Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing - Thomas & Mercer for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tense, heart-pounding, and crazy psychological thriller! The suspense does build slowly in this one.
I really enjoyed Annie’s character, the dialogue, and the many plot twists!

Highly recommend reading if you enjoy:
• Slow-burn
• Locked room mystery
• Hawaii setting
• Shocking plot

I went into this book blind, so I had no idea what was going to happen. Annie is our MC, and we learn that she has a tragic past, but we don’t really know what happened. One night, a heavy storm hits and a random woman knocks on Annie’s door. But she might not be so random after all…

I really liked the overall plot and was totally fascinated by Serena (the random woman). It was obvious from the start that something was off about her, but I could not figure out what was going on and I was desperate to get some answers!

This is definitely a slow burn, with the first 60% of the book basically being a conversation between Annie and Serena. There were so many moments where I wanted to yell at Annie because something was clearly wrong. Her thought process bothered me so much. But once the twists started coming and the action picked up, I was captivated. The ending was pretty ominous too, which I liked.

If I learned anything from reading this novel, it’s that I shouldn’t let a strange woman into my home to drink wine and proceed to tell her every personal detail of my life (but didn’t I already know that…?).

Kauai was meant to be a fresh start for Annie but things aren't going as well as she' hoped. And then she opens to the door to Selena, a woman she does not know, in the midddle of a terrible storm. They talk and talk and talk. Honestly, I've been a fan of Butler this didn't grab me. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A miss from me.

The pages flew by in this book. The majority of the story took place within a matter of hours, in one room, with two people. A difficult task, but done successfully.

The book was a little predictable, at time repetitive, and even a bit unbelievable.

However, despite the flaws I did enjoy this story and would pick up another book by Butler

Annie Lin needs a reset on her life. After a tragic incident with her son, she and her husband, Brody, move to Kauai to start again. With her father and her sister living next door, Annie is hoping to pull herself out of her depression and panic attacks. During an epic rainstorm, Annie finds herself alone when a stranger comes to the door, asking for help as her car broke down on the street. Hesitant at first, Annie is unsure, but eventually invites the stranger, Serena, into her home to wait out the storm.

Both women quickly find common ground and start sharing their stories with each other over wine and dinner as the storm rages on outside. But as the storm continues, something about Serena makes Annie uneasy. Why does it seem that Serena knows more about Annie than she's letting on? Can Serena be trusted?

This book was quick and I found myself impatiently turning the pages to find out what happens next. But, I found the book to be a little frustrating. There were SO many red flags that Annie just failed to see. And the text messages between Annie and her husband seemed odd considering there was a strange woman in their home. While the story was great and the psychological thriller aspect of it was enjoyable, there were little things that drove me nuts about Annie and Serena's interactions. Overall, it was a quick fast paced read and a good plot.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing, GetRedPR, Let'sTalkBooksPromo and NetGalley for this early review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I had a hard time getting into this book. I spent most of the first few chapters very confused - which is expected of a thriller/mystery book. However, I was so confused, and felt like I was just being given random information to remind me that I was in a thriller book, that it just wasn't enjoyable.

The main character is pretty unlikeable for a long time, and this book really played into the "woman main character drunk because of past trauma and is therefore unreliable" trope that accompanies so many of these stories. I love an unreliable narrator, but I'm bored with them just being drunk/drinking all the time.

In the end, the twists and turns and drama played out nicely, it was just very difficult to get into the story. I almost DNF'd it at around 15%, but I am glad that I kept going.

I wanted to get into this one, but just couldn’t. There was some suspense there, but I couldn’t get on board with the main character. Thank you for my review copy!

Annie hasn’t been the same since that fateful year she lost her beloved dog and mother as well as her dance studio and career so close together. Years later and she’s still trying to shake off that bad feeling and get her life back on track. She figured moving to Kauai to be near family might do the trick, I mean who can be grumpy in paradise?

