This book had a lot of twists and turns that I did not see coming! I wish it talked more deeply about the super natural elements and if they were still happening after the final resolution. I did guess the very end of the book but that did not make me dislike the book at all.

If you like haunted house stories, or stories about buildings with tainted pasts, this one might be for you! While I did enjoy it, I found it to be a very slow burn. I kept waiting for something earth shattering to happen, but it never quite materialized to much. Entertaining, but a bit too slow for me.

This book was a solid 3.5 ⭐️! I had a great time reading this book and I really loved how Rosie was a true crime writer, as I am very into true crime myself. It was fun to see the story from her POV. I also loved the ghost aspect to the book. It kept things feeling a little extra spooky. Another great thing is the way that the characters’ background stories were told.

Unfortunately, the ending of this book was a little too spread out for me. With the stuff happening at the Windermere and then the other plot line happening as well, I found it to be a little too much happening at one time. Other than that I really had a great time reading this book and will definitely check out Lisa Unger’s other stories!

Thank you netgalley and HTP books for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

HOLY COW!!!! 🤯😳. This book was everything I need in a thriller- suspense, twists and turns, and characters I hate to love!

Thank you, NetGalley for this early release that I was able to read. I didn’t get to it until after it was released to the world but, it was amazing!! I hope all my friends read this book because it is perfection 🙌🏻🔥😍

Everything I look for in a thriller! Lisa Unger’s newest thriller pulled me in right away. Following Rosie Lowan as her and her husband Chad surprisingly inherit a $5 million dollar apartment in New York. This story has all the old New York and creepy gothic vibes that make for a great thriller and add to the suspense. I also love that this story had a bit of the supernatural spooky vibes. This book was engaging until the very end and had me guessing how all the parts would come together. This was my first Lisa Unger book and I will be sure to pick up more in the future! Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC of this book.

Something is amiss and as a reader you suspect it from the start but you aren’t entirely certain what’s up. A mix of a ghost story and righting a historical decision made in desperation. I was intrigued, and admittedly a bit creeped out, by the whole situation and felt that the author maintained my interest right from the start. While I did find that the story moved a little bit slower but overall enjoyed the read.

Five stars!!! Lisa unger does it again with another fantastic read! Kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time !

This is my second Unger book. I liked the first one so much that I requested this without reading the blurb or anything so I just went in blind and let the story peak for itself and I loved it! There were some Rosemary's baby vibes going on , which I loved as that was one of my favorite movies. There was more paranormal stuff going on than I expected and it was creepy and well done! I liked the dual timelines. Unger didn't spend too much time in the past timeline which is one thing I sometimes dislike with dual timeline books. The majority of the book takes place in the present with just some short jaunts into the past that illuminate what is going on in the present. I was guessing through the whole book and loved the surprises and the ghosts! 5 stars from me and I am for sure going to read some more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC to review.

I always get excited to read a Lisa Unger book, but then it never lives up to my expectation. They really know how to sell the story and get you excited, but in the end the plot falls flat. It was slow and took awhile to get exciting. The characters were kind of blah as well. I don't know if I can keep giving this author a chance.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the review copy.

This one takes a few turns that I feel like I have seen several other places recently. If you like her previous works the you will like this one.

Rating: 3.5/5

This book was fantastic - it gets you playing detective, trying to figure out who did it. I was blown away by the ending! I really like Lisa Unger's writing style and I will be checking out her other books for sure!

A struggling writer who takes on an Only-Murders-In-the-Building-type true crime book project and her struggling actor husband inherit a multi-million dollar apartment in New York, but the building is plagued by death. Upgrades to the apartment don't include air conditioning or modern elevators, but it does have constant intercom surveillance, supervised by the traditional elevator operator.

