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The Doll House
You never know who’s watching…
Corinne’s life might look perfect on the outside, but after three failed IVF attempts it’s her last chance to have a baby. And when she finds a tiny part of a doll house outside her flat, it feels as if it’s a sign.
But as more pieces begin to turn up, Corinne realises that they are far too familiar. Someone knows about the miniature rocking horse and the little doll with its red velvet dress. Someone has been inside her house…
How does the stranger know so much about her life? How long have they been watching? And what are they waiting for…?
Corinne’s life might look perfect on the outside, but after three failed IVF attempts it’s her last chance to have a baby. And when she finds a tiny part of a doll house outside her flat, it feels as if it’s a sign.
But as more pieces begin to turn up, Corinne realises that they are far too familiar. Someone knows about the miniature rocking horse and the little doll with its red velvet dress. Someone has been inside her house…
How does the stranger know so much about her life? How long have they been watching? And what are they waiting for…?
415 pages, Paperback
First published September 14, 2017
935 people are currently reading
5556 people want to read
About the author
Phoebe Morgan
12 books673 followersPhoebe Morgan is an author and editor. She studied English at Leeds University after growing up in the Suffolk countryside. She has previously worked as a journalist and now edits crime and women’s fiction for a publishing house during the day, and writes her own books in the evenings. She lives in London and you can follow her on Twitter @Phoebe_A_Morgan. The Doll House is her debut novel. It became a bestseller, topping the iBooks charts at #1 and the Amazon charts at #35.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 671 reviews
August 27, 2017
I couldn't put this book down! And I thought I had it all figured out, but NOPE. I got it all wrong.
The story is about Corinne and Dominic who are trying to have a baby. Corinne is a nervous wreck all of the time. Then pieces of her and Ashley's (her sister) old dollhouse start to appear in different places for her to find. That's not creepy or anything.
Ashley is married to James and they have three kids, Lucy, Benji, and Holly. Ashley works one day a week at a cafe just so she can have some peace for a little bit. James has been working a lot more lately. They don't need the money, but it's what it is. Ashley has a lady watch Holly on the days she is at work.
The girls father died not that long ago and they go visit their mother for a little weekend holiday with the family and kids. There is something strange going on in their mothers house as well. What is going on with everyone?
The book switches back and forth between the characters and there is a character that we don't know, also telling their story. Duh, duh, duh!
The story gets crazier and crazier as this person seems to be involved in everyone's lives.
I thought it was great, although, I kept feeling I have read this same book before and I can't put my finger on it.
That ending though!
Mel ♥
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.*
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
The story is about Corinne and Dominic who are trying to have a baby. Corinne is a nervous wreck all of the time. Then pieces of her and Ashley's (her sister) old dollhouse start to appear in different places for her to find. That's not creepy or anything.
Ashley is married to James and they have three kids, Lucy, Benji, and Holly. Ashley works one day a week at a cafe just so she can have some peace for a little bit. James has been working a lot more lately. They don't need the money, but it's what it is. Ashley has a lady watch Holly on the days she is at work.
The girls father died not that long ago and they go visit their mother for a little weekend holiday with the family and kids. There is something strange going on in their mothers house as well. What is going on with everyone?
The book switches back and forth between the characters and there is a character that we don't know, also telling their story. Duh, duh, duh!
The story gets crazier and crazier as this person seems to be involved in everyone's lives.
I thought it was great, although, I kept feeling I have read this same book before and I can't put my finger on it.
That ending though!
Mel ♥
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.*
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
September 14, 2017
A little creepy, slightly unnerving, and a bit crazy. Here's a great fall read.
This one kept me reading. Lots of things I liked, a few I didn't, but the story is strong. Just when I started to have doubts, it delivered one of the strongest endings of anything I've read lately!
The sisters:
Corinne
I mentioned this fact in updates for the book as I read... this character is a mess. She's a ball of nerves and was actually stressing me out as I read. Some of this is due to her hormones: she's been undergoing IVF as she and her long-term boyfriend Dominic try to expand their family. They both desperately want a little one to love and care for. Corinne has a hard time, feeling envious of mothers and saddened when she feels they're taking their children for granted. She still remains hopeful as they start their third round of treatment, but suddenly her fertility isn't the only thing she has to worry about. She finds a little tiny chimney pot by her door. It looks almost as if it came from her beloved doll house her father built her and her sister when they were children. She takes it as a good sign, encouragement from her father who has passed on. Then she finds another bit she recognizes... in her house.
Ashley
Ashley is a busy mother of three. Her husband makes good money, and she only works a part time job as a little break. Yes... her job is her break. Her oldest child is smack in the middle of her terrible teenage years, her son is a little wild but probably the easiest to handle, and the baby girl still isn't sleeping through the night. She dotes on them all, leaving little time for herself. Husband James seems to be home less and less, making the gap between the couple wider and wider. She begins to worry about where her hubby is spending his time, just as she begins to get strange phone calls where no one says a word. Could it be another woman?
I had a few problems with the characters... sometimes they came across as a little too damsel in distress, especially Corinne. There also seemed to be a lot of screaming. It's mentioned that Corinne and Dominic aren't married because they cannot afford it, but they're trying to have a child and Corinne didn't take her job seriously at all. That part didn't seem to fit. I also found myself wishing she could do something, anything (phone the police or the locksmith, for example) on her own, but she was very reliant on him. It's 2017, C.
Despite my hang ups with the character, I really appreciated the story and how it ended. This is a strong book and I think a lot of people will really love it.
I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and HQ Digital, than me you! My review is honest and unbiased.
This one kept me reading. Lots of things I liked, a few I didn't, but the story is strong. Just when I started to have doubts, it delivered one of the strongest endings of anything I've read lately!
The sisters:
Corinne
I mentioned this fact in updates for the book as I read... this character is a mess. She's a ball of nerves and was actually stressing me out as I read. Some of this is due to her hormones: she's been undergoing IVF as she and her long-term boyfriend Dominic try to expand their family. They both desperately want a little one to love and care for. Corinne has a hard time, feeling envious of mothers and saddened when she feels they're taking their children for granted. She still remains hopeful as they start their third round of treatment, but suddenly her fertility isn't the only thing she has to worry about. She finds a little tiny chimney pot by her door. It looks almost as if it came from her beloved doll house her father built her and her sister when they were children. She takes it as a good sign, encouragement from her father who has passed on. Then she finds another bit she recognizes... in her house.
Ashley
Ashley is a busy mother of three. Her husband makes good money, and she only works a part time job as a little break. Yes... her job is her break. Her oldest child is smack in the middle of her terrible teenage years, her son is a little wild but probably the easiest to handle, and the baby girl still isn't sleeping through the night. She dotes on them all, leaving little time for herself. Husband James seems to be home less and less, making the gap between the couple wider and wider. She begins to worry about where her hubby is spending his time, just as she begins to get strange phone calls where no one says a word. Could it be another woman?
I had a few problems with the characters... sometimes they came across as a little too damsel in distress, especially Corinne. There also seemed to be a lot of screaming. It's mentioned that Corinne and Dominic aren't married because they cannot afford it, but they're trying to have a child and Corinne didn't take her job seriously at all. That part didn't seem to fit. I also found myself wishing she could do something, anything (phone the police or the locksmith, for example) on her own, but she was very reliant on him. It's 2017, C.
Despite my hang ups with the character, I really appreciated the story and how it ended. This is a strong book and I think a lot of people will really love it.
I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and HQ Digital, than me you! My review is honest and unbiased.
August 26, 2019
Just a little CREEPY yes it was a bit unnerving & family secrets that should never be told!!
if you are going into this book thinking its about a dolls house , think again its completely untrue, two sisters one Corinne who is trying for a baby having failed twice before thus being her third attempt at happiness. The other hiding secrets that should never be found out.
What do i think?? bloody brilliant, slightly crazy enjoyable fun.
if you are going into this book thinking its about a dolls house , think again its completely untrue, two sisters one Corinne who is trying for a baby having failed twice before thus being her third attempt at happiness. The other hiding secrets that should never be found out.
What do i think?? bloody brilliant, slightly crazy enjoyable fun.
January 22, 2019
Even though this psychological thriller played more like a family drama at times, by getting to know the characters first made the finale even more climatically compelling.
The novel follows sisters Ashley and Corinne, with both having completely contrasting lives.
Ashley mother of three feels that her husband is acting strangely lately, James is getting home later and seemingly really distant. Could he be having an affair?
