The Couple Downstairs

by A.J. Carter

Genres: Thriller

233 pages, ebook

About the author

AJ Carter is a psychological thriller author from Bristol, England. His first book, The Family Secret, is praised by critics around the world, and he continues to regularly deliver suspenseful novels you can’t put down.

Sign up to his mailing list today and be the first to hear about upcoming releases and hot new deals for existing books. You’ll also receive a FREE digital copy of The Couple Downstairs – an unputdownable domestic thriller you won’t find anywhere else in the world: https://BookHip.com/WAXFLLP

Reviews

[Donna Mallery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This intriguing story has me reading continuously with little breaks in between. Is it ever a good idea to rent out your downstairs? It seems okay at first, but heads up! Never have a one time thing with the husband! And you know what I mean!! The renter soon gets explicit photos and bribery. Renting was NOT a good idea! The story makes you feel the intense emotions throughout. I love A. J. Carter and I love this book!

[Eva Edge · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Couple Downstairs by A.J. Carter is an intense, emotional and frustrating psychological thriller with a good twist at the end!
It's good, so good that I was ready to throw this book in the far corner of my balcony. And I am talking about frustration and emotions while dealing with the main characters. I love it when a book makes me feel; it's a good book for me.
In general, I always feel extra frustrated if any type of blackmail is involved. Seriously, when do people learn that blackmail is not a one-time thing? And there are so many more crazy, frustrating moments, I just don't want to spoil the book, but this is 5-star frustration for me😅 I always say I love emotions, and there is so much of it 😍😍

This story is told from the two women, Holly and Anna's, point of view, so it's easy to follow. It's hard to understand how both storylines are related, and it will come out just with the final twist, so for some time it's like reading 2 books.

When Holly decides to rent out the downstairs of her house to a young couple, Claire and Danny, all she wants is company and a feeling less lonely. She doesn't need money as she owns a business, but she doesn't have many friends or family. Sadly, Holly makes a stupid mistake that will cost a lot...

Chronically ill Anna is isolated at her home, and her husband refuses to call a doctor. Soon Anna noticed that she felt worse after every meal that her husband prepared...

The good news is that you can get this book for free if you sign up for A.J. Carter's newsletter on his website ajcarterbooks (dot) com/books/

As I could not remember when and how I got this book, I needed to check, and I found that you can buy The Big Psychological Thriller Collection (Standalone Psychological Thrillers) for just £0.99 (of course, I bought it!). I liked this book, and I am curious about the other books of this author :)

[Angi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I’ve read by AJ Carter and I already have another by him downloaded and ready to go on my TBR. This was that good. Each chapter changed between two female main characters. The stories have nothing to do with each other, or do they? This kept me wanting more because I HAD to know what happened next. There wasn’t a boring part and it was a quick enjoyable read. Unique storyline. Very different than any other thrillers I’ve read. Money vs humanity.

Thank you @AJCarterBooks for a free e-book. The opinions are mine alone and not biased in any way.

[Monica Mil-Homens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opinião: Não conhecia este autor e passei a conhecer através dele mesmo num grupo de leitores de Thrillers internacional. Ele é que me informou que com a subscrição da sua newsletter tinha direito a este livro gratuito. E que livro! Uau! Como não existe propriamente sinopse, posso desvendar que a estória gira em torno de uma Mulher, Holly que aluga o andar debaixo da sua casa a um casal super amoroso e agradável de se conviver. Tudo corre bem até que o membro feminino do casal, Claire, se sente desanimada e com pouca auto estima e acha que Holly não gosta muito dela. Danny, o seu esposo, intervém de forma a que as duas mulheres se tornem boas amigas. Até que conhecemos Anna e a estória pelo POV dela. São duas estórias distintas ou ambas relacionadas? Será que os segredos se vão revelar todos? Isso cabe-vos a vocês descobrir lendo este Thriller de leitura super rápida, personagens interessantes e bem caracterizadas e não vou ficar por aqui no que diz respeito a leituras deste autor. Gostei mesmo muito dos capítulos curtos, e apesar de não ser nada inédito no que diz respeito à estória, nota-se bem o que o autor quis fazer e fez muito bem. Os outros livros, nesta data em que publico a opinião, estão na Amazon, para o Kindle (e app) a $0,99, valem bem a pena! Só existem em inglês.

Eng Review: I did not have acknowledge of this author and I got to know him through him (thank you for being so nice) in an international Thrillers reader group. He was the one who informed me that by subscribing to his newsletter I was entitled to this free book. And what a book! Wow! As there is no synopsis, I can reveal that the story revolves around a woman, Holly, who rents the floor below her house to a super loving and pleasant couple to live with. Everything goes well until the female member of the couple, Claire, feels discouraged and has little self-esteem and thinks that Holly doesn't like her very much. Danny, her husband, intervenes so that the two women become good friends. Until we got to know Anna and the story from her POV. Are they two distinct stories or are they both related? Will all the secrets be revealed? That's up to you to discover by reading this super fast-paced thriller, with interesting and well-characterized characters, and I won't stop here when it comes to reading this author. I really liked the short chapters, and although it's nothing new when it comes to the story, you can clearly see what the author wanted to do and did very well. The other books, on this date when I publish my opinion, are on Amazon, for the Kindle (and app) at $0.99, they are well worth it! They only exist in English.
@bibliotecamil_insta /bibliotecamil.wordpress.com

[Tina Plintz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book that I have read from AJ Carter. And I can say I will definitely reach for another. I found this book very easy to read and kept you wanting more. A few good twist. Some you kinda saw coming others not at all. But if you want something that can keep your attention and like lots of twists but not something that is long and drawn out this is definitely a book for you.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by A J Carter, and definitely won't be the last. It is full of twists and turns.
How much will you pay to keep your secrets a secret?
Mind blowing! Strange how the love of money supersedes the love of our fellow humans. Oh, but that describes a psychopath.

