Ok so I very nearly had a heart attack reading this I could not put it down had to read it all in one sitting as to which trying to go to sleep at 4:30 am after reading this was slightly difficult.
This is a very faced paced roller coaster ride of a book it had me hanging off the edge the thrown back in my seat only to repeat again and again.....amazing. Superbly written and very enjoyable.
You my friend have now gained a fan and to research other books by this author....if your reading this until the end...I suggest you do the same .

When I read BEHIND CLOSED DOORS I was intrigued enough about this author to give it another shot, even though I wasn’t necessarily blown away. There’s always so much buzz about her books that I had to see what the next novel would be like. So THE BREAKDOWN was… a little bit more of the same for me.

There are things about this author’s writing that work for me and others that I find grating on my nerves. The setup for this novel is good. A woman is driving down an isolated road in the middle of a storm, a road she was warned not to go down, when she spots a woman in her car on the side of the road. She decides to pull over to help her, but once she does and the woman makes no move to get out of her car she finds the situation a bit too dangerous to take on by herself and drives off without talking to the stranger. The next morning, that woman is found dead and she turns out to be someone she recently had become friends with. Between the guilt and the fear of the killer coming after her, our heroine quickly starts losing her mind. Or maybe not?

All of that was very well done. I liked the fact that we are kept guessing almost the whole time about what really happened to the woman that got killed, as well as what’s going on currently with our heroine. Is she or isn’t she really going insane? But I also felt myself going over the same scenarios too many times, like the whole middle of the book was just a loop of the same-old-same-old. While I found the beginning and the end of this novel pretty strong and engaging, I did lose some of my interest in the middle because of that.

I had my ideas about what the outcome in the end would be and I’m pleased there was a twist I didn’t see coming. The creepy part of this story was how easy some of these things would be to execute and for them to happen in real life. Scary as they may be because of that. I think that’s what still made this an enjoyable read and the reason why I’ll probably check out this author’s work again.

When a woman notices a car stopped on the side of the road during a raging storm, she wants to stop to help, but ultimately decides it isn't safe. The decision haunts her and leads her down the road to a major breakdown. She thinks she is losing her mind, but is she?

This isn't the type of book I would have normally selected, but I was immediately drawn into the story. The writing was so vivid, that I started to feel like I was losing MY mind! I enjoyed following the twists and turns to the ultimately satisfying conclusion.

The Breakdown was a good reads but predictable. It keeps you interested throughout the entire book but pretty easy to figure out the plot early on.

What a thriller if roller coaster ride! This was the first book I read by B.A. Paris but it certainly will not be my last. The story keeps the reader not only engaged but also excited to keep reading. I saw some reviews where people said although it was a great read it was a bit predictable. I must admit I didn't start piecing it together until more than 50% into the book and the ending still blew my mind. I really did love reading this and I'm sad it's over.

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

I found The Breakdown to be a very interesting read. Mental illness, increasing forgetfulness and demential are all terrible conditions that real families must deal with. The suspense and mystery that B.A. Paris described allows the reader to approach self reflection and group discussion on a topic that is real and frightening. We all have moments when we forget where we park the car or can't find our keys but when a family history of illness proceeds these events, it causes concern and even fear in the person who is experiencing these events. Suspense and fear are portrayed in a realistic manner which transferred to me as the reader. Behind Closed Doors will be my book to read. I recommend this book and give it 4 stars.

I wanted to and expected to fully love this book. Unfortunately, I don't and did not finish the book. Do you know how sometimes you meet someone who has done or said nothing wrong or offense but something about them rubs you the wrong way? That's how I felt about the main character and I could not get past it. I'm seriously bummed by this but I have seen many, many positive reviews for it, so I suggest you try it yourself. And I sincerely hope you love it.

What a great thriller. I read this on holiday as a bit of light reading and it certainly kept me entertained and page turning. Cass leaves a party early and drives home through the woods despite the bad storm and against the advice of her husband. Deep in the wood she sees a woman in her car who appears to have broken down, however when Cass stops nobody comes from the car to suggest they need help so Cass continues on her journey home.The next day she discovers that the car she saw was actually a murder scene. Cass starts to have confusion and doubts in her everyday life and becomes concerned that she is suffering early onset dementia like her mother suffered from. The plot twists in this book will keep you guessing along the way.