Corinne and partner Dominic are desperate to have kids and after 3 failed IVF attempts, she feels that this is her last chance.
With the first anniversary of their fathers death soon approaching, Corinne discovers a piece from a dolls house.
It looks remarkably similar to the one that she had as a child, could it be her father sending her a sign that this time her attempt to become pregnant will be successful.
Or is it a sinister warning...
I really like the dual plot threads. As both sisters having their own issues to contend with, this leads to them not fully supporting the other.
Whilst Corinne continues to finding pieces, it’s slightly understandable why the others don’t take her completely seriously.
Though I felt the story lost a bit of tension due to the way the other characters reacted.
All the strands resolve themselves neatly, it’s a real slow burner with a different element rising temporary to the forefront of the story.
The last 50+ pages were so tense though and the conclusion completely paid off!
The novel follows sisters Ashley and Corinne, with both having completely contrasting lives.
Ashley mother of three feels that her husband is acting strangely lately, James is getting home later and seemingly really distant. Could he be having an affair?
Corinne and partner Dominic are desperate to have kids and after 3 failed IVF attempts, she feels that this is her last chance.
With the first anniversary of their fathers death soon approaching, Corinne discovers a piece from a dolls house.
It looks remarkably similar to the one that she had as a child, could it be her father sending her a sign that this time her attempt to become pregnant will be successful.
Or is it a sinister warning...
I really like the dual plot threads. As both sisters having their own issues to contend with, this leads to them not fully supporting the other.
Whilst Corinne continues to finding pieces, it’s slightly understandable why the others don’t take her completely seriously.
Though I felt the story lost a bit of tension due to the way the other characters reacted.
All the strands resolve themselves neatly, it’s a real slow burner with a different element rising temporary to the forefront of the story.
The last 50+ pages were so tense though and the conclusion completely paid off!
September 1, 2017
Corinne has been struggling to have a baby for quite some time and attempt after attempt at IVF have not brought her any closer to her dream of becoming a mother. As she begins yet another try Corinne finds a piece of an old doll house that she and her sister had as children and believes that this may be a sign that it's her turn to become a mother.
Ashley is Corinne's sister and from the outside she has the perfect life that Corinne wishes to have someday. But Ashley's life is far from perfect, her husband is always away at work, her teen is testing the limits and getting into more and more trouble and even her baby has begun to have night terrors. Ashley however wasn't too concerned over the dollhouse when Corinne brings it up but as more pieces arrive Corinne begins to worry just where they are coming from.
The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan is a psychological thriller that is told form different points of view during the story. I personally found this one to be a very slow paced read as it reminded me a lot of another romantic suspense story that I read recently that featured the main character finding things in their home and that one had a lot more action and moved a lot quicker than this one.
However, even with the slow pace and build up of the story within these pages I couldn't help but be curious as to where the author was taking the story so it still had the pages turning with the intrigue. I had a few guesses along the way and sort of hit one but with a few little twists here and there I think the story worked itself out rather well in the end. Would recommend checking this one out to the fans of psychological thrillers.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
Ashley is Corinne's sister and from the outside she has the perfect life that Corinne wishes to have someday. But Ashley's life is far from perfect, her husband is always away at work, her teen is testing the limits and getting into more and more trouble and even her baby has begun to have night terrors. Ashley however wasn't too concerned over the dollhouse when Corinne brings it up but as more pieces arrive Corinne begins to worry just where they are coming from.
The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan is a psychological thriller that is told form different points of view during the story. I personally found this one to be a very slow paced read as it reminded me a lot of another romantic suspense story that I read recently that featured the main character finding things in their home and that one had a lot more action and moved a lot quicker than this one.
However, even with the slow pace and build up of the story within these pages I couldn't help but be curious as to where the author was taking the story so it still had the pages turning with the intrigue. I had a few guesses along the way and sort of hit one but with a few little twists here and there I think the story worked itself out rather well in the end. Would recommend checking this one out to the fans of psychological thrillers.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
September 12, 2017
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Doll House plays out as a psychological thriller, mixed within a contemporary family drama setting - but I was left feeling unsure as to whether it really 'thrilled' me.
The Doll House follows the lives of two sisters, Ashley and Corinne. Ashley is a married mother of three, with a husband who suddenly seems distant - working late at the office and easily distracted. Is he hiding something? When Ashley starts receiving mysterious phone calls, where the caller never speaks, she becomes deeply paranoid that her supposedly happy family might not be so perfect. Corinne is desperate for a baby after several failed IVF attempts. With one last shot on the horizon, can she finally become the mother she's always wanted to be? When she starts finding pieces from her old family doll house left around her flat and workplace, she starts to feel that something sinister is afoot. Will delving into her past help her uncover a secret best left forgotten?
The narrative for this is split mainly between the two sisters, with a few chapters also told from Dominic's (Corinne's partner) point of view. Interspersed throughout is also a narrative told from an unknown third person (at first a child), mainly as memories from the past. As the story progresses, these segments begin to intertwine with the sister's history, as well as the history of a house we are first introduced to in the first chapter. I thought this was an interesting premise, as it gave us an insight into the sister's minds, but also this unknown character with a very chequered past. I was desperate to know who this person was, and what their relationship was with the other characters in the novel.
The overall plot was ok. I felt that at times, although there was always a small amount of underlying tension, nothing really progressed as rapidly as I would have liked. The doll pieces are only deposited every now and again, and because of this they felt more like a far off threat. They definitely played more of a secondary role to the overall story arc involving Ashley and Corinne's paranoia and family dramas.
I also would have liked to have had more of a background story surrounding Ashley and Corinne. We never really get a feel for their history, or see their childhood from their perspective other than in brief glimpses. As the story progresses, and the past seems to play more of an integral part to the story, I felt this would have been helpful to further understand certain characters motives.
I was definitely more invested in Ashley's story line over Corinne's. I liked the relationship between Ashley and her children, and the normal struggles she faces as a mother of three. Her paranoia felt natural given her surrounding environment, and I was really invested in her. However, I did feel that most of the tension left Ashley's narrative half way through as her conflict with her husband reaches its natural conclusion. It was my interest in the mysteries surrounding baby Holly and Lucy that kept me reading to the end, and I will say that the climax to her story line was very well done. It was dramatic, suspenseful and shocking. I did not see it coming - which is always a big plus to my very cynical and calculating mind. I'm normally very good at guessing an ending. This time I didn't. Corinne's story, in comparison, felt very flat. I felt that as a character she was very over the top and dramatic, compared to Ashley's more composed nature. I also found the conclusion to her arc was over extremely quickly and felt a little rushed. I found that I wasn't really that bothered about what happened to her.
The premise for this was good, and at times I was really invested in certain characters and their story lines, however in the end it was the consistencies in the narrative that ended up being The Doll House's downfall.
The Doll House plays out as a psychological thriller, mixed within a contemporary family drama setting - but I was left feeling unsure as to whether it really 'thrilled' me.
The Doll House follows the lives of two sisters, Ashley and Corinne. Ashley is a married mother of three, with a husband who suddenly seems distant - working late at the office and easily distracted. Is he hiding something? When Ashley starts receiving mysterious phone calls, where the caller never speaks, she becomes deeply paranoid that her supposedly happy family might not be so perfect. Corinne is desperate for a baby after several failed IVF attempts. With one last shot on the horizon, can she finally become the mother she's always wanted to be? When she starts finding pieces from her old family doll house left around her flat and workplace, she starts to feel that something sinister is afoot. Will delving into her past help her uncover a secret best left forgotten?
The narrative for this is split mainly between the two sisters, with a few chapters also told from Dominic's (Corinne's partner) point of view. Interspersed throughout is also a narrative told from an unknown third person (at first a child), mainly as memories from the past. As the story progresses, these segments begin to intertwine with the sister's history, as well as the history of a house we are first introduced to in the first chapter. I thought this was an interesting premise, as it gave us an insight into the sister's minds, but also this unknown character with a very chequered past. I was desperate to know who this person was, and what their relationship was with the other characters in the novel.
The overall plot was ok. I felt that at times, although there was always a small amount of underlying tension, nothing really progressed as rapidly as I would have liked. The doll pieces are only deposited every now and again, and because of this they felt more like a far off threat. They definitely played more of a secondary role to the overall story arc involving Ashley and Corinne's paranoia and family dramas.
I also would have liked to have had more of a background story surrounding Ashley and Corinne. We never really get a feel for their history, or see their childhood from their perspective other than in brief glimpses. As the story progresses, and the past seems to play more of an integral part to the story, I felt this would have been helpful to further understand certain characters motives.
