Nina and Zac are excited to buy the downstairs of a house that has been converted into 2 flats, but all is not what it seems...
Nina, the protagonist, is starting up her own online boutique. The setting interested me because I worked in the garment industry for over 25 years and it was fun to read about her day to day activities.
This suspenseful book is a mildly entertaining, quick read - the narrative flowed well and kept me interested.
However, the climax is far fetched and it took a lot of explaining by the author to make sense of the end of the book.
The point of view is from the protagonist and also from someone whom the reader doesn't know, which makes it a little disjointed. Perhaps if we were given a few small hints about who was the other point of view, the ending wouldn't have seemed so random.
Shalini Boland is a popular author and this book will appeal to readers who have enjoyed this author's previous work.

Nina and Zac move into a new home with a split level that has neighbors above them
The neighbors are Chris and Vanessa.
Nina starts her own small business working from home selling high end products that people would love. She is excited how well her business is doing and how happy she is with Zac until things start taking a turn for the very worst
It all starts with a lie, then another, then another...
I have always enjoyed Bolands books and she did not disappoint. Very creative plot, and kept me intrigued to the end
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for giving me this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Nina and her boyfriend Zac decide to purchase a downstairs flat on Mistletoe Lane together. Nina is excited because it is near the beach and her dream home. Their upstairs neighbors Chris and Vanessa are welcoming when they first arrive but things take a turn for the worst. Nina hears Chris and Vanessa shouting all the time, and furniture being moved in the early morning hours. Nina’s new business and her relationship with Zac also begin to crumble after they move in. Someone is not happy with Nina living on Mistletoe Lane, could it be a neighbor? Or someone else close to her?

This was a quick enjoyable read. I have read several of Shalini Boland's books and they never disappoint. It had just the right amount of suspense to keep me hooked in from beginning to end. The fast pace made it even better and I would definitely recommend THE COUPLE UPSTAIRS.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy reading this novel as much as I was expecting to. I found the characters boring. I was a bit surprised at the end which I like in a suspense novel.

If you read one thriller this year it has to be The Couple Upstairs.
Fast paced, shocking and ever so dark.
I thought I had it figured out...I was wrong (and pleasantly surprised.)
If all books I read were this good I’d be one happy little blogger!! 5/5

(Will be making my books of 2021 list)

Twisty and turny, The Couple Upstairs was a cracking good read. I enjoyed the characters (some of them), and especially liked the ending ... I think Neens needed to chill, just a bit! I'll be looking into a few more of Ms. Boland's books, this was my first.

Thanks to the publisher, author and Net Galley for my ARC.

Shalini Boland is an author that I have been reading for several years now with The Couple Upstairs I believe being the ninth book of hers that I have read. A wonderful author of psychological thrillers with plenty of twists and turns I would find myself incredibly shocked to not enjoy one of her books and of course I did enjoy this one too.

The Couple Upstairs is aptly named with our protagonist, Nina, and her significant other, Zac, have moved into a new home in the ground floor and have found themselves with new neighbors upstairs, Chris and Vanessa. Nina does her best to be welcoming to the new neighbors and befriend them even inviting Vanessa to work part time in Nina’s new business adventure. However, Nina keeps hearing things coming from upstairs and begins to have concerns.

One thing that I never fail to find picking up Shalini Boland’s books is a story that pulls me in from the opening pages and doesn’t want to let go. Of course another thing that I’ve come to expect is also questioning everything and just waiting for the twists to come. The story was fast paced and definitely thrilling as I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out how it all tied together and what would happen in the end.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

“The Couple Upstairs” by Shalini Boland new author to this reader was somewhat gripping but at times I did not think to be such a thriller. It is the story of Nina and Zac who moves into their new flat and right off the back is self-introduced to the neighbors upstairs who actually causes physical harm leaving them sick after the first day of meeting. Thinking this was strange with no motive as the two of them have never met the upstairs couple at all. I do have to say that this was a novel that I could not put down and left me page-turning until the end.

To note, there were some inconsistencies in the story that threw me off. One, Nina being locked out of the house but somehow already having talked to her mother. Two, she was so sure that the Zac was a jealous type of fellow, but later that was the crux to them separating. Not sure where the author was headed with the suspense and thriller part but having a Vanessa carry a grudge since high school was a bit much. Nothing said that Vanessa knew who Nina was until close to the end…go figure. Even Nina didn’t recognize her until that point…or just didn’t care.

For all that it is worth, I think there was well intent with the plot. Would I consider this a thriller...I don’t think so but I would chalk it up as a suspense as there was no thrill for me. The “thriller” was not as strong as I would have hoped for in this story. At some point towards the end, was unbelievable and not sure what direction the author was setting up when the new neighbors noticed a figure in the window when moving end…was this some sort of cliffhanger? Although I enjoyed, it was a miss for me and I’ve had very few of those with new authors this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Another belter of a read from this fabulously talented author. I don’t think this lady can write an average or mediocre book, they’re all brilliant and this is no exception. Her writing grabs you, you settle in and off you go on a rollercoaster ride. I read this over two evenings. Nina and Zac get the keys to their new flat, the first property they have purchased together, in prettily named Mistletoe Lane. Nina couldn’t be happier, new home, her own exciting business and a future with the man she’s loves, what could possibly go wrong? What matter if the couple upstairs seem a bit odd, a bit noisy and he a bit creepy? You can feel her frustration confusion and disillusionment as things start to fall apart. Never did I see the culprit, the outcome or the reasons behind it. A another cracking good read from Ms Boland

I usually enjoy Shalini Boland's books and this one was easy to read as her previous ones. However, there was something missing for me. I thought it was just okay.

