I really enjoyed this story. It had "You" vibes to it, with some decent unexpected turns. It became more and more compelling as the obsession progressed. And I think a real turning point for me is when I laughed out loud when he was critiquing Natalie in his head during his internet stalking.

I will say the cover is not right for this story. It's not a horror, nor is it particularly bloody.

Thank you, NetGalley!

This book really kept me up at night. There is nothing I love more than a good suspense book!

The exploration of loneliness is a central theme in "Courier," with Rosi dissecting the isolation that often lurks beneath the surface of our daily lives. As readers, we are invited to question the fine line between observation and invasion, empathy and obsession. Bob's character becomes a vehicle for dissecting the darker corners of the human psyche, as he seeks solace in the lives of others, weaving an intricate web of connections in his mind.

The narrative unfolds with a deliberate pace, allowing the tension to build steadily. Rosi skillfully manipulates the reader's perception, prompting them to reevaluate their own notions of privacy and the consequences of societal disconnect. The novella serves as a thought-provoking commentary on the repercussions of our digital age, where personal boundaries become increasingly blurred.

Five stars from me!

I always love to pick up a short story every once in a while, and this one did start off well. But I have to say that when I neared the end and everything came to light and started to unfold, I decided that this novel wasn't particularly my cup of tea. The author did a wonderful job with the story but I thought the ending was a bit confusing, but I know that everyone is different.

I think this is a wonderful book to pick up if you are ion a slump and need a quick, fast paced story to get you going again. I would be interested in picking up more by this author.

Thank you Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Courier by Zoe Rosi
✨Horror✨
__________
Netgalley Arc Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: 30th January 2024

Novella book of Bob who works as a courier and becomes obsessed with a woman after finding out she’s being abused by her husband during his delivery rounds.

If Joe Goldberg was older & uglier this is exactly what he would be, Bob is just an old creepy guy probably a psychopath who got everything he deserved in the end

"Courier" by Zoe Rosi left me AGHAST, in the best possible way. The novella offers a point of view that's a delightful blend of hilariously unhinged and deeply disturbing. It's a wild ride that makes you consider deleting all your social media and never opening the door again after reading it.

We follow the journey of Bob, the delivery man, as he becomes witness to the repeated abuse within a household he frequents for deliveries, leading him down a path of decision and action that may not necessarily align with the law… (to put it lightly).

"Courier" gives off vibes reminiscent of "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis and "You" by Caroline Kepnes, but it carves its own niche by providing a gripping view into the mind of a man who feels neglected by society. The main character's extremely narrow mindset is both infuriating and intriguing, offering a fascinating exploration of the consequences of selectively seeing only what one wants. This story takes "manifestation" to a whole new level. I would love to know what Bob’s vision board would look like – a delulu king for real.

Clocking in at a perfect length and delivering an extremely satisfying conclusion, "Courier" is a super fun read that deserves a solid 10/10. And for those moments when you're tempted to yell, "Ya know, y’all could just call the police..." – just buckle up and enjoy the delivery, because Zoe Rosi has crafted a novella that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.

Thank you Netaglley , Zoe Rosi and Lighthouse Books for the arc of Courier.

This is a short novella of Bob, an invisible Courier who, after hearing a couple arguing , becomes obsessed with the lady of the house. As a lot of reviews have picked up on, this narrative gives off a "You " vibe. The story comes from the POV of Bob, his thoughts and feelings as well as his day to day life. I really like this POV as it really helps see into the mind of the main character. Even though this is short, I read it in one sitting and couldn't stop. I wanted to know where Bob was gonna go with his obsession and it didn't disappoint! I also loved that the book is based in my birth town of Hastings. East Sussex. Which added to my mental visualisation of world building in where Bob was. I would really love to hear this as an Audiobook, again because the POV narrative would suit it well.

This is my first book by Zoe Rosi and im going to seek out more of her full length books in the future.