Can't wait to read another book by A J Carter!

[Thomas Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the whole I enjoyed this book. However for the majority of the book there were 2 stories that I felt took too long becoming one. When they merged it made the ending rushed.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Couple Downstairs by AJ Carter

This book was a free download on Amazon! Followed some fb group and was told this was free so of course I downloaded it! Been sitting in my kindle fore more than a year when I finally read all my Freida and John Marrs books. So i really wanted an easy read and tried to open this.

Did not disappoint! Was a really quick two day read. Really page turning. Also a bit freaky and scary at times.

The story is actually two stories. Told by two women who are totally irrelevant. It wasnr until the very last few chapters where the two stories merged. To be honest Holly’s story was easy to guess and Anna’s story was just a scary straight forward plot. So I knew the twist should be how the two stories merged. The reason for their merge wasnt too surprising honestly, but nonetheless still good enough.


Would give this a 3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

#thecoupledownstairs #ajcarter #amazonfreebook #kindle #bookreview #kindlebooks #psychologicalthriller

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of two women, Holly and Anna. Holly decides to rent out the downstairs of her house to a young couple. Why she did this baffled me as she certainly didn't need the money. Anna too is well off and living in a beautiful house with her new husband.

Holly is enjoying the company of Claire and Danny until one night she makes the mistake of sleeping with Danny. Big mistake as someone took photos and she is soon being blackmailed.

Anna is isolated at home as she's feeling desperately ill and her husband refuses to call a doctor and has taken Anna's phone. It eventually dawns on Anna that she is only ill after eating food prepared by her husband.

Told in alternate chapters by Holly and Anna this is a very enjoyable read with quite a few twists, some of which I anticipated but I didn't foresee the big twist at the end

I look forward to reading more from this author.

[Tierra Chappel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidentally stumbled across this author, and he has not disappointed me yet. He ALWAYS surprises me with surprise curve balls and plot twist that I do not see coming. This book was a bit more predictable than his other books and I was able to guess the culprit(s) who were up to no good. A.J. Carter really develops the characters and make you care about them. He wrote from the point of view of the two main characters: Anna and Holly. You want them to thrive and figure out who, what, when, where, and why. You really feel like you are a part of the story and are on the end of your seat the entire ride. I highly recommend this author.

[Tina Lincoln · Rating 5 out of 5]

Renting out part of a house can be a great thing... or not.
This story had me wondering if I had completely missed something, and then I realized I had not, it was just very well written! To like the couple you rent to is a great thing, especially when you are also in the same house, just upstairs. To sleep with one of them, well.... that is kind of crossing the line, especially when a person has a guilty conscience and a history that has hidden something!
I loved the complex-simplicity of this story.
Thank you, A J Carter for a good story!
I received a complimentary copy of this story and this is my honest review.

[Greg D · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest, I cannot fathom how anyone can give this book over 2 stars - there were simply way too many ludicrous and unbelievable occurrences. The lack of any realistic and obvious actions by the dual protagonists was so aggravating that it had me shaking my head over and over! Any reasonable individual being violently threatened or being pushed unrelentingly into a corner is going to react viciously like any animal would, whereas the actions of the protagonists were nothing short of pathetic! I had 90% of the story figured out after barely a third of the book, and only a somewhat more interesting ending raised my rating to two stars. First and last time for this author.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, AJ Carter for the book The Couple Downstairs. I loved the writing, and it drew me right into the story and kept me reading. I liked the two POVs but it was frustrating not knowing how they were connected for so long because they seemed so distant. The big reveal wasn't shocking to me because I had suspected most of it. There were more reveals to come, but felt anticlimactic, as if all of the effort had been into the big reveal and everything else was filler. Even so, the book was an enjoyable read and I would certainly read other books by Carter.

[karin whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Picked this up from ARC. This is my review. We have two couples throughout the book. Jack and Anna and Holly and Danny (married to Claire} A tightly written story, that is full of twists, thankfully the author kept them straight by the titles of each couple. Fast moving, great character development an edge of my seat gripping story. Very enjoyable read.

[courtney small · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Couple Downstairs by: AJ Carter……This book 📖 is about a lady who is lonely so she rents out the downstairs part of her house to a lovely couple. Friendships begin…maybe even more! But then she’s being blackmailed for her secrets. Will she just tell them herself or pay up? This book 📖 also has another twist to it that I just can’t speak on, but when you figure it out 🤯

[Rachelle finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book , it has a good story line although I guessed some of it the last couple of twists were unexpected. Definitely recommend this title x

[Lisa D · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Cris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!! Suspenseful to the end!!! Great story. I couldn't stop reading it. This is my first book by AJ Carter, I've read and not the last.

[Mrs B E Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read by a talented young author.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good book by this author. So far I have not been disappointed. Don’t rent out rooms in your home. Bad things can and probably will happen.

[Gem Woodroofe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! So far this is my favourite AJ Carter book. It had me hooked from start to finish.

[Tricia Stokes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book! I read it in 3 days. Definitely kept my interest! Twist I could not have guessed- loved it!

[Pamela]

Another book from AJ Carter I just could not put down!!! Amazing story that intertwined at the end!!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rated PG15
for infidelity

[Jolovesbooks]

DNF

[Charissa Packham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took me ages to get into ans not sure if I actually got into it. Very… predictable and very slow.. found myself skipping pages as it kept repeating the same thing over and over again.

[Rena · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭒ | anna is the real and only mvp

[Mickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of twists and good ‘edge of your seat’ writing skills. I have read several of A. J. Carter’s books and this one didn’t let me down. Great quick read.