The perfect family. The perfect chance. The perfect lie.
A stunning novel about motherhood and betrayal, for readers who love Sarah Vaughan and Louise Candlish.
Kate trusts Della, and Della trusts Kate.
Their downfall is each other.
When Kate moves to London after the disappearance of her sister, she’s in need of a friend. A chance meeting leads Kate to Della, a life coach who runs support groups for young women, dubbed by Kate as ‘the Janes.’
Della takes a special interest in Kate, and Kate soon finds herself entangled in Della’s life – her house, her family, and her husband. It’s only when she realises that she’s in too deep that Della’s veneer begins to crumble, and the warnings from ‘the Janes’ begin to come true.
Why is Della so keen to keep Kate by her side? What does Kate have that Della might want? And what really lies beneath the surface of their friendship?
A twisty psychological thriller for fans of Louise Candlish and Harriet Tyce.
My Thoughts
⭐⭐⭐⭐
At the age of twenty-five, Kate moved to London, but her life was far from what she wanted it to be. She was living in a run down flat-share, whilst working in a coffee shop on a zero hours contract. It is safe to say that Kate is feeling very much alone in life, especially since her sister disappeared without a trace several years ago.
And then she meets Della, and by chance she finds herself taking up her life coaching classes. Before long, their lives have become entangled with one another. Della is a rather enchanting character, and despite Kate not wanting her help, she finds herself unable to refuse Della’s charming personality and simply can’t say no.
Their relationship quickly becomes all consuming, and Kate finds herself dressing like Della, looking after her children and getting extremely close to her new friends husband. With both women having their own secrets buried in their past, how long can Kate remain in Della’s all consuming orbit before her whole life spirals out of control?…
If you are looking for a captivating read, this is certainly the book for you. The story is filled with suspense, passion and deceit, all of which really capture your attention and hold it firmly from the very beginning. The characters are fascinating, and the contrast between Kate’s rather naïve outlook on life, to Della’s confident, powerful persona, really added that extra level of intrigue for me.
A story of obsession and jealousy that has you on the edge of your seat as you find yourself being drawn into the complex lives of these characters. With the perfect level of suspense that had me turning the pages well in to the night, this is a clever, thrilling story that I couldn’t put down.
About the Author
Charlotte Northedge is joint Head of Books for the Guardian. She has previously written for a range of newspapers and magazines, including the Guardian, Psychologies and Cosmopolitan.
She has an MA in Modern and Contemporary Literature from Birkbeck and is an alumna of the Curtis Brown Creative writing course.
The House Guest is her first novel. You can find her on Twitter: @charnorth, on Instagram: charlotte_north and on her Facebook author page: @charlottenorthedgeauthor
Victoria Wilks 