This was decent. I'd recommend this for readers who want to explore thriller as a genre but are not comfortable with trigger warnings that most of the thrillers/mysteries come with.

The writing style is easy to follow and chapters are small. One of the major problem for me apart from the very predictable plot was the writing format which gets a little boring.

The book is divided into four segments, and first three segments are about the same incidents by three different point of views with little variations.

Narrated by neighbour Jane Headley, we meet the affluent residents of Sycamore Gardens. When one of the homes is bought by a company to raffle the question of true snobbery comes in to play. A house worth three million sold in the normal manner would only attract someone they deem of good social standing. A raffle however could mean anyone moving in.

The prologue gives you the foreboding insight of knowing how things might play out but kept enough information back that you don’t know who, why or how.

These poor rich residents with their hedge funds, nannies and housekeepers have no idea what is about to happen and that to me was the absolute grip of this book. While I wanted to feel sorry for them, I also hated their holier than thou attitudes and the class system that was their mantra. Poor does not necessarily mean awful neighbour or a lowering of tone.

Jane however came across as quite likeable even if she was incredibly nosey. She is the textbook definition of curtain twitcher but with her children now grown I think she needed something in her life to stop the rot of her marriage becoming evident.

This is the third book I have read of this author and while this was a slower burn than the others she certainly does write great characters. Whether you like them or not!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW 


Review for 'The New Couple' by Alison James. 


Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Alison James, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous 


Publication date 27th September 2022.


This is the third book I have read by this author. I have previously read Alison's 'Her Sister's Child' and 'The Guilty Wife' which I highly recommend. 


I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'If you love Behind Closed Doors, My Lovely Wife and The Perfect Couple, you’ll be hooked.' I am a fan of 'Behind Closed Doors' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Alison and if this is half as good as 'Her Sister's Child' and 'The Guilty Wife' it is sure to be an epic read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture  that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).


This novel consists of a prologue, 43 chapters and an epilogue and is spread over 4 parts. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!


This book is based in London, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.


This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Jane Headley, Keren Stockley and Liam Devenish. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.


LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS FAST PACED PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER!!! 


WOW!!! If you are looking for a psychological thriller filled with twists then this is the book for you. It starts of a slow burn domestic drama and then builds up into a fast paced, intriguing, page turning psychological thriller that will have you hooked. I just could not put it down and ended up reading it in one sitting!! It is absolutely ram packed with secrets, lies, romance, gossip, crime and so much more. I'm not going to go into the storyline too much as I'm a bit worried ill give something away and I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I do want to say a HUGE WELL done to Alice on the plot which is absolutely unique as well as intriguing. I love the idea of someone being able to win a home in a prestigious neighbourhood for the price of a raffle ticket and all the disruption it may cause for current residents. I was able to picture everything perfectly thanks to Alice's vivid descriptions and she created the neighbourhood with the variety of neighbours ensuring that it was all realistic. Sycamore Gardens sounds absolutely beautiful and everything just came alive as I was turning the pages. The community includes the body neighbours, the gossip, the posh neighbours, affairs, the organiser and everything that is likely in a small community street. I absolutely love the way that Alice has written this in four parts with each part showing us everything that is going on through the eyes of each main protagonist. 


Clear your schedules and get ready for a rollercoaster ride of drama!! 


The characters were well realistic, well defined and jumped out of the pages. I can't say much at all without ruining it for others but there was a great mix and every single one of them had a unique personality. There was the nosy neighbour, the stuck up posh neighbour, the neighbour with the monster kids, the organising neighbour, the neighbour who constantly worked, the ex Met neighbour, the organising neighbour all thrown together in a beautiful street filled with gossip, affairs, and one major drama about to unfold!! 


Well done Alison on another successful psychological thriller and here's to many more 🍷🍹 🥃!! 


Overall a unique psychological thriller that will have you up until 2am finishing it!!! 



Genres covered in this novel include Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Fiction and Holiday Fiction amongst others. 


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Behind Closed Doors, My Lovely Wife, The Perfect Couple,  The Guest List and The Wife Between Us 



296 pages.


This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited and £7.99 in paperback via Amazon at time of review which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!! 


Rated 5 /5 (I loved it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook. 


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This novel starts with an epilogue which gets the heart racing, we don’t know who, what, why or where. The story slowly unfolds with us being introduced to all the characters then quickly picks up pace with many twists and turns. Many of the characters are hiding secrets of their own which make them act in a certain way.

