The Move
by Felicity Everett
Publication date: January 23rd 2020
Publisher: Harper Collins
Summary:
Karen is driving through a strange landscape into a new life. Always a city girl, now she is on her way to an idyllic country cottage, refurbished for her with impeccable taste by her husband Nick. They’re making a fresh start.
But something is awry in the new house – it’s not just the fact that Karen and Nick are ill at ease in one another’s company – that their recent history is far from picture perfect, it’s the whole vibe. The landscape is breathtaking by day, eerie by night. If the countryside is supposed to be a place of peace, far away from curtain-twitchers, who is the person watching them from the hill? And who are their new neighbours?
With Karen only recently emerging from a dark place in her life, can she find the trust in her husband Nick to let go of events that have followed them to their new house?
Source: Goodreads
Thoughts:
“The Move” is the second book I’ve read by Felicity Everett, the first being ‘The People at Number 9‘, a neighbourhood drama I read a couple of years ago.
“The Move” is pretty similar. It’s a neighbourhood story following the lives of Karen and Nick, a couple who have recently move to a scenic English village in an attempt to escape the hustle and bustle of London. Karen and Nick have had a difficult few years and they’re hoping that this move will be a fresh start for them both.
Although I did enjoy it for the most part, I felt that this book was a little uneventful, as beyond the actual move, there’s very little plot. Instead this is a slow moving book that’s full of lovely description, much more than typically required to set the scene. This meant that I had very clear pictures in my head of the village and the people living in it, but I sadly didn’t have a great deal of interest in what was going on between them all.
I think that if you go into this book expecting a quaint domestic drama about a couple finding their place amongst new friends, you’ll enjoy it! If you go into this expecting a mystery or thriller, as advertised by the blurb, I suspect you’ll be a little disappointed. I actually had the exact same feelings about ‘The People at Number 9‘, so I suspect this is the style that the author is going for. It’s not my favourite type of read, but I know that this kind of story will be loved by many so if this sounds like something you’d enjoy, please don’t let me put you off!
Overall rating: “The Move” was another 3 star read for me. The writing was good and there were lots of lovely descriptions, but the plot didn’t really have much to offer. Recommended for fans of a domestic drama, rather than a thriller or mystery.
See my other reviews of books by Felicity Everett here:
