What do you think?
Rate this book
The Perfect Neighbour
Everyone has something to hide…
Rachel thought moving to a different town would finally set her free. A new flat, a new job, and no one who knows what she’s running from. Then she meets the woman in the downstairs flat, Stella, the perfect neighbour. Warm, generous, and always there when Rachel needs her.
For the first time in years, she feels safe.
Emerging from her self-imposed shell and reconnecting with a world that she’s distanced herself from for too long, Rachel begins to imagine a future she never thought possible.
But then just when it seems life couldn’t get any better, she receives a shocking reminder that the truth she’s fought so hard to bury might not stay hidden forever. And as cracks begin to show in Stella’s perfect façade, Rachel starts to wonder.
How well does she really know the woman downstairs?
Because what if the real danger isn’t behind her?
What if it’s living right underneath her feet?
Rachel thought moving to a different town would finally set her free. A new flat, a new job, and no one who knows what she’s running from. Then she meets the woman in the downstairs flat, Stella, the perfect neighbour. Warm, generous, and always there when Rachel needs her.
For the first time in years, she feels safe.
Emerging from her self-imposed shell and reconnecting with a world that she’s distanced herself from for too long, Rachel begins to imagine a future she never thought possible.
But then just when it seems life couldn’t get any better, she receives a shocking reminder that the truth she’s fought so hard to bury might not stay hidden forever. And as cracks begin to show in Stella’s perfect façade, Rachel starts to wonder.
How well does she really know the woman downstairs?
Because what if the real danger isn’t behind her?
What if it’s living right underneath her feet?
230 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 3, 2026
94 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Ryan
19 books159 followersJoanne Ryan lives in the south of England and has always loved writing. Her novels concentrate on the darker, secret side of life of seemingly ordinary people.
She also writes under the pen name of Marina Johnson https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
She also writes under the pen name of Marina Johnson https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 4, 2026
Brilliant!!
I’ve had a run of bad books recently so I was happy to finally read a book that was definitely worth reading. I read this in one night as I couldn’t put it down. There’s nothing better than a book you can’t put down. The only negative was whoever proofread this, didn’t do a good job as there was lots of typos and missing text but that’s not the authors fault.
Can’t wait to read more by this author
I’ve had a run of bad books recently so I was happy to finally read a book that was definitely worth reading. I read this in one night as I couldn’t put it down. There’s nothing better than a book you can’t put down. The only negative was whoever proofread this, didn’t do a good job as there was lots of typos and missing text but that’s not the authors fault.
Can’t wait to read more by this author
January 4, 2026
Excellent!!
Fantastic book ... I read it in one sitting. I could not put it down! Well done Miss Ryan!! Well done!
Fantastic book ... I read it in one sitting. I could not put it down! Well done Miss Ryan!! Well done!
January 14, 2026
yet another good read
Wasn’t too sure about this book at first especially chapter 2 but kept reading as hate giving up on a book .
This book has two main characters Rachel and Stella who both live in the same building .
Rachel has just moved in on the top floor after leaving her past behind . She gets rid of basically everything she packs up ready for a fresh start . She works in a nice job with nice people and her life starts to change for the good when she meets Ollie but not so much Stella .
Stella lives in the flat on the ground level and comes across as a bit of a nosy neighbour to me . She has a dog called pancho and a job but the difference with her job is the people aren’t nice .
I grew to dislike Stella the more I read and do feel she got what was coming to her .
Yet another good book by Joanne Ryan and once you get into it it’s an easy read .
Wasn’t too sure about this book at first especially chapter 2 but kept reading as hate giving up on a book .
This book has two main characters Rachel and Stella who both live in the same building .
Rachel has just moved in on the top floor after leaving her past behind . She gets rid of basically everything she packs up ready for a fresh start . She works in a nice job with nice people and her life starts to change for the good when she meets Ollie but not so much Stella .
Stella lives in the flat on the ground level and comes across as a bit of a nosy neighbour to me . She has a dog called pancho and a job but the difference with her job is the people aren’t nice .
I grew to dislike Stella the more I read and do feel she got what was coming to her .
Yet another good book by Joanne Ryan and once you get into it it’s an easy read .
January 24, 2026
First book from this author I have read and I really enjoyed her style of writing and storytelling and jumping between characters however I think I had higher hopes for a twist or a bigger ending than what happened. I really wanted to give it a 5 but I think because of that I’ve lowered it to a 4.
January 11, 2026
This was an enjoyable read, I always enjoy Joanne’s style of writing. It was a little predictable but I didn’t see the ending coming
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews