Kimber comes home from a weekend away to find a stranger in her house. Not only that, the stranger has changed her locks and refuses to leave. He also seems to know about Kimber’s past and threatens to reveal her secrets. I can’t imagine coming home to a creeper in my house and I am fairly confident my family/neighbors would be more upset on my behalf than Kimber’s were. You soon find out that there are some reasons Kimber can’t be trusted and although this was a unique way to kick-off a thriller, this one fell a little flat for me. I think my biggest issue was how unlikable Kimber became. You learn she’s extremely selfish and has little care for the impact her actions have on others. She befriends her lovers wife (he was having an affair with her at one point) and then proceeds to say she “loves her like a sister”... ummm what?! For me in order for a thriller to work the main character has to either be likeable or so off the deep end you are intrigued by their bat$hit craziness. Kimber doesn’t fall into either of these catergories so her story was hard to get invested in. Overall I could only give this one two stars. Thank you to Netgalley for the early review copy in exchange for an honest review!

Maybe I'm overly picky when it comes to thrillers, but The Stranger Inside unfortunately had a few things that are deal-breakers for me when it comes to this genre, principal among them being a supremely unlikable protagonist. Unlikable protagonists aren't an issue for me in all fiction, but in a thriller, I need to be rooting for the main character for the story to have any emotional thrust. I could not root for Kimber. If Kimber was on fire and I had a glass of water, I'd drink it. (Okay, maybe that's a bit much, but I was unable to find any empathy for this woman while reading.)

Kimber is habitually dishonest and selfish. A lot of this seems to come from her traumatic past, but I can only give a character so much leeway for that, and Kimber pushes the limit. She's emotionally distant in relationships, but don't worry, she has a foolproof plan for dealing with that: she just sleeps with married men! No strings! This was bad enough, but I can look past it in a fictional character to an extent. Kimber takes it to another level, though, when she decides to befriend the wife of one of her former flings, purely because she think it'll be funny to unnerve him. The wife's feelings don't seem to cross her mind for a minute. 

The second deal-breaker for me was the ridiculously convoluted plot. Some thriller writers seem to think that they can create an engaging story by the sheer quantity of twists. Quality, not quantity, please. Yes, if you throw in enough twists, at some point every reader is going to say, "Well, I didn't see that coming." The Stranger Inside is almost guaranteed to surprise you at least once, but this is in part because the twists are ridiculous. Obviously, I can't go into detail here without veering into spoilers, and maybe your experience will be different, but I wasn't buying some of these plot points. 

Clearly, this novel didn't work for me, but the creep factor behind the basic concept is super intriguing, there are loads of characters to suspect, and I do think there's an audience for this book. This might be a good choice for fans of The Night Olivia Fell, When the Lights Go Out, and The Wife Between Us.

This story was even better than I expected. The concept drew me in, how someone could get into your house and essentially take it over, and get away with it for any period of time. As the story unfolds it begins to make sense and if you have any misgivings about how believable it would be, it does get resolved as the plot progresses. It's just so hard to say much about the actual plot without giving anything away!

The characters are well-written and there are enough twists throughout to keep you turning page after page. I did feel at times that the main character's guilt regarding actions in her past was too heavy-handed. You want to just shake her by shoulders and say 'Get over it and move on with your life!' I realize that this guilt is essential to the story but it's a little exhausting.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I can't wait to read more. There's nothing better than finding a new author that I love, especially when she has more stories just waiting to be read!

4 Stars: The story starts right away with Michelle dying at the bottom of the ravine. From there, we flash to Kimber who has arrived home to find someone else living in her house. This intruder makes it known that he has it out for Kimber, but we are not sure why.

What I loved: The plot line in general. I could not even imagine coming home to find someone else in my house claiming to live there. I loved how the book started and there were many connections to close out the story. Some I was able to guess and some not so much-- I really believed my one angle was IT. Unreliable narrator that was not on drugs or drunk all the time. I personally did not like Kimber at all, but to be honest I am not sure we were supposed too, but while she know she is not telling the whole truth it was not due to being intoxicated. 

What I did not love: There was a small stretch of time where it felt like the story was dragging a little bit. 

I would recommend to those who love a good suspense novel that constantly twists!

