On A Quiet Street by Carla Kovach is a story about Lea and her husband Cain. One day, 18-year-old Charlotte
knocks on the front door, and she tells them she was adopted as a baby and she is looking for her biological parents, whom she was told live there. Lea already doesn’t trust her husband and wonders if he has a child he never told her about. Lea agrees to meet Charlotte in secret, and she discovers that Charlotte knows secrets that she has been keeping, as well.

I’m so disappointed to say that I struggled through this book. And…I mean struggled! It was hard to follow and I just could not connect with the characters. Lea…? I wanted to scream at her. Her husband cheated how many times?! I wanted so very much to like this one because the premise was so good. The narrator also did a nice job. It was purely just the story I could not get into. I may very well be an outlier, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Dreamscape Select for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. I am grateful for the opportunity.

Not for me unfortunately. Unlikeable characters that’s just didn’t keep my interest. Story quite boring and run of the mill. Predictable ending.

[TW: Cheating, language, gaslighting, toxic relationships, abusive relationship, death of parent, toxic family relationships, eating disorder, loss of baby, rape (graphic), depression, drinking, cancer, miscarriages, kidnapping, murder, shaming, bullying]

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:I live on a quiet tree-lined street with my perfect husband Cain. But when 18-year-old Charlotte knocks on the front door, what she says has me questioning just how well I really know my husband.‘I was adopted as a baby and I’m looking for my biological parents. I was told they live here.’My heart races as I fear Cain has been keeping a huge secret from me. Does he have a child he never told me about? And has he been lying all these years?I can’t trust anything Cain says. Desperate for answers, I agree to meet Charlotte in secret. But it’s Charlotte who is full of about our lives, our relationship. It’s only when she lets slip the name of the road I used to live on, that I realise how much she knows about me, too…Cold fear floods through my body. My husband may not have told the truth, but his lies are nothing compared to mine. If Charlotte knows my darkest secret, my whole life could fall apart.
Release Date: January 15th, 2024
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Pages: 359
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. This writing is addictive
2. So many twists

What I Didn't Like:
1. Omg fn Cain ah
2. Jean is terrible
3. The ending

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

-------LEAH'S POV-------
Starting off the book with the main character's husband completely gaslighting her. He's cheated before(twice with the same woman). He comes home late at night smelling like perfume and gets texts all night long. Then he turns around that if she checks his phone that she doesn't trust him. Yeah, dude it's already established that she doesn't trust you. You have to work back up to being trusted, which he is not doing. I'd be checking that phone even more after him saying that. He then turns it even more around that she hasn't been herself because her mom died.

The author does a great job at showing the readers how Leah is able to dismiss so many red flags when it comes to her husband as well as there being someone in her mom's house. She always has a reason other than what it is to come up with.

I keep wondering if they (her husband & Charlotte) is trying to get her money.

Him acting like the victim when he redirects the blame to be about her and changes the whole subject.

When she gets the phone from Cain I was so excited. Oh but then she gets interrupted.

Omg she had a child but she died - but she says she was not living when she was born. But she gave birth to the baby at her home and her mother took the baby away. {shocked}

I do not trust Zara. Now she gets a friend request from an Allison. Hmmmm. I now wonder if Zara is the one that was one in the room when she gave birth. She was probably promised the house and money but was upset when the money was left to Lia.

Okay so it's obvious that Cain is cheating. He just got a text asking if he is coming. One of the signs of someone cheating on you is them picking a fight with you and then taking off.

I'd be DAMNED if I shake hands with my rapists just so my cheating husband can land a successful deal. I'd be out at that moment. She doesn't need him.

-------CHARLOTTE'S POV-------
I didn't understand how fast Charlotte was to accept that she was adopted just because she didn't have a birth certificate. She never brings it up to her parents to ask about it or anything.

At this point it's where Jean tells Charlotte that she has to visit her daily while she's dying and she'll pay her too that it became the plot of The Whale .

Jean is terrible. I swear she's horrible.

Book slows down once we get to Charlotte's pov.

-------ENDING-------
Wow, the ending all become convoluted.

We find out that this is all about Darren and the rape he committed that resulted in Angel being born. I guess they wanted to torment Lia when it came out how her daughter was. It was pretty confusing at this point. It's weird that Angel was more than okay with her parents kidnapping her from Leah and pretending that she was their child - going as far as wearing a fat belly to make out like it was the child they had already lost.

Oh and Cain is cheating with Allison again and meeting up with her. So, throw Cain away please.

In the end all of this pointless because they just let we Leah live and go on her marry way.

