BOOK INFO

Title: The Au Pair

Author: Emma Rous

Publisher: Berkley

Publish Date: January 8, 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother, Danny, were born in the middle of summer at their family’s estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.

Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is smiling serenely and holding just one baby.

Who is the child, and what really happened that day?

MY REVIEW

Shortly after Seraphine and her twin brother were born, their mother killed herself. In addition to her mother’s death, the au pair also quietly left that summer. Now Seraphine and her brother are adults, and their father has recently passed away. After going through his things, Seraphine starts to question the past and what she has always been told happened the summer they were born.

The Au Pair is told with the alternating points of Seraphine and Laura, the au pair. Seraphine’s story is told in present day as she attempts to piece together what happened in the past. Laura’s story takes place in the past, the summer the twins were born. With both narrators, I was sometimes questioning how reliable they were, which made for an intriguing read.

A suspenseful story about secrets from the past. The Au Pair offers plenty of twistiness. In the end, I felt all the twists led to an ending that was a bit ridiculous. A fun and entertaining read if you don’t require a realistic storyline. Family secrets and mystery.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Emma Rous:

1. The Au Pair
2. The Perfect Guests

BOOK INFO

Title: A Simple Favor

Author: Darcey Bell

Publisher: Harper

Publish Date: March 21, 2017

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

She’s your best friend.

She knows all your secrets.

That’s why she’s so dangerous.

A single mother’s life is turned upside down when her best friend vanishes in this chilling debut thriller in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

It starts with a simple favor—an ordinary kindness mothers do for one another. When her best friend, Emily, asks Stephanie to pick up her son Nicky after school, she happily says yes. Nicky and her son, Miles, are classmates and best friends, and the five-year-olds love being together—just like she and Emily. A widow and stay-at-home mommy blogger living in woodsy suburban Connecticut, Stephanie was lonely until she met Emily, a sophisticated PR executive whose job in Manhattan demands so much of her time.

But Emily doesn’t come back. She doesn’t answer calls or return texts. Stephanie knows something is terribly wrong—Emily would never leave Nicky, no matter what the police say. Terrified, she reaches out to her blog readers for help. She also reaches out to Emily’s husband, the handsome, reticent Sean, offering emotional support. It’s the least she can do for her best friend. Then, she and Sean receive shocking news. Emily is dead. The nightmare of her disappearance is over.

Or is it? Because soon, Stephanie will begin to see that nothing—not friendship, love, or even an ordinary favor—is as simple as it seems.

A Simple Favor is a remarkable tale of psychological suspense—a clever and twisting free-fall of a ride filled with betrayals and reversals, twists and turns, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty, murder and revenge. Darcey Bell masterfully ratchets up the tension in a taut, unsettling, and completely absorbing story that holds you in its grip until the final page.

MY REVIEW

Stephanie and Emily are best friends. Emily asks a favor of Stephanie – to watch her son one afternoon and she’ll pick him up that evening… but Emily never comes back.

Stephanie is a widow and mommy blogger with a young son. Emily is a working mom with a young son. They don’t seem to have much in common, other than their sons are friends, but soon they also become friends. They also both have secrets in their past that they don’t want to get out.

A Simple Favor is told with alternating points of view – Stephanie, Emily, and Sean. Plus, some of the story is told using posts from Stephanie’s blog. Stephanie is naive, creepy, and fake. Emily is arty, manipulative, and awful. Sean is Emily’s dopey husband.

A Simple Favor is a twisted psychological thriller. I enjoyed the writing style, but the story itself was not that great. Stephanie and Emily are both unlikable, and not in a “they’re morally corrupt, but interesting” way. Even with unlikable characters, I want to root for someone, and this book didn’t have that. There were some interesting happenings and twists. It’s just unfortunate that I never connected with any characters.

