The perfect marriage. The perfect house. The perfect secret… As I step through the cherry-red door of my new home, I know I should feel like the luckiest woman alive. I have a handsome husband, a beautiful daughter and now the house of my dreams. And to everyone else my life looks perfect…

Life is not always what it seems and neither are people. This sets up this story that I could not get enough of as I was madly turning the pages waiting for the destruction of one couple's lives to come tumbling down by some very manipulative and self centred people, intent of filling their own greed and desires. To say that karma will eventually get you is an understatement and it it very satisfying to see this at work. There are a lot of very unlikable characters but again, as in many books, it is these characters that dominate the story and make it what it is.

This is a not a deep read by any means, but that does not make is less enjoyable, it definitely passed a few hours for me where I was able to escape into another world. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book.

I had such high hopes for this book, and I was so excited when I got the email about this ARC!! Unfortunately, it took everything in me not DNF this oneThe book is split into 4 parts, and starting off, part 1 was just SO slow. Once I got to part 2, it sped up a little bit and kept me interested. The beginning of part 3 was good and then it started to slow down again. Part 4 remained relatively slow and the ending fell flat. I did enjoy reading the story from 3 points of view, I just wish this had been a lot faster paced!

This was a very interesting tale of greed and entitlement told through the voices of three characters to give the whole picture of what happened.
There were some interesting twists and turns along the way as well as a hook which was well baited to keep me reading late into the night with a need to reach the ending and have it all resolved.
The ending was very satisfying to read and has left me with a want to find other books by this author in the hope that they will be as enjoyable a read too!

The new couple by A. James, published by Bookouture, is a story that had me on the edge of my seat. Complex, angsty, fast paced, full of twists and unexpected turns kept me in suspense right from the start.

A great read from this new to me author I recommend the book, 4,5 stars.

Title: The New Couple
Author: Alison James
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
Read type: eARC

Pub Date: 27 Sept 2022

Review:

I really enjoyed this thriller. There was good suspense and plot twists and the writing was great.
I also loved the idea of the story centered around a lottery house win because that’s something we see all the time irl.

I liked the 3 POV and how they were told in parts, instead of chapter by chapter, each starting from the beginning for each character and how it was all brought together in Part Four. The author avoids repetition and the parts flow really well.

Even though you knew what was happening, it didn’t take away from the story because it was written like a crime show, you were kept in suspense wondering how this was going to come to an end.

This book made me think of how people are easily manipulated, if you know their weak points. It makes you think of what you would do in that situation.

Thank you to @netgalley & @bookouture for the eARC copy of this book.

Synopsis:

As I step through the cherry-red door of my new home, I know I should feel like the luckiest woman alive. I have a handsome husband, a beautiful daughter and now the house of my dreams. And to everyone else my life looks perfect…

When the neighbors stop by to welcome us, I tell them my name is Stephanie Hamlin and, under the watchful gaze of my husband Richard, I introduce him and our curly haired little girl Poppy. I smile as wide as I can and desperately hope I can fit in to this exclusive place with its pretty communal gardens. Because I’ve risked everything to be here.

Behind closed doors I try to relax, to unwind in the huge clawfoot bath and forget about my complicated past. It’s hard being the new couple on the street when you’ve got secrets.

Because the truth is, my charming husband isn’t really my husband.

And I’m not Stephanie Hamlin…

This was a really enjoyable read with several twists and turns. It kept my interest for a weekend and I liked the ending too - it didn’t fizzle out like several of these psychological thriller style books do. I would recommend it highly. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy x

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller by Alison James. Lots of action with twists and turns all over the place. Well developed characters kept me hooked! This book was easy to get into and hard to put down.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Richard and Stephanie Hamlin are delighted to win a house in a competition and move there with their daughter Poppy. But things aren't quite what they seem and neighbour Jane does her best to find out what is going on, not realising the shocking secrets she will uncover...

