The story of the events leading up to and after the death of Tom are told from the perspectives of all of the major players. An interesting concept which gives the reader more insight into each of these characters.

Tom and Nicole were the lucky winners of a lottery, which allowed them to build a dream home in an area frequented by Nicole as a child. But the win came with consequences, such as a loss of friends, requests for money, isolation, and Tom’s death by accident or misadventure.

Nothing is as it seems; not even the nearby Manor House, or its inhabitants, Ollie, Sasha, and their housekeeper Kitty. As the detectives investigating the death start to unravel the mystery before them, they find themselves becoming distracted by the complications of more secrets and mysteries.

A bit slow to start, the story picks up quite nicely, and leads the reader on a quest to solve the cause of Tom’s death, and to understand the hidden agendas and strange relationships between characters.

A solid 3 1/2 stars.

This book was interesting. It went back and forth between characters every chapter and is one of those books if you stop paying attention for a second you are lost. I think it was a bit drawn out. It was pretty long. Overall If you like thrillers give it a shot.

At the heart of this thriller/ whodunnit is the basic question of trust. Who can you trust? Friends? Family? The police? Your own judgment? And also does the sudden appearance of great wealth change one’s life for the better?
Tom and Nicole are your average everyday young British couple until one day they are (un) fortunate enough to win an enormous sum of money in the lottery. They build an incredibly upscale glass house. We all know about people in glass houses, and the trajectory of their lives is forever changed.
One day, when a Nicole arrives home, she finds Tom floating in the pool. Is he dead? If so what happened? And off she runs, without investigating, to her neighbors in the manor house next door.
The author sets a spooky scene as events unfold slowly at first and then in a frenzy of unexpected events and disclosures as the police are baffled yet undaunted in investigating every plausible suspect.

The chapters are told by various well defined. characters. Secrets abound. A book is being written within the story line which confused me a bit. And to some degree I was lost at the beginning. Then it all came together. And I guessed and guessed what was going on but remained clueless until the end.

Four stalwart stars for a mysterious, ominous and intriguing plot with characters that captured my interest. But for a slow beginning and chapters of a book within a book which at times left me feeling disjointed, this would have been five stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher Harper Collins for providing me with an advance reader’s copy of The Manor House in exchange for an honest review. Look for publication on a November 7, 2023.

The Manor House was an engaging thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. There were small small surprises throughout the book with an ending that made me laugh out loud. I've read a couple other books by MacMillan and have another on my shelf by this author. They've all been goo stories so far and I'll probably end up reading all her books. I do think some parts were a bit drawn out but also you could argue, it was good for development. Far fetched? I don't know...I can see stuff like this happening in society. Humans are animal after all. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’ve been wanting to read this author and my excitement grew when I was approved for an advance reader copy from NetGalley. It is an intricately plotted British mystery with a lovely couple living their wildest dreams after winning the lottery. Nicole and Tom are madly in love and the windfall allows them to build a modern mansion in a rather isolated peninsula. Tom constructed it with every technological gizmo imaginable, most of which Nicole can’t even operate. Their only neighbors are Sasha and Ollie who also live in a secluded area in a large historical aging Manor House. It is full of secrets and hidden places. Sasha and Ollie have built a life of deception on misdirection, appearances and ruses. They aren’t satisfied with what they’ve attained when Tom and Nicole have more - racy new cars, a pool and even a sauna/gym room. Nicole’s world is shaken when Tom dies in the pool. His best friend, a penniless leech, soon swoops in to console her. The neighbors have a reserved woman who lives on the property and acts as a housekeeper. She’s quite downtrodden and full of her own past secrets. Anna is a fiftyish grieving widow. She has no self confidence, is easily persuaded and has become isolated from former friends and acquaintances. Some of the nicest, kindest people have a devious dark side you’d never expect. As questions arise over Tom’s accident in the pool a Detective has lots of questions and an unlikely insider cryptically leaving clues. Every time I thought I had the villain figured out new information would blow up my theories. So many twists! So many hidden surprises! The ending blew me away! Totally did not see it coming. I have a new author to add to my favorites list.
“The Manor House” by Gilly Macmillan, HarperCollins Publishers is scheduled for publication Nov. 7, 2023. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation

Really enjoyed this one. I love thrillers with multiple points of view. And I adore thrillers where the house is as much of a character as the people. And there are two unique houses in this one!

This was a DNF for me, I just could not get into it. I picked it up multiple times to give it a go and it just wasn't for me. It was slow going in the beginning. The cover is what pulled me in. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this ARC. I do still plan to read other books by this author, unfortunately this just wasn't it!

This was an interesting read. I normally love multi POV's but the very beginning of the book it was alittle confusing to keep track of all the characters. If that happens while your reading this defintely stick with it is so worth the reward. I loved the plot twist , didnt see any of them coming . So much fun reading about women behaving badly !!!!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of this book. I really enjoyed the author’s previous book, The Nanny, and had high hopes for this based on the description. Ultimately, for me, this wound up being just okay. I cared enough to keep turning the pages so it did move quickly but I thought this suffered from too many points of view and also some consistency in the plotting. Some questions in this book are well tied up while others, including some of the motivations of the characters are never really explained. There are also a few plot points that strain belief - including the housekeeper.

Wow - this has to be my favorite Gilly Macmillan book. Once again, she has offered an atmospheric, plot twisting, and edge of your seat story. I loved all the different elements and how the back stories intertwined.

I thought all the characters were likable and not at the same time, it got me switching sides left and right and it’s been awhile since a book had me so engaged.

Id definitely recommend this read!

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!

#read #bookworms #booklovers #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #thriller #suspense #mystery #netgalley #booksbooksbooks #readmorebooks #booksaremylife #booknerds #tbr #themanorhouse #gillymacmillan #williammorrowbooks #psycologicalthriller #avidreader #bookaddict #lies #secrets #mustread

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.