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Isabel Smith (34 KP) rated The House Swap in Books
Jun 26, 2018
Tension, tension, so much tension!
From start to finish The House Swap is a taut and edgy examination of the rocky marriage between a young English couple, Caroline and Francis. When the opportunity arises for them to swap their city flat in Leeds with someone else’s suburban home in Chiswick they eagerly plan a week-long getaway for two so they can focus on repairing their relationship. Caroline soon starts finding signs that the owner of the suburban home she and Francis are currently occupying may very well be the person she’s tried so desperately to put behind her: her ex-lover, Carl. Francis, who knows about Caroline’s past affair, begins to notice that his wife is acting strange and inattentive; it’s putting him on edge, which is no place for a former pill-popper like himself to be. With both of their past obsessions threatening to burst back into their lives, Caroline and Francis brace themselves for the ultimate test in their marriage.
This psychological thriller definitely delivers on nail-biting suspense, calculated misdirection, and hair-raising shocks. There were more than a couple of well-placed red herrings which made the plot twists all the more juicy and exciting. Some of the content was a bit difficult to stomach, but it added to the domestic noir feel of the novel. Overall, The House Swap is a solid option for anyone looking for a fast-paced and multilayered novel that goes behind closed doors.
This psychological thriller definitely delivers on nail-biting suspense, calculated misdirection, and hair-raising shocks. There were more than a couple of well-placed red herrings which made the plot twists all the more juicy and exciting. Some of the content was a bit difficult to stomach, but it added to the domestic noir feel of the novel. Overall, The House Swap is a solid option for anyone looking for a fast-paced and multilayered novel that goes behind closed doors.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Tell Me No Lies in Books
Nov 17, 2018
A bit slow in the middle but worth reading.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
"Tell Me No Lies" by Alex Sinclair starts as a love story but quickly becomes a psychological thriller that questions how well we really know those around us, especially those close to us. How well do you know your husband, wife, or significant other?
Leaving a dinner celebrating their 5th anniversary, John Dalton is a victim of a hit and run. He dies in the arms of his wife, Grace.
Desperate and grief stricken, Grace vows to figure out the meaning of John's last words to her. In doing so, she learns she did not know her husband at all. How much of her marriage was true?
I enjoyed the premise and much of the story. However, Grace's many of her actions were unbelievable and far fetched. The story did include an interesting and surprising twist which made the story worth finishing.
In the beginning of the novel, I sympathized with Grace. However, her actions made me stop rooting for her and just wanted to finish the book. I am glad I finished it and would read a different book by the author and have added one of his three other works to my "want to read" list on Goodreads.
"Tell Me No Lies" by Alex Sinclair starts as a love story but quickly becomes a psychological thriller that questions how well we really know those around us, especially those close to us. How well do you know your husband, wife, or significant other?
Leaving a dinner celebrating their 5th anniversary, John Dalton is a victim of a hit and run. He dies in the arms of his wife, Grace.
Desperate and grief stricken, Grace vows to figure out the meaning of John's last words to her. In doing so, she learns she did not know her husband at all. How much of her marriage was true?
I enjoyed the premise and much of the story. However, Grace's many of her actions were unbelievable and far fetched. The story did include an interesting and surprising twist which made the story worth finishing.
In the beginning of the novel, I sympathized with Grace. However, her actions made me stop rooting for her and just wanted to finish the book. I am glad I finished it and would read a different book by the author and have added one of his three other works to my "want to read" list on Goodreads.
FilmIntuition (33 KP) rated An Anonymous Girl in Books
Dec 22, 2018
Takes 150 Pages to Get Going
Wasting a clever set-up that feels like a cross between David Fincher's The Game and “the wrong man” motif that filled Alfred Hitchcock’s filmography, after strapped-for-cash twenty-something makeup artist Jessica Farris participates in a paid ethics study intended for someone else, An Anonymous Girl takes roughly 150 pages to get going.
Graduating from creepy to only mildly thrilling, predictably Jessica discovers that the study was the bait needed to lure her into a diabolical shrink’s carnival funhouse of lies and manipulation where very little is what it seems.
Needless to say, it's a disappointing return to the genre for Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen following their smash hit The Wife Between Us. And while An Anonymous Girl has the makings of a much greater psychological mystery, the authors don't invest nearly as much thought into the heroine as the book's villain, which means that the reader is usually three steps ahead of Jessica each time she gets a (fairly obvious) ticket to the clue bus.
Sticking it out due to mild curiosity as to how everything would turn out as well a desire to review An Anonymous Girl since St. Martin's Press, Bookish First, and NetGalley were kind enough to send me an arc, despite an intriguing idea, in the end, I think most readers will be tempted to put it down in favor of picking a different thriller up.
Graduating from creepy to only mildly thrilling, predictably Jessica discovers that the study was the bait needed to lure her into a diabolical shrink’s carnival funhouse of lies and manipulation where very little is what it seems.
Needless to say, it's a disappointing return to the genre for Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen following their smash hit The Wife Between Us. And while An Anonymous Girl has the makings of a much greater psychological mystery, the authors don't invest nearly as much thought into the heroine as the book's villain, which means that the reader is usually three steps ahead of Jessica each time she gets a (fairly obvious) ticket to the clue bus.
Sticking it out due to mild curiosity as to how everything would turn out as well a desire to review An Anonymous Girl since St. Martin's Press, Bookish First, and NetGalley were kind enough to send me an arc, despite an intriguing idea, in the end, I think most readers will be tempted to put it down in favor of picking a different thriller up.
ClareR (5846 KP) rated Never Have I Ever in Books
Aug 8, 2019
Prepare for a pretty wild ride!
Never Have I Ever is a psychological thriller which had me completely hooked from the first chapter. Amy is a housewife who teaches diving and is currently on maternity leave. She helps her friend Char to run a book club, which the other mums in her neighbourhood also come to (I think more drinking than reading goes on, to be honest!). At one of these meetings, a new person arrives. Roux is renting a local house for a short period of time, and gatecrashes the club, taking over entirely. She starts a game of ‘Never Have I Ever’, uncovers some of the other mums secrets, and lets Amy know in no uncertain terms that she knows her deepest, darkest secret. And Roux wants to be paid to keep that secret. But Amy isn’t going to just hand over the money.
I loved this - Roux is a great villain, and Amy is an intriguing character. I loved how the lines between good and bad were blurred where Amy was concerned, but she always remains a good mum and Stepmother throughout.
My heart was in my mouth pretty much the whole time - I warn you, there is no let up at all in this book at all!
I will most definitely be looking for more books by Joshilyn Jackson!
Many thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this fabulous book, and to The Pigeonhole for giving me the incentive to read it!
I loved this - Roux is a great villain, and Amy is an intriguing character. I loved how the lines between good and bad were blurred where Amy was concerned, but she always remains a good mum and Stepmother throughout.
My heart was in my mouth pretty much the whole time - I warn you, there is no let up at all in this book at all!
I will most definitely be looking for more books by Joshilyn Jackson!
Many thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this fabulous book, and to The Pigeonhole for giving me the incentive to read it!
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