The Neighbour by Gemma Rogers

It’s my stop today on the blog tour for The Neighbour by Gemma Rogers. Many thanks to Rachel of Rachel’s Random Resources for the invite.

In need of a fresh start and to distance themselves from the traumatic years spent looking after Shelly’s mother, Shelly and her ten-year-old daughter Lauren move to Beech Close, a small cul-de-sac of six-houses situated around a picture-perfect green.

Shelly did not expect her next door neighbour Valerie to be a nasty old lady. Shelly’s dog Teddy had relieved himself on Valerie’s lawn on the day they moved in. Before Shelly could rush home to find a poo-bag, Valerie accused her of not cleaning up after her dog. The same evening, Shelly returned home after picking up her daughter from school, to find an envelope pushed through the letter box. The envelope contained remnants of Teddy’s poo – courtesy Valerie.

The other neighbours seem to be friendly… and Valerie’s son Remy is not only handsome but friendly with Shelly. Soon, Shelly learns about the previous occupant – she seemed to have packed up overnight and left. But Shelly and Lauren had found posters of Danielle’s (the previous tenant) missing dog. Why did Danielle have to move away from Beech Close before finding her dog?

Shelly also learns her neighbours do not want to talk about Danielle. Were they involved in her disappearance? Or, did Danielle really move away for good?

Wowza! The Neighbour by Gemma Rogers is a gripping, riveting, engrossing, spine-chilling and mind-blowing psychological thriller. If you are adding this book to your TBR (you better!!), be ready for one heck of a roller coaster ride. Don’t get me started on the twists and the creepiness this story brings about. Speaking of creepy, if you are planning to read this book at bedtime, do it at your own risk! Consider yourself warned: you will have nightmares! *evil grin*

Where do I start? This story blew my mind. I was like, wow! I didn’t see this twist coming. Shelly had a tough childhood and soon after Lauren’s birth, her husband walked away. Her mother was overly controlling and nasty, and to move back to her mother’s house and look after her (after dementia diagnosis) wasn’t an easy task. After her mother’s death, Shelly moves away from the house for good. But she didn’t expect to run into another dark house – the one in which the walls hide secrets… secrets of its previous occupant.

As the story proceeds, we see Shelly falling for a handsome neighbour but that relationship is nothing but toxic. Thank god, she pushed it away before it could harm her! But, her curiosity to learn more about the previous occupant’s disappearance led her to danger.

I absolutely loved the storytelling. The characters are well-portrayed and the mystery keeps one guessing till the end. Twists and turns are plenty. I had this weird feeling that nothing’s right at Beech Close and Shelly had (once again) dipped her toes into murky waters… You know, the kind of feeling where you are torn between curiosity and wanting to warn the protagonist about impending doom.

If you are looking for a unique, gripping and engrossing page-turner, you might want to give The Neighbour by Gemma Rogers a try. Believe me when I say you will not see the twisted and shocking revelation (at the end) coming.

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