Day: October 19, 2021

So, what do you do when you guess a major twist early in a psychological thriller? Do you stop reading because you think you know what happens? Or do you trust the author enough to keep reading and see if you’re right?

And if there is anything else up their sleeve?

This is my dilemma with this book. I was so certain that I was right that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep reading. Fortunately, I went with my gut and chose the latter. I’m glad I did because there is a lot more to unpack than meets the eye.

The author does a great job of keeping the reader off-balance as to who is good or bad. But are those lines easily drawn anyway? There are more than a few additional twists and some pretty nifty character projections.

And the final pages completely cast the whole previous story in a different light.

I think Sara is a unique character. On the surface, she seems like a normal, shy person who has a routine that she prefers to stick to (rather than try new things). However, it becomes very clear that there are a lot of undercurrents to her and that is largely a façade.

To me, the way she treats Poppy is indicative of how she feels about people and animals in general while also illustrating how damaged her psyche is.

How’s that for not being a spoiler?

I found Bradley to be quite a conundrum. Kudos to the author for that as well. I was never sure of his status (friend, foe, faker, or fatality) – I thought he was each of these at one point or another throughout the story.

I think that Sara and Bradley’s relationship is the perfect example of “like attracts like” because they are more similar than either of them realize.

There are a few parts that seem to be glossed over or the explanation doesn’t entirely ring true to me. Even after finishing the story and realizing why the author made those choices, I still am not entirely sure.

But it wasn’t enough to keep me from liking this psychological thriller.

And actually, while reflecting on it to write this review, I realize just how twisted and complicated the entire story is. If there is ever a book that could be described as an “intricate web of connections and half-truths,” this is the one.

As I am going down this thought path now, even more connections and questions are popping up in my mind. I rarely go back and read a book a second time these days; there are too many good books and not enough time.

But now I’m thinking I may need to with this one because I’m pretty sure that I missed a lot of subtlety in the events.

I guess that is the sign of a great book, right? One that keeps you thinking and wondering what you missed? But you should read this psychological thriller for yourself and see what you think.

Other psychological thrillers by this author:

• The Wife’s House
• The Newlyweds

Author Bio

Arianne Richmonde is a half British, half American, USA TODAY bestselling author, who lives in France with her husband and four-legged family. Surrounded by vineyards and sunflower fields in an old stone farmhouse they restored, she fills her days creating twisty novels full of suspense and intrigue. When she isn’t writing she loves to travel, especially to warm, exotic countries, all in the name of research. She used to be an actress so likes nothing more than to immerse herself in the minds and lives of her characters.