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Tackling the wrong tough topic…

The Couple Upstairs by Holly Wainwright

March 27, 2023 by Caesar's Wife Leave a Comment

The Couple Upstairs is about two women. Mel, a Gen X divorced mother of two, struggling to keep her sanity and her kids engaged through the pandemic in Sydney. The other, Lori, a Gen Z backpacker pursuing a romantic relationship with a handsome Aussie bloke to who lives above Mel’s apartment. The bloke – Flynn – is the thread that connects these two women.  He forcibly reminds Mel of a man she dated while backpacking in her 20s for whom she has very complicated feelings. For Lori, he’s the mercurial man of mystery that she cannot help but adore.

But the thing is: Flynn’s a prick. A jerk. A wanker. And as time goes by, it becomes clear he’s also an abuser.

The story unfolds through the eyes of Mel and Lori and we, the reader, slowly start to piece together the puzzle. Very soon into the book, we learn that Lori has been reported missing and Flynn is the #1 suspect. Eventually, we learn the twists and turns that caused these events to unfurl.

I listened to this book on Audible and, to its credit, it was an easy distraction. The story moved along at a good pace and the characters were engaging enough. The ‘twist’ in the book; however, was a misstep. Without spoiling it, I do need to have a little rant, so please indulge me.

Domestic violence is no joke, and extracting oneself from a violent relationship is a difficult and dangerous task, for a multitude of reasons. I did not feel that The Couple Upstairs approached this difficult subject matter well. The positioning of police, the abuser, Mel’s ‘ghost’, social media, and the victim were really troubling to me. Unfair and trite parallels were drawn between Flynn the abuser and Mel’s mentally unwell boyfriend from her 20s. The ways in which police were misled throughout the fiasco was criminal and unnecessary. The revenge was pointless and ineffectual. I also found the ‘wrapping up’ chapters to be far to neat and tidy to be realistic.

I honestly feel like this subject matter was the wrong choice for Wainwright. It felt rushed and half baked. I think she was going for some kind of virtuous revenge fantasy, but she severely missed the mark. This is no Old Boy. This is just a bit of a mess.

Overall, 2 goat curries out of 5. This is my last attempt with Wainwright’s writing, I’ll pass in future.

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The Couple Upstairs

Holly Wainwright

Five months after Mel told her husband to leave, a ghost moved in upstairs. A young man who reminds her, with eerie intensity, of a past lover, someone who changed Mel's life and then vanished. When the man's travelling girlfriend joins him, Mel's obsession with the couple upstairs builds and the boundaries between the two homes begin to blur, with devastating consequences. The Couple Upstairs is about one strange summer of dazzling, curdling infatuation. Writing with both a light touch and vivid intensity, Holly Wainwright explores love, regret, whether you can stop history repeating, and whether or not you should. FINALIST FOR 2023 ITW THRILLER AWARDS BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL PRAISE FOR THE COUPLE UPSTAIRS 'A breathless, twisty plot...Five stars.' Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Mother-In-Law 'A story every woman will recognise. If you read one book this year, make it this one.' Mia Freedman 'Had me hooked from the first page' Jacqueline Bulblitz

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The Couple Upstairs by Shalini Boland – Book Review

• 17th September 2021 25th November 2022

* AD-gifted: I received a copy of The Couple Upstairs in exchange for this post. Affiliate links are marked with a *

I just had to read this next book from Shalini Boland. Her previous one My Little Girl was a cracker! So today I’m sharing my thoughts on * The Couple Upstairs .

Book Description

Our new home was supposed to be a chance to leave our past behind. But was moving here the worst mistake of our lives?

All our friends and family were gathered, glasses raised to toast our fresh start. It should have been a night for happiness and celebration. Zac and I had worked so hard for this: our first home together, just minutes from the sea.  But the dream quickly turned into a nightmare…

We’d invited our neighbours too. I wanted to make a good impression – to show them we’re exactly the sort of people they want living on their street.

I hadn’t thought about who they might be, the strangers I was letting in.

It was going so well. There was laughter in the air and the wine was flowing. But then I noticed the narrowed eyes, the whispers.

And then the lights went out.

As my heart thumped in my chest, all the little things that had been going wrong since we moved here flashed through my mind: the food poisoning, the arguments, the flood of nasty reviews shaking my business.

Am I going crazy? Or is someone trying to destroy us?

What I Thought

Admit it, many of us are nosy neighbours? Out the corner of your eye we all notice the comings and going of our neighbours. Curiosity is a human trait! But we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors do we? Oh you are in for a treat with The Couple Upstairs! Put your feet up with a cuppa and you will be drawn in to the comings and goings on Mistletoe Lane.

The main characters are Nina and Zac. The story is mainly told through Nina. They have just bought their first home, a ground floor flat in a converted house. Directly above them live Chris and Vanessa. Chris is down right creepy, Vanessa is pregnant and a quiet person. Nina becomes worried for Vanessa as she hears lots of shouting above her. Then things start to go wrong for Nina, strange things that make her question herself. Have they made a massive mistake moving to Mistletoe Lane? You will have to read it to find out!

