The Room Next Door

by Wendy Walker, Julia Whelan (Narrator), Elizabeth Evans (Narrator)

From the bestselling author of Mad Love and American Girl comes a propulsive new thriller with a spectacular twist and an acclaimed cast.

They were best friends forever. Until the night one of them disappeared.

In 2010, Brooke Lowry, Carrie Hollis, and Eve Shay were inseparable. But on the Fourth of July, Eve vanished—her case never solved. Brooke moved away, but Carrie couldn’t let go, her obsession driving her to become the Chief of Police.

Now, fifteen years later, just as Carrie is about to close Eve’s case for good, an anonymous call provides a chilling new lead. And–within days–a man’s body is hauled in by a fishing boat. His murder is linked to a hotel a few miles away–where the guest in the room next door was none other than Brooke Lowry.

Brooke was there that night—with her lover. They heard something through the wall. Something violent. But they couldn’t say a word without revealing their affair.

As Carrie digs deeper into both cases, Brooke scrambles to cover her tracks, and Eve’s own voice begins to rise from the past. Together, their stories unravel a web of lies, betrayals, and long-buried secrets that lead to the shocking truth of what happened to Eve Shay.

This story contains mature themes. Listener discretion is advised.

Genres: Audiobook, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

Audible Audio

Published October 9, 2025

About the author

Wendy Walker is the author of psychological suspense. Her novels have been translated into 23 foreign languages, have topped bestseller lists both nationally and abroad, and have been optioned for television and film. Prior to writing, Wendy worked in banking and several areas of the law. She spent most of her childhood as a competitive figure skater. Wendy has three grown sons and resides in Connecticut.

Reviews

[Ali Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED listening to the audiobook!! It has a full cast, music, and sound effects which is so cool for any audiobook but especially for a mystery/thriller. It made everything extra spooky like a movie in my head to hear the creepy sounds, music, and voices of so many different characters.
Every chapter also ended with a mini twist, cliffhanger, or new info which made it so easy to binge. There are a lot of characters which sometimes was hard to keep track of but that also made it even harder to solve the mystery because there were so many potential suspects which was fun!

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

The Room Next Door written by Wendy Walker with audio in mind.

PERFORMED by Julia Whelan as Brooke Lowry, Elizabeth Evans as Carrie Hollis and Bebe Wood as Eve Shay-8 hours 46 minutes at 1.0x, 5 hours 51 minutes at 1.5x

So many ASSUMPTIONS!

July 4, 2010
Three best friends are coming of age and leaning into their sexuality. Inseparable until Eve vanishes-the case unsolved.

2025-fifteen years later
Brooke Lowry has recently returned with her husband after moving away and publishing a book about a girl’s disappearance. Her friend, Carrie had remained behind and is now the Chief of Police.

The book opens with a harrowing scene where Brooke and her secret lover, have who have met for a liaison in a discreet hotel, hear the distressing sounds of violence in the ROOM NEXT DOOR.

What should they do?

If they report it, they expose their affair…but they cannot just do nothing.

An anonymous call to Police leads to another body AND a new lead into Eve’s disappearance.

The story is presented through the alternating first person POV’s of Brooke and Carrie in 2025, and Eve in 2010.

This fast paced story hooked me from the OPENING scene! It is intricately layered and FULL of surprises! The chapters from 2010 do have a YA feel but since they are narrated by Eve, we learn the truth about what really happened that night long before Brooke and Carrie do.

This Audible Original is performed by a 33 member cast of characters and includes original music and sound effects such as crashing waves, the tinkling of ice in a glass and the muffled sounds of both laughter and violence. Truly a 5 star production!

AVAILABLE NOW and well worth a listen!

[Booked.Shaye BWRT · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audio is amazing. This started off really good. I was drawn in. But by the end — it was too many characters, too many different perspective , and got a little too confusing.

