Reviews

The Wife Next Door by Amanda Brooke

charlottedando's review

Go to review page

emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

beautyblob's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This was a little predictable, especially if you read a lot of psychological thrillers, but a quick read and well paced. There is a lot about domestic violence in here and it was plotted very well with little sprinkles of flashbacks to the 70s. I did find the main character, Jane, a bit frustrating. She came across as such a nosy neighbour to begin with, I don't know how the neighbours tolerated her. I understand her behaviour came from a place of fear and trauma but just because you have experienced something you can't just assume the same about other people when you are spying on them - not great neighbourly behaviour - and not getting the whole picture.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and the author.

javieinastory's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

msalornothing's review against another edition

Go to review page

1.0

As predicted!! I skimmed a lot of the book because every character was irritating in their own way and there was only a hint of a good plot underneath it all.
And I don't know if that's how police really conduct their investigations but I've seen more believable conduct in episodes of Midsomer Murders. I can not recommend this book at all.

mollruss's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

jemmacrosland's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

To summarise this book in one word, it would be: manipulation. The protagonist Jane has such an (understandably) warped view of relationships which she projected onto other relationships. Even as a reader, I felt like I didn't know who to trust. I had so many conflicting feelings towards the characters, for instance at the beginning I had a strong dislike for Phil, Jane's husband, flip to the next page and he's the most compassionate husband to ever live! The characters were fully fleshed out.
This book had a good pace, particularly I thought the flashbacks to Cynthia, Les and younger Jane really supported the main plot. What I really liked was the friendship between Jane and Sheena, which echoed their own mother's friendship.
There were so many twists and turns in this book, it built a lot of suspense and I definitely didn't see the full picture until the end. In my personal opinion I think the ending was a little overdone and it overcomplicated the plot.
This is the first book I've read by Amanda Brooke and I really enjoyed her writing style. Her other published works have drawn my eye so I will be adding some of her other books to my TBR.
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and Amanda Brooke for sending me this digital review copy.

snippie99's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This was well written and interesting enough but none of the twists shocked me if I’m being honest. I’d be willing to give this author another shot though.

erinleigho's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

lxurx64's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

aimeefranks's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75