I was drawn to this book by the stunning cover. I absolutely adore it!
I also loved that it was set in Hawaii. The premise of the story sounded intriguing. However, the novel is too dialogue heavy which sometimes felt stilted. It was hard for me to feel connected to the characters or what was happening. Overall, as a thriller it just didn't hit the mark for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler follows main character Annie after she and her family (her husband Brody and son Finn) move from New York to Hawaii after a traumatic incident. During the course of a major storm, Annie decides to let in a woman named Serena whose car broke down.

I was initially drawn to this book by the beautiful cover (which I love!) and the fact that it is a mystery/thriller that takes place in Hawaii.

Overall, I was underwhelmed by this book. The story thrives mainly on the conversation between these two women, but the dialogue sometimes felt unnatural, and I didn't believe some of Annie's actions. I felt the plot was relatively predictable, but I did find myself wanting to know what happened.

As someone who lives in Hawaii, I felt many of the mentions and descriptions of places in Hawaii were like reading a tourism brochure. The author name-drops several places like restaurants and then goes on to explain what the place is or what the type of food is that they serve. I honestly wish the author had chosen for Annie to simply be a tourist -- all of these things would've felt more genuine and acceptable and you could've had snippets of her exploring the island, trying new foods and experiencing the culture. But, since Annie was acting as if she was a local and knew everything about Kauai, it felt a little cringey and some of the particular details of Hawaii simply didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the story. That's not to say that the places that she mentions aren't wonderful places to visit or enjoy, but just that the way it was all written felt like a superficial and top-level view of Hawaii. I think most of the these details that bothered me would not bother a reader who does not live in Hawaii. Judging from other reviews, many people seemed to view that aspect of the story positively.

In the end, I think I would still recommend this book to those who are looking for a read that's quick and easy to understand. I felt like it was something I could pick up whenever I had a few minutes and be entertained.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was a captivating and atmospheric thriller with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. There's so much to love here: the Hawaiian setting, an animal shelter with adorable doggos, a female MC who isn't perfect but striving to find her footing after a mysterious accident, and an ever-increasing creep factor with the backdrop of a tropical storm. Eager to see what Lyn Liao Butler writes next!

Well written an intense thriller. It starts out by wrapping you into the hard times of a regularly lived life and then turns into something creepy enough they could make into a movie. Left me with shivers and the look-over-the-shoulder feel.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Someone else’s life is a story that follows the life of Annie, a woman dealing with grief who relies on wine and pills to sleep and prevent panic attacks.
Annie moved from New York to Kauai with her husband and son after a little accident involving her son happened.
One day during a terrible storm, Annie lets a strange woman who claimed she needed help into her home. Annie is initially wary of this woman but after a few minutes of conversation and text messages to her husband, she lets her guard down.
As the storm raged on, the women drank wine and shared major life experiences and Annie begins to realise that this stranger knows too much about her life.
Who is this stranger Abd what does she want?


This was such a strong book with unexpected twists and turns. I had points where I found myself yelling at the actions of the main character.
Annie is a fascinating character. While she’s extremely flawed, her actions are relatable to an extent.

If you enjoyed reading Collen Hoover’s Verity, then you should check this out.

This book is the epitome of the psychological thriller genre. A series of awful events trigger the protagonist’s desire for change, and she gets a new home in Kauai. But things from her past turn up repeatedly, so much so that she instinctively knows that something is wrong.

This book had me gripped on the edge of my seat, it had me guessing, and has reignited my love for this genre.

You’re in for a storm!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of Someone Else’s Life. This was a fun read, although I wish more of the story had less about the time she spends with Serena, because the time with Serena dragged on and on after we got the message that the meeting wasn’t an accident. The intriguing stuff started after the storm was over, but that part of the story was just kind of skimmed over like it was an afterthought. The book did keep me reading to find out what Serena’s story was and to see when Annie would start catching on instead of thinking Serena is her new best friend. If you can immerse yourself in that aspect you will love this book.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A woman allows a stranger to enter her home during a terrible rain storm. As they get to talking, she realizes that the stranger knows too many things about her to be coincidences.

