Plot twist overload

So, yes, this is a page turner, but the plot twists are so numerous that the plot becomes overwhelmed by the next "surprise", and the outcome is almost predictable. As for characterization, it's non-existent. Entertaining but shallow.

98 people found this helpful

Mixed emotions.

I really enjoyed the story line, although it was annoying to listen to. ...Anna says, ...Marco says, ...Hasback says, Anna says, Marco replies, says Hasback... if the narrator could have stayed in the correct character, all the he said she said could have been eliminated it was really frustrating and annoying. Half way through I considered not continuing, however, I am partly glad I did because the I enjoy a good mystery. Again the plot was good and I really enjoyed the ending, although it was a bit predictable. But i did struggle to listen at times.

88 people found this helpful

Twisted

Yes, twisted.

I have been searching for a page-turner for awhile now. Many books have not caught my attention. I took a chance by pre-ordering this book. I must say it grasped my attention from the beginning.

This story has some twists to it although it may seem obvious who did what. In the end, my reaction was "Ah hah."

Need I say more?

69 people found this helpful

melodramatic, shallow, unsatisfing

skip this book, the.premise is exciting but the book does not deliver a satisfying experience

66 people found this helpful

Simply dreadful.

There are so many good reviews that I thought perhaps this book had some potential. It has no potential and I have no idea how anybody could give it more than two stars. I suggest you read the honest reviews from those people who really canned this book. They know whereof they speak and I am so sorry that I wasted a credit for this trash. The characters are thoroughly unlikable. The narrator is beyond bad in fact she might must practice being bad . The plot is just stupid. As for twists and turns, if anybody was fooled then I have to think that they just were not using their brains. As normal audible Will place this review so far down that only those people who follow me will ever see it, still don't wish to credit my friends. You will not be happy. As an afterthought. The book is too long by at least 30%. It just goes on forever and you hope against hope that it will improve. It does not.

65 people found this helpful

These twists and turns did not make a great ride..

Is there anything you would change about this book?

While this book had a number of twists and turns, I feel like towards the end the author was over-doing it and trying too hard to make the story surprising, that it kind of fell short. Some of the "twists" were rather unnecessary leaps, and eventually just felt exhausting.

What three words best describe Kirsten Potter’s voice?

For the most part I liked the narrator, sometimes not as much. She was passionate, but sometimes it was too much.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Definitely not, since movies usually aren't as good as the book, and this book was very good to begin with, I don't see a very good movie coming out of it.

63 people found this helpful

Awful.

The Narrator was horrible. Story lacked everything. Save your credit and pass this one up.

60 people found this helpful

Not What I Was Expecting

'The Couple Next Door' can be most likened to the movie 'Fargo.' If anyone has read this book, and watched 'Fargo' they will know immediately what I am referencing. The only difference is that Fargo was more straightforward, which 'The Couple Next Door' is filled with plot turns and twists that make the book a little far fetched.

The story has been told a hundred times before. We have a rich older couple with a beloved daughter. Daddy doesn't like the man she chooses to marry. The husband despises Daddy and his pompous arrogance. Both father and son despise each other but try and get along for daughter and wife, respectively. But ugly, horrible things happen behind the scenes that are unspeakable, and family secrets begin to eat away at all people involved.

When Cora, baby girl and granddaughter gets kidnapped, the whole family must come together and do all they can to get her back. Lapena takes her readers on a wild ride to find the kidnapper and see what's become of baby Cora.

he Couple Next Door kept my attention. The characters.. ALL of them.. are fairly despicable but I think this is the author's plan. Not liking the characters allows the reader to accept the unusual plot turns as inevitably, the author's message is that no matter what the circumstance, people are personally flawed, self-serving, and always looking out primarily for themselves.

Worth the credit? Yes. Have I listened to better? Absolutely.

-Wendi

40 people found this helpful

Good Story

At first I was really put off by the narrator but got used to that as I became engrossed in the story. it is really good in spite of the unbelievable idea that parents could leave their baby alone, even if they were only going next door. not a spoiler as this is revealed in the beginning. That really tainted my view of the parents. But there are nice twists and I didn't figure the ending out. I recommend this read, it certainly cost me some sleep not wanting to turn it off. Worth a credit.

29 people found this helpful

Extremely one dimensional in all elements

What disappointed you about The Couple Next Door?

I was really expecting more from this book based on the other good reviews. I found the writing to be very basic, both in plot and in writing style. There were several phrases that were repeated to the point that I was weary of them, such as "she just wanted her baby back." The author also uses "she says," and "she asks" repeatedly, often when another word would be better suited. Is it too much to ask for some varied language? Even if she had occasionally switched out phrases with "she just wanted her daughter back," or "she blurted," "she exclaimed," the narrative would have been much better.

I found the characters extremely one dimensional as well, basically stereotypes of the WASP daughter, the bad-boy Greek husband, the rich overbearing father, etc. There are a few idiosyncrasies, but the characters are mostly underdeveloped.

All of these failings are underscored by the facile performance. The narrator speaks as if she's reading a book to children, extremely overacting both the character's conversation and the narration of events. This was ok at first, as I could have overlooked this in favor of a good plot, but the overacted repetition of the above phrases was enough to drive me over the edge. I'm glad the book wasn't longer, because I'm not sure if I'd have been able to finish.

27 people found this helpful