Through the Wall

by Caroline Corcoran

Lexie’s got the perfect life. And someone else wants it…

Lexie loves her home. She feels safe and secure in it – and loved, thanks to her boyfriend Tom.

But recently, something’s not been quite right. A book out of place. A wardrobe door left open. A set of keys going missing…

Tom thinks Lexie’s going mad – but then, he’s away more often than he’s at home nowadays, so he wouldn’t understand.

Because Lexie isn’t losing it. She knows there’s someone out there watching her. And, deep down, she knows there’s nothing she can do to make them stop…

A compelling, heart-racing thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder long after you turn the last page. The perfect read for fans of Louise Candlish and Adele Parks.

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

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 19, 2019

Reviews

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have so many annotation sticky notes in my book it’s unreal.
I really loved the compulsive creepiness of this book.

My husband always says “there’s nothing new under the sun that hasn’t been done before”. He watches films! I read books!

And partly he may be right. But it’s also 𝓗𝓸𝔀 you do it that matters don’t you think?

“𝕴 𝖈𝖆𝖓 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗 𝖍𝖊𝖗.
𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖆𝖑𝖑.

𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖘 𝖓𝖔 𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖆 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝕴 𝖉𝖎𝖉.

𝕹𝖔 𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖆 𝖜𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝕴’𝖒 𝖈𝖆𝖕𝖆𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝖔𝖋...”


Normally I don’t heed any of the publishers “thrills” but this happened to be true!

The chapters lead us from Lexie to Harriet.
They are not alternating chapters between them, and months are next to their names.

For the chapters, they are short and snappy so you soon follow along just nicely.

Lexie & Tom

Lexie and Tom are close. Married. Wanting to have a baby. We have the emotional turmoil that IVF brings.

Harriet and Luke ( but not for long their engagement doesn’t last)

These live side by side in an apartment.
They can hear each other.
No one knows each other.
Never spoken, only heard, watched, observed.
London’s busy city.

This book holds a lot of mystery and creepy unsettling events.

Luke dumps Harriet.
You know right away that Harriet had been in a psychiatric hospital a year ago, but you don’t know why or what she did.

Things start happening in Lexie & Toms flat that makes Lexie not trust her husband.
She tries to confront it.

Poor Lexie, everywhere she looks someone is pregnant. Even her best friend. To deal with it she pulls away.
Even Lexie’s Counsellor is pregnant.

Harriet can hear Ｅｖｅｒｙｔｈｉｎｇ through the wall. The tears, the upsets, the raised voices.
But Lexie has Ｅｖｅｒｙｔｈｉｎｇ she has Tom.

Something happens where Harriet can stalk Luke on social media.....even he’s having a great time, and he’s met someone else only three months after their breakup.

Yes, you can see that the neighbours lives are crossing over, merging.

But what did Harriet do?
Is she mentally unwell?
Is her stalking and obsessions mixed up with her illness?

There is a vulnerability in Ｅａｃｈ of these women but for different reasons.

Harriet

Weird, lonely, disturbing disillusioned.

Lexie.

Emotional, thoughtful, worrier, determined to get pregnant.

3/4 of the way through I learnt what Harriet had done and what lead up to this and I was “oh no”
My jaw dropped but my heart also ached for her.

My heart broke for Lexie.

I hated Luke and I thought Tom just a little naive in some respects.

Lexie gets pregnant from her 2nd IVF treatment and........l

There is 𝓢𝓸 much more to this great chilling, addictive, compulsive book than I can 🄴🅅🄴🅁 write here.

I thought the ending jaw dropping and I’m just wondering if it ends here.......l

I looked at my husband as I closed the book and said (wide eyed in amazement) WHAT?!

This is out October
DO NOT MISS IT

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts with a woman in a psychiatric hospital, a couple have come to visit her. Why is she there and what has happened?

Lexie and partner Tom live next door to Harriet in a apartment block. They have never met or even spoken to one another, but often hear each other’s life’s through the thin walls and have Googled one other, both envious of each other’s life’s

Lexie and Tom are trying for a baby, they are always posting happy pictures of themselves on Facebook. They are going through the emotional turmoil of IVF.

Harriet is getting over an emotional break up with ex Luke, we discover in snippets why and what she did after the break up. She is jealous of Lexie’s relationship and wants to take Tom away from her. Harriet is mentally unstable and obsessed with Tom and Lexie’s life.

