10 Books to Read If You Love The Couple Next Door: Must-Read Domestic Thrillers with Neighborhood Secrets
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena has captivated readers worldwide as a bestselling domestic thriller known for its fast pace, gripping suspense, and chilling portrayal of dark neighborhood secrets. This psychological game-changer plunges readers into the tumultuous unraveling of a seemingly perfect suburban life. Domestic thrillers like this have surged in popularity because they reveal the hidden tensions lurking beneath everyday homes, weaving stories filled with twists and unexpected betrayals that keep readers on the edge of their seats. For fans searching for books like The Couple Next Door, the craving is clear: fast-moving stories packed with neighborhood mysteries, intense suspense, and psychological depth.
In this post, we explore 10 books to read if you love the couple next door—a curated list of domestic thrillers and suspense novels that echo the heart-pounding tension and layered intrigue Shari Lapena fans adore. These selections feature ordinary characters thrown into extraordinary situations, blurring the line between neighborly trust and deadly suspicion. Dive in for your next unforgettable thriller filled with neighborhood secrets and psychological suspense.
What These Book Recommendations Are Based On — Defining the Criteria
Before unveiling our list, it’s important to understand the foundation for these carefully selected recommendations. Each title prioritizes the core elements that make The Couple Next Door so addictive:
- Fast-paced domestic thrillers
The books chosen maintain relentless momentum—a hallmark of Lapena’s storytelling—where readers feel compelled to keep turning pages, propelled by suspense and urgency. - Themes of neighborhood secrets, betrayal, and perfect domestic facades unraveling
These stories delve deep into the dark shadows hiding beneath suburban calm, exposing betrayals and deceptions that echo the unsettling atmosphere of Lapena’s work. - Ordinary people trapped in extraordinary, dangerous circumstances
Like The Couple Next Door, these books feature relatable characters whose once predictable lives spiral into high-stakes situations fraught with psychological tension. - Psychological suspense with shocking twists and unreliable narrators
A well-crafted blend of plot twists and mind games keep readers guessing who to trust, amplifying the ominous vibe of seemingly peaceful neighborhoods. - Exploration of the dark underside of suburban life
Rather than distant crime scenes or exotic settings, these are suspense novels grounded in familiar places where domestic safety is an illusion.
This framework provides readers with shari lapena similar books and books like The Couple Next Door—thrillers that supply that same neurotic energy of neighborhood secrets unraveling under pressure. For readers interested in similarly paced thrillers with neighborhood secrets, you might also enjoy our recommendations in 10 Books to Read If You Love The Silent Patient, which features psychological thrillers with layered suspense and big plot twists.
10 Books to Read If You Love The Couple Next Door: Detailed Recommendations
Here are ten meticulously selected domestic thrillers and suspense novels that fully embody the tension, psychological drama, and neighborhood intrigue fans crave.
1. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (2019)
Genre: Domestic thriller, psychological suspense
Themes: Inheritance, family secrets, psychological trauma, cult-like control
One-Sentence Review: A dark, twisty exploration of inheritance and hidden pasts unearths the sinister truth lurking within a glamorous London mansion.
Detailed expectations:
- Rapid pacing with shifting points of view that keeps tension soaring
- Deeply buried family and neighborhood secrets drive the plot’s mystery
- High-stakes psychological tension with shocking, layered plot twists
- Relatable, flawed characters entangled in moral complexities
- A richly atmospheric domestic setting haunted by past horrors
Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs is a perfect choice for readers seeking domestic thrillers filled with neighborhood secrets and suspenseful revelations reminiscent of The Couple Next Door. For more about dark family secrets and suspense, see also 10 Books to Read If You Love The Woman in the Window, which explores similar domestic thriller themes with unreliable narrators.
2. Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough (2017)
Genre: Domestic thriller, psychological thriller
Themes: Marital secrets, manipulation, obsession, trust
One-Sentence Review: A seemingly conventional love triangle twists into a mind-bending thriller with an unforgettable ending.
Detailed expectations:
- Fast-moving narrative packed with unexpected plot shifts
- Toxic relationships woven with psychological manipulation
- Dark secrets exposed among spouses and neighbors
- An escalating atmosphere of suspense and unease
For fans of shari lapena similar books craving tangled relationships and jaw-dropping twists, Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes delivers an edge-of-your-seat domestic thriller experience.
3. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen (2017)
Genre: Psychological thriller, domestic suspense
Themes: Love triangles, obsession, deception, betrayal
One-Sentence Review: Every assumption is upended in this twisty domestic thriller that navigates dangerous facades and hidden motives.
Detailed expectations:
- Breakneck pacing and a puzzle-box plot structure
- Secrets within marriage and unreliable narrators create suspense
- Danger lurking beneath domestic pretenses
- Clever plot twists that challenge reader expectations
Hendricks and Pekkanen’s novel skillfully subverts domestic thriller tropes, making it an essential read for followers of books like The Couple Next Door.
4. A Perfect Wife and Mother by Peter Israel (1993)
Genre: Domestic thriller, psychological suspense
Themes: Parenthood, trust, abduction, false appearances
One-Sentence Review: The betrayal by a new babysitter turns suburban calm into a parent’s worst nightmare.