I was definitely more invested in Ashley's story line over Corinne's. I liked the relationship between Ashley and her children, and the normal struggles she faces as a mother of three. Her paranoia felt natural given her surrounding environment, and I was really invested in her. However, I did feel that most of the tension left Ashley's narrative half way through as her conflict with her husband reaches its natural conclusion. It was my interest in the mysteries surrounding baby Holly and Lucy that kept me reading to the end, and I will say that the climax to her story line was very well done. It was dramatic, suspenseful and shocking. I did not see it coming - which is always a big plus to my very cynical and calculating mind. I'm normally very good at guessing an ending. This time I didn't. Corinne's story, in comparison, felt very flat. I felt that as a character she was very over the top and dramatic, compared to Ashley's more composed nature. I also found the conclusion to her arc was over extremely quickly and felt a little rushed. I found that I wasn't really that bothered about what happened to her.
The premise for this was good, and at times I was really invested in certain characters and their story lines, however in the end it was the consistencies in the narrative that ended up being The Doll House's downfall.
October 14, 2017
I received a free electronic copy of The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan for my honest review.
The Doll house is a thrilling read that will leave readers clinging to the edge of their seats. This is Corinne’s last chance to have a baby. She finds a tiny part of a doll house outside her house and thinks it is a sign. More pieces start to show up (pieces of her childhood dollhouse) then Corinne realizes that someone has been inside her house. This is a who is watching thriller for sure.
The Doll house is a thrilling read that will leave readers clinging to the edge of their seats. This is Corinne’s last chance to have a baby. She finds a tiny part of a doll house outside her house and thinks it is a sign. More pieces start to show up (pieces of her childhood dollhouse) then Corinne realizes that someone has been inside her house. This is a who is watching thriller for sure.
October 16, 2017
3.5 Stars
Well, this story is about two sisters, Ashley and Corinne. When they were children, their father bought them a doll house with all the toys. Their father is dead for a year now, Ashley is married and have three kids and she struggles with them. She is tired, her husband is absent most of the time and he claims it’s because of his job and Ashley receives strange phone calls. Her sister, Corinne, lives with her boyfriend. She receives some of the toys from their doll house but when she asked her mother where is the doll house, she can’t find it!!
Well, it was one of the predictable stories that I’ve read so far. I mean I read 35% and I guessed what’s going on and I was sure about it and at the end, I was right. But I should say the writing was compelling and I liked the characters. The couples in this story were the ones that I prefer in all the stories. But the ending is the other thing that I really didn’t like.
Told in multiple POV, both in 1st and 3rd person. It’s a stand-alone novel. All in all, I enjoyed it and hope you like it as well.
Thanks to Phoebe Morgan, Netgalley and HQ Digital for the advanced digital copy in exchange an honest review.
Well, this story is about two sisters, Ashley and Corinne. When they were children, their father bought them a doll house with all the toys. Their father is dead for a year now, Ashley is married and have three kids and she struggles with them. She is tired, her husband is absent most of the time and he claims it’s because of his job and Ashley receives strange phone calls. Her sister, Corinne, lives with her boyfriend. She receives some of the toys from their doll house but when she asked her mother where is the doll house, she can’t find it!!
Well, it was one of the predictable stories that I’ve read so far. I mean I read 35% and I guessed what’s going on and I was sure about it and at the end, I was right. But I should say the writing was compelling and I liked the characters. The couples in this story were the ones that I prefer in all the stories. But the ending is the other thing that I really didn’t like.
Told in multiple POV, both in 1st and 3rd person. It’s a stand-alone novel. All in all, I enjoyed it and hope you like it as well.
Thanks to Phoebe Morgan, Netgalley and HQ Digital for the advanced digital copy in exchange an honest review.
July 24, 2019
Did I read a different book than all the others on here whom rated four and five stars?? It was just simply OK for me and I did not like, or care about any of the characters in this novel (except Holly). The editing was awful with to many mistakes and repetitions and I seriously struggled to finish it.
January 22, 2018
Netgalley will be the death of me. I have absolutely zero willpower. I'll be reading this book in Sept. for the Booklikes Halloween Bingo. Come on over and join us!
I never did get this read in time. Ah well, it's done now!
"The house surrounds us. I feel like it’s watching me."
This book isn’t really about a dollhouse. Nor is it about creepy dolls. It’s about family secrets and I love those almost as much as creepy dolls so I was good with that. Unfortunately, I guessed the biggest secret way too early and you probably will too.
Sisters Corrine and Ashley are being watched/stalked/terrorized by a third person without their knowledge. Corrine starts to catch on when someone begins leaving pieces of her old childhood dollhouse where she can find them. Everyone else thinks she’s starting to go a little mad. She’s always been a little jumpy, anxiety ridden and seen faces in windows that have spooked her. Recently, she’s been desperately trying to have a child through IVF and this is the conclusion her friends and family jump to – bunch of jerks. Ashley, the sister, has her hands full with a secretive husband who is spending far too much time at work, a baby who won’t stop screaming and who won’t sleep, a teen headed for trouble and mouth-breather phone calls. I felt for poor Ashley. Had I been in her position I might’ve got behind the wheel and just kept on driving . . .
The heart of this story rests on its day to day family dramas so if you’re not into all of that you may find things a little slow going. I have to admit that I found it a struggle at times and too slow moving and I typically love this sort of thing. This is not a fast paced thriller, by any means. The stressful atmosphere is almost claustrophobic and there’s an underlying sense of dread but discovering that I was right about the “why” behind the big secret with still many pages left, took a lot of the thrill away for me. I was oh-so-wrong about the who though and I enjoyed that tasty little surprise.
This is a nice debut but it wasn’t quite compelling enough to grab and hold my attention, nor did I ever get fully emotionally invested in the characters. I’m giving it a three for those reasons.
I never did get this read in time. Ah well, it's done now!
"The house surrounds us. I feel like it’s watching me."
This book isn’t really about a dollhouse. Nor is it about creepy dolls. It’s about family secrets and I love those almost as much as creepy dolls so I was good with that. Unfortunately, I guessed the biggest secret way too early and you probably will too.
Sisters Corrine and Ashley are being watched/stalked/terrorized by a third person without their knowledge. Corrine starts to catch on when someone begins leaving pieces of her old childhood dollhouse where she can find them. Everyone else thinks she’s starting to go a little mad. She’s always been a little jumpy, anxiety ridden and seen faces in windows that have spooked her. Recently, she’s been desperately trying to have a child through IVF and this is the conclusion her friends and family jump to – bunch of jerks. Ashley, the sister, has her hands full with a secretive husband who is spending far too much time at work, a baby who won’t stop screaming and who won’t sleep, a teen headed for trouble and mouth-breather phone calls. I felt for poor Ashley. Had I been in her position I might’ve got behind the wheel and just kept on driving . . .
The heart of this story rests on its day to day family dramas so if you’re not into all of that you may find things a little slow going. I have to admit that I found it a struggle at times and too slow moving and I typically love this sort of thing. This is not a fast paced thriller, by any means. The stressful atmosphere is almost claustrophobic and there’s an underlying sense of dread but discovering that I was right about the “why” behind the big secret with still many pages left, took a lot of the thrill away for me. I was oh-so-wrong about the who though and I enjoyed that tasty little surprise.
This is a nice debut but it wasn’t quite compelling enough to grab and hold my attention, nor did I ever get fully emotionally invested in the characters. I’m giving it a three for those reasons.
October 13, 2017
Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com
The Doll House is such a gripping read! It kept me intrigued from page one right until the (great) end! The story is a great mix of creepiness and family / marriage dynamics, and there's lots of surprises to keep the reader guessing.
Now, the characters themselves are a mixed bunch. I liked both Ashley and Corinne, but found Corinne a bit too reliant on everyone around her at times which left me feeling frustrated. That kind of adds to the tension though, as Corinne's anxiety and worry means as you don't know how she'll react. Their partners - Dominic and James - seem to be good eggs, but the whole way through I was wondering whether they were hiding anything. In fact, I wondered this about each and every character, and I love novels that make me suspect everyone!
The plot is slower at times and ramps up the tension at others, but consistently kept me wanting to know more. Some of the 'whodunnit' element was pretty obvious so even I managed to work parts out long before the end, but it didn't affect my enjoyment at all and some people I was sure were 'dodgy' surprised me!
The Doll House is atmospheric, fun to read and hits all the marks for a gripping psychological thriller and a truly fantastic debut!
