The Downstairs Neighbor
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- Create Date：2021-02-17 04:23:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Helen Cooper
- ISBN：9780593190388
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
11/23/2020
At the outset of Cooper’s heart-pounding debut， 17-year-old Freya Harlow fails to return home to her parents’ Kingston， England， apartment。 When the police ask Freya’s parents， Paul and Steph， if they have any enemies who might want to harm Freya， each has a secret unbeknownst to the other， and each believes theirs holds the key to their daughter’s disappearance。 While Paul unearths painful memories of his past undercover police work， Steph often travels to a nearby town， and begs their downstairs neighbor， Emma Brighton， not to tell anyone about her whereabouts。 Meanwhile， Emma’s apartment is vandalized， and the police repeatedly question Freya’s driving instructor， who lives below Emma， since he was the last person to see Freya。 A second plot， set 25 years earlier， involves a teenage girl who suspects her mother’s boyfriend is abusive and dangerous。 Readers will enjoy trying to figure out how the two story lines are connected。 Even avid suspense readers won’t be able to predict all the twists。 Cooper is off to a strong start。 Agent: Hellie Ogden， Janklow & Nesbit （U。K。）。 （Feb。）
Reviews
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Nelda Brangwin
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Helen Cooper has written a page-turner of a debut。 When 17-year-old Freya does not return home， there are so many possible suspects。 The police ask the parents if they have have any enemies who might want to harm Freya。 And while both parents deny it， their actions show otherwise。 And then there is the single woman on the ground floor， whose teenage son has disappeared， Freya’s driving instructor who lives in the basement apartment。 As the suspects struggle with what is going on， there is a seco Helen Cooper has written a page-turner of a debut。 When 17-year-old Freya does not return home， there are so many possible suspects。 The police ask the parents if they have have any enemies who might want to harm Freya。 And while both parents deny it， their actions show otherwise。 And then there is the single woman on the ground floor， whose teenage son has disappeared， Freya’s driving instructor who lives in the basement apartment。 As the suspects struggle with what is going on， there is a second plot taking 25 years earlier when a young girl accidently kills her mother’s boyfriend。 Both stories collide at the end and the ending is totally unexpected。 。。。more
Mandy
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This is a fantastic， gripping read， and I was amazed to find that it’s a debut novel。 I’ll definitely be reading more books by this author。The story is based around the occupants of a West London townhouse， with Paul， Steph， and Freya Harlow living on the top two floors， Emma Brighton on the ground floor， and Chris and Vicky Watson in the basement flat。 They don’t have anything much to do with each other， other than polite greetings when passing in the communal hall or on the steps， etc。Then Fre This is a fantastic， gripping read， and I was amazed to find that it’s a debut novel。 I’ll definitely be reading more books by this author。The story is based around the occupants of a West London townhouse， with Paul， Steph， and Freya Harlow living on the top two floors， Emma Brighton on the ground floor， and Chris and Vicky Watson in the basement flat。 They don’t have anything much to do with each other， other than polite greetings when passing in the communal hall or on the steps， etc。Then Freya goes missing and we discover that each resident has a secret， and they’ve all been inextricably linked。Some chapters go back to a period twenty-five years ago， and I don’t usually enjoy going back and forth， but it was easy to follow。 I lost count of the number of times that I thought， “Wow， I wasn’t expecting that！” I really couldn’t put the book down and， even though I was desperate to find out all the secrets， I was disappointed to reach the last page。Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Louise
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Three families living in one converted townhouse。 Paul， Steph and their teenage daughter Freya rent the top 2 floors。 Emma has the ground floor。 Chris and Vicky live in the basement。 None of them are aware of how much their lives are intertwined until Freya disappears and we find out that all of them are living in a web of lies。The book is narrated alternately by Paul， Steph， Chris， Emma and another character Katie， in an alternate timeframe， 25 years ago。 I was 3/4 of the way through the book b Three families living in one converted townhouse。 Paul， Steph and their teenage daughter Freya rent the top 2 floors。 Emma has the ground floor。 Chris and Vicky live in the basement。 None of them are aware of how much their lives are intertwined until Freya disappears and we find out that all of them are living in a web of lies。The book is narrated alternately by Paul， Steph， Chris， Emma and another character Katie， in an alternate timeframe， 25 years ago。 I was 3/4 of the way through the book before I realised what Katie's story had to do with the stories in the present time。 The pace of the novel is set from the start， Freya's disappearance happens in chapter 1， there is no easing into this book and getting to know characters。 Every chapter ends on a cliffhanger。 Helen Cooper doesn't believe in letting the reader take a break throughout the novel with clues， lies are reveals happening in pretty much every chapter。 Although well written and cleverly done， the amount of lies told by all of the characters stops you from ever really liking any of them。 It means there's a huge amount of twists and turns throughout but no characters you would actually want within your circle of friends。 You also don't have any chance to get to know Freya before she disappears， all that you learn about her is through the other characters， and they don't really make you like her either。 So I felt that I wasn't caring enough about her。 A teenage girl disappears I should be invested in getting her back but I couldn't really have cared less about her。 I didn't have the relationship built。 On the whole this was an enjoyable book， you have absolutely no clue who is responsible for the disappearance or why。 。。。more
Crystal Smith-Connelly
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What a great debut novel！ I really enjoyed The Downstairs Neighbour and found it easy to emphasize with the characters。 The book had lots of twists and turns that I didn't see coming， and I had a hard time putting it down because I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Freya。 Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Downstairs Neighbour and discover a great new author。。。I'm looking forward to reading more of Helen Cooper's work What a great debut novel！ I really enjoyed The Downstairs Neighbour and found it easy to emphasize with the characters。 The book had lots of twists and turns that I didn't see coming， and I had a hard time putting it down because I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Freya。 Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Downstairs Neighbour and discover a great new author。。。I'm looking forward to reading more of Helen Cooper's work in the future。 : ） 。。。more
April Engels
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It was a slow and boring read halfway through the book。 The suspense surrounding a missing teenager girl is what keeps you going。 Her disappearance is told through a series of montages from other characters back stories and are woven together to solve the mystery。
The Cookster
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Should appeal to fans of C。L。 Taylor and anyone who simply appreciates a well-crafted， suspenseful thriller。Rating: 4。2/5I have lost count of the amount of times that the marketing blurb for a book overpromises and underdelivers。 That is certainly not the case here: The understated synopsis for "The Downstairs Neighbour" really does not prepare you for how good this book is。 Helen Cooper has introduced herself with a hugely impressive debut novel。There is no slow burn to this story 。。。 Three sep Should appeal to fans of C。L。 Taylor and anyone who simply appreciates a well-crafted， suspenseful thriller。Rating: 4。2/5I have lost count of the amount of times that the marketing blurb for a book overpromises and underdelivers。 That is certainly not the case here: The understated synopsis for "The Downstairs Neighbour" really does not prepare you for how good this book is。 Helen Cooper has introduced herself with a hugely impressive debut novel。There is no slow burn to this story 。。。 Three separate families live in a converted Georgian townhouse in west London and in the opening pages we learn that Steph's teenage daughter， Freya， has gone missing。 Her disappearance sets in motion a train of events that will lead Steph and her neighbours on an unexpected voyage of discovery， during which they will not only uncover astonishing things about the people who live around them， but also about themselves。The narrative is provided by multiple characters and takes place across two time frames: The present day and flashbacks to events 25 years earlier。 Multiple points of view can work really well when used effectively and Helen Cooper makes an excellent job of giving each individual a distinct and authentic voice。 The plotting is tight。 There are twists and turns aplenty， with red herrings and blind alleys along the way - but importantly these are handled in a credible manner rather than the writer simply trying to deceive the reader by cheating。 Each of the individual strands of the plotline make engaging reading in their own right， but the way the author pulls them all together into a fully rounded story is even more impressive。I understand that Helen Cooper has been signed up on a two book deal by the publisher， Hodder & Stoughton。 I will certainly be looking out for the second book and hopefully many more to come。 。。。more
Victoria Jackson
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Wow what a book！ I absolutely loved The Downstairs Neighbour。 It tells the story of 3 families who live in a converted Georgian townhouse and whose lives are all intertwined by secrets and lies。It was a fast paced， thrilling roller coaster of a story with so many twists and turns I could not put it down。 Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my ARC。
Connie
