The story was well told but the ending wasn't for me. I feel like I wasted my time trying to figure out something that was just stalling till the book was long enough.

On the bedside of her dying mother, Jessie Sloan struggles to get meaningful sleep. After being given medication to help her sleep, Jessie sleeps through her mother's death. Upon waking she goes down a long winding path of questioning who she is and who her mother is. Through many longs days of no sleep, we watch Jessie unravel trying to make sense of a life that doesn't seem to make sense.
Told through the perspective of Jessie and another character set 20 years earlier we race to discover the mysteries that these women carry.
This book kept me on my toes until the very end! Highly recommended!

*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

Mary Kubica is such a nice person. She is interactive in several online book clubs I am in but unfortunately, I just do not care for her novels. I felt cheated by this book with the big reveal at the end and felt it was a waste of time.

I always love Mary Kubica's work. This book did not disappoint. While I feel the insomnia, "I can't remember what happened" theme seems to be frequent in current fiction, I do not think this book felt redundant or familiar. I liked how the story unfolded. It was suspenseful and full of twists and turns. The ending left some to be desired for me personally, but I think that may be a personal taste.

Being my first book by Mary Kubica, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Some of the book was very good and very realistic, such as the extraordinary pain of infertility. Having experience in this trauma, I can say that Kubica portrayed this extremely well. Coupled with that is the unbridled disgust the infertile feel with mothers who don’t seem to appreciate the blessings of having children. She beautifully described the pain of watching a loved one suffer and die. The pain of never having learned one’s true heritage was well fleshed out and deeply felt as well.

The back and forth between the mom’s diary and Jessie’s thoughts/actions was a good literary device and served this plot well.

So there’s a lot to recommend in the first 2/3 of the book.

The ending, however, was a slap in the face. It destroyed all the previous mystique and suspense. It completely ruined all that came before for me. Also all the mystique and energy (and pages) wasted on the missing birth certificate were a sham and made no sense at all. Why not have a birth certificate? Why not have a valid social security number? Why not be a dependent on the tax return? In light of the ending, none of that was valid.

I’m appreciative to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for an early digital copy of this book for an honest review. This review will be published on GoodReads immediately and on Amazon and Barnes & Noble following publication. It will also be published on the website of the Anniston-Calhoun County Public Library after they shelve the book.

Thanks to author Mary Kubica, Park Row Publishers, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jessie Sloane's mother has passed away after a long battle with Cancer. She decides to try and get her life together and go to college, but is alarmed when she finds out her social security number seemingly belongs to a dead girl. While trying to track down her personal information, many questions arise as to who she is and where she came from. Insomnia kicks in, and Jessie starts to see and hear things that may or may not be there. She is suddenly not sure what is real and what isn't.

In alternate chapters, we meet Eden and her husband Aaron, who are recently married. They face some emotional trouble early on in their marriage, and it only gets more intense. Something in their lives might explain all of the secrets that Jessie needs to know.

I can't really say much more due to possible spoilers. I will say that I've always liked Mary Kubica's books, and this is no exception. I was debating on how many stars to give because even though this one is suspenseful and kept me reading to figure out what happens, I felt a bit gypped by how everything played out. If you read this book, you will surely know what I mean. The ending was also a bit too abrupt, and I wanted to know more. Other than that, this is a wonderfully written thriller that builds slowly and made me anticipate getting to the climax. I will definitely keep reading Kubica's novels.

How in the world should I rate this? At the beginning of this book, I thought of it as psycho-suspense (is that a word?) and really enjoyed the style of writing. I would have rated it highly.

But then the writing dragged on and on and became a tug of war between the present, the past, years in between, Jessie, Eden, reality, imaginings, dreams vs. reality, reality vs. dreams – what on earth was real? – and an ending that is absolutely forced, and er, ah, not the best.

The ending made me feel betrayed and tricked by the author and that she was thumbing her nose at my intelligence. Are you kidding me? THIS is your ending? The ending was preposterous.