This creepy story just goes to show you really don’t know you’re neighbours. The chapters alternate between Lexie and Harriet, This book started as a slow burner but I soon found myself hooked by the story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com

Lexie has the perfect boyfriend, a lovely home and a great job all she wants now is a baby. Her neighbour Harriett is young, beautiful and single, she also has a lovely home and a great job, all she wants now is a boyfriend, Lexie’s boyfriend to be exact.

The more she sees him the more she needs him and nothing is going to stop her from getting what she wants.

When the two neighbours come face to face only one of them is going to walk away unscathed.

The story is set out so we see how each of the women thinks and acts as they live side by side. Lexie is settled and desperate for a child, we follow her as she suffers heartache and bullying. Harriet is lonely, having parties most nights just to be around other people, she wants what Lexie has. Both women are envious of each other.

I really enjoyed Through the Wall, I liked the way it was set out and I loved the character build-up. I found that the characters could become annoying at times, especially if you haven’t been in the situations they have, as it is hard to understand their actions, so you have to take that into account. I enjoyed the way Harriet’s character developed, seeing it through her eyes and how her mind gave logical reasons as to why she behaved the way she did.

I found the book to be a nice easy read and I struggle to put it down. I also found the ending satisfying as it did not leave me with any unanswered questions.

I look forward to reading future books by this author as this book was superb.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

400 nail biting kindle flicks

‘ the creepiest psychological thriller of 2019’ I kinda warily read just before starting this book, ‘ye ye’ I thought.....
But it is
And then some
Lexie and Tom live in a London apartment
Harriet lives ‘through the wall’, next door
Lexie and Tom have everything
Harriet did, then lost it
Harriet wants what Lexie has and she will stop at literally nothing to get it
Loving psychological thrillers I have read some super scary books on stalkers, Harriet takes it to the next level, she has no filter, psychopath extraordinaire and I loathed her, at one point I wanted to turn the page and read ‘oh hi, author here, Ive changed my mind and Lexie and Tom will be ok and Harriet has gone away’......( I didn’t really but you get me? ) as I say I loathed her and just occasionally, the author did a very clever trick and almost made me like her!!!!!!
I cant really put into words how dark, intense, cloyingly wonderful this book is and how I started reading it laying on the bed and at one point found I was standing up unable to take my eyes of what was happening
The first sentence is as chilling as the last, there are no ‘breaks in story’ no respite and no get out clauses
This is a full on rampage of a read
Loved it
10/10
5 Stars

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Through The Wall is an interesting book. In the beginning it was slow and a little confusing but once you get through the first part it does pick up. It is an intense read of a lonely and mentally unstable woman who wants what she can't have.

An apartment block in London. Neighbours do not know each other but they see and hear everything. Lexie and Tom are going through a rough patch in their marriage. They are trying to have a baby but things have not been easy. Next door is Harriet who is alone and miserable after her boyfriend left her. She knows everything about her neighbours, and she wants what Lexie has... at any cost.

Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already had a copy of this book on my kindle when the publisher gifted me the paperback edition. I chose to read the paperback edition. Theres nothing nicer than the feel and smell of a new book!

This book is about two neighbour's, Lexie and Harriet. They've never met. Harriet is a successful musical composer. Lexie and Tom are a young couple grieving after Lexie had a miscarriage. Harriet has secrets, she's lonely and and often throws parties just to have some company. But the walls are thin. So Harriet and Lexie often hear what goes on in each others flat. Harriet longs for the life she thinks Lexie has.

This book does take a wee while to get started , but stick with it, you wont be disappointed. Once I got into the story I could not put it down. The chapters are told alternately between Harriet and Lexie, who intrigued me. This story covers; obsession, lies, jealously, secrets, controlling behaviour, mental health issues, stalking and fertility issues. This is a good psychological thriller. It's a bit obvious (I thought) where this story was going, but that never puts me off. A great read.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Avon Books UK and the author Caroline Corcoran for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was excellent. I thought the two main characters were really interesting and I really liked Lexie and really wanted the best for her. The book definitely had a message that you never really know what someone is going through behind closed doors and even if you think their life is perfect you never really know what their life is really like. The book had a lot of twists and turns and really kept me hooked. I really felt for Lexie and really wanted her to get the baby she’s always wanted. I did feel for Harriett though especially with what she went through but it doesn’t excuse her behaviour throughout the book. All in all it was a brilliant book and I definitely recommend it.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

