Well written, well developed character and a great story line. This was full of twists and turns and suspense. I found the main character a little much and the actions went beyond believable, but the story itself was so well done it didn’t give me to much pause. I loved the ending.

The New Home is an exciting, thrilling ride through one woman's imagination. As the engaged couple renovate and explore their new home, there are quirky neighbors and potentially dangerous ones too! A disappearance propels the story forward with many twists and turns and you won't know who to trust until the very end!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Thank you so much @netgalley and @bookouture for the gifted digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

𝗧𝗪: miscarriage, people gone missing, dog death, domestic abuse, stalking, violence, murder, anxiety

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:

What a gripping and suspenseful book! I couldn’t put this down and I finished it in two sittings!

I loved that this was the type of book where every character becomes a suspect and no matter how much I tried to guess what happened, there were many twists that left me jaw-dropping.

The ending was satisfying and it offered answers to many questions I had which was great.

I loved how well some mental health topics were portrayed in the characters' personalities because this can be educational for people who might struggle with similar things.

Another important and educational subject in this book was domestic abuse, focusing mainly on the issue that every day hundreds of women are killed by their boyfriend/husband or an ex. It's a very sensitive topic for sure and I know it's not easy talking about it, but I think ignoring it can't improve the situation at all. I appreciated the fact that this story and the author’s notes at the end can be a great source of encouragement for abused women to stand up for themselves, speak up and have the courage to start over before it's too late

Loved this book!!!!

Thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This psychological thriller was a quick read, and the creepy atmosphere came across well, with all kinds of red herrings and not knowing whose word to trust. However, it did drag on a bit, and I could see the major twist coming quite far ahead of time. So, engrossing up to a point, but the final "oomph" was missing for me.

I have read and enjoyed everything Chris Merritt has written but this book was average at best for me. The plot had loads of potential as a woman and her young daughter disappear from right next door to the lead character. Who is responsible and what has happened ? But the story just seemed to spin it's wheels too much in the 2nd half of the book and the conclusion was unsatisfying. Merritt is a very talented author but this was not his best work. I do look forward to his next one. Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the first chapter I was pulled in to this book like a lover’s embrace. The description of the house made it feel like it was sentient rather than a hovel full of cracks and mould, and Freya’s narrative explanation of visual thinking suddenly made perfect sense.

Narrated mostly by Freya, we are also privy to the inclusion of thoughts from an unknown narrator,we spend the first four months following her progress on getting to know her neighbours. Crazy cat lady Cathy to Emily, Michael and their daughter Thea. Cathy issues a warning about their other neighbours and adding that to her fiancé Jack’s strange expression on meeting Emily, Freya is adamant things are not adding up. Then the police arrive at Freya’s door as Emily and Thea have gone missing…..

Unreliability is the main factor here and as a reader it leads you to question if you can believe what you are being told. From Cathy possibly having dementia to Freya’s questionable mental health and her increasing paranoia.

While this isn’t an original concept or anything startlingly new in the genre, what makes it stand out is the writing. It’s so effortlessly readable and gives you just the right amount of cliffhanging hooks and wrong turns that you need to keep going. Like looking at their house for the first time and seeing the potential for all it can be.

One of the most important aspects of a good thriller to me is a twist ending that I didn't see coming, and although this book certainly delivered a shocking twist, the ending came almost a little TOO out of left field for me. I like to be able to go back through scenes in my mind and see all the little clues that I missed, but I felt like those clues were lacking. I also could not stand any of the characters in this book--the protagonist especially is incredibly irritating, which makes it difficult to get through the chapters when she is the narrator. Overall, I like when a thriller keeps me guessing until the very end and makes me question myself, and this one did just that.

Freya is determined to find out what happened to her new neighbors. Emily and her young daughter vanished into thin air. She won't stop looking until she finds them.

This psychological thriller is filled with tension and good twists. The story unfolds primarily through Freya's POV; the reader must determine whether she is a reliable narrator. While Freya is intended to be a sympathetic character, I found her to be a bit of an irritating busybody. I would have preferred a little less of Freya. However, the other POV, an anonymous person, intrigued me. I kept trying to guess the identity of the unknown person sharing such creepy and dark thoughts. This whodunit has no shortage of suspects, and amateur detective Freya never wavers in her determination to find out what happened to her neighbors.