I enjoyed the first half of this novel with the anticipation of the reveal ahead, however as things being told started to get underway, it felt like she was overreaching with the details. The overall plot was solid, but the execution with all the twists became quite tedious and unrealistic. I think this could have been an excellent story had the editing been more on point. While knowing there were some surprises to come, I was not prepared for the flood (see what I did there🙃) of the half baked ideas to come. 2.5*

A great book! Edge of your seat read. Highly recommend it! Can’t wait to read more by this author! For sure will tell others about this book!

Annie and her husband, Brody, move to Hawaii after an accident happened involving their son, Finn, at their Lake House in New York. Annie's family is there in Kauai and she needs some time to think, as she has also suffered from losing her studio. One day during a terrible storm, a woman named Serena knocks on her door claiming that her car broke down and she needs help. Annie lets her in and at first, is not sure about this woman, after several texts to her husband she begins to feel comfortable and they form a bond and share some major events about their life. But then things turn weird and Annie realizes Serena knows too much about her life. Who is this woman and what does she want?

I started this book in the morning and couldn't put it down. I needed to know what was going on here. It was a bit slow to start but it still kept my interest. Once I got to the big reveal, I was a bit shocked as I was not expecting the twist. I would recommend this one to my friends. I really loved the setting and the idea of this book. It was just something a little different from what I have been reading lately.

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

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book had a few twists that kept things interesting, especially the twist at the end. Although I do feel like the ending could’ve been played out better. I do feel like the book was drawn out though. 3/4 of the book was of the two female characters talking and things felt dragged out and repetitive. I also felt the main character, Annie was too naive for her age. The action parts of the story lacked suspense in my opinion. Overall, a great idea and storyline, I just struggled to stay interested throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

The story follows Annie, our protagonist who has just moved with her son and husband to Hawaii after a tragic event that forced them to leave New York to start over. In typical thriller fashion, we start finding out more and more of what actually occurred that forced them to leave their dream home.

I really wanted to like this book. The cover is beautiful but I had trouble connecting with the main character. When we meet Annie, I felt like we were dropped into the middle of the story and I missed the first few chapters. I would have preferred to have gotten to know the character from the beginning and then follow her and her family until the events that forced them to move. I would have gotten the chance to sympathize with Annie. Even if 40% of the book was devoted to this, it would have helped me understand her more.

Since the majority of this book takes place over a matter of hours and between two characters, it felt like one big instant messenger chat in some parts. A lot of things were repeated a bit and it felt like the book dragged on. I also found it hard to believe that in this day and age, someone would let a stranger into their house and within a few short hours, consider them your BFF. Not to mention when things started getting creepy, our main character had times to escape for help, but she always stayed to listen to Serena. She lacked a sense of self preservation! I had to skim the last few pages just because I found it unbelievable some of the actions Annie took.

I did enjoy seeing cultural references about Annie’s family. And all the mentions of food had my mouth watering.

Someone's Else's Life is an atmospheric thriller with a twisty plot that will keep you guessing to the very end. The story has everything you need: a beautiful setting, the drama of a raging storm, and characters you aren't quite sure you can trust. I'm a big fan of Lyn Liao Butler's diverse Women's Fiction and her debut thriller proves her talent as a multifaceted author. Looking for more thrilling and chilling stories to come!

The text seems jagged at times. The internal monologues and memories/flashbacks didn't always flow smoothly. The center of the speech kind of dragged, and some of the information was repeated.

Despite being a thriller, I found this to be a somewhat sluggish read. I found the beginning to be extremely drawn out, but I did love the story's overall twists and turns. In conclusion, I cant see myself returning to this and other writings by this author.

3.5 stars.
There was parts I liked in this, and parts I didn’t.
**spoilers ahead!!***

Liked
•Seeing the Taiwanese & Hawaiian cultures.
•Held my attention enough to keep me thinking “well that’s weird/creepy, what’s gonna happen next???”
•The author is good at setting the stage, I could at time almost hear for myself the sound of the rain or the crack of the tree falling in the yard.

Disliked
•At times the writing felt choppy. The memories/flashbacks & internal monologues didn’t always flow well.
•Kind of dragged a bit in the middle, & some of the information given was repetitive.
•WHY WAS ANNIE SO UPSET ABOUT SERENA GETTING WASHED AWAY IN THE STORM?? Like girl…she stalked you, followed you to Hawaii, killed Lindsay & tried to kidnap your son??? Who cares if she drowned?? Good riddance, I’d say.
•the ending. Honestly, I would’ve liked this a lot more had Finn actually been her biological son. I guess that was supposed to be a shocking ending, but it just left a bad taste in my mouth.

This is Hawaii like I've never seen it before- dark, stormy and dangerous...

I loved this twisty psychological thriller! The two women at the heart of the story, Annie and Serena, are both so complex and interesting, yet I didn't know who to trust until the very end! Through the characters, I enjoyed the landmarks and real life places of Kauai; the setting of this dark thriller in a place normally reserved for sunnier stories was so unique. The violent and unrelenting storm parallels the MC's growing dread as she learns more about the stranger she's allowed into her house and dark secrets are revealed. Liao Butler's ratcheting up of the tension is expertly done and the ending had me reeling. An amazing summer thriller!

This book was a slow burn of a thriller. It definitely took me by surprise, as I assumed it would be fast paced. This story follows Annie as her family moves to Hawaii after a tragedy. I found the twist to be predictable, but it did not stop me from enjoying the book. I liked the slow pace, and the characters were well fleshed out. I liked that the character was in her forties, but I didn't feel that her voice was authentic to someone in their forties. I felt that the character was more along the lines of late 20s or early 30s in terms of characterization. I think this book is a good filler for when you need something you probably know how it will end, but want to enjoy the ride.

Thank you NetGally for the ARC and opertunity to review this for an honest review.

This is a thriller that follows the main character Annie, a woman in her forties, who has relocated to Hawaii with her husband and son after a tragic event traumatized her son at their lake house. The story is set in a unique environment and places us into an intense storm that rages through the reading experience. We are given the details through current interactions with a mysterious woman who shows up on Annie's doorstep in the storm after her car broke down, Annie's own thoughts, and while reading past written entires from Annie's laptop. So you get the story within a story element which helps drive the intrigue and capitalizes on the growing questions of the trustworthiness of Annie's narration.

I found myself engaged in relation to finding out the real motives and answers through out the story. While there were several times I did feel the plot was stalled with unnecessary repetition. In fact there was a point where I felt I could skip ahead and not be lost at all. So I checked the theory and flipped forward 25 pages to see if I was lost, and nope not only was I not lost I actually, by chance read the answer to the question the MC was debating 25 pages prior.

As with most domestic thrillers there were some pretty significant plot holes that showed up, and a few were jarring enough it pulled me right out of the story. I kept going based on my desire to find out the answers, however there were several earn eye rolls, mostly at the MCs internal monologs.

Ultimately the part that caused my 3 star rating was the disconnect between the MCs representation as a 40+ woman and her presented characteristics and dialogue being so juvenile. As a 42 year old woman I just couldn't connect with this woman being in my peer group no matter how hard I tried. Naivete is one thing but her questioning, responses, and dialogue screamed early 20s at best.

Final thoughts - it's a noticeably debut thriller and with some coaching and solid editing this work shows promise that the author could produce some unique works in the future.

I wrote this book during the pandemic, when we lived in Kauai. It started out as contemporary fiction, but as I wrote, it got darker and darker and somehow turned into a thriller. Thank you all for reading!

One of the most suspenseful books I have read in a long time. A terrible storm. As a reader I heard the wind and the torrential rain. A stranger shows up at the door and I'm immediately leery. A dog who knows there is something wrong, but the owner is not paying attention.

I couldn't stop reading. What happened in the past? A brilliant move on the author's part. The reader doesn't know the past until totally committed to reading every single word of the present.

How does this stranger know so much? What does she want? I thought she wanted everything, but I was wrong.

And the final question: The one that will keep you up long after you should be safe in your bed. You will just need to read the book to discover the answer.