I appreciate NetGalley’s generosity in allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. It’s honest, but unfortunately, not favorable.

I have read all of Mary Kubica's other books and have really liked them. I look forward to the suspense and the twists that occur. However, this book seemed different. While I thought it might be suspenseful, it ended very flatly. The twists that I was anticipating, never came. The book alternated between Eden's and Jessie's stories, and while I enjoyed Eden's, I hated (yes, hated) Jessie's. At the end, the stories converged, and it just wasn't a good ending, in my opinion.

Honest and haunting for anyone who has experienced loss or insomnia, this is a solid novel. I did find one character a bit saccharine and the other shallowly rendered, but the plot is fine--the problem is that the psychological thriller market is packed with gone girls, mistaken identities, amnesia due to drugs or insomnia, and it takes a lot for a novel to stand out from that pack.

I've been a fan of Mary Kubica's ever since I read The Good Girl several years ago, so was really looking forward to reading her newest thriller. And this one once again kept me up until the wee hours because I just had to finish and find out what happens! I love a book that keeps me turning the pages where I'm completely absorbed in the story.

The story alternates between current day Jessie and the past of Eden. Jessie's mom is dying from cancer, dies, and Jessie then tries to cope with her grief. She becomes an insomniac to the point of not sleeping whatsoever for days on end. Because of this, she becomes an an unreliable narrator, which is not my favorite, but I still couldn't put the book down. Eden is happily married and her and her husband Aaron decide they want to have a baby. She then slowly goes down the rabbit hole as a year passes with no baby. It was hard to watch her delve so deep into despair.

I was sure I knew what the ending would be and then the author completely throws the readers under the bus with such a bizarre ending, that I'm still reeling from it 12 hours later. I wasn't happy with the ending of this or it would have been a 5 star read for me. Overall, I did really enjoy the ride though. To be honest, except for that HUGE twist, I was okay with where the characters ended up at the end, even if it was such a roundabout way to get there.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishers for the advance copy!*

Kubica has a knacknfor writing fast-paced novels that engage readers. That is true for this book as well....until the end. The ending was, well, ridiculous and leaves the reader feeling duped, not in a good way.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for this early copy!

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a well-written thriller. I've read other thrillers from this author in the past and like this one they have been enjoyable.

Mary Kubica has done it AGAIN! This is one of those books that is really hard to talk about, without giving too much away. It is full of twists and turns, a story of love, a story of disappointment and so much more. I guarantee that you will not figure out the ending until it is revealed!

My thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin - Trade Publishing for this advanced readers copy.

An eARC of When the Lights Go Out was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
When the Lights Go Out is another successful psychological thriller by Mary Kubica that will keep readers coming back for more. The book is told from the perspective of Jessie and Eden and follows their stories after Jessie's mother dies of cancer and Eden and her husband move into a new home and try to have a baby. Jessie applied to college and she is told that her social security # belongs to someone who died 17 years ago. The story starts out slow and gets to the big mystery half way through. It was slightly confusing coming form one of the narrators who is hallucinating due to not sleeping for days on end. I recommend this book for fans of adult mysteries.

I am a huge Mary Kubica fan, so I couldn't wait to start reading when I found out I was approved for the ARC of her most recent book. When the Lights Go Out, due for publication in September 2018, is a fast moving psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator, a cleverly twisted story line and a wallop of a surprise ending.

Jessie Sloane is one of two main characters narrating from a first person POV. Shortly after the story begins, Jessie's mother dies. At her urging, she goes off to "find herself," although this proves to be more difficult than expected. While applying for college she learns that her social security number is invalid. She becomes involved in a search for her identity at the same time that she is overcome by grief and insomnia. Eden's alternating story line, set in the past, poignantly depicts her ongoing efforts to conceive a child and ultimately, her obsession with her inability to do so.

