The Skylight: A must-read addictive psychological thriller

by Louise Candlish

A gripping short novel from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Our House and A Neighbour's Guide to Murder...

Simone has a secret. She likes to stand at her bathroom window and spy on the couple in the flat downstairs through their kitchen skylight. She knows what they’ve eaten for breakfast and who they’ve invited for dinner. She knows when they’ve argued and when they’ve made up. She knows what mood they’re in before they even step out the door.

There’s nothing wrong with looking, is there?

Until one day Simone sees something through the skylight she is not expecting. Something that upsets her so much she begins to plot a terrible crime…

From the winner of the British Book Award - Crime & Thriller of the Year for Our House, now a smash-hit ITV drama

'A superstar of psychological thrillers' Daily Mail

‘Louise Candlish just gets better and better’ Lisa Jewell

‘The queen of the sucker-punch twist’ Ruth Ware

‘Psychological suspense has a new adjective - pure Candlish’ Cara Hunter

Genres: Short Stories, Thriller, Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Psychological Thriller

65 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 27, 2021

About the author

Hello and welcome to my page... You may already know my domestic noir thrillers or perhaps you're curious and not sure which to try first - either way, you're in the right place!

My latest is OUR HOLIDAY, a Sunday Times bestseller, WHSmith Richard & Judy Book Club pick and Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025 nominee. It features my favourite ever love-to-hate characters Perry and Charlotte, second home owners in the idyllic English beach resort of Pine Ridge. It's now in development for the screen - I'll share news on that as soon as I can.

Next up is A NEIGHBOUR'S GUIDE TO MURDER, published in July 2025 (UK) and 2026 (US), available to pre-order now.

Last year I celebrated my 20th anniversary as an author with the news of two prestigious awards for my 90s-set thriller THE ONLY SUSPECT: the Capital Crime Fingerprint Award for Thriller of the Year and the Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction. Stay tuned for TV news on that one too - it will be the next of mine to hit our screens!

OUR HOUSE is the one you may know me for as it's now a major four-part ITV drama starring Martin Compston and Tuppence Middleton (watch the full series free on ITVX). This is the novel that turned my career around, winning the 2019 British Book Awards Book of the Year - Crime & Thriller and shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Best Crime Novel of the Year Award​, and the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. It was also longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the Specsavers National Book Awards. A Waterstones Thriller of the Month, it recently received a Nielsen Bestseller Silver Award for 250,000 copies sold.

A bit about me: I live in a South London neighbourhood not unlike the one in my books, with my husband, daughter and a fox-red Labrador called Bertie who is the apple of my eye. Books, TV and long walks are my passions - and drinking wine in the sun with family and friends. Authors I love include Tom Wolfe, Patricia Highsmith, Barbara Vine, Agatha Christie and Evelyn Waugh. My favourite book is Madame Bovary.

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Reviews

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skylight
Positioned just right
What might Simone see when she gazes into it tonight?

And, what will she DO about it? 🙄

That is the premise of this QUICK READ from www.readingagency.org.uk/quickreads (to see the titles and order ) which is an agency which is promoting reading in the UK, where 1 in 6 adults struggles with reading. For every quick read sold, the agency will donate a copy to someone who finds reading difficult.

These novellas are written by some of your favorite authors, and a generous donation was also made to the program by author JoJo Moyes, who funded it for three years!

I happened to get my copy from The Book Depository! (UK)
www.bookdepository.com -shipping is always free!

It looks exactly like the book cover! An 89 page paperback! And, I loved contributing to such a great cause! 📚🥰

[Michael David (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever looked out of one of your windows and saw something that you couldn’t take your eyes off of?

So has Simone, but she takes it to the extreme. She likes to watch her neighbors, a married couple. She has a direct view from her bathroom window to their kitchen skylight, and can see them when they’re sitting at their dining table.

Simone loves to watch them, but sees no harm in what she’s doing...until she sees something she really doesn’t like...something that makes her mad enough to do something bad.