So you've heard the old adage "the grass is always greener on the other side?" Well, Through the Wall is based on that concept. Lexie and Harriett are neighbours and both, despite having never physically met, covet each others seemingly perfect lives. But there's no knowing what lies behind that projected facade when everything they know about one another has been learned through social media. This is, at its heart, a cautionary tale of how people can stage-manage their lives online to portray them in a certain, more flattering, light than is really the case. We probably all do it but it certainly does not mean you know a particular person as it is easy to show just want we want the world to see and nothing more.

This is a slow-burning work of psychological suspense and one that has quite a bit of filler included within its pages. Perhaps a tighter edit could've made it crisper. It's also quite formulaic and if you read these type of books often you will likely guess what is about to happen long before it actually does. That said, I persevered to see where it would lead. The writing style takes a bit of getting used to but once you have it's a smooth ride from there on in. One aspect that the author excelled at was building a creepy atmosphere and a tension between two people who have ever even met before and I enjoyed these elements. There was also a good use of emotion. Many thanks to Avon for an ARC.

[Emmy Hermina Nathasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the blurb, readers can already guess what the book is about. And yet its the exact reason why I pick it! Fast-paced, plot being told alternatively between the two women lived next to each other. Each with her own issues, and weirdly enough each were envious of the other. Snippets of life being portrayed through social media can really fool people, eh. I guess that’s my takeaway from this book. That each and everyone of us has our own problem. Don’t be fooled by the portrayal posted on social media. Also careful with what you post online, especially private information.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always find it fascinating to hear what inspired an author to write a particular story, and Caroline Corcoran’s acknowledgements are particularly moving, as she recounts her struggles with infertility treatments and complications after giving birth. Whilst I was reading the story, I was deeply moved by the emotional depth the author had lent her character of Lexie, whose grief and despair over her inability to conceive really touched me. It came of little surprise to me that the author had obviously channelled some of her own emotions into her characters, which really added substance to them.

THROUGH THE WALL is the story of two women who live next door to one another in an apartment complex, but have never officially met. The walls are thin, and tenants can hear their neighbours going about their daily lives. As each woman is dealing with personal issues and emotional pain, they soon form a picture of their elusive neighbour, endowing them with the very things they are missing in their own lives. From the snippets of music and partying coming from next door, Lexie is convinced that Harriet is more beautiful and confident than herself, and must surely have her life together. Whilst Harriet, who is drowning her own sorrows in alcohol and meaningless parties, is convinced that Lexie has everything she has ever wanted but cannot have: a loyal husband, a harmonious family life, friends and a fulfilling career. With those pictures in mind, each woman is envious of the other. Only one of them will act on it.

I found the premise of neighbours who have never met but have formed a vivid picture of the other fascinating and could easily imagine how this would cause discord and envy. Especially with social media, which only shows the best snapshots of daily life, carefully editing out all the ugly bits – how easy it is to imagine that someone else has the perfect life, whilst we struggle on a daily basis! Each woman is dealing with issues relevant today. Harriet, who has recently come out of an abusive relationship is still struggling with self esteem and the loss of the life she had pictured for herself and her fiancé. Lexie has become so focused on wanting a baby that everything else has become unimportant, including her husband and her career. In their own way, each woman has become obsessive over what they want but cannot have, projecting these fears and insecurities on their neighbour. A fascinating if scary concept!

THROUGH THE WALL was not a feel-good read, and readers who are sensitive to issues of domestic abuse and infertility should tread carefully here. I admit that at times the sheer despair and hopelessness each woman experienced made for tough reading, even though the slow unravelling of the mystery kept me reading on eagerly to find out the answers. Living in a small town where everyone knows each other’s business I found it difficult to imagine not knowing your immediate neighbour, and it made me grateful not to live in a city.

All in all, THROUGH THE WALL was an intriguing character-driven mystery revolving around two women who believe that “the grass is always greener”, in this case projecting all their lost hopes and dreams onto the picture they have formed of their elusive neighbour. Dealing with issues such as infertility, grief, domestic abuse and mental illness, it sometimes made for tough reading but was offset by complex characters and a contemporary big city setting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

*blog* *facebook* *instagram*

[QHuong(BookSpy) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really don’t understand the point of this book. Is it really a psychological thriller? NO. It is pointless, and the morst ordinary book I have ever read.