Detailed expectations:
- Fast pace driving mounting anxiety and dread
- Exploration of dangers lurking in close-knit communities
- Betrayals by trusted individuals raise psychological stakes
- Emotional focus on motherhood and family vulnerability
Israel exposes the unpredictability behind domestic tranquility with a tension-rich narrative, fitting well amongst books with neighborhood secrets.
5. The Wives by Tarryn Fisher (2019)
Genre: Domestic thriller, psychological suspense
Themes: Polygamy, deception, jealousy, obsession
One-Sentence Review: A chilling battle of wits unfolds as a woman uncovers the truth about her husband’s secret marriages.
Detailed expectations:
- Unpredictable plot twists that keep readers guessing
- Dark marital and neighborhood secrets intensify suspense
- Narrator’s unreliability adds to psychological complexity
- Pulse-raising domestic thriller appeal
Fisher’s The Wives blurs the lines between domestic safety and paranoia, making it an unmissable thriller for fans of shari lapena similar books.
6. The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica (2020)
Genre: Domestic thriller, psychological suspense
Themes: Murder, gaslighting, identity, isolation
One-Sentence Review: A couple’s move to a small town sparks a murder investigation that threatens to shatter their fragile lives.
Detailed expectations:
- Propulsive, shifting-perspective narration
- A claustrophobic small-town atmosphere rife with suspicion
- Psychological tension ratchets up as betrayals surface
- Explosive and unexpected resolution keeps readers hooked
Kubica’s thriller grips with its dark neighborhood secrets and is ideal for lovers of books like The Couple Next Door seeking suspense novels steeped in psychological conflict. This novel shares themes with many in our 10 Books to Read If You Love The Silent Patient post, focusing on psychological thriller elements and dark secrets.
7. The Girl Before by JP Delaney (2017)
Genre: Psychological thriller, domestic suspense
Themes: Obsession, architecture, control, secrets
One-Sentence Review: A minimalist house hides deadly secrets as two women’s lives collide with fatal results.
Detailed expectations:
- Gripping atmosphere layered with unease and control
- Intricate plot told through dual timelines
- Multiple twists that ratchet suspense
- A fresh take on domestic thriller set behind an unusual neighborhood façade
Delaney’s novel charms readers craving psychological suspense and innovative domestic thrillers with neighborhood secrets.
8. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2019)
Genre: Psychological thriller
Themes: Trauma, therapy, secrets, revenge
One-Sentence Review: A therapist’s attempt to unravel a woman’s silence following her husband’s murder exposes dark secrets beneath domestic calm.
Detailed expectations:
- Steadfast psychological intrigue and revelations
- Deeply buried domestic and marital secrets enhance suspense
- A twist-laden, breathtaking plot
Michaelides delivers a gripping puzzle-box thriller that will satisfy readers seeking layered suspense novels similar to shari lapena’s work. To find more books like this, check out our detailed list here: 10 Books to Read If You Love The Silent Patient.
9. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (2019)
Genre: Psychological thriller, suspense
Themes: Urban isolation, secrets, paranoia, trust
One-Sentence Review: A young woman apartment-sitting in Manhattan uncovers sinister secrets behind the building’s glamorous facade.
Detailed expectations:
- Fast-moving, escalating suspense throughout
- Dark secrets among neighbors fuel paranoia
- Unfolding mysteries with shocking plot twists
- Claustrophobic setting with unreliable perceptions
Sager’s novel flips the trope of neighborly trust, making it a thrilling domestic suspense novel perfect for fans of books with neighborhood secrets.
10. The Push by Ashley Audrain (2021)
Genre: Domestic thriller, psychological drama
Themes: Motherhood, generational trauma, suspicion, doubt
One-Sentence Review: A mother’s fears about her daughter spiral into a terrifying exploration of family, legacy, and psychological dread.
Detailed expectations:
- Taut, emotionally intense prose keeps tension high
- Secrets and fears permeate a domestic setting
- Unraveling of seemingly ordinary lives under psychological scrutiny
- Unflinching look at maternal anxiety and potential betrayal
Audrain’s debut echoes Lapena’s dark suspense style, plunging readers into the haunting complexity of parenting and domestic fears.
Conclusion
For readers searching for 10 books to read if you love the couple next door, this selection offers a treasure trove of relentless suspense, neighborhood secrets, and intense domestic intrigue. Each novel echoes the key qualities fans cherish in The Couple Next Door: fast pace, psychological tension, captivating plot twists, and the unsettling reality that beneath every polite neighborhood lies a web of deception and danger.
These domestic thrillers and suspense novels turn everyday homes into battlegrounds of trust and betrayal, ensuring readers stay riveted from first page to last. If you’re eager to continue chasing the adrenaline rush of neighborhood mysteries and psychological suspense, picking from this curated list guarantees an edge-of-your-seat reading experience that rivals any shari lapena similar book.
Dive into these stories and keep your next great domestic thriller close—you’ll never look at the couple next door the same way again.
