I haven't read anything by Cyn Balog for at least eight years and "You Won't Believe Me" was a great reintroduction!

This book tried to do too many things at once, and it gave me a headache.

Willow awakes strapped to a bed, with no memory of how she got there. The only human contact she has is a woman who feeds her twice daily. Then the woman dies. When a young man comes to unstrap her, Willow isn't sure if he is a friend or foe.

The synopsis of this book is attention-grabbing. It sounded right up my alley, but as I was reading, I became more confused about what this book was trying to be. Thriller? Post-apocalyptic romance? Science-fiction? The plot was unclear on the end goal, and it did not work for the overall book.

There is a lot of repetition in the beginning. Initially, I was fine with this because of the atmosphere it was building. This however got tiresome really quickly. The monotonous days dragged on for what is a relatively short book. After this, we skip a whole section of the characters' lives in favor of the climax. Since there was no connection between me and the characters, the ending dragged on and was a letdown.

The epilogue of a book should not be several chapters long. In fact, one of the "big" plot points in this book is revealed at the very end of the epilogue, which I almost did not finish reading. At that point, it felt like the start of a second book, not a quick continuation of where the characters were in a few months' time.

I think all of the plots had potential, but not together. Combined, it just became a big jumble of words with no clear finish line.

3.5

This book was wild. It reminded me of Bird box, or I am legend. Like the main character you are left in the dark trying to figure out what is going on. If you are looking for a different type of thriller to read I would suggest this one.

I am happy to have received this ARC through NetGalley.

I wanted to like this title more and I felt it would definitely appeal to some. It was difficult for me to like the main character. Although it should have felt as though we were learning intimate details of her life as the story progressed, I did not reach a point in which I felt connected. Additionally, the pacing of the story was a little too slow for my taste. I appreciate the author hammering in the monotony of being essentially imprisoned and with this in mind I believed that this slow pace would come to end at some point. However, even as the story moved from being a simple kidnapping story to something more complex, that pacing did not reach a level I was satisfied with.

With that being said, for those who appreciate a slow burn with various plot twists, this book will do it for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, I am grateful for the opportunity to read and review this book. The plot contained a lot of repetition, which was excessive and diminished its interest. For me it was just an okay read.

I am so excited to be writing the review for this dark, demented, nightmare of a book. I loved every single word. I loved our protagonist and her... um new boyfriend.
This was absolute perfection and it had me enthralled the entire time I was reading. I want it to be a series but it absolutely doesn't need to be. The ending was twisty and also a good ending. It was complete.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I think I wavered between a 2.5 & 3 for this book but the ending makes me lean more 2.5. There were so many unnecessary words...like it could've been 100 less pages for sure. I'm able to figure out plot twists fairly quickly and by about 30% in, I knew where the book was headed. It had the feel of Texas Chainsaw massacre meets covid but then it just veered into an area where I began to not enjoy it. Tons of repetition that not only wasn't needed but also drew entertainment away from the story. There was no real character development and honestly I didn't connect with any of the characters. For a quick read that you really don't need to follow closely, I'd definitely not recommend it. The ending was just meh and almost ruined the book.

You need to add this book to your tbr list for 2023! A new favorite thriller of mine and author that I will be recommending to everyone. 🥰 Balog did an amazing job with the number of twists for the reader throughout the book, even with the ending. The main character can’t trust anyone including herself so it leaves you thinking wtf the entire time. I hope the author makes this book a sequel!!

I really loved this book. It starts out a little slow first, but stick with it, it gets better.
Waking up, tied to a bed during a pandemic that has turned everyone into crazed people. It’s a nightmare similar to what we have been living in and touches home.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out!

Ok, so now I must read her backlog! Because this book was superbly written.

You Won't Believe Me by Cyn Balog was just as I was hoping..... Intense!
She wrote such an amazing suspense story with a great twist.
This is my first time reading Cyn's work. I thought it was a great, interesting read with some good characters.
I will definitely be reading her backlog now after reading and really enjoying her new upcoming title.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It's rare for me to willingly read a Young Adult book. It's even more rare that I end up loving it, which with this one, I really did. The description alone had me intrigued; a teen wakes up tied to a bed not remembering how she got there. Twice a day an elderly lady who demands to be called Granny comes in to feed her. Until one day she dies in front of her. Not knowing if she is alone in the house, she screams for help and what comes next is beyond what anyone can imagine.

This starts off right away pulling you in. The intensity is astounding and although it's categorized as Young Adult, anyone will enjoy this. The main character did have her moments where you're screaming in your head at her but that's what makes it more suspenseful. What happens in this I never could of guessed. The story was brilliant and the delivery of it was exceptional. I may be biased because this had everything I love in a story which I can't say without spoiling it. Five Stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC.

this was such a great suspenseful novel, it was what I was hoping for when I read the description. I enjoyed the way Cyn Balog wrote this, it had what a good suspense novel should have and does a great job in telling the story. The plot was what I was hoping for and I enjoyed getting to know Willow and her struggle. I can't wait to read more from the author.

"Before I can say more, he crouches and grabs me by my middle, lifting me so my upper half falls forward over his shoulder. I’m dangling like a fish on a hook. I pound on his back as he walks, then start to squeal, but the second I do, he drops me on the floor, making the floorboards shake. It only occurs to me what he’s doing when he’s in the doorway, reaching for the doorknob."

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

You Won't Believe Me is an okay read.

It's fast paced, keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. The writing style is a bit clunky and all over the place. I understand that part of the reason why is because the MC is disoriented and drugged by her kidnappers. I did have a slight difficult time understanding what was going on as the MC didn't know either.

The Sourcebooks Fire spooky/thriller books are either a hit or a miss for me and You Won't Believe Me is a bit of a miss.

3 stars