Review: Lock the Doors e-ARC

Lock the Doors by Vincent Ralph
Expected Publication Date: 4th February 2021

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Tom’s family have moved into their dream home. But pretty soon he starts to notice that something is very wrong – there are strange messages written on the wall and locks on the bedroom doors. On the OUTSIDE. The previous owners have moved just across the road and they seem like the perfect family. Their daughter Amy is beautiful and enigmatic but Tom is sure she’s got something to hide. And he isn’t going to stop until he finds the truth behind those locked doors. . . Will their dream home become a nightmare?

Tom is a character who seems very cautious to open himself up after his mum’s abusive relationships. He’s developed OCD and is obsessed with ensuring they’re safe. He develops more as a character as he delves deeper into investigating the mysteries that surround Amy and her family. I think Tom is a good character – we can see his motives and how he thinks – but I feel there was a bit more that we could have seen from him. I can’t put my finger on what, but I felt like there was a little something lacking from him. 

Amy is full of mystery and I was drawn in instantly by her character. I enjoyed the evasiveness we experience as it helped to add to the tension that steadily built during the story. I wish we could have seen more of her despair and depressive moods – it was there initially but then we saw more of the happy, flirty Amy which kind of took away from the horrors and events that have taken place. 

It was interesting splitting the story into two, each half being split also. The first half, I was engaged with Tom’s investigating, wanting to know what happened. It was quite jarring moving into Amy’s POV though. I felt like Tom’s side of things wasn’t complete and his POV chapter ended very suddenly before going into Amy’s. We were also suddenly thrown back into Tom’s POV into Part Four. I’d been engrossed in Amy’s unfolding story and became rather confused about it switching back. 

Overall, Lock the Doors is an interesting thriller that keeps you guessing. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Children’s UK for an advanced copy of this book.