However when things she thought she lost from her life in New York randomly start showing up she starts to feel unsettled. Things only get more confusing when during a huge storm, a stranger knocks on her door hoping to seek refuge as the storm passes. As the night goes on Annie begins to realize that this woman is no stranger and wonders how their crossed paths will effect her family and future.

Someone Else’s Life is told in from Annie’s POV with entries from a computer file mixed within. The short chapters and suspenseful setting help make this a fast read.

The story itself was decent, there was a wonderful atmospheric and suspenseful tone set. I did guess the twist pretty early on but I still thought it was a solid idea that I enjoyed seeing play out in the end.

Unfortunately I thought Annie wasn’t a very likable character and she made some frustratingly stupid decisions. The writing was also too repetitive for me (especially in the first half) and the dialogue a bit awkward.

Overall this was a solid thriller with a decent plot and gorgeous cover that just had some letdowns with the characters and dialogue. I would definitely be open to reading more from this author in the future!

Annie has moved to Kauai with her husband and son for a fresh start after a series of stressful events have left her drained and fearing for her sanity. Living in her dad's guest house provides support as she tries to get her life back together. Annie is enjoying some quiet time while her dad and sister watch her young son until a stranger appears on her doorstep looking for help. As an intense storm develops, so does Annie's connection with her new friend. Why does Serena seem so familiar?

Annie is a stressed-out mom with relatable personal setbacks. As her past is revealed through conversations with her unexpected guest, the truth slowly unravels, constantly building tension. The limited characters in this mostly real-time thriller keep the pages turning with a focus on the dynamic between Annie and her guest.

Grab this one for a quick and uniquely styled suspense read. The writing is accessible and uncomplicated while moving the story forward. It's a great escape novel for a Saturday afternoon or a day at the beach.

SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE began with an interesting premise....and ended with an awful execution.

The writing felt very juvenile and was very, very repetitive. I honestly feel like I've read several books with a similar plot points....all done much better than this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for my #arc in exchange for an honest review.

Annie and Brody, her husband, move to Kauai, Hawaii after an incident involving their son, Finn, at their home in New York. To add to that, she has recently lost her mother and also lost her beloved dance studio. Her father and sister are in Kauai and they decide it would be a good move for them all.

A terrible storm hits when Annie is home alone. Having been through a hurricane myself, I felt the author's description of the storm, the rising water, all of it, was so realistic and well done.

During the storm, a woman, Serena, knocks on her door and says her car broke down and she needs selter from the storm. Annie lets her in (I was *SCREAMING* at her not to do it!). She texts her husband a bit and after some conversation, she feels comfortable with Serena staying through the storm with her.

Then as they talk Annie realizes Serena knows things about her that Annie never mentioned and Serena could not know. But she does. Panic sets in. Who is Serena and why is she there?

This book was so twisty and shocking! I had suspected a totally different ending and was shocked!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my gifted ARC.

This one was hard for me to get into and didn’t quite capture my attention like most thrillers do, but I read on and finally finished it. While I enjoyed the far fetched story line and the ending has me wondering what the heck happens to Annie in the end, I just didn’t find it as exciting as I thought it’d be. Serena was a psycho and the fact that she stalked Annie for all those years was crazy, but when you find out why in the end it kind of makes you feel bad for Serena, even though she’s still crazy and deserves to be locked up :P all of it had me saying omg and wtf a lot in my head and now that I’ve finally finished it I feel like I’d totally read the sequel if one was to come out just to find out what happens next!

This atmospheric read had me up past by bedtime racing through twists and turns to the thrilling conclusion! I just had.to.know by the end. The story takes place on the island of Kauai over the span of just a few days with a hurricane unleashing havoc on the island. The main character, Annie, opens her home to a stranger, Serena, whose car broke down in the flooded roads. The two women try to make the most of the storm by sharing wine and stories about their past, quickly revealing many overlapping similarities and past traumas. As the night progresses, and the storm intensifies, Annie realizes Serena knows too much about her life and begin to question her identify and what she wants from her.
This was a 4 star slow burn, page-turner, locked room mystery executed with just enough paranoia and doubt to keep me guessing until the end. I thorough enjoyed it and recommend you add this to your thriller TBR for the year. Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing, the author, and Let’s Talk Books promotion team for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.