Many thanks to HQ Digital for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
The Doll House is such a gripping read! It kept me intrigued from page one right until the (great) end! The story is a great mix of creepiness and family / marriage dynamics, and there's lots of surprises to keep the reader guessing.
Now, the characters themselves are a mixed bunch. I liked both Ashley and Corinne, but found Corinne a bit too reliant on everyone around her at times which left me feeling frustrated. That kind of adds to the tension though, as Corinne's anxiety and worry means as you don't know how she'll react. Their partners - Dominic and James - seem to be good eggs, but the whole way through I was wondering whether they were hiding anything. In fact, I wondered this about each and every character, and I love novels that make me suspect everyone!
The plot is slower at times and ramps up the tension at others, but consistently kept me wanting to know more. Some of the 'whodunnit' element was pretty obvious so even I managed to work parts out long before the end, but it didn't affect my enjoyment at all and some people I was sure were 'dodgy' surprised me!
The Doll House is atmospheric, fun to read and hits all the marks for a gripping psychological thriller and a truly fantastic debut!
Many thanks to HQ Digital for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
September 8, 2017
I dare you to put this book down!
I literally read this book in one day. The blurb to this book is correct - You never know who is watching!
Corrine and her boyfriend have a wonderful life but with one exception - they are having fertility problems. After several failed IVF treatments, they are feeling the stress and Corrine is not taking their fertility problems well. One day she finds a familiar looking miniature piece near her doorway and feels that it may be a sign. It reminds her of the miniature pieces to the dollhouse her father built for she and her sister when they were children. Soon more pieces show up and it becomes evident that someone has been inside her home.
Ashley, Corrine's sister, is a married mother with three children. Her husband James has been acting strange. He is "working" late hours and takes secret phone calls. Ashley has her suspicions and is also worried about her toddler who appears to have night terrors and her teenager who has begun sneaking around and drinking. If that is not enough, someone has been calling her home and breathing heavy or laughing on the line.
Corrine and Ashley's father was a famous Architect who died almost a year ago. As the anniversary of his death approaches, both women are experiencing strange occurrences in their private lives.
But the two sisters are not the only characters in this story. There is the back story of a young girl who has a sad upbringing. She sits in the car with her Mother and also sneaks into a yard and watches a family through the windows. She is teased and bullied at school for being a "poor little rich girl". Her Mother is not the most stable person and this young girl is raised in a not so loving environment. Always an outsider...always watching...always waiting.....
I really did not know what to expect with this book. I have to say that it kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how the two story lines would come together. I thought they came together brilliantly. This is a very well thought out story. The plot pacing was fantastic. There were no dull moments. There is a reveal or an AHA! moment if you will. I don't want to give too much more away except to say that this book did not disappoint. I will definitely be looking forward to more books by this Author.
I received a copy of this book from HQ Digital and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
I literally read this book in one day. The blurb to this book is correct - You never know who is watching!
Corrine and her boyfriend have a wonderful life but with one exception - they are having fertility problems. After several failed IVF treatments, they are feeling the stress and Corrine is not taking their fertility problems well. One day she finds a familiar looking miniature piece near her doorway and feels that it may be a sign. It reminds her of the miniature pieces to the dollhouse her father built for she and her sister when they were children. Soon more pieces show up and it becomes evident that someone has been inside her home.
Ashley, Corrine's sister, is a married mother with three children. Her husband James has been acting strange. He is "working" late hours and takes secret phone calls. Ashley has her suspicions and is also worried about her toddler who appears to have night terrors and her teenager who has begun sneaking around and drinking. If that is not enough, someone has been calling her home and breathing heavy or laughing on the line.
Corrine and Ashley's father was a famous Architect who died almost a year ago. As the anniversary of his death approaches, both women are experiencing strange occurrences in their private lives.
But the two sisters are not the only characters in this story. There is the back story of a young girl who has a sad upbringing. She sits in the car with her Mother and also sneaks into a yard and watches a family through the windows. She is teased and bullied at school for being a "poor little rich girl". Her Mother is not the most stable person and this young girl is raised in a not so loving environment. Always an outsider...always watching...always waiting.....
I really did not know what to expect with this book. I have to say that it kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how the two story lines would come together. I thought they came together brilliantly. This is a very well thought out story. The plot pacing was fantastic. There were no dull moments. There is a reveal or an AHA! moment if you will. I don't want to give too much more away except to say that this book did not disappoint. I will definitely be looking forward to more books by this Author.
I received a copy of this book from HQ Digital and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
October 29, 2017
The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan is a well-written psychological thriller that is dark, creepy, crazy, and twisted. A great strong story that starts out a bit slow but picks up in the end. This one will definitely keep you intrigued!
*I want to thank NetGalley and HQ Digital for providing me with this ARC.
*I want to thank NetGalley and HQ Digital for providing me with this ARC.
September 14, 2017
OMG!!! This book!!! THIS is how to write a psychological thriller! I had absolutely no idea where this one was heading until it smacked me bang on the head, totally surprising me and making sure I trusted no one until that very last page. And did I mention it’s a DEBUT!? Phoebe Morgan has joined that exclusive list of authors where I know I will buy their next book without even reading the blurb. This author actually understands what us psychological thriller fans really want and she has certainly piled it on in spadefuls!
Everything you need in your psychological suspense is here. Unreliable narrators, unknown storytellers, red herrings, creepy houses (real and miniature!) and family secrets hidden around every corner all conspire to make this a high tension read that had me full of nervous anticipation pretty much all the way through. And for someone who claims to guess plot twists within the first 20% of a book, I was so frustrated as I could not work out where this was heading or how these intricately plotted threads were connected. I love being surprised by plot twists and this one had twists and turns aplenty to keep me very happy indeed.
I thought the characterisation of Corinne and her sister Ashley was perfectly crafted. I was full of empathy and understanding for Corinne feeling her desperation to become a mother pouring off the page unrelentingly. Her attitude towards women who had become mothers themselves was quite extreme as it even included her own sister, but this was a brutally honest portrayal of a woman on the edge and every emotion was captured with a flawless insight. The theme of loss criss crosses through all our characters lives but they all handle their reactions to it in VERY different ways.
This book was an accomplished debut written with a natural flair and a true understanding of what readers want from this genre. It was dark, creepy and atmospheric and gave me such an intense feeling of anxiety that by the powerful denouement my blood pressure was sky high!
One of my favourite books of the year so far. Very highly recommended by me.
Everything you need in your psychological suspense is here. Unreliable narrators, unknown storytellers, red herrings, creepy houses (real and miniature!) and family secrets hidden around every corner all conspire to make this a high tension read that had me full of nervous anticipation pretty much all the way through. And for someone who claims to guess plot twists within the first 20% of a book, I was so frustrated as I could not work out where this was heading or how these intricately plotted threads were connected. I love being surprised by plot twists and this one had twists and turns aplenty to keep me very happy indeed.
I thought the characterisation of Corinne and her sister Ashley was perfectly crafted. I was full of empathy and understanding for Corinne feeling her desperation to become a mother pouring off the page unrelentingly. Her attitude towards women who had become mothers themselves was quite extreme as it even included her own sister, but this was a brutally honest portrayal of a woman on the edge and every emotion was captured with a flawless insight. The theme of loss criss crosses through all our characters lives but they all handle their reactions to it in VERY different ways.
This book was an accomplished debut written with a natural flair and a true understanding of what readers want from this genre. It was dark, creepy and atmospheric and gave me such an intense feeling of anxiety that by the powerful denouement my blood pressure was sky high!
One of my favourite books of the year so far. Very highly recommended by me.
August 2, 2017
Atmospheric, dark and haunting, I could not put this book down. Morgan's story of love, lies and betrayal is utterly enchanting in such a dark and twisted way. The family dynamics surrounding Corinne are so skillfully written, it's hard to believe this is a debut novel. It's difficult to give a full account without spoiling the story but I absolutely loved the chapters from the young woman who was watching from afar. I thought I had figured out who it was only to be thwarted each time. Each time a piece of the doll house turned up, it kept me gripped to the story even more. Mark my words, this author will go far. I highly recommend The Doll House and I cannot wait to read her next book.
October 19, 2025
Actual rating: 3,5
Entertaining but too predictable.
Entertaining but too predictable.
December 9, 2018
THE DOLL HOUSE by Phoebe Morgan is a well-written debut psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seats wanting more.
This story alternates between two adult sisters, Corrine and Ashley, and an unnamed girl.
