Why is she having so hard time to move properly? Why is she drinking too much? And why her family members keep worrying about her and insisting her to come home? I’ve been in London for over ten years now and I haven’t found a quiet place. I live in Angel, Islington. The nice part, with the grand white townhouses, the ones advertised as being on tree-lined streets. I can’t see any trees, just blunt shavings in the ground, weeds rising and arching over the stubs like gravestones. I’m on the ground floor of a two-storey house and Emily is above me. She moved in over six months ago and I thought she might leave, as people do here. People Emily’s age, early twenties, they come and go like the seasons and it’s spring now. Time for new life. Time for Emily to leave. This is a gripping read, beautifully and heartbreakingly told and I definitely need a spell before I can move on from this fabulous 5* read. Suzie lives in the downstairs flat and life is a struggle. She’s depressed, not going to work, and her upstairs neighbor plays the music too loud every night. In fact, Suzie can hear just about everything happening when her neighbor is upstairs. Eventually we will hear from Emily as well-but although these chapters tell us why Emily moved to London, the things shared don’t have much bearing on what transpired after, and we didn’t need several chapters to explain this choice.

From the start, I just knew that this would be an absorbing read. The protagonist, Suzie Arlington is a sad and lonely woman of thirty-five. She works ‘ in marketing‘ and owns the ground floor flat of a house in Islington, London. She longs to return to her family home in Hove, Sussex. However, her attachment to the memories of her husband Ben, in the flat where she lives, override her longing for home. Still grieving the loss of her husband, she refuses to enter her bedroom since he left two years ago. She sleeps on the sofa, or in a chair in her living room. SHE IS NOT COPING! She isn’t looking after herself and she seems absolutely overwhelmed by the sensory overload that is London life. The noise, the smells, the light, the people. This is exacerbated by her upstairs neighbour Emily, who selfishly plays her music too loud, and generally seems to make as much noise as is physically possible. This in a house where sound travels effortlessly so that everything from opening drawers to going to the bathroom is clearly audible. Yes, it seems like Suzzie suffers from trauma, she’s not reliable narrator and she is obsessed with her upstairs neighbor Emily a lot. Actually her upstairs neighbor seems like her only distraction and a way of coping mechanism for her to get up from her bed and move on her life.This was creepy AF and kept me guessing the entire time. Definitely not a predictable thriller and so many twists and turns’ Lisa, NetGalley When I found out what happened to Emily at the end, I was surprised (though perhaps I shouldn’t have been?) Suzie’s story ended in a most satisfactory way. She ignores me. ‘Shall Dad and I come up soon? Or do you want to come home for a bit?’ she says, rushed. Of course Suzy keeps making complaints about the noise to her landlord, informing the housing council and showing at her door to confront her!

Compelling, heartbreaking and beautifully written. This superb thriller will stay in my mind for a very long time’ B P Walter, Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Dinner Guest How well do you know your neighbour? Would you trust them with your life?Twists are not so surprising. You may guess them miles away. The conclusion is satisfying and saddening! But Suzy feels in her guts something is up and her neighbor is in great danger. Even digging through her disappearance means she has to confront her own secrets she keeps, she’s stubborn enough to find Emily! But it also means crossing some lines and put a target on her head! Oh Suzy what have you done to yourself? Top Five Tuesday: 5 books that I’m thankful for in 2023 #Top5Tuesday #TuesdayBookBlog @MeeghanReads#TopFiveTuesday November 21, 2023

Suzie Arlington can hear everything that goes on in the flat upstairs-she knows when the latest tenant, Emily eats, sleeps, has sex, and uses the toilet. She knows what music she likes, the food she prefers and the wine she drinks. What would I say to you? That I’m doing this for you? Because that’s strictly not true. I’m also doing this for myself.”

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I place the phone on the table, the screen face-down. I take a deep breath and push away the remainder of my coffee. I let the tears slide down my face and cool the warmth in my cheeks. I swipe at stray hairs circling my face and gather my belongings.