The pacing is well done for this type of thriller that feeds on reader claustrophobia. I also liked the characters; they were a great mix of suspicious and innocent, so you suspected them at all times and felt like it couldn't possibly be them. There are maybe a few too many threads.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was so excited to read the book the new couple in 5B. I read a book by the same author last year that I absolutely loved. The book had an interesting storyline with well developed characters. I loved the different timelines and that each side character seemed to have their own personal story to tell. The book was an easy read. The story flowed at a comfortable pace. The story had me guessing constantly about how it would end. Some things felt predictable, but some things were not. Overall, the story was enjoyable. I'd give it 3½ stars. Thank you, netgalley, for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the earc.

Chad and Rosie are both creatives on the edge of big breaks and struggling financially. They unexpectedly inherit an apartment that's worth well more than they could afford. The apartment has a past, and there are some issues they need to work out, but they decide to make it work. But then a family member wants to contest the will, the doorman is intrusively efficient with cameras and intercoms, and Rosie starts seeing things around the building. Rosie starts wondering if there's more to the building than just a dark history.

This book had major Paris Apartment vibes- plus a bit of paranormal. The building itself had gothic/spooky vibes - anywhere with that many deaths is going to feel dark. It had lots of suspicious residents but the story itself was a slow burn and pretty predictable. It took me a bit to get through, just a bit too long for my liking and not being all that invested.

One thing I couldn't get over was the name Chad... it didn't really fit with who he was.

I really liked Confessions on the 7:45, but this one fell flat for me

This one was hard to put down and left me questioning things!

I love a dual timeline and this one didn't disappoint. Set in the 1960s and present day, and the reader left to figure out the connection between the two!

Rosie is a true crime writer. Her husband, Chad, is an actor. They are just getting by. When suddenly they inherit a luxury apartment at the Windermere.

All seems amazing until strange things start to happen. People start to die. And it's a wild ride until we know what's going on.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade/Park Row for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Holy cannoli! What a strange yet captivating tale. From nearly the start, The New Couple in 5B was a total departure—but also not—from Unger’s prior books. Working in plenty of details pertaining to the supernatural, anyone with a penchant for horror will absolutely love what they find between these pages. At the same time, it was also yet another one of Unger’s typical suspense-laden plots, filled with growing unease and characters that hit just the right chord.

Speaking of those characters, I was captivated by Rosie. Complex and finely layered, her persona revealed how her past left an impression upon her and how she so desperately wanted a future separate from it as well. It was the rest of the cast, however, that truly brought this one home. Initially just a little bit eccentric but also kind and welcoming, they each morphed as the page count grew into darker versions of themselves. Even as I second-guessed their motives and looked at them with suspicion, though, there wasn’t a chance that I was going to be able to guess where this plot was headed.

Just like the characters, the plot shifted from merely creepy to a more claustrophobic, adrenaline-pumping beast. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an exactly a horror novel, even though it was inspired by Rosemary’s Baby. No, it was instead a well-written exploration of what else might exist beyond what we can see with our own eyes. With clear-cut occult vibes and a definite gothic atmosphere, Unger nailed it in one with the setting. After all, the Windermere could easily count as a character itself in all of its spine-chilling, The Shining-esque glory.

By the end, however, I was thrilled to find that the mystical aspects weren’t the end-all-be-all to the plot. With plenty of tricks up her sleeves, Unger brought the rising crescendo of suspense home with an even better climax, all said and done. And while it wasn’t anything like I was expecting, it was everything that I wanted and more. A perfect time suck, I was lost in the pages until I finished the very last word. Bravo, Ms. Unger, you’ve done it again! Rating of 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Lisa Unger, Park Row, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

The Windermere is an elegant apartment building with very rich tenants. Most are artist with a variety of talents. Chad and Rosie are a newly married couple, Chad, an aspiring actor and Rosie, a true crime writer, with one successful publication. They are taking care of Chads uncle Ivan, who is very close to death and who the couple have been tending to for months. He has an apartment at the Windermere worth millions of dollars. Upon Ivan’s death, a reading of the will, reveals that the whole of Ivan’s estate is left to Chad, leaving nothing to Ivan’s estranged daughter Dana
Herein, begins a tale of lying, deceit, multiple murders, suicides and accidental death. Oh and there are ghosts. The Windermere is noted for the strange amounts of deaths that have occurred over the years.
I enjoyed this story and read it very quickly. Part of the plot I figured out soon into the couples move to the new apartment and there was a slight twist at the end. Although, many murders are motivated by money, this was not the case here. Memories and not leaving someone behind was the actual motive. What I wanted to see more of was the ghosts. Only two ghosts had come to fruition, but there were so many more that could have reeked so much havoc adding an extra cool element to the story. I think it would have made the overall story much more creepy

I would like to thank #netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of #thenewcouplein5b.

