3⭐️⭐️⭐️



✨ very… slow paced
✨ creepy
✨ one pov



When mr.adams invited Rosie as the girl is homeless and she agreed to it as winter is closing by.
As coming from Mr. Adam’s pov, it’s quite frustrating and confusing what is it really about there secret is about to reveal? I think it’s the best of each character has own pov.


✨anyway, it’s too slow. I have to skip a little bit just to go further but it drags even more .
The story was great but up until it was on the 80% mark.
If it was so captivating from the first page I would love to give this a good 5.




Thankyou netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc for a honest review.



🫶🏼shaye.reads

The Girl Downstairs is a great book – if you like creepy, unsettling thriller type stories, this is for you! It’s not clear what motivates each character initially – which straight away makes you want to know more. The characters are intriguing and there are so many different pathways for the storyline to take, the only disappointment is that it never quite pushes as far as you actually expect it to! The end falls slightly flat for me, where a lot more could have been done to really ramp up the intensity. At one point the dog (Fluffy) disappears, and this is a moment that could have been really sinister and psychotic – but instead it goes down a strange cutesy route, which doesn’t fully match the vibe leading up to it. You are completely gripped thinking the worst, so when it isn’t that bad it feels like writer Iain Maitland has chickened out slightly from going all the way! The suspense is great though – a real page turner.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for letting me read this in exchange for my honest review.The first part of the book does a very good job at reeling you in.I did find this hard to put back down once I had started it.This book turned out to be a read I wasn’t expecting.

This is a heart-pounding novel that will captivate readers from start to finish. The author skillfully crafts a suspenseful narrative filled with unexpected twists and turns, ensuring an enthralling reading experience.

The story introduces readers to a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motivations and secrets. As the plot unfolds, their lives become intertwined in a high-stakes game of danger and deceit. The author expertly maintains a sense of suspense throughout the book, keeping readers guessing and eagerly turning the pages to uncover the truth.

One of the book's greatest strengths lies in its ability to create a palpable atmosphere of tension and unease. The author's vivid descriptions and attention to detail transport readers into the world of the story, making them feel as if they are right alongside the characters, experiencing the thrilling events firsthand.

This was a good read, that kept me entertained until the end. Nothing is as it seems, and I really enjoyed it. Recommended.

Well this one was kinda messed up and creepy! Phillip lost his wife and daughter which makes him become very lonely and isolated. He becomes obsessed with a homeless girl named Rosie. One day he asks her to come stay with him, she accepts and then that madness begins.

I wish we were able to get inside Rosie's head or hear her side of the story as this was only told in Phillip's POV. I found parts to be very disturbing/creepy and would of enjoyed it more if the POV of Rosie was somewhere to get a break from Phillip's thoughts.

Whilst I ramble incoherently here, I have to add that I’m really unsure how a written review will do this book justice. Please just trust me when I say – THIS IS A MUST READ.

Philip is a middle aged man and lonely with only his old rescue dog (Fluffy) for company. He is very set in his ways and routines but out on one of his walks around Felixstowe he spots a young homeless girl who reminds him of his daughter. Afterwards he decides she must come and stay especially as it is due to snow very soon. It is at that point that it begins to be tedious, pages and pages of him out looking for her and then the same once she’s in his cottage - cooking, descriptions of what’s there, what it all looks like etc. Both characters are weird and creepy and I wouldn’t like to spend even 5 minutes with either of them! It’s a book that sadly never really got going, has loose ends with an awful, abrupt ending.

A crazy, twisty, and eerie thrilling read. Highly recommend for adrenaline junkies because this one is sure to give you that thrill high you are longing for!

I had high hopes for this book and tried to get into it 3 times, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me, hence the 2 stars.