There was nothing happening or worth telling in the most majority of the book. It was so boring, but at the same time, still hooked me, because the book gave many clues suggesting that something would happen and I would wait, wait until I found that it was no use waiting. The tone of the book was so bland, everything was kept in a straight line, there was this lack of events and plot points that really made this plot collapse.

After I struggled about 90% of the book, finally something happened. I expected it to be the most thrilling, the most surprising, the most twisted... because after patiently trudging through 90%, I deserved something, right? But no, no, no. What happened at the end of the book was the most innocuous and plainest thing I have ever read. Why did I have to suffer all of that? It was worth nothing. The whole book was just about these two stupid women, one of them was obsessed with her old life with her narcissistic controlling boyfriend and struggled to get over that toxic relationship, the other was obsessive about fertility. They shared one thing in common: listening to each other through the wall because they were neighbors. I just couldn’t comprehend why the wall was so thin in this modern and luxurious building. It made no sense.

So what happened in 90% of the book? Well, we were forced to read about each woman’s obsession constantly, and they envied each other because they imagined the perfect life of each other, just by listening each other through the thin wall (stupid, right?). And one of them was doing these crazy, stupid things that didn’t make sense and seemed so pointless to me. I kept waiting to see the results... and there were none! Surprise!!!

I must admit one thing, the author was very good at describing the mental state of each woman when dealing with their obsession. Every fear and every worry they had was exploited very closely through each woman’s point of view. I appreciate that. Unfortunately, sadly, the psychological development of the characters were irrelevant to the events.

Such a letdown!

[Philomena Callan Cheekypee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books where questions run through your head and you just gotta keep on reading to find the answers.

Harriet and Lexie are neighbours who haven’t met. They’ve heard one another and googled each other. Each is jealous of the others life.

This is a compelling read from start to finish. We get to read both point of view from Harriet and Lexie.

A really well written psychological thriller that had me gripped from start to finish. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com

Through The Wall is an interesting novel, and one which I’ve really struggled to collect my thoughts on or come to a definitive opinion on. Basically, it’s really intriguing and makes for addictive reading but also really uncomfortable reading, due to my own fondness of Lexie and Tom as a couple. I almost couldn’t ‘enjoy’ this book because I could feel an awful sense of foreboding for them… It’s unusual for this to affect me as I’m usually of the ‘the grittier the better’ mentality, so perhaps this is a testament to the great characters that Caroline has created?

Harriet and Lexie – where to start? Harriet is a lonely, mental ill, obsessive woman following a bad breakup, who is determined to destory the relationship of Lexie and Tom, a couple who live next door to her, and who she thinks have the perfect life. Little does she know that as much as she is googling and stalking them, Lexie has been doing the same to her, and thinks she has the ideal life – especially as Lexie and Tom are having a difficult time going through IVF and things are very strained at times. Lexie, in her own way, is just as obsessive – about having a baby, about whether Tom is betraying her, about whether Harriet has a better life than her… and yet, she has the most lovely husband. He’s not perfect, admittedly, but he seems great, and that made me want to root for them both throughout the book.

I understand that Harriet is obviously not well, and has had a lot of really bad experiences in her past, but she’s just so awful, I really couldn’t warm to her! I wanted the parts where she was trying to trick Lexie and Tom to be over quickly because, despite Lexie being horrible to Tom at times, I liked her – I knew she was having a horrendous time which wasn’t her fault, and I was willing her and Tom to make it through!

There’s tension in this novel, as well as some mystery around Harriet’s past and what exactly she did. Slowly we start to see why she is the way she is, and admittedly I did start to feel more sympathy for her. I enjoyed the alternating storylines and the jumps back and forwards in time to when Harriet was with horrible Luke. It’s really interesting in the way it shows how an abusive relationship can slowly creep up on you, until you’re in too deep.

Harriet’s obsession with her neighbours is really creepy at times, and makes for compulsive reading. Though I found this hard to read at times, it was because I was rooting for Lexie and Tom so much, and that can’t be a bad thing?!

Definitely intriguing reading and feels a little different too.

Many thanks to Avon Books for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.

