Cover Image: The Breakdown

The Breakdown

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I enjoyed this book with all its twists and turns. It is different from Behind Closed Doors (which I loved), but still a quite a page turner!

Was this review helpful?

i enjoyed this book, however several times throughout I wanted to shake Cass and I became quite unsympathetic towards her. I wanted to see her fight from the start. This is my first book by the author and I am definitely keen to read more. I was disappointd with the lack of plot twists towards the end. I would read more from this author, there were moments I could not put it down,. so a good read.

Was this review helpful?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading « The Breakdown ». It’s a fast-paced, psychological thriller that you just won’t be able to put down. Looking forward to B.A Paris’s next book as I loved « Behind Closed Doors » too !

Was this review helpful?

One of my favourite thrillers I've ever read! It was so suspenseful, mysterious and mind blowing. B.A. Paris kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book and it managed me to creep me out immensely. I loved it and highly recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

Fast-paced story chock full of drama and suspense that kept me reading til the wee hours of the night. Loved, loved, loved!!

Was this review helpful?

Cass is happily married and living the ideal life. One night, as she is returning from a party, she encounters a woman on an deserted road. The storm is in full swing, but Cass can't decide if she should check up on the stranger. She hurries home to her sleeping husband who had strictly warned her against using that particular route back home.
What follows is the news of the death of the woman she saw on that road. What also follows is a constant fear of being stalked... Perhaps by the murderer of that woman. Could Cass be next? .
.
The book is a gripping tale of Cass and her constant fear or being stalked by someone. It also talks extensively about her deteriorating mental state. It was a brilliant read for me. Right from the very start, the book was engaging. It wasted no time in getting to the point! I felt the restlessness and the agitation that Cass felt. I felt one with her in her agony. Somewhere along the story, I had an inkling of where it was headed- but that in no way hampered with my desire to read this book!
It was an engaging read and I loved how the Author took us through her journey of being abonised over the events that occur in her life. This is Paris's second book and I wouldn't hesitate to say that this is better than the first one.
It is one of those books that pull you right into them and leave you troubled- as troubled as the ones in the book.
I wanted to know how the book would end, just as much for Cass as for me. It kept me up, and I couldn't read anything other than this book while I was at it!
Overall, if you love books that are more about character development and totally mess with your mind- you could find yourself enjoying this one😍. (Gave me the girl on the train, woman in the window feels)

Was this review helpful?

When B.A Paris publishes anything I am buying it the day it comes out. I am a dedicated fan and never fails to disappoint.
Paris' books hit all the right spots for me. Mystery, intriguing characters, suspense & red herrings with a great plot / setting.
I always read Paris' books in one single setting because I can't be taken away / need to know what happens. I have missed meals and deadlines.

Was this review helpful?

Amazing psychological thriller. Is she truly going mad ? That is the question you will ask yourself over and over. Kudos to the author

Was this review helpful?

Have you ever just really, really disliked a character in a book? Admit it, even though they're fictional, sometimes these "people" are just so very unlikable. That was the case for me with this one. I just didn't like her. But then she redeemed herself. Not gonna tell you how because that would be too spoilerish.
When Cass makes a seemingly minor choice on her way home late one rainy night, things will never be the same. Her decision to NOT stop and help a stranded motorist begins to haunt her as soon as she finds out that the motorist, a woman traveling alone, was murdered that same night. She torments herself with thoughts of what if...
And then she begins to forget things, to misplace things, to question her sanity. It doesn't help matters any that her mom suffered from dementia. So Cass is certain that she's going down that same path.
This is one of those stories that's hard to review without giving too much away. The story drags a bit in places, and as I mentioned earlier I really didn't like Cass for much of the story. But because I've loved the author's other books, I stuck with it. And I'm glad I did. You kind of see what's coming near the end but that last twist is something else.

Was this review helpful?

Another very engrossing and enjoyable mystery thriller from a very talented author. Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Yes, I know! I know I am late to the B.A. Paris Party but I am here now!

The Breakdown is an absolutely rip-roaring rollercoaster of a psychological thriller and I loved it. It is fast paced from the very start and the momentum does not slow down for a minute. I found the opening chapter completely chilling and was hooked from thereon.

I liked Cass in the main and couldn’t tell what was really going on with her; I really felt for her, but occasionally I did want to shake her. The story was well-plotted and I loved the way there were a lot of red herrings throughout so you never really knew what to think or who to trust. I thought I knew what the outcome was going to be several times but I never got it quite right.

You do have to suspend disbelief a little but that is fine by me and totally worth it for when everything really comes together. I loved the ending and the way that this came about and how things were wrapped up (being deliberately vague here – no spoilers!).

With a great plot, chilling thrills and great twists, I highly recommend The Breakdown and although this was my first B.A. Paris book, I doubt it will be my last. I have Behind Closed Doors on my TBR so must get to that one sooner rather than later.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of The Breakdown.

Was this review helpful?

I was enthralled by this book. It was so well written and it really drew me into this world. I could not turn the pages quick enough to find out what was going to happen. I absolutely recommend this for your next read!

Was this review helpful?

When a woman is killed close to her home, Cass Anderson realizes that it is the same woman she saw alone in a car on the side of the road during a storm. Her anxiety about the murder is the beginning of a series of events that lead to a mental breakdown.

Was this review helpful?

The Breakdown grabbed me from the first chapter. Well developed characters, brilliantly woven storyline with lots of twists and turns. Buckle up you will be in-store for a bumpy ride.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you for the opportunity to review this title. Unfortunately in this case I found it difficult to connect to the story. As I didn't completely finish this book I will not be publishing a review. We do not review uncompleted books on the blog, and again, thank you for sending through a review copy. Although this title didn't work for me, I do look forward to reading more from this author in the future as I have loved some of her previous work.

Was this review helpful?

Cass was really shaken up to find out that there was a woman murdered on the same dark, deserted road that she chose to take home after drinks with her friends. She wasn't supposed to be on that road as she promised her husband to avoid it because it was so unsafe. She is even more shaken to discover that the woman murdered was an acquaintance of hers and she actually saw her car on the road where she was murdered. Cass goes from shaken to unstable in a pretty quick fashion. She is starting to forget even the most minor details. Like where she parked the car, why she ordered a stroller when she doesn't even have a baby and plans she made with her best friend. Cass is afraid that the Early Onset Dementia that killed her mother has shown up in her and that almost terrifies her more than the phone calls where there is nobody on the other end and the feeling that things are out of place in her home. Cass is struggling to hold on to what sanity she has left, but then she discovers something that changes everything. Will Cass be able to figure out who killed her friend before she slips into the abyss of dementia?

The Breakdown is another psychological thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. Cass and Matthew are a nice enough couple. Matthew seems to genuinely care for and worry about his wife. He seemed a little controlling, but they were newlyweds, so I shrugged it off to silly newlywed behaviors. I hated how demure Cass was at times, how she let Matthew control her almost every thought and action. The more things started to go south with Cass, mentally, the more I just knew that there was more to this story. Something just started to feel hinky. I was right and had figured out *most* of the plot, but I had one little detail wrong. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS I was thrilled with the way the book ended, it made it all worth it.

Bottom Line - B. A. Paris hit the psychological thriller scene last year with quite a bang. Behind Closed Doors was one of my favorite books of the year and I was eager to read the follow-up. While I didn't like The Breakdown as much as her first book, it was still the kind of book that a fan of thrillers should not miss!

Details:
The Breakdown by B.A. Paris
On Twitter
Pages: 336
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 7/18/2017
Buy it Here!

Was this review helpful?

<strong>Great plot. Disappointing reveal</strong>

The first half of this book was a delightful slow burn. Trying to figure out if the protagonist was in danger or had dementia created an engaging plot that had me flipping pages to draw my own conclusions. However, the villain reveal was cliche and disappointing. It felt rushed and was a let down compared to the first half. Not a bad book, but it had some unfulfilled potential.

Was this review helpful?

If you can't trust yourself who can you trust? Imagine finding out you may have been witness to important information concerning a homicide. But then you begin to see things, and the phone calls, and then you can't account for blocks of time. Are you losing your mind? The Breakdown is an intense psychological thriller that will have you guessing to the very end. It's not easy to keep me guessing as I usually figure things out by mid book but this one kept me going....and reading till early morning.

Was this review helpful?

This is one book that lived up to the hype (for the most part)! I was a tad intimated to jump in because of the hype, but once I did, I was hooked! Now, I am glad I ended up reading it.

The Breakdown is a psychological thriller and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I had to know what happened next! It's a pretty clever book. I feel like I took my time with this novel, even though it only took me two days. I would read a chapter (day), and set it down for a minute. I had to let everything sink in. This is the type of book where it doesn't happen suddenly. It gradually happens, and you're hanging on for dear life.

I only had one major downside to reading this book. From about 100(ish) pages in, I got serious The Girl on the Train vibes. Strong vibes. So much so as I guessed one of the major twists, and I got it right. From that early on. While I still enjoyed the book, it's not a 5 star for me because of those vibes. However, I was surprised at the turn of events Paris brings us, through this wicked tale of breakdowns and paranoia.

Was this review helpful?

This is a suspenseful story about a young woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Cass (Cassandra) is happily married, has lots of friends with one BFF, Rachel. She works as a teacher and is very good at her job. Both her parents are dead, her mother from early onset dementia. Her husband Matthew does not know about her mother's death. Cass is driving home one night and she sees a car on a road that is used as a shortcut through the forested area. Although she stops to check on the driver, she leaves the scene. The next day, she finds out that the driver of this car, "Jane", has been killed. Cass is riddled with guilt about not stopping. Could she have saved this woman from death if she had stopped? She starts to forget things, lose things, and can feel reality sinking away? She begins to fear that she is developing early onset dementia as well.

This is written in the first person, and you can feel Cass' fear and terror as she begins to realize that she may be going developing dementia or having a nervous breakdown. There is a lot of twists and turns in this story that keep you wondering what is going to happen next. The story takes a bit to develop but stick with it because everything comes together in an amazing conclusion. I loved this book, but it is scary to realize that you never know who your real friends are.

Was this review helpful?