NetGalley Top Reviewer

NetGalley Top Reviewer
NetGalley Top Reviewer

Saturday, September 7, 2019

The Woman Upstairs by Ruth Heald

When all seems lost, pregnant-with-twins Katie thinks she has found the perfect helpmate in Paula. After the girls are born, Katie's world comes crashing down and Paula is there providing care and support for all 3 of them. But there's something not quite right in the house and soon Katie feels that she no longer has any control over her life and her little babies. NO SPOILERS.

The narrative unfolds between flashbacks and present day making the plot twists easy to anticipate. As the story in present day is told from the first person view of Katie, I couldn't help feeling that she was a total mess and quite stupid. Nothing she did made any sense and her decisions and reactions were none I could remotely relate to -- in short, I couldn't stand her. For that matter, all of the characters in this novel were unlikeable though some worse than others. I found it hard to wrap my head around Katie's behavior and, since I had already leapt to the obvious, I didn't feel any tension or suspense. It was a quick read, however, and some readers might disagree with my assessments. Perhaps I've just read way too many psychological thrillers and may just need to step away from what seems to be the same old secrets and lies where the protagonist trusts someone who is completely deranged or evil. And I can definitely say that there is no way I would have spent a single night in that house much less befriended a Paula. But maybe I'm a jaded cynic!

The title was changed from YOUR GUILTY LIES which I received as an ARC to read and review from NetGalley and Bookouture. Thank you for the opportunity.

This is a standalone and not part of any series.
Genre - psychological, domestic drama

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