The New Home is an intriguing, quick read that will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my digital copy. This review contains my honest opinion.

The tagline is right on the money with this book, once you start you won’t want to stop reading it! Alas, I had to but I was thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading it! I will admit, being a superfan of Chris’ I wasn’t sure how it was going to be reading a new book that didn’t include Zac or Dan in….well boy was this a treat!!

Something has shifted with Chris’ writing, to me there was a whole new feel to his writing. It was smoother and more gripping than I have ever known it and I have loved all his previous works. I will admit though this does give Zac and the gang a good run for its money because this book is most definitely going to be seen in my top books for the year.

It has everything I want in a book to keep me hooked, drawn and reading. I was intrigued by Freya and her mission to find her missing friend. We are thrown so many red herrings, twists and turns I really did not know what to think! One or two things have niggled and I will be asking these questions for sure, however, I absolutely LOVED this book! I didn’t want it to end. I was shaking my head at Freya’s actions one minute and then the next I was all tensed up as I was nervous because of her actions. She was pretty reckless that is for sure, and it leads to some pretty severe consequences. I just never knew what she would get up to next! She is 100% unreliable, but the problem you have, is you start believing her and nodding your head right along with her as she reasons with you. Then the next page, when you take your mind back, you are shaking your head because you know she must be wrong, it was a vicious circle!

The chapters from the unknown voice had me second-guessing every step of the way to whom it could be! I was stumped I did not see it coming and what a shock it was!

This book is so different to what I am used to from Chris and I would say this is one heck of a book! You can feel the confidence in his writing as he changes his style. This is knee-deep in mental health, uncertainty, unreliable narrators and a far cry from the gritty, police procedurals I am used to. All I can say is, I want more of these too!! Don’t get me wrong I miss Zac and want more books with him but I am now itching to read another book like this from Chris. It has ticked all the boxes for me and now I don’t know what to read next because this book is still lingering on my mind!

The New Home was a real page turner that I could not put down. I loved the characters, they were all interesting and well written. I devoured it in one sitting and would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

(rounded up from 3.5)
I've read a couple of Chris Merritt's crime thrillers before, so when I heard he had a psychological thriller coming out, I was interested to see what he'd come up with.

I always know that whenever I read a Chris Merritt novel, his protagonist is going to go on a hell of a bumpy ride and Freya is no different.

Freya thinks she's found the perfect home to live in with her fiance Jack. It's a fixer upper but with time on her hands she thinks they can make it work, especially as her career as a documentary filmmaker has stalled. She makes friends with her new glamorous neighbour, Emily, who seems to have the perfect life. Things turn sour after Emily and daughter Thea disappear. Thinking the police are doing nothing, she looks into their disappearance, quickly becoming obsessed. The more she digs, her life spirals out of control and she can no longer be sure who to trust.

The story is told mostly from Freya's POV, which means we get inside her head and see her thoughts up close and personal. There's also an unknown narrator whose perspective was a bit creepy and unsettling.

Freya's emotions are put across in such a realistic manner that it sometimes was a little hard to read. I'll be honest, I had to put the novel down a couple of times because I felt like her paranoia was rubbing off on me a little!

The New Home is a realistic thriller peppered with raw emotions, compelling character and sinister moments.

I’ve loved Chris Merritts previous books so I had high hopes for his new novel It gripped from the first page and I thought to myself this is going to be another good one but the more I read about Freya the main character, she really started to annoy me and although the premise of the book is good it got quite implausible in parts which just niggled me. So I’m on the fence with this as it is a good story with some good twists but at the same time I wish it was edited a bit more to tidy it up a bit.

The day Freya and Jack move in to their new fixer upper home, their neighbor Emily greets them with a bottle of champagne. They meet her adorable daughter Thea and her somewhat unpleasant husband Michael. Freya and Emily become fast friends for five months. Then Emily and Thea disappear.

Freya is frantic. She doesn’t think that the police are following all leads so she creates a website and spends most of her time working on it. Of course, she is convinced that Michael is responsible. Freya’s concern slowly drifts into obsession. The police and Jack think she needs psychiatric help. Could they be right? Or is Freya?

Freya is a totally unreliable narrator for many reasons. But is that true? You’ll have to work that out for yourself as you read this tense, suspenseful mystery. It’s well written, character driven and hard to put down. 5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley, Bookouture and Chris Merritt for this ARC.