[Joanne Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An early review for me as Through The Wall is not out until October but when this popped through my letterbox last week, I was so intrigued (and had a childfree afternoon to do some housework…ooops!) that I started it straight away!

Harriet and Lexi are next door neighbours but not the kind where you chat over the garden fence with a cup of coffee in your hand! In fact, they haven’t actually met mainly due to a weird unwritten rule in their apartment building where nobody shares the lift with any other residents. But they hear each other through their adjoining wall and both think that they know how the other is living their life. But as we all know, eavesdropping on someone never gives a true representation of the life that person is leading, just the lifestyle that they want you to THINK they are living! And that forms the basis of the storyline here as both women give their perspectives in alternative chapters that are short and gripping. Saying that, this is very much a slow burner driven by these two women, each of whom are convinced that the grass is greener on the other side of that wall.

I have to say that to begin with I wasn’t quite sure which of the women was in the institution being visited in the prologue and it took me a while to work out where the plot was going. Both of the women were difficult to take to due to their own issues and insecurities but this made me I want to know more and look deeper into what was causing their deeply unhappy existence. What has happened in their lives to make them this way? The answers aren’t particularly shocking but I did then start to realise the depths to which one of our characters was destined to sink to.

I have to admit to feeling more empathy than I expected for Harriet and Lexie as I don’t think any of us can predict our reactions to situations unless we have physically been through them ourselves. Sometimes it just takes one seemingly insignificant thing to push us over that edge and the characters here certainly go through plenty of emotional traumas that would be the final straw for so many of us.

Through The Wall is a gripping story of obsession and jealousy that delved into how easy it is to find out everything about people (especially those who live out their lives on social media) and how those manufactured, perfect lives are anything but. Caroline Corcoran has written a chilling and creepy debut with some rather unlikable characters that gradually built up the tension until the expected ending was delivered. I devoured read it in one sitting and felt rather sad when I had finished it. One to keep an eye out for in October.

[Kate Henderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I adore a thriller novel and so was really intrigued about this book. The premise sounded really interesting and right up my street.
Unfortunately though the writing and the structure fell flat for me.
I found this book incredibly slow paced and repetitive. In pretty much every chapter Lexie says how much she wants a baby. I appreciate she is slightly obsessed, which would mean she would keep bringing it up but it was incredibly frustrating to read. The plot could have been told within 100 pages. Hardly any plot at all. Just a lot of repetition.
I also found both of the central characters incredibly annoying and I didn’t feel empathy for either of them - this probably added to my dislike of the book. I wonder if the characters were more likeable I would have enjoyed the plot more.

Unfortunately this book was not for me, and due to its slow paced nature I wouldn’t recommend it for thriller fans - where usually the plot comes thick and fast to keep you turning the page.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexie und Harriet wohnen direkt nebeneinander. Die Wände sind nicht so dick wie man es sich wünschen würde und so bekommt jede von ihnen mit, was jenseits der eigenen vier Wände passiert. Lexie scheint ein erfülltes Leben zu führen, sie hat alles was Harriet sich wünscht – einen tollen Freund, mit dem sie eine liebevolle Bezehung führt. Harriet hingegen scheint all das zu haben, was Lexie sich wünscht. Sie ist attraktiv und unabhängig, führt ein Leben voller Freunde und Partys.

Jeoch trügt bei beiden der Schein, beide Frauen führen gar nicht so ein erfüllendes Leben, wie die jeweils andere glaubt. Doch bei Harriet hat sich ein Gedanke in den Kopf gebrannt – sie möchte das, was Lexie hat…

In “Die Nachbarin” lesen wir abwechselnd aus der Sicht von Lexie und Harriet. Beide Frauen scheinen das genaue Gegenteil von einander zu sein. Dadurch, dass wir so tief in die Gedankenwelt der beiden Frauen eintauchen, lernen wir nicht nur die sympathischen Seiten von ihnen kennen. Im Gegenteil – beide zeigen sich nicht unbedingt von ihrer besten Seite. Durch die Wand hören beide jeweils der anderen zu, ohne sich jemals wirklich begegnet zu sein. Harriet verliert sich dabei völlig in dem Gedanken, dass sie Lexies Leben übernehmen will. Sie will alles, allem voran Tom – Lexies Freund. Schnell wird klar, dass Harriet nicht nur einer harmlosen Schwärmerei nachgeht. Nein, sie ist regelrecht besessen davon. Stetig werden Hinweise gestreut, dass Harriet bereits in der Vergangenheit etwas furchtbares und traumatisches erlebt haben muss. Lange jedoch ist unklar, was genau das gewesen ist. Mit kleinen Rückblicken in die Vergangenheit bekommen wir hier aber Klarheit.

