This was almost a five star, highly recommended read for me. (More on that later.) The beginning of the story perfectly captures how optimistic Jess feels about the future, and what she hopes life will be like now that they’ve successfully embarked on blending their three families. Her inner dialogue about this is self-congratulatory and somewhat smug at times, but (thankfully) it was a tiny segment of the opening chapter and ended before Jess came off as an unlikable character. The result is an interesting rollercoaster as the reader is led along one path, then another, as the two tales of abuse and distress unwind. It becomes hard to identify victim and perpetrator, and nearly costs Jane her marriage as she tries to deal with the legacy time has left her. It was a light an enjoyable read. It has a calm, spring-like atmosphere with lots of flowers and old(er) ladies, who do old lady things, like do gardening, nosy on their neighbours, gossip, and keep secrets. What I did appreciate is that the themes of abuse, both physical and mental, that are portrayed in this book come across as authentic and well-developed. The idea of keeping things hidden is certainly one that is true. It is clear that a lot of time and thought was poured into this story.

I mentioned it is tense.that's probably an understatement as it had me shouting and furious at one character....and as for the ending,well it was superb I raced through this book eager to find out if Jane is right about a body in her neighbours garden. Appearances can be deceptive though and what she discovers isn't what she was expecting I wanted to read this book as soon as I read the premise. I had to see how this all would work out. In the wife next door we meet Jess who has just moved in with her new partner, her son and his daughter. Their neighbors is her previous husband and his new family. They are all friends and hope their new living arrangements will benefit them all. Jess feels like life is perfect, until she finds a threatening letter. That is just the start of more strange events that makes her feel like someone’s out to get her. If you are looking for a book that will keep you on your toes, Rona Halsall's The Wife Next Door is that story. With Halsall's twisty writing you will never know who is doing what or who is guilty. This book is almost impossible to put down once you start reading it. Featuring suspense and hard to love characters, Halsall's new book is a brainteaser.I quite liked Jane, although I sometimes struggled to understand her decisions. She was smart and sharp and went through a good character arc. To be fair, many of the characters in this book were well developed and that kept me reading, as well as the twists the story provided. I got bored being home alone all the time. My husband is an Executive Accountant and doesn't want me to work. So I stay home, clean the house, surf the net, play tennis, and do my next door neighbor.

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. The Wife Next Door’ is an engaging look at how we don't really know what happens behind closed doors. This was a character-driven, slow burn of a book that allows the reader to be taken down meandering paths of what its truth and what is deception and manipulation. OH MY DAYS!! I mean seriously OH MY DAYS! Yes, I have to shout this! This book has blown me completely away... As soon as you open the book you are hurtling so fast that you need a minute to take a breath... M y head is still spinning from it all! Blinding!' Zooloo's Book Diary⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This was pretty much soft core Japanese porn. I did absolutely no research on this film. I saw a review of the sequel and saw the word funny so I thought it may have been like…This book was so unpredictable and full of so many twists and turns, which has made it into a fab thriller. The further in you get you realise how clever the writing is, luring you into the complex web of family, friendships, lies, betrayal and so much more. This is an excellent psychological thriller. My heart was pounding through the book and my nerves were in shreds! It starts off quite slowly and the pace gradually builds up. As for the ending - all I’m going to say is superb! This is one book that I couldn’t put down. Given this strong reaction, and despite how much I loved the rest of the book, a three star rating is all I can give.