Thank you to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Lyn Liao Butler for a copy of Someone Else's Life in exchange for an honest review! This one captured me almost right away and I had to finish it as soon as possible. I enjoyed the different perspectives throughout the story and I constantly found myself with different theories throughout my reading journey. This one gave me goosebumps while reading and had me turning around to make sure no one was watching me. I felt like the characters were extremely well developed as well!! The setting of this one was also amazing and the author made me feel like I was in Hawaii! Mark your calendars because this comes out on February 1st and you won't want to miss it!

As a mother i would do anything for my children at any given time.
This book was really interesting and dark at the same time. I love a good domestic psychological thriller and while it ticks most boxes for a great one, I also felt like loosing interest at times. It felt too far fetched in parts and the characters were a bit too driven for my liking.
I’m sure many lovers of the genre will enjoy it but it’s not a memorable one for me.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley, Read now title.

I don’t read thrillers as much as I would like to, but when I do I always want to be surprised.
In this case, sadly, the story was just very predictable to me.

Annie and Serena (a mysterious woman) talk for hours, opening their hearts, sharing facts from the past. They talk about their families, jobs, life experiences, cities, etc. Even though they're completely different, they understand each others feelings. As far as Annie knew, they had never seen each other before. It’s weird to feel so close to a stranger. At first, she gets a bit scared, not sure if she made the right decision welcoming an unknown woman into her place. But after all the things they shared, it's hard not to see her as new friend.

One detail in particular gave away to me the reason why they were connected. After reading *that*, I just knew where this story would go…

The second half is more intense and I wish I was excited about it, but honestly I just wasn’t “feeling it”. The reactions didn’t seem natural sometimes. And also, the red flags were everywhere but Annie just ignored them all… It's too frustrating for my taste. Still, I wanted to know how the story would end.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for the DRC!

Someone Else's Life is a domestic thriller about two women take refuge during a storm. As these two women keep each other company, the truth is revealed as one mother tries to protect her son from the women who claims she got the wrong child in the hospital.

A mother's love is a ferocious thing when the child she loves is in danger. As these two women fight for the child they each believe is theirs, a storm rages and lives are in danger from several forces.

This was an interesting story, but unbelievable just the same. I can't say I would let a stranger in my house during a hurricane. I struggled with this one, just didn't feel right to me.

Title: Someone Else's Life
Author: Lyn Liao Butler
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

My Review:

The title name 'Someone Else's Life' pretty up sets the stage for this mystery/thriller book. Annie and her family have moved from New York to Kauai for a fresh start. Annie is of half Chinese and half Taiwanese descent. Her family though is supportive are not that open to talk about mental illnesses. She is struggling and due to this her family is struggling as well. Enters a woman. Who is she and what is her purpose?

The premise is excellent. The setting is atmospheric and this book had a potential to be really good. But it falters. Without revealing the plot, all I can is that Annie's intuition is screaming, your loved ones are telling you to be careful, yet Annie is not worried. From a trauma perspective I can understand why Annie bonded with this stranger but the constant discussion of same things again and again is a bit too much.

I personally didn't bond with any character because there's not a whole lot of depth in any of the characters. Had the prose been a little bit free flowing rather than the constant discussion of how the two women can be best friends even with lot of red flags, I would have really liked the book.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this book.

CW: This book deals with depression, psychosis, infanticide, murder and kidnapping.

Really more like a 2.5 which I would normally round up; however, I can't say that I liked it. This book felt like a first draft. A solid draft, but not a finished book. The premise was excellent but the execution was lacking. Throughout it I kept thinking about ways the presentation could have been improved. There is way too much foreshadowing and that feeling of dread. Yes, the reader gets it. Something is wrong. But this holding pattern goes on for too long with nothing gained. It goes from being suspenseful to being annoying. And then finally things start moving and the mystery is solved but there is still another 10% left to the book! This last section could have been left out or shortened to about 2 pages. A biproduct of that would have also removed some problematic language that someone should have caught. (I'd share but it might be a spoiler.) Needless to say, that didn't help matters as I finished the book with a bad taste in my mouth.

