The Couple Next Door
by Shari Lapena
The Couple Next Door is a much-hyped psychological thriller that I was really looking forward to. Unfortunately my response to the book could be summed up as, “meh.”
Anne and Marco Conti are new parents. They leave their infant daughter, Cora, asleep at home in her crib while they go next door for a dinner party. They keep an eye on her through the (audio only) baby monitor and check on her every thirty minutes. When they return home at one-thirty a.m. they find their front door open and Cora missing.
The mystery around Cora’s disappearance is intriguing–the Contis left the baby home alone only after their babysitter canceled that day. Since they couldn’t have known that, it seems unlikely that they were involved. Similarly, how could a stranger possibly know that they weren’t home? A neighbor reports seeing a car pulling away from the Conti house at 12:35 a.m. – a mere five minutes after Marco checked on the baby. That seems to also rule out stranger abduction. It’s a mind-fuck of a puzzle.
So why was I meh? First of all, we get the answer to the mystery halfway through the book. It doesn’t completely resolve WTF is going on, but it’s enough of a reveal to kill the suspense. Also I found all of characters, from Marco to the neighbors, to be unlikeable. Anne is clearly set up to be a sympathetic protagonist, but her character felt two dimensional to me.
But the big disappointment was:
I was intrigued by the premise of The Couple Next Door but the lack of characters who were likeable and the early resolution to the mystery left me largely disappointed.
– Elyse
How well do you know the couple next door? Or your husband? Or even—yourself?
People are capable of almost anything. . .
A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors—a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .
Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.
Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they’ve kept for years.
What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family—a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.
Mystery/Thriller
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I finished this one a few days ago and had the exact same reaction. It started strong, but it just fizzled after the answer to who was behind the kidnapping came to light. I couldn’t recommend it to anyone.
I hate this book so much
seemingly perfect couple next door–but nothing is as it seems with them or anyone in this book and I liked it that way
kidnapping gone wrong—twists and turns—you think it is one thing, then its another–you think its one person then its another, but wait, it is who you thought–then its not quite that simple—then you think it is all resolved–it’s not
I liked it
this was a good fast read. i kept making predictions and they were all wrong. i feel the book started off weak but really picked up fast. i’m torn about the ending. understand she had this violent black out condition but the end just fell short!
I was riveted to the audio book on my car radio
on a six-hour trip home (it takes 8 hours total
listening time). The writing is tight, focused
(especially on the detective and possible theories
of the kidnapping) but was too lengthy. Should have
been a novella. The final shock ending was artificial
and not credible. Anne was so happy that her baby was safe
and nursing again in her arms. Then, out of the blue,
she goes next door and stabs her neighbor to death! End.
Plus end of her being able to nurse her baby. Prison
awaits this cold-blooded murder. Unnecessary faux ending
felt tacked on. Ms. Lapena could have had an unresolved ending
with the couple trying to deal with their relationship before
the baby was “taken” from them. That was still unresolved.
Author went over the top and lost me (and most readers).
Otherwise it was a gripping detective / crime mystery and
a good summer read. Might have made a rave movie.
SPOILER ALERT
I have just finished the book a few minutes ago and I wanted to see the reviews. The reason why I wanted to read this book is basically the desire to improve my English, since it’s not my mother language, my cousin bought this book and it seemed interesting so I decided to give it a try. Anyway, this book is addictive, if that makes sense. I couldn’t stop reading it, it was full of surprises throughout the book, well mostly. Personally, I have seen some things coming but I guess it is just due to my mind being suitable for unraveling mysteries of these kinds of thrillers. Furthermore, the fact that the identity of the kidnapper was revealed around the middle seemed interesting, different and extraordinary. Usually, in thriller books and movies, the criminal themself is revealed at the very end. So this was refreshing in its own kind of way which really appealed to me. There is not a single character I liked, so that was also interesting. However, I liked the fact that almost everyone had its part in the crime, reminded me of Agatha Cristies ‘Murder on the Orient Express’. To conclude, I would like to state that this is a really good book which you can’t possibly stop reading volontarily if you enjoy good, at times breathtaking, psychological thrillers.