4.25 stars rounded to 5 for Netgalley

If you’re looking for Joe Goldberg’s long-lost brother, Bob, the practically invisible to society courier, is him. Bob does regular deliveries to a couple and once he lays eyes on the woman living in the house, he becomes obsessed with her. We join him on his stalking escapades including sitting in his delivery van outside her house and following the couple on their weekend trips. As a fan of You, I enjoyed reading about Bob’s plans to get Natalie, the woman of interest, all for himself and all the things he puts himself through to do so. He tries to manipulate everyone into thinking he is doing things for the right reasons and that he will be her “knight in shining armour”. I found it amusing how he did daily manifestations as it didn’t seem like something an unhinged middle aged man would do. The ending was a little surprise, for both the reader and Bob…

Thank you to netgalley and Lighthouse Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This novella may be short, but it packs the punch of a longer novel. Written in second person, it is reminiscent of You and Bob gives the same creepy vibes as Joe Goldberg. As a delivery person, he sees a lot but is invisible to everyone. When he meets Natalie, he immediately falls in love and tries to help her out of her abusive marriage without her knowing. I liked Bob so much that I had to remind myself that he was a stalker and his behavior was not OK. The story is addictive and could have been the plot of a romantic comedy but, the way it’s written, it induces more anxiety than anything else. Knowing that there was a big twist in the end made me figure out what was going to happen but it still surprised me in the execution. This is an amazing, five-star read.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/# Lighthouse Books.

I didn't realise it was a novella when I started it so I was surprised how fast events were progressing and therefore felt a good opportunity for building suspense was being lost. After I'd finished and realised it was a novella rather than a novel the pace made a lot more sense but it would have been a better read for me if I'd known that going in.
Having said that, it is very tautly written and enjoyable with a decent twist.

"Meet Bob, your local courier.
You've barely noticed him. You've barely even looked his way.
But he's noticed you. He's noticed everything about you.
He's been paying very close attention indeed.
And he likes what he sees..."

This was a fun thriller novella about a creepy stalker! Similar to the book "You," this is told from the POV of the stalker himself. For a novella, I thought the author did a good job of fitting a lot into this story. Although I didn't exactly guess how this was going to end, I was able to figure out the main gist of it.

Thank you @netgalley and @lighthouse__books for the #gifted e-arc of this book!

Wow this was an interesting read. I went in blind on this one and the book did not disappoint. This is a short novella about a mail courier, named Bob, who becomes obsessed with someone he delivers a package to. The book is told from his point of view and it strongly resembled the way Joe from the show You gets so obsessive over his next target.
This hooked me from the beginning because of how quickly his obsession escalated just from one interaction with Natalie. The quick story progresses with the things that Bob does to be in Natalie’s life. I recommend this book as it is an easy read with an entertaining plot.
Thank you to Netgalley and LightHouse Books for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own. Publication date is January 30, 2024.

We all use delivery services these days, and few of us ever notice who comes to our door, what they look like. They are just delivery people, couriers, nothing to write home about. But what if one of those inconspicuous couriers developed an obsession with a resident of one of their delivery addresses? They would have their name and address, and gathering additional information from that is quite easy with social media. And once they have that, what can stop them? To what lengths could they go to fulfil their fantasies?

Courier is living proof that a short book can still be impactful. This novella kept me on the edge of my seat, almost forcing me to read it all in one sitting, as I was desperate to find out what would happen next.

I would recommend this book to thriller fans who enjoy reading about characters with twisted minds, but looking for a short read.

Thank you NetGalley and Lighthouse Books for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very Clever!!!!!


Courier by Zoe Rosi was just an excellent book! It maybe small and not have many pages but WoW, it just blew my mind!!!!

So meet Bob, your local courier,

He is just an ordinary man. No one notices him when he delivers your parcels. He knocks your door and hands over whatever he has for you and walks back to his van, and drives to his next delivery.

But, one day he's noticed you.