Someone Else’s Life by Lyn Liao Butler is a book with which I struggled, but mostly because I found this one to be an interesting story idea restrained by narrative structure choices and wildly improbable and under-developed plot twists. The premise has so much promise: after personal losses and a tragic accident in New York, Annie, her husband, and their young son move to Hawaii to be closer to her family. Yet Annie still feels unease and trauma — until a friendly stranger shows up on their doorstep, seeking shelter from a massive storm. I feel like I read a first draft of a compelling thriller — one that still had those weird structural problems, slightly cringy dialogue, odd plot pacing, and inconsistent character choices. More fine-tuning and this would have been a solid, suspenseful read.

I went into this with high expectations after seeing some really great reviews - and that gorgeous cover - but this one just didn’t work for me.

I had such high hopes for this one and I sadly didn't love it. I usually love a locked room mystery but the pacing was just off here. I felt like it dragged on a lot and was a bit redundant I just kept waiting to be riveted or for it to get to the point. I saw another reviewer say that they thought this would've been better as a short story and I totally agree. Al of the ideas were there it was just too dragged out.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Lyn Liao Butler for allowing me to read this book early! This book definitely caught my attention, but I did notice some interesting things in it. It could be very repetitive and (best word I can find) dramatic. You wanted to feel for Annie, but she could be a bit annoying at times. I did guess what was going to happen - wasn’t major twist and turns, but I really did enjoy Lyn Liao Butler’s writing style.

Annie, Brody and their son Finn move to Kauai, Hawaii for a fresh start after tragedy and life dreams shatter. Fortunately Annie has family to fall back on, but she continues to feel haunted by their past in New York.

Why does Annie feel like she is being watched? Why are random previously lost objects appearing again?

As a severe storm hits and Annie is home alone, hoping to relax with a bottle of wine, a somewhat familiar stranger appears at her door. What initially feels awkward, Annie finds herself connecting to Serena in a way she hasn’t with anyone in a long time. Bits and pieces creep up in their conversation that Serena shouldn’t know, or would she?

As the suspense thickens Annie finds herself questioning her sanity, but the real clincher is at the end.

This is a slow burn domestic thriller. I liked the Hawaiian storm going on and the background story. The dialogue between Annie and Serena was unrealistic, but it held my interest.

Fascinating slow burn suspense with two women trapped in paradise and two backstories packed with trauma. What will happen? This is a debut, and occassionally it shows, but I enjoyed the simmering plot that built and built and built into a great climax. Truly recommend

3.5 stars. The premise was so interesting. I had quite a few theories at different points of reading and did end up figuring out both twists. I thought after the first twist that that would be it. But then the second twist happened and everything became a bit too far fetched. I understand that this is just a book and anything can happen but I think it should’ve been one or the other, not both. I feel like the book was too long for what it was. And Annie was way too nonchalant when Serena knew way too much information about EVERYTHING. I liked the last third of the book more than the rest and I did finish it so I’m rating it 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review an ARC of this book.

This is the second book I’ve read recently that was set in Hawaii. It is cold and blustery here and I am dreaming of somewhere warmer, storm or not. This is also the second book I was talking to the main character to ask what were they thinking?!?! Maybe I have read too many thrillers (is that possible?), but do not let strangers into your house.

The book is suspenseful and twisty, but also quite the slow burn. A little bit dark and disturbing and a little bit nuts. I am also always a big fan of books with different cultures. I love learning how the world works elsewhere.

If you are a fan of slow burn, dark thrillers, you should give this one a read.

Someone Else’s Life by Lyn Butler is a great thriller. Annie Lin’s life is falling apart. She feels like she has lost everything including items around her home. Her family moves to Kauai. She is trying to start her life over when she lets someone in during a big storm. That may not have been the best plan.

Thrillers are not my usual MO, but I stayed up way too late to finish Someone Else’s Life. I enjoyed the story. The sweet rescue dog, Marley, the setting of Kauai, and getting to know the different characters made for a great read. The author weaves in the past and the present seamlessly while contrasting living in paradise with Annie's perception of her life. The themes of treasuring your loved ones, connecting with family, and appreciating the gift of life resonated with me.

