I love a thriller full of twist and Lisa Unger never disappoints. Definitely give this one a read! Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

3⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Setting ~ NYC
Publication date ~ March 5, 2024
Est page Count ~ 387 (p+ 45 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 12 hours 8 minutes
Narrator ~ Vivienne Leheny
POV ~ single 1st & 3rd
Featuring ~ dual timeline, ghosts, secrets, child & adult death, suicide, miscarriage, infidelity

Rosie & Chad are thrilled to inherit his uncle's apartment after his death. She's a true crime writer eager to write a bestseller, so living on site will give her a closer look into the history of the ghosts at Windermere.
We hear from Willa in the 1963 timeline. She and husband, Paul, lived in the same apartment and their demise is slowly revealed.

This was so slow moving for me and took me over a week to read it. I like the idea of a haunted building and I enjoyed the secrets and history within Windermere, but it was pretty predictable. Overall, fine if you like a gothic paranormal setting with a side of unlikable characters.

Side note ~ I'm loving the eerie vibes of the cover.

A great thriller absolutely loved it would highly recommend to a friend or anyone that’s into something that get your heart racing

I’m gonna be a big hater about this for a second because honestly I should have dnf’d when I 1.) could see exactly where the story was going at about 10-15% and 2.) saw it going into the spooky paranormal territory, that I absolutely detest in books. Also side note this book had wayyyyy too many characters for me personally. And I completely understand why there were some many characters for each section of the book. It was just a lot and I had to start making a list and by the end of the book I was completely lost at who was who.

I will say despite all that haterade I just spilled, I will say that the writing was easy to digest and lends it self to binge reading even in the slower parts! I definitely intend on giving this author another try with one of her backlist books because dispute the plot I really enjoyed her writing I just think all in all this book was not a great fit for me personally!

3.0⭐️

⭐️THE NEW COUPLE IN 5B is out MARCH 5TH⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley, HTP Books and Park Row Books for the review copy for my honest review💜

Lisa Unger is a master of twists and deceit. She includes so many descriptions that lead you in one way but then quickly thereafter she leads you in another. I love unraveling the mystery and going on the roller coaster ride of emotions while doing so. This was a story that had me really disliking some characters to only find out that I was wrong about them. It is a great reminder that it is easy to misread people and their intentions.

This one wasn't for me. I am not a big fan of books with paranormal elements in them. The story was just convoluted and not that good overall. Just my opinion!

A dual time line creepy tale. Rosie and Chad think they've scored big when they inherit his uncle Ivan's apartment in the famed Windemere building. Not so fast- Ivan's daughter is angry, sure, but even more, there's something really off about the whole place. Moving between the 1960s and the present, it's got interesting characters and a plot that, while pretty much out there, works to make this a page turner. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Will make a good travel or beach book (as well as a lazy weekend read).

Rating: 3.75/5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4

This felt like so many books that have come before it: Rosemary’s Baby, Lock Every Door, The Paris Apartment. Thus, I wasn’t surprised by much and felt like everything was pretty predictable.… the reoccurring appearance of the evil eye, the seemingly “aging-in-reverse” tenants who should look 80-90 but appear to be 60. So many things in the book screamed “evil cult with ties to the paranormal.”

Despite how predictable everything was, I always love Lisa Unger’s writing style. I binged this VERY quickly, and I think so many people would enjoy it.

Side note: I’m sorry, but If I can wake up from a Fentanyl-induced stupor, and run up 10 flights of stairs I’m sure as HELL kicking an 80-year old’s ass. So I feel like that was a plot hole 🤣 along with the unanswered question of whether something in the building was preventing aging in Ella and Charles 🤔

Did I take this on vacation? Did I get yelled at numerous times to put my book down to come enjoy said vacation? The answer to both is yes. Did I listen? Ehhhhh. I had to finish The New Couple in 5b and I just couldn’t concentrate until I did! This was a completely immersive reading experience for me. The eeriness of the building was its own character. It was overwhelmingly suffocating at times and created the perfect spooky vibe. Rosie was strong in her convictions and had empathy and Chad was ambiguous enough in his morals that at times, I marveled at how they worked as the perfect foils for each other. I have enjoyed every one of Lisa Unger’s books but The New Couple in 5B has stolen the top spot from Confessions on the 7:45. If you have read Nestlings by Nat Cassidy, this one has the same vibes, IMO. Enjoy!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is the second book of Lisa's that I have read and by far my favorite of the two! The story of a young struggling couple who luck out with a new apartment after the uncles death is the start of a lot of mysterious things. What happened at the Windermere, how have all these people died, where's the connections to the other tenants and what about the doorman?! Not only is there mystery in their new home but even with Rosie's husband! The story kept me interested from start to finish and was very well written!