He's noticed everything about you, the way you look, the colour of your hair, what you are wearing etc.
Bob becomes infatuated in you......But Why?
He starts to pay close attention in you.......
And, he likes what he sees...

WoW........Be careful, especially if your courier becomes too friendly., when you receive parcels regularly from the same courier!......... A simple smile maybe all it takes!!!!

This book was Brilliant and very cleverly written.

I highly recommend this book............You will not look at you courier the same once you meet Bob!!!

Big Thank you to Netgalley and to Lighthouse Books for providing me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Joe Golberg is at it again, but this time his name is Bob..
I went into this rather blind, and I was half expecting a horror novel based on the cover, but I was pleasantly surprised because who doesn't love a good stalker?

What a great short story! One I was hardly able to put down.
The ending was perfect and rather satisfying honestly.
Definitely going to recommend this book to everyone I know..

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review!

4 stars!

HA! I LOVED THIS! I was discussing some theories with a friend about what I thought would happen, against her will since she wasn't reading it but I needed to vent out some ideas because I was INVESTED in the story, haha. And my main theory turned out to be true, but damn was it a good reveal!

I loved how this was written, the twisted views of Bob thinking he's being a savior, he's a good guy, he's doing the right thing, but then he judges and calls people liars despite all of the stuff he does. It really does how you how someone like this works and how they see their actions are for the best but if someone else does something wrong, then they're the worst person ever.

Fantastic read!

The vibes of You by Caroline Kepnes are very strong in this novella. I was drawn into Bob point of view and his obsession with Natalie. Which, if you think about it is scary that we can go on living our lives and not be aware of who is watching us.

Bob's fascination to get to know Natalie grew as the story progressed. I too was curious about Natalie. Who is she, what does she do, what is homelife like and who are her friends. This novella is told through Bob's POV. It was like I could hear Bob's voice in my head while reading this book.

If you love psychological thrillers, you will not want to miss out on this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, Lighthouse Books, and Zoe Rosi for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *review differs slightly from Strygraph to avoid spoilers here.

What a wild ride. This is a book about Bob who is a Courier and ends up finding Natalie, who her husband is abusing, so Bob takes matters into his own hands.

The author did a great job of grabbing a reader's attention, if I didn't have to work I would have finished this in one day. The author also has an exciting writing style that I not love but didn't hate either, but it took away from the story for me. She does a great job of balancing humor and tension and Bob is a menace, to say the least. He doesn't even realize that he's no better than Nathaniel. His one redeeming quality in this is the level of paranoia and very mild guilt he had to deal with the entire book. At least he knew he was wrong, he just didn't care. The final twist is why this book gets 4 stars, I was so stoked to see that Natalie was a genius the whole time. He deserved what he got.

The overall vibe was You by Caroline Kepnes and it worked well. Be sure to check the trigger warnings before diving in.

Courier is a novella with just 120 pages but it had a surprising amount of plot line packed in and it didn’t feel rushed. Bob, the protagonist in this book gave me instant Joe Goldberg from YOU vibes with his creepy behaviour and his new unhealthy obsession of trying to meet the woman he saw once when delivering a package to her house. It was an easy and quick read but I wanted more twists and more thrills and the suspense just fell a little flat for me.

This quick, easy read deals with a mail carrier stalker who will stop at nothing for the woman he "loves?" What a fun, journey! Both terrifying and believable, this tale will have you thinking about who's in your social media feed and delivering packages to your house. The ending was great. Will definitely read more from Zoe Rosi!

Super fun and fast paced novella! Natalie is married to Nathaniel, who is not a very good husband. Bob is their highly observant courier and he has taken an interest in Natalie. Beware what your delivery man can see and how far he may go to pursue a fantasy! This story gave me all the Joe Goldberg vibes and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Devoured this one very quickly! Thank you Netgalley, Lighthouse Books and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This novella will be available for purchase on January 30, 2024