I found this book to be compelling and hard to put down. As I neared the end, I was almost certain I knew what was going to happen, so I was completely blindsided by how the author chose to resolve the story. Nonetheless, or maybe because of that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book although I do think there may be a small percentage of readers who will feel somewhat shortchanged by the ending. Either way, I recommend this book without reservation so readers can decide for themselves.

Thank you to Harlequin - Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! Being a big fan of Mary Kubica I have loved all of her book. This storyline was totally different then her other books. She writes so well. I was engrossed from the very beginning.

I'm a huge fan of Mary Kubica and this is the fourth book of hers that I have read. While it's not my favorite of hers, it still kept me awake all night with the familiar chant of "just one more chapter" until I found myself at the end of the book as the sun was rising. From the beginning you know what's happening as it doesn't appear that the author is trying to hide a twist from you... or is she? This could have been a five star from me if not for the out-of-the-blue plot twist towards the end of the book. I don't get it, I don't understand why Kubika decided to go this route and, in my opinion, ruin an incredibly paced story that had so much potential to end in an extraordinary climax.

I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cannot tell a lie.............HUGE Mary Kubica Fan ! Was so excited when I saw that I was approved for this ! She is one of the best at what she does and how she tells a story ! Just amazing ! And you never know until the very end just what the heck is going on ! Every time ( Every darn time ) I thought I had it figured out I was completely wrong. My heart broke the whole entire story for Jessie, she was a great character. I literally felt like I was on that journey with her ! And the mother? What can I say ? This book keeps you guessing and wondering what is happening the whole way through ! Mary Kubica is one of the greats !!

**Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.**
2.5 stars
I was so happy when I got this ARC. I couldn’t wait to start reading it. I had high hopes. But this book is extremely difficult to review and rate. It was captivating and hard to put down. Something that I was sure I would give at least 4 stars to. And then it all went to hell. There are many things in this book that I enjoyed and a few that I completely hated. I prefer not to write reviews with spoilers especially for ARCs which makes the task at hand a lot harder. I really loved the book as I was reading it but then there comes a moment when I just felt cheated by this book. The ending was more of a ‘haha fooled you’ and not a twist in the tale. If the supposed twist in the tale was different I would have rated this book highly. A good thriller makes you gasp and say woah or wtf when you uncover the plot but in this case I wanted scream ‘are you kidding me??’. The story gets repetitive at times but that isn’t a huge problem. The writing style is addictive and makes you want to keep reading. I did like the way Aaron and Eden’s relationship and story unfolds. It’s interesting and engaging. I do not like the plentiful loose ends left in this book that are literally explained away because of the said plot twist. The ending really fell flat and I kind of feel like I want my time back. Had it ended differently this book would be exceptional. I wanted to rate it at least at 4, but the ending makes me want to give it a 1, hence leave it at a 2.5 rating.

What started out as a very promising psychological thriller, When the Lights Go Out ended as a huge let down. There are just some plot twists that are so cliché they make me twitch. This was one of them.

This was my very first Mary Kubica book and having heard so many good things, I was ecstatic to get my hands on this book. When the Lights Go Out is a story about Jessica, who spent years caring for her sick mother. Trying to get back on track after her mother dies, Jessie realizes something is amiss with her identity. Going days without sleep, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what is made up.

This much I will say, Jessie’s state of mind makes this story the psychological thriller that it is. Kubica does a fantastic job creating a state of unease, never letting the reader be able to discern reality from sleep deprivation. And just when you think you know what’s going on, about 50% of the way through, you’ll be wrong.

The narrative changes by chapter, a common practice in most newer novels. The air of mystery is what will keep you reading until the end, making this a quick read you won’t want to put down. In fact you won’t be able to let go, yearning for answers. However, the answer at the end is what knocks off two stars for me. Kubica could have gone so many directions and instead….she went with the most dramatic version of a cliché ending as possible.

The writing is good and the mystery is there, it just fell short for me.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Park Row for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.