This was an intriguing story with a creepy vibe. The main premise is that Phillip, a lonely, middle aged widower offers Rosie, a young homeless woman, to stay in his house where he will provide for her. Lots of ewww and ick factor with that! But Rosie has some dark secrets of her own to foil his plans. Thank you NetGalley, Inkubator Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. Available now

Honestly I had such high hopes for this book! But when they say don’t judge a book by its cover, I guess it can go both ways. I really thought this sounded like a GREAT read that would be intriguing and creepy, but it stayed super slow and VERY creepy, to the point that it gets uncomfortable to keep reading.

I wish I had enjoyed this book more, and I’m sure some readers will love it! It just wasn’t a good match for my reading preferences.

I’m quite surprised by this book. For starters, it was a pretty fast-paced read for me. I really enjoyed it. I felt that the characters weren’t all that interesting, but the story itself was interesting enough to keep me reading.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Girl Downstairs by Iain Maitland is a gripping and terrifying psychological thriller. The story revolves around Mr. Adams, a creepy old man who allowed a homeless young woman named Rosie to stay in his house. He does so because she reminds him of his departed daughter. He hopes to recapture some of those happy moments from the past. But is Rosie everything that she seems? Or is she hiding a darker agenda?

Here is a creepy excerpt from the Prologue:

"I stop as I see her. And catch my breath. It's my daughter.
She is huddled by a beach hut, sheltered from the wind.
But, of course, it is not my daughter. It cannot be. My family, such as it was, has gone. Wife. Daughter. Both dead. And I am all alone.
...
I am standing still. Staring into space.
The sight of the young girl. My mind full of terrible memories."

Overall, The Girl Downstairs is a fast read, but it wasn't pleasant to read. I don't usually read books with main characters like this (lonely, angry men), but I thought I'd give it a try, since the synopsis made the plot sound interesting. I was really interested in the part that Rosie had to play and if she would end up fighting back against Mr. Adams. However, the ending of this book just ruined any enjoyment that I had. There is zero explanation of what happened, and it was completely unsatisfying. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, you can check out this book, which is available now.

The Girl Downstairs is a definite page turner, full of dark secrets and suspense. I could not wait to finish this book to find out everything, as I've ben on the edge of my seat reading it. The only disappointment is that I finished it way too fast! If you like suspense and secrets you will definitely like this book!

A really good read with twists and turns. I'd recommend to anyone. I will be looking out for more books by Iaun Maitland

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

The Girl Downstairs is a truly psychological thriller, so the book’s power comes mainly from its emotional twists and turns. We are invited over and over to re-evaluate the things we think we know about its characters, as the story swings from the sinister to the heartbreaking and back again. Kept me up well past my bedtime, I could not put it down.
So many thrilling twists and turns, I highly recommend

First off, thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book, however, I was not the biggest fan. It is written by Phillips's point of view only. The book was a slow-burn where nothing basically happened with the plot. I was sitting and waiting for a big twist to come but was very much disappointed by the end of the book.

I do think there is potential to the storyline, it was just too drawn out with no details given. There were a lot of unanswered questions at the end. Most of the ending felt rushed with no closure. Sadly, I cannot say this book kept me engaged.

I was interested on the synopsis of this story so I downloaded it from netgalley. There was a sort of hint that the supposed victim isn't really the victim. That got me interested.

So this is a single POV kind of story. We only have Philip's point of view. So he's a former alcoholic who lost his wife and daughter and still dealing with grief. There are lots of monologues we're subjected to while reading this.

The first half-ish is slow for me. Like nothing is happening. It was lots of details on how Philip is trying to cope on his lost and just trying to survive life.

Then came Rosie, a beggar that Philip invited on his home. Philip's intention already weirded me out and Rosie's acceptance is also dubious.

There was this major event when someone died in the book and starting from that point I was lost. Like where is this even going?

That ending was confusing. Like huh?

It was a so-so read. Not much mystery or thrilling scenes in my opinion.

TW/CW: suicide, alcohol abuse, child abuse, grief, death of a love one

*Thanks to the publisher for making this book available for review via Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest thoughts and opinions of the book.*