Corrine and her boyfriend Dominic want only one thing…to have a family. They are desperate and have used up all their savings for ongoing IVF treatments. It even put their plan of getting married on hold, due to financial constraints. After three failed IVF attempts it’s her last chance to have a baby.
Ashley and her disappearing husband, James have three children. They include a fifteen-year-old wild teenager, Lucy, a toddler, Benji and a nine -month-old infant Holly who is suffering from has night terrors. Sleep deprived Ashley is left to manage her children on her own.
And then strange things start to happen. Ashley starts to receive creepy phone calls with no one on the other end. Corrine finds a tiny part of a doll house outside her flat, it feels as if it’s a sign…a doll house her late father had built for his daughters when they were young.
Corrine soon realizes that someone is watching her…and has been inside her house.
Why are parts of the doll house showing up and where is their childhood doll house? It seems to have disappeared!
I won’t say any more for risk of spoilers…you will just have to read this creepy novel to put all the pieces together. This was a gripping psychological thriller and a fabulous debut! Can’t wait for her next novel.
Many thanks to HQ Digital via Netgalley for providing me with my digital copy.
This story alternates between two adult sisters, Corrine and Ashley, and an unnamed girl.
Corrine and her boyfriend Dominic want only one thing…to have a family. They are desperate and have used up all their savings for ongoing IVF treatments. It even put their plan of getting married on hold, due to financial constraints. After three failed IVF attempts it’s her last chance to have a baby.
Ashley and her disappearing husband, James have three children. They include a fifteen-year-old wild teenager, Lucy, a toddler, Benji and a nine -month-old infant Holly who is suffering from has night terrors. Sleep deprived Ashley is left to manage her children on her own.
And then strange things start to happen. Ashley starts to receive creepy phone calls with no one on the other end. Corrine finds a tiny part of a doll house outside her flat, it feels as if it’s a sign…a doll house her late father had built for his daughters when they were young.
Corrine soon realizes that someone is watching her…and has been inside her house.
Why are parts of the doll house showing up and where is their childhood doll house? It seems to have disappeared!
I won’t say any more for risk of spoilers…you will just have to read this creepy novel to put all the pieces together. This was a gripping psychological thriller and a fabulous debut! Can’t wait for her next novel.
Many thanks to HQ Digital via Netgalley for providing me with my digital copy.
January 25, 2019
It's a good year for psychological thrillers and if you are a fan you will love this one. A delectable twisty tale of family secrets, stalking, revenge and lies. This is what I call a solid page turner.
Full review on way!
Full review on way!
August 28, 2017
All my reviews can be found at http://thebookreviewcafe.com
Oh my, Oh my, what a fantastic read The Doll House turned out to be, I loved every page of this dark and intense psychological thriller. Steeped in malice with a constant nagging sense of unease I literally couldn’t put this book down, and read it in just under twenty four hours. I must mention this is Phoebe Morgan’s debut novel, which I was really surprised at, I’m convinced The Doll House will be a book everyone will be talking about, and I’m sure we will be hearing a lot more about this very talented author. The Doll House is a story of family secrets, lies and revenge, which makes this book deliciously twisted and very creepy.
Corinne and Ashley are two sisters, grieving the death of their beloved father, but they are also battling problems in their home life’s. Ashley is a mother of three children and fraught with worry that her increasingly distant husband James is having an affair. Corinne is in a long term relationship with Dominic and desperate to start a family by undergoing another round of IVF. Strange things keep happening to the two sisters, anonymous phone calls, objects left in their homes from the dolls house built for them by their father. Someone is watching the sisters the whys? and who’s ? are expertly revealed layer by layer.
There is so much I could say about this book, but it’s definitely one the “less you know about it the better”. Phoebe Morgan has created some fabulous characters, each one well is well depicted and I found myself sympathetic to Corrine and Ashley plight. From the start The Doll House you get a sense of foreboding which grows as the story progresses. Told from the sisters view POV you sense their fear, the author manages to alternate between chapters seamlessly which is always a plus. There are also chapters from an unknown person and it was these chapters that sent shivers down my spine, and made this book all the more compelling.
The Doll House is definitely going on my top reads of 2017 it’s dark, atmospheric and made for a gripping read. I think what I liked about this book so much was the author’s ability to keep the reader guessing right up until the end, at one point I applauded myself as I thought I had worked it all out, but I was so Wrong I’m pleased to say, as for the ending sheer brilliance! Would I recommend this book? It’s a HUGE “Yes” I can’t recommend this book highly enough, Phoebe Morgan is an exciting and powerful new voice in crime/psychological fiction and I’m already excited for her next book.
Oh my, Oh my, what a fantastic read The Doll House turned out to be, I loved every page of this dark and intense psychological thriller. Steeped in malice with a constant nagging sense of unease I literally couldn’t put this book down, and read it in just under twenty four hours. I must mention this is Phoebe Morgan’s debut novel, which I was really surprised at, I’m convinced The Doll House will be a book everyone will be talking about, and I’m sure we will be hearing a lot more about this very talented author. The Doll House is a story of family secrets, lies and revenge, which makes this book deliciously twisted and very creepy.
Corinne and Ashley are two sisters, grieving the death of their beloved father, but they are also battling problems in their home life’s. Ashley is a mother of three children and fraught with worry that her increasingly distant husband James is having an affair. Corinne is in a long term relationship with Dominic and desperate to start a family by undergoing another round of IVF. Strange things keep happening to the two sisters, anonymous phone calls, objects left in their homes from the dolls house built for them by their father. Someone is watching the sisters the whys? and who’s ? are expertly revealed layer by layer.
There is so much I could say about this book, but it’s definitely one the “less you know about it the better”. Phoebe Morgan has created some fabulous characters, each one well is well depicted and I found myself sympathetic to Corrine and Ashley plight. From the start The Doll House you get a sense of foreboding which grows as the story progresses. Told from the sisters view POV you sense their fear, the author manages to alternate between chapters seamlessly which is always a plus. There are also chapters from an unknown person and it was these chapters that sent shivers down my spine, and made this book all the more compelling.
The Doll House is definitely going on my top reads of 2017 it’s dark, atmospheric and made for a gripping read. I think what I liked about this book so much was the author’s ability to keep the reader guessing right up until the end, at one point I applauded myself as I thought I had worked it all out, but I was so Wrong I’m pleased to say, as for the ending sheer brilliance! Would I recommend this book? It’s a HUGE “Yes” I can’t recommend this book highly enough, Phoebe Morgan is an exciting and powerful new voice in crime/psychological fiction and I’m already excited for her next book.
October 10, 2017
I rate a lot of books 3 stars, yet my 3 star ratings can mean so many different things. In this case it’s that this book was a good debut, but it wasn’t fantastic. As a first novel, I commend Morgan on her skill at writing and building characters, but I didn’t find that the story blew me away.
This is one of those books that has a different perspective for each chapter, and while Dom occasionally popped up for an odd chapter here and there, for the most part it was between the sisters Corinne and Ashley. And, for the first time in a long time, maybe since Gone Girl, I actually really enjoyed reading both perspectives. As I said before, Morgan was really excellent at building each of her characters, so I felt attached to each sister and their plight.
When Corinne starts to receive mystery “gifts” that she believes have come from her childhood doll house, she believes there’s a sinister message behind them. What unfolds is a kind of slow and drawn out explanation as to where these doll house pieces are coming from. The synopsis of this story would have you believe that this book is only about Corinne, but the plot is much deeper than that and incorporates Ashley and the rest of the family.
I found the plot in this book to be similar of other thrillers on the market, and it didn’t astound me. I was much more interested in the characters and their troubled lives than I was with the mystery behind the Doll’s House. I thought that a lot of the methods used to try to distract the reader from the real issue were cheap and easy to see, but maybe that’s because I’m such an avid thriller reader.
When the twist finally revealed itself, I had worked it out long ago and wasn’t thrilled by it. This one started out in my good books, with lots of interesting characters, but, unfortunately, it didn’t do much else for me and so I can’t give it the 4 stars I originally hoped I would.
I can see Morgan’s potential for writing but I can’t say this debut was anything special for me. But, let’s just also note that I’m like the only person not amazed by this book, so it might just be my cynical mind.
Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
This is one of those books that has a different perspective for each chapter, and while Dom occasionally popped up for an odd chapter here and there, for the most part it was between the sisters Corinne and Ashley. And, for the first time in a long time, maybe since Gone Girl, I actually really enjoyed reading both perspectives. As I said before, Morgan was really excellent at building each of her characters, so I felt attached to each sister and their plight.
