I Love Gilly McMillan books and the way she sets their story up. Unfortunately, I could to connect to these characters . Also there are a couple of mysteries going on and it was a bit confusing keeping everyone straight for a while. By the time the big twist comes, it was too late to save me.
I do like the way the author writes and I will still be there for the next book, but this one wasn't for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and there publisher for the ARC.

Nicole and Tom have hit it big. They won the lottery, and have moved from their small suburban town to a mansion out in the country. With posh neighbors Sasha and Olly in the manor house next door, Nicole feels like they have everything--that is, until Tom turns up dead in the pool. The police leave no stone unturned, but with every suspect's story changing, they end up frustrated, and Nicole tries to put the pieces together.

This book was a wild ride! Some of the twists were a bit predictable, but there was a big one at the end that I certainly didn't see coming. Sasha and Olly were some of the creepiest characters I've read. Their manipulations made my skin crawl, which added to the overall creepy ambiance of the book. Not only was this a thriller/mystery, there were a lot of psychological elements that were very well-crafted. Put this on your list for fall thrillers!

Review to come on @pittelsbookclub on Instagram and TikTok.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Better ending that what I expected.

The characters start a little bit dry and dull but they quickly ramp up and unveiled their true motives although they don’t reveal their secrets until much later.

Overall I think this is my favorite book by Gillian this far. Great vacation read and great lazy afternoon read

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Books, and Gilly Macmillan for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

@netgalley
@williammorrowbooks
@gillymacmillan 🌷

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Publishing date: 11/7/23

Summary:

Nicole and Tom win the lottery and build their dream home. They really enjoy living lavishly until something horrible happens. Tom ends up being found dead in the swimming pool. Was his death an accident or was it foul play? If so, who would do this? You have to read to find out!!!

Woah! 🤯
This book was such a great psychological thriller! This is the first time I’ve read one of her books. I loved her storytelling!

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I was pleasantly surprised by this book. And let me tell you, it came down to that amazing ending. The twists and surprises just kept coming in this stunning mystery thriller. Nothing in this book is what it seems and told from multiple timelines and different perspectives, it certainly had me guessing as to what was going on. It is certainly an extremity well crafted read, as little by little, things fall into place; secrets are revealed and a complex series of lies and coercion are exposed. I found the book to be a great read and one that kept me thinking. It also had a well thought-out plot and the characters made it so much fun to read.

Nicole and Tom, childhood sweethearts, have done the impossible; they won the lottery. Ten million dollars to be exact. They move into their dream house known as The Glass Barn on the Lancaut peninsula. Living next door, is a younger couple, Olly and Sasha, along with their housekeeper Kitty. Nicole is thriving but Tom is having a rough time with the money. His friend, is constantly asking to borrow money and he is lonely living so far from his old life. When Tom is found dead in the pool, Nicole is devastated and runs immediately to Sasha's house for help. Was Tom murdered or was it an accident?

The story line was a bit slow and there were two completely different mysteries to solve. The author commingles them but in my opinion, they could have been two separate books. I am a huge Gilly Macmillan fan but honestly, this one just didn't do it for me. There were twists and turns and a satisfying ending but I just had a hard time finishing it. It really just didn't keep my attention.

Doesn’t everyone want to win the lottery?

Tom & Nicole are still figuring out how to be rich people since they went from average British citizens to affluent landowners in the countryside - Nicole seems to be adapting well, as she helped to design them a unique home called the Glass Barn. Tom is taking more time to adjust, though he did enjoy tricking the place out with every smart home feature known to man. Life is but a dream for these two until Tom is found dead in the pool.

Nicole is a distraught widow, leaning on her neighbors & Tom’s childhood best friend for support. But do these people have ulterior motives? Was Tom’s death the tragic accident it seems to be, or was it murder?

