enjoyed this book. At times the story was a little predictable and slow, with too much narrative from Freya’s point of view, but there are plenty of little twists and turns to keep the reader interested.

Thank you NetGalley.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC. I thought the story was really interesting and I loved what the truth was. I didn't like the first person narrative though. So much of the book was about what Freya thought and she was a little unhinged in my opinion. She made terrible decisions and took unbelievable chances. As I said, the story was great, and so even though i didn't like any of the characters this was a three star book for me. - I enjoyed it but didn't love it. I look forward to reading more of Chris Merritt's books!

Freya, a freelance documentary filmmaker, and her fiancé, Jack, a cardiologist, have just moved to #12 Sunningdale Road in the London suburb of Weybridge. It’s not a dream home, by any stretch; it’s a dilapidated middle terrace house. Michael, a coder, and his wife, Emily, and their daughter, Thea, live in #13 and Cathy, a widowed elderly lady lives in #11.

A few days after a dinner party at #13, Emily and Thea go missing. When Freya thinks that the investigation isn’t being handled with the attention it deserves, she starts her own investigative work, bypassing the nonchalant police force. The remainder of book is dedicated to Freya’s quest to find out what happened to them after their mysterious disappearance. When clues point to someone on Sunningdale Road, everyone becomes a suspect.

Spanning seven months from March through October, readers get a glimpse into this Weybridge neighbourhood where all is not as it seems. Filled with spine tingling suspense, characters readers will care about, and more than enough red herrings, this psychological thriller was a nail-biting read. I was initially intrigued about a male author choosing to write from a female perspective. With the exception of surprise candor in broaching miscarriage, I was impressed. His choice to intersperse the plot with mystery entries was superb. Written so as not to give away the identity, the entries added to the mystery and depth of the plot. The author has chosen to highlight several important real-world topics which underpin his plot – partner violence, coercive control/gaslighting, trauma of miscarriage and experiences of paranoia/delusional beliefs. He feels that a greater public awareness is needed to create positive change and help alleviate suffering; therefore, this would make a great buddy read or incite meaningful discussions as a book club choice.

Chris Merritt, a British author, foreign diplomat and clinical psychologist, has masterfully combined an intense psychological thriller, with crescendoing suspense and engaging characters to produce a read worthy of adding to your TBR list.

Publishes September 7, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Chris Merritt, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

When Freya and her husband Jack move into their new home, a fixer-upper on a quiet suburban street in London, it feels like it's the start of the newest chapter in their lives together. But just weeks after they've moved in, their quiet street is rocked when beautiful neighbour Emily and her small daughter Thea are reported missing.

Determined to get to the bottom of things and find her new friend, Freya begins digging. But what she will uncover might be closer to home than she guessed...

I liked the way the novel was interspersed with short sections written by a mystery person with their own agenda (and credit to the author, I didn't guess the mystery character correctly). I also liked that there were a couple of unexpected twists here - Freya's own background, for example. What pained me a bit was all the red herrings - it felt like too way too many, and a lot of them just felt like they'd been added for the sake of it, and didn't really advance the story.

It was a decent storyline with some unexpected twists, but something about this one fell a little flat for me. Would like to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who granted me a free ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review
Publish date September 7, 2021
Mystery/Thriller
Freya and Jack move into a new home and befriend neighbors Emily and Michael. Freya and Emily formed a friendship, but when Emily and her young daughter, Thea go missing, Freya takes on the responsibility of trying to figure out what happened to them. Freya is definitely an unreliable narrator and I was annoyed with her for most the book. But wasn't sure who could be trusted. There were some sneaky twists and some side storylines thrown in to keep the reader guessing. I enjoyed the book but wasn't in love with it. The first half was a bit slow to get through, the second half picked up and I found myself wanting to finish to figure out how it all ends... and boy was I surprised. This is my first book by Chris Merritt and I am interested in reading more by him.

Thank you netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced readers copy.

