Member Reviews

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was a gripping read which I blitzed through in a few hours. The story was well-paced and intriguing, and King switched between the different narratives well. However, I found the climax to be rushed.

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Put aside a day just to read because you won't be able to put this one down. I read into the wee hours because the suspense was killing me!

Vanessa and Aaron have a blended family, one son from her, one son from him, and a 3-year-old between them. They have sworn to treat all kids equally and mostly they do. Until the new neighbor next door falls from her bedroom window. When blame threatens to tear them apart, how far will Vanessa go to protect her son?

King will have you questioning each character's motivation and suspecting almost all of them at some point. We hear their individual points of view. King perfectly captures teen angst and sibling relationships, loyalty, and secret-keeping

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for inviting me on this Books On Tour!

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This book blew me away! The prologue starts off super strong, drawing the reader into the book. Then we rewind three months to see what led up to that point, and how things play out after the fall. I can’t even count how many times King kept me guessing. I didn’t know who was responsible for the fall, though of course I had my guesses. Which, by the way, they were all wrong. There were just so much suspense, second guessing, twists, and thrills in this book. It really was absolutely amazing.

King navigates through some interesting dynamics as well. There’s spouses pitted against each other because it’s a blended family and neighbors who were somewhat friendly now at odds. A parent’s instinct is to protect their child, but do these parents protect their children and the expense of someone else? While these characters are all likeable, I did struggle at times with Aaron, Vanessa’s husband. He was so quick to blame Jacob and say Jacob was just like his father, Rick. It was really hard for me to believe that someone who has become like a parent to a child would react the way he did when push came to shove. Now, Carl and Suzy, Rachel’s parents, I completely agree with how they reacted. I probably would have reacted similarly.

Told from multiple points of view, with a fantastic buildup to a jaw dropping ending, I highly recommend thriller lovers read this book. It does not disappoint!

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🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “The Girl Next Door”. This was a great suburban domestic drama.
Vanessa lives with her blended family in a small town. Everything is going well until Rachel moves in next door. Her arrival separates Vaness’s family and Rachel’s life is in danger after “falling” out of the window.
This book had an amazing twist that I never saw coming. If you are looking for a quick beach read, this book is for you. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#GirlNextDoor #KarenKing #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks

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Girl Next Door by Karen King and narrated by Tamsin Kennard was an excellent psychological suspense audiobook/book. This audiobook was full of great twists and turns throughout, that
was very addictive from start to finish and I ended up listening to it all day.

The narrator Tamsin Kennard was excellent and bought this book alive.

I highly recommend this book. Excellent!

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Girl Next Door is the fifth thriller I've read by King. It's a moderately paced thriller that focuses on two neighbouring families, an accident and repercussions that will resonate forever.

I knew it was fast going to become my next favourite read from the prologue. It didn't disappoint. The twists were relentless and the tensions and suspense throughout were on point.

It's narrated from multiple POV, has some credible characters whose behaviour and dialogues will keep you guessing throughout, and makes you question who you can trust.

An enjoyable and engrossing read.

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Just wonderful. I loved this one so much. Thrilling and suspenseful. Great writing and a plot that races through to the climactic finish. Wonderful.

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This book is multi-POV and tells the story of two families, one where a daughter suffers injuries due to a fall, and one where two sons are seen as possible suspects for causing the fall.

This book was okay, it didn't intrigue me the entire way through, but it did keep my attention for the most part. The pacing was good, but I did find the repetition of "I don't believe this. But he told me a lie and now I believe it". The book did seem to drag quite a bit in the beginning and middle.

Also, it reminded me of another book that I had read with a similar premise of two familes, one with an injured daughter, and one with a suspect son and mothers on both sides believing their respective kids.

The ending did leave quite a bit to be desired as well. It just seemed like quite a bit of build up, and just to have everything resolved so blandly didn't really leave a mark. There were so many things that could have just been solved by the husband telling the truth about him losing his job, or about the other allegations. It just turned into a whole big thing for nothing major and fell flat to me.

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This was a quick and easy read. At the beginning it was a bit boring, but then it started getting interesting. I have to say that these mysteries and secrets were not that unexpected. I expected more. Every time I had a feeling something bad will happen while discovering a secret, it was not that exciting.
Still, it's a good read if you want to read something at the beach.

Thank you Bookouture for the ARC!

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Not great. I mean, this wasn't very thrilling or mysterious and that was the one thing that it had to be. Sure, I wanted to know what happened but the longer it went on the less I cared. The reveal about all the secrets within these two families was so lame. Granted, I don't think anyone will be able to predict the big secret "the girl next door" is hiding but that's because it comes so out of left field that it actually made zero sense. Also, I just don't think I'm the biggest fan of low stakes blackmail stories. There could have been so many other ways the story went that would have been so much more interesting, or more thrilling, or darker but none of that happened.

Also, this is a minor gripe and something nitpicky, I know, but why the hell was the dad named Aaron and the daughter named Erin?!? Why would the author do that?? That's going to be a nightmare for anyone who listens to the audiobook for this. I can't believe they let that through the editing process.

The one saving grace to this book was the very last reveal in the epilogue. That was pretty decent and felt very reminiscent of the kind of thing that Ashley Audrain does in her books. It still couldn't save the book as a whole though.

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Girl Next Door is an excellent psychological thriller that is full of twists and turns.
There are some great characters and a couple of very suspicious ones that had me wondering a lot about them. After a few chapters I had it all worked out and knew who had ‘pushed’ Rachel from the window. To be honest I felt a little disappointed that I had it all worked out so early on. I should have known however with this wonderful author that things don’t always work out the way you think. And boy did I get a huge surprise at the end . Turns out I was completely off track with my theory and I was so happy that I actually hadn’t in fact worked it out. This was such a brilliant read with an utterly super ending.

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This is a new author for me. The blurb made me really want to read Girl Next Door and I wasn’t disappointed. I really enjoyed the use of multiple POV characters so you get into the head of everyone involved in the tragedy and are never quite sure whose telling the truth. This is the kind of thriller I tend to really enjoy. I thought I knew who’d attacked Rachel but the author led me down the garden path. I love it when I have no idea what’s going on. I loved the twists and turns. I had a great time reading this and would recommend it.

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Girl Next Door by Karen King is an excellent read, I loved the characters and the storyline which had an underlying sense of dread running through it.
This author does an excellent job of creating a setting that adds to the tension of the story.
The twist in the plot was amazing and made the entire book a great read.
I liked how it kept my interest and stayed at a very good pace throughout.
The suspense increased and I was fully invested and didn’t want it to end.
The author did such a great job with the characters keeping them engaging and entertaining through it all.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

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Riveting story about a blended family, their secrets, their missteps and hiding their involvement in hurting the girl next door. So readable and tense!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

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If this book gets a second part, my rating would be five stars! The format is one of my favorites: short chapters that give you the impression that you are deep in the story. The book gets a bit draggy when the author plays with your opinions while building the story.

Thanks to the amazing work by Karen King, this book deserves a second part, and I can't stop thinking about how good the second book can be! In chapter 61, you will find the following quote: "Secrets never stay buried for long, no matter how hard you try." So if you know, you know!

BTW- One of my theories was accurate regarding the fall. Under the spoiler part, I will disclose the potential areas that could be explored in the second part of this book.

Ness is a character who is willing to oversee many things for the greater good, yet at what cost?

Stop right here if you don't want any spoilers. Get the book and thank me later.

Here are some random thoughts :

Did the dad know about the real reason behind the fall? If so, would that explain his behavior in the hospital toward the investigation?
Hazel's reaction and impact on the relationship with her sister.
Ness and her relationship with Aaron and her need to save her family
Ricky and Jacob's relationship
Ricky & Ness- relationship
Moves?
Ben moving forward
The community and the gossip
Lucas & Jacob's relationship
Aaron and his relationship with lying (yes, I said it)

I am grateful to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and give my honest review of this book.

This book lives rent-free in my mind, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

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I can’t believe this is the first Karen King book I’ve read. I love the style of her writing. I can’t believe I’ve never read her books before! This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! Vanessa and her husband, Aaron have three with children, Erin, Jacob and Lucas. When the new neighbors move in, the boys befriend Rachel. The three of them seem to great friends and things seem to be going well. But then Rachel has a terrible fall. Who could have hurt her? Rachel’s parents believe it was the boys. Was it? Or was it someone even closer to Rachel? I was truly shocked by the ending. I had an idea who did it but I was wrong! I loved this book and I didn’t want it to end. I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley, Karen King and Bookouture for the ARC!