I’d recommend it , because it is written well. The story is good. (It being free on Audible helped) .. But for me I lost interest. And just wanted to solve the twist & turns.
Honestly , I’m not sure I even understand what actully happened. It got so unnecessarily twisty. So if y’all read it. Lmk 😂

[Shawnaci Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
- The sound effects truly made this come alive and I neeeed more books like this in the future!! I could imagine every aspect of the story and it made the story more realistic.
- The cliffhangers, characters, and past/present timeline made the flow of this story so perfect. I had no idea where it was going to go!
- Thrillers like this are my favorite because I felt like I was IN the story vs just listening to it.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible audio, Audible original
----
3.5 stars 🌟 🤩 ✨️

Narration with full cast and sound effects ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜!

Didn't enjoy this as much as American Girl but still had fun:) would recommend 👌.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story 4 stars**
Audio 5 stars**
Narrator
Julia Whelan
Elizabeth Evans
Bebe Wood & full cast

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR, an audible original, features a full cast led by the incomparable Julia Whelan. I’ll listen to just about anything Julia narrates and I’m a Wendy Walker fan, so this free listen was a no brainer.

Three high school friends. One died. One became a police chief. One developed a tenuous relationship with fidelity and honesty. I thought I knew the perpetrator very early on. When the individual was no longer plausible, my suspect list expanded and contracted. I never once considered the culprit.

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR held my interest from start to finish. I’m not a huge fan of full cast audibles, I prefer one or two narrators, but this book worked for me. I recommend and will likely listen again to see what I missed.

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have zero clue what just happened 😂

[Stacey Labissiere · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Room Next Door had me hooked like I was watching a movie instead of listening to an audiobook. The multiple narrators were top-tier no weird “deep voice” attempts when women were reading male parts (thank God). They actually had different voice actors, which made the story feel so much more real and dramatic.

And the sound effects? Oh, Wendy said immersion. When characters were at the beach, you heard the waves. When things got tense, you could feel it in the background. I was sitting there like, “Am I listening to an audiobook or in a surround sound theater?”

Wendy Walker continues to own my thriller-loving heart. Every time I think I’ve got her figured out, she’s like “plot twist!” and suddenly I’m rethinking my whole detective career. If you love twisty, cinematic, edge-of-your-seat stories, this one’s a must-listen.

[Alyssa Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun cat-and-mouse game of the likes only Wendy Walker can write. I was determined to start and finish this in one day, because I am a sucker for a full audio production. And this one gives. I loved the twists and turns and can’t wait for the next book from Wendy Walker.

[Abstract Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia Whelan AND Elizabeth Evans? Immediate download!

Yes, I came here for the narrators. I stayed here for everything: the writing, the stunning performances, the background soundtrack that added to the suspense. And I am happy to admit - I have a gorgeous new author on my list.

It’s an immense pleasure for a reader like me, who ever since being a child, always — ALWAYS — loved listening to stories, rather than just reading them. So when a story comes up narrated by a cast like this? When a story is written so well? It rolls like a film right in front of your eyes. This is slowly becoming my favorite way to enjoy books.

Stunning find. Highly recommend.

[Laura Elizabeth Carranza · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Wendy Walker I listen to. The audio was so good.
I enjoyed this and was hooked since the very beginning. I had to pause a few times and rewind because I did get confused with the many characters in it but that is okay it didn’t take me long to figure it out. I listened to this all day even while I worked. I am excited to see more of Wendy Walker.

[Jennifer Ruppel - Dreher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars only because I finished it. I save my 1 star reviews for the books that I DNF.

The Room Next Door had me jumping but not out of fear. Whoever decided random bursts of loud noises would make the audiobook “immersive” should find a new job.

As for the story? Couldn’t care less. Nothing grabbed me, no one mattered, and yet somehow I powered through. Maybe because it was short or maybe because I had given up a precious audible credit? 🤷🏻‍♀️

10/10 - do not recommend.

[Marina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2010- 18 year old Eve Shay has been found dead at the beach.
2025- still trying to figure it out- add in another body- reopen the old wounds- rinse- repeat.