WoW......The New Home by Chris Merritt was a good read and I was hooked within the first few pages. I loved it. I found this book had lots of twists and turns throughout that just keeps you guessing till the end! which made it an enjoyable read.

Freya and Jack move into a new home in the quiet street of Sunnydale Road. Their new home needs a lot of renovating for it to become perfect for them to live in, but they are so excited to start a fresh and especially a new job for Jack at the local hospital. Hoping they will have nice neighbours on both sides, they finally meet them .On one side they have Emily, Michael and their daughter Thea and on the other they have a lovely old lady. Freya starts to have a great friendship with all of them especially Emily and Then, four months later, Emily and her daughter, Thea, disappear. No one including the Police and Emily's Husband Michael seems to be searching for them. Freys is determined to find them and puts a missing person's page on social media hoping someone knows something or has seen something. Freya hoping to find them both, she puts herself in danger by taking risks!
The public start to write on the Social Media page but are they telling the truth?

Have they seen them?

Are they dead and Emily's husband has killed them and buried them somewhere?

Or is it someone who was very close to them has kidnapped them?

Freya's relationship with Jack starts to become estranged but Freya is even more determined to find out what happened to them and hoping that her and Jack can get close again.

I recommend this book especially as it left me guessing right till the end on what happened to Freya and Thea.

Big Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Chris Merritt for my ARC of The New Home in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read from Chris Merritt.
Freya and Jack have just moved in to their new home and they both realise there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.
Their neighbour Emily comes round to welcome them but Freya is suspicious of Jack’s reaction to her. He says he’s never met her before, but should Freya believe him?
A few weeks later the Police come to speak to Freya. They’re asking everyone questions about Emily and her daughter Thea, as they have disappeared.
Freya is very worried, especially as she didn’t like the way Emily’s husband behaved when they met.
Freya starts her own investigation into the disappearance but soon gets in over her head.
Jack is not very supportive of her activities and Emily’s husband seems to be acting more and more suspiciously.
This is a great mystery thriller that will certainly keep you guessing.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The New Home by Chris Merritt is a new psychological thriller, with twists and turns and it will keep you guessing. The main character, Freya, has recently moved into a new house next to Emily, Michael, and their daughter, Thea. Freya is looking forward to making some new friends. Before, she really has a chance, Emily and Thea go missing. Freya believes that Michael (Emily’s husband) and the police are not looking enough for Emily and Thea. Freya begins to also undertake a search for her missing friend and daughter. She will gain more knowledge than what she bargained for. This story had the noteworthy characteristics of a good psychological thriller: twists and turns, suspicion of all the characters, and the end that you didn’t see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Quite a fast read, as if the pages turned on its own. Cleverly plotted, the story hoodwinked me as the writing kept me in the shadows in most of the book. Having read author Chris Merritt’s police procedural, I was quite excited to get my hands on this book.

Freya and partner Jack had made their new home in a London suburb. A quiet place quite different from hubbub of London, she was quite excited when she got to meet her next door neighbor Emily. But something needled her and things didn’t move on as smoothly as she had hoped. And a few months later, Emily and her daughter disappeared. Freya took it upon herself to look for them.

Freya was strong yet bullheaded (read it as irritating in some sections), I neither connected nor disliked her. I watched her with consuming curiosity to know the truth behind the disappearance so egged her on. There were many twists as the supporting characters had their own secrets.

With dual POV of Freya and an unknown, I couldn’t begin to guess what the author was hiding. A sharper prose could have given the thriller an edge. Detailed storytelling with a slightly slower pace to begin with, the ending was explosive at the very least. Overall, good mystery which dealt with a few social issues sensitively.

A brilliant page turner that is a fun easy read. Really enjoyed this book. Was easily read with short and sweet chapters.

Great characters who made me laugh and want to read on.

Read quickly and must admit kept me up to finish. Love the fast paced story.

Highly recommended 5 stars from me

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Chris Merritt's first standalone thriller THE NEW HOME.

I've not read Chris Merritt before and I have to say that THE NEW HOME was a great introduction if this first standalone thriller by the author is anything to go by. It is well-written and quite addictive once it gets going as the twisted story slowly unfolds and you don't know who to trust.

Freelance documentary filmmaker Freya and her cardiologist fiance Jack has just bought and moved into a fixer-upper in Weybridge on the outskirts of London. Almost immediately Freya befriends neighbour Emily Crawford and her daughter Thea even if her husband is a standoffish barrel of laughs. Over the course of the ensuing months, Freya and Emily enjoy an easy friendship in each other's company...until one day in July the police come knocking on their door.

Emily and her daughter are missing.

Almost at once Freya begins to suspect Emily's husband Michael who doesn't appear to be too distraught over his wife and child's disappearance. He welcomes no help, he is abrupt to the point of rudeness and Freya is sure he hiding something. Not only that, whenever Freya tries voicing her concerns with the detective in charge of the case, Paul Henderson, her pleas appear to fall on deaf ears. After the initial questioning by police at the outset, no one seems to be looking for Emily and Thea at all!

No one, except Freya.

And so she sets up a page on social media to garner the assistance of the public to help find her missing friend and daughter. Because right now, Freya appears to be the only hope Emily has. No one else appears to be at all concerned. When she received a post from a woman claiming to be Michael's ex, Alice, outlining his abuse of her and that Emily is better off without him, Freya feels she is validated in her suspicions of her secretive neighbour. Which then lead her to searching his loft which adjoins theirs as well as his shed at the bottom of the garden. Then it isn't long before she begins receiving threatening messages to leave well enough alone or she'll be next. Is she getting too close to the truth and now he wants to ensure her silence?

Just when she thinks she knows what has happened to Emily, Freya's world is turned upside down as her vivid imagination, as well as Jack, appear to betray her and she no longer knows who she can trust. But despite this, Freya knows she cannot rest until she finds the truth about what happened to Emily and Thea.

THE NEW HOME is certainly a twisty addictive thrill ride of a domestic thriller that will have you questioning the reliability of everyone in the story. Freya, especially, was an unreliable narrator that it was hard to trust her judgement let alone anyone else's. As the reader, you will go through a multitude of scenarios, even the most outlandish ones, before reaching the final conclusion which will leave you thinking..."what the hell just happened?"

Filled with spine-tingling suspense, THE NEW HOME gives us characters who are not all that they seem. There are twists and red herrings to keep readers on their toes with this nail-biting read. The plot is tense and tightly written filled with cryptic clues that will befuddle the cleverest and most observant reader. I truly didn't know what was going on but I sure had fun trying to figure it out! And figure it out I did just before it was revealed.

The story unfolds through Freya's first person narrative which is clever in such a way that we are getting her perspective which is not always reliable...and so we begin to question just how much truth is there to her narrative? We are also given a glimpse into an unnamed person's delusional narrative as we try to weave the two together to see the bigger picture.

THE NEW HOME is certainly an addictive and enjoyable read and perfect for fans of domestic thrillers with a psychological twist.

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

The quirky character of Freya hooked me from the outset and the immediate creepiness is told from the start when Freya and her boyfriend Jack move into their dream home, albeit, they are more than aware that it will involve putting a lot of hard work into in order to make it as beautiful a home as their neighbours Emily and Michael.

Freya and Emily begin a friendship days after they move in however something does not sit right and Freya can’t stop thinking about that first time she met them and the way that Jack had reacted to meeting Emily. There was something definitely not right.

But then when Emily and her daughter Thea go missing and the lead detective Henderson does not appear to be treating their disappearance terribly seriously, Freya steps in and decides to open a Facebook group to try and find her friend.

I’ve got to say, this is one of the tensest books I’ve read in a long while. The suspense carries along wonderfully with that kind of knotted anticipation of the fear of what Freya will discover especially when she believes that Emily and Thea have been murdered by her husband.

The threat to Freya becomes more real when she receives threatening messages through the Facebook group from someone who clearly knows that she is the person behind it. The fact that Freya is seeing a counsellor and depending more and more on him. Freya soon realises that something has shifted and instead of discussing her miscarriage, the reason that took her to getting a counsellor in the first place, she focuses on the disappearance of Emily and Thea, blurring the lines between reality and her mental health which is portrayed wonderfully.

The suspense throughout is excellent and it’s beautifully written with some artfully created phrases giving a really sensitive but thoroughly enjoyable characteristics of Freya. One thing is for sure, I was passionately behind every step Freya took to find her friend and daughter, hopefully alive and well.

All in all, a good read that I would thoroughly recommend.