Wow...that was a good book. Seriously I would not hesitate to recommend this one. This is one I would have missed if not for the hype and buzz I kept seeing on my Goodreads feed- and this book deserves nothing less
This is an emotionally-hitting novel. One that had made me cry and laugh quite a few times.
I devoured this-kind of hard not to when each chapter ends with just enough of a tidbit of information that you just had to keep reading-and the ending was nothing short of perfect. This is simply just an amazing book.

After reading this, I need to pick up more from this author, maybe not the romance but for sure her suspense novels.

I received a copy of The Ghostwriter through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Alessandra Torre and DCA for the opportunity.

Wow.... am left speechless. An emotional mess...

This book just blew me away. Honestly I wasn't even sure what to expect while reading it. My mind was racing thinking what could this possible be. How is this going to end! Alessandra did a FABULOUS job keeping the reader guessing, mind racing. It's different, and fascinating.

This is NOT a romance book, if you are looking for romance turn around. But if you enjoy a well written, twisty, keep you on your toes story...look no further! The Ghostwriter is a truly amazing book! So glad I was able to read this book!

**ARC RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

I have to stress this is not a romance book! This is totally different from anything I have read by this author before. Good different. It's real and raw and I think for most readers they will be able to identify with a lot of the content.

Reading Helena’s story I was thrown into a bottomless pit of emotion, and I couldn't work out where the story would go, I just knew that I couldn't think of anyway it wouldn't be a sad ending. I don't want to give any details, and I think this book is best read blind, don't listen to anyone's opinions and don't read the blurb. Just jump in.

I did cry reading Ghostwriter, it's a very gut wrenching story, one with plenty twists, that will keep you glued to the pages until the early hours of the morning. I think this may just be Alessandra’s best work yet. Five stars.

Pause for a moment.........

Pull up a chair and sit with me a while.

The Ghostwriter beckons like a Shapeshifter in the darkest corner of the room. It transforms itself from one level of recognizable existence into the blurred, uncertain vision of the next. Elusive and quite daunting.

Helena Ross has a story to tell. As a successful young author, her hand has rocked the cradle of many a romance novel. But there is a definite sense of urgency to this one. Life has given her a deadline unlike the ones demanded by her publishing company. Helena has been diagnosed with brain cancer and has only three months to live at best.

Knowing that the writing process may exceed her own limitations, Helena instructs her agent, Kate, to contact a particular fellow author to ghostwrite parts of the book for her. Over the years, she has sent Marka Vantly snarky emails derailing this author's books. But Helena knows that no one else could possibly match her style like Marka.

As Marka and Kate show up for their meeting at Helena's home, they are met with a venomous list of "rules" taped by the front door. It's evident that the entranceway bears no welcome mat. It wafts from Helena herself who begrudgingly allows them to come in. The interior of the home is practically barren. It reflects the standoffish vibes coming from Helena herself. They arrive at a business deal and the writing will take place immediately........no time to waste.

Alessandra Torre, herself, is a gifted writer. She reveals "the story" in a then and now format with Helena slowly filling in the blanks of her past. Her highly guarded persona and her refusal to allow anyone to come close is extremely significant to this storyline. She spits out insults and sinister retorts like a gumball machine loaded with pennies. Helena covets this process of dying as the final culimnation of her life's darkest secret. She must purge herself of it before she breathes her last.

The Ghostwriter must be experienced rather than just revealed. And Torre does an exceptional job with this. She is a wizard with portraying her characters with the focus of transparent light and the self-imposed barrier of one's own darkness. The dialogue is sharp, witty, and at times humorous. Believe me, this book will have you sitting in that pulled up chair lost in your own thoughts at the end. Speechless is about right......

They say confession cleans the soul. I should have confessed a long time ago.

- Helena

This story was about making amends, an unlikely pairing, the fragility of trust, and consequences. It was well-composed, riveting, and thought-provoking! The reader learned early on what kind of ending to expect of this story, but it still left me feeling stunned.

I don't know who the author's inspiration for Helena Ross was, but I was somewhat fascinated by the character from start to finish. Helena was selfish and unapologetic with a type A personality, but she was also real. Raw. She was wonderfully complex and her humor was always well-timed. I even liked reading some of the ugliness about her--how she didn't stop to look at the world through a child's eyes for even an instant, how fixated she was on creating her characters fictional world while forsaking her family, and how out of touch from reality she gradually became. In spite of the mistakes she attributed to herself and others, it was a thrilling ride to get to the end of this book and see the effects of the decisions she'd made in just a small fraction of time. What a wonderful story!

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There's no doubt in my mind that Torre is one of the best authors of the contemporary fiction genre. And The Ghostwriter is a testament to how she's evolved as a writer. For one, the pacing manages to keep one engrossed from prologue to epilogue with ĵust enough back story to keep you wondering what was this damning secret.

As with most psychological thrillers, the journey and the whodunit are what keep the reader engaged which Torre parses in measured intervals and as we navigate Helena's past, she even succeeds in eliciting our empathy.

Eventually, we get the big reveal and, OMG, it was tragic on too many levels. Too many.

Just brilliant!

This book was such an amazing non-stop page turner. It was so different than anything I’ve read recently. Take what I have to say to heart and go get yourself a copy of this book right now! Seriously, go right this second.

After reading this amazing blurb, I knew I had to read this story. Torre did not disappoint; not in the slightest. This story was mesmerizing and emotional. You need to read this story for yourself and find out exactly what I mean, first hand. This story comes with a disclaimer: “This is not a romance.” Please don’t let that stop you from picking up this book. You will miss out on one of my top books of the year!

The suspense had me on my toes, never knowing what was coming next. I took guesses here and there but couldn’t get it right. I LOVED THAT! It was full of pain, regret, consequences, guilt, and fear. I was taken on a complete emotional and suspenseful roller coaster ride and didn’t want to get off at the end. It was amazing!

I have nothing but praise for this book and romance lovers or not need to pick this one up and give it a chance. Don’t be afraid to read it!

This story, these characters, will stay with me for a long time.

Grateful to have received an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I have loved almost every book that Torre has written and that makes this review that much harder.
I was bored through most of the book, and it wasn't until almost 80% that the book started being suspenseful. I didn't understand/get what the suspense plot line was supposed to be. Was it supposed to be about her family? I didn't have the must-turn-pages-as-fast-as-possible with book. I wouldn't classify it as suspense because I felt the book was very even and didn't start getting a heartbeat until that 80% mark. I found myself skimming huge swaths of pages and only reading the dialogue because I felt a majority of that swath was redundant.
There were a few very minor issues I had with the story, but the lack of pulse, it's just splitting hairs.
What I did like was the unveiling of the ghostwriter. I was right there with Helena when it happened. The person gave Helena a lot of positive experiences in the time they were together. I also learned a couple of things, which for me makes the book that much better.
Overall, this wasn't a book for me. It may be a book for you, but I didn't find it suspenseful and there seemed to be a lot of redundancy or reminders given throughout the text.

Helena Ross is a world famous romance author. However, she’s retiring at the age of 32 after having written 10 bestsellers. Before retiring, she’s determined to complete her last novel, which will NOT be a romance. It will be different from anything else she’s ever written and she’s got three months to complete it. This last book isn’t a love story… it’s her confession.

I’m sure it was the author’s point, but I absolutely detested Helena for most of this book. I couldn’t stand her condescension, her arrogance, her rude behavior, her neglectful parentage, her intentional ignorance as a spouse, her disrespect to everyone, her everything. There wasn’t one thing about this woman that I liked. Not one. I respected the heck out of her dedication to her craft, her success, and her artistry, but not her methods. Or the many ways she sacrificed the welfare of her loved ones for her own needs and gains.