This book was hard to put down with a few shocking revelations throughout the story, not just at the end - I really enjoyed all the different focuses each chapter had, from the detectives working the case to the neighbors to Tom himself on the day of his death. The way the author made the remote country setting enhance the story was brilliant, from the creepy way the smart home features would malfunction, to the secret panels in the neighbor’s impressive historic manor house, to the plague pit mass burial site out in the woods. I definitely need to read more from Gilly Macmillan!

Thank you to NetGalley & William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the beginning, the writing is fine, entertaining. I'm not the biggest fan of unreliable narrators, they can make me feel stupid sometimes, thrillers and mysteries do in general. But I was super invested in the climax. I was literally covering my Kindle screen with my hand so I wouldn't read or skim ahead. I feel for the officers being unable to perfectly wrap up the case all their people of interest were murdered. I would be frustrated, too. Two things about the ending, though, I didn't like. 
I found Nicole killing the grandmother to have come out of left field and didn’t fit. I actually forgot about the grandmother until it was mentioned again, thus I felt it unnecessary. Didn’t seem in character for Nicole. The epilogue as well left much to be desired. I'm not sure what about it didn't work, just that I didn't feel it was a justified ending for Sasha. 

In thinking about these characters I found them all to be pretty unique; granted I don't read a lot of thrillers. Sasha and Nicole are kind of the same to me; both feel they know what's best for their land, appalled by each other's houses, both exhibit a bit of control over their partners. Olly is a fucking piece of work. I feel my scowl get deeper and deeper every chapter of his I read. He's pretentious, boorish, a hypocrite and playing with people's psychology for funsies, just to see what happens when you keep an already weak woman down?? Vile. I wonder if he left around his writings for her to find on purpose, knowing she would try to sneak into the study and read his work. I'm also sad that I relate much to Anna's character. It wouldn't be my instinct to stand up to those who are walking all over me, especially if I, too, were grieving the love of my life's passing and just desperate for some sort of connection. Practically have those rose tinted glasses glued to my face. I'm happy, though, she has seen the light and set a plan in montion to get her revenge. I like that she and Nicole became friends at the end. I love these glimpses into Tom's day before he dies. He seems like a genuinely nice man.
All in all, a great read that I was surprised by. Didn’t think I’d get that invested or sucked in, but I was. Cheers

For me this book had a very slow start and even though it had quite a few plot twists it wasn’t enough to really pull me in and hold my attention.

Nicole and Tom Booth, fresh off their lottery win, build their dream home on the grounds of Lancaut Manor in England. Everything seems perfect until Nicole comes home to find Tom dead in their swimming pool. She runs to her neighbors in the Manor House on the next property and calls the police. They investigate and eventually conclude that Tom was murdered. Suddenly Nicole doesn't feel safe in her house. Did her mysterious neighbors have something to do with Tom's death? Was he involved in something he didn't tell her about? Gilly Macmillan pulls the reader in one direction before a reveal mid-book that changes everything. I genuinely didn't see the twist coming. I finished this book quickly. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Manor House by Gilly Macmillan 4.25⭐️

“Be careful what you wish for”

Nicole and Tom Booth suddenly have their lives changed overnight by a ten million pound lottery win and move into a Glass Barn conversion in the grounds of Lancaut Manor. Nicole’s new idyllic life quickly changes into a nightmare when Tom is found dead, floating in their pool. She is distraught by Toms death and assumes it must’ve been an accident but when the police start digging it becomes clear that he was murdered, and it has to have been someone in the area. Their neighbours Sasha and Olly are seemingly eager to help Nicole through this difficult period but it there more to their offers of help than just concern?

The manor is hiding plenty of secrets and it was a lot of fun reading from the different povs of all the neighbours as you start to put pieces of the story together. Especially the last 20% of the book, which had me shocked at the constant twists and the ending! This was another hit book by Gilly Macmillan, she never fails to create an amazing psychological thriller that will have your heart pounding!

Thank you to @netgalley @williamandmorrowbooks and @gillymacmillan for the opportunity to read The Manor House, all opinions are my own.

Really enjoyed Gilly Macmillan’s newest novel, The Manor House. A twisty, surprising thriller that had me guessing till the very end. Would definitely recommend to other thriller fans to check out!

A twisty mystery from the author of The Nanny, this one follows couple Nicole and Tom, who have quite recently won the lottery. Of course, this solves some problems, but creates others. They purchase some property and build their dream house, but next door is the Manor House. When Tom is found dead, floating in the pool, the mystery begins.

Not my favorite by this author, but a fun read regardless.

Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

Nicole and Tom are instant millionaires after winning the lottery, building their modern glass dream house next to an old manor house. Shortly after moving Nicole comes home to find her beloved husband Tom dead in the pool. Running to the manor house she allows Sasha and Olly to comfort her as police believe her to be a suspect. Told through the eyes of multiple characters we find the back story of these characters and all is not as it seems. An okay read.

I felt like this story dragged and then raced forward in fits and starts. The atmosphere is fantastic in so much of the novel, but it is dropped at crucial points. I feel that the setting was fantastic but could be utilized more consistently throughout. Not Gilly's strongest work, but not bad.

I can’t quite put my finger on what The Manor House lacked in terms of storytelling but it just felt like it was missing something. Charisma, maybe? Charm? Chemistry? Who knew I placed such an emphasis on -ch- adjectives?!

The Manor House tells the story of two homes on a large nature preserve like property - the Manor House and the Glass Barn. Nicole’s husband Tom is dead…. Was it an accident or was he murdered? The story follows Nicole, Olly and Sasha (the people who live next door), Anna (the previous owner of the Manor House), and the two detectives who are investigating.

None of the characters are particularly likable. Nicole is boring, Olly and Sasha are practically insufferable, and Anna is just sad. The only chapters I truly looked forward to were the POV of Tom as he narrated his last hours before his death. He was likable and his chapters held some suspense and depth. In his short chapters, I felt like I knew him more as a character than anyone else and yet there was way too little.

There was one good twist in this novel, which came around 40-50% into the story. There were also a few storylines that just felt like they came out of nowhere and were really unnecessary. To me, the entire ending was lazy, not true to the characters, and anticlimactic.

Overall, this is a fine read if you’re looking for a change but I don’t know how much I’d call this a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this ARC before it’s expected release date of Nov. 7th, 2023.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I love Gillly Macmillan books but I have to honestly say I didn't love this one. I felt like it dragged and I had a hard time gettting into this one. I am not going to put this one away. I think I am going to pick it up at another time. I have high hopes for it.

Boy, did that mystery go down a treat! I could not turn the pages fast enough to keep up with all the twists and turns awaiting nouveau riche Tom and Nicole, lottery winners who have been engaged an architect to build a fantastic tech-orientated mansion called the Glass Barn deep in the countryside. When Nicole comes back from a country fair to find the love of her life dead in their beautiful pool, detectives are called in, and the next-door neighbors of the Manor House have turned their focus on the now isolated and bereft widow.

This tale is told in turn by Nicole, her Manor House neighbors-the yoga guru Sasha and writer Olly and their drab housekeeper Kitty, and the two lead detectives. I really enjoy multiple point of view stories and these very unique and well-constructed characters all have a distinctive voice, which adds to the complex investigation with several strong suspects. My favorite character might be the very sweet Tom, as he narrates his last day in the Glass House and affirms his lifelong love of his wife Nicole, and life’s simple pleasures, pre-lottery win. (This good guy did not deserve to go!!)

The twists kept coming up until the very end, and I never once felt that any of them were unbelievable, but truly clever and in character. A gas-lighting masterpiece!

If there’s a possible sequel, I wouldn’t mind watching those detectives again and they were so cute!

Gilly Macmillan is an excellent thriller writer. This wasn’t my favorite but it certainly was well worth the read. The beginning and middle felt a little repetitive at times. There are twists interspersed throughout the book, which is good, but some are a little far fetched. The writing is good and suspense-inducing. Parts of the ending worked for me and other parts were underwhelming.