The Skylight is a novella from Louise Candlish, an author who I love. She manages to write a gripping and unputdownable story in only 89 pages, packing in quite a bit of background info to create a truly satisfying read.

As usual with short stories, I would’ve loved another chapter or two, but I’ll take what I can get. This is a wicked delight, and I had fun spending an hour or so reading it.

Available now from Simon & Schuster UK. I bought a physical copy, and cannot get over how ADORABLY TINY this book looks on my bookshelf. 🤩

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

[Ceecee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The couple downstairs from Simone build an extension with a skylight through which she enjoys being a voyeur. What does she see as she looks down one night?????
This packs a punch in less than a hundred pages and is a very enjoyable read.

2021 Quick Reads programme

www.readingagency.org.uk/quickreads

For every book sold the agency donates a copy to someone who finds reading difficult. Thanks to my friend Jayme for leading me to this excellent programme. Onto the next!!

[Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic.blogspot....

The Skylight is part of the 2021 Quick Reads programme, created to inspire new readers as well as those who have fallen out of the habit of reading.

With just 89 pages, The skylight packs more thrills than some full length novels. Simone is not as innocent as she wants to present herself but hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!

Full of twists and revelations it was a fantastic story with some intriguing characters and a bittersweet ending.

Nice appetizer before reading Louise Candlish’s new novel, The heights, and if that goes in the same line as this one I just know I’m gonna love it.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would read a shopping list by Louise Candlish so was thrilled to see this unexpected ( for me ) short story as part of ‘quick reads 2021’
It has all the needed elements of a full novel packed into its 102 pages and is set in a house with a skylight and focuses on what the upstairs neighbour can see the downstairs neighbour doing and what happens from there
Just superb and as always this author delivers the highest standard of suspenseful writing

10/10
5 Stars

[CarolG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much as I enjoyed this quick read, I'm almost embarrassed to count it towards my 2021 reading challenge. It was only 89 pages and the font was pretty big so it really was a quick read! I really liked this story about a woman who could look out her bathroom window and see down into the neighbours' first floor flat through their skylight. It's like overhearing people gossiping about you - you might be shocked at what you learn. A good story and a good cause.

https://www.readingagency.org.uk/adul...

[Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Louise Candlish hit this novella out of the park.

In just 120 minutes (89 pages!), THE SKYLIGHT completely wowed me.

From beginning to end, I was transfixed by this fast-paced, well-plotted domestic noir tale of voyeurism, betrayal, and revenge.

I was instantly intrigued with the book's twisted protagonist Simone, an emotionally damaged young woman determined to do "whatever it takes" to receive a marriage proposal from her live-in boyfriend Jake.
,
This was my third Louise Candlish book and my favorite "Louise" book by far.

Unlike the author's other books, the prose was concise and featured dark humor in addition to suspense.

When I was not gasping, I was LOL Yes, psychological thriller author Louise Candish has a brilliant sense of humor.

I listened to the audiobook that was read by the author. Unless the book is a memoir, I usually stay far away from books narrated by authors. Louise Candish, however, did a superb job with the narration.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to listening to future titles by this author.

[Stace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com

The Skylight is one of six books that have been released for First Reads 2021 to help those that are new to reading or struggle with reading to enjoy a great but short story.

It is a thriller set in a suburban street where Simone lives with her partner Jake on the top two floors of a shared building with the owners downstairs being Gus and Alina. Simone doesn’t particularly like her neighbours which got worse when they had a kitchen extension built causing mess and noise for months on end with no apology.

However, the extension has given her one thing, a view into the couples life via their new skylight which has one-way glass, but the wrong way, so the couple can’t see out of the window but Simone from her private bathroom, which Jake isn’t allowed to use, can see in.

Simone takes great pleasure in watching the couple who are very private go about their day. Seeing what they eat etc, that is until one evening she witnesses something with triggers her and she sets a plan in motion to seek deadly revenge.

