★★★★★ 4.5 stars (rounded up)

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Shalini Boland's newest twisty thriller THE COUPLE UPSTAIRS.

The last book I read was one in which poses the question "how well do you know your neighbours?" as did the one before that? Am I sensing a pattern here? LOL However, not to be outdone, Shalini puts pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and thrashes out yet another outstanding domestic thriller that will have us questioning just how well we really do know our neighbours!

“Our new home was supposed to be a chance to leave our past behind. But was moving here the worst mistake of our lives?”

When Nina and Zac first set eyes on 15A Mistletoe Lane, it's love at first sight. The flat, which was once couple with the upstairs flat to make an even bigger home, is perfect for their needs with a couple of outbuildings in which Nina can house her online fashion business which she has named "Mistletoe Lane" in honour of their first home together.

Excited at the prospect of all the things they could do with the space, Zac and Nina arrive on moving-in day to a welcoming party in the form of Chris and Vanessa Jackson who are expecting their first child and live in the upstairs flat. Almost at once, Chris immediately defers to Zac and practically ignoring Nina whilst his wife Vanessa barely utters a word expect to hand over a chocolate cake she baked as a welcome gift. After devouring the scrumptious cake, Nina and Zac suddenly fall ill to a mysterious stomach bug some hours later. It couldn't have been the cake, surely? But even so, the two events now linked in their minds, Nina can barely stomach the thought of chocolate since.

As soon as they have set up their new home, Nina decides to throw a flat-warming party, inviting the neighbours as well as their friends and family. It proves to be something of a success as they meet and greet their new neighbours and catch up with old friends. Although it's a shame her brother Henry's fiance Belinda had to turn up. The woman is a self-absorbed cow, always looking down her nose at Nina and never far from Nina's mother whose champagne taste has her looking a little distastefully at the dated decor of their new home. Despite some of their neighbours looking a little like fish out of water, the evening is a success. And Zac and Nina are looking forward to settling into this neighbourhood which is just a stone's throw from the beach.

Throughout the day Zac is busy with his self-employed plumbing business whilst Nina busies herself with launching "Mistletoe Lane". Although this place was initially out of their budget, because it was to be a working from home business they were able to factor that into their mortgage to negotiate a loan with the help of her new investor. As it was, if it hadn't have been for her investor they might never have known about the existence of this place and Nina hasn't stopped thanking her lucky stars.

And then things begin to go wrong...
Despite their initial friendliness, their upstairs neighbours appear to be somewhat standoffish to the point of rude. And then there are the catastrophic arguments to which Zac and Nina are subjected with the crashing and moving about of furniture and Chris' angry shouts. And why does Chris always defer to Zac but ignore Nina? Why does his wife never speak or hardly leave the flat? Is she intimidated or fearful of him? And why is Zac so enamoured by his new buddy Chris and unable to see what Nina does?

As if that's not enough, her business starts to collapse. Nina had initially employed Vanessa on a casual basis for three hours three days a week. Until her investor got wind of it and the drop in their reviewer rating and suggest Nina let her go until business picks up enough to employ an assistant. Her once popular business now begins to struggle in light of recent bad reviews which now affect sales. From a top that gave a customer a bad rash to comments about rude staff and customer service, Nina has no idea who is doing this to her or why? She begins to suspect her brother's fiance Belinda, thinking she may fear Nina as a rival to her high-end designer stores. But if it isn't, then who is out to destroy her? And more importantly, why?

Then just when Nina thought things couldn't get any worse, she sees Chris having a quiet word with Zac outside their flat one afternoon as he returned home from work after which Zac punched his van, jumped in and drove off with Chris in the passenger seat. What had Chris said that had riled Zac up so much? What she discovers makes her blood run cold. And even worse, Zac refuses to take her calls or even talk to her to get her side of the story. But even when he does...he doesn't listen. So entrenched is he in what Chris had told him that he would take the word of a stranger he has known barely weeks over that of his girlfriend who he has known for five years! The very idea was ludicrous.

And just when Nina discovers the truth behind the campaign that has been waged against her, is it too late for her and Zac? Will he reach her in time? Or will he be too late?

Shalini Boland is a go-to author for me as I can always count on her to thrill and entertain me at a rate of knots while still managing a twist here and there to throw me off (sometimes). I hardly ever read the premise to her books before grabbing them because I just know I won't be disappointed because...I've said it before and I'll say it again...even a bad book by Shalini is a good book!

And I wasn't disappointed. THE COUPLE UPSTAIRS is a fast paced addictive, is frustrating, domestic thriller which had me turning the pages in an attempt to finish before dinner. I read this book in one day as it is such a quick and easy read, as most of Shalini's books are.

The story unfolds through Nina's first person narrative with the inclusion of "THEN" chapters by an unnamed character who will leave us guessing as to their identity. I thought one person, then another before quickly adding a couple of others to my suspect list, before discovering my first choice was the culprit. As with all characterisations, we are left guessing throughout as Shalini is a dab hand at painting each one with slightly unpleasant traits. There is an extra twist that may shock some readers but I had the foresight to believe no one and challenge everything...which lead me to an unlikely aspect.