This was not for me. So many characters- so much back and forth and time hopping. So much silly lifetime television for women drama.
I usually enjoy Walker and adore Julia Whelan who was the only enjoyable part of this cat and mouse story.

[Amber Snyder · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was AWFUL. Seriously just pissed me off the whole time. First off, the title of the book, "The Room Next Door," is based off a bogus story the narrator tells you at the beginning — which actually gets you hooked, until you find out shortly after that she made the whole thing up and it's completely irrelevant to the story.

Which brings me to my primary complaint: This story is told based on three different perspectives, and one of the three narrators is lying to you the whole time. She changes her story multiple times. And it's not even a big surprise twist that she's lying. It's established early on, so the whole time I'm just like "wtf are we even doing here?" She's also insanely unlikable. And then the ending was so f*cking stupid and rushed, I literally LOL'd at how bad it was.

This is a free book on Audible, and the audio is like listening to a soap opera. Bad acting, melodramatic background music, the occasional sound effect.

I hardly ever write a bad review on a book, but this book was legendarily bad.

[Laura Emerson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a free audible book. I see now why. 8 hours of my life. At the end I just hate finished it!! Just not my cup of tea.

[Karm Barter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many time jumps and characters. I kept on getting confused to when and where we were. The discovery was decent though. I will read more by Wendy.

[Yavor Vlaskov · Rating 2 out of 5]

To any aspiring authors: a personality can be many things. Here is a list of things it is *not*:
1. It is not having an affair;
2. It is not having a friend die 15 years ago;
3. It is not having a toxic parental figure.

Or, to put it succintly in the manner of Tony Stark in SM:Homecoming (yes, the MCU is the superior media offering in comparison to this particular book): if you are nothing without the drama, then you shouldn't have it.

There are three protagonists in this book (technically, one is an already dead character that keeps narrating the period before their death, 15 years ago, not sure if that doesn't demote them to "secondary" as if is established they are useless in the present, but considering how the other two protagonists have made her a core part of their character, maybe she deserves the label) and the personality of all of them is literally "the plot". They are obsessed with their past, which is where they show a modecum more personality, but modecum is all there is - we are dragged against our will with them as they rehash, repeatedly, the most mundane of events of a particular night, adding a thin layer of mystery so slowly that we all wonder if we weren't just happy with a single-layer offering. Their personality back then were relations with other people, and 15 years later, it seems to be about relations with the exact same people, the plot all about how the boring of the past can haunt us and turn into the boring of the present. This repetitive slap of "MC NPC" syndrome is also unnecessarily dragged out when new developments are then presented from the three uniquely boring point of views.

It feels rather funny, then, how the men in this book end up weirdly having more personality than the three lead women characters. Their personalities are either "piece of trash" or "creep" or "piece creepy trash" exclusively, no exceptions, but that is *some* personality. That makes them somewhat deep as far as villains in a story go, I guess, but only in relative comparison to their surroundings. The result is how we have a story where I am *interested* in what happened with one particular character around who the entire plot revolves, even 15 years later, but I do not *care* what happened to her, or what is happening to the current character. By writing empty shells of personalities the author has convinced me they are caricatures of real people and circumstances, and the paper they were used to visualize only worth the space if you are really into caricatures. This is particularly damning because the author is trying to work in some really strong themes of intersex relationships, but clearly lacks the skill to present them in the impactful manner they deserve; it's almost like a mockery. Ultimately, all the book did was convince me that Eve was the lucky one, as it seems they all peaked at high school and at least she got out while on the top of her game.

About the performance: it is *excessively* good. Like, it's hilarious how much effort has been put in something that is ultimately so bland. It is like going into a 5 star restaurant, where the waiters are all professional ballet dancers, doing an exceptional choreographed passing of a plate among them while twirling around the room to serve you the chef's special, and it just ends up being a loaf of white bread, no spices. There are these parts with thrilling, almost epic sounding musical tracks, just for a character to be narrating the most boring triviality you could hear in a public bus. Everything about this offering is very "special", but the type of "special" which clearly does not equate "worthwhile".