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Emma lives alone in her apartment with Gilbert the hamster for company。 Below her in the basement apartment are Chris and Vicky。 Chris teaches a number of teenagers how to drive。 On the top floor are Paul， Steph， and their 17-year-old daughter， Freya。 Today， she is late returning home from school and her mother is getting nervous。 As time passes and Paul returns home from work， they finally decide to call the police。As the hours turn into days and Freya has not returned， Steph and Paul are besid Emma lives alone in her apartment with Gilbert the hamster for company。 Below her in the basement apartment are Chris and Vicky。 Chris teaches a number of teenagers how to drive。 On the top floor are Paul， Steph， and their 17-year-old daughter， Freya。 Today， she is late returning home from school and her mother is getting nervous。 As time passes and Paul returns home from work， they finally decide to call the police。As the hours turn into days and Freya has not returned， Steph and Paul are beside themselves with fear。 What could have happened to their daughter？This story bounces back in time to a tale about Kate and her cousin， Becca， and then returns to the present day situation， slowly peeling away the layers of time like those of an onion。These characters are all keeping secrets from things that happened in their past and struggling to make their present lives good。 But Freya disappearance means that those secrets come creeping out and may or may not relate to what has happened to Freya。This is a good thriller that builds keeping the reader on the edge of their seat。 It gave me shivers at times which， for me， has always proven that I am reading a super book！Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Caroline Bartlett
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Read my full review here: https://www。howdidthatbookend。com/the。。。This story is told mostly in the present， through the perspectives of the various residents of the same apartment building: Emma， Steph， Chris， and Paul。 The reader quickly learns that all of these individuals have secrets， but which ones are related to Freya’s disappearance？ There are also a few chapters from the point of view of Kate， 25 years in the past。 Who is Kate？？ I was eager to figure out what her storyline had to do with Read my full review here: https://www。howdidthatbookend。com/the。。。This story is told mostly in the present， through the perspectives of the various residents of the same apartment building: Emma， Steph， Chris， and Paul。 The reader quickly learns that all of these individuals have secrets， but which ones are related to Freya’s disappearance？ There are also a few chapters from the point of view of Kate， 25 years in the past。 Who is Kate？？ I was eager to figure out what her storyline had to do with the present， and whether it would tie into Freya’s disappearance。 I enjoyed the pacing of this book。 The beginning was a little slower with a lot of backstory， but it quickly picks up into an action-packed page turner。 The ending wrapped all of the perspectives together in a very satisfying way。 My guess at the kidnapper was completely wrong！ Overall， I see this book easily becoming another wildly popular thriller。 I can’t wait to see what Helen Cooper has in store for us next！The Downstairs Neighbor will be available next week on February 16， 2021。 。。。more
Chelsea | thrillerbookbabe
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Thank you so much to Putnam and Helen Cooper for the fantastic ARC of The Downstairs Neighbor。 This book was so full of secrets and twists that I couldn’t keep up！ It was about an apartment building and three of the families who lived there。 The upstairs family， Steph， Paul， and Freya， who are hiding something and each have their own secrets。 The ground floor family， Emma and Zeb who are going through lots of personal struggles。 The basement family， Vicky and Chris who are not all that they seem Thank you so much to Putnam and Helen Cooper for the fantastic ARC of The Downstairs Neighbor。 This book was so full of secrets and twists that I couldn’t keep up！ It was about an apartment building and three of the families who lived there。 The upstairs family， Steph， Paul， and Freya， who are hiding something and each have their own secrets。 The ground floor family， Emma and Zeb who are going through lots of personal struggles。 The basement family， Vicky and Chris who are not all that they seem。 When Freya goes missing， it seems like everyone has a reason to worry and wonder if it was because of them？Thoughts: I loved all the twisted storylines in this book！ There were so many changes in point of view and timeline that you had to pay attention if you wanted to guess what was going on。 Each person was complex and interesting， and each chapter was just as informative as the last。 I didn’t necessarily connect with the story， but it was a lighter read that was enjoyable。 I liked that the twists made sense and weren’t reaching too much。 It was fun to see how everyone was connected and even though it was predictable， it was a fun read。 There were some slower parts， but it speeds up after the halfway point and keeps the pace until the end。 At points I wanted to yell at them to just talk to each other， but they never did！ It was a fun， lighter thriller- 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Darla
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This book gets 5 stars from me for the many moments in the narrative that point back to the title。 I have a linear brain and love to make connections。 It made my brain and my heart happy to breeze through this debut thriller and see how appropriate the title is。 'The Night Swim' was like that， too。 At the center of this book is a missing seventeen-year-old girl， but for the people around her in her family and building it becomes so much more。 This would make a fantastic book group read as there This book gets 5 stars from me for the many moments in the narrative that point back to the title。 I have a linear brain and love to make connections。 It made my brain and my heart happy to breeze through this debut thriller and see how appropriate the title is。 'The Night Swim' was like that， too。 At the center of this book is a missing seventeen-year-old girl， but for the people around her in her family and building it becomes so much more。 This would make a fantastic book group read as there are so many issues that are touched upon throughout。 Bullying， marriage， economic hardship， intergenerational relationships， abuse， new beginnings， and parenting are all addressed。 jThank you to Penguin Publishing and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Tilly Fitzgerald
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Arggghh this was so bloody gripping！！ This is such a clever， suspenseful and fast paced thriller - I will never understand how a good thriller can be a hundred pages longer than another book and still go by twice as quickly。 It’s not fair when I could quite happily keep reading for hours！ The characters were all flawed but easy to warm to， and the dual timeline built up so much tension and so many possibilities of how the two stories connected - what did a young girl named Kate 25 years ago have Arggghh this was so bloody gripping！！ This is such a clever， suspenseful and fast paced thriller - I will never understand how a good thriller can be a hundred pages longer than another book and still go by twice as quickly。 It’s not fair when I could quite happily keep reading for hours！ The characters were all flawed but easy to warm to， and the dual timeline built up so much tension and so many possibilities of how the two stories connected - what did a young girl named Kate 25 years ago have to do with Freya’s disappearance now？ The way the author slowly revealed the connection was very cleverly done and kept me guessing right until the last minute！ Absolutely loved this - another one which kept me up well past my bedtime， but it’s so brilliant I don’t mind！ 。。。more
Elena
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The Downstairs Neighbour focuses on the lives of the inhabitants of an apartment building。 At the top of the building lives Steph， Paul and their teenage daughter Freya。 A seemingly perfect family that captures the imagination of Emma who is another of the residents。 She’s single and in the process of selling her vintage clothes shop。 In the basement flat lives driving instructor Chris and his nurse wife Vicky。 He has been giving Freya driving lessons as well as her friends。 Their relationship s The Downstairs Neighbour focuses on the lives of the inhabitants of an apartment building。 At the top of the building lives Steph， Paul and their teenage daughter Freya。 A seemingly perfect family that captures the imagination of Emma who is another of the residents。 She’s single and in the process of selling her vintage clothes shop。 In the basement flat lives driving instructor Chris and his nurse wife Vicky。 He has been giving Freya driving lessons as well as her friends。 Their relationship seems to be deteriorating and it appears Chris doesn’t know why。 One day Freya goes missing without a trace。 No-one is able to contact her and the last person to have seen her is Chris as he gave her a driving lesson that morning。 Fingers start pointing at him。 Meanwhile Steph begins to unravel and it becomes clear there are huge secrets involving her husband that she knew nothing about。 All the while Emma looks on with some secrets of her own。 This is a fantastic book and one which had me on the edge of my seat throughout。 The chapters are each told from the point of view of one of the characters and there is also a character called Kate， with a timeline of 25 years prior。 I didn’t know how she was going to link in to the rest of the story but she does eventually。 There are lots of characters and lots of events that do eventually come together but it’s never confusing。 I loved the character of Emma， felt sorry for Kate and Steph， was intrigued by Paul and found Chris really creepy！ The author has done a brilliant job of weaving the timelines and storylines together and the effect is that I couldn’t put the book down as I was desperate to fund out what happened next！ Each character is superbly crafted and the chapters are short and punchy and leave you wanting to read more。 It’s one of those books you just can’t put down and before you know it you’re lost within its pages。 。。。more
Michelle Ryles
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The Downstairs Neighbour is a very addictive and captivating debut from Helen Cooper， filled with characters who all have something to hide。 Nobody is who they appear to be and I felt like a bit of a nosy neighbour myself when I was reading， peeking through my curtains and making assumptions about each and every one of them。With chapters told from various characters' viewpoints， Helen Cooper has created a right page-turner。 Interspersed between the chapters following Freya's disappearance， there The Downstairs Neighbour is a very addictive and captivating debut from Helen Cooper， filled with characters who all have something to hide。 Nobody is who they appear to be and I felt like a bit of a nosy neighbour myself when I was reading， peeking through my curtains and making assumptions about each and every one of them。With chapters told from various characters' viewpoints， Helen Cooper has created a right page-turner。 Interspersed between the chapters following Freya's disappearance， there are heart-rending chapters from 25 years earlier told from the perspective of a girl called Kate。 I was as equally intrigued by the past storyline as I was by the present and although you know it has to link to one of the characters somehow， you need to scratch well below the surface to discover all of the well-buried secrets。Very well written with heaps of suspense， The Downstairs Neighbour is a definite page turner。 As if Freya's disappearance wasn't enough of a hook， I was completely enthralled by the characters' stories and couldn't read fast enough to discover all of their secrets。 The tension mounted to an almost unbearable level as I raced towards the breathtaking conclusion and I finally released the breath that I didn't realise I had been holding。Reading The Downstairs Neighbour really made me think about how little we know our neighbours these days。 Neighbours don't pop round to borrow a cup of sugar anymore and we barely even know our neighbours' names， let alone know anything about them。 It's quite a scary thought to think that we could know as little about the person with whom we are living。 With a twisty fast-paced plot and filled to the brim with secrets， The Downstairs Neighbour is a superb debut novel that left me completely breathless。 An extremely enjoyable and highly recommended read。 。。。more
Dennis
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MINI REVIEW:Helen Cooper's The Downstairs Neighbor is a light mystery/family drama that takes place in both present and past point of views， along three different family tenants in a residential building。 When a daughter of the top floor tenants disappears， the pasts of all the residents starts to slowly unfold。 Who is hiding the biggest secrets and does it involve the disappearance of a teenage girl？I really enjoyed the straightforward approach that the author provided in this story （there' MINI REVIEW:Helen Cooper's The Downstairs Neighbor is a light mystery/family drama that takes place in both present and past point of views， along three different family tenants in a residential building。 When a daughter of the top floor tenants disappears， the pasts of all the residents starts to slowly unfold。 Who is hiding the biggest secrets and does it involve the disappearance of a teenage girl？I really enjoyed the straightforward approach that the author provided in this story （there's not really any irrelevant twists and turns）， but ultimately I found that the story was predictable and slow at times。 That being said， I would definitely read more by the author。 Definitely not a bad read by any means。 。。。more
Kirsty ~ Paper Hearts Ink
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The Downstairs Neighbour is told from multiple POVs。 It follows three families who share a house that has been split into three flats。 When the Harlow family’s daughter goes missing， all three families are pulled into the search to find her。 This was a good twisty thriller and I really enjoyed it。 I thought the flashback scenes were woven through the main story at the right times。 Every character had a distinct voice and all of them had secrets that unfolded throughout the book。 It wasn’t a typi The Downstairs Neighbour is told from multiple POVs。 It follows three families who share a house that has been split into three flats。 When the Harlow family’s daughter goes missing， all three families are pulled into the search to find her。 This was a good twisty thriller and I really enjoyed it。 I thought the flashback scenes were woven through the main story at the right times。 Every character had a distinct voice and all of them had secrets that unfolded throughout the book。 It wasn’t a typical kidnapping thriller which was a nice surprise。 I did guess a couple of the twists but it was still enjoyable。 The characters were complex with interesting backstories。 The author built the tension as the book went along and there were a lot of threads that came together at the end。 A compelling read！ 。。。more
Elizabeth
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The Downstairs Neighbor is a riveting British mystery， where the real twists and turns come from those involved to thought-provoking effect。 It centers around a big house divided into three apartments in London， and let me tell you， not a single person of the seven living there are whom they seem to be！There's Chris and Vic， who live in the bottom flat。 He's a driving instructor， she's a nurse， and it seems like Chris is having massive doubts about their relationship。 She seems not to notice or The Downstairs Neighbor is a riveting British mystery， where the real twists and turns come from those involved to thought-provoking effect。 It centers around a big house divided into three apartments in London， and let me tell you， not a single person of the seven living there are whom they seem to be！There's Chris and Vic， who live in the bottom flat。 He's a driving instructor， she's a nurse， and it seems like Chris is having massive doubts about their relationship。 She seems not to notice or care。Next is Em and Seb。 She's into fashion， and has just had to close her shop。 Seb has just left her。 Neither of these things seem like mystery fodder but they are。 They so are！Then there's Freya， Paul， and Steph。 Paul has a dull but well paying job， Stephanie is beautiful and a high flying* customer rep who works out of Heathrow （*couldn’t help it！） and Freya is their gorgeous teen daughter who， as the novel opens， has disappeared with Chris being the last to see her。Freya's disappearance is definitely part of the book but a small part， because as The Downstairs Neighbor races along， it turns out that every person in the house has at least one secret， and some of them are quite dark and deep。There are so many twists here and what I liked is that they all worked！ Every reveal felt genuine， not forced， and the layers to them kept coming to the very last scene。 And it was fascinating （and so well done） to see how all the revelations conected， how The Downstairs Neighbor is really， at its core， a psychological thriller about hiding parts of yourself。 We all do it， but the seven characters here take it to very extreme （and deadly） places。I also thought The Downstairs Neighbor had a lot to say about the justice system。 Though the book is set in England， its criticisms of the legal system are definitely， absolutely applicable to the United States as well， from how poorly and prejudicial police can conduct investigations to arrests and trials and how justice isn't always served well or fairly， right down to a look at how and why "the law" can try to hide wrong they've done。 I thought The Downstairs Neighbor would be a good British thriller and it definitely is but it's also a collection of fascinating character studies and an intense and searing look at the injustices of the justice system and those things end up what makes The Downstairs Neighbor so fresh and surprising。 This is definitely smarter and more thought-provoking than your average thriller and is absolutely worth checking out。 。。。more
Emma
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Three families live in a converted Georgian townhouse: Paul， Steph and their teenage daughter Freya on the top floor， Emma on the middle floor， and driving instructor Chris on the basement floor。 When Freya goes missing， Emma， who likes to listen to her neighbours， gets involved， and then Chris is questioned as he is Freya's driving instructor。 Where is Freya？ Could any of the neighbours be involved？ A thrilling story that keeps you guessing until the end。 I liked getting to know the different c Three families live in a converted Georgian townhouse: Paul， Steph and their teenage daughter Freya on the top floor， Emma on the middle floor， and driving instructor Chris on the basement floor。 When Freya goes missing， Emma， who likes to listen to her neighbours， gets involved， and then Chris is questioned as he is Freya's driving instructor。 Where is Freya？ Could any of the neighbours be involved？ A thrilling story that keeps you guessing until the end。 I liked getting to know the different characters and seeing how all their secrets came out， and how this leads to the shocking conclusion。 Recommended。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback。 。。。more
Patricia
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The Downstairs Neighbor was my final read in January and wow！！ Books like this are why I read！ Tension， suspense， interesting characters -- all the good stuff is in here！ Helen Cooper is a published short story author， but this is her first foray into novel writing。 With this story， she has set the bar so high， I hope there is more to come， but so far this is my favorite read of 2021！The Downstairs Neighbor follows the stories of 3 families living in a townhouse in London， almost completely obli The Downstairs Neighbor was my final read in January and wow！！ Books like this are why I read！ Tension， suspense， interesting characters -- all the good stuff is in here！ Helen Cooper is a published short story author， but this is her first foray into novel writing。 With this story， she has set the bar so high， I hope there is more to come， but so far this is my favorite read of 2021！The Downstairs Neighbor follows the stories of 3 families living in a townhouse in London， almost completely oblivious to each other's lives until 17-year-old Freya goes missing。 What would you do if you were hiding a secret and the police came knocking on your door？ Would you confess or would you pursue justice on your own？As expected， Freya had ties to each of the families and there is another narrator who tells a story from 25 years ago when something bad happened。 But guess what？ Each of the characters is keeping a secret about "something bad"。 And each feels the guilt of their secrets。 The dialogue is realistic and the author captures the nuances of teenage angst。 Cooper does an amazing job of developing each of the characters and separating the narratives in a way that doesn't confuse the reader but takes you along on a journey that speeds towards an ending that is at once cohesive and satisfying。 I am so thrilled to have been selected for an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton and honored to submit this review。 。。。more
Fictionophile
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Wow！ If this is Helen Cooper's debut novel， I'm eager to see what she comes up with next。 This is definitely a debut that does not read like one。 Polished， well-plotted， and with believable characters， it presents as the work of a much more seasoned novelist。Teeming with secrets， the inhabitants of this house in Kingston-Upon-Thames， have made many mistakes。 Not malicious， but mistakes born from misunderstandings， guilt， and misguided， life-altering decisions。With themes of deception， family sec Wow！ If this is Helen Cooper's debut novel， I'm eager to see what she comes up with next。 This is definitely a debut that does not read like one。 Polished， well-plotted， and with believable characters， it presents as the work of a much more seasoned novelist。Teeming with secrets， the inhabitants of this house in Kingston-Upon-Thames， have made many mistakes。 Not malicious， but mistakes born from misunderstandings， guilt， and misguided， life-altering decisions。With themes of deception， family secrets， sacrifice， and making disastrous choices， this novel is ingeniously plotted and alarmingly realistic。Highly， highly， recommended to those readers who enjoy intelligently plotted domestic thrillers。 。。。more
Kathleen
