Member Reviews
It’s my first book by Liz Alterman, and I am not disappointed. Great book, kept me intrigued throughout! Plenty of suspense and dry humor… I would recommend for any psychological fiction fan, and I will be reading more from this author.
Such a great book! Could not out this one down! Even when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it!
While thankful for the chance to read this book, it took me 3 weeks to finish it. If it had started out as good as it ended, I'd have finished it in days, not weeks. The beginning felt a little repetitive. I didn't like reading the constant gaslighting of each other. The ending, however, was great. I finished the last 20% in one setting. I couldn't put it down and needed to finish it. For that reason, I give this book 3.5 stars. I'd still recommend it to others, because the ending pulled this book together and gave it what was needed to keep the reader's interest. I will be posting a review shortly to my IG and FB.
Honestly I’d give this 3.5 stars but rounded up. I really liked the overall plot, but some of the characters were so damn unlikable that it made me not want to read the dang book! I also had the ending pinned from about halfway through, but that’s on me for reading way too many thrillers; I swear nothing surprises me anymore. Overall it was a decent read.
Laurel and Rob move with their two young children to a new home. Laurel immediately feels put off by their nosy neighbour. She feels anxious. She keeps making mistakes and feels like her husband isn't supporting her. And what happened in their new home that caused the old owners to suddenly leave?
Corey is trying to start fresh. She recently suffered a terrible loss. Corey is determined to find answers and will stop at nothing. Corey and Laurel have never met before, but it seems the two women have something in common...
Overall, a pretty average read. I wouldn't really classify this is a thriller, which is the main reason for my three star rating. This is more like a domestic drama. I kept waiting for some twists and suspense, but nothing really happened.
This is a dual perspective story, told from Laurel and Corey. I found Corey's chapters really boring, until almost the end. They really dragged on. I didn't care to read about her work or day to day life. There was absolutely no suspense. I found myself skimming Corey's chapters. Laurel's chapters were pretty good and more in line with some thrillers. However, the story was super predictable.
It was also really frustrating reading the exchanges between Laurel and her husband, Rob. He treated her terribly - constantly gaslighting and belittling her.
On a positive note, the writing and character development were both excellent.
I think this book could have been executed a lot better. There was a lot of potential to make this a great novel. The premise and description characterize this book as a thriller, but it simply is not.
Thank you Severn House and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
A solid 4 stars. This book holds you from the moment you pick it up. It is a bit predictable I must say.
But it is does give a good glimpse into motherhood. It’s does make you realize that suburbia isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. You never know what really happens behind closed doors and ppl aren’t always who you expect them to be. If you want a quick read that will keep your attention this is definitely a great book for you.
Two woman with families. One house. I see nothing wrong happening….what a whirlwind of a story. I gobbled this up like it was my favorite meal! The story line had me engaged and wanting more. Some twists I guessed but others had me shocked. This has got to be one of my top reads for the summer!
𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒇 𝑹𝒐𝒃 𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒏'𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒆--𝒊𝒇 𝒘𝒆'𝒅 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒕--𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓? 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒅, 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍?
The lives of two women converge in this explosive domestic thriller that centers around the fierce bonds of motherhood.
Laurel and Rob have just moved into their new home on Cold Creek Lane. Because she was recovering from a C-section, Laurel only saw the house through a screen. She's kept busy with a newborn and a four-year-old, but she's never recovered from losing her mother suddenly at the age of 12. Her husband definitely did not endear himself to me at all as he seemed nonchalant about his wife's tragic loss and how it's affecting her still today. He grew up privileged with doting parents and is worlds away from Laurel's childhood.
Laurel feels completely bulldozed by everyone in her life, including her new neighbor Marian, who makes snide remarks about her parenting. So when another neighbor, Addie, offers friendship and an understanding ear, Laurel jumps at the chance to be someone other than wife and mom, and she becomes content with her tribe of one.
Meanwhile Corey is drifting. Recently divorced and struggling with a tragic loss, she is living in her mother's retirement condo until a resident balks. Lost, with no support and no friends, Corey is determined to seek out the source of her loss. And she knows exactly where to find it.
This was an absolutely stunning portrayal of the ups and downs of motherhood; its bleakest moments spilled out onto the pages with no filters or apologies, and mixed with the ferocity of a mother protecting her young, all culminated into one explosive climax that will have you seized by the throat until the very last word.
I'm thrilled to promote this book as a member of Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse. This title will release August 6, 2024.
✨Spoiler Free Review✨
Title- The House On Cold Creek Lane by @lizalterman
Rating-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
@lizalterman new book The House on Cold Creek Lane is a hot topic over here at @thrillerbookloversthepulse. The House on Cold Creek Lane is a haunting thriller that explores the darkest aspects of motherhood, grief, and loss, and the unsettling lengths people will go to protect their own. With a gripping dual narrative, the novel is a true page-turner that will keep readers up at night, eager to uncover the truth.
Synopsis-
When Laurel and Rob West move into their new home in New Jersey, it seems too good to be true. But Laurel can’t shake off her old feelings of anxiety. The neighbour who pays far too much attention to the Wests’ two young children . . . Rob watching her every miss step . . . and there’s something people aren’t telling her about this house . . .
I promised myself I wouldn’t go to that neighborhood again. Not that street. Not so soon. But I couldn’t help it. They made it too easy.
Corey Sutton is trying to outrun her past. Recently divorced and reeling from a devastating loss, she moves into her widowed mother’s retirement condo in Florida. Everyone says she just needs some time to recover and rebuild . . . but is Corey beyond saving? She wants answers. And there’s very little she won’t do to get them.
Though Laurel and Corey have never met, the women have something in common, and if they’re not careful, it may just destroy them both.
That plot twist at the end 👏🏽👏🏽
The countdown begins for the release of this incredible book on August 6, 2024.
Thank you @lizalterman and @severnhouseimprint for this advanced copy✨
Synopsis: Laurel and Rob West have just moved into a house on Cold Creek Lane. It is a beautiful home which had been languishing on the market due to a tragedy that occurred there. But Laurel doesn’t know anything about the history of the house. Corey Sutton used to live on Cold Creek Lane, until she lost her beloved daughter Frankie and her marriage imploded. Corey is still in the throes of deep grief and living in a Florida retirement community with her elderly mother, who wants her to get her life together and move on. If Laurel isn’t careful, history might repeat itself.
Thoughts: This domestic thriller pulled me right in and had me flipping pages like a mad woman! For much of the book, I was cursing Rob and screaming (in my head) at Laurel to grow a spine. When she finally does, the results are catastrophic and yet very satisfying. I appreciated the way the author takes society’s negative assumptions and stereotypes about older women, in the characters of Marian and Helen, and turns them upside down. If you are a fan of domestic thrillers with the trope of damaged and unreliable female characters, then you will love this!
The House on Cold Creek Lane is a dark thriller about motherhood, grief and loss, and the lengths we will go to protect our own. Told in dual points of view, it was a quick read that made my anxiety spike and kept me flipping pages.
I was so angry for Laurel and frustrated that her husband Rob kept undermining and belittling her. So much falls on a mom's shoulders and I could feel Laurel's burdens through the pages. She so desperately wanted to make her family happy and to just be enough and it was at times heartbreaking to read.
Corey's grief also emanated from this novel. I couldn't fathom the loss she had endured and her anger and devastation were palpable.
Though I found the novel fairly predictable, I did really enjoy the story and the writing was excellent. The characters were well developed, easy to relate to, and some were really fun to dislike!
This is a quick read and definitely one I recommend!
Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse, Severn House, and NetGalley for the copy.
This was my first book from NetGalley. It definitely had a great plot. I was able to figure out some of the twists and turns but that didn't make it any less entertaining. Overall it was a good read and moved quickly.The characters were a little annoying at times. I didn't need to hear about Laurel's breasts leaking every time her baby cried and I totally get it Addie smells like peaches. Those repetitive things were rather irritating. This is my first book by Liz Alterman and I will definitely try a few of her others. Thanks NetGalley and Severn House for giving me the opportunity to read this.
4.5 round up! This book was incredible! I would read it on my kindle during preschool nap time and found myself wanting more after each chapter. Hard to put down! The character development was incredible. The storyline and how it all wraps together is just so so good!! Definitely a top 5 in my book for 2024! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC
A good solid novel that I enjoyed.
It did keep me guessing and there were a few clever twists, the characters were well written and some quite likeable, though Laurel annoyed me sometimes.
The setting was eerie in its normalcy and the plot remained at a steady, easy to follow pace throughout.
Worth a read!
This one was fun! I definitely didn't see the big twist coming. Recommended to someone who loves a good ol' "classic" domestic thriller.
I have never read anything by Liz Alterman but I will check out her other books.
I devoured this book from page 1. I was hooked right from the beginning. I loved the plot. Didn't like all the characters but that's a given. I enjoyed the twists and even though I figured out the last twist it didn't ruin the story for me. A definite recommend.
Thank you netgalley and publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own and isn't influenced by anyone else
Kudos to Liz Alterman for The House on Cold Creek Lane. This was quite the domestic thriller and I couldn't wait to see what happened at the end. The story is written in 2 main character's POV's. We have Corey and Laurel. They are tied together by the white cape cod house in New Jersey. Corey is currently living in Florida in her mom's guest room. Laurel and family have just moved into the home on Cold Creek Lane. Both have suffered tremendous losses are are trying to get their lives in order. Laurel is married to Rob and he's quite the annoying husband. She's made a few mistakes with the kids and he watches over her like a hawk. On one side of Laurel lives an older woman who bakes treats and has become very friendly with Laurel's son. On the other side lives single and fun Addie, just the kind of friend Laurel has been looking for.
The story goes back and forth between the 2 main characters. They do not know each other, but their paths will intertwine. The characters are done so well, I felt like I knew them. This was a fast paced page turner that kept me interested every moment. I cannot wait for the author's next book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Seven House for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it. I highly recommend this book.
This was my first by this author, and definitely NOT my last.
I love a good disturbed book about suburbia. We NEVER know what goes on behind closed doors.
Rob West has bought a home in New Jersey without his wife Laurel seeing it. She is on bed rest as she is about to give birth. The house was a STEAL.
Neighbors are watching their children, and give them extra attention.
The other story line involves Corey Sutton who has ties to the area. She used to live in laurel and Rob's home.
What do these women have in common? What secrets are the neighbors harboring? As a mother some parts were hard to read.
The final twist created angst for me.
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC. My first Liz Alderman book and WOW. I devoured this one. Really enjoyed her writing style. Highly recommend for an awesome domestic thriller.
"The House on Cold Creek Lane" is a highly readable domestic thriller with multiple POVs. The mystery is skillfully built, and the characters are compelling in their grief and loneliness. Recommended for readers who like domestic thrillers and books set in suburban communities. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
#thehouseoncoldcreeklane