Books by Darcey Bell:

1. A Simple Favor
2. Something She’s Not Telling Us
3. All I Want
4. Woman of the Year

BOOK INFO

Title: Baby Teeth

Author: Zoje Stage

Publisher: St Martin’s Press

Publish Date: July 17, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

MEET HANNA: Seven-year-old Hanna is a sweet-but-silent angel in the eyes of her adoring father Alex. He’s the only person who understands her. But her mother Suzette stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

MEET SUZETTE: Suzette loves her daughter, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. She’s also becoming increasingly frightened by Hanna’s little games, while her husband Alex remains blind to the failing family dynamics. Soon, Suzette starts to fear that maybe their supposedly innocent baby girl may have a truly sinister agenda.
A battle of wills between mother and daughter reveals the frailty and falsehood of familial bonds in award-winning playwright and filmmaker Zoje Stage’s tense novel of psychological suspense, Baby Teeth.

MY REVIEW

Suzette and Alex’s daughter, Hanna, is a difficult child. They want to raise her in a loving environment, but it is proving more and more difficult as Hanna’s behavior becomes worse.

Baby Teeth is told from alternating points of view – Suzette and Hanna. Suzette is not only dealing with her difficult child, but also suffers from chronic illness. This combination has created a lot of stress and unhappiness in her life. She notices how devious Hanna is, but Alex doesn’t want to believe anything bad about his little girl. Hanna is seven-years-old, but doesn’t speak and displays anti-social behavior. Hannah is super creepy and diabolical. Suzette is to the point where she can no longer handle Hanna’s behavior, and Hanna is only becoming more cruel toward her mother.

I read a lot of mixed reviews on Baby Teeth, and had originally decided to pass on reading it. I ended up borrowing it from my local library. I found it to be an entertaining and quick read. Some parts were compelling, and I was curious what would happen, but other parts fell flat. Good for fans of psychological thrillers like The Perfect Child and other books featuring creepy kids.

BOOK INFO

Title: Watching You

Author: Lisa Jewell

Publisher: Atria Books

Publish Date: December 26, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

You’re back home after four years working abroad, new husband in tow. You’re keen to find a place of your own. But for now, you’re crashing in your big brother’s spare room.

That’s when you meet the man next door. He’s the head teacher at the local school. Twice your age. Extraordinarily attractive.

You find yourself watching him. All the time. But you never dreamed that your innocent crush might become a deadly obsession.

Or that someone is watching you.

MY REVIEW

Multiple people in the same neighborhood have connections in their lives. They watch one another, think about one another, and keep secrets from one another.

This book has a lot of characters and multiple stories happening. At first, I found this confusing, but once I got the hang of who everyone was and how they were connected, it was an enjoyable read. The characters include Joey and her husband Alfie, Jack and his wife Rebecca, The Fitzwilliams, and Jenna and her mom Frances. Joey and Alfie are young newlyweds who got married after a whirlwind romance. They are living with Joey’s brother Jack and his wife Rebecca. The Fitzwilliams are neighbors, and Joey is attracted to Tom Fitzwilliam. Tom is married to Nicola and they have a son, Freddie. Tom is charming and handsome, and attracts the ladies. Freddie spends his free time spying on the neighborhood. Also in the neighborhood are Jenna and her mother Frances. Jenna is a student at the school where Tom works, and Frances is paranoid and mentally unstable.

These residents of the same neighborhood have current lives that intersect, but some of them also have connections in their past. Making things more interesting, some of the neighbors spend time watching one another, and almost everyone has secrets. When a murder takes place in the neighborhood, secrets start to be revealed.

