Shari Lapena's The Couple Next Door

This debut psychological thriller is a roller coaster of twists and turns from beginning to end, which each new piece of shocking revelations greater than the last.

The narrative follows a young couple who seem to have it all: a wonderful home, loving relationship, a beautiful daughter. But one dreadful night found there baby stolen while dining next door with their neighbours. Suspicion is placed instantly on the parents, but the truth itself is far more complicated.

Secrets uncovered, old wounds open, betrayal and lies plague the narrative until you don’t know who to believe.

The novel highlights the difficulties adults face when wanting to cling to their youth and freedom. She expresses without judgement why leaving the child next door locked in the house and equipped with a baby monitor wasn’t the worst thing a parent could do.

The Couple Next Door focuses on how a small wrong decision can upend lives. Be warned, the ending does come out of nowhere and couple perhaps be a little over the top. That’s just my personal opinion anyway.

The narrative focuses on areas such as postpartum depression and how it breaks a marriage which to me is unusual for a fictional text and it highlighted to me the struggles new mums face following birth.

Overall, for a debut novel this is very good. Lapena writes with such skill and really delve deep into the characters emotions and the pain they suffer while waiting to find their daughter.