The Couple Next Door by Shari LaPena


I don't normally talk about the audio books I listen to because most of them are backlist, but I really want to start! So, I'm starting Listen Up to write short reviews on the books that I listen to! 
Audio, 7 parts
Release Date: August 23, 2016
Published by: Penguin Audio
Read from: June 30- July 7, 2017
Stand-alone
Source: Library 
For fans of: Adult,  Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Thriller, Audio, Stand-alone


     Fast-paced and addictive, THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR announces a major new talent in thriller writing.
     You never know what's happening on the other side of the wall.
     Your neighbour told you that she didn't want your six-month-old daughter at the dinner party.      Nothing personal, she just couldn't stand her crying.
     Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You'll have the baby monitor and you'll take it in turns to go back every half hour.
     Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last. But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realized. She's gone.
     You've never had to call the police before. But now they're in your home, and who knows what they'll find there.
     What would you be capable of, when pushed past your limit?

*This book is part of the adult mystery/thriller genre! I have featured it in The Crime Scene as a way to feature the few Adult and New Adult titles I am beginning to read in this genre! There's not much of a difference, however the scenes may be more graphic and there may be more explicit scenes in some of them."  

*MY THOUGHTS*

     I have been trying to read this book for a very long time. There was nothing there Every time I was able to check it out, life got in the way and I couldn't read it. But then, I was finally able to get my hands on the audio version and I'm so happy I finally got around to it. 
     There's a dinner party next door and Marco and Anne are invited. But at the last minute, their babysitter cancels and they aren't sure whether they should still go or not. Marco is convinced everything will be fine, so he convinces Anne as well. When you come back, your baby is gone. As all the secrets come out, Marco and Anne will see they don't know each other at all.
     To be honest, I wasn't a fan of this until closer to the end. I just couldn't get into the book. For a while in the middle it seemed to drag and I found myself wanting to put the last disc in and find out who did it and that was it. I''m glad I stuck it out tho because once tje plot got going, it REALLY got going. The book blew then and I found myself not wanting to stop driving so I could finish listening to it.
     However, I was not a fan of the characters. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WERE IDIOTS. Not one of them seemed to think about anything other than themselves. These were the most selfish characters I've read about in a long time and it was so disheartening. 
     As for the ending, I had mixed emotions. I was able to guess the culprit early on which made knock it down half a star, but the VERY END added it right back. As soon as it happened I knew where it was going, and I was happy that LaPena took that route. 
     I also LOVED the way it was written. Listening to this as an audiobook made me feel like I was watching all these events through my television. The narrator Kristen Potter did such an amazing job with making this book come to life as a news story. It made the experience even better for me!
     Though it didn't start out the way I wanted it to, this book deinitely surprised me in the end. It was a train wreck filled with dismal, selfish people who didn't think, but it turned out to be a thrilling read I couldn't put down. I'm super interested in finding out what else both LaPena and Potter have instore next!
Overall, I give this


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