Watching You is a character driven psychological thriller. Maybe it’s because I read a lot of thrillers, but the twists didn’t really come as a surprise. It was still an intriguing read, and one I recommend. Dark, complex, and twisted.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Lisa Jewell:

1. The Third Wife
2. The Girls in the Garden
3. I Found You
4. Then She Was Gone
5. Watching You
6. Invisible Girl
7. The Night She Disappeared
8. None of This Is True

BOOK INFO

Title: For Better and Worse

Author: Margot Hunt

Publisher: MIRA

Publish Date: December 11, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

BOOK BLURB

On their first date back in law school, Natalie and Will Clarke bonded over drinks, dinner and whether they could get away with murder. Now married, they’ll put the latter to the test when an unchecked danger in their community places their son in jeopardy. Working as a criminal defense attorney, Nat refuses to rely on the broken legal system to keep her family safe. She knows that if you want justice…you have to get it yourself.

Shocked to discover Nat’s taken matters into her own hands, Will has no choice but to dirty his, also. His family is in way too deep to back down now. He’s just not sure he recognizes the woman he married. Nat’s always been fiercely protective, but never this ruthless or calculating. With the police poking holes in their airtight plan, what will be the first to fall apart: their scandalous secret—or their marriage?

MY REVIEW

Natalie and Will met in law school, and on their first date had a conversation about getting away with murder. Now it is 14 years later, and Nat and Will are married and have an eleven-year-old son. Their old conversation is revisited when Nat decides they need to protect their son, and the only way to do that is to kill the person who is abusing him.

This novel poses an interesting question. How far would you go to protect your child? Nat is a defense attorney, and knows how flawed the legal system can be. Her main concern is keeping her son safe, so she wants to take care of things herself. While Nat believes they are smart enough to get away with murder, Will is not exactly on board with her plan.

Told from two points of view – Nat and Will – though, most of the story is from Nat’s POV. Nat is smart, resourceful, and very protective of her family. Will is more inattentive and impulsive. Clearly, this results in some issues in their marriage, parenting, and, of course, murder planning.

For Better and Worse is an intriguing story. A great read for fans of domestic psychological thrillers. Clever, dark, and calculating.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by Margot Hunt:

1. Best Friends Forever
2. For Better and Worse
3. The Last Affair
4. Lovely Girls
5. The Guests

BOOK INFO

Title: Lying in Wait

Author: Liz Nugent

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

Publish Date: June 12, 2018

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Series: na

My Rating: 3/5

BOOK BLURB

My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.

On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons has the perfect life: married to a respected judge, mother of a beloved son, living in the beautiful house where she was raised. That beautiful house, however, holds a secret. And when Lydia’s son, Laurence, discovers its secret, wheels are set in motion that lead to an increasingly claustrophobic and devastatingly dark climax.

MY REVIEW

Lydia seems to have a prefect life, but things are not what they seem. Lydia has a secret that impacts not only her life, but others too, especially her son Laurence.

Lying in Wait is told with three alternating points of view – Lydia, Laurence, and Karen. Lydia is a wife and mother who takes pride in her home. She works hard to present a good image, but she is not a good person. Laurence is her son. He is seventeen years old when the story opens. He struggles with his weight and deals with other teen issues. He knows his parents are hiding something, and things change when he discovers their secret. Karen is sister to Annie Doyle, a troubled young woman who went missing and was never found. Karen loves her sister dearly, and continues to look for answers about her sister.

The story opens in 1980, and covers events that happen near the end of the year. Then the story picks up again in 1985. Time has passed, but it is hard to keep secrets hidden. The novel revolves around one main secret, but once one lie is told, many others follow.

The characters aren’t likable, and I wasn’t loving how some of their stories were told. Lydia is by far the most despicable character, but she’s also the most intriguing. Lying in Wait is quite twisted and does present a shocking ending. I have mixed feelings about the final section, which is kind of a ‘where are they now’ epilogue. For the most part, I enjoyed it, but there was one thing that really bothered me and took a little enjoyment of the story away.

Dark and disturbing. Lying in Wait is good for fans that enjoy a lot of family dysfunction, and a little unreliable sociopath, in their psychological thrillers.

Books by Liz Nugent:

1. Unraveling Oliver
2. Skin Deep
3. Lying in Wait
4. Little Cruelties
5. Strange Sally Diamond