Another brilliant book by Alison James. It was thrilling, exciting and tense, and I couldn't stop turning the pages until the great ending. I loved how different characters have different sections of the book so that we see the story from each perspective. Loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller. The storyline was unique and engaging with lots of twists throughout.
My only negative would be the repetitive nature of some sections when moving between the characters. It didn’t put off my enjoyment though and I thought it was a great read.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

This quick suburban thriller follows a quiet neighborhood with nosy people. So when a house goes up for lottery and a new couple moves in, others can't help but be interested. They want to know more about the young couple. Therefore, Jane, takes the initiative to visit the new neighbors multiple times, each visit giving her a weird feeling and being dismissed very quickly by the Hamlins. We quickly learn that many of the neighbors have their own secrets they are trying to keep quiet. But Jane can't handle the secretness and continues to dig and becomes obsessed with the new neighbors, little did she know what she would uncover and where she would end up!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The New Couple was a very fast read. It's set up in 4 parts with different perspectives of the same time frame. The redundancy was a little boring, having to read the same thing all over again, and maybe that's part of why it goes so fast. I might have given this more than 3 stars if I hadn't figured it all out very early on - there were no surprises. The book and its characters aren't very memorable. It's just ok. An interesting premise that fell flat for me. I think I was expecting more thriller, especially from the description and tagline.

I'm someone who loves thrillers set in posh neighborhoods with a set of suspicious characters and twists. The New Couple was that for me.

I loved the multiple perspectives though I wish the narrations started from a little ahead in the story rather than point zero. Despite the slow burn I found this to be a page turner as the book manages to build curiosity about the multiple little mysteries too. It has some interesting characters and even the supporting characters you meet along the way are well created.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this eARC in exchange of my honest review!

I’ve read another book with a lottery win of a house recently so that was in my mind as reqd this,however I enjoyed this one more and after a slowish start it built up to a great middle amd emding,love books on new neighbours and exclusive neighbourhoods and folk who move in….this couple are very different though as they don’t belong at all,overall.a very good read indeed that was full of surprises

9/10
5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an early copy of The New Couple. I must say I read the reviews and they were right, it was definitely a slow burn…….then WHAMMMMMM!!!!! Wow, who makes this stuff up? It was like an out of control rollercoaster. So many twists and turns, Fantastic read. Stick with it, try to get through the slow burn of the beginning, it is sooooo worth it.

"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." (Albert Einstein)

Alison James creates a round table here with placemats color-coded to degrees of blatant ignorance. We've got some of these characters in blazing red who travel aimlessly toward goals that they will never attain. Desire doesn't necessarily lock in brain power. Let's discuss.

I hovered around the 3-Star point for some time in regard to this one. Empty-headedness looms large on this planet. It's a tried and true plot device. But Alison James deserves credit for a very original storyline and concept here. What is simmering behind that red door is tense with possibilities. There's always someone with the curiosity and observation skills akin to a drone overhead. A snowball packs on power as it rolls down the hill.

Jane Headley has a lot of time on her hands. Her children are grown and out of the nest and her husband, Fergus, a professor of Economics, is rarely home. Jane just quite her part-time job as a classroom assistant. She promises Fergus that she'll look for another job. But until then, Jane has her eye on the comings and goings of the new people next door.

Sycamore Gardens is an upscale neighborhood of London built in the 1890's. Its residents enjoy the finer things in life. Jane and Fergus moved in years ago when prices weren't so high. Most families have been pretty stationary except for Irina and her multi-millionaire husband who own the grandest house in the area. Irina is model material. Jane is not. And yet all these neighbors do get along.

Richard Hamlin and his wife, Stephanie, are moving into the renovated home next door to Jane. They have a precious baby, Poppy and a frisky dog. Jane notices that the Hamlin family has very few possessions brought over in a white van. She decides to bring a bouquet of her tulips and some treats to welcome the young couple. But she's met with unfriendly stares and a very cold reception. So much for that and Jane decides to back off.

Now here's the hook, youngsters. The very next day Stephanie shows up on Jane's doorstep asking her to mind Poppy for a few hours. Strangers asking strangers for strange things. Stephanie doesn't show up until well into the late evening with no apologies or excuses. And this continues for days and days. as Stephanie drops off Poppy. Where does she go? And why is there no furniture in the house?