Die Meinungen zu “Die Nachbarin” gehen relativ auseinander. Ich jedoch fand die subtile Spannung klasse. Ich hing förmlich an den Seiten, da meine Neugier und Erwartung von Seite zu Seite wuchsen. Es war, als würde man als dritte Partei den beiden Frauen über die Schulter gucken.

Im Grunde passiert tatsächlich nicht viel im Buch, jedoch trägt sich die Story einfach durch seine Stimmung. Das mag sicherlich nicht für alle Leser klappen, für mich jedoch war es absolut gelungen. Vielleicht ist das Genre “Thriller” etwas irreführend, da viele darunter etwas anderes verstehen. Möglicherweise wäre “psychologischer Spannungsroman” etwas passender.

[Areve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, let’s keep this short and straightforward. I will give you 3 reasons why you need to read this book.

1. If you’re a fan of “YOU” by Caroline Kepnes or “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins, Then this one is for you!
- The most common thing we see in thrillers is the Psychopath that has the classic eerie psychological behavior. With the obsession and stalking, which goes hand-in-hand in every story leading the characters to a deeper, darker and scarier road. All of it is present here, it will frighten you, make you cringe and take your breath away when the inevitable happens.

2. Great Characters

- The book shuffles between two point of view (Lexie and Harriet) which I really liked. I’m into the idea of getting inside the character's head and being able to know what goes in there.

- Also, The characters is what made me finish the book. They are great! The character development, the creepiness and the obsession of Harriet to the people living through the wall and the characters who don’t go pulled away so easily. I’m drawn into the story like they are real people and I liked it when a book makes me feel like that.

3. The Plot

- I really loved the plot! The flow of the story was intense, it had me gripped right from the start. The last 50 pages was like in a real speed, I didn’t even notice that I was at the last page.

Through the wall is a chilling, gripping and breathtaking psychological thriller that will change the way you see your neighbors or anyone who lives with you through the wall. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

Big thanks to Avon books and Harper Collins UK for sending this to me. ❤️

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow! I don't think I've read a book this bad in a while.

The reason I have to give this book one star is because its incredibly offensive to people with mental health problems.

The way in which mental illness is portrayed in this book is incredibly stigmatising and just adds to the negative stereotypes surrounding mental health.

At one point, the character with mental health problems was referred to as a sociopath or psychopath. Yeah, they are not the same thing.

I felt really offended by the end of this book. It isn't an accurate reflection of what it's like to live with a mental illness. I think this book definitely contributes to negative stereotypes around mental health.

Other than that, it was really boring, there were little twists and turns. It didn't really have any shock or surprise value.

But for me, any book that contributes to mental health stigma, is not okay and I would not recommend this book to anyone

TW: infertility, miscarriage, spousal abuse

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is a slow burn about two women - Harriet and Lexie, who are next door neighbours in a block of flats but have never actually met. Both women are jealous of the others supposedly glamorous, fun lifestyles but neither women's lives are as happy as they seem but both women think that the grass is greener on the other side so to speak.
A gripping psychological thriller that is a slow burn read and touches onto mental health, the dangers of social media, depression and abuse.
I really enjoyed this book!

[Jamie Klingler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer- I used to work with Caroline so she sent me an advance copy. It was accompanied by a note about thrillers not really being my thing.

I think to both of our surprise I inhaled this book in two sittings. It's the perfect Single White Female-esque horror show. It could so easily be made in to a film. The slow unreeling of the terror and the insecurity and the way women compare themselves to other women just left me unable to walk away from the book without knowing what happens. We're now late for a birthday party but it was worth putting everything else on hold just to finish this novel.

[Julie Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I was sent this book for signing up to the Avon Books newsletter and was looking forward to reading it.
Harriet and Lexie live in the same building and can hear each other through the wall.
Both of them are intrigued by the other and we get alternating chapters from each perspective.
Harriet has recently split up with her boyfriend and Lexie’s other half reminds her of him, so she also takes an interest in him as well.
The book was a bit of a slow burner for me but the final few chapters were really good.
Thanks again to Avon for the book.

