The New Couple by Alison James
Genre: Domestic thriller, Suspense
Read: 26th September 2022
Published: 27th September 2022
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
The perfect marriage. The perfect house. The perfect secret…
As I step through the cherry-red door of my new home, I know I should feel like the luckiest woman alive. I have a handsome husband, a beautiful daughter and now the house of my dreams. And to everyone else my life looks perfect…
When the neighbours stop by to welcome us, I tell them my name is Stephanie Hamlin and, under the watchful gaze of my husband Richard, I introduce him and our curly haired little girl Poppy. I smile as wide as I can and desperately hope I can fit in to this exclusive place with its pretty communal gardens. Because I’ve risked everything to be here.
Behind closed doors I try to relax, to unwind in the huge clawfoot bath and forget about my complicated past. It’s hard being the new couple on the street when you’ve got secrets.
Because the truth is, my charming husband isn’t really my husband.
And I’m not Stephanie Hamlin…
An absolutely gripping psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page. If you love Behind Closed Doors, My Lovely Wife and The Perfect Couple, you’ll be hooked.
MY THOUGHTS:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Alison James' tense domestic thriller THE NEW COUPLE.
A slow burn story that gives the reader just enough to keep them engaged, THE NEW COUPLE has fairly unique twist to this tense domestic thriller with a difference. I wasn't sure what to think at first as the pace was a little slow and it seemed to go in a different direction than the premise suggested. But it does pick up and things start to fall into place before too long and ends up being something of a sticky situation for all involved as well as an interesting turn of events.
The prologue opens the story giving the reader the air of something sinister but then it about faces when we meet Jane Headley, a fifty-something resident of the affluent south west London area of Sycamore Gardens, who watches with interest the new couple moving into number 12. It seems the property, formerly owned by a retired couple who moved away to warmer climes, had been donated to the charity service who then placed the Victorian semi-detached home as the prize in a lottery sweep. The lottery is won by Richard and Stephanie Hamlin who had been saving to purchase their own home for some time. Together, with their 9 month old baby daughter daughter, the Hamlins swiftly move into number 12 Sycamore Gardens with an air of mystery about them.
The couple, who moved in with nothing but black bin bags filled with their belongings, keep to themselves mostly but Jane is quick to welcome them to the neighbourhood but receives a less than favourable welcome for her trouble. When she notices they had no highchair for young Poppy she offered to source one for them to borrow until they could get their own, but was refused. In fact, the couple didn't seem to have anything for the baby. No cot, nappies, toys...nothing.
And then one day, a knock at her door heralded young Stephanie with the gorgeous golden curled Poppy in her arms asking her to baby-sit. Thinking it will just be for an hour or two, Jane is happy to help out. But then Stephanie is gone for almost six hours and upon her return mumbles an apology of sorts but offers no explanation. Soon Jane finds herself becoming an unpaid babysitter while she disappears for hours on end, especially when Richard is so clearly at home. This spikes Jane's interest and she begins to play amateur detective to find out a little more about this mysterious couple.
That's when she notices Richard beginning to pay nocturnal visits to one of their other neighbours and taking full of advantage of another's absence to copulate. But whatever is going on here really isn't any of Jane's business and her husband Fergus would be the first one to tell her to leave it. But Jane just knows that something isn't quite right about the new couple.
Then we meet another couple - Keren and Liam - but how do they fit in? I'll say this, with their entrance the story certainly ramps up a notch or two. The pace picks up and twists begin to come fast and are soon made clear as things start falling into place. But...just exactly where is it all going? And where will it all end? The lives of everyone involved entwine with colossal consequences...but how and why?
A slow burn to begin with, the pace doesn't really pick up until Part Two but don't worry, that is only a dozen chapters into the story and it is then that some of the bigger twists are revealed. And gradually, the pieces of the puzzle start fitting together and things begin to make sense. The first part is pretty much Jane and her suspicions with not a whole lot happening but then everything is turned on its head and I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying it.
Although it wasn't my favourite of the authors, THE NEW COUPLE is still an entertaining read with a unique plot that surprised me and a satisfying end. I would have preferred a faster pace but it was enough to hold my interest until it did pick up, so I wasn't disappointed.
Definitely worth a read for fans of domestic thrillers.
I would like to thank #AlisonJames, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheNewCouple in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Born in the Cotswolds, Alison spent most of her formative years abroad. She studied languages at Oxford, then became a journalist and author, returning to university after her two children to take a law degree. After a three-year stint as a criminal paralegal, Alison worked as a commercial copywriter and then a TV storyliner, before coming full circle to write fiction again.
Social Media Links:
PUBLISHER:
Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.
No comments:
Post a Comment