Jane's curiosity is getting the best of her. Her husband and neighbors blow her off. But Jane knows that things are not what they seem next door. Jane needs proof and proof will be pressing upon her like an andiron.

And here's where that element of sawdust for brains comes in. Someone has grandiose ideas here and incorporates like-minded individuals to assist. Although there's a lot of outlandish occurences here, it does bring to mind that a sucker is born every minute. Alison James brings to light just how easy it is to manipulate people by the promise of bright shiny objects or the pressing reality that someone will "tell on you". That's why The New Couple is worth a looky-look. Humans doing bad things for all the wrong reasons.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Bookouture and to Alison James for the opportunity.

I managed to read this within 2 days it was that good.The story centres around a couple Richard and Stephanie Hamlin and their young daughter Poppy They enter a charity lottery with the price being a large furnished house in a very upmakrket housing estate.. They win and begin to move in much to the dismay of some of the residents already living there. They are not the right fit for their snobby set. One neighbour Jane soons goes round to say hi but they aren't as friendly to her as they should be.
Some of them have a really big secret and when nosy neighbours like Jane shows too much of an interest in their new neighbours it doesn't end well.
I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and had twists all along the way to keep you wanting to read on.

Lots of twists and turns and a bit repetitive, but on the whole a good story. I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for advance copy.

The book's premise was good and I love a good twist, however, I found it hard to want to follow as it was somewhat repetitive and uneven in its pace. If you are a fan of mysteries, I would recommend this but it would be better not to read the synopsis first as it gives away too much of the plot. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

My Review:
Enjoyed!!!! I was hooked from the very first chapter. This was a fast paced mystery with a heart attack of an ending. It had me guessing the whole way through and I’m still in shock. This author is no stranger to me and what I have read of hers I have liked. Her characters were on point with just the right amount of evil in some of them. What I loved most about this book though was it was broken up in several parts with a few of the characters telling their side of the same story. It gave the readers a chance to hear what happened from different point of view. When an author does this it makes a book for me. What first made pick up this book was the blurb. It told me just enough to make me want to read this one. Now on to what I live for, the ending. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. It left me wondering how someone would be able to do something like this and how cold a person could really be. Kudos to this author for such a great read. I can’t wait to read her next book.

In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 4 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️

“Jane can’t help wondering who will live at the house next, and whether they will be anything like the young couple who moved in the previous spring and – for a while at least – fooled them all”


A young couple, Richard and Stephanie Hamlin, are lucky enough to win a beautiful house by taking part in a charity lottery. This becomes a subject of gossip in the upper-middle class neighbourhood as it’s inhabitants anticipate the arrival of their new neighbours.

When this day comes, Richard and Stephanie are quite aloof and try their best to keep to themselves. This sparks the curiosity of Jane, a nosey neighbour who tries her best to make the Hamlin’s feel welcome, and she begins to investigate her new neighbour’s allusiveness.

As the blurb to this book suggests, the Hamlins are not who they say they are and Jane is as determined to find out the truth as they are to hide it. Jane’s interference does not go unnoticed by the “Hamlins” and subtle threats spur the seemingly-bored housewife on even more, making her obsessed with finding out exactly who has moved into number 12 Sycamore Gardens.

This story is divided into four parts with the third person narrative beginning and ending with the perspective of Jane. Readers also experience the viewpoints of both Stephanie and Richard, except, as we already know going in, these aren’t their real names.

This switching of perspectives allows Alison James to reveal secrets without any of the characters having to do too much explaining. Although the different characters do sometimes describe the same situations, James has managed to avoid unnecessary repetition and it’s quite satisfying how all the perspectives end up tying in with each other.

There are a good array of characters in this book, some revealing depths that I couldn’t help sympathising with, despite their unethical intentions. One of the characters made me angry with nearly everything he said, which is one example of how this book does such a good job of evoking the real-life emotions that these characters are experiencing.

This was quite an easy read for me and it wasn’t too much of a heavy thriller. There is enough suspense throughout to keep you interested and this easily leads you right to the very end, making it a book that’s hard to put down.

Thank you NetGally and Bookouture for letting me read this book in advance.

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