The Couple Upstairs was a disturbing thriller. Nearly impossible to put down. How well do we really know our neighbors. Nina and Zac buy a new home. A perfect neighborhood with perfect neighbors or are they? The twists and turns have you guessing all the way to the end! A perfect fall read.

I have read most of this author's books and enjoyed them but find they can be a bit hit and miss sometimes. This one was gripping from the start, I do like domestic drama with some neighbours from hell thrown in! It certainly kept me turning the pages but I felt it was a bit too formulaic. The revenge storyline was pretty implausible, when you find out the reasons behind it I felt it wasn't very realistic. If Nina and Zac had just spoken about what was going on, the mistrust wouldn't have escalated. For a couple there didn't seem to be much trust between them.
I know this is a proof copy and things will probably be changed before publication, I just wanted to point out an error. When Nina is locked out she had left her phone in the flat so was unable to phone Zac, however, in her garden office she had access to a phone as she had already phoned her mother. Another point, Nina kept going on about Zac not usually being the jealous type, however, we find out they had to move from their previous house as he had made their situation uncomfortable due to being jealous of another neighbour flirting with her.
Sorry this has a few criticisms, I do enjoy this author's work I just felt this one wasn't up to par.

One of my favorite authors for quick, easy suspense novels that you can read in a day- Shalini Boland has a new book coming out, The Couple Upstairs.

I was totally intrigued by the synopsis:

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

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 so 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 – to show them we’re exactly the sort of people they want living on their street.

I hadn’t thought about who they might be, the strangers I was letting in.

It was going so well. There was laughter in the air and the wine was flowing. But then I noticed the narrowed eyes, the whispers.

And then the lights went out.

As my heart thumped in my chest, all the little things that had been going wrong since we moved here flashed through my mind: the food poisoning, the arguments, the flood of nasty reviews shaking my business.

Am I going crazy? Or is someone trying to destroy us?

And this novel didn’t disappoint! I read it quickly and enjoyed every page. It kept me guessing and I highly recommend this for anyone who wants a suspense but nothing super dark or gritty or scary.

This will be published on September 13.

Another enjoyable swift free standing read from Shalini Boland. A couple move into an apparently lovely new house on the outskirts of Bournemouth where she (Nina) hopes to make a success of her life and new business. But she is immediately suspicious of the couple upstairs (Chris and Vanessa) and a host of bad things start happening to her work prospects and her previously idyllic relationship.

This is written in a way that compels you to read just one more chapter … again and again!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for a fair review

A good start to this story. Nina and Zac have moved into their dream home by the sea. Then odd things start to happen and suddenly Zac and Ninas relationship is falling apart.

I enjoyed reading this book right up until the end when I found it to be unbelievable that you could work all this out as a couple and just go back to nothing ever happened. If only the characters were made to talk to each other throughout the book I think I would have enjoyed the ending more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a new to me author. The premise was very interesting and the writing style is laid back. Almost a little too much. At many points it felt like I was reading journal entries. There was quite a bit of mundane minute day to day happenings that maybe were just added to make the book longer?

The MC was somewhat immature - she even said things like “stupid o’clock” and “super polite” in fact “super + adj” was used a few times throughout. (Don’t quote me, I know we aren’t supposed to quote the book.)

I think the writing style was just a miss for me. The storyline kept me engaged enough but the conclusion was a bit lackluster. On the plus side, the book doesn’t drag on and I feel like if you already love this author you’ll love this one probably, too.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nina is thrilled to be moving into a new flat with her boyfriend until things begin to go very wrong and the problems with the couple who live upstairs aren’t helping matters any. I really enjoyed this story and loved how intense and suspenseful it was!

The Couple Upstairs is a fast paced thriller that will have you quickly turning the pages to the ending I did not see coming.

Zac and Nina are moving into their dream flat but there is an atmosphere that just seems off.

Chris and Vanessa are the upstairs neighbours that send nothing but bad vibes to Nina. She does not trust Chris and worries about Vanessa.

The atmosphere is quickly turning to the dark side

Things start going wrong for Nina personally and with her at home business.

The beginning to the end of The Couple Upstairs will capture your undivided attention.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for another great read from Shalini Boland.

I have enjoyed all Shalini Boland's books and they are a popular choice with my customers too. I like the way the suspense builds and you wonder who can be trusted. If I was to criticise it would be to say I felt the eventual uncovering of the truth behind the torment was a bit too contrived but still a good read for Boland fans.

A pacy psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat.
Nina and Zac move into their dream flat. Nina has started up her own business Mistletoe Lane after the road they have moved to.
From the off things start to go wrong. They both end up with food poisoning after eating the cake their neighbours upstairs bring them. Nina's business starts to fall apart.
The couple upstairs Chris and Vanessa who are expecting their first baby always seem to be arguing. They are a very strange couple.
I really enjoyed this as all is not what it seems. Why is Chris so hostile towards Nina? Who is sabotaging her business?
The only negative for me was the way Nina came across when arguing with her boyfriend Zac, she sounded like a whinny teenager.
I did guess what was going on about two thirds of the way through but wanted to see how it all tied up.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in return for an honest review.