Carla Kovach writes a book, I read it.

It is that simple. She only writes cracker novels that you cannot pass on! Very addictive and fun to read, I can highly recommend!

Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. It started of very strong and I really liked part 1 of the book. Part 2 however ruined the book for me, because the writing style completely changed and Angel sounded like she was about 12 instead of 18 (I think). I got very confused about everything and a whole lot of things all happened so fast and I honestly couldn't wait for this book to end. 2.5/5

It's always the quiet ones....

Secrets and lies are the name of the game in this shocking and gripping psychological thriller. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, Carla Kovach turned the tables on me! I love it when that happens. I found this book to be well written, well thought out, and shocking! On a Quiet Street may be slow to start as characters are introduced, but once it gets going there is no stopping it.

Leah and Cain live in a lovely home on a quiet street. Everything is picture perfect, but Leah has suspicions that have been nagging at her. Her life becomes more troubling when 18-year-old Charlotte knocks on her door informing her that she is looking for her biological parent and was told that individual lived there. Could this girl but Cain's daughter? Has he kept been keeping more secrets from her? Does he even know about this girl? Wanting to know more, Leah agrees to meet Charlotte who mentions the street that Leah grew up on and chills begin to go up and down Leah's back. Cain might have secrets but so does she!

I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this book. There are so many layers to this book. Secrets, everyone in this book has them, but some of the secrets are bigger than others. I enjoyed how the book unfolded. The characters in this book are not the most likeable bunch. In fact, some are downright terrible. I enjoyed watching them lie, deceive, and show their true colors while booing and hissing at them. I also enjoyed the sense of unease that seeped in during the last half of the book. As secrets and lies begin to surface and parts of the truth come out, the tension mounts. I enjoyed the tense interactions that came into play.

There were a nice number of twists and turns in this book. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen, things turned on a dime as more revelations were made. I loved being shocked and I was in this book.

Gripping, tense, dramatic and shocking.

This book is written is broken into parts from different points of view. It leads to some twisty turns with characters that have lots of depth. Quite the #psychologicalsuspense ending in yet another turn.

Thank you, Carla Kovach, Bookouture, & netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! I had to pick it up and put it down a bit with a few things to juggle, but when you can’t wait to get back into a book and you’re immediately immersed in the characters’ stories, you know you have a deeply satisfying read. When Leah suspects her husband is cheating on her, she doesn’t immediately leave him. You might wonder why, but the author does a brilliant job at revealing Leah’s insecurities. Cain was all she’d known from the age of eighteen. He was eight years older, wiser, her whole life. In Cain, she thought she’d found the love she’d been starved of. Leah doesn’t make the decision immediately we scream at her to. Bear in mind her past, though, and you can see why she might hesitate. As the story unravels, she finds it difficult to trust anyone, let alone her own judgement.

The twists come thick and fast and there were many times I just did not see things coming. All were a big WOW moment. I’ve said in the past that Carla Kovach’s characterisation is brilliant. You’re simply there, right inside their heads. As the story is told in two parts, first from Leah’s and then from a teenager’s – I won’t say more for fear of giving spoilers – you might wonder whether it will hold your attention. Trust me, it does. Watch out for that ending. If you like a killer twist, On a Quiet Street delivers. I truly loved it and would highly recommend it!

On a quiet street by Carla Kovach is a stand alone thriller. Cain is a cheating husband while Leah is the tormented wife whose mind is in constant suspicion with everything he says and does. But a knock at the door from a young girl called Charlotte who claims she’s Leah’s daughter is about to turn everything upside down.

The first half of this story was a little slow to get going but the second half of the book more than made up for it. Whilst I enjoyed the plot and THAT ending, something didn’t click for me. I found there were a lot of characters to keep up with and I didn’t connect with any of them. Which was a shame as I have enjoyed several of this authors other books. I also grew extremely frustrated with Leah who wouldn’t leave Cain and seemed to make excuses for him and his behaviour. Like WAKE UP girl…LET HIM GO!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of On a Quiet Street by Carla Kovach. This was a good domestic thriller that kept me engaged the entire time that I was reading it. It is a thriller about secrets. It is about lies, and lots of them. The story is written in multiple parts with each part a different person's perspective. It was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to others. I gave it a 4 star rating.