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“…the stories he’d told himself about his life…couldn’t be relied on。 They weren’t rigid， but fluid， different perspectives flowing alongside one another” thinks Paul Harlow， husband to Stephanie and father to the missing Freya。 He’s right and he could be describing any one of the characters in The Downstairs Neighbor， a dark， twisted thriller。The Harlows live on the top two floors of a converted Georgian style house。 The ground floor apartment is rented by Emma， an insecure， artistic young woma “…the stories he’d told himself about his life…couldn’t be relied on。 They weren’t rigid， but fluid， different perspectives flowing alongside one another” thinks Paul Harlow， husband to Stephanie and father to the missing Freya。 He’s right and he could be describing any one of the characters in The Downstairs Neighbor， a dark， twisted thriller。The Harlows live on the top two floors of a converted Georgian style house。 The ground floor apartment is rented by Emma， an insecure， artistic young woman who relies on a hamster for company。 Chris and Vicky Watson live in the basement apartment。 Vicky is a nurse and Chris is a driving instructor。 When Freya doesn’t return home from school， the police are called and suddenly， all of them are suspects。 The secrets here are very deeply buried but… they will be found。The narrative moves between Stephanie， Paul， Emma， Chris and Kate。 Kate’s story is twenty five years old and the reader is unsure how it connects to Freya’s disappearance。 The characters work almost as hard keeping their secrets from being revealed as they do finding Freya。 Helen Cooper skillfully develops connections between these characters and moves the story to an exciting and totally surprising conclusion 。 5 stars。Thank you to NetGalley， Hodder & Stoughton and Hellen Cooper for this ARC。 。。。more
Thais • tata。lifepages •
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This book is a fast paced thriller that had me hooked from the start！ A loving couple goes through a horribly scary situation when their teenage daughter， Freya， vanishes， and they don't know what to do。 The Downstairs Neighbor is told in two different timelines: one of Paul and his wife Steph in our current time in England， where their daughter is taken and the residents of their building all become mixed together as potential suspects of her disappearance。 The second timeline is of another fam This book is a fast paced thriller that had me hooked from the start！ A loving couple goes through a horribly scary situation when their teenage daughter， Freya， vanishes， and they don't know what to do。 The Downstairs Neighbor is told in two different timelines: one of Paul and his wife Steph in our current time in England， where their daughter is taken and the residents of their building all become mixed together as potential suspects of her disappearance。 The second timeline is of another family 25 years before these occurrences， exposing dark secrets of Kate and her mom。I knew that these two stories were intertwined somehow， and was anxious to see how everything would link！ The author has really written a very elaborate and action-packed read that had my eyes glued to the pages！ The mystery between these two different families years apart was thrilling and had me rooting for a happy end for both once their destiny meets。Thank you to Hodder Books for providing me a copy for review！ 。。。more
Louise Wilson
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In a converted Georgian townhouse in South West London， three families live under one roof。 The large flat that takes over the top two floors is home to the Harlow family: Paul， Steph and their teenage daughter Freya。 The first floor flat is rented by Emma， she spends most of her time alone。 The basement flat belongs to Chris， a local driving instructor， and his partner Vicky。 Their lives are all upendedwhen Freya disappears。Paul and Steph own the townhouse an rent out the basement and first flo In a converted Georgian townhouse in South West London， three families live under one roof。 The large flat that takes over the top two floors is home to the Harlow family: Paul， Steph and their teenage daughter Freya。 The first floor flat is rented by Emma， she spends most of her time alone。 The basement flat belongs to Chris， a local driving instructor， and his partner Vicky。 Their lives are all upendedwhen Freya disappears。Paul and Steph own the townhouse an rent out the basement and first floor flats。 Their seventeen year old daughter Freya goes missing。This story is told from multiple points of view and told across two timelines: the present day and twenty five years ago。 The neighbours all have their own secrets。 The plotline is complex with a fast pace。 This is an intriguing thriller which kept my attention throughout。 It's hard to believe that this is a debut novel。 I'm looking forward to reading more fron the author in future。I would like to thank #NetGalley， #HodderStoughton and the author #HelenCooper for my ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sophia
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I rarely ever write reviews on here， and in fact， this won't be one - I will write a proper review over on instagram。 There's just something I needed to say。。。I did enjoy this book - though fairly similar to a lot of domestic thrillers - I think Helen Cooper did a great job keeping her readers invested in this page-turner。However， it lost a star for the mentions of Harry Potter。 I love those books too， but in this day and age， there's really no need to shine any light on Rowling given her behavi I rarely ever write reviews on here， and in fact， this won't be one - I will write a proper review over on instagram。 There's just something I needed to say。。。I did enjoy this book - though fairly similar to a lot of domestic thrillers - I think Helen Cooper did a great job keeping her readers invested in this page-turner。However， it lost a star for the mentions of Harry Potter。 I love those books too， but in this day and age， there's really no need to shine any light on Rowling given her behaviour towards the trans community。 I think any beloved children's book would've had the same effect the author was going for。 。。。more
Becky。 ♡
