This book hooked me from the first page. I loved the parts where Cecilia is the main voice. Less so Annika and Tobias. I felt the story lost some momentum in these parts because they were lengthy and while I was reading I wasn't sure what the author was trying to impart. I get it now, but feel like a good bit of Anni's letters/diary could have been cut or reduced, save for the end where they had the greatest impact. Cecilia's character was a twisty one and while I didn't like her, or agree with most of her decisions, she was the page turner just to see what she would do. (not sure about the champagne bottle scene though-a bit over the top) All in all a good read and will tell my customers at the store. Will read more from this author.

When a young boy is stranded at swim practice without a ride home, Cecilia Wilborg , who was picking up her daughters, agrees to drive him home . . . thus setting into motion a chain of events that bring Cecelia's carefully concealed past back to haunt her threatening her "perfect" life.

Very entertaining novel with twists that just keep on coming!

The Boy at the Door started out really fast! Cecilia and her two daughters were at the indoor pool for lessons when she just can't wait to get home and kick back. But the pool supervisor calls her over to say that an eight year old boy needs a ride home because his mother never came to get him.
So far... sounds realistic right? But the story continues unraveling and secrets are revealed sending Cecilia's life spiraling downhill! But how far will she go to keep things hidden so that her life can remain as "perfect" as it has been! Alex Dahl is a very talented author and we look forward to reading more of her work!

Sandefjord, Norway - where people want to live.
Cecelia has a perfect life, a loving husband and 2 daughters.

A young boy is abandoned -
so the perfect Cecelia and her family is asked to care for him while they find his family.
The story gets deeper and deeper in mystery while we get both sides or views between Cecelia and the boy.

Then--a big reveal comes!

I enjoyed the book until this part-
I did not enjoy the addict's diary parts. I wanted more between Cecelia and the boy.
This book kept me reading until the end to know their story and I ended disappointed because
I still do not know the resolution between the two. I reread it again to try to find it... still do not know.

Cecilia is living the affluent suburban life in Norway - the perfect house, a loving husband and two daughters - so why is she so unhappy that she pops pills and drinks more than she should? When Cecilia brings home a little boy left without a ride home from the pool, her life slowly begins to unravel as his presence dredges up unwanted memories from her past that threaten to destroy her perfect little life. As the story unfolded, I began to wonder if I was meant to sympathize with Cecilia or not. I found her a very difficult character to warm up to, despite the melodramatic misfortunes she suffered through. Readers who enjoy suspenseful thrillers, especially those set in Scandinavia, should find Dahl's book very appealing. #TheBoyAtTheDoor #NetGalley

Cecilia is a woman who is completely consumed with appearances. She feels like she has to be seen as the perfect wife and mother, not only to the outside world, but to her family as well. One day she is asked to take a child home who has been left at the pool, and this event will change her life forever.
The author did a good job of conveying Cecilia's emotions. I felt anxious with her, but I felt as though her level of anxiety was too much at times. The twists and turns all come together at the end. The story is told from several perspectives, one of which is a diary. I found the italics used for this distracting.

I enjoyed the premise of the book but found it to be very descriptive and repetitive.

This novel is Ms Dahl's first published book and is certainly indicative of a rising literary talent. It is intricately crafted and told in first person by several key characters in the novel. This is perhaps the only flaw I found in reading the novel. That is, with rapid shifts in narratives and the well done attempts to present the story in all it's ramifications the thread is somewhat easy to temporarily lose. Not a really damaging problem

This does nothing to dampen the read of a well done picture of characters that are mired in pasts not necessarily normal.
Cecelia Wilborg is introduced as a woman that is at the pinnacle of a successful life. She is married to a successful husband with whom she has two beautiful daughters and lives in a well to do city in Norway. Her main function is to take care of herself while taking care of her family and maintain the requirements of her family's acquired status in Sandefjord the city they live in.

All is well until one day while picking up one of her daughters at the local pool Cecelia is asked by the pool management to take home a little boy that has not been picked up by his parents. Cecelia reluctantly agrees; drives the boy to the address he gives her and finds that the house is deserted. Keeping him for one night, but asked by the authorities investigating the child's family Cecelia and her husband agree to keep the boy for the short time needed for the investigation.

Annika Lucasson lives a dark life with her drug addict boyfriend and is somehow also connected to Tobias the boy picked up by Cecelia. After meeting her Annika finds she knows something about Cecilia's background and decides she can use what she knows and the boy to extort money from her. What are the results of what has happened and the dark happenings in everyone concerned's past make for a great story. Events shift during the separate narratives which includes Tobias and Annika as well as Cecilia. The reader's opinion will change several time during the read but leading to an ending that is, in the final analysis quite satisfying. I'm sure that future books by Alex Dahl will correct any minor problems found in "The Boy at the Door" and become sought after novels by the author.