On a Quiet Street
by Carla Kovach
Pub Date: 15 Jan 2024

On a Quiet Street is a standalone novel from author, Carla Kovach. This is my first book by this author. I really loved the story, plot and twists. I definitely plan on reading many more of her novels.

It was a great story that kept you hooked until the final page! I really loved the ending!

If you're looking for a domestic thriller, look no further!

Thanks to #Netgalley and #Bookouture for access to this E-Arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a quick moving, solid read for me. It wasn’t anything that blew my mind, but there were plenty of twists and turns throughout the book that kept me interested. There were times when I felt like the story was a bit redundant, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookoture for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book features 2 POVS in a way I haven’t seen it done before; the first part was 1 POV, the second part the other. In the third part of the book, the POVs swapped by chapters. This made for an interesting appeal in that by the second part you knew the story but seeing it through someone else’s eyes was quite interesting. For me, the book really sped up in the third part, with a big twist right at the end. Would recommend for anyone looking to start reading thrillers!

This is my first book by this author. It took me some chapters to get into the story. While I managed to finish it, I found it quite dragging. There were some parts which left me feeling frustrated. For instance I couldn't understand why the wife was not leaving her husband!

"On A Quiet Street" is a standalone novel by Carla Kovach, the author most known for her Detective Gina Harte series. I love the Harte series and have read and reviewed several of them over the years here on the blog.

Kovach's writing style is always seamless. It's descriptive enough that the story just flows, but not so detailed it becomes boring. The characters are always so well developed. The plot of all her books are well thought out, with twists and turns in all the right spots.

This novel was no different plus the storyline was so unique. I have to admit there wasn't a single character I liked in this book though. The plot is broken into parts and it also alternates between characters. I do like that I got to see the full story from different perspectives- certain blanks getting filled in as I read the same scene happen from another character's view.

Despite the unlikable characters I really did like this book and do recommend it. The plot and ending is unpredictable, which is the most fun of any mystery. At no point in the story did I know what was going to happen next.

"On A Quiet Street" is set to be released on January 15, 2024 here in the U.S. so pre-order it now! It was a solid 4 star read! Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the advanced e-copy to read and give my honest review.

Happy Reading!

Leah is getting increasingly suspicious of her husband Cain, his constant late night working, unexpected meetings and text messages that he claims are from an important client, and then there's the smell of perfume when he eventually makes it home and she is convinced he is having an affair, after all it wouldn't be the first time. Then there's a knock at the door and a young girl is stood there saying she's looking for her biological parents and she's been told this is where they live. What other secrets has Cain been hiding from her and does she even know him at all? But when she agrees to meet Charlotte, she's not prepared for the impossible news that Charlotte hits her with and she's desperate to uncover the truth of her past.

On A Quiet Street is a standalone thriller told in four parts and from various perspectives. At first I didn't know how to feel about Leah and her suspicions, was she simply being paranoid or did she have just cause, but as the story unfolded I trusted Cain less and less on the turn of every page and couldn't understand why she stayed with him, but she did have far more pressing concerns with the appearance of Charlotte. This was a fast paced read with lots of twists and turns and I really had no clue as to where the story was heading but, as it progressed and the pieces began to slot into place, it all began to make sense and came to a very satisfactory conclusion. This is the first I've read by this author, but it definitely won't be the last.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Book Review