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My 3rd book by Karen King and another great story which I thoroughly enjoyed!

Vanessa and Aaron are really happy with how their blended family works. There’s Venessa’s son, Jacob, from a previous relationship and Aaron’s son, Lucas, who sadly lost his mother, Aaron’s late wife, when he was only 8. Both boys are of a similar age and so have always got on living together during the 3 years of Vanessa’s and Aarons relationship. Jacob and Lucas also have a little stepsister, Erin, whom they adore and who unites the whole family together. When a family moves into the house next door to them after it being empty for a while, Vanessa especially is excited to make friends with their new neighbours. The West family comprises of Suzy, Carl, their 14-year-old daughter Rachel and 6-year-old son Ben. The families quickly become close, and both Jacob and Lucas are very taken with Rachel, vying against each other for her attention plus Erin really takes a shine to Rachel and Rachel feels the same way about Erin. The boys and Rachel do like to sit on their bedroom window ledges and chat to each other with the houses being so close to each other, which concerns Vanessa, however they assure her that they will be very careful. Then one day Vanessa takes Erin to the local park and on their way home they meet Suzy and so walk home together however when they arrive at their homes, they meet a horrific sight of an ambulance and police car outside their properties. At first it seems that Rachel has fallen from her bedroom window and onto the hard ground below. Despite the quick attendance and treatment of the Emergency Services, Rachel ends up in a coma. Both families are in bits that something so terrible could happen but when the police start to investigate, they find out that Ben saw a hooded figure running from Rachel’s bedroom shortly after she screamed and fell and suddenly everyone is a suspect especially Jacob and Lucas who had fallen out shortly before Rachels accident as Rachel and Lucas had become closer leaving Jacob out in the cold. With the police investigating and Lucus, Jacob and even Aaron acting odd, Vanessa’s happy family starts to fracture, and it quickly becomes apparent that sides have been drawn with both Vanessa and Aaron keen to protect their own sons, and therefore a “them and us” situation occurs. Will Rachel wake up from her coma and be able to say whether she fell or was pushed and if pushed who the culprit is? And will Vanessa’s and Aaron’s blended family manage to stay together or fracture completely apart?!

Another great read from Karen King, she never disappoints, and I always get excited about starting one of her books and this one was no different! I really liked Vanessa however I was dubious about one of the characters right from the start (I won’t say any more as this is a spoiler free review!). I loved hearing from the different characters, especially Rachel. At about half way through Karen King was throwing out so many red herrings my mind was changing opinion about who the culprit was everytime I turned the page and I definitely did not see the twist coming at the end which is always great!

Overall, another great story from a great author. I would definitely recommend this for any psychological thriller fans, and I look forward to what Karen King comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Karen King and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

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Girl Next Door- Karen King
Rating: 4/5

I really enjoyed this book! It was very engaging and I ended up finishing it very quickly, The pacing was perfect, making the reader want to know what happens next with every chapter. I will say, some of the characters got a little whiny and at one point, I got sick of the crying. I didn't predict the twist at the end, even though I thought I knew the culprit the entire time. Lots of red herrings and overall great writing!

Fast paced and would definitely recommend to readers to check this one out!

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Rachel falls out of window or was she pushed? Everything was fine with Vanessa's family until the girl moved in next door. Now everything is falling apart. Vanessa does not know who to trust. This has made her doubt her husband and son and everyone and everything she knows.

You will spend the entire book being pushed from every direction. I accused and/or doubted every character in this story at some point and time, and then I would start doubting myself. I feel as if my brain has worked overtime on this one trying to solve this mystery.

I devoured this book in one evening just because I had to know what really happened. Whew! Now I need a nap.

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

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"Girl Next Door" was an absolute page-turner from beginning to end. It captivated me so much that I didn't want to stop reading, and indeed, I didn't, resulting in me staying up well past my usual bedtime.
I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

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