Overall, THE COUPLE UPSTAIRS will not disappoint die-hard Shalini fans and is perfect for those who enjoy a good twisty domestic thriller that is both addictive and fast-paced from beginning to end.

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

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

All our friends and family were gathered, glasses raised to toast our fresh start. It should have been a night for happiness and celebration. Zac and I had worked hard for this: our first home together, just minutes from the sea. But the dream quickly turned into a nightmare. We'd invited our neighbours too. I wanted to make a good impression - Show them we're exactly the sort pf people they want living on their street.

Nina and her boyfriend Zac couldn't be happier as they move into their dream home together, Nina has just set up her own online business where she will work in the outbuildings as her new office, and Zac is a freelance plumber. They have been together for five years. The neighbours all seem friendly.

The story is told in the present day and the "THEN" format. We do not know who the person is that's narrating the "THEN" chapters, but I did guess correctly who it was. Chris and Vanessa come across as a strange couple. I thought Vanessa was maybe just a bit shy. It's not long before Nina and Zac's lives are falling apart. I did see a few of the twists coming but the one near the end, it came as a complete surprise. The pace is steady in this gripping read. Most of the characters I wasn't too keen on: Belinda. Zac and Nina's mothers and Chris and Vanessa. Shalini Boland has a canny knack at pulling you quickly into the plotline and takes you on a twisted journey while you try and work who you can and cannot trust. I found the epilogue a bit creepy. This story held my attention throughout. My only problem was, I couldn't read it fast enough.

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

I enjoyed this book, though I would call it more of a domestic drama than a thriller. There were a few surprises and it was a fast read. I enjoyed the atmospheric setting. The author does a good job setting mood and tone. The whole neighborhood has such an unsettling vibe it draws you in. Overall, worth the read!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookoutre for my advance copy of #TheCoupleUpstairs by #ShaliniBoland
Zac and Nina are so excited when they move into their new home. Then things start to go wrong, is someone targeting them but why. They don’t have any enemies or do they?
I raced through this addictive book Enjoy. 🤓

Title: #TheCoupleUpstairs
By: #Shalini Boland
Source: #NetGalley
Read on: Kindle Paperwhite
Published by: Bookouture
Pub Date: 13 Sep 2021
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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

This is the first book that I've read by Shalini Boland. I think the reason why this is just a 3-star review because my expectations were just too high just based on the title and some reviews with no spoilers. Also, it didn't leave a lasting impression after I read it. Usually, if I really like a book I wouldn't stop talking about it, but with this - I just moved on to the next book.

However, what I liked about this book though is it did still capture my attention at times and kept me intrigued for what is going to happen as the book went on. Although it was a bit of a slow read for me as well.

However, the last few pages of the book was just a little absurd for me. I didn't expect for the twist, but then I wasn't as amazed with how the story developed either. But still, it didn't get to the point where I put the book down and filed it under DNF. It's not like my favourite books, where it'll leave like a mark in my brain and leave me with a book hangover. But that doesn't mean that I won't read any more books from this author - I will still give her other books a shot.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @Bookouture for providing me with an ARC of “The Couple Upstairs” to read and honestly review!✨

I started “The Couple Upstairs” with high hopes for a blood-chilling, attention-hooking psychological thriller that would guaranteed keep me engrossed all the way till the very end. After finishing this book, I can say that it was a nice read, but incredibly ‘light’ for a thriller mystery.

I believe that everyone has very different perceptions of what each genre is, but when I pick up a thriller—especially a psychological one—I do expect the book to make me nervous up to a certain extent. I personally like when mystery books have an unsettling atmosphere and the overall theme of the book is a bit darker than an ordinary fiction/romance/ya one would be.

“The Couple Upstairs” had an excitingly fascinating premise. When I picked up the book and after the prologue, I believed it would be an enticing and scary one. Chase scenes, shocking plot twists etc. In reality…unfortunately I was a bit let down. The ‘twist’ was a rather obvious one and though it was camouflaged relatively well, even to someone who would not have figured it out, the way it was revealed was very unremarkable.

I believe the stakes for this book were not as high as they could have been. It would have been much more interesting, had the ‘villain’ been paranoid all the way, had they not had anything keeping them from going all out and endangering the protagonist’s life even involving themselves in the chase instead of retaining their amateur persona, thus resulting in an absolutely unputdownable resolution.

Would I recommend this book? Of course. For people who want to get into thriller books, it would be an absolutely perfect read! However, I’d personally wished for and expected more from it.

[2,5/⭐️]

What an unexpected turn of events, quite the twist but incredibly well done with surprising and oddly believable motivations.

New neighbors are always a point of anxiety when you move somewhere (or indeed when new people move to your area), you have to coexist in such close quarters and it can make things quite difficult if you don't get on.