The Skylight was an exciting read and at only 89 pages I read it in one sitting. I loved the tension and the animosity between the neighbours. Simone believed that Alina thought she was a better person than her and would do anything to get one up on her. Alina knew Simone was up to something when her mail started going missing but the two grinned and smiled at one another in front of their partners.

It is the kind of book that felt very realistic, I mean how many people have issues with their neighbours, a lot, especially judging by the number of TV shows that are about neighbours not getting along and the lengths they go to, though I’m not sure many go as far as Simone!

There are bits of information drip-fed into the plot which show you that Simone might not be the nice, lovely person she tries to come across as and that she might have form for being vindictive, etc.

This was a fun, engaging, quick read and I hope those who do struggle to read give it a go, you just might find that you love it and want to read more of the author’s work.

[Thebooktrail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be a masterclass of how to write a short story/novel with enough tension to keep you awake at night.

Simone and her husband live in a flat with a skylight. She can see the neighbours from it but they can't see her as it's frosted or at least it appears to be. Well, you can imagine she spends time there having a good old neb as we say in the North East. She sees something one day that angers her and so she sets about getting revenge....but what has she seen and is it the same thing she thinks she has seen?

Someone is spying on someone.... and thing soon get very out of control.

For a story that only runs some 89 pages, this is a fully fleshed mystery that once you have finished, you feel very satisfied as if you've read a full novel. This is a clever author be sure of that. I bought this to read on the bus the other day as stupidly I'd forgotten my book AND kindle. Ah this was one creepy and thrilling read.

Candlish can do no wrong in my eyes. I've recently read The Heights coming out later this year and now this. Spoiled I am. And you will be too.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Skylight is a novella by British author Louise Candlish. Simone doesn’t like her neighbours. Alina and Gus Hunt are just too perfect a couple. They used noisy, inconsiderate builders for their fancy extension; the work went on far too long. But now the new skylight into their kitchen gives Simone a glimpse into their lives from her top floor bathroom, so she keeps an eye on them, surreptitiously gets to know them quite well. Her partner, Jake never uses that bathroom, so the view is hers alone. But what she sees one night, while Jake is working late, is a shock. That Alina needs to be taught a lesson, she decides, but Simone will bide her time. A little selective mail sorting, and she has a plan….
Short but powerful, a chilling read.

[India McLeod Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the premise of this short thriller, which really leant itself to the audio format as we listen to an unlikeable, morally-grey character describe how she watches her neighbours through their skylight. The short story had all the creepy, voyeuristic vibes I love from a good thriller and I was completely immersed in the first half.

However, the tale then became very predictable and I was quickly able to guess all of the twists. I kept waiting to be shocked by something I didn't see coming but, unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Skylight is a short story that is part of the quick reads series.

Simone likes to spy on the couple downstairs through the kitchen skylight. She knows all their routines, what they eat and drink and plenty of other personal things. Simone doesn’t see anything wrong with her spying but one day she sees something through the skylight she is not expecting. Something that upsets her so much she begins to plot a terrible crime

This is a really good little story, good characters, well paced plot and expertly written.

[Catherine Stead · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read with a couple of twists.

[Eliza · Rating 1 out of 5]

simone didn't do anything wrong!

a) this was horribly read

b) i absolutely hate fiction where cheating husbands don't get any kind of comeuppance

[Samantha Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick read, held my interest.

[Erica⭐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simone lives with her partner Jake on the top two floors of a shared building with the owners downstairs being Gus and Alina. Simone doesn’t particularly like her neighbours which got worse when they had a kitchen extension built causing mess and noise for months on end with no apology.

However, the extension has given her one thing, a view into the couples life via their new skylight which has one-way glass, but the wrong way, so the couple can’t see out of the window but Simone from her private bathroom, which Jake isn’t allowed to use, can see in.

Simone takes great pleasure in watching the couple who are very private go about their day. Seeing what they eat etc, that is until one evening she witnesses something with triggers her and she sets a plan in motion to seek deadly revenge.

[Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories are a notoriously hard genre to master and rarely satisfy in the way that a full length novel does but in just 89 pages Louise Candlish has written an entertaining, well-paced and involving slice of domestic noir. For readers new to Louise Candlish or domestic noir, The Skylight is a great introduction and whilst the story is certainly worth a read for those familiar with the territory it isn’t particularly original and the twists, all predictable, are signposted well in advance.

First-person narrator, Simone, makes an immediate impression, coming across as a damaged, insecure and paranoid young women with a chequered history that means she is only in regular contact with one member of her family. She lives in the top two floors of a house with boyfriend, Jake, and having taken a dislike to the married couple who live in the basement below she is only too pleased that their recently completed kitchen extension has a skylight that affords her a direct view into their kitchen. Spying on Gus and Alina Hunt from the one-way privacy film of her bathroom window gives Simone an illicit thrill but when she gets a shock and sees something she never expected, she is determined to get ahead of the game and not be made a fool of...

The pacing is excellent and Candlish wastes no time in establishing the basic scenario; at 5% the reader learns of Simone’s secret, by 10% the reader and Simone both know about Jake’s secret and there are few wasted words with Candlish drip-feeding information throughout which all adds to the picture. Simone is a terrific character and her narrative works well because it gives the distinct impression that it wouldn’t take much for her to move into seriously unhinged territory and become dangerous. Whilst the predictability of the story limited the build-up of any genuine tension for me but The Skylight is well-written and action-packed short story with a satisfying resolution.

[Fabulous Book Fiend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: I adored this story, once again Louise Candlish has created a very twisted main character and I loved being inside of her mind for even this short a period of time. By the time you reach the end of chapter one you'll be sucked into Simone's world and possibly just be worried about what actions she might take. I love the fact that this book has you gasping with shock by the end of the first act, thinking you know things are going to be OK by the end of the second act and then hav all of those theories thrown into disarray by the end of the book.

Quick Reads like this are just so wonderful because they can be a great introduction to an author you haven't read before. If this is your first tastes of Louise Candlish, you picked a great place to start and for fan of this author already this is like a beautiful bonus book when we're in between her full length novels. I love the fact that this is a brand new fully formed story and I loved reading it.

Being a quick reads book this book also has excellent pacing. There is something happening on every single page and the end of each chapter leaves you on a cliffhanger wanting more. The characters are dark and intriguing and you could totally see the events happening in real life. There are also multiple revelations throughout the book and so you're not waiting for a 'twist' to happen, they literally happen right the way through from the very beginning to the bitter end.

I loved this book and I highly recommend picking it up!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short story although not terribly original.

[Elise a.k.a. PAPERNERD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting little novella, that packed a punch and kept me up tonight.
I finished it in one sitting.

We meet a couple, who are not too keen of their downstairs neighbors.

Can you smell "betrayal" and "murder" in the air ?
Well, of course, you can !

This makes a short, but entertaining story and I loved every word of it.

If you are "in-between books" or in a reading slump, I would highly recommend to read this book, to get right back into reading pleasure.

Loved it !

[She Griffiths-Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story with a twist xx

[Grace J Reviewerlady · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine addition to the Quick Reads library!

Simone knows more about the couple downstairs than they realise; from her bathroom window she can see straight into their kitchen through the skylight. Spying on her neighbours becomes something of a habit she can’t break but, like people who listen at doors, watchers can find out things they’re certainly not expecting . . .

I was delighted to be asked to review this as part of the Quick Reads 2021 launch; I wish I could have read more than one of the terrific books on offer but, as always, time constraints dictated that I could only manage The Skylight but I hope to catch up with the others in future. This is a wonderful idea which I’m happy to support.

