Book synopsis
In a converted Georgian townhouse in south west London, three families live under one roof.
The large flat that takes up the top two floors is home to the Harlow family: happily married Paul and Steph, and their bubbly teenage daughter Freya. The smaller first floor flat is rented by Emma, who spends most of her time alone, listening to people coming in and out of the building. And the basement flat belongs to Chris, a local driving instructor, who prefers to keep his personal life private from the neighbours.
But their lives are all upended when Freya vanishes. As the police become involved and a frantic Paul and Steph desperately search for answers, they begin to realise that the truth behind their daughter’s disappearance may lie closer to home than they were expecting.
When everyone has something to hide, can you ever really know those closest to you? Or will some secrets be taken to the grave?
About the author
Helen Cooper is from Derby. She has taught English and Academic Writing in both Further and Higher Education and was Head of Learning Enhancement at the University of Birmingham. She has a MA in Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University and has been published in Writers’ Forum, Mslexia, the Bath Short Story Prize Anthology (2014) and the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize Anthology (2018). The Downstairs Neighbour was her first novel – her second, The Other Guest publishes in 2022.
My review
As you all most probably know by now thrillers are one of my favourite genre of books to read. So when I was offered to read this one I had to grab the chance to.
The book was well written and we follow the stories of Chris, Steph, Freya, Kate Emma and Paul and it is told by each persons perspective over each chapter. There are a few characters to keep track of but it all comes together as you are reading the book why all of these people are important to the story.
I couldn’t put this one down and the ending was amazing! If you love thrillers then please pick this one up.
Disclaimer – Thank you to Insta book tours and the author for my gifted copy of this book for my honest review.