The Double Life Of Anna Day

by Louise Candlish

Anna has waited a long time to fall in love and now that she has, she's not going to let her boyfriend Charlie's mother stand in her way. Meredith Granger is frighteningly well-cultured and impossible to impress. So far, Anna hasn't even been allowed to meet her. But when Charlie leaves the country on business for the summer, Anna decides to take matters into her own hands. Reinventing herself from "one of the boys" in an office full of foulmouthed sales reps into the perfect, butter-wouldn't-melt daughter-in-law, Anna embraces a whole new life. Garden parties, Sunday tennis, little vintage dresses from Laura Ashley—it seems almost too easy. It's only when she tails Meredith on an Art Explorers' trip to Andalucia that she wonders if things might be rather more difficult, and if she might be a little out of her depth after all.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Contemporary

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2006

About the author

Hello and welcome to my page... You may already know my domestic noir thrillers or perhaps you're curious and not sure which to try first - either way, you're in the right place!

My latest is OUR HOLIDAY, a Sunday Times bestseller, WHSmith Richard & Judy Book Club pick and Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025 nominee. It features my favourite ever love-to-hate characters Perry and Charlotte, second home owners in the idyllic English beach resort of Pine Ridge. It's now in development for the screen - I'll share news on that as soon as I can.

Next up is A NEIGHBOUR'S GUIDE TO MURDER, published in July 2025 (UK) and 2026 (US), available to pre-order now.

Last year I celebrated my 20th anniversary as an author with the news of two prestigious awards for my 90s-set thriller THE ONLY SUSPECT: the Capital Crime Fingerprint Award for Thriller of the Year and the Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction. Stay tuned for TV news on that one too - it will be the next of mine to hit our screens!

OUR HOUSE is the one you may know me for as it's now a major four-part ITV drama starring Martin Compston and Tuppence Middleton (watch the full series free on ITVX). This is the novel that turned my career around, winning the 2019 British Book Awards Book of the Year - Crime & Thriller and shortlisted for the Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, the Capital Crime Amazon Publishing Best Crime Novel of the Year Award​, and the Audible Sounds of Crime Award. It was also longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award and the Specsavers National Book Awards. A Waterstones Thriller of the Month, it recently received a Nielsen Bestseller Silver Award for 250,000 copies sold.

A bit about me: I live in a South London neighbourhood not unlike the one in my books, with my husband, daughter and a fox-red Labrador called Bertie who is the apple of my eye. Books, TV and long walks are my passions - and drinking wine in the sun with family and friends. Authors I love include Tom Wolfe, Patricia Highsmith, Barbara Vine, Agatha Christie and Evelyn Waugh. My favourite book is Madame Bovary.

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Reviews

[Chrystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well there a good 6 hours of my life I'll never get back.
I nearly put this book down after realizing a few chapters in Anna was to go behind Charlies back and try impress his mother prior to meeting her.
Charlie was an obvious twat right from the get go. No happily ever after for Anna although the possibility of a new friendship with his mother was there.
Shouldve stuck with me gut feeling as this book dragged on and on and led no where.

[Sonia Gomes]

I started this one as a fun read, but just could not get through, it was slow, really slow. I did try as I thought there would be humor, if there was I just could not get it !

[Paula Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book stolen from the holiday cottage! But in my defence I did leave 4 in its place!

This story of Anna and her frustration with boyfriend Charlie's aversion to introducing her to his mother is an interesting premise and one many women will have experienced. It started quite well, with the plan to infiltrate the Dulwich circle to win over said mother, and the end wasn't unexpected in the slightest! I do confess that whilst I was happy that Anna seemed to have found her true self on this journey, I did find her stereotypes annoying and rather insulting (and yes, I know I was supposed to!). Meredith is indeed a stereotypical snob, but her true character comes out in the end and I would like to think that Anna and her new friends continued to see each other, despite the outcomes. Charlie I found to be selfish and immature, and likewise her friend Caro.

It's a book that one can love and hate at the same time - whiney, insecure female stalks future mother in law, as opposed to insecure woman sets out to change her life...take your pick. It was an OK read but not one I would have shelled money out on.

[Johanna Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually I love Louise Candlish however I felt this book was too dragging. She concentrates too much on building the story and some chapters are full with irrelevant details, only to have the most important part of the book (Anna’s meeting again with Charlie) to be crammed in the last 2 chapters. Perhaps I am one to love happy endings however I feel that the story could have gone in another way or the ending given a bit more importance. It took me longer to finish this book than the average one which says a lot.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because I read this earlier one after The Other Passenger, which is a very entertaining and double plus twist must read type of book.

Louise Candlish's writing style appeals to me - it's easy, full of detail, well researched and funny.

Although the book is amusing and interesting throughout, the ending of the Double Life left me flat and quite cross. As though Candlish had run out of steam and interest, resulting in a disappointing, flat ending. Knowing men as I do, predictable. I expected better!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My library does not have many of Louise Candlish's books. So I am listening to some of her books on Hoopla. I really enjoyed this book and couldn't wait for the next chapter to be read to me with the English accents. The very end was a bit disappointing because I wanted the boyfriend to be a better person. Overall I really enjoyed it.

[Kaytee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well read in audiobook which made it sound better than it was. A very light read but all the characters are stereotypes and the story is rather silly. It kept me company on a long car journey when I didn’t want anything taxing.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of this book was very very slow and drawn out, I’m not sure why I persevered as even though the second half was better, it was still a very ordinary read.

[Aaysha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under rated.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, took until the trip to Grenada to hold any interest, until I actually wanted to find out what happened. The ending was kinda flat though.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very believable, and the main characters annoyed me. Not one of Louise's best.

[Helen Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really my cup of tea although the synopsis looked ok

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Day is living a double life. Her boyfriend Charlie is away on business, and Anna wants to get to know his mother, Meredith. Charlie has refused to introduce them, insisting that Meredith is over-protective and would be too distraught if she knew that he had a long-term girlfriend.

So Anna determines to re-model herself as the kind of sweet girl that her potential mother-in-law would like, hanging around her village, following her interests, even going on holiday with her...

It took a while to get going, but I did like Anna's character, and the plot was an interesting idea. It's light women's fiction at its best, with great writing, wit, and thought-provoking themes about modern women and their lifestyles.

Definitely recommended.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...

[Sandra Grauschopf · Rating 2 out of 5]

So your boyfriend won't introduce you to his mother. What do you do when persuasion and ultimatums won't work? Well, completely reinvent yourself to appeal to what you think this mother will like, then wiggle your way into her circle of friends while your boyfriend is away, and "surprise" him by being at her birthday party when he returns. Because nothing could go wrong with that plan, right? Right?

Ugh.

The premise was so far-fetched that the writing would have had to be awesome to pull it off. But it wasn't. There is no possible way that this could have ended well, and it wasn't at all surprising that it didn't. There was more depth to the protagonist's character than one often sees, but it wasn't enough to overcome the obvious stupidity of the plan central to the plot. Not recommended.

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose after reading house of spirits which is a very powerful book - the double life of anna day felt a bit shallow. It took me a little longer than normal to get into the story and empathise with the characters but when i eventually did it was brilliant and so powerfully true about men, commitment and the lenghts women will go to!! It's a good fun book with a painfully true ending.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled to get into this one. I just didn't get Charlie. I wanted to yell HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU

[Adri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there is never any doubt about how the story will end there are a fe little twists and turns which made this a fun read. Very good sense of humour.

[June Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skipped a lot of pages, as could not get into this book

[Shauna · Rating 2 out of 5]

All of that effort, for a rubbish outcome. 2/5

[Ash A leen]

Another one which i just havent been able to get stuck into..... The story appeals to me though.

[Kate Moffatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, it was okay. Very predictable.