3.5 stars rounded up. Even though I had an idea of who the "bad guy(s)" were, I was still very interested in reading through to the end. I thought there were times when the story went off track and I found myself wondering if it was necessary for the plot, but it wasn't enough to make me not want to read it. I'll definitely be reading more of Lisa Unger's books.

Review: Lisa Unger is a must read for me! I was so excited to dive into her new one. Right off the bat, it gave me Rosemary’s Baby vibes, which to me is one of the spookiest movies. It had an eerie undertone.

It’s a story about a couple that moves into a luxurious New York apartment that they inherited and all these strange things start happening. The couple next door befriends Rosie, but she gets a very eerie feeling from everyone around her. I thought it was so intriguing how everything had a connection to the apartment. I was getting anxious for Rosie.

There is a dual timeline with Rosie’s present story, and a flashback to Willa’s. I loved seeing how these would connect. While the story was well paced and included twists, I wasn’t as connected to the characters as I usually am in a Lisa Unger book. It was just missing for me.

Like I mentioned, the couple next door gave me Rosemary’s Baby vibes, and Lisa mentioned that in the acknowledgements. Neighbors you aren’t sure to trust and do strange things. A creepy bellman. If you enjoy a mystery with an old New York luxury vibe, you will love this!

This book comes out March 5th! Thanks to @netgalley and @parkrowbooks for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Park Row Books for an advanced copy of The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger.

I always enjoy Lisa Unger's books and they are always so fun with unexpected twists.

When struggling writer Rosie and actor Chad inherit a luxury apartment in a historic building in Murray Hill in NYC they are excited! The Windermere has a dark history and once they move in Rosie starts to suspect there is more going on. When murders start to happen it makes Rosie even more suspicious.

I wasn't expecting the paranormal/occult vibes but it was done in a way that someone who isn't a paranormal fan enjoyed it. The Windermere is the perfect atmosphere for the book and I loved that you didn't know who to trust.

This was very slow burn but I couldn't stop reading!

This book was very slow moving. I despised the characters and didn’t really like the plot, but I did enjoy the supernatural elements.

I wish the summary of this book had mentioned paranormal and occult themes because I wouldn’t have read it. There was a large cast of characters but none of them were likable. I finished in order to review the ARC but I was skimming and waiting for it to be over. Others may like it, but this was NOT the book for me.

I am sorry but this is a DNF. I tried with this one because I really wanted to like it and loved the synopsis to it. But I made it 30% in and it was just slow and not keeping me engaged to continue. Not to mention her seeing things in the basement (the child) and everyone making her think she was crazy just didn't sit well with me. I'm not really into things that have a paranormal aspect to them and I was getting that vibe with this book.

Rosie and Chad, a couple who is down on their luck inherit a luxury historic apartment in New York City. Rosie is a true crime writer who finds the dark past of The Windermere the perfect subject for her next book. As she researches the mysterious happenings at The Windermere, she realizes they are not as firmly in the past as she thought.

My favorite part of The Couple in 5B in the setting!! The Windermere with its creepy doorman, suffocating elevator, crackling intercoms, and haunted (?!) basement. It was soooo atmospheric. I love when the setting feels like another character. I don't always reach for thrillers with supernatural elements, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Thank you very much NetGalley and Park Row book from the opportunity to read this ARC!

Rosie and Chad inherit an apartment in the Windermere from uncle Ivan. Rosie sees people that are dead in the Windermere and she doesn’t know if it’s real or an illusion. She is writing a book about all the death that has occurred there. Murder, suicide and accidents. Nobody is as innocent as they seem living in the Windermere.

“The New Couple in 5B” by Lisa Unger is a gripping thriller set in New York City. When Rosie and Chad Lowan inherit a luxury apartment at the historic Windermere, they discover dark secrets lurking behind its elegant facade. As Rosie investigates, she uncovers a web of mysteries. Unger’s masterful storytelling keeps readers on the edge of their seats, questioning shadows and unraveling secrets. If you love suspense, this novel is a must-read! 📚🔍

First, thank you to @netgalley for an early review copy in exchange for an honest review. This book drops March 5.

This book wasn’t what I was expecting, and I can’t decide whose fault that was. Unger typically writes thrillers, and even though her last few haven’t been my speed, I still keep seeking her out because I have loved some of her books tremendously. That said, this isn’t a thriller. It’s horror, a ghost story, and a mystery. There are thriller elements, but I’d argue the crux of the book is occult/horror. And that’s not my jam.

So, the writing was good and the story moved quickly. It felt very much like a take on Rosemary’s Baby and maybe a few other horror books and films woven up together. For fans of light horror or that overall genre, I’d bet you will really enjoy this.

Also, I didn’t love the ending or how long it took to wrap the story up (after an overall fast-paced book).

The cover is gorgeous and the writing was good, but this will not be a book I’ll remember.