I just had to read the reviews of this book because it was just SO overhyped in the blurb that I wondered if it was just me who found it a bit of a let-down. I can see now that a lot of people think the same. Besides the really unnecessary and stupid ending which was just tacked on for its shock value and was totally unrealistic, I found so many parts of it didn’t add up. I cannot for one moment believe that Marco would have gone to the drop point with $5 million and just put the lot in the trunk of a car without checking that the baby was OK first, or even that he had not considered the possibility of his partner in crime duping him. I mean, why be happy with half if you can get all of it? This was an extremely weak plot point, and it was central to the story. It just didn’t add up. The blurb by other thriller writers lauding this book to the skies was wonderful in getting people to buy the book, but self defeating in that it will make us very cautious about any more books by this author, as the book didn’t live up to the OTT praise on the cover.
What a ridiculous stupid rubbish ending, spoilt the whole book for me.
I got hooked early in the story and wanted to read it whenever I could. Everyone has their own opinion of course, but the way it pans out is really unusual and although I did guess a few things I think it was a great read. It was something a little different and the ending was not just tagged in like some say obviously it was something that was referred to a few times earlier on that Anne’s character was not as straightforward as she seemed. With all that she’d been through she completely snapped so all in all a good end to a very interesting story.
“thoroughly lackluster” is how I described it. The author tried to throw in too much to one story, rather than developing what would have been the interesting parts. The twists were obvious, the point of view got abused for the author’s “reveal” about Marco, and the writing was too much telling and not enough showing. Lapena lost me right at the beginning when she described Cynthia and then Marco suggested his wife left the door open. It was like, oh, come on. Do better. Made me wonder where the editors were on this.
I read this book in two nights, not because it was so diverting, because I hate to give up on a book. From the start I found the writing style extremely juvenile and very repetitive. The author treats her readers as imbeciles continually going over the same things and fills it with boring and unessecary descriptions of rooms etc.Could have been a good story but does not live up to the hype.
This book is awesome apparently you people are so shallow you couldn’t see that. Maybe instead this stupid useless site should be called dumb bitches, because your reviews are futile, especially on this amazing book! Obviously you people can’t comprehend or begin to understand great literature in psychological fiction! Go back to school you mindless short sided people who said an unthinkable bad thing about this book. Whoever wrote this sounds to me like you never went to college! Get a damn degree! Maybe then after you graduate you can read this fascinating book and finally realize you were WRONG. are you an idiot?! That is not a rhetorically question, I’m actually wondering if you’re mentally ill based on your lame review! For you to go on a website and call yourselves smart I’m discombobulated since when are stupid people smart. If you went to school and your an adult then you learned old people shit. Updated on your brains.Your stupid. GO HOME!
Everyone is entitled to their opinions about a book, even someone as mindlessly rude and aggressive as you Liz.
Hi, Liz.
*”…awesome. Apparently…”
*short-sighted
*rhetorical
*”I’m discombobulated. Since when…..”
*”you’re an adult”
*”you’re stupid”
Hope this helps you in the future!
I’ve not visited this site before. I could not believe the comment left by “Liz”. Thank you, Heather B for your response.
I didn’t mind the book too much, but I suffer from a dissociative disorder and found the ending to be absurd and completely unnecessary. It’s a lazy representation of mental illness AND it leaves the one vaguely sympathetic character of the book in a situation in which she’ll lose her daughter the day she gets her back, surely to end up in prison or a secure psychiatric unit. It’s just all so pointless.
I agree with everyone except Liz. Wth is wrong with you??
This story line was juvenile . I could have written it in my creative writing class…30 years ago! No twists at all. I knew from the beginning Anne would end up killing Cynthia. How could you not, with all the foreshadowing?? Lame.Far fetched. No surprises at all.