THE PEOPLE AT NUMBER 9

THE PEOPLE AT NUMBER 9 

AUTHOR: Felicity Everett

PUBLISHERS: HQ

PUBLICATION DATE: 6 th APRIL

THabkyou to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read this pre publication title.

THe SYNOPSIS:

HAVE YOU MET THEM YET, THE NEW COUPLE?

When Gav and Lou move into the house next door, Sara spends days trying to pluck up the courage to say hello. The neighbours are glamorous, chaotic and just a little bit eccentric. They make the rest of Sara’s street seem dull in comparison.

When the hand of friendship is extended, Sara is delighted and flattered. Incredibly, Gav and Lou seem to see something in Sara and Neil that they admire too. In no time at all, the two couples are soul mates, sharing suppers, bottle of red wine and childcare, laughing and trading stories late into the night in one another’s houses.

And the more time Sara spends with Gav and Lou, the more she longs to make changes in her own life. But those changes will come at a price.Soon Gav and Lou will be asking things they’ve no right to ask of their neighbors , with shattering consequences for all of them…

Have you met THE PEOPLE AT NUMBER 9?

A dark and delicious novel about envy, longing and betrayal in the suburbs…

MY REVIEW…

Now if you picked this book up (as I know some have),expecting a psychological thriller faced paced, adrenaline fueled and climatic you might be disappointed. If you open the first page with an open mind you most definitely will not!

I was attracted to this immediately when I saw a visual on Twitter, I love the front cover and the title really caught my attention, which if I saw in a bookshop would have me reaching for it without hestation and heading for the till!

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but this like my method of choosing wine is always the first clue as to whether it’s for me… The packaging is so important and in this case it’s absolutely spot on, it has to speak to you in a way that makes you reach for it and flip it over to read the title description – The back cover blurb or in the wines case- the label promising notes of grapefruit and hints of Apple!

I digress…

Basically I was sold first by the cover but then the  back page blurb/ synopsis confirmed it was a ‘must read’ for me and I was desperate to gets my hands on it, even ‘ stalking’ 🙈😁 Lucy from HQ !!

Having finally read it I can confirm I really loved it!! No, It’s not a tense psychological thriller, but it’s dark and it’s intriguing – A voyeuristic fly on the wall observation of other couples and other families. Perfect for people who like to observe – I’m a people watcher so I loved this element of the book.  The story is told from the view point of Lou, who is seduced by the carefree new couple who move in next door, it really is a case of thinking the grass is always greener on the other side as Lou starts to become less and less engaged with her own life, trying to keep up with the ‘ jones’, or in this case the bohemian, arty couple from number 9, her pursuit of friendship has a slightly uncomfortable feel to it as intrigue turns to a bit of an unhealthy obsession and we see her other relationships falter and stall as she becomes focused solely on Gav and Lou.

The book does make for slightly uncomfortable reading.  I think this was the writers intention- these people are so very different and don’t naturally belong together and this is cleverly  expressed through her writing.

I don’t want to give too much away. Publication is still a way off, but as the story evolves we see how the very things that fascinated Lou and caused her to experience feelings of  jealousy and envy to the point where she experiences self doubt and questions her own marriage- in time become the very things that annoy and frustrate her, as admiration turns to resentment and the positive meld with the negative! A love hate relationship – facisnating  and insightful this won’t be a roller coaster read, packed full of tension and high octane action this story is more subtle than that.It’s an observational commentary on people their thoughts, feelings and emotions- How strongly we can be influenced by others and a relationship that turns sour.

I love the way it charts the lifespan of a friendship . From birth to death.

Its fascinating to witness the start of a burgeoning friendships how they act, integrate and form a relationship , we watch how it develops and grows, for a time flourishing, until cracks start to form( not only in Neil and Lou’s house ), until it becomes toxic and unhealthy…

A modern tale of never quite being satisfied, always comparing and striving to have or to be more like others. I found THE PEOPLE AT NUMBER 9 a thought provoking and refreshing read. An intelligent and interesting narrative, beautifully observed and expertly written.