P.S. This is 2 stars for the overall presentation, as it was clearly written as an audio drama and it worked out really well for it, the bland plot would have been a 1 star for at least somewhat keeping me interested until the end. I can't give it less than 1, I realize, but presentation aside it really has one thing going for it and it wouldn't be worth more than 1 star in consequence.

P. P. S. Special points for the *33 years old chief of police* protagonist, coincidentally married to the mayor and from a cop family, proudly announcing "I am the f-ing chief of police" proudly a few times. Ironically, being an obvious nepo baby, but clearly in denial about it is more of a personality than the rest of the protagonists got.

[Lauren Self (lauren.shelby.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely worth the listen if you’re looking for an enhanced audio to listen to 👌🏻 solid thriller + well-engaged narration .. also free if you have audible plus catalog

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

[Ronja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 for the book
4.5 for the audiobook

[AJ Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great read!

This was such an enjoyable read in that it completely held my attention as I listened along trying to figure out who the murderer was. I was wrong in my assumptions a couple of times, never close to who it actually wound up being. Also, hearing the events of the night of Eve's murder on July 4th from her POV as the main storyline played out from Brooke and Carrie's POV, were seemles as the timelines came together to reveal who the murderer was and why Eve was murdered. Having a full cast of narrators brought this story to life in a way no single narrator ever could, and I would undoubtedly recommend this title to others.

[Alexa Bernabo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story wasn’t bad but there were so many characters I kept getting confused who was who.

[Jaquasia Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let me say, this book was super, super, super drawn out! And repetitive. Yes, we know Eve died on July 4th. Yes, we get it! Jeez! Moving on…

None of these characters were particularly likeable, and the men? Absolutely disgusting. I know it’s a small town, but does everyone have to sleep with the same people? Also, it’s 2020—was FAFSA not a thing? School Loans?

And Ms. Rosario? I’m honestly disgusted by how she exploited Eve. If you wanted “justice,” why not go get it yourself? Or better yet, if you were so eager to “help,” just give the girl the money for school. 🙄

Everyone in this book had skeletons, which made them all decent suspects, but I wasn’t surprised when it turned out to be Aiden (Brooke’s old husband). He gave weird vibes from the very beginning.

All in all, this wasn’t a bad read—just a long and drawn-out one. So many unnecessary details and repetitive moments that really could’ve been trimmed.

That said, the Audible version was fantastic! The narrators did an amazing job, and honestly, that’s probably the only reason I didn’t DNF.

⚠️ Trigger/content warnings: violence, death, affairs, manipulation, and mental-health themes.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting enough but i was losing track of all the ppl involved like DAMN. annoying that one character is basically an unreliable narrator for almost the whole book bc i don’t know what to believe.

[Hope Lachapelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic whodunit but ended up kind of convoluted due to all the characters. Didn’t love the end but overall a solid audiobook listen

[Katrina Vallett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both the story and the performance were fantastic! This is the kind of audio that will have you driving around your neighborhood to listen just a little bit longer before going home. It's the kind of audio that has you turning down an offer of help in the kitchen because you want to listen to your book more than you want help and the inevitable conversation that comes with it. (Maybe the offer was only made because it was clear I was invested in the story 🤨 or maybe the thrillers I read leave me trusting no one 😂)

Wendy Walker sure knows how to pace a story. She had me hanging on every word. I had to know what happened to Eve!

I love that it was told by multiple narrators. And there were other extras, like the sound of the beach when the characters were there. This was so much fun!

And I loved the ending.

[Deseree · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ so rounded up

This book was surprisingly really good. I loved the mystery and that we go all the girls pov. So many twists and turns, I genuinely was never right about my theories and I usually am so it was a fun surprise to be shocked literally the whole time!

[Danae Friesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great audiobook! love the mystery “who done it” storyline that keeps you guessing and with the sound effects/ music it felt like a murder mystery podcast!

[Meagan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trash writing but full cast so I liked that