A truly magnificent four star psychological thriller, full of twists and turns, with no hints. The character of Esther is finely drawn; her grief and sadness and guilt are definitely felt. Even though I guessed what was going on, it was still quite enjoyable to read. The ending had a few extra surprises, and the whole story was a stark look at mental illness.

This was really hard for me to get into, I found it quite slow and confusing. Although the writing and characters were good I just don't think this was the thriller for me as it's too convoluted and slow. If you don't mind a slow-burn thriller I would recommend this.

I was intrigued and invested from page one. By Chapter Two I was completely engrossed.

This is a must read. A story of who is who on a street in the suburbs. Esther is watching Vanessa abuse her kids across the street. She is visited by a nurse down the street. And someone has gone mad and resides in a mental institution--but who? Esther also has a dramatic past.

These tales weave and twist to the shocking ending.

Thank you #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for the read/review of #TheWomanAtNumber19 by #JABaker. I really enjoyed the storyline and the inner drama. And the big twist was phenomenal.

I received this book from Netgalley.

This book sounded really good and I was excited to get to read it. I'm a huge reader so I'm going to say something that I don't often say but... I think this book would be better as a movie. Around 30% of the way into the book I'd figured out most of the tests and turns in the book. That meant that for the next 40% or so, there wasn't much shocking or intriguing happening.

I feel like if it had been a movie it would have lkeot my focus more. I struggled to get through the middle stages of the book because there was just too much happening with Esther while simultaneously having nothing happen. The end part of the book was nice and the ending was unexpected. However, I am not the biggest fan of how it ended. While a good twist (kind of), it didn't seem to gel with the rest of the story.

Overall, not bad but if it got made into a movie I'd recommend that!

What a surprise this book was !

It seems that Esther lost her whole family in a car accident - except for her sister, which she loved -until the day of the accident.
Since then, she hates her sister and holds her responsible for killing Esther's Family.

Since the accident, Esther is kind of a recluse in her own home.

Across the street, a new family moves in.
And the new neighbor lady seems to abuse her two children.

But more weird things happen in Esther's recluse life:
It seems like people are sneaking into her home to do strange things, without her knowledge such as packing her suitcase, making her bed, leaving ripped up pictures of her dead children...

Meanwhile, Esther is watching the family next door...

This is a deeply psychological thriller, that will leave you clueless through the half of the book...and when you finally grip the facts and the truth of it all...you know at the very end, that the plot you guessed, was completely wrong - and you are left with your mouth open in awe.

Yes - this is a story, you will not forget for a while...

Would highly recommend to read - because nothing is ever as it seems and it keeps you on your toes !

This book is such a great thriller! I seriously NEVER saw the ending coming! Definitely a fast paced read & a book I would recommend to someone wanting to get back into reading or wanting to get out of a slump!

A story of grief, The Woman At Number 19 tells the story of Esther, who lives in isolation following the death of her husband and children in a car crash. Her sister, Charlotte, was driving the car, surviving with long term injuries.

Living a lonely existence, Esther becomes intrigued with the family living across the road. From her seat at the window, she observes a woman who is abusive to both her children and her husband. Esther feels compelled to watch this abuse take place and journal her findings to report the abuse to the police/authorities.

Soon, Esther starts noticing things happening in her home that she can’t explain…a picture of her children ripped to shreds, a hold-all with her clothes inside that she can’t recall packing but can remember wearing. She has a regular visitor, Amy, who lives up the road, but Esther begins to doubt everything going on in her life and turns to her hobby of surveillance of the family at number 19 and becomes consumed with what she finds.

This book was very well written. I did figure a few things out early on in the book, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying seeing it all play out.

That ending though…NOTHING prepared me for that!

This book is being republished in 2023 following its original release in 2019 and I am grateful to both NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

It took a while to get into this book, but then it became impossible to put down. A good psychological thriller but so predictable. All in all a good read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Esther has had a rough time of things lately. She recently lost her husband and children in a car accident, and she is trying to navigate life as a single, childless woman. Going back to her teaching job is out of the question; seeing the kids every day would be too painful. So she sits in her home, depressed and unable to have much of a life.

One day, she realizes a new family has moved into a house across the street, and she finds herself compelled to watch them. Soon, she realizes this isn’t a typical family. The mother is violent and evil, constantly screaming at her kids, throwing things at her husband, even slapping her daughter in the face. Esther starts keeping a journal of everything that she sees, so when she goes to child protection and the police, she’ll have specifics for them.

As the book goes along, Esther starts to unravel. Who is this woman across the street? Why is she blessed with children who are alive, and Esther isn’t? What is wrong with this family and how can she make sure the children are safe?

I don’t know why I feel like I’ve read this before, because it was published in 2019, and I know that I haven’t read it. Even though I guessed what was going on, it was still quite enjoyable to read. The ending had a few extra surprises, and the whole story was a stark look at mental illness. Four stars for a solid psychological thriller.

(Thank you to Boldwood Books, J.A. Baker, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be re-released on May 28, 2023.)

This is my first read by J A Baker. The Woman at Number 19 is an amazingly good, page tuner that will keep readers engaged until the very end.

Brilliant, a really good thriller which kept it going until the very end, looking forward to the next book

This was a very cleverly written thriller which had me intrigued start to finish.

Esther is grieving the loss of her husband and children as the result of car accident. To pass the time she begins to watch the family at number 19 and becomes concerned about some of the disturbing behaviour she witnesses. Then Esther becomes aware of strange things happening in her own house. How much danger is Esther in by watching the family at number 19 she has let danger in!

I predicted the twist early on in the book but did not ruin the book for me I still really enjoyed it and will definitely be recommending this to all who love a thriller.

Something a bit different here and although i guessed what was happening i found this a really good read.
Sad and disturbing in places with a number of surprises throughout.
A little slow at the start but well worth reading on.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

The premise for this book is great but I had it all figured out really early on which made the reading experience a bit tedious. I found the chapter about the woman at number 19 more interesting and was tempted to skim or even skip the chapter about Esther. Also, its written in present tense which isn't personally my favorite and takes a bit to get used to. I liked the short chapters which made for a fast read. There was a surprise at the very end that I wasn't expecting. It wasn't shocking but I was glad not to have seen absolutely everything. All in all, this was only an okay read for me.

The Woman at Number 19 by J A Baker is my first read from this author, and I can say with confidence that it will not be my last.

Esther is grieving the loss of her husband and children as the result of a traffic accident. To pass the lonely and unbearable days, she begins to watch the family at number 19 and becomes increasingly concerned about some of the disturbing behaviour she witnesses. When strange occurrences begin to transpire in her own home, Esther worries for her own safety. Is her fixation on the woman at number 19 adding to her own confusion, blurring the lines between fact and fiction?

This is a compelling, addictive read that virtually propelled me through its pages as I tried to slot all of the puzzle pieces into place. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

Unfortunately this was slow and boring for me. I need a book to suck me in right away and this fell short of that. I will give this author another try to see if this one just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thank you so much to Boldwood books and NetGalley for an ARC of this wonderfully twisty book. I had never read this author before. So excited to pick up other books by this author! I love tales of obsession and when it comes with a jaw dropping twist it's all the better. I recommend going in blind with this little gem. You won't regret it. Rounding up to 4.5 stars

The Woman at Number 19 was a wild, insane ride. I felt the age of 46 was not some elderly woman as it portrayed. But, I did not see how how it wrapped into a really great ending. It was a good read. I liked how the story did wrap up.