Afternoon Bookery: The House Mate - Nina Manning || Blog Tour

The perfect life? ...Or the perfect lie?

When Regi moves into her new house share, she's ready for a clean slate. A new home. A new routine. A new identity...
Desperate to escape the shadow of her past that follows her everywhere she goes, Regi finds the ideal distraction in the perfect lives of others on social media.
But as innocent scrolling turns into an unhealthy obsession, Regi will soon learn that seeking perfection comes at a price...

A gripping psychological suspense from the international bestselling author of The Daughter In Law. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, K L Slater and Jackie Kabler.

I was gifted my copy for the blog tour.

Well this was a great easy to fly through read, with a unique ending - i found myself hooked from the very first page. We meet Regi, she is a mature student just about to start a new path after escaping she wants to forget about and creating a new identity would do just that. She manages to distract herself from her past with innocent instagram scrolling giving her the comfort she is seeking, but when she starts to notice a few trolls and not all is at seems - we soon learn alot more about how achieving perfection is not as simple as it seems.

I really really enjoyed this, it was told in a way that was easy to read but with enough depth and tension to keep me turning the pages. I found that it was realistic such as the way the instagram posts were written, its totally something you see in day to day life. The characters were strong with their own quirks and again so relevant to the world we live in at present. Told over then and now, we soon learn how it all fits together and let me tell you - i didnt see it coming and well, it was a surprise. This was a great read and i really invested in it. Below ive attached a sneak peak for you!

Prologue

I crouch under the table and desperately try to control my ragged breathing. How the hell did I end up here? Curiosity or just pure bloody-mindedness? I think back to the simplicity of my life, before all this. I was on a path to recovery; things had become a little easier. I had my routines; life had a structure. Now all of my senses are working on overdrive. I am thrust back to my cognitive behavioural therapy classes, and so I begin to think outside of myself to distract from the fear and panic. The ‘5-4-3-2-1’ technique. Right, let’s do this. Okay, five things I can see: a chair leg; a table leg; a length of brown-and-orange tablecloth, matted and greasy at the corner; a dent in the wooden floor, where something heavy had been dropped; a small handmade wooden bear the size of my hand, wearing a hessian jacket.

Four things I can touch. Stay calm, stay calm. The hard floor beneath my knees, sweat on my forehead, a sticky patch next to my knee where someone has dropped some jam or something similar, a cut on my right leg.

Three things I can hear: a clock ticking, a fan oven cooling… footsteps. I hear footsteps.

Two things I smell: the putrid stench of vomit mixed with a cleaning product.

One thing I can taste: There is blood in my mouth. I can taste blood.

* * *

Instagram post: 25th April 2019

Wow, guys, I cannot believe a whole year has passed and I’m still here. I started this Instagram account because I enjoy cleaning and showcasing the results to other people and you guys have shown me such great support, I feel grateful.

One year in and I can hardly believe I have one million followers. And I love every single one of you – even though I can’t see you in person, I feel all your love and support for what I do.

I hope I can keep offering you great cleaning advice and that you will continue on this journey with me.

Keep up the cleaning, guys.

Mrs C x

#cleaning #cleanstagrammer #anniversary #mrsclean

76,378 likes

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3a12zLN

Author Bio –

Nina Manning studied psychology and was a restaurant-owner and private chef (including to members of the royal family). She is the founder and co-host of Sniffing The Pages, a book review podcast. Her debut psychological thriller, The Daughter in Law, was a bestseller in the UK, US, Australia and Canada. She lives in Dorset.

Social Media Links –

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Podcast: Podcast: www.anchor.fm/ninamanning

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nina-manning