But then something changed. As Helena was writing her book and as this book progressed, my feelings toward her changed. How could this be? How could I all of a sudden stop hating a woman who was downright detestable? How could I feel any positive feelings for someone who didn’t merit nor even want positive feelings? How could I have even a glimmer of like for someone who treated everyone like dirt, like they were there for her and never the other way around? How could I?

It’s simple really. My feelings changed through compassion and understanding. Once I finally understood why she was the way she was for the last four years, I could finally feel for her. This in no way excuses her for the time before the last four years, however, it does give her an opening for sympathy. This woman whom I hated with a passion I usually reserve for villains made me weep. Big, dirty, sloppy tears leaked from my eyes the further I delved into this story. And so my hate mellowed out to a general dislike.

I commend Alessandra Torre on breaking the mold. For stepping out of the romance box that romance authors are usually stuck in. It couldn’t have been easy. As a matter of fact, I can imagine that this venture must have been downright terrifying for her. At first, I thought I would hate this book. I really did because Helena is one of the most unsympathetic characters I have come across in a long time. Taking the chance to push through was a sound decision on my part. It bumped my rating up from a 3 to a 4-star review. For those of you venturing to read this book, be patient because this author will not steer you wrong. This story is twisted, mysterious, and painful to read but damn was it worthwhile.

Release Date: October 2, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Fiction - Mystery/Thriller
POV: Multiple - Heroine (1st) & secondary characters (3rd)
Type: Standalone

Blind I tell you… Totally Blind… That’s how I went into this book. Never read the blurb, never read any teasers, just dove right in. This my friends is how you should go into this fantastic book. The less you know going into in, the better your reading experience will be in my opinion.

With that being said, Helena Ross is by far a perfect person, she has some unusual quirks to her life. What she does have is a successful career at writing books. She is an international bestselling author who has a way of surviving (barely) in her ‘real’ life, yet succeeding at everything that she writes. Barely taking the time to be the wife/mother yet taking all the time writing her books.

When her life takes a complete turn in the wrong direction, she has one final request. To write the book that will set the record straight. To come clean. To confess. To put closure on this very bad time in her life.

This is not a romance book, this is not unicorns and rainbows. This is a Raw, Emotional and Quite the page turner book!!! I picked it up and did not put it down till the very last page. Outstanding book that flowed perfectly.

Helena, a novelist, has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Although she is rich and famous, living in an enormous but empty mansion, she is on her own. Her husband and child are gone and she is estranged from her mother. She has never had any real friends and she doesn't even get on very well with her Agent. There is something very dark in Helena's past and she decides to spend her last few months writing that story. But she is afraid that she will not have the time or energy to finish it on her own.

I love books about books and writing. As the story progresses we get to read extracts of Helena's backstory as she writes it, and there are hints at what may have happened to make her such a sorry character.

I know it's a cliche, which I hate and try to avoid like the plague, but I could not put this book down. It is somewhat far-fetched and a little predictable at times but, wow, it is such a compelling, captivating read and one I will remember for a very long time.

As I sit down to write this review my thoughts are, where do I start? How can I put into words the genius of Alessandra Torre?

I could write about what an amazing author Alessandra is, with this book being no different.
I could write about how she draws you into a story and grips you with an undeniable fierceness.
I could write about how I have devoured everything she's ever written, to include The Ghostwriter.

No words I pen could do this review justice.

Whatever you think you know about Alessandra, and what she writes! Forget it! We know she can give us eroticism along with contemporary, and humorous romance. She can have us swooning over men, and making them our book boyfriend, but what she gives us with The Ghostwriter is none of that. It does not have a cute red bow with an Alpha male that makes us want to lose ourselves. It is not sweet, pretty or loving for that matter.

