I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The New Home’ by Chris Merritt in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Freya and her fiancé Jack have just moved into their new home, a doer-upper at 12 Sunningdale Road in Weybridge. She meets her attractive neighbour Emily with her daughter Thea and knows immediately that they’ll be friends. Though she isn’t so keen on Emily’s husband Michael who comes across as abrupt, cold and detached. Freya and Jack have been in their house for four months when the police call and ask if they have any knowledge of the whereabouts of Emily and Theo as Michael has reported them missing. Freya is obsessed with finding them as the police don’t seem interested.

‘The New Home’ is the first novel I’ve read by Chris Merritt and although well-written with its fair share of intrigue, suspense and twists and turns, it’s so far-fetched that I read with incredulity how Freya could get involved in searching for a woman she barely knows, entering Michael’s house looking for clues of his guilt as if she has every right to be there. Then there’s the ending that doesn’t come across as convincing. I find it really hard to believe that Freya and Jack could welcome new and old neighbours into their garden and carry on as if nothing took place. It’s an easy book to read but I was never totally involved with the plot that in my opinion was far-fetched and the characters unconvincing, although it won’t stop me from looking for more by this author.

The New Home by Chris Merritt is a standalone psychological thriller novel. The story in this novel spans from March of one year to the epilogue taking place in the following spring mainly from the point of view of the protagonist but also with some chapters from an unknown source.

Freya Northcott is just moving into her new home with fiance, Jack, in Weybridge, a suburb of London. Jack being a doctor is often gone to work leaving Freya on her own in the new home while her career of being a documentary film maker has been hit with a slow period. One night Freya invites the neighbors to dinner and the ladies hit it off.

With so much time on her hands Freya is thrilled when she befriends Emily her new neighbor. As time past the ladies become close but one day the police are on the doorstep with the new Emily and her daughter are missing. Time passes without a trace and Freya feels the police are just not looking hard enough. Could it have been Emily’s husband? A stranger? Freya dives into doing whatever she can to get her friend back home safe.

Ok, The New Home by Chris Merritt is going to be one of those books that will be tough for me to explain my rating without using spoilers. I will say this one read well and moved along at a decent pace but when I got to the end I felt there were just some things that were off to me. I sat thinking that through all the twists and turns that things could have gone so much differently if only… Now my if onlys wouldn’t make good reading but they still held me back from thinking this one was more than just an alright read which lead to my three stars.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is the first book I've read by Chris Merritt and I really enjoyed it! Each chapter ended in a way I felt compelled to continue reading and try to figure out exactly what's going on. It played like a movie script in my head and I could easily see it being adapted for the big screen. A great story!

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

This book had an interesting premise but employed a couple of tired tropes which disappointed me. Engaged couple documentary film maker Freya Northcott and cardiologist Jack Brown buy a house together on the other side of London close to the hospital where Jack has a new consultant position. The house needs fixing up but the couple is keen and it will be a suitable home in which to bring up a family.

Freya soon befriends Emily from next door and her five year old daughter Thea. Her husband, Michael, however is a cold fish who isn’t very welcoming. On the other side is an elderly lady, Cathy, who is very friendly but a bit scatty so her information is not always reliable. The story is told mostly from the POV of Freya who is not an entirely reliable narrator and the occasional disturbing thoughts of someone who is clearly stalking someone else.

After about four months Emily and Thea disappear. Around the same time Freya has a miscarriage and her mental health suffers so she starts seeing a therapist, Laurence. She also takes it upon herself to start a social media campaign to find Emily and Thea. This campaign brought out even more unreliable narrators and red herrings! I thought there was enough to work with without having to go down the familiar path of the lone, amateur woman who is convinced only she cares enough to solve whatever needs to be solved. The other familiar trope I could have done without is the husband/fiancé/boyfriend telling her she is imagining things and not supporting her. To be fair, Freya did throw a number of very ‘out there’ theories at the police, none of which panned out. And she was not above sneaking around in other people’s property and business making wild accusations left right and centre. An incident in Freya’s past which she would rather have kept secret didn’t help her case either.

However she carried on undaunted. The final twist was not totally unexpected either. Nevertheless I did get quite engaged with the story in the second half. I certainly needed to know who was stalking who and who was threatening Freya and was Jack guilty of anything untoward and was Michael guilty of killing anybody. A lot of questions there which needed answers. So, while I thought the book could have been handled better I still quite enjoyed it. I think Freya would have strained the patience of anybody and I don’t totally blame Jack for brushing off some of her concerns.

It was a fairly quick, easy and entertaining story that didn’t tax the brain cells too much. Overall I thought it was enjoyable. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated ARC which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Freya has just moved a new home on a quiet suburban street. Her neighbour Emily is everything she wanted in a friend. Someone to join her in a glass of wine and share secrets with. But over dinner one evening it seems that Emily’s life isn’t so perfect. Days later Emily and her daughter disappear. From the premise, I was expecting this book to be a gripping thriller. However I found the story dragged in places and I really didn’t like Freya’s character. There were some good twists but I found the ending slightly disappointing. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

After reading Detective Lockhart series by Chris Merrit which actually had me hooked, I was looking forward to read more of his books. The New Home is actually his standalone psychological thriller and I was super duper excited that I got this book!