I will admit I struggled a little to get started on this story. I found the beginning to be a tad confusing but once I settled in to it I was fine. More often than not the problem lies with me and my frame of mind at the time. But I am very used to taking my time to settle with a book. If I am not feeling it but I know the author is very good, then I will put the book aside and come back to it at a later date.
On a Quiet Street I found to be almost creepy in its telling. Maybe sinister might be a better way to describe how I felt. The author worked really well to give that creepy, intense feeling to her readers. Her main characters Leah and Angel I enjoyed. Theirs was a sad story with devastating consequences.
Angel's whole life seemed to be a lie while secrets had a detrimental effect on Leah's. Both women struggling with who they are and what has happened to them.
Who do we trust when those who are nearest to us keep us in the dark and don't feel the need to be honest.
The storyline was intense throughout. I enjoyed the dark setting despite the hairs standing on the back of my neck more times.
Very sad too in places where so many lies were told to save face, protect and not acknowledge.
Well worth your time

I haven’t read anything from this author so I didn’t know what to expect. I started this book and absolutely couldn’t put it down. I loved the writing style and just how fast paced it was. I don’t think there was any filler in this book. It was go go go from the get go. The ending wasn’t my favorite but i still will pick up more from this author!

Leah is faced with a multitude of stress...cheating husband, secretive best friend and a not-so-dead daughter who reappears in her life. On top of it? She's being stalked. I enjoyed the different timelines and POVs this book utilized but I did find the storyline to be confusing at times. I would never have guessed the ending which left me pleasantly surprised.

There is one secret and/or lie right after another making the web of secretes and lies so thick that no one could get through them. Everyone in this book had secrets and had basically lied about one thing or another. This one started off a little bit slow, but it did not take long for the tension to amp up. Leah suspects her husband, Cain, is cheating on her. All the signs are there, but she can't seem to stand up for herself. This irritated me, but once you learn more about her past, you will more fully understand why she is almost incapable of standing up for herself. To add to all of this tension, Leah is cleaning out her mom's home as her mother recently died, a mother that she had not spoken to in quite some time. I knew there were some deep, dark secrets hiding in that house, but I must confess that I did not expect the secrets to be quite so vile. As if these two problems were not enough, now a young lady has shown up on their doorstep looking for her biological parents. So the spidery web of secrets and lies begins to get thicker.

This was an interesting book to say the least. I have to confess the ending left me speechless and wondering what just happened. There are some very unlikeable characters in this story. I despised Cain in every way possible. He was a cheater and a liar and verbally abused Leah. However, Leah was weak and would not stand up for herself. She also made excuses for Cain's behavior. However, as I stated previously, once you get a glimpse of her past, you will more fully understand her timidity in taking a stand. If you enjoy a good psychological thriller, you will enjoy this book because this one will definitely play with your mind. Just give it a chance when you first start it because it will pick up steam pretty quickly, and then you will not be satisfied until you finish it.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The rating for this book went up and down as I read. At times, I was impressed. Sometimes, not so much.

I enjoyed the plot twists, and there is a bit of mystery for the characters to solve. That said, there were too many moving parts at once. It felt like every character was forced into an unknown connection that made for a few too many overlaps.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I got to about 40 percent and that was with pushing myself through and I gave up. The main character, Leah, is just too annoying for me. Leah is constantly complaining about her husband cheating on her and he has several times and she stays with him even though she just inherited a house from her mom. It was just too over the top for me but I tried.

I was really pleased to be able to read an advance copy of On a Quiet Street as I really enjoy the way Carla Kovach writes, I have read all the DI Gina Harte series and it was nice to read a standalone. I enjoyed this book and found that I was drawn in to Leah and Cain and their relationship and the shock that she feels when 18 year old Charlotte knocks on their door saying that she was adopted and is looking for her biological parents. This then blows open the whole life that Leah knows and causes suspicion to fall on all and it is a real rollercoaster of a ride to get to the truth and the end of the book. I admit that I changed my allegiances several times throughout the story and raced to the end. Carla is very good at getting you under the skin of the characters and being able to put yourself in their shoes, you feel fully invested in the story! This book will leave you breathless - one of Carla's best!