I love a good creepy neighbours thriller! It’s tantalising, twisty and extremely addictive – you will be totally hooked!

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the copy.

Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and Jess their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

Where To Buy

*Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3nEb0FH

Google:  https://bit.ly/3zQFurc

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One thought on “ The Couple Upstairs by Shalini Boland – Book Review ”

A new author to explore – nany THANKS for the fab review

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The Couple Upstairs by Holly Wainwright – Book Review

3 December 2022 by Dee Young Leave a Comment

The Couple Upstairs by Holly Wainwright – the author of the bestselling I Give My Marriage A Year.

Mel turfed her husband out of their apartment five months ago. She is living alone quite happily with her two young children, Eddie and Ava.

When a man, who reminds her of a past lover, moves in upstairs! The lover she has never been able to forget! The lover who changed her life, her mindset and, possibly, her sanity. A man from whom she has never been able to escape as he lingers in the recesses of her mind.

When the man upstairs becomes a couple, as his girlfriend joins him, Mel becomes infatuated with them and the nature of their relationship.

But, Mel isn’t coping with both her job and her children, and when the young woman from upstairs offers to help by looking after Eddie and Ava, Mel accepts. Their lives, however, become intertwined to such an extent that the situation becomes perilous.

This is a novel that delves into the darker side of human nature, relationships, and where they lead. Is Is there a way of preventing another person from making similar mistakes to those made by oneself in the past?

AND, is intervention an option or should one leave well alone?

An exploration of the past leads to an attempt to change the future for others, who may not welcome that interference!

The Couple Upstairs by Holly Wainwright is brilliantly written by this popular author. An intriguing read with the many twists and turns that love takes on its journey to answer the big question. Will it have a sad or happy ending?

ISBN: 9781760980061

The Couple Upstairs is available in paperback, e-book and audiobook.

About Holly Wainwright

Holly Wainwright is a writer, editor and broadcaster who lives on the south coast of New South Wales with her partner and their young family. She’s the Head of Content at a women’s media company Mamamia. The Couple Upstairs is her fourth novel.

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Shannon Hollinger

MYSTERY. SUSPENSE. INTRIGUE.

Book Review: The Couple Upstairs By Shalini Boland

After a young couple buys a new house together, things slowly start to unravel.

This one was only okay for me, definitely not my favorite by this author. I didn’t connect with the characters and the plot just didn’t have the stakes necessary to hook me and invest me in the outcome, but this book comes highly rated/recommended, so while I found it underwhelming, many readers found it thrilling.

3.5 rounded up.

From Goodreads: I should never have become friends with the couple upstairs… The first time I step inside this cosy apartment with its sash windows, just minutes from the sea, I think it would be the perfect place for me and my partner Zac to start again. A chance to leave our troubled past behind. Chris and Vanessa, the couple upstairs, are so welcoming: smiles, flowers, a home-baked cake. It’s strange how he does all the talking, and she seems so shy, but I’m just thrilled to have new friends nearby. But everything starts to go wrong… my business begins to crumble, I can’t ignore the whispers at our housewarming party and loud arguments from upstairs keep me awake at night. I can’t sleep, I can’t think straight and I feel like someone is watching me in my own home. And then Zac comes home one afternoon, his face clenched with fury, and says he knows what’s going on. He knows about my secret… He won’t listen to me. He storms out and I’m left in tears, completely devastated. Why has my life fallen apart since we moved here? Am I going mad? Or is someone trying to destroy us? If only I’d known what I know now. If only I hadn’t trusted the couple upstairs. From the USA Today bestselling author Shalini Boland comes an absolutely heart-thumping psychological thriller with a twist you won’t see coming. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us. 

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The Couple Upstairs: An addictive psychological thriller with a gripping twist Kindle Edition

• Print length 260 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publication date 13 Sept. 2021
• File size 2534 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
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Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B098X8K8N8
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bookouture (13 Sept. 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 2534 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
• 575 in Women's Psychological Fiction
• 750 in Psychological Fiction (Kindle Store)
• 1,006 in Psychological Fiction (Books)

About the author

Shalini boland.

Shalini Boland is the USA-Today bestselling author of nineteen psychological thrillers. With over two and a half million copies sold, her titles have been translated into over ten languages for publication around the world.

Shalini lives by the sea in Dorset, England with her family and their increasingly demanding dog, Queen Jess. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer/songwriter, but now she spends her days writing (in between re-stocking the fridge and dealing with endless baskets of laundry).

She is also the author of two bestselling Sci Fi and Fantasy series as well as a WWII evacuee novel with a time-travel twist.

The Honeymoon

The School Reunion

The Silent Bride,

The Daughter-in-Law,

The Family Holiday,

A Perfect Stranger,

The Couple Upstairs,

My Little Girl,

One of Us Is Lying,

The Other Daughter,

The Marriage Betrayal,

The Perfect Family,

The Silent Sister,

The Child Next Door,

The Secret Mother,

The Millionaire's Wife,

The Best Friend,

The Girl from the Sea,

The Vampires of Marchwood series,

The Outside series.

Instagram - @shaboland

Twitter - @ShaliniBoland

TikTok - @shaliniboland

Facebook - Shalini Boland Author

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