When Corinne starts to receive mystery “gifts” that she believes have come from her childhood doll house, she believes there’s a sinister message behind them. What unfolds is a kind of slow and drawn out explanation as to where these doll house pieces are coming from. The synopsis of this story would have you believe that this book is only about Corinne, but the plot is much deeper than that and incorporates Ashley and the rest of the family.
I found the plot in this book to be similar of other thrillers on the market, and it didn’t astound me. I was much more interested in the characters and their troubled lives than I was with the mystery behind the Doll’s House. I thought that a lot of the methods used to try to distract the reader from the real issue were cheap and easy to see, but maybe that’s because I’m such an avid thriller reader.
When the twist finally revealed itself, I had worked it out long ago and wasn’t thrilled by it. This one started out in my good books, with lots of interesting characters, but, unfortunately, it didn’t do much else for me and so I can’t give it the 4 stars I originally hoped I would.
I can see Morgan’s potential for writing but I can’t say this debut was anything special for me. But, let’s just also note that I’m like the only person not amazed by this book, so it might just be my cynical mind.
Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
October 4, 2017
I think it’s fair to say that the psychological thriller genre has had its fair share of hits and misses the past few months. Try as I might to stay away, there is always one that lures me back in. In the case of The Doll House, I have no regrets or complaints whatsoever!
Since the book description is so vague, I won’t add anything to it. Suffice to say that while the “why” is reasonably obvious, it’s the “who” that’ll keep you guessing until there’s this fantastic “aha” moment! I had a list of potential suspects and found myself zeroing in on the wrong one for a while, which I always think is fun.
The Doll House is a bit of a slow burner but it has a constant and deliciously creepy, threatening vibe to it like a current of electricity crackling away under the surface. The author’s superb writing sucks you in and doesn’t let go as the story slowly builds up to a fabulous and jaw-dropping conclusion.
This is one tense and suspenseful ride. It’s incredibly atmospheric, haunting and a true page-turner. I had a hard time putting it down and I have no doubt that The Doll House will be a hit as it’s one fantastic and gripping psychological thriller. An absolutely amazing debut and I can’t wait to see what Phoebe Morgan has in store for us next.
Since the book description is so vague, I won’t add anything to it. Suffice to say that while the “why” is reasonably obvious, it’s the “who” that’ll keep you guessing until there’s this fantastic “aha” moment! I had a list of potential suspects and found myself zeroing in on the wrong one for a while, which I always think is fun.
The Doll House is a bit of a slow burner but it has a constant and deliciously creepy, threatening vibe to it like a current of electricity crackling away under the surface. The author’s superb writing sucks you in and doesn’t let go as the story slowly builds up to a fabulous and jaw-dropping conclusion.
This is one tense and suspenseful ride. It’s incredibly atmospheric, haunting and a true page-turner. I had a hard time putting it down and I have no doubt that The Doll House will be a hit as it’s one fantastic and gripping psychological thriller. An absolutely amazing debut and I can’t wait to see what Phoebe Morgan has in store for us next.
August 17, 2017
I would like to start off by thanking Netgalley, the publisher and Phoebe Morgan for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.
Connie wants nothing more then to have a baby. But after serveral unsuccessful tries at IVF, she has decided that this is her last attempt.
When Corrine steps outside and finds a piece of a dolls house outside her house. She feels that it is the universe giving her signals that this time will be the time that's she has a baby.
However as more and more items arrive outside her door, and the pieces become increasingly more familiar. Corrine has to admit to herself that something more sinister is going on. Has someone been inside her house? How do they know so much about her? How long have they been watching her? And what is it that they want?
You should always give praise where credit is due, and I for one firmly believe that it is. It is hard to believe this is Phoebes debut book. This book is so very good. It is dark, sinister, twisted, haunting and utterly compelling. I was racing through this book to find out what happened at the end. If this is a sign of Phoebe's work to come then I believe she has an incredible career ahead of her and I for one cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.
If you are fan of phycological thrillers then this book is for you. Go down to you local book shop on the 14th of September and grab this book. I promise you that you won't be sorry that you did.
Connie wants nothing more then to have a baby. But after serveral unsuccessful tries at IVF, she has decided that this is her last attempt.
When Corrine steps outside and finds a piece of a dolls house outside her house. She feels that it is the universe giving her signals that this time will be the time that's she has a baby.
However as more and more items arrive outside her door, and the pieces become increasingly more familiar. Corrine has to admit to herself that something more sinister is going on. Has someone been inside her house? How do they know so much about her? How long have they been watching her? And what is it that they want?
You should always give praise where credit is due, and I for one firmly believe that it is. It is hard to believe this is Phoebes debut book. This book is so very good. It is dark, sinister, twisted, haunting and utterly compelling. I was racing through this book to find out what happened at the end. If this is a sign of Phoebe's work to come then I believe she has an incredible career ahead of her and I for one cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.
If you are fan of phycological thrillers then this book is for you. Go down to you local book shop on the 14th of September and grab this book. I promise you that you won't be sorry that you did.
Read
July 28, 2018DNF @ 80pg
I'm not rating this one because it's definitely just a case of a book not being what I was looking for, but this book is marketed as a dark and fast-paced psychological thriller, which is not what I've gotten so far. Instead, I've gotten two perspectives: one being Corrine, whose only ongoing thought process is her struggle with infertility, and the other being her sister, whose chapters are all solely revolving around her cranky infant daughter and the fact that her husband seems to be having an affair. I'm just very bored, and I don't particularly enjoy the writing voice, so I'm going to move on to something else.
February 9, 2018
Well, that was a very predictive read, unfortunately
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This is probably the first thriller/mystery book I have rated lower than four stars.
I have always loved mystery/thriller books simply because they offer this whole experience about the unknown and figuring out clues/puzzles and catching the bad guys. This genre is a welcome distraction from everyday life. I thoroughly enjoy reading about murders and criminals (and I am not ashamed to admit that the more grotesque the crime, the better). Hence, it was a definite for me to pick up this book.
And to be honest, I think the likes of Girl on the Train and Gone Girl have ruined me for good. Nothing short of extraordinary in these books pleases me.
The blurb:
Corinne’s life might look perfect on the outside, but after three failed IVF attempts it’s her last chance to have a baby. And when she finds a tiny part of a doll house outside her flat, it feels as if it’s a sign.
I had so many questions when I read this blurb.
Who could be doing this? Who knows her enough to sneak into her apartment? Will someone close to her die?
The synopsis
In The Dollhouse, I wanted a roller-coaster ride, I wanted gore and grisly murders and relationships questioned.
But unfortunately, Phoebe Morgan doesn’t deliver the ride promised through her enrapturing blurb.
But I think the author took a completely different approach than expected to captivate her audience’s attention. For starters, she went so easy on her readers through her plain story that I had
The book starts off easy: Corinne wants a child, so much so it is affecting her quality of life, and understandably so. Her sis, Ashley, is concerned her husband is cheating on her. Her boyfriend, Dom, is busy writing a piece on one of the most famous and oldest houses in the county. Her mother is still reeling from her husband, and their father’s, death. A new girl has moved across Corinne’s flats, suspiciously dejected.
Corinne's father made them a dollhouse when they were little and it was one magnificent house too. It has stairs and rooms and different dolls. It was a beautiful sight, and one the author described well enough for me to imagine it in its glory
Amidst all of this, strange incidences keep happening. Corinne, reduced to staying inside her apartment all the time on account of her depression, discovers a part from her childhood dollhouse jammed inside her door. And it starts a chain of events. Dollhouse parts turn up everywhere: her office, her apartment; tiny pieces from her heart. Dominic brushes off her concern, saying this was just a coincidence. Her mother is too grieved, her sister too occupied with her children and always-absent husband to hear her out.
Other events happen, one after the other. A bloody rabbit turns up on their Dom’s hood.
Corinne’s father’s grave is vandalized.
A grisly object appears one day in Corinne's kitchen sink
Ashely’s youngest daughter is acting strangely. Her eldest, a teenager, is rebelling more than normal for a teen. And then there is the question of Ashley’s husband: where does he keep doing?
It all seems to be the result of the actions of one person, or related set of people. The author throws in first person accounts from an unidentified female, one who recounts watching Corinne and Ashley, and their picture-perfect family from the outside and how this has helped her become more bitter about life. We don’t know who this girl is, and we don’t find out up until the end.