Without giving anything away the plot does rely on us suspending belief in the how it could happen but this is forgivable and I found it a real page turner. The story is told from many points of view which helps with character development and understanding of their actions. The ending tied up all the lose ends and I was rooting for the unlikeable characters to get their just desserts.

This is a just one more chapter book that will keep you up late. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy, it is much appreciated.

A quick, easy read filled with suspense from the beginning. The characters were believable and even through the guilt I felt sorry for some.

OMG! WHAT A WHOPPER OF A BOOK!

THE NEW COUPLE by Alison James is the best book I’ve read in a very long time. If you want to completely lose yourself to the world around you, this is the book for you. If you want to get wrapped up in a thriller that has twists and turns at every point in the book, this is the book for you. I was completely unable to tear myself away from this book even for the simplest things like eating and sleeping.

Jane is very excited when the Hamlins move in next door after winning their home in a lottery. But things are not always as they seem, and Jane begins to realize that some thing just doesn’t seem quite right. With the tightknit community surrounding a central garden sometimes neighbors can be too close. In each other‘s business, and sometimes in each others beds.

With threats from ‘Mr. Hamlin’ to both Jane and her husband she continues to slog through the mire in an attempt to put the pieces together. At every turn she is advised to go to the police with her suspicions. What she sees, hears, and concludes, only puts her own life at risk.

This was my first book by Alison James but it will surely NOT be my last!

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the opportunity to read this book for my fair and honest review.

The New Couple by Alison James is a highly recommended mystery/thriller

When a renovated house in an upscale neighborhood is offered as a prize in a charity lottery, it is won by Stephanie and Richard Hamlin. The neighborhood is curious to meet the new residents, so when they are moving in along with their young daughter Poppy, and neighbor Jane Headley swiftly drops by to welcome them to the neighborhood. Jane finds their reactions a bit off-putting and odd, but Fergus, her husband, is quick to point out that they just moved in. When Stephanie stops by the next day and asks if Jane can babysit Poppy because she has to go somewhere, Jane agrees, but this only initiates even more curiosity about the new family and she starts to look into their backgrounds.

There is no question that the initial chapter indicating someone is chained up in a basement will immediately grab your attention. Then, as Jane begins snooping into her new neighbors, things slow down a bit but readers will also have their suspicions rise that something is amiss. Then the narrative goes back and totally twists things up. The story is divided into four parts. The first part is basically told through Jane's observations, it then jumps back in time and switches to someone else's experiences, and eventually unfolds through three narrators.

The plot is engaging even while none of the characters are particularly likable. The key to enjoying the novel is getting the complete picture through all three narrators. You'll have to accept really nosy neighbors, as well as some great leaps of disbelief, but it will be worth it to fully experience this fast paced, fun, and entertaining read.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Bookouture via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

The New Couple
Author: Alison James
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Rating: 4.5⭐️
Pub Date: TODAY! Sept. 27, 2022

“So this is it. This is how I’m going to die.”

Synopsis: Stephanie and Richard Hamlin, along with their infant daughter, win the grand prize of a million-dollar house in a prestige London neighborhood. One of their new neighbors, Jane, is more than excited to make them feel welcomed. But as Jane comes to realize, Stephanie and Richard aren’t who they say they are.

What I Liked: This book had me hooked from the first sentence. It was one of those where you needed to know what happened next. I loved that the book was told in multiple character’s viewpoints whose stories overlapped for a full picture. The book ending is a great way to tie everything together.

Favorite Quotes:
- “We’re just going to have to box clever.”

Read If:
* You need a new read for this fall season
* You like books full of twists and turns
* You like reading from multiple character’s POVs

Jane Headley and her husband Fergus have lived on the same street for some twenty years - longer than any of their neighbors. When number 12 is purchased and renovated by an organization that raffles houses to raise money for charity, the neighbors are a bit concerned about who will win the house. And, they should be.

When Stephanie and Richard Hamlin move in with their young daughter, Poppy, and the family dog, something seems off to Jane. The more she watches and observes, the more convinced she becomes that things are not as they should be. As Jane sets off to find the truth, she realizes she may be in over her head.

This was an easy and fast read without much character development. While the storyline was interesting, it was fairly easy to figure out what was going to happen. I did learn a lot of phrases and words I'd not seen before, which was really the best part of reading it.

#TheNewCouple #NetGalley #septembernewreads #books #read #readersareleaders #septemberbooks

I really enjoyed The New Couple. It was a slow burner to begin with but soon got going with plenty of unexpected twists and turns which built the tension nicely. It did seem a little long in places but did not detract from my enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

The New Couple is a domestic thriller that I really enjoyed reading. Whilst it’s not a very fast paced read it’s one which held my interest the whole way through. The first half of the story is fairly slow paced but that didn’t bother me in the slightest as it introduced us to all the characters, In the second half the pace picks up and we discover more about the characters and the secrets they have. I found the second half to be more exciting and I found myself not wanting to put the book down . A book with good if maybe some unlikeable characters, a good storyline and a satisfactory ending. Yes I recommend this book to fans of domestic thrillers.

Who doesn't like a nosey neighbor. I tend to like to spy on my neighbors, but nothing interesting happens where I live. This is not the case in The New Couple. I liked how this book was broken up between characters and then came together at the end. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy.

I love a good twist and surprise but the biggest shock to me with The New Couple was how well it all came together. I wasn’t sure that I’d like how the points of view didn’t ping pong in the same timeline but rather told a story of each person up to a point then the next character’s perspective was told from the beginning. Maybe I didn’t care for that aspect as much but there’s no denying that the book was good! The last half of the book really took off and I couldn’t put it down at that point! While it is so far fetched, I still enjoyed it! No one should underestimate Jane from here on out, least of all herself!

In this domestic thriller, we are told the story of Sycamore Gardens, a close knit neighbourhood who welcome lottery winners Stephanie and Richard Hamlin to their street. However not is all as it seems and Jane Headley is determined to find out what's really going on.

I appreciated the 3 different points of view. It allowed for a more in depth understanding of the story. It was slow to start through Jane's first part but did continue to build. I still would have liked a faster pace but I like my thrillers leaving me feeling like I'm stuck on the edge of my seat.

Alison James writes well and the premise of the story is solid. Most of the characters are fairly likeable and the ending is wrapped up nicely, leaving me without any unanswered questions.

First off ... wtf, why would you use the word "attractive" for a 9month old baby girl, seriously!?

And secondly, it was actually an okay read after you get past a few parts that make you wanna hurt someone.

The book does have a few bits in here to give it the thriller vibe I guess. I thought it was predictable but for something like a quick read it was good. At least it was better than my last read but not by much.

Thank you Alison James for allowing me to read your book, I will try another book of yours eventually. And thank you Netgalley for allowing me access to this psychological thriller book.

A slow burn story that gives the reader just enough to keep them engaged, THE NEW COUPLE has fairly unique twist to this tense domestic thriller with a difference. I wasn't sure what to think at first as the pace was a little slow and it seemed to go in a different direction than the premise suggested. But it does pick up and things start to fall into place before too long and ends up being something of a sticky situation for all involved as well as an interesting turn of events.

The prologue opens the story giving the reader the air of something sinister but then it about faces when we meet Jane Headley, a fifty-something resident of the affluent south west London area of Sycamore Gardens, who watches with interest the new couple moving into number 12. It seems the property, formerly owned by a retired couple who moved away to warmer climes, had been donated to the charity service who then placed the Victorian semi-detached home as the prize in a lottery sweep. The lottery is won by Richard and Stephanie Hamlin who had been saving to purchase their own home for some time. Together, with their 9 month old baby daughter daughter, the Hamlins swiftly move into number 12 Sycamore Gardens with an air of mystery about them.

The couple, who moved in with nothing but black bin bags filled with their belongings, keep to themselves mostly but Jane is quick to welcome them to the neighbourhood but receives a less than favourable welcome for her trouble. When she notices they had no highchair for young Poppy she offered to source one for them to borrow until they could get their own, but was refused. In fact, the couple didn't seem to have anything for the baby. No cot, nappies, toys...nothing.

And then one day, a knock at her door heralded young Stephanie with the gorgeous golden curled Poppy in her arms asking her to baby-sit. Thinking it will just be for an hour or two, Jane is happy to help out. But then Stephanie is gone for almost six hours and upon her return mumbles an apology of sorts but offers no explanation. Soon Jane finds herself becoming an unpaid babysitter while she disappears for hours on end, especially when Richard is so clearly at home. This spikes Jane's interest and she begins to play amateur detective to find out a little more about this mysterious couple.

That's when she notices Richard beginning to pay nocturnal visits to one of their other neighbours and taking full of advantage of another's absence to copulate. But whatever is going on here really isn't any of Jane's business and her husband Fergus would be the first one to tell her to leave it. But Jane just knows that something isn't quite right about the new couple.

Then we meet another couple - Keren and Liam - but how do they fit in? I'll say this, with their entrance the story certainly ramps up a notch or two. The pace picks up and twists begin to come fast and are soon made clear as things start falling into place. But...just exactly where is it all going? And where will it all end? The lives of everyone involved entwine with colossal consequences...but how and why?

A slow burn to begin with, the pace doesn't really pick up until Part Two but don't worry, that is only a dozen chapters into the story and it is then that some of the bigger twists are revealed. And gradually, the pieces of the puzzle start fitting together and things begin to make sense. The first part is pretty much Jane and her suspicions with not a whole lot happening but then everything is turned on its head and I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it.

Although it wasn't my favourite of the authors, THE NEW COUPLE is still an entertaining read with a unique plot that surprised me and a satisfying end. I would have preferred a faster pace but it was enough to hold my interest until it did pick up, so I wasn't disappointed.

Definitely worth a read for fans of domestic thrillers.

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

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

🔸 Stephanie and Richard Hamlin have won through charity draw a beautiful house in mid-Victorian neighbourhood of Sycamore Gardens. They along with their 9 months old daughter Poppy shift to the new residence but are very reclusive. All the neighbours are on a gossip spree about this new family that have come to stay in their posh locality more by luck than their ability. Jane Headley, their friendly neighbour has an inkling from start that something is amiss and is curious as to why the Hamlin’s are so secretive. She starts snooping around until one day when Richard threatens her to restrain herself. This raises doubts all the more and Jane becomes hell bent to resolve the mystery of Hamlin’s.

💖 This is a medium paced thriller with 3 different POVs. I found that most enjoyable bcoz I love watching the same scene from different angles and making sense of what the other person was thinking while doing the act. The writing was quite catchy and kept me invested the whole time. I totally disliked Keren & Liam which is a compliment in itself since they were the antagonists and managed to evoke those hate vibes.

💔 I had to drag myself through part 1 and found Jane nosy and spooky for a neighbour. In fact, I came to disliking her at 1 point. But from part 2 onwards, there was no looking back and I completed 70% of the book in a day. For readers who do not love multiple POVs, this might be a drag bcoz many dialogues and scenes are repeated thrice over to show POV of the narrator.

💫 I will not exactly call this a mystery since it was not really a whodunnit.. If you are interested in picking up a thriller with neighbourhood vibes and multiple POVs, do give this a try. Author has done a decent job in delivering a what next? drama…

Thank you @bookouture for sharing the eARC in exchange of honest review.

I have read author Alison James before and have really enjoyed her previous work. I got the opportunity to read this ARC from Netgalley and was super excited to read it as it sounded like such a good storyline.

Unfortunately for me, I had to give up reading this novel around the half way mark. My mind did not resonate with this novel at all, I literally hate giving up on books especially when I have enjoyed the authors previous novels but for some reason I could not get into this novel. I also found that I was skipping paragraphs out of the novel and that's when I know it is time to call it a day.

We meet Jane, an extremely nosey neighbour living in a very lovely and expensive housing estate where the houses are sold for millions. A very lucky couple have literally won a competition and they have won a house near to Janes home. When they move in Jane gets very suspicious about her new neighbours and gets quite involved in their lives babysitting for their young daughter.

Jane, for me was not a likeable person and if she was my neighbour she would definitely be a curtain twitcher.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my review.

The plot talks of a massive win . But what does this mean. Really enjoyed this book and honestly the twists and turns made me keep going and the surprises #allisonjames #netgalley #thenewcoulple.
Thank you for the advanced copy

Told from multiple POV this psychological thriller had me hooked as the story evolved. Young couple Stephanie and Stephen Hamlin feel very lucky to have won a new house in a charity lottery , that is until another couple Karen( who minds their youg child Poppy in the creche and her greedy scheming boyfriend Liam) knock on their door. When the new couple move to their the new house one neighbour in particular is convinced something is odd with the Hamlins. This one is full of twists and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Totally recommend. I would have liked a longer ending but can't wait for the next book from James.