Freya Northcort moves into their dream house with her fiance Jack, a cardiologist. She meets Emily and her daughter Thea along with her husband Michael who lives opposite their house. A month later, Emily and her daughter goes missing and Freya thinks Michael has something to do with the disappearance. As Freya becomes more and more embroiled in her own investigation, she is facing many threats, asking her to stay away from the investigation...

I think it was actually an enjoyable thriller to me. The story is mainly told from Freya's point of view so at what point as a reader, you support her but when her mental history comes through, we wonder if she was delusional. Everyone seemed to be a viable suspect in this story--from Michael to even her own fiance, Jack. The writing was great, the author as usual doing a good job of drawing the reader into the story. The ending...was completely unexpected and what a twisted ending! Didn't even realize that it would end in a bit dramatic way.

Overall, this book gave me a rollercoaster ride filled with unexpected twists and turns, guaranteed that you would stay up all night, trying to find out what the heck is going to happen next!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Freya and fiance Jack move to a new house in a new area. Freya quickly becomes fast friends with neighbor Emily. Fast forward a few months and Emily and daughter disappear. Freya becomes obsessed with finding them.

The concept here was actually great. I can even say some of the follow through lived up to the expectation. What this really needs is some of the fat trimmed. This was drawn out way too long for the progression of the plot. While some of the twists were glaringly obvious there was one I didn't quite see coming. A very decent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy to review.

This was just OK for me, was fast paced and very easy to read BUT some of the book I found annoying, Some of the things that happened would never happen and was just bizarre, also the constant dreaming from the protagonist annoyed me, so sadly I wasn't impressed.

Oh wow this twisty book had me guessing all the way through, constantly questioning everyone and everything and constantly coming up with theories as I read. I really enjoyed it!

Freya and her fiancé, Jack, move into a new house and make friends with her two neighbours, Cathy, and Emily. Emily seems to have it all, husband, child and a lovely house and Freya enjoys their budding friendship. When suddenly Emily and her daughter Thea disappear, Freya is determined to find out what happened to them and where they are. Everyone seems to be hiding things and Freya doesn’t know who to trust and when she suffers a trauma in her own life she starts to wonder if she can even trust herself!

Well this book was really good! Initially I did think Freya was a little bit too involved with investigating Emily and Thea’s disappearance as she’d only known them for about 5 months, but after reading on I realised why she was so intent of finding out what happened, and it made perfect sense. I don’t want to spoil the story so these next few sentences might sound a little cryptic, but I thought the traumatic incident that Freya dealt with was written extremely well. Having experienced this twice first-handed I thought the description and the feelings after was very well done, so kudos to Chris Merritt for that. I also found the psychological material was very interesting and I especially noted the psychological approach called behavioural activation which I advocate a lot to myself but didn’t know it had a name.

The twist at the end on the beach revealing who the actual baddie was, was brilliant and I definitely sat with my mouth gaping open as I didn’t expect it. It was a terrific story and I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Chris Merritt for my advanced reading copy. Due out 7th September 2021.

Not a bad book, but not really my cup of tea.

The New Home came across as a bit too preachy for my liking and all a bit predictable and far fetched..

3.5 stars

I've never read anything by Merritt in the past, but I will check out other books, as I enjoyed this engaging psychological thriller. There were some filler details that created lulls on occasion, but it balanced out in the end. Ample secrets and twists kept me turning the pages.

Film maker Freya and her husband Jack move into their new fixer upper home in a suburb of London.
She meets her next door neighbours and quickly befriends them, but when her neighbour goes missing with her daughter and nobody seems to be looking for them, Freya begins to search for them herself. Freya pushes herself to the edge in the search for answers and ends up questioning who she can really trust?
I really enjoyed this read. There were lots of twists and turns to keep you reading on, and some really toe curling moments!
I really liked the character build ups, they were slow, revealing only enough to build a picture of what may happen and then another sneaky feature would throw you off in another direction.
It was creepy and tense and although I struggled to connect with Freya, she was a believable character and her personality and past really added to the plot.
A great thriller/mystery read to unravel.
Thank you to Bookouture, Netgalley and Chris Merrit for the ARC copy.

I really enjoyed this book, it had every great aspect of a thriller. It includes themes on domestic abuse, mental health, secrets, friendship and many more.

This book drew me in immediately, I was so eager to learn about Freya and her neighbours. I found the book got straight to the plot and dropped the reader straight into the scenario. The beginning of the book gave the reader a good idea about the characters and the situation. As the book went on, we got to discover secrets about the characters which led me to believe all sorts while I was reading. I was guessing until the very end, and I was shocked at the ending of the book.

