I listened to the audiobook version of this novel, and it was so well done. The story itself was full of all the things you look for in a mystery/thriller. The twists and turns were plenty, and on that left me shocked. The narrator was so fantastic and really brought the story to life. A must listen!

This was a wild ride and I loved it! This was my 1st book by Liz Alterman but will not be my last! I can't wait to read her next book!

#TheHouseonColdCreekLane
#NetGalley

Read 8/8/24

I appreciate that this books main tagline was about motherhood, but there was so much more to the book. I didn't feel like motherhood was being crammed down my throat, and that is so hard to find in these 'motherhood domestic thrillers'. I hated the husband, hated his family, and hated that the main character really had no one except her kids. Plus everyone was trying to make her seem unstable, but she knew herself enough to realize they were all wrong.

The House on Cold Creek Lane
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Liz Alterman

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Severn House and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Who was I? What had I become? Breathe, I commanded. You're doing this for your family.

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 . . .

My Thoughts: Corey and Laurel have never met, but they both lived in the same house, at different times. Laurel and Rob moved into their new home, which seemed too good to be true. A vastly array of neighbors with personalities ranging from sweet old lady to snarky. Rob is the ultimate douche to Laurel. Definitely gaslighting and narcissistic behaviors going on. Corey moves from the house after a devastating loss. Corey wants answers and she thinks by revisiting the house, she may get them. Will the tie between Corey and Laurel end up being the thing that destroys them? This follows the tropes of a domestic neighborhood psychological thriller.

The story is narrated in a dual narration by Laurel and Cory, in their respective perspectives. Laurel is a new mother with a douche husband, she carries the world on her shoulders. Corey’s character has been through a heart wrenching loss and you can really feel for her. The characters were well fleshed out, were mysterious, secretive, and intriguing. The supporting characters elevated the storyline. The author’s writing style was complex, multifaceted, twisty, suspenseful, and brilliantly written. I loved how the author tied these two storylines together. The plot was well thought out and was delivered in twisty layers. The gaslighting and narcissistic behaviors added another layer to this psychological thriller. The ending was very explosive and satisfying.

TW: death of a child. I had the pleasure of having the digital and audio versions of this ARC. I leaned more on the audio version of this story. The narrators, Emily Ellet and Gail Shalan, really knocked it out of the park. They had impressive voice variation with character distinction. Their flow, pacing, and pitch was amazing at 2x listening speed. They breathed life into the characters bringing them from the page to your brain. I loved Alterman’s previous novel and this one was no different. Overall, this was a good thriller that I would recommend to other readers.

Thank you Netgalley & Dreamscape Audio for an ALC of The House on Cold Creek Lane by Liz Alterman. One of my favorite thriller tropes is trouble in suburbia, so I was really looking forward to reading this one.

Laurel and Rob move into their new house in NJ - And it seems too good to be true. There’s just something off. Corey is trying to outrun her past, recovering from a divorce and a tragic loss.

These two women have never met, but they have more in common than you will have ever guessed upon starting this one.

Really quick, bingeable read. I found the ending to be somewhat predictable but enjoyed it nonetheless and also rotated with the eBook!

Motherhood is no walk in the park, even with a support system around you. I can’t imagine trying to do this job with a husband that was constantly taking jabs at my parenting skills and a mother in law that was no better. Laurel is stuck with both of those, along with a brand new baby and new house. Something seems a little off with the house and neighbors, but no one wants to give her answers. Settle in for this domestic thriller, while the plot unravels and the neighbors get a bit too close for comfort.

Although I had the problem person pegged from the beginning, this was one twisty ride that I’m glad I went on.

Told from two perspectives, one mother lost a child and one mother worried she'd lose her children, this novel just went from bizarre to insane.

Laurel and her husband Rob move into a new house on Cold Creek Lane. Laurel has left her job at the bakery to be a stay-at-home mother to her newborn and three-year-old. Rob criticizes Laurel for most of her actions and does not engage with her emotionally. Laurel gets frustrated at the lack of support and believes that Rob, his family, and the neighbors, are talking about her and criticizing her for all her actions. She slowly loses her mental stability believing that the elderly neighbor woman is trying to kill her or their children. Her only support is the single, childless woman next door who becomes her lifeline.

Corey is the woman who owned the house on Cold Creek Lane and sold it to Laurel and Rob. Corey believed the house would be her forever home until her young child drowned in the creek behind the house. Corey is convinced that one of the neighbors lured her child out of the house and caused her death. She currently lives in Florida with her mother in a retirement community, working a dead-end job, because life no longer has meaning. When she becomes obsessed with another family and their young daughter, she meets a local police officer, who is willing to give her a chance to change her way. Corey becomes close to the cop and he is willing to help her get more information about the tragic death of her child.

All of this culminates into an absolutely insane ending, which was hinted at along the way, but the additional twist makes it a more unique ending.

Filled with unlikeable characters and unreliable narrators, this book can be a struggle for some, and the child's voice for the three-year-old is ear-splitting, but in the end the book is worth the read.

3.5 Stars

This was a catchy, suspenseful book that was hard to put down. My beef was it was pretty predictable. Even so, it was captivating and I wanted to see what happened to Corey and Laurel.