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2。5 - This is by no means a bad book but there was just way too much going on for my liking。 The story is told from various points of view and there is also an additional storyline from 25 years ago woven throughout the book。 I also felt like the pacing was a little off， it wasn’t till about half way through before things really got going and it got my attention。Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review。
Coley
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With lots of moving parts and timelines， The Downstairs Neighbor will keep you on your game。 Three families live in a sprawling house。 Upstairs， there is Steph and Paul with their 17 year old daughter， Freya。 Downstairs， living in the small apartment below them is Emma， a former shop owner。 In the garden apartment is Chris， a driving instructor and his wife Vicky。 One day， Freya leaves for school and never returns。 She was last seen by Chris， after their driving lesson， dropping her off at schoo With lots of moving parts and timelines， The Downstairs Neighbor will keep you on your game。 Three families live in a sprawling house。 Upstairs， there is Steph and Paul with their 17 year old daughter， Freya。 Downstairs， living in the small apartment below them is Emma， a former shop owner。 In the garden apartment is Chris， a driving instructor and his wife Vicky。 One day， Freya leaves for school and never returns。 She was last seen by Chris， after their driving lesson， dropping her off at school。 Or was she？ Everyone’s a suspect in this novel and everyone has secrets。 Paul is not just the quiet data processor everyone thinks。 And Emma also has secrets of her own she’d rather everyone forget。 But time is running out and no one can find Freya。 Cooper’s novel has multiple narrators and timelines， which may be a bit confusing at first。 But once you start reading， you are truly immersed into the world of the characters and each ones desperate attempts to do whatever it takes to make it out alive and keep their secrets intact。 。。。more
Heidi
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Ugh。 Synopsis is solid。 This was good。 The story moved along nicely interweaving characters into a solid story。 Problem is， while the author tried to wrap everything up at the end it all really fell apart for me。 What had been plausible no longer was。 Also， it went on and on for far too long。 I'm all for knowing how everyone ends up but this just wore on to the point I thought of not finishing even though there was less than 10 percent remaining。 Editing， editing， editing。 I appreciated being gr Ugh。 Synopsis is solid。 This was good。 The story moved along nicely interweaving characters into a solid story。 Problem is， while the author tried to wrap everything up at the end it all really fell apart for me。 What had been plausible no longer was。 Also， it went on and on for far too long。 I'm all for knowing how everyone ends up but this just wore on to the point I thought of not finishing even though there was less than 10 percent remaining。 Editing， editing， editing。 I appreciated being granted the ARC of this book from Netgalley/GP Putnam and Sons。 I would like to see more from Helen Cooper in the future。 。。。more
Claire
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The Downstairs Neighbour is an intriguing and addictive debut novel where everyone seems to have a secret。 Following the disappearance of a young girl， the lives of three families in the same house all be one interconnected。 We have secrets， lies and murder and travel between twenty five years earlier and present day。I enjoyed the complexity of this book， felt the plot moved at a good pace and the characters kept me enthralled。 I look forward to reading more from this author。 Thank you to NetGal The Downstairs Neighbour is an intriguing and addictive debut novel where everyone seems to have a secret。 Following the disappearance of a young girl， the lives of three families in the same house all be one interconnected。 We have secrets， lies and murder and travel between twenty five years earlier and present day。I enjoyed the complexity of this book， felt the plot moved at a good pace and the characters kept me enthralled。 I look forward to reading more from this author。 Thank you to NetGalley， Hodder and Stoughton and the author for the chance to review。 。。。more
Kidlitter
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A DRC was provided by Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and concise review。"Lord， what fools these mortals be！"Helen Cooper has created a world of desperate people hiding secrets， telling lies and commiting unspeakable acts - and that's all before tea time！ I usually avoid Missing Girl stories but Freya's vanishing is only the first in a series of terrible acts that are all cleverly linked together with masterfully rendered inevitability。 A failure to communicate vitally important suspicions and A DRC was provided by Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and concise review。"Lord， what fools these mortals be！"Helen Cooper has created a world of desperate people hiding secrets， telling lies and commiting unspeakable acts - and that's all before tea time！ I usually avoid Missing Girl stories but Freya's vanishing is only the first in a series of terrible acts that are all cleverly linked together with masterfully rendered inevitability。 A failure to communicate vitally important suspicions and past history seems to be the mode of operation for all of these very English characters - it might not make sense sometimes but it certainly makes for a breathlessly readable who/why/WHAT dunnit mystery that the reader will gobble in a day。 Bravo！ 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
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