This was a quick enjoyable read that drew me in and kept me up late. I am a big fan of the author’s other works and enjoyed reading something outside her usual genre. I recommend the story.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

After suffering more than one trauma in their lives, Annie, Brody and their 4 year old son, Finn, have relocated to Kauai. Selling their dream home on a lake on the outskirts of Manhattan, they are starting fresh. Annie can’t seem to put her depression aside and is even questioning her sanity when things she’s lost are suddenly reappearing. When Kauai suffers a major storm, a stranger shows up at Annie’s door asking to shelter there until the storm abates. Unsure at first, Annie decides to let Serena in. Bonding quickly, the two find several things in common, but Serena’s presence could change Annie’s life. Has Annie made the new friend she so desperately craves or the worst mistake of her life? As the storm unfurls outside, will it seep inside as well? Filled with some mighty good twists, this was a fast paced, enjoyable read! Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Annie and her family moved from New York to Hawaii to be closer to her Dad and siblings after a traumatic event. However, as she tries to settle into life in Kauai, reminders of her past keep popping up: her dog's collar, a long lost bracelet etc. Then one day a huge storm hits the island. Annie is home alone when a woman knocks on her door seeking shelter.... AND SHE LETS HER IN! As the nights goes on, major red flags occur and Annie starts to realise that this woman isnt a stranger at all.

The premise of this book sounded very promising. However, I struggled to be drawn into the story. Annie came across as rather silly at times (why would she let her stranger into her house in a raging storm when home alone? why did she act like they were best friends and had known each other for ages when skyped friends back in NYC? why did she never listen to her gut when Serena was throwing out major red flag?). I almost DNF'd because it was very annoying and it felt like a vicious cycle of Annie being suspicious and wondering if she had or had not told Serena the information she was currently bringing up about her past and her family in their conversation to everything was ok and this is going to be my new friend. Very repetitive and awkward. I didn't feel tension building or a thrill, I wanted to roll my eyes at Annie.

Maybe locked room thrillers are just not for me.

Someone Else’s Life started off strong, but I think the story seemed to drag on forever and I lost interest quickly. The writing was good but I think the novel could have been shorter or maybe more thrilling. It is a lot of conversation between the characters.

I started out liking this story, but when I figured out the plot less than fifty percent of the way through, I was disappointed. It read like a Lifetime movie to me and that really let me down. The prose was easy to read, I could empathize with Annie, but then began questioning certain choices she began to make and then kept on making. I understand that she was in a vulnerable state, but then she wasn't doing enough to move herself away from this state that she had found herself in. This had so much potential to have me on edge, but all it did was make me frustrated and not in a good way.

Yeah, No. This Thriller had interesting premise but sadly it did not deliver. Had to DNF at 50% because of how poorly executed this book was.

Let's start with the writing style. It felt oddly weird, like it was written by a machine robot. It was just too childlike and fell flat.
I've seen middle grades written alot better. The writing style truly wasn't worthy of an Adult Thriller.

Secondly, the author extensively talked and described everything. As in, literally EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL. was mentioned.
The dog went. The dog came. He licked his snout, went to the otherside then came back. He sniffed a bug.
Total irrelevant information, not relative to the plot nor character depth. This bored me immensely.
Also, the author has no sense of what 'Too Much Information' means. What use is it to know that the MC went to the bathroom to pee out the wine she drank. 🤦‍♀️

Thirdly, the characters, specifically our MC drove me nuts. She could not have been dumber. I mean, a stranger stumbles upon her humble abode in the middle of strange circumstances and a storm. And although the MC is aware of how crime and thrillers work, she still has the audacity to let the stranger in while she's home alone and serve her tea and wine, and chat the night away.
She even goes to the lengths where she spills her whole life out to this stranger that she barely knows. And worse, she befriends her on the brief notion that the stranger understands what she's going through! And the MC even defends her against the people who truly care about her.
When it was she who had initially felt a feeling of discomfort from the stranger. WHAT EVEN. None of this is believable.
Not to mention that the stranger showed obvious signs of Red Flags that our MC noticed but chose to brush off.

Fourthly, at a certain point it all became too repetitive and dull. The MC doubts the stranger. Stranger does something to reassure her. MC reminiscences the past hardships. They both express their happiness and right choice in being there together and befriending each other. Some loved one asks about MC. She doubts stranger again. And on, and on till I've had enough.

One of the most undercooked thrillers I've ever read. My heart rate did not speed up. I felt no thrill coming of it. It was deathly boring and poorly executed from all sides.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC.