Title: The People Before

Author: Charlotte Northedge

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: 10th November 2022

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

What if your dream house became your worst nightmare?

Jess and her husband need a new start. So when the chance to buy a rambling old house in the Suffolk countryside comes up, they leap at it.

But not everyone in Suffolk is welcoming. The locals know a secret about the Maple House, and soon, Jess realises they’ve made a huge mistake.

Something bad happened in that house. Something nobody wants to talk about.

Something to do with the people before…

Review:

I love an atmospheric unsettling psychological thriller so The People Before sounded right up my street and happily I can confirm it totally delivered! The story follows Jess, a mother of two who has just moved into crumbling house in the Suffolk countryside with her kids and husband. They are looking for a fresh start but there is something not quite right about their new home. Jess feels a malevolent presence from the moment they move in and things only get more complicated as she finds out more about the history of The Maple House.

There was a creepy and unnerving atmosphere to The People Before from the very first page that had my spine tingling. The story develops in a way I totally didn’t see coming and I was completely immersed until the end. The writing is compellingly mysterious and enigmatic which puts the reader right there with Jess as she feels more and more disconcerted by her new home and isolated from everyone. That is, until she meets a new friend, Eve, who she thinks will become her ally in her battle with The Maple House. However, Eve is not quite what she first appears and things soon escalate to a thrilling conclusion. I’d highly recommend The People Before – it is a tense, addictive and darkly enthralling read from start to finish. I loved it.

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Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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