The Story
When you start reading, you find yourself intrigued and interested. The author has a knack for causing those feelings in her readers. However, as you progress, everything becomes redundant. The pace can likened to that of a snail, the incidents become less and less scary and there is this touch of focusing so much on Corinne and her family that the author forgets, towards the 75% mark, that this is supposed to be thriller, with an element of surprise and mystery.
She becomes so engrossed in her characters that she accidentally reveals a lot more than she should have done. The accounts by the unknown female become shorter in the second half, but they also become straightforward, to the point that anyone with half their brain invested in the story can figure out the whole thing long before the last page.
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**Minor Spoiler**
To make it clear, anyone, and I do mean anyone , can deduce that if a girl and her mother are stalking a man’s family every single day, and the girl keeps narrating her mother’s love for the man and jealousy, then there is a 90% chance the mother had a fling with the said man, the girl being the result of it, and they watch them from their car because the mother got ditched by the man soon after having his illegitimate daughter. And since that can be scarring for the duo, they have plotted a scheme to scare (and possibly kill) Corinne and her family, as a way of revenge. If you think this is a major spoiler and that there is no way you can figure this out 40-50% into the book, I'm sorry to say but your brain has to be awfully slow for that to happen. And since the girl’s narratives start appearing from the first chapter, it’s not hard to think out the whole story for yourself.
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The author salvages these untimely revelations by hiding the identity of the girl and her mother; which does leave an element of surprise in the end. I wasn’t able to figure out who the girl was although the author tries her best to make her reader’s believe . However, even after the identities had been revealed, it still wasn’t enough for me to ignore the fact that the story just falls…flat.
The Characters
One thing the author focussed on most was her characters; and she mostly succeeded in building up people that were hopeful, grieved, mysterious and weird. Corinne came off as someone rightfully worried about everything happening around her. Dominic’s commitment to his girlfriend, albeit her freak-out episodes, was commendable. Ashley’s husband acted suspiciously, leading us to believe he may be involved in the whole Dollhouse parts appearing in front of Corinne thing. However, where I would have liked to see something other than fear or worry in her characters’ description, I was let down. Throughout the book, everyone was either worried or screaming, yelling or hating. I wish the author had introduced some more elements in her story; made it more interesting.
Overall View
Even though the plot states the suspicious events include Dollhouse parts appearing at strange moments, I wanted something else, something more
There is only just this one thing, around which the author builds her story. The Dollhouse parts. There is no murder, no strange occurrences (save for the rabbit), no “whoa” moment, something every thriller needs to have to get the readers’ blood going. And although I admit I didn’t see who turned out to be the mysterious girl, it wasn’t enough for me to say this book was amazing. Far from it.
I also didn’t understand why the story had such a slow pace. 355 pages and all Corinne gets is 3-4 Dollhouse parts and a bit of shocking discoveries. Apart from that, the story was lacklustre and I had a hard time feeling at the edge of my seat, another thing thrillers need to offer to the reader.
All in all, although I can’t say this was a bad book, it wasn’t my favourite either. That being apparent from the fact that I, someone who loves offering quotes from the books completed, couldn’t find a single quote-able sentence in the book. This does put me off from reading any books from the author in the future, for at least some time.
Here’s to hoping the rest of the year offers more delighting books
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This is probably the first thriller/mystery book I have rated lower than four stars.
I have always loved mystery/thriller books simply because they offer this whole experience about the unknown and figuring out clues/puzzles and catching the bad guys. This genre is a welcome distraction from everyday life. I thoroughly enjoy reading about murders and criminals (and I am not ashamed to admit that the more grotesque the crime, the better). Hence, it was a definite for me to pick up this book.
And to be honest, I think the likes of Girl on the Train and Gone Girl have ruined me for good. Nothing short of extraordinary in these books pleases me.
The blurb:
Corinne’s life might look perfect on the outside, but after three failed IVF attempts it’s her last chance to have a baby. And when she finds a tiny part of a doll house outside her flat, it feels as if it’s a sign.
I had so many questions when I read this blurb.
Who could be doing this? Who knows her enough to sneak into her apartment? Will someone close to her die?
The synopsis
In The Dollhouse, I wanted a roller-coaster ride, I wanted gore and grisly murders and relationships questioned.
But unfortunately, Phoebe Morgan doesn’t deliver the ride promised through her enrapturing blurb.
But I think the author took a completely different approach than expected to captivate her audience’s attention. For starters, she went so easy on her readers through her plain story that I had
The book starts off easy: Corinne wants a child, so much so it is affecting her quality of life, and understandably so. Her sis, Ashley, is concerned her husband is cheating on her. Her boyfriend, Dom, is busy writing a piece on one of the most famous and oldest houses in the county. Her mother is still reeling from her husband, and their father’s, death. A new girl has moved across Corinne’s flats, suspiciously dejected.
Corinne's father made them a dollhouse when they were little and it was one magnificent house too. It has stairs and rooms and different dolls. It was a beautiful sight, and one the author described well enough for me to imagine it in its glory
Amidst all of this, strange incidences keep happening. Corinne, reduced to staying inside her apartment all the time on account of her depression, discovers a part from her childhood dollhouse jammed inside her door. And it starts a chain of events. Dollhouse parts turn up everywhere: her office, her apartment; tiny pieces from her heart. Dominic brushes off her concern, saying this was just a coincidence. Her mother is too grieved, her sister too occupied with her children and always-absent husband to hear her out.
Other events happen, one after the other. A bloody rabbit turns up on their Dom’s hood.
Corinne’s father’s grave is vandalized.
A grisly object appears one day in Corinne's kitchen sink
Ashely’s youngest daughter is acting strangely. Her eldest, a teenager, is rebelling more than normal for a teen. And then there is the question of Ashley’s husband: where does he keep doing?
It all seems to be the result of the actions of one person, or related set of people. The author throws in first person accounts from an unidentified female, one who recounts watching Corinne and Ashley, and their picture-perfect family from the outside and how this has helped her become more bitter about life. We don’t know who this girl is, and we don’t find out up until the end.
The Story
When you start reading, you find yourself intrigued and interested. The author has a knack for causing those feelings in her readers. However, as you progress, everything becomes redundant. The pace can likened to that of a snail, the incidents become less and less scary and there is this touch of focusing so much on Corinne and her family that the author forgets, towards the 75% mark, that this is supposed to be thriller, with an element of surprise and mystery.
She becomes so engrossed in her characters that she accidentally reveals a lot more than she should have done. The accounts by the unknown female become shorter in the second half, but they also become straightforward, to the point that anyone with half their brain invested in the story can figure out the whole thing long before the last page.
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**Minor Spoiler**
To make it clear, anyone, and I do mean anyone , can deduce that if a girl and her mother are stalking a man’s family every single day, and the girl keeps narrating her mother’s love for the man and jealousy, then there is a 90% chance the mother had a fling with the said man, the girl being the result of it, and they watch them from their car because the mother got ditched by the man soon after having his illegitimate daughter. And since that can be scarring for the duo, they have plotted a scheme to scare (and possibly kill) Corinne and her family, as a way of revenge. If you think this is a major spoiler and that there is no way you can figure this out 40-50% into the book, I'm sorry to say but your brain has to be awfully slow for that to happen. And since the girl’s narratives start appearing from the first chapter, it’s not hard to think out the whole story for yourself.
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The author salvages these untimely revelations by hiding the identity of the girl and her mother; which does leave an element of surprise in the end. I wasn’t able to figure out who the girl was although the author tries her best to make her reader’s believe . However, even after the identities had been revealed, it still wasn’t enough for me to ignore the fact that the story just falls…flat.
The Characters
One thing the author focussed on most was her characters; and she mostly succeeded in building up people that were hopeful, grieved, mysterious and weird. Corinne came off as someone rightfully worried about everything happening around her. Dominic’s commitment to his girlfriend, albeit her freak-out episodes, was commendable. Ashley’s husband acted suspiciously, leading us to believe he may be involved in the whole Dollhouse parts appearing in front of Corinne thing. However, where I would have liked to see something other than fear or worry in her characters’ description, I was let down. Throughout the book, everyone was either worried or screaming, yelling or hating. I wish the author had introduced some more elements in her story; made it more interesting.
Overall View
Even though the plot states the suspicious events include Dollhouse parts appearing at strange moments, I wanted something else, something more
There is only just this one thing, around which the author builds her story. The Dollhouse parts. There is no murder, no strange occurrences (save for the rabbit), no “whoa” moment, something every thriller needs to have to get the readers’ blood going. And although I admit I didn’t see who turned out to be the mysterious girl, it wasn’t enough for me to say this book was amazing. Far from it.
I also didn’t understand why the story had such a slow pace. 355 pages and all Corinne gets is 3-4 Dollhouse parts and a bit of shocking discoveries. Apart from that, the story was lacklustre and I had a hard time feeling at the edge of my seat, another thing thrillers need to offer to the reader.
All in all, although I can’t say this was a bad book, it wasn’t my favourite either. That being apparent from the fact that I, someone who loves offering quotes from the books completed, couldn’t find a single quote-able sentence in the book. This does put me off from reading any books from the author in the future, for at least some time.
Here’s to hoping the rest of the year offers more delighting books
October 4, 2017
The Dollhouse focuses on the lives of sisters Corinne and Ashley but the reader is also given the point of view of an unknown person from the past. Corinne and Ashley are both dealing with the loss of their father as well as other personal issues. Ashley is a married mother of 3 and has had to deal with a few major problems within the family. Corinne seems to have a perfect life but she is experiencing infertility and has had to deal with multiple failed IVF attempts. Corinne is on edge due to the fertility treatments but when she starts receiving small pieces of the dollhouse her father had built for her as a child, she really begins to feel insecure and paranoid. Someone is messing with her and she has no idea who it could be.
I lost my father about two months ago so when I first began reading Corinne and Ashley's story I could relate to what they were going through. This made me all the more invested in the book and what was going to happen to these girls. The story is fast paced and a real page turner. I could not wait to find out if I had guessed it right and what happened at the end. I flew through it! I thought the characters were relatable and the storyline was so creepy (which is a good thing of course). The only thing I wish were different is that I could see more of Corinne and Ashley's past. I think it would have made the story more well rounded.
It was a great debut novel and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a psychological thriller.
Thank you NetGalley and the HQ Digital team for this copy!
I lost my father about two months ago so when I first began reading Corinne and Ashley's story I could relate to what they were going through. This made me all the more invested in the book and what was going to happen to these girls. The story is fast paced and a real page turner. I could not wait to find out if I had guessed it right and what happened at the end. I flew through it! I thought the characters were relatable and the storyline was so creepy (which is a good thing of course). The only thing I wish were different is that I could see more of Corinne and Ashley's past. I think it would have made the story more well rounded.
It was a great debut novel and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a psychological thriller.
Thank you NetGalley and the HQ Digital team for this copy!
August 15, 2017
Thank you to HQ Digital and Phoebe Morgan for an ARC for an honest review of this novel.
THE DOLL HOUSE is a suspenseful and atmospheric book that goes back and forth between two sisters.
Corrine is trying her final round of IVF after failing to conceive three times. When she finds a piece of a doll house that resembles the one she had as a kid, she takes it as a sign that things will go positive this time...until more pieces turn up in strange places and she thinks someone has gotten into her house.
Ashley has three children, the youngest a toddler who doesn't sleep well and may have night terrors. Her husband isn't much help, as he always seems to be "working" into the hours of the night. It doesn't help that she's getting strange phone calls with nobody saying anything on the other line.
As these two sisters continue to grieve for their father, who died a year ago, the past is told by a nameless character. It slowly twists and turns until the past meets the present.
This was a great book, and hard to put down. The writing is tense, and the characters are very well drawn out. This is Phoebe Morgan's debut novel, and I'll be looking forward to what she comes up with next.
THE DOLL HOUSE is a suspenseful and atmospheric book that goes back and forth between two sisters.
Corrine is trying her final round of IVF after failing to conceive three times. When she finds a piece of a doll house that resembles the one she had as a kid, she takes it as a sign that things will go positive this time...until more pieces turn up in strange places and she thinks someone has gotten into her house.
Ashley has three children, the youngest a toddler who doesn't sleep well and may have night terrors. Her husband isn't much help, as he always seems to be "working" into the hours of the night. It doesn't help that she's getting strange phone calls with nobody saying anything on the other line.
As these two sisters continue to grieve for their father, who died a year ago, the past is told by a nameless character. It slowly twists and turns until the past meets the present.
This was a great book, and hard to put down. The writing is tense, and the characters are very well drawn out. This is Phoebe Morgan's debut novel, and I'll be looking forward to what she comes up with next.
August 22, 2017
For a debut novel this is an exceptionally good psychological thriller. Corrine has been trying to conceive though IVF treatment and is obsessed with falling pregnant. One day at home she finds a piece of a doll house, a piece that seems to be identical to one that she and her sister Ashley had as children. Their father had built them a miniature doll house and they both loved it and played with it all the time. Corrine is perplexed by this and soon she finds more. Then a piece disappears, just as if it had never existed, what is happening? As her anxiety grows she believes someone has been in her home. Other strange things occur and Corrine becomes distraught. Meanwhile Ashley who is married and has three children begins to think her husband is having an affair as he is continually working and not arriving home till late at night. There is also another side story going on, someone is watching both Corrine and Ashley and their intention seems to be revenge, but revenge for what? Lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end, highly engrossing and entertaining. Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 17, 2017
Wow this was such an engaging psychological thriller that is easily going on my favorites list for the year! Corinne and her boyfriend Dominic have been struggling to have a baby (this part just hit close to home). She begins getting pieces of a doll house that she and her older sister Ashley has when they were younger. At first Corinne believes this a sign she will be pregnant soon, but then as the pieces become more similar to the one they had, she starts feeling paranoid.
Ashley's life also looks picture perfect from the outside, a loving husband, three kids, and all that jazz, but like her sister, she has secrets. Her husband is often working late, her teenage daughter is becoming a teen terror, and even her baby is suffering from nightmares.
This is an AMAZING debut that weaves family secrets into two sisters daily lives. I was so tense during certain chapters because you had no clue what was going to happen. I had a hunch about who was behind it all, and even though I was right, this was still a page turner! I can't wait to read more from this author!
Ashley's life also looks picture perfect from the outside, a loving husband, three kids, and all that jazz, but like her sister, she has secrets. Her husband is often working late, her teenage daughter is becoming a teen terror, and even her baby is suffering from nightmares.
This is an AMAZING debut that weaves family secrets into two sisters daily lives. I was so tense during certain chapters because you had no clue what was going to happen. I had a hunch about who was behind it all, and even though I was right, this was still a page turner! I can't wait to read more from this author!
February 3, 2018
Interpersonal tensions, a family's dark past, and promises of revenge all come together in Phoebe Morgan's The Doll House. Although this book has a few interesting twists, it is more of a family drama than a tense thriller.
The story is mostly divided between the stories of two sisters: Corinne and Ashley. Of the two, I far preferred Ashley. Ashley, a mother of three, worked hard to keep up with the demands of her family. Dealing with a cranky baby, a curious grade schooler, and a rebellious fifteen-year-old are almost more than she can handle. Still, when life gets tough, she's ready to meet the challenge. I thoroughly liked this character and admired her for persevering.
On the other hand, Corinne drove me crazy. I understand that she was dealing with a lot - infertility is no joke - but every time something challenged her, she fell to pieces. She ran to her husband over every, small thing. She was no more than a frightened child, and I had no respect for her. I had hoped that she would eventually gain some moxie, but she never did.
The story itself was interesting, but events unfolded slowly. This wasn't a quick-paced book. The ending was exciting, but the first 80% of the book was more about family relationships and what was going on in Ashley and Corinne's lives. That didn't make the book bad, but I was expecting a taut thriller, and this wasn't it.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and am giving it three out of five stars.
The story is mostly divided between the stories of two sisters: Corinne and Ashley. Of the two, I far preferred Ashley. Ashley, a mother of three, worked hard to keep up with the demands of her family. Dealing with a cranky baby, a curious grade schooler, and a rebellious fifteen-year-old are almost more than she can handle. Still, when life gets tough, she's ready to meet the challenge. I thoroughly liked this character and admired her for persevering.
On the other hand, Corinne drove me crazy. I understand that she was dealing with a lot - infertility is no joke - but every time something challenged her, she fell to pieces. She ran to her husband over every, small thing. She was no more than a frightened child, and I had no respect for her. I had hoped that she would eventually gain some moxie, but she never did.
The story itself was interesting, but events unfolded slowly. This wasn't a quick-paced book. The ending was exciting, but the first 80% of the book was more about family relationships and what was going on in Ashley and Corinne's lives. That didn't make the book bad, but I was expecting a taut thriller, and this wasn't it.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and am giving it three out of five stars.
May 14, 2018
Very good book and cleverly written. Addictive read . Had me guessing the whole time who the "mysterious" person was .
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