Laurel and her condescending husband, Rob, moved into a house on Cold Creek Lane with their toddler and new baby. You hate Rob immediately, and his awful family.

This domestic thriller is told from the POV of Laurel and Corey, who have never met. Both are grieving mothers with trauma in their past, their lives are about to intercept in a big way. Corey’s grief has taken over her life and you just can’t help but to root for her, Laurel too.

I did enjoy the suspense of it all, it was paced pretty well and the characters were likable and raw. The unlikable ones were intentionally unlikable and fun to hate.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this audiobook. The audio performance was very good. The child’s voice was a little annoying, but all other characters were excellent.

I haven't read anything by this author before but really liked the sound of this book and am so glad I picked it up. I listened to the audio version and felt the narrator did a fantastic job, This book was told in alternating chapters by two main characters and I really liked them both although Corey was my favourite. I loved the way the author tied the two storylines together at the end. Fantastic book.

The House on Cold Creek Lane was my first book by Liz Alterman and I listened to it on audio. I could not stop listening and practically finished it in one day. Poor Laurel. The main character was so paranoid, justifiably (or was it) that I felt constant tension as I was listening. I couldn't wait to find out the resolution and see if Laurel ever made it out of her situation. The dual storyline with Corey was a good counterbalance to the stress of Laurels and I liked how the two stories came together. I would recommend to anyone who likes domestic thrillers. ALso, I am now on a mission to read the author's previous novel, The Perfect Neighborhood. Will definitely read the authors next book if she publishes another.

This thriller really caught my attention from the very beginning. The characters were very intriguing and I just had a feeling I couldn't trust all of them after the events of the past at this house. I thought this was pretty fast-paced and never had a dull moment. The suspense really built up till the ending but I did think the ending was a little too convenient and wrapped up too perfectly. I would have liked a little bit more suspense and action at the end. Otherwise though I thought this was really entertaining. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Liz Alterman for the early access copy of The House on Cold Creek Lane.

The House on Cold Creek Lane is a domestic thriller that shows the trials of motherhood, set in a suburban neighborhood, with unreliable narrators, tense situations, and consistent sense of unease. The gaslighting was surreal.

The audiobook narration was fantastic and easy to slip into, if you are looking for a domestic thriller with a sense of unease throughout, this is the book for you.

This one was a quick read. But was also super predictable unfortunately. I still enjoyed it but was hoping to be surprised

A twisty thriller that will keep you guessing. I loved the audiobook and the narrators voice for the children. The story is told by two women and their stories are tragic. The author did a great job with this book.

Thank you to Negalley and the publisher for this ALC. I didn't not get to listen to it in time before it expired. Once I actually read this I'll update my review.

I absolutely loved this book and all the head games that Alterman put her characters through. Though not always likeable, her characters are very relatable: the emotionally broken wife, the controlling husband, the nosy older neighbor, the sassy single neighbor. This felt like it could have been a very dark episode of Desperate Housewives.
My only complaint is the author over foreshadowing the story, things like "if only I had known what was coming next". It feels campy to me and takes me out of the narrative
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a whole cast of character voices all on her own, it was fabulous. The voice she used for the child was obnoxious, but thankfully that character didn't speak much. Great job narrator, it was impressive.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my copy of this audiobook

Unreliable narrators and a plot that seems to good to be true? This book was a quick thriller that had a few twists and turns and kept the pages burning. It was pretty easy to see through the 'disguises' but for those getting into thrillers this would make a great first book. It is a dual POV book that helped move the pace.

I took a shot at a new to me author and it was so worth it!

The House On Cold Creek Lane is jam packed with suspicious characters, nosey neighbors, tons of gaslighting, and an end you won’t see coming!

I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted to slap a character so bad. Read it and you’ll immediately know who I’m talking about.

Thank you @lizalterman and @netgalley for my audiobook review copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two alternating female main characters both 1st person povs: Laurel and Corey bound both because of the traumatic impact loss has had on them and because they live or have lived in the same house in suburban New Jersey.
Corey has recently relocated to her mother's condo in Florida, Laurel has just moved into the house on Cold Creek Lane.
This story quickly becomes tense and gripping as the mysteries surrounding the house and the neighbors are unraveled. On one side is a know it all but also sweet old lady who wants nothing more than to help, or does she ? On the other side is Addie, single, gorgeous and put together with an open ear for Laurel's worries ...
We go back in forth between Corey who is worried when she discovers her house now has a new young family living in it and Laurel as she tried to fit in while dealing with ghosts from the past, but something just isn't right... the tension rises.
Motherhood, mother-daughter relationships, grief, there's quite a bit to unpack here but this is also a very gripping thriller, it kept me on the edge of my seat listening in one go!
The narration by Gail Shalan and Emily Ellet was so well done, it was easy to stay on track and engaged!

I was able to guess what was happening quite early in the story, but I enjoyed the reveal and the story leading up to it. I was not expecting the very end of this book, so that was a nice surprise.

Emily Ellet and Gail Shalan did a good job narrating this story. They kept a solid pace, annunciated clearly, and allowed me to listen at 2x speed.