I think my expectations of what this book would be definitely affected my reading experience. This was labelled as a psychological thriller, and the blurb about a psychologist losing her mind while a new, mysterious male patient shows up, made me think of Harley Quinn, of Batman and Joker fame (side note, I'd still really like a good Harley Quinn story!). What I got instead was a rather slow character study of a woman suffering through and then coming to terms with her mental illness. 

Character studies are normally my bread and butter, but here the first-person narrative was a bit clunky, almost as if Samantha James was a young adolescent instead of a seasoned, almost forty year-old psychologist. There was a twist in this novel, and once I realized what it was, too early in the book, the tension quickly unraveled. 

I liked the mysterious patient, Richard, and felt he was well rendered. Many of the other supporting characters seemed one-dimensional, however, especially Lucas and most of Samantha's co-workers. Samantha was a sympathetic character, yet her spirit was so deadened that it often felt uncomfortable to read through this book through the lens of a first-person narrative. 

*Thanks to Harlequin, Park Row Books, and Netgalley for an ARC*

Review goes live on Sept 13 2017 at 00.00 am gmt+2 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: A trying and interesting reading experience
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: I enjoyed the Manhattan setting and the Typhlos Psychiatric Center. I really liked the creepy and atmospheric description and mood of the place.
Characters: Samantha aka Sam is a psychiatrist and heavy drinker (alcoholic, in fact). She is a liar, a victim in an abusive relationship, and a cheat. I disliked her deeply for most of the novel and felt sorry for her at the same time – a very strange experience. Then I felt less sorry for her as the story went on, then again more, then again less – you get my point. I just about had enough with her self-centered, immature, narcissistic ass at one point, then I felt sorry for her again. My general state of mind was “Arrrrrrrgggh!!!”, lol. I think my reactions to her would have been different had I known she has a disorder from the get-go, but I didn’t so most of her symptoms came off as annoying personality traits. I’m sure that was part of the intention, and I get it, but while reading it got me close to dropping the read a few times; close, but not there.
Plot: Sam’s story is pretty slow-paced and tough to stomach emotionally. Her twisted sense of self and the resulting twisted life she leads was tough to take on. I had a sinking suspicion about Richard, and I was proven right, lol. I really liked the happy ending, tbh.
Writing: First person, present tense narrative, Sam’s POV. Her voice is somewhat bleak and sarcastic, and I actually liked it even when I disliked her as a person along the way.
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb – good impulsive buy candidate for my twisty psychological suspenseful reading moods.

I recommend The Blind to fans of first person POVs about mental/personality disorders and stories about seeking redemption, plus angst galore. I warn you though, it’s not a walk in the park – the reading experience is emotionally challenging and creates a big hulking heap of tension in your thoughts and feels, so I say it’s a good fit for those tough enough to stomach that kind of thing. While I did stomach it and thought it was certainly a unique and interesting experience, I can’t say I’d want to go through it (or one similar) again.

Dark and twisty in the best ways, this kept me guessing until the end!

This book will grab you so fast & hard you'll feel like you'll need therapy after it ends! Wow! Great thriller.

Lost interest about a quarter way through the book.  Very disjointed and rambling at times.   The doctor seemed to have more issues than her patients. 

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

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http://cayocosta72.wordpress.com

When the life of clinical psychiatrist Dr. Sam James starts to unravel out of control, you can see just how the intricacies of psychosis, both personal and professional, impact a person.

At Typhlos, a government funded institution, Sam is a star. She's an amazing doctor with clinical techniques that impress all. When she is handed the file of a new patient who no one else could possibly crack, Sam begins to see how difficult life's dealings are and discovers that her behaviors and decisions are based on so much more than the stresses of her professional life.

A great read that kept my interest even though the ending was quite predictable. Great debut for the author.

Samantha James is a psychologist working at a psychiatric institution in Manhattan, home to 106 patients. She's troubled - she has issues with alcohol and is in a toxic relationship. Sam can't save herself - so she may as well try to save someone else. Enter Richard - an enigma that nobody else wants to treat. He's a patient with little or no record, nobody knows why he's there, and nobody can get any information out of him. The staff know that he has been in prison - but they have no idea why. As Sam tries to open him up, she is forced to look at her own life - and she's not prepared for what she sees. 

I liked this, it was slow enough to start but it got better. I'm naturally drawn towards anything set in or around a mental health facility, because it usually means that there will be interesting characters, and this book didn't disappoint. I like an unreliable narrator too - and felt that Sam, for all her flaws, really was trying to better herself. 

I wasn't mad about the ending, I saw it coming a mile off - this tends to happen when you read a lot of the same genre. I had only recently read a book with a similar event, so that's not this author's fault, more a consequence of reading a lot. 

The atmosphere was good, it was dark, creepy, and it's definitely stronger than a 3/5 - not just quite a 4, so I'm putting it at 3.5. I would read more by this author.