I’ve read many books by Shalini Boland and every one of them so far has gripped me right from the start. 5 stars and can’t wait to see what comes next from this author. Thankyou for a great thriller

I liked the description of this book, but was hoping for a more original story. I found many parts slow and difficult to get through.

Nina and Zac have just moved into their new home, a ground floor late within a converted house made into 2 flats. They are really pleased to meet their new neighbours, vanessa and chris, welcoming them on their first day with chocolate cake and fizz.

Nina is keen to get on with her neighbours and invites them down for dinner one evening. Zac and chris immediately hit it off but vanessa seema extremely withdrawn. Not working at present, she awaits the birth of her baby within the next couple of months. Nina is further troubled but freqent arguments that she can hear from upstairs, often at odd times of the night and Chris s apparent dislike for her.

Nina has an office in her garden whether she is setting up her own business and has just had an investor give to the business. Ness works hard to get it off the ground and although her investors are not keen on her employing staff she asks vanessa to help her out 3 mornings a week. Hiwever Nina experiences set back after set back, including very derogatory feedback on the internet. She is forced to let vanessa go and watch helplessly as her investors pull out. Added to this Zac walks out, believing nina to be having an affair.

Twists and turns along the way with an explosive finale, reading highly recommended.

When Nina and her boyfriend Zac buy their first home together, they are so excited for this new start. In a dream property near the beach with room to expand her blossoming business, Nina can't wait to get stuck in to making their own. Their upstairs neighbours seem nice when they first introduce themselves, but when Nina starts to hear weird noises and shouting from their flat, their fresh start begins to fall apart.

As has come to be expected from this author (by me anyway!) this was a very good, fast-paced read. Full of intrigue to keep you turning those pages, fascinating characters and a surprising conclusion!

Just as Nina’s dreams start to come true, those very dreams become nightmares. New home, growing business, and the potential for new friends, should be the start of Zac and Nina’s happily ever after, but that’s not to be in this book. Fast paced and full of twists and turns this book is a great escape.

Well Shalini has done it yet again, she has provided us with yet another outstanding brilliant and gripping read.

I thought the story was brilliantly and cleverly written and the characters are all so very well portrayed and believable. I loved getting to know all of the characters and trying to suss them all out. It was a truly gripping and entertaining read from start to finish. I was truly captivated and enthralled with this book and throughout reading it, I kept trying to piece everything together in my head, and figure it all out, and wondering how it would all end. Absolutely amazing and a brilliant ending.

I also liked the fact that one of the main characters has my name, Vanessa, it’s not often I come across that in a book, although in hind sight I am absolutely nothing like the character of Vanessa thank gods. That’s all I’m going to say though as wouldn’t want to risk given out any spoilers.

So if you are looking for a book that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat in eager anticipation as to what will happen next, with a bit of a twist come the end and be completely captivated throughout, then you really need to read this book, you’ll not regret it. In fact it’ll hopefully make you want to read all of Shalini’s previous books.

This was my first book by Shalini Boland and it was really good! It was a very fast paced story about Zac and his wife, Nina. The book is about their perfect home, and how things go downhill quickly! I read this in about 2 afternoons. I couldn’t put it down!

This is the second Shalini Boland’s book I have read and it didn't disappoint. The story follows Nina and Zac, who have just purchased their first home, a flat in Mistletoe Lane. They move into the ground floor flat, and quickly meet their strange upstairs neighbours, Chris an outgoing man and his reclusive wife Vanessa. Quickly things start to go wrong for the couple, it is clear it has something to do with the upstairs neighbours, but it is unclear what and what. The story is a strange one, I didn't really know what to expect. It is not a "thriller" in the traditional sense, but is an enjoyable read nonetheless. I would recommend.

Another fabulous psychological thriller from Shalini Boland. Nina thinks her life is pretty much perfect when her and her partner Zac move into her dream flat with space for her own business too. From day one things start to spiral out of control making Nina question her life. Who is sabotaging her business and worst of all her relationship with Zac. Finding herself cut off from family and friends Nina starts to wonder if things were as perfect as she first thought.

The Couple Upstairs, by Shalini Boland, is an easy read with twists and turns that kept me reading into the wee hours of the morning. I am not familiar with Boland's writing but will be looking to see what else is available.

The concept was there. It was interesting and could very well be exciting. However, I couldn't get past the writing style. I don't know why exactly, I just didn't enjoy it.

Nina and Zac have acquired a new home close to the sea for a fresh start. Friends and family have gathered to help celebrate. The dream quickly becomes a nightmare as the lights go out. Other things have gone wrong since Nina and Zac have met their upstairs neighbors, Chris and Vanessa. They came down with food poisoning after eating at Chris and Vanessa's upstairs. Arguments were overheard from them and nasty reviews shaking Nina's business. Is someone trying to destroy Nina and Zac? I read this book in one sitting as I couldn't put it down. It hooked me from the very beginning. The twists at the ending were a real surprise. This is a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. I'm looking forward to reading more of Shalini Boland's books. I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me a free copy for an honest review.

What a gripping thriller.

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!