The bones are explained in the flower bed is that Jean must have found a dead deer and then buried it and then in her cancer-induced dying brain remembered 18 years ago she buried a dead deer there. Which has to be the dumbest explanation of bones in a yard I've ever heard of. Sigh.

We find out Zara did sleep with Cain at the beginning. So this whole time she kept it rather than telling her the truth. And of course Leah forgives her. Leah forgives everyone.

Oh and Angel killing Jean with a pillow was a surprise I didn't see but then saying she's going to kill her own father - yes please

Final Thoughts:
What happened to this book? In the beginning of it I was so enthralled with the writing I was obsessed with what was going on and then it just dropped. It seemed to get more and more confusing and pointless. Pretty much by the ending it made zero sense and went nowhere. Nothing happened to Leah. We thought she was going to be killed but then they decided to not kill her and she just lives. Odd.

I believe this is a first for me from this author. It was very different!

On A Quiet Street, is anything but quiet...

The story revolves around Leah and her husband Cain. They've been married for years, but he has cheated on her in the past, and she believes he is at it again.

Add to this a death in the family.

Then add a young girl knocking on their door, claiming that she is their daughter....

And, well, you have the makings of a great book!

And no, you will never figure out the twists and turns in this one (at least I didn't even come close...)

But, unfortunately, there are not many likable characters in the entire book! =0

And, each time I thought we were done, when I looked, there was still several hours left of the book.... ???

So, yes, it was definitely not what I was expecting!

Also, there are best friends, floozy's, elderly neighbors, dogs...pretty much the whole gamut in this one...

And, multiple times, I found myself...holding my breath!!

Thanks to #NetGalley, #DreamscapeMedia and #BookoutureAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which was already released on 1/15/24.

#OnAQuietStreet by #CarlaKovach and narrated nicely by #AnnetteChown.

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 4.

Check out all my upcoming reviews and PRE-VIEWS on Goodreads, IG @ #BookReviews_with_emsr or join my new FB Bookclub @ #BookReviewsWithElaine.

As always, Happy Reading!! 📚📖😊

'On a quiet street' has a very easy read feel to it. With a few truly twisty plot directions, it sounds cliche, but it kept me guessing til the end. I enjoyed this book and the audiobook narrator was easy to listen to.

This book had simply too much going on for what should have been a fairly straightforward “lost baby” mystery. There were switching identities (multiple times!), several red herrings, and too many “twists” so by the time the book ended I just felt exhausted. I really felt invested in the story and both characters narrating the story are relatable and interesting, but there were just too many plot threads to follow that don’t resolve satisfyingly.

This doesn’t factor into my review, but I don’t really like that this not only has the same title as Seraphina Nova Glass’ book, but the cover art is almost identical as well. The stories are different obviously but it’s kind of confusing.

🏘️🏘️🏘️🏘️

📄: 𝟹𝟶𝟾 𝚙𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜
📱:𝙰𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔
👍🏻: 𝚈𝚎𝚜 𝙸 𝚆𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍
🗓️: 𝙹𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟷𝟻, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺

𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚜𝚘, 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎.....
*𝙳𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝙿𝙾𝚅𝚜
*𝙻𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜
*𝙵𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝙿𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝙴𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐

I listened to this one and really enjoyed it. There are a lot of characters especially towards the end that got a little confusing but still turned out great. Tons of suspense that kept me guessing. I really like the little sinister pieces added at the end.

Secrets can be dangerous. Especially when they could change your entire life.

Leah & Cain have a complicated marriage. By complicated I mean he is a cheating bastard.
Leah has a dark family secret her husband doesn't know about & she wants to keep it that way.
When her mother dies, she starts to figure out there were some dark secrets kept from her as well.

When 18-year-old Charlotte knocks on the front door & says ‘I was adopted as a baby and I’m looking for my biological parents. I was told they live here.’ My heart races as I think Cain has been keeping something else from me.. Did his affair end with a baby or is his mistress messing with me?

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, Bookouture & Carla Kovach for the advanced audiobook of On a Quiet Street, I was so immersed in this story. #CainSucks

On a Quiet Street
By: Carla Kovach
Narrated by: Annette Chown
Publisher: Dreamscape Select - Bookouture
Release date: 01-15-24

Dysfunctional families, secrets, lies, and some serious gas lighting; this was one twisty tale.

The author did a great job leading you down the wrong paths. My heart breaks for Leah as it seems no one really has ever had her best interests in mind. Between having a gas lighting husband and lying, manipulative mother, she is desperate to find hope and happiness; but does she put that in the wrong people?