[Amy Burrows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the Wall follows the alternate narrative of Harriett and Lexie, neighbours in a block of apartments in Central London. They live their lives side-by-side without ever speaking to each other or seeing one another up close. But that's how life is in the unfamiliar and ever present rush of London.

Both characters, now in their 30's, are becoming increasingly unhappy in their lives, each for their own reasons. For Harriett she is at the top of her career and material things are not important to her, but she lacks love and companionship in any form and pushes those who hold her dearest away. Lexie is unhappy because although she has long-term boyfriend Tom, and from the outside has everything Harriett wants, she is unable to get pregnant and has severe depression caused by that and her new introverted 'work-from-home' lifestyle.
The pair live next door to one another and listen to each others lives through their apartment wall, both become fixated on the other as if the others life is in every way better than their own.
From the offset we read that Harriett is a little unhinged and allows her emotions, particularly jealousy, to consume her and her ability to function properly.
Harriett is constantly comparing Lexie's boyfriend Tom to her ex-boyfriend and past abuser, Luke.
It goes as far as to the point Harriett talks about Tom as if he is Luke, a growing issue she develops in separating the two in her mind, she even talks about Lexie stealing him from her even though the couple have never formally met Harriett, and are just next door neighbours by chance.

I think looking back at Harriett's character I feel so bad that she was made to become this person from the years of mental abuse she endured, although I do not condone the choices she made and the actions she took. I couldn't help but feel what she was doing was very immature, maybe something I would expect a teenager to do but made ever more dangerous by her alcohol dependency and dark inner thoughts.

Lexie's story was a real tear-jerker and highlighted a topic I knew very little about, fertility issues. Myself, being a woman that does not want children, it's not something I spend much time thinking about but as Lexie grows into her character I found myself feeling utter sorrow and at some parts even begging for her to be pregnant before the next page would reveal the outcome. I think this proves Caroline Corcoran has an astounding ability to write real emotional complex characters that have you shouting aloud and eyes that can't quite absorb the words quick enough to find out what happens!


In terms of the book being a thriller novel it wasn't until probably the midpoint when things really started going up a notch, there is a lot of background to read on the two women and whilst that is necessary to develop a strong emotional understanding, it wasn't necessarily a nail-biting thriller...
Very short chapters make this book hard to put down and act as a great way to keep the reader in suspense. I will say Through The Wall is unlike anything I have read before.

Thank you to the publisher Avon for providing me with a review copy of this book.
All opinions are my own and by no way influenced by the publisher and/or author.

[Karna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was quite an addictive story, I read it super quickly. It was a bit repetitive towards the middle, and I did not really care for the ending, but overall a good storyline. I did, however, have a few issues with it that lowered the rating quite a bit.

1. The grammar mistakes. There weren’t a lot of them, but they would show up from time to time and it just breaks up the flow of the reading

2. One of the characters is supposed to be from America, yet there is no hint of that in her language. Of course it’s natural to pick up a few words if you live in the UK for a few years, but I would expect that someone’s inner monologue would still include a few of her native words. It felt like a small jolt every time she talked about her American roots and went on to use words such as “bloody”, “bin” or “shag”. It just didn’t feel natural

3. It also annoyed me that the two main characters, both of them women, were refused any other roles than the two traditionally offered women in fiction; lover or mother, and that those roles also drove them kinda mad. It’s not very empowering to read about women only allowed a very narrow definition of femininity and then watch them act like “crazy bitches”

4. The antagonist of this novel is struggling a lot with mental health. What annoyed me was that this novel kind of villanise mentally ill people. It was also stressed quite frequently that she had spent time in a mental health institution, without it really being essential to the plot. This contributes to an image of anyone who spends time in a mental institution to be completely crazy. It also left a feeling of mental illnesses being incurable and that once you have suffered through an abusive relationship you will forever be unfit to interact with anyone at all. Main message of this story; it does not get better.

Trigger warnings: abusive relationships, IVF and pregnancy, mental health

[Kirsty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Implausible, repetitive, a little offensive, and filled with unrealistic two-dimensional characters. I read a quarter of this, and could not go on.