The Ghostwriter is a suspenseful, heart-wrenching tale. It is methodical and captivating! Intriguing and spellbinding! The path this story takes is neither straight nor narrow. It is a twisted, wide-open field of emotional sentiment. A journey of discovery. A rollercoaster of intensity. It is a prodigious trek of finding one's self. Of releasing one's internal torment. It's rough, and intense, and even painful at times.

Due to the outstanding talent of Alessandra, my life was put on hold. From the moment I read the first word, of the first page, until the last word of the final page . . . nothing else mattered. There was no other world, no other thoughts, no other life. I only existed for Helena, Simon, Bethany, and Mark.

I don't want to go too far into this review because going in blind will give you the full effect of the story. Yet, I will say with this 5-star read, your life will never be the same. It will have you thinking long after you have read the final word. It will have you looking for a support group. It will leave you with all the feels. This is definitely one of my top five reads of 2017.

Well done, Alessandra, well done!

4.5 Stars

Wow just wow! Right from the start the angst of this book just grabs you and really never lets go! The Ghostwriter is one of those books that is difficult to write a review for because while it was an amazing, gripping read I don’t want to give even one bit of this story away. I feel like this is one of those books that a reader has to experience, every emotion, every surprise and dramatic moment. I think Alessandra Torre has created an amazing reading experience, and no it’s not a warm fuzzy HEA book, not by any means but it will make you feel and think and cry! I couldn’t put this book down once I started, reading late into the night because I had to know what really happened, and once it all came together, it blew me away!

I definitely recommend this book, just make sure you are prepared for it! The writing is fantastic, the story is different and powerful and definitely a 2017 must read!

The Ghostwriter may be my favorite things Alessandra Torre has written. It's absolutely so different than everything that's come before and even though I've enjoyed everything she's written, I really like that she's doing something new and unexpected. Though, honestly, I don't know that anything she does is unexpected because any fan of hers knows that Alessandra Torre is known for trying not to repeat things she's done before. Annnnnyway, ramble ramble ramble, let me get to what makes this such a standout novel for me.

First of all I love how the reader's experience is almost identical to the ghostwriter's experience in that we only know what Helena, our protagonist, wants us to know, when she wants us to know it. It's that not knowing and the constant thrum of pain that runs through every page that had me reading every spare second I had (and some I didn't). I had to know. I had to find out what was driving Helena and why it was driving her so hard.

In the midst of all of this inner turmoil, we have her ghostwriter--a person with whom I became immediately enamored. This person was almost the exact opposite of Helena in many ways but knew exactly how to push her, cajole her, humor her, and when to give her space. This character was the perfect foil to Helena's constant prickly personality and recognized her grief, as only someone who has experienced can identify it.

There are so many little things--Torre's attention to detail, her pacing, the humorous moments at just the right time--combined with the plot, cold characterization of Helena juxtaposed with the warmth of her ghostwriter, and the inner turmoil that made this such a rich reading experience and I'm so glad that Alessandra Torre took a chance to write something like this. This character, Helena, wasn't always easy to read or like but I came to appreciate her plight and haven't stopped thinking about her since I finished the novel.

Oh wow! One of my favorite genres, in addition to romance, is psychological suspense, so when I saw that one of my favorite romance authors, Alessandra Torre, was penning a novel in that genre, I couldn't wait! And it was just as great as I hoped. As with most suspense novels, it's best if you go in blind so as to get the experience as the author intends, so I won't include any spoilers in my review. I will say I absolutely LOVED this book! The twist is an OMG moment I totally had not figured out. So so good!

If I could, I would give this book 10 STARS!

This is NOT a romance. It is the dying confession of a mother and wife who is also a famous romance author. The loss, the guilt, the reckoning of her soon to end life, is a burden unbearable for Helena. She wants her confession to be her final book so her soul can rest in peace. How will you judge her?

I have to admit, as I read this book, I was not sure how I felt about Helena's character. I knew there had to be more to her than that harsh exterior, so, there be any redeemable qualities to her? I will let you decide for yourselves.