I hung on every word of this novel and couldn't wait to see what happened next. This is told from several POVs and the last one, the very end, is shocking.

This was the first by this author for me. I see she has many more books, and I will definitely check them out.

I had the audio version of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I highly recommend the audio.

Where to begin with this book. There were moments while reading this book that I just felt so sorry for Tran family trying to make an honest living being Vietnamese refugees living in Canada. It is an experience I am very thankful I have not had to endure in my life. My feelings on the family shift later in the book with all they do to keep their nail salon open. Although most is done out of love for their family and trying to survive, it just didn’t sit well with me. I won’t spoil anything if you choose to read this book, but the very ending left a bitter taste in my mouth and had me disliking the book a bit. It was definitely an interesting perspective on a different life and so for that I am happy to have read it.

A riveting and suspenseful thriller, "On a Quiet Street" unravels a tale of hidden truths and treacherous family secrets, with a narrative that grips readers from the first page to the last.

As the story unfurls, we are introduced to a seemingly idyllic suburban existence, shaped by the serene facade of a quiet street and a seemingly perfect husband, Cain. However, the arrival of 18-year-old Charlotte brings forth a revelation that shatters the protagonist's understanding of her own life and those around her. The shadow of a potentially hidden child and a web of lies lead the protagonist down a path of mistrust and deception, as she grapples with the fear that her most cherished relationships may be built on a foundation of falsehoods.

The author skillfully portrays a creeping sense of dread and uncertainty, as the protagonist's search for answers unearths a labyrinth of secrets and unspoken truths. The book skillfully unravels a web of uncertainties and hidden pasts, enveloping the reader in a sense of unease and compelling them to question the fragility of the protagonist's reality and the lengths to which she will go to protect her deepest secrets.

With intense plotting and palpable suspense, "On a Quiet Street" deftly explores the repercussions of buried truths and the entangled complexities of familial bonds, inviting readers into a world where duplicity and buried truths reign supreme, ultimately delivering an immersive and captivating journey that navigates the perilous terrain of deception and its far-reaching consequences.

A clever and tormenting tale that will leave you wanting more! So many twists along the way that it will leave you in a tail spin. Spending time with this book will leave you breathless.

On a Quiet Street
by Carla Kovach
Narrated by Annette Chown

Leah is married to Cain. Things are strained, even if they don’t want to admit it. Due to past mistakes, she is still suspicious of him cheating.
One day 18-year-old Charlotte shows up at their door and claims her biological parents live there.
Who is lying, Charlotte? Cain? Or even Leah?
Leah decides to meet up with the girl, who seems to know more than she lets on.

The characters were interesting but I had a difficult time connecting with any of them. Everyone came with baggage and secrets. It was hard to find redeeming qualities, even if some were not to blame.
I was actually glad when we switched to Charlotte’s POV. My problem with Leah was that right from the first sentence, there was so much negativity and suspicion, it made it hard for me to like her. The husband gave me the creeps anyway. (Kiss kiss) If she is so distrusting after heaven knows how many years, why is she still with him?

Narration: it was a pleasure to listen to Annette Chown. She has a very pleasant voice and is easy to understand, even at x3 speed. I definitely liked what she did, all the characters were easily distinguishable. Nevertheless I would have liked a second narrator for Charlotte. That would have made it even better.

In the end, I am still not sure if I liked it. There was sooo much going on, too much for my taste at times. Maybe reading instead of listening would have been easier to comprehend the kind of complex story. I did not hate it, I did not love it either.

Publication : January 15th 2024 by
Dreamscape Select, Bookouture

ALC received courtesy of the publishers and NetGalley, thank you very much. I was under no obligation to share a review, all opinions are my own.

While I am a fan of the author’s Gina Harte Series, this is a stand alone and a good way to jump into reading something by her.

There were lies, secrets, misdirections and omissions galore. I didn’t connect or like the characters, but was interested in finding out what was up. Was Charlotte Leah’s daughter? What was up with Leah’s husband and the couple he was trying to woo? And her Mom? And her friend? There was so very much going on. I did for a minute get a little confused with the characters in the middle, but I think that is intentional in keeping me guessing who was in on which part of the story. There was hinting or foreshadowing of where some of the characters belonged.

The complex plot is staged in a unique way. First I read the story from Leah’s POV, we then also from Charlotte’s POV. It really filled in some of the details of their complicated relationship and history that second time around and wasn’t repetitive. I did have moment where I wanted to yell at both of them in their poor decisions, but I find I do that a lot in my reading lately.

And that last twist I had no inkling whatsoever. Kudos!