[Nicole Lara]

Blech. Didn’t get too far because it was wayyyy too focused on pregnancy and miscarriages. No thanks.

[booksofallkinds · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher

Gripping, terrifying, and downright creepy, THROUGH THE WALL by Caroline Corcoran is superb from start to finish and I'm sure will be on our tv screens soon.

Everyone knows that neighbours in London don't usually know each other and are like strangers in the night who mumble the odd hello as they pass in the hallway. But when the walls are thin you cannot help but hear snippets of the other person's life and social media is always there to fill out the gaps. Harriet and Lexie live next door to each other. Lexie believes Harriet is sophisticated, successful, creative, and attractive in ways that she no longer is ever since she and Tom began trying for a baby two years ago. Lexi thinks Harriet has a perfect life while hers is slowly falling apart. Harriet believes Lexi has got everything she ever wanted with a happy relationship and true friendships, while Harriet struggles with her own heartbreak and past. She believes that Lexi is living the life that should be hers. And she wants to take it.

This story completely blew me away! The chapters are short and snappy which made the plot move along at a great pace and made getting to know the characters really easy. Lexi is a warm character who is struggling with fertility issues and my heart broke for her as she lost herself to the process and her relationship started to suffer. Harriet is a strange character in that she obviously suffered abuse in the past which has deeply affected her, but there is an edge to her that made me shiver at times and kept me hooked to her story just as much as Lexi's..

THROUGH THE WALL by Caroline Corcoran is the kind of psychological thriller that makes your skin crawl and makes you nervous and I highly recommend it to all fans of this genre. And did I mention that new neighbours have recently moved in beside me? Talk about timing!

[Joanna Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through The Wall is a creepy, addictive thriller which will definitely have you wondering about your neighbours!

The story follows Lexi and Harriet two neighbours who at first glance seem very different from each other. Lexi is in a steady relationship but has a lot of stress in her life as she’s trying for a baby and trying to set up her own company. Harriet on the other hand is single and a bit of a party girl. I found it very interesting to learn more about the two woman and learn their backstory.

I did find Lexi a bit annoying after a while as her attempts to get pregnant did get a bit repetitive. Don’t get me wrong I did feel sorry for her as I know how emotional it can all be but it seemed to consume her and was all she seemed to talk about. Harriet was a much more interesting character especially as we start learning more about her past and her relationship with Luke. I found this part of the story very intriguing and I soon found myself reading Lexi’s part of the story quicker so I could get back to Harriet. It’s quite a poignant story and I found myself feeling a lot of sympathy for her.

This story starts off slow but soon becomes very gripping as we learn more about the characters. My opinion on the girls and whose side I was on changed frequently as the story progressed which I really enjoyed as it helped keep me guessing about what was going to happen.

This is one of the rare books that I’d love to see made into a film as I think it would work really well and I’d like to see it played out on screen. It’s definitely made me think about how little we actually know about what goes on behind closed doors and how things can be very different from how they seem.

Huge thanks to Sabah from Avon for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall it is an intriguing and interesting novel …but it is also not a “feel-good” read by any stretch of the imagination. The entire story is chilling and eerie… highlighting the ease with which our lives can be followed and examined in minute detail. Thanks to the thing called “social media”, Lexie unknowingly became exposed to a quagmire of information theft…not all of her own making. It turns out that one of Lexie’s neighbors is a social media nut case. She is lonely and mentally unstable and has fixated on Lexie s as her new hobby. Of course Lexie had no way of knowing what was really going on behind he neighbors closed door until it was nearly too late. The chapters alternated between the lives of Lexie and Harriet the neighbor, creating a very claustrophobic…creepy and atmospheric read. Actual rating 4.5

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is set in an apartment block in London. Harriet lives next door to Lexi and Tom, they don't know each other but can hear what goes on in their lives through the wall!!! Lexi begins to get a little obsessed with Harriet, thinking she has the perfect life but Harriet's obsession with Lexi and Tom, Tom in particular, is off the scale. I did find the first 50 to 70 pages a tad slow but after that WOW I couldn't read it quickly enough. This is definitely a nail biting, edge of your seat story and wondering what's going to happen next left my brain spinning. Highly recommend it.

[Justkeepreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit too slow for me. Other than that a well written book. The problem I have is when people say it’s the same as a previous book by another author and the poor book has way to much to live up to before you even start reading it.