The New Home by Chris Merritt

Freya and her fiancé Jack move into their new home they soon meet their new neighbours Emily, Michael and their little girl Thea. Freya and Emily become great friends and then a few months later Emily and Thea disappear and Freya seams to make it her mission to find them.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I expected. Freya has an over active imagination that us readers have to hear all about. Her mind goes wondering on every tangent and they are not even part of the story.


I would like to thank Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I struggled with this book. The description was right up my street but I hated all of the characters.

Freya loves her new home on a quiet suburban street. And her beautiful neighbour Emily is everything she ever wanted in a friend. Finally she has someone 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 Freya and her fiance Jack move into their new home, it needs a bit of work doing to it. They soon meet their new neighbours Emily, Michael and their daughter Thea. Freya hopes that she will become good friends with Emily. Michael is not very friendly and a bit of an oddball. Four months after meeting their neighbours, Emily and Thea go missing, but Michael and the police don't seem that concerned. Freya decides to search for them herself.

The story is told from Freya and a man who is never identified perspectives. Filled with red herrings that send Freya in several different directions in her search to find Emily and Thea. The suspense builds throughout. and a few surprises are thrown in along the way. I did feel the story dragged out a bit but it was an easy book to read.

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

Title: #TheNewHome
By: #ChrisMerritt
Source: #NetGalley
Read on: Kindle Paperwhite
Published by: Bookouture
Pub Date: 7 Sep 2021
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Rating: 3/5

Thank you #NetGalley & #Bookouture for providing an ARC for #TheNewHome by #ChrisMerritt in exchange for a genuine review.

I've got mixed emotions about this book because I didn't really think it was boring to the point where I just had to stop reading it but at the same time it was a bit predictable for me. Although, I didn't really know on point as to when stuff would happen. I had the idea already as to who was the culprit. I've sort of sensed it probably from previous books that I've read.

What I liked in particular about this book is the way Chris Merritt still held my attention throughout the book even with it being predictable. I liked how it still stirred some emotions in me and how he didn't hesitate to go dark as he wrote some of the things in this story.

I was in it for the ride - just to see how everything would pan out so that still entertained me that's why I'm giving this book 3 stars. I will still recommend this book to Mystery & Thriller lovers out there - it's always different for every reader so some people might find the plot totally shocking and some might find it predictable as well. I enjoyed the adventure that I went along with the main character so I definitely recommend this book.

I'm on the fence about this. Freya and her fiance have moved into a fixer upper. Next door she meets a couple, Michael and Emily with their daughter Thea and an elderly lady that leaves nearby. Emily and Thea disappear and Freya becomes obsessed on finding out what happened to them. I did not like Freya and I wish there was a little more information on Freya getting to know Emily. The end of the book was like a cliff. I was left with wanting more.

Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read and rate this book.

When Freya Northcott and her fiancé Jack move into their new home, Freya is delighted to find a new friend in neighbour Emily. And when Emily and her daughter Thea go missing suddenly Freya wonders if she’s the only one who cares.

Things go downhill rapidly for Freya after Emily goes missing. She miscarries her own child, falls foul of the police and Emily’s husband Michael, and feels like husband Jack is taking her for granted.

Freya’s portrayed as an unreliable narrator, her attempts to uncover Emily and Thea’s fate become more and more extreme, and it’s hard to keep up with how far she’s willing to go.

The male characters in the book are quite difficult to engage with, with none of them covering themselves with glory in the way they deal with Emily or Freya. The pacing also feels quite disjointed in places, so I lost sense of how long Emily was missing for. This meant that there was little sense of urgency or even suspense.

The basic storyline kept me reading though, and it was in the interesting to guess who was behind it all. I just can’t help feeling it could have been better.

Meet Freya, a young woman with nothing to hide or has she. Her husband is loyal, kind and honest but after meeting thier new neighbours freya isn't so sure anymore. She soon strikes a friendship with Emily one of her neihbours but one day both her and her daughter disappear. Freya is determined to help find them both but not everyone wants her delving as she soon finds out She soon trusts no one and when local police don't take her claims seriuously enough she takes matter into her own hands which she soon comes to regret. Everyone has a secret that they don't want exposing and her secret is a big one which her hsband doesn't know.
I really enjoyed this book. Freya at times does annoy you and you find yourself saying, don't do it but I found that i just had to keep reading it until the end.

Freya and her fiance move into a fixer upper. She quickly becomes friends with her neighbor Emily. A few months later Emily and her daughter Thea are missing. Emily's husband seems indifferent to the fact they are missing. Freya becomes obsessed with finding Emily. Has her obsession caused her to imagine things as her fiance thinks or are strange things really happening?
Freya was an annoying character at times. Her imagination gets the best of her for sure. She begins to suspect almost everyone at one point or another. I did suspect the "bad guy" from about a third of the way through the book. There were plenty of twists and turns throughout.

Many thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the arc

Secrets abound in this suspenseful novel. Fantastic, well-rounded characters, and full of surprises you won't see coming, this was a solid female-centred psychological thriller.

Freya and Jack have moved into their new home. Freya makes friends with Emily and her daughter Thea who live next door with her husband Michael. Until one day Emily and Thea go missing. Freya is determined to find out what happened to them as no-one is saying anything, least of all Michael who doesn't seem to care they're gone.
Freya is having anxiety issues and Jack is wary of her moods and behaviours, especially when they suffer a miscarriage. Is Freya imagining things or did something happen to Emily and Thea?
The book is well written with a small handful of characters being woven together. I think what let it down for me was the way the ending was written. I loved the twist and didn't see it coming, but tiring everything together was a little unbelievable in places.

"And this time, I know I’m not imagining it."

What I would recommend is: Go into this book blind. Something new happens in every chapter. The book moves so fast and keeps throwing consecutive surprises here and there.

It's about a woman who becomes obsessed with the family next door and she thinks could have happened to them while being threatened by someone to "stop digging". The characters are so compelling and real.

Rating - 3.8 💥

The new home is a psychological novel by Chris Merritt.

While reading psychological novels I always keep certain things in my mind like every character introduced in a novel is suspicious, don't trust anyone so quickly and always be careful and of course this novel has these things.

What I like about this novel -
1. It's a fast paced
2. Very simply written (no difficulties to understand)
3. In the end of every chapter there's shocking info/discovery which is why I got more interested obviously.

What I dislike is -
1. Story was good bt in the middle I got bored I was feeling like the author was stretching the middle part.

About Freya's character I'm confused, at some point I'm liking her and at some point I'm not. Her curiosity and obsession to find her neighbors was putting her in even worse situation and her relationship with her fiance was getting worse plus trust issues was starting to coming up bt in the end everything got well.
And tbh I actually predicted the stalker not exactly bt I was thinking about the two persons bt in the end it was the one of the two I was thinking 😎.

Overall I would say it's a good story with fast pacing so u guys can give it a shot 🤟.

The New Home by Chris Merritt is suspenseful, shocking, and pulls on your heart strings. This psychological thriller is a standalone novel and the second book that I have read by this author.

Freya Northcott and Jack Brown are engaged and have purchased a new home in the London suburb of Weybridge. Jack is a cardiologist and has a new job as a consultant with a local hospital. Freya makes film documentaries. They’re looking forward to fixing up their new house and making it into their forever home.

All of their friends are in London, so Freya is thrilled to meet next door neighbor Emily and hopes they will become best friends. However, things don’t seem to be smooth at a dinner party for the two couples. Then, four months later, Emily and her daughter, Thea, disappear and no one, including the police and Emily’s husband, seem to be looking for them. Freya is determined to find them. Are they dead? Were they kidnapped? Or did something else happen? Who is telling the truth?

Freya is a character that causes readers to feel a lot of emotions. She has depth and is someone that you hope is a reliable narrator. But is she? She can be irritating at times and evoke empathy at other times. The other characters have a variety of depths, but provide either support or conflict to move the story line to its unexpected conclusion.

There are several twists to the story, some predictable while others are surprising. It seems everyone has secrets. How do they play into the story? Are Freya’s efforts to find Emily and Thea helping or a detriment? Who can be trusted? While the writing brought to life the house and garden, I couldn’t tell that this was set in England until nearly the end of the book.

The author drew me into the story immediately. It is mainly told from Freya’s point of view, but there are short chapters from an unknown antagonist. Will you guess who it is? The pacing was somewhat slower in the first half of the book, but that gave this reader time to connect to the characters. The ending is dramatic and riveting. Themes include relationships, domestic abuse, mental health, friendship, secrets, resilience, courage, the importance of communication, and much more.

Overall, this book was creative, moving, intense, impactful, and thought-provoking. Although psychological thrillers are not my favorite genre, the suspense and excellent writing kept me glued to the book. Readers that enjoy psychological thrillers will likely enjoy this novel. I’m looking forward to reading another book by this excellent author.

Bookouture and Chris Merritt provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for September 7, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Completely gripping novel that is full of tension and chilling mystery. I loved it and really enjoyed reading it

My goodness this book grabbed me and didn't let go! Just when I thought I know what was going on it through another twist and I was left completely gob-smacked again! Such fun twists & turns and an ending I couldn't even begin to imagine! Thank you so much!

This book is spine tingling. You will not be able to put this down. I devoured this book. It stands out among the pack, in a world of cookie cutter books... This one is so refreshing. Once you pick this up, you're not going to do anything until you're done.

I have been a fan of Chris Merritt’s Detective Lockhart and Green series, so I was looking forward to reading his latest novel The New Home.
Freya and Jack move into a new home in the quite street of Sunnydale Road. It needs a lot of work done to it, but they are committed to doing it up. When they meet their new neighbours Emily and Michael and their daughter Thea they are impressed with their renovations and hope that they house will be similar, with an extension at the back like theirs.
Four months later, Emily and Thea go missing and her husband Michael and the Police don’t seem to be worried about them, so Freya decides on herself to search for them. Even going as far as setting up a webpage to see if anyone has information on their disappearance. But for Freya it seems to become an obsession and starts thinking the worse of the people around her. Jack is worried that history is repeating itself as Freya was like this before and was sectioned because of it. But Freya is determined to find them.
Thank you Bookoutre for a copy of The New Home. I really enjoy the author’s book, but I am afraid I have some mixed feelings for this one. Don’t get me wrong, this is still worth reading but I found the first half of the book just went on and on and on. I found the protagonist Freya quite irritating. I was only fully invested in it through the second half of this book, which had great twists and turns and a satisfactory ending. 3.5 stars from me.

I received a free ARC e-book copy of ‘The New Home’ by Chris Merritt through NetGalley from the publisher @Bookouture. I am grateful for the publisher approving my request and I was excited to read as I have seen this advertised a lot on twitter. The publication date for 'The New Home' is: 07/09/21.

This book is set at Sunningdale Road in the London suburb of Weybridge. Freya a documentary maker and her cardiologist husband Jack move into their new home. Although it needs a lot of work Freya dreams this will be their forever home.

Freya makes friends with the next-door neighbours Emily and Cathy as she tries to settle into her new neighbourhood. Suddenly Emily and her daughter go missing and once the police seem to not be interested Freya takes the investigating into her own hands.

She sets up a website to try and help find her friend and soon she gets posts which point towards Emily’s husband Michael and threats to stop looking into the disappearance.

Freya must fight her anxieties and try to work out who she can trust, whilst trying to find out the whereabouts of her friend Emily whether she is alive or dead.

I really enjoyed reading this book it had a great storyline and even when you think you may have worked out what is going on, you keep doubting yourself as the different events unfold. Freya is a relatable character, and in ways I could see myself wanting to find out the truth as much as she does, but maybe not to the lengths she goes.

Overall, a brilliant, unsettling thriller which has you thinking how much you actually know about what goes on behind closed doors and doubting if you can trust your neighbours.

Please note this review has been posted on my blog on the link below, the link posted on twitter & the review posted on Goodreads. I will post a review very similar on Amazon on the publication date.

i loved the twists and turns this story gave but i am not a fan of 1st person narrative and i found the story was a little too predictable and slow at times, also, the main character really annoyed me.

my thoughts and opinions are my own. thank you netgalley and the publisher

Documentary maker, Freya, and her doctor husband have moved into a new home to start a family, but things aren't going according to plan. Freya's career unexpectedly stalls and she suffers a miscarriage, which leads to tensions in her marriage. Her only consolation is the fast friendship she forms with her beautiful and charismatic neighbour, Emily. But when Emily and her young daughter go missing, Freya's obsession with finding them take her to the brink of insanity, that sees her risking everything she values in life.

Chris Merritt creates a convincing female protagonist in Freya, however, her irritating behaviour make it difficult to sympathise with her at times. An unreliable narrator, Freya's erroneous assumptions see her making choices that put both herself and others at risk and take the reader on a wild ride.

The New Home is an entertaining read with an unexpected twist at the end. Readers who enjoy whodunnits and tales of amateur sleuths will enjoy this novel.