Annette Chown narrated the audiobook and does a good job with the narration and voicing both Leah and Charlotte.

If you’re a fan of domestic thrillers full of family secrets and twists, you should pick this one up.

When a young girl shows up at her door insisting she is the daughter of one of the residents, Leah immediately assumes her consistently unfaithful husband must be the father. When it turns out there is much, much more to the story, Leah realizes that everyone is keeping secrets.

I enjoyed this one, it was a relatively quick domestic thriller. It took me a minute to get into because from the first page Leah laments about her husband whom she believes is having an affair (again) and the way she just kind of resigns herself to it caused me to dislike her instantly. Since I also disliked her cheating husband, there wasn't really a lot for me to get into. That being said, the story quickly jumps in and it does keep you listening. The end was interesting but there was a lot going on all at once and with all the characters present it got pretty confusing. Still, all in all a great listen for fans of domestic thrillers.

Unrelated to the story, one thing I did notice in a large number of reviews of this book was how much they liked the narrator and how she did such a great job doing different voices. I could not disagree more. While I liked her voice and her reading style, there is a situation with the characters where it would have been extremely helpful to have a completely different narrator for the young girl's part. A lot of the difference between the older and younger characters was in word choice and sentence structure and point of view and had nothing to do with the narration. I feel like the writer did do a good job making a distinction while the narrator muddied the waters, though I seem to be in the minority with that opinion.

On a Quiet Street was a fun journey to get to the "who done it" at the end. I enjoyed the change or perspectives as well as the change in writing style by Carla Kovach to show the younger age or Charlotte. The subtle changes in voice and tone by the narrator also really enhanced the listening experience.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. At the end, it was a bit confusing when all of the characters come together and the mystery is revealed. I ended up having to go back and listen again to a chapter or two to make sure I was really following what was happening and was keeping up. It seemed like everyone had a part to play in the deception.

The ending did have me questioning whether I would let everything go without pursuit for legal actions if I were in that same situation. But, that is why books are so enjoyable! This one made me think what I would do. I did love the prologue and it was a bit of a twist I wasn't expecting, but thoroughly enjoyed!

I will definitely look for more books my this author and narrator in the future!

4.4 ⭐️ I went back and forth between feeling sorry for Leah and wanting to slap her silly. Having taken her husband back for the second time after cheating, she (this is gonna shock ya) suspects him of cheating!

The first half of the book is from Leah’s POV and seemed like a straight forward domestic suspense, but it got more intense and complicated with every chapter - half way in I was gripped and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough

I’ll take this moment to mention I was listening to the audiobook, which was nicely narrated by Annette Chown. Her accents were great although bff Zara rubbed me the wrong way and her accent just made her more annoying - you know when you just don’t like someone even though there’s no good reason? That was Zara for me 😅

The second half of the book was split into several parts, alternating POVs and it was so intense and exciting I stopped my day and just binged through it. I couldn’t work out who was doing what and why and needed to know!

There weren’t a massive amount of characters which I liked, and the mystery was so mystifying, I quickly forgot how unlikeable everyone was and just needed to know

At times I wanted to scream and slap a few of the characters silly but in a good way cause it wrapped up so well

The reviews on Goodreads are split and apparently author Carla Kovach has a bunch of other thrillers and mysteries that are just as good, if not better!

I love a good mystery and would encourage anyone to push through the slowish start and unlikeable characters and grab this book

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Select for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review

This domestic psychological thriller audiobook was well narrated and an attention grabbing listen! This book was full of twists, lies, and drama. There is a surprise biological parent announcement, suspicions of infidelity, and overall shady behavior. Throw in an unreliable narrator and this book will leave you guessing till the end!

I recommend this audiobook to any reader who loves a domestic thriller full of drama!

Thank you @bookouture and @dreamscape_media for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website).

This was my first book written by Carla Kovach and it was great! Love the stories of each woman and how they intertwined together. So many twists and turns. Though this was a thriller, my favorite part was the relationship between Cora, Paige and Georgia. It’s about time we start seeing some strong and capable women banding together. The narration was spot on and different enough for each character that I had no problem following. I have already put two of her other books on hold! Many thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity!

On a Quiet Street🏠
By Carla Kovach💡

Review✍🏻

This novel had a great beginning, but as it went on, I found it difficult to remain interested. I believe the primary cause was that there was simply too much going on. At least five different stories were being told simultaneously. I'm not sure how to put it, but I know my mind was a complete jumble. The book's general concept appealed to me, but I couldn't quite get the flow of it.

Thriller🔪
Plot twists🌀
Secrets🤫
Mystery⁉️

3 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️