@lynliaobutler @amazonpublishing @getredprbooks @letstalkbookspromo
#someoneelseslife #letstalkbookspromo

Wow... just wow! This one was a gripping page turner that I could not put down!

If a hurricane hits your town and a stranger knocks on your door would you let them in? Annie was home alone and let the stranger into her home and begins to befriend the woman who knocked on her door. Annie's life has had some hardships the past 4 years that caused her to move to Hawaii to be closer to her family. But who is the woman who knocked on her door and seems to know so much about her life??

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you @getredpr for a copy of this book. I was intrigued by the premise of the book being set in Kauai during a rainstorm. The story centers on what happens with Annie when a stranger knocks on her door and ask if she can stay to weather the storm.

I wanted to know how Serena and Annie was connected. It took a long time to get to the connection and the story was a bit repetitive. There was a convo that Serena speaks she was an only child and again Annie ask her later in the book if she is an only child. Not sure if they was an edit error or meant to show Annie's state of mind.

The storm made a tense setting. I didn't understand why if Annie opened her house to a stranger to not be with the rest of the family in the main house for safety in numbers. I think this book had potential but needed to be fleshed out a bit more.

I did not particularly care for this book, though I thought it had a great premise. The pacing felt off--slow in places and too quick in other places. Plus, the number of coincidences that piled up became more than seemed plausible. I think this book had such great potential, but fell short in my eyes.

Overall I enjoyed this thriller, considering that I don't read a ton of thrillers! The story goes in a lot of unexpected places, and I finished the book within 24 hours! I also thought the two main characters do a good job of talking about issues of mental health, being mothers, feeling lost in their lives. I also kept thinking, why doesn't the main character trust her instincts more! ahaha. Why is she talking to this stranger? (but isn't that the plot of a lot of thrillers lol). I was shouting out plot points to my partner bc I was getting into the plot.

I wished that there was more information about the main character's background (mixed Native Hawaiian and Taiwanese/Chinese), but the story focused a lot more on the Taiwanese aspect. [So, why even bother including the Native Hawaiian part?] And, as someone who is very conscientious of settler colonial issues, I also felt like the book could've been located somewhere else. I'm not a fan of Asian American authors reinforcing settler colonialism without at least some minimal information about the context of Kauai. There are several mentions of being in "paradise," which is problematic. It looks like the author did live in Kauai for 2 months during the pandemic, but definitely wish she had some awareness of Native Hawaiian struggles... otherwise, the book could've literally been located in any other city.--it wasn't essential to the plot, even with the random references to some restaurants or Native Hawaiian foods. This is something that would likely not bother most readers but it did stick out to me, esp when the main characters are from privileged backgrounds.

Otherwise, if you enjoy thrillers about female relationships, I didn't see some of the twists and turns and enjoyed it.

This one had me HOOKED. There were some parts of the plot that were such obvious warnings to the MC and were overlooked. I think part of the challenge with a plot like this is creating characters who will overlook any red flags, even though they're apparent to the reader. I think the author did a great job of this.

Overall, the plot is a bit predictable and the twists are hinted at, but it's executed about as well as it can be and you'll always be guessing what might happen next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eARC. I like the book at the very beginning but when the part of the book started to reveal the synopsis of parallel. identity, I was just beside myself. It was set up way too perfectly and I just did not want to read anymore. The main character just was way too naive and it just made the book too convenient. I really did not lile how this went.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book immediately pulled me in, but failed to keep my attention. A stranger shows up at Annie Lin's door, in the middle of a terrible storm, claiming to have a broken down car. We soon begin to realize that these women are connected and the rest of their story is slowly (oh so very slowly) revealed throughout the book.

I wish there had been more action earlier on in the book to keep my interest. There was a lot of repetition with the writing and it felt like the story stalled somewhere in the middle. It would have been nice to have some more flashback scenes with detail, rather than the narrator just telling us what what happening.