This book is mainly told in the perspective of Freya. She is a down to earth person who cares for her friends, I feel like she looks into everything with great detail. When I first read about Freya, I thought there was something going on with her. She has some big secrets she’s been keeping, even from her fiancé, Jack. There were some other short chapters written as an unknown person, these chapters are very mysterious. These chapters are cleverly written as it doesn’t give away information which could be pinpointed on one character but it is enough to keep you guessing who it might be.

I thought the plot of this book was interesting and included most of the elements of a thriller. It was an easy to read plot as the storyline was simple to follow and the characters were mysterious. I read this book so quickly, I was so eager to find out what happened. I also loved the inclusion of the epilogue, it wrapped the book up well.

Freya and her husband Jack move into a new home which they hope to renovate. On moving day they meet the neighbours Emily and Michael and their daughter Thea. Very quickly a friendship develops although Freya finds Michael very strange. Jump forward 4 months and Emily and Thea have gone missing. The Police and Micheal don't appear to be enthusiastic about finding them so Freya embarks on a one woman mission to solve their disappearance.
I wasn't quite sure what to make of this book. There was no build up of the friendship only recollections from Freya of the times they had had. There were a few red herrings to throw the reader from what had happened. And a lot if Freya's decisions seemed farcical fir example buying an ultraviolet kit to find out the code to micheals cellar/home office. I felt that the book could have been condensed quite a lot
Many thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Freya and her husband have moved into their new home and Freya quickly becomes friends with her new neighbour, Emily. However one day when Emily and her daughter disappear, Freya decides to look into their disappearance herself.

This was a well written thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing as the plot unfolds. There is only a handful of main characters, so the storyline is kept simple and easy to follow. Freya was a bit of a "marmite" character and you either liked her or you didn't! I have to say I did like her character and sympathised with her throughout the story. I couldn't, however, work out if things were actually happening to Freya or if it was just an overactive imagination due to Freya's past. This did though keep me hooked into the storyline to try and work out what was going on!

I found this to be a heart stopping read, filled with suspense and tension throughout. It did slow up a little in parts, but this was more than compensated for with the rest of the storyline which had me in the edge of my seat. The twists and turns throughout were great and I certainly didn't see the reveal coming until it happened! An enjoyable, and a little chilling, thriller which I would definitely recommend!

The New Home follows Frey’s as she fights to uncover the mystery around her neighbour’s disappearance. Each time she feels she is closer to figuring out the truth, more pieces of the puzzle emerge leaving her more confused.
Great quick read! Highly recommended

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of The New Home by Chris Merritt.

Freya and her husband have just bought a new house, a do-er upper, in an area closer to her husband's work. Freya, a documentary maker, finds herself out of work, and makes friends with neighbour Emily. They become close friends, getting together as often as possible for drinks. Until one day, Emily is just...gone, along with her daughter. Freya leads the charge in trying to find her, coming across suspects and secrets along the way.

Yikes. Freya. She's some character! I didn't really like her to start with. She seemed petty, suspicious and paranoid but the reasons for that become clear. The book did have loads of wee twists and turns which kept my interest, and I was never quite sure who had done what, and what had happened to Emily. I don't very often read thrillers because I feel that they sometimes don't live up to the hype, and it's difficult for me to feel the authenticity of a story, but if you like thrillers then I reckon you'll enjoy this one. I'd probably give this 3.5/5.

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When Freya’s neighbour Emily and her daughter Thea disappear, she seems to be the only one who is concerned. The police soon give up, saying there are no leads. Freya is convinced husband Michael has something to do with it, and takes matters into her own hands, determined to discover what has happened to them.
There’s such a lot going on in this story. Written from central character Freya’s viewpoint, the way she goes about her investigation at times, seems outrageous. However, as she works making documentaries, she admits to having an overactive imagination. Examples of this are found throughout the story as she ‘talks’ to the reader. As the book progressed, I wasn’t sure whether this was a bad or good thing as I have to admit I began to question some of her actions. But to make the story work, Freya needed to be this person whose inner thoughts were peppered with drama and who had a steely determination to get to the bottom of things. Fiancé Jack, a consultant working long hours at the local hospital, is understanding at first.
But the accidental discovery of a secret Freya has been keeping from him, puts everything in a different light, stretching their relationship to breaking point.
As Freya begins to uncover information, everyone becomes a suspect, even Jack If you enjoy twists, turns and suspects a plenty, then this is for you.
My thanks to Netgalley, Chris Merritt and Bookouture for an ARC of The New Home in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley, Bookouture and Chris Merritt for an ARC to review.
Freya and Jack move to their new home full of dreams and plans to turn it to their dream home where they can envision their future.
When the wife and daughter next door go missing, Freya gets obsessed with finding them.
The book is narrated from Freya's point of view and a mystery narrator, you might along the way predict his identity
Freya's narration is all over the place with her wild vivid imagination and anxious mind..her thoughts jumps everywhere considering every impossible possibility
I couldn't tolerate Michael's character, nobody should be allowed such behavior.
I liked the writing style and found it gripping enough