In a marriage, when you are in love, we have a tendency to just see what we want to see. Sometimes, we end up marrying a stranger through no fault of ours. We each keep our secrets and flaws well hidden, hoping to impress our partner and not be found out. My aunt always called this the "veil" effect. Like a "veil" is covering our eyes and we see reality through its distortion. Once that "veil" falls and our eyes are free, reality can be very hard to deal with.

This is our author's latest masterpiece. She is the queen of the psychological thriller as far as I am concerned. In this book, she is dealing with the psychological impact mothers pass on to their daughters, and they, in turn, pass on to their daughters, etc. Anyone who has ever felt the tugs of conscience as to whether or not they are raising their children appropriately will find this book full of deep questions that will cause a lot of introspection. How do we know we are raising our children correctly before it is too late to reverse the damage?

I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I thank the author for sharing a copy with me.

DNF @ 56% (I'm so sorry)

You guys, this book put me in a book slump. I have been trying for two weeks to pick this back up, and I just can’t motivate myself. I loved and gave five stars to both Black Lies and Sex Love Repeat by Alessandra, but this, unfortunately, just didn’t work for me.

This is also the first ARC I’ve ever DNFed, so I kind of feel horrible. But life is too short to force yourself to read a book, ARC or not.

This story is about an author who is dying, but before she passes away she wants to write one final story. And this final story will be about the truth of what happened to her husband, which no one else knows but her. Unfortunately, her illness is coming quicker than expected, so she is forced to hire a ghostwriter to help her. And dark secrets and mystery ensue.

But, at 56% in, I just feel like nothing has happened. I’m not hooked or invested in this grand mystery thriller, I am bored and just wanted it to be over. I think a mini romance is happening. Maybe? I don’t even know. But I am so uninterested, I don’t even care. And honestly, I’m fine never knowing what happened to her family, too.

I’ve read and enjoyed a lot of Alessandra Torre’s books, I also really love her as a person. It makes me really sad to DNF this, and I’m not even sure why I didn’t like this so much. Maybe it was just too different? Maybe I just prefer her erotic romances? I don’t know, but I hope if you guys pick this one up that you enjoy it more than I did.

Here are a few reviews by some of my lovely friends, who really enjoyed The Ghostwriter:
(added links on actual Goodreads review)

This is hands down one of the best books I've read in 2017!
This phenomenal book was unlike anything Ms. Torre has written before. This was not a romance. This was a heartbreaking tale woven with truths and betrayal. The characters were engaging and I could not put it down. I found myself completely emersed in the pages from beginning to end. The suspense coupled with the raw emotion had me on the edge of my seat. By the end of the book I was emotionally spent.
This journey is one I will take again and recommend to all.

A sexy addictive compulsive read that highlights Alessandra Torre’s ability to create a story that will pulsate, excite and keep you obsessed. Torre’s ability to create a story that was not romance but full of suspense is what made this book truly shine. She did not sugarcoat this book with flowery prose but instead wrote a book that was gripping, exciting, suspenseful and thrilling. She took readers down the proverbial rabbit hole where we are left piecing the puzzle together. All I can say is that you must read this book. Go in blind and get mesmerized by her visceral and magnetic prose. So if you are looking for a book that was utter perfection and one of the best books that I have read in 2017 then The Ghostwriter is the book for you.

Wow, just wow! The Ghostwriter is different from anything I have read in a long time, if ever.
Helena is a unique character and it takes some time to embrace her, but as the story moves forward it's almost impossible not to feel for her and be curious about exactly what had happened.
Ms. Torre takes us on a journey where we meet a daughter who felt unloved, a young woman wrapped up in love, a young mother who struggled, and a complicated woman who wanted to do want was right.
The suspense element weaves throughout the story and ramps up until it's impossible to put The Ghostwriter down without knowing how everything ends.
This is a book that pulled me in and wouldn't let go. If suspenseful reads are something you enjoy, then this is a must read!