Don’t for one moment think that this is any less of a read than others by this author; Louise Candlish delivers a short, sharp and succinct story with a surprising finish. I was very quickly drawn into Simone’s life – apparently, there are a lot of houses with skylights in their kitchens these days and they never give a thought to being overlooked by their neighbours – although I suspect they may very well do just that once they read this story! A gripping read all the way through; while perhaps not strictly correct, it was easy to sympathise with Simone and, up to a point, to justify her actions. Smartly plotted and beautifully written, this is an absolutely cracking read and one which may well play on my mind for some time to come. Absolutely, definitely, a five star read and worthy of my highest recommendation.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was delighted to get the chance to read The Skylight, the Quick Reads book by Louise Candlish. I'm a fan of her writing and her psychological thrillers are always really well done.



The Skylight is 89 pages of utter tension. I'm in awe of any author who can create such a compelling story in such a few pages. The reader becomes part of Simone's world in an instant, and it's a strange and quite distressing place to be.



Simone is an odd character. She lives on the top floor of a large house and from her bathroom window she can look down on the glass skylight that the young couple who live downstairs have fitted in their kitchen ceiling. Nobody knows that Simone can see out because the glass in her window appears to be frosted, but it isn't, and she knows everything about the daily routine of the couple downstairs.



Sometimes it's best to keep your nose of out of other people's business. It certainly would have been best for Simone. She sees something that angers and upsets her and she is determined that she will not be taken for a fool.



Simone has a history .... she may be quiet and blend into the background, but she's capable of a lot.





What a thriller this is! I zoomed through this in an hour, hardly moving as I watched Simone become more desperate and just a little bit crazy.



An excellent story with a sting in the tale. I loved it!

[Polly · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me! I have enjoyed other books by this author and was expecting more. It felt very abrupt and predictable, without the plot twists I’ve come to expect and enjoy. I did still love the writing and cover though, and am looking forward to trying another of her books.

[🌶 peppersocks 🧦 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reflections and lessons learned:
“I can't believe what he is saying. Is it really possible our mistakes will simply melt away?”

Ooo, you cheeky little story of neighbours - living on top of each other, but not really knowing beyond a hello… but maybe that’s for the best considering the lesson here! The end felt sadly rushed though - for the sake of 10 extra pages or could have been so much more…

[Chloë Dowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this 'quick read'. Swift gripping story. Done and dusted within a day! (Probably within an hour, but I wasn't counting!).

[Aisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story that keeps the pace and intrigue. At about 75% in, it got predictable and I could guess the end. But it's the right length so it didn't drag on.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining short story about two couples living in adjoining flats. This was quite a gripping read and well done for a short story, but I didn't like the ending so much as I thought the reactions of Simone and her partner Jake a little unbelievable at this point.

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simone was a character that gave me goosebumps as soon as I met her in the story, the sort of person that just made me feel unease and someone that I would not want to rub up the wrong way. She has a past that few people know about, all very hush, hush, but she knows that what she did will never go away.


Simone watches the people that live downstairs, through a window she can see out of, but they can not see her. It looks down onto the couples skylight window above their dining table. Simone doesn’t like the woman that lives downstairs, or the woman her. Simone looks once too much. You can’t take back what you see, but you can take action.


What a creepy story this is, at only 89 pages, this quick read covers a lot of ground both in the past and present day. I enjoyed that the story was told by Simone, it gave it a creepy edge coming from her, because of the frightening way her mind works. There are only a few characters in the story, all necessary for the story.

The author soon creates a group of people that I found myself falling into liking and disliking by their actions. A fabulous edgy quick read!

[The Cookster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5

This is one of the Quick Reads for 2021 from The Reading Agency. It certainly is a quick read and easily finished in one brief sitting. I really enjoyed "The Other Passenger" by Louise Candlish, so I wasted no time in pre-ordering "The Skylight" when I heard that she had signed up for this year's Quick Reads scheme.

There is a real skill in being able to compose a fully rounded story in such a short format. Whilst it is fair to say that seasoned readers of this type of fiction are unlikely to find any major shocks in the various plot twists, it is certainly well-paced, atmospheric and holds the attention of the reader.

Well worth a read. and a nice addition to the commendable Quick Reads series.