BOOK REVIEW:
The New Home by: Chris Merritt
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Publish Date: September 07, 2021
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Synopsis: Freya loves her new home on a quiet suburban street. And her beautiful neighbour Emily is everything she’s ever wanted in a best friend. Finally, she has somebody to share her secrets with over a glass of wine. But as Freya watches her new friend setting the table for dinner one evening, she sees something shocking that makes her think that Emily’s life might not be as perfect as it seems. Days later, Emily and her daughter vanish…
When you meet Emily’s husband, you will think you know what he’s hiding.
You will ask yourself whether Emily and Freya really did meet by chance.
You will think you know what happened to Emily and her little girl the night they went missing.
But when you discover the truth, it will shake you to your core and you will lie awake at night wondering if you can ever really trust the people in the house next door…
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Review: I could not put this one down. Each chapter kept me wanting more. Wanting to discover the lies, the secrets, the motivates. The ending of this one for sure got me off guard. Even though I feel like the ending was a little drug out and a few of the loose ends were not tied up, I definitely did not see that coming. I had the wrong culprit, so I always enjoy books where you can’t guess the ending. No matter how good you think you are with picking up the clues. This was my first book by Chris Merritt and I would definitely read more from him. I enjoyed his style of writing and all around this was just a good read. Big thank you to the author, NetGalley, & Bookouture for the advanced copy of this book.
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Recommend: Yes, absolutely. Be sure to check this one out on Sept. 7!

An intriguing story about a couple moving to a new home. The woman and her daughter next door disappears, leaving the husband behind. The new neighbour is sure the husband did it, and she is willing to do pretty much anything to prove it. There are many secrets going around, There are many psychological triggers in the book, and it is impossible to now whom to trust. It really messes up your mind, and you just have to know how this book ends.

Well-written, with a strong voice, filled with the suspense a book like this needs. I'm not sure all the questions I had were answered at the end of the book, but still an enjoyable read I can recommend to others.

You move to a new house and you bond straight away with the woman of the couple next door. One day she vanishes. Would you let the police handle it or you would start your own investigation? 

Two guesses which option Freya, the main character, picks. Someone has to when the police does not deliver, right?

In this story you constantly wonder who is sane and who is crazy, who is telling the truth and who is hiding it, who to trust and who to fear.

I enjoyed the format of the story. On the one hand we follow Freya and all the emotions she goes through, how she is thrown from left to right and back again. On the other  we are allowed to dive into the culprit’s twisted mind which keeps you guessing for a very long time in whose head we are digging.

This is a very enjoyable story with a happy ending for everyone. Well, except for the culprit, of course. I admire Freya and her determination. Even tough she is battling anxiety, she delivers and keeps her cool when it matters. 5 stars

Thank you

When Freya and Jack move into their new home they make friends with the couple next door, Michael and Emily. But when Emily and her daughter go missing, Freya finds herself trapped in the mystery, desperately trying to find them.

This is a twisting, turning sort of book but I didn’t feel like it ever explored each element fully meaning it didn’t quite gel. It flits between events happening at break neck speed to long lulls where nothing much is going on. I didn’t really warm to any of the characters and some of the relationships felt quite forced. I guessed some of the twists and I really disliked the ending- it didn’t ring true at all.

The story itself is enjoyable enough, but it didn’t have enough redeeming features for me to give more than 3 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

This really dragged. I felt a lot more action could’ve taken place. I didn’t feel the suspense. I knew who John Smith was immediately. I also knew Emily’s husband hadn’t killed her, because she did take off. That was obvious.

And Freya’s actions were just boring and monotonous. Her past mental history did nothing to add suspense sadly. I didn’t second guess her actions because we had the monologue of the “stalker” taking place. So her background added nothing to the story.

Then there was Cathy…for a bit I thought perhaps she was involved in some of this. But disappointingly, she was just an elderly lady with cognitive issues.

Freya’s fiancé was a total jerk. And none of his actions were redeemable in the end.

I was pretty disappointed overall.

When documentary filmmaker Freya and her husband Jack move to a new town, she becomes close to one of her new neighbors. When this new friend and her young daughter vanish, no one seems worried enough to Freya. The police, the husband, and even her own husband seem to not take the disappearance seriously. As she begins to investigate for herself, she becomes the target of internet threats from someone who seems to know her, and she isn't sure who she can trust.
The twisty, with a surprise ending that I didn't see coming. I will recommend to fans of Paula Hawkins and Ruth Ware.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital review copy in exchange for review.