Book Review: The Woman Next Door by Cass Green

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Synopsis:

Two suburban women. Two dark secrets. The almost perfect murder.

Everybody needs good neighbours…

Melissa and Hester have lived next door to each other for years. When Melissa’s daughter was younger, Hester was almost like a grandmother to her. But recently they haven’t been so close.

Hester has plans to change all that. It’s obvious to her that despite Melissa’s outwardly glamorous and successful life, she needs Hester’s help.

But taking help from Hester might not be such a good idea for a woman with as many secrets as Melissa…

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My Review: 

This novel is told from the point of view of two neighbours, Hester and Melissa. The story starts of slow and then gradually begins to grip your attention until you are unable to put it down. 

Hester is a lonely old woman, bitter about the fact that she was never able to have children. Bertie, her dog, almost became a child to her, I loved her relationship with her dog. You felt that the only thing that Hester truly cared for was Bertie, and it was nice to see. She was made redundant at her job at a nursery, they cited that they didn’t need her however, it’s revealed that parents complained about her behaviour with the children. She’s a very strange woman, she’s almost a laughing stock to all her neighbours. She used to help Melissa with her daughter, Tilly until Melissa felt that Hester was a strange character and drifted away from her, avoiding her as much as she could. 

Melissa is a gorgeous woman, with a famous husband. She has everything anyone could ever want, yet it’s not all sunshine and roses. Her husband’s affair sent her spiralling into depression and she has secrets from her past, that she wants to remain hidden, come to the surface. 

It’s through an unfortunate event that brings these characters back together, much to Melissa’s chagrin.

I started this novel liking Hester and disliking Melissa. However, as the novel progressed, I was able to see that there was something sketchy about Hester’s character. I began to suspect that she had a secret too.

I was drawn to this novel through the blurb and I liked the fact that we are given an unreliable narrator. Hester truly believed that she did the right thing, and that’s what makes this novel so eerie. 

I felt that the ending was a little abrupt, and I felt cheated, I wanted to know if they ever discovered the truth about what happened to Jamie. 

The Woman Next Door is a compelling piece of psychologically thriller fiction and I’m excited to read more from this author. 

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review.

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