4.0 - for a while, I thought I was losing my mind alongside Cass (which was troubling); couldn't put it down after a certain point!

I wanted to love this book. Having read 'Behind Closed Doors' by this author, I had high hopes. But, no kidding around, I figured out who was tormenting the main character in the very first chapter. All of the plot devices, the clues as to who might be gaslighting the hapless heroine, were so heavy-handed, I was quite amazed that I was able to keep reading. I kept telling myself that it was only because I was somewhat prepared, given that this is a mystery-suspense novel after all, for the culprit to be someone unlikely. But no. It was just that obvious.

And then there was the heroine. You have to relate to her to enjoy this book. Not completely, but on some level, there has to be a kernel of understanding about why she does what she does, or thinks what she thinks, even if you would not do or think the same. You have to be able to at least empathize with some of what she's feeling because much of the book is her inner monologue--her fears, her loves, her likes, her doubts, her hopes.

But it was impossible for me to empathize, because she spent 95% of the book in a state of confusion, angst, self-pity or reflection on her simpering love for her long-suffering husband. She kept making the same mistakes for at least 80% of the book, never learning anything or changing in any way. "I used to be so strong," she often lamented. But the problem was, the author gave us no reason to believe that. I simply didn't believe it. And her lack of strength given her past, was inexplicable. She hadn't, for much of the book, so much as an ounce of resilience.

At the news of the murder of an acquaintance, the heroine--who saw the victim on the night she died, and fears she could have saved her--then descends into an abyss of self-pity, and self-obsession that made me wonder whether she might not be better off getting a hobby rather than imagining that the murderer might be calling her, sending her letters and watching her from the street outside her home. The explanation for her paranoia, and the fear that she might be losing her mind was 'meh' at best. She had questions about that which could easily have been answered with a visit to a neurologist which was well within her means to do. That felt like a rookie mistake to me -- building an entire plot around a misunderstanding or misconception that is easily resolved.

In the final analysis, I only read the bulk of the book (from about 25% in and on) to see when the heroine would figure out what was so obvious to the reader. I didn't need to like her, I just needed to believe her. And I didn't. So, for me, this sophomore effort fell flat. I will read B.A. Paris again, however, because I enjoyed 'Behind Closed Doors' and know that there are good stories to come from this author. Sadly, this, for me, was not one of them.

5stars again. B.A. Paris had done it again! After her amazing first book Behind Closed Doors she has given us another thrilling page turner.

The Breakdown is a great story about a happily married woman who’s life spirals out of control after she doesn’t stop to help a woman on a dark road one night only to find she was found murdered the next woman.

After that she finds she is forgetting more and more things and and becoming very paranoid because of silent calls she keeps getting. She gets worse and worse until her complete breakdown. Until she finds something out that will change everything.

This is a great read and a great author! If you enjoy thrillers and twists this is definitely a book for you.

Posted: www.readingbetweenthepagesblog.wordpress.com
Date posted: 8/10/2017

This was my vacation read and I couldn’t have picked a better book. There’s not a ton of characters to keep track of and it isn’t an overly complicated storyline to follow, so it was really easy for me to jump in and out of the story and pick right back up where I left off.

It’s dark out and a storm is brewing as Cass is leaving an end-of-school-year party. As she is leaving, her husband Matthew calls her and warns her not to drive home through the woods at night, especially with a storm on its way. She promises she won’t, but while on the drive home the road feels too dangerous with the heavy rains and lightning so she decides to break her promise to Matthew and take the shortcut through the woods. While in the woods, she sees a car pulled over with a woman in it. She wants to help the woman, but is concerned about her own safety, so she pulls over and waits for the woman in the car to either approach her or signal with her car that she needs help. After a few minutes and no sign of the woman needing help, Cass decides to head home.

The decisions Cass made this fateful stormy night, taking the road through the woods and not helping the woman in the car, sets her on a horrible downward spiral and her life will never be the same. Cass becomes confused, scared, and paranoid. Between the guilt she feels from leaving the woman on the side of the road and the possibility of having early stages of dementia like her mother, she is quickly losing control of her life.

I had part of this mystery/thriller figured out early on, but I’m happy to say that I didn’t have it entirely figured out until the end.

This is my first B.A. Paris book and look forward to trying her other book, Behind Closed Doors.

*Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and B.A. Paris for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion.

I read this book in a couple of days and mostly enjoyed it immensely. It was one of those books you find hard to put down. Cass is driving home in a storm from a night out when she goes through the woods despite her husband telling her not to, she sees a car just sat in a layby but she is too scared to stop. When she finds out it's her new friend she wishes so much she had done. What follows is silent calls that Cass is convinced are from the murderer. While this is happening she is becoming forgetful and is so scared that she is developing early onset dementia like her mother. What would she do without her best friend and husband? Why does John her colleague from school keep turning up unexpectedly? Is he the murderer? Is it her new neighbour? I kept reading late into the night to find out what was happening. The only thing I didn't like was the way the ending was done. A good read though nevertheless.

A good story line but too slow for me. It was a bit rambling and padded out in parts.

This was a great novel. Overall, I was impressed with the fact that the story kept me guessing throughout. I was convinced I had figured out who killed Jane and who was tormenting Cass, but I was wrong. I appreciated the sense of hysteria that the author was able to evoke in me, as a reader. Highly recommend for fans of The Girl on the Train!

B. A Paris has offered readers an entertaining but all too predictable novel. I was disappointed to have figured out the plot early in the first half of the book. That made it difficult for me to believe, faced with the same facts as I, the heroine was so very clueless. As I said, the book was enjoyable, just not riveting. I have enjoyed another book by B.A. Paris, which was why I picked up The Breakdown, and I would like to read another from the author. Perhaps this novel just wasn't for me, it happens.

I read The Breakdown by B.A. Paris in one day. A friend told me that a mutual friend of ours described it as "unputdownable". And it was. It really really was. I truly loved Behind Closed Doors, which was the debut novel for Paris, so I wasn't surprised at how much I enjoyed The Breakdown. I couldn't stop reading it. Seriously. Could not stop.

Now, admittedly, some of it I did figure out, but it was not predictable in the least. It was the kind of story that you turned page after page - or swiped through if you read the ebook - and couldn't stop reading. I literally read a huge chunk of it on my phone while my daughter was at karate. THAT's how badly I wanted to find out how it ended.

Overall I absolutely recommend this book.

My first thought as I read the last word of the book: WOW. Just WOW.

This is an excellent psychological murder mystery that kept me glued to my seat from cover to cover. While I wouldn't exactly call it a “thriller” (no heart racing or palpitations), it will take you on a suspense filled, emotional roller coaster ride. The characters are well described and you know who they are and what part they play in the story's plot [well, you know what you're supposed to know – when you're supposed to know it].
The location – not so much Other than that dark, desolate, creepy road – that road I can still see in my mind. The scene playing in my mind like a video from a horror show.

The author knows how to draw the reader in to the lives of the characters in the story. Cass is going through a difficult time in her life – having recently lost her father to an auto accident and her mother to early onset dementia.

Cass drives home late at night during a bad thunderstorm. “Don't take the short cut down the road through the woods – it's not safe at night for women alone” her husband warns........ but she does. Cass sees a car parked on the side of the road, a woman inside.... although Cass stops in front of the parked car for a few moments, she doesn't get out to check on the woman, after all, it's raining, and it's not safe..... it might be a trick. Then Cass hears on the news the next day the woman was murdered!! And it was her new friend Jane!

Cass feels so guilty! What if I'd gotten out? Jane might still be alive. Then Cass starts getting calls repeatedly every day, no one speaks..... Cass just knows it's the killer! Cass is also having growing episodes of forgetfulness, memory lapses..... she's terrified the killer is stalking her, but the guilt of not stopping is tearing her apart. Cass, it seems, is having a horrendous mental breakdown........ or is there something much more sinister going on?

This was a fast paced read and I simply could not put the book down until I finished it.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. My review will be posted on amazon, goodreads, netgalley and moonshineartspot.blogspot.

This book was fast paced and interesting. The main character is suspected of having early onset dementia which leads her to believe she is having a nervous breakdown.

Certain events and memories are skewed and she doesn't know what or whom to believe anymore. I guessed half of the ending but even so really enjoyable and interesting read.

This was an entertaining, solid psychological suspense story. The mystery has a nice twist, although there aren't a huge cast of characters to make it too hard to figure out which direction it was going. Even though the book was a little long in spots and little too wordy, it really was quite a quick read.