3.5 star read - loved the setting and the vibes. I did guess some aspects of the book but it was still a super entertaining read. It’s a medium paced, medium/long chapter mystery. Not much else I can say without spoilers!

Rosie and Chad Lowen inherit a luxury historical apartment at the Windermere. It has a reputation for gruesome crimes. When a neighbor turns up dead, Rosie wants to dig into the history.

This had the perfect level of creepiness that really snuck up on you a little bit at a time. I love the concept of a place retaining energy from the past, and it has that feel to it with the building. It was a slower pace than I would have excepted from a thriller, but I know many appreciate that with a gothic type suspense. This was my first Lisa Unger; not my favorite book, but definitely I will be trying more.

“Some folks don’t get to leave the Windermere. Some of us are destined to die here.”

The New Couple in 5B comes out 3/5.

thank you netgalley and harlequin for the arc. i really liked this one up until the last 2 parts. unhinged doesn't cover it, it's also ridiculously cliched-having the mystery being the creepy, older neighbors. of course it's always about the apartment that someone wants and will kill for it. of course it's always the husband.

I did enjoy this story, especially the Rosemary's Baby parallels, but I did find it a bit predictable. There were parts of the book that took a few turns that were a surprise and kept me reading. I enjoyed the description the author gave of the surroundings - it made me feel like I was there. And the characters were believable and well thought out. I may pick up another by this author, this was my first of hers.

Lisa Unger officially came onto my radar when I read and absolutely loved SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX. I also read her holiday thriller novella CHRISTMAS PRESENTS and overall enjoyed it. THE NEW COUPLE IN 5B was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024!

THE NEW COUPLE IN 5B is a slow-burn mystery about a couple who inherit a luxury apartment at the historic Windermere building in New York. The Windermere has a dark history, but Rosie and Chad couldn't be more excited to settle into their new home. But as soon as they move in, Rosie starts to notice strange happenings.

The first half of the book was pretty slow-going for me and I found myself losing interest at times. I felt like there was a lot of talk about Rosie and Chad's marriage, and I wanted the story to be less romance and more mystery/thriller. With that being said, I enjoyed the second half of the book more. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming, but the ending was somewhat predictable.

I will continue reading more by this author. I have a few more of her books on my TBR and look forward to reading them!

Unger has such a captivating writing style that made me blow through this book. I love the way she writes her worlds and characters. I really enjoyed Willa’s story and found myself really being drawn to her character. What worked less for me was the motive of the perpetrator which is why I ultimately rated it what I did. The ending after the ending was satisfying (if you’ve read it you know what I am talking about) - I was worried that was all going to be a red herring so I am glad it was cleared up. I jumped between the audio and reading and enjoyed both formats equally.

The New Couple in 5B was good and I liked the idea of having the apartment in an older building as central to the story. However, even though it moved along well, it didn’t excite me.

While not as fast paced as most of Lisa Unger's offerings, I greatly appreciated this slow burn psychological thriller shaded with a supernatural sheen.

I’ve enjoyed many of Lisa Unger’s books in the past and while this one had all the hallmarks of her writing, I did find it a tad slow and too close to the popular Rosemary’s baby. Of course, Unger puts her on spin on things and I liked how this one added in a supernatural element which is not something we normally see in her books, but I wish it didn’t feel so familiar to me. If you like atmospheric, supernatural thrillers then I’d say give this one a try! Especially if you’re looking for something similar to Rosemary’s Baby!

An exciting, spooky, and thrilling read! Hard to put down. There were unexpected twists and turns, and I appreciated the connection between the characters, both past and present.

Wow! I couldn't/didn't want to stop reading this book! This suspenseful nail-biting thriller, set in an old NYC apartment building, drew me in from the beginning chapter! Plenty of twists and turns connecting the eerie past and present timeline will have you staying up late anticipating the next page! My first Lisa Unger book and definitely not my last!!

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book. There was not enough mystery/thriller in it for me. There was too much emphasis on the apartment, I was not a fan of the characters, and the book essentially just need more umph to it. At the end there was a lot of "whys" left unanswered. I like my mystery/thrillers to be completely tied up in the end.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The New Couple in 5B gripped me from the beginning where the main character Rosie witnesses a tragic accident. I don’t typically like unreliable narrators, but I found myself rooting for Rosie when everyone was telling her she was crazy.
There is a dual timeline which I found very interesting and love how it tied in. So much foreshadowing that had me questioning everyone and their intentions. (I had my eye on Abi and Chad the whole time.) I also really enjoyed Rosie’s visions, as it made the story even spookier.
I would recommend this thriller.

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).