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Quick answer: If you loved The Couple Next Door, try A Stranger in the House, An Unwanted Guest, Behind Closed Doors, The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and Big Little Lies. Each one delivers a fast domestic thriller about marriages, neighbors and secrets.
Shari Lapena's bestseller begins when a couple leaves their baby at home to attend a dinner party next door, only to find her gone when they return. The investigation reveals lies in every direction. If you love quick chapters, unreliable spouses and suburban secrets, these domestic thrillers share the same pull.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Genre | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Stranger in the House | Shari Lapena | Domestic thriller | readers who want more Lapena |
| An Unwanted Guest | Shari Lapena | Mystery | readers who like isolated settings |
| Behind Closed Doors | B. A. Paris | Psychological thriller | readers who like controlling husbands |
| The Girl on the Train | Paula Hawkins | Psychological thriller | readers who like flawed narrators |
| Gone Girl | Gillian Flynn | Psychological thriller | readers who love twisty marriages |
| Big Little Lies | Liane Moriarty | Domestic suspense | readers who like school-gate secrets |
| The Housemaid | Freida McFadden | Psychological thriller | readers who want a quick, twisty read |
| The Wife Between Us | Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen | Psychological thriller | readers who like perspective twists |
| The Silent Wife | A. S. A. Harrison | Psychological thriller | readers who like slow-burning marriages |
| Before I Go to Sleep | S. J. Watson | Psychological thriller | readers who like memory mysteries |
| The Last Thing He Told Me | Laura Dave | Mystery | readers who want a mother-daughter story |
| Then She Was Gone | Lisa Jewell | Psychological thriller | readers who like missing person cases |
| The Family Upstairs | Lisa Jewell | Psychological thriller | readers who like dark family secrets |
| The Perfect Couple | Elin Hilderbrand | Mystery | readers who like beach settings |
| Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng | Literary fiction | readers who want a suburban drama |
1. A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
A woman crashes her car in a bad part of town and cannot remember why she was there.
Best for: readers who want more Lapena.
2. An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
Guests at a snowbound inn start dying one by one.
Best for: readers who like isolated settings.
3. Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris
A seemingly perfect couple hides a terrifying secret.
Best for: readers who like controlling husbands.
4. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
A woman becomes involved in the disappearance of a woman she watched from the train.
Best for: readers who like flawed narrators.
5. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
A wife disappears and her husband becomes a suspect.
Best for: readers who love twisty marriages.
6. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Three mothers' lives unravel before a death at a school fundraiser.
Best for: readers who like school-gate secrets.
7. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
A woman with a past takes a job as a housemaid for a wealthy family.
Best for: readers who want a quick, twisty read.
8. The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
A divorcée seems fixated on her ex-husband's new fiancée.
Best for: readers who like perspective twists.
9. The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison
A couple's marriage unravels after years of secrets.
Best for: readers who like slow-burning marriages.
10. Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson
A woman wakes each day with no memory and must piece together her life.
Best for: readers who like memory mysteries.
11. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
A woman's husband disappears, leaving her to protect his teenage daughter.
Best for: readers who want a mother-daughter story.
12. Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
A mother's teen daughter disappeared ten years ago, and a new romance brings fresh clues.
Best for: readers who like missing person cases.
13. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
A woman inherits a London house where a terrible event happened.
Best for: readers who like dark family secrets.
14. The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
A body is found on a Nantucket wedding morning.
Best for: readers who like beach settings.
15. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
A mother and daughter move to a planned suburb and clash with a wealthy family.
Best for: readers who want a suburban drama.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with The Couple Next Door: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
For more by Lapena, read A Stranger in the House and An Unwanted Guest. If you want controlling marriages, try Behind Closed Doors or The Silent Wife. For fast, twisty reads, choose The Housemaid or Then She Was Gone. Readers who prefer less violence can try Little Fires Everywhere or The Last Thing He Told Me.
Related: The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko: Summary and Key Takeaways · How to Choose Your Next Book
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Couple Next Door a quick read?
Yes. It has short chapters and a fast plot.
Is The Couple Next Door a series?
No. It is a standalone thriller.
What is similar to The Couple Next Door?
Try Behind Closed Doors, The Housemaid or Then She Was Gone.