Read Completed 3/9/24 | 3 stars
I was excited to read THE NEW COUPLE IN 5B and was really hoping to connect with it. Right off the bat, I really didn't love it and it took until about 35-40% for things to really get interesting. I didn't realize that this was going to sort of be a paranormal twist (not a spoiler -- it's all hinted at early on) and I don't always love that in thrillers. Sometimes it's exciting to wonder whether things are actually ghostly or paranormal, or if it all has a logical explanation, but I just didn't really like how it was all handled in this book. I think I would have preferred if it committed more to being more of a ghost story than having it kind of slide around.

I really didn't like the main character, Rosie, and I just didn't connect with her much. She bothered me a lot in this book and she just felt like a weak character. I didn't like her "seer" abilities and it just felt very underdeveloped. I wanted her to either lean into them and it became a more important part of the book, or not have that be in the story at all. I also found it kind of odd that she called her whole family cons and crooks, basically, and yet she has this real ability.

I also really didn't like the ending of the book. We get a reveal but what it was all building up to.... eh. It just didn't really do it for me. It wasn't what I was hoping for. There is a bit more to the story that was a bit more satisfying but aside from that juicy bit which I enjoyed, the rest of it was all kind odd and far-fetched.

Most of this just felt underdeveloped, but it just wasn't my kind of story, I guess. It's sort of the way I felt when I read LOCK EVERY DOOR by Riley Sager, so if you liked that one, maybe you'll like this too!

👻 BOOK / REVIEW 👻

Here is one thing I will take away from this book ... if I ever inherit an apartment or home after someone passes, DO NOT MOVE THERE 🫣🫠.

I was not prepared for #thenewcouplein5b by Lisa Unger to be part thriller, part paranormal, but this was an easy listen (thank you @hoopladigital@parkrowbooks for hosting!). Again, I went in blind and had no idea what to expect. This was not my favorite by Unger, but it was interesting and unique in its own right. The reader is treated to past and present timelines and quite a cast of characters (both alive and dead). The apartment also plays a large role in the book, which I appreciated.

The plot overall was quite far-fetched, so I can see why this didn't work for some people. It's a quick read - not a ton of substance, but sometimes that is ok! I would call this "creepy and atmospheric," rather than scary.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

»The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger«
★★★ 3/5 stars

» quick synopsis
When Rosie & Chad inherit a beautiful apartment in a historic building in NYC, they think they have hit the jackpot. But they soon discover the dark secrets of the Windermere & its tenants lurking behind its perfectly maintained facade.

» read if you like :
- books about authors/publishers/editors
- NYC setting
- old, haunted apartment building
- creepy doorman
- gothic thrillers
- nosey neighbors

» my thoughts
After loving Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Lisa Unger’s newest book. The super intriguing premise of an author writing a book about a creepy historic apartment building?! Sign me up. But ultimately this one was a bit of a let down.

I absolutely loved the details of being an author working with her editor while writing her book. I wished there was more focus on the ghostly history of the building, paranormal spookiness, & the 1963 storyline with Willa & less on the present day domestic/familial drama.

For a 400 page book, it felt sort of shallow & underdeveloped. There were so many interesting topics, but they were all just lightly touched on, leaving me wanting more. I think because of this, I was never completely invested in the characters. Also, the gaslighting was obvious & frustrating.

The ending made up for what the bulk of the book lacked, I found the last 5 chapters or so to be the best part of the whole thing.

Thank you to @htpbooks, @htp_hive + @netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC ◡̈