This book was just ok. I didn’t love it and I felt it moved S-L-O-W but was ok. I struggled at times to keep going but maybe it was just me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this book in return for my honest review.

3.5 Stars.

Be Afraid, Be Very, Very Afraid.. of the “Stranger Inside!”

When Kimber gets home from her weekend at Lake of the Ozarks she discovers something terrifying - her locks have been changed - not just that but someone else has moved into her house! Insane right?! Her neighbor states that she saw Kimber sign over her home to Lance Wilson and yet Kimber has never met the man! Worse yet the police side with him. Can you say NIGHTMARE?

Thereafter, Kimber does the only thing she can. She calls her attorney .. who happens to be her ex! Kimber, of course, is irate about what has happened, and worse, yet, she is without a home.

Just who is the stranger living in Kimber’s home and what is he after?

What a tangled web, Laura Benedict weaved! This is a creepy, suspenseful novel you must dive right into! It is multi-layered and includes past and present timelines which meld together quite well. If you are looking for a tension filled mystery, that will keep you wound up for hours, this is definitely it.

Admittedly, my favorite part of this story is that it takes place in St. Louis, Missouri (where I lived for 6 years from 1998-2004), and based on the authors note, it appears as though Ms. Benedict set this story around that time frame thus certain landmarks and towns were described exactly as I remembered them, which was fantastic. Thank you to the author for taking me back in time!

This was a buddy read with Kaceey! Our first read together of 2019!

Thank you to NetGalley, Mulholland Books and Laura Benedict for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads and NetGalley on 1.5.19.

2.5 *
Spoiler warning:
This book had a lot of potential at the start. Who was the person in the house, why were they there, what did they want?
Normally with thriller books I just let myself get swept away in the story. In this book, the unexpected combination of villians was suggested halfway through, but at that point there were no links between them. This made the ending a lot less gripping because that seed had already been planted in my head.
Thanks to NegGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A psychogical thriller that is filled with twists and turns
A good read. I will also be looking for more books from this author

I enjoyed this book, though didn’t really warm to the main character. It’s a good read though and would recommend.

Creepy, surprising, and tense--impossible to read without putting yourself in the shoes of the protagonist. Definitely recommended for anyone who loves Shari Lapena's thrillers!

Excellent novel!

When I saw this as Read Now on NetGalley, not knowing this author before (a mistake I am now trying to correct by reading all of her books) I was a bit skeptical. It seemed like too good a deal to be true; I loved the synopsis and could just start reading, not even having to wait and see if I were approved? But it was just my lucky day, I guess.

Now BE AWARE: SOME MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

This is a compelling read that goes layer by layer presenting you the main character. You start completely on her side; I mean...what is happening to her is horrible, a true nightmare, right? No one deserves this. And she seems like a normal, OK person. However...as the story moves forward we are better introduced to Kimber. To all her life, all her mistakes, her flaws. She is not an easy character, let me tell you. There were times during the read that made me almost say out loud, "Come on, Kimber!!" But...she is human. She is flawed. Still, her ordeal is still a hard one to follow.

I loved the writing style, the way the reader is believed to be intelligent enough to be shown pieces of info and not to have them shoved in our faces like so many writers do. I also liked the pace, the dialogue, the way the story unfolded.

Absolutely recommend and will now keep this author in my list.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t enjoy this book and struggled to get into it which was disappointing as it sounded good in the description.

A book with a spooky premise - someone has moved into a woman's house, changed the locks, and forged a lease agreement that convinces the cops he has a right to be there. She knows otherwise, given the stranger whispers to her "I know what you did." The reader also gradually begins to understand what she did - and why she has tried to put it behind her. If you are looking for a psychological thriller with an interestingly imperfect heroine, this should do the trick.

This book was good. The beginning really hooked you, then in middle it got real slow. Last half of book was intense but ending fell real short. I wish the intensity would have been consistent throughout whole book.

A solid entry into the genre, but nothing spectacular. While the premise was good, the story just never quite grabbed me.

What would you do if you returned home to find someone living in your house? Lance has a signed lease and insists that Kimber rented her house to her. This is just the beginning of an untangling of lies and secrets that Kimber has built her life on. When Kimber accidentally knocks her renter to the ground he whispers in her ear "I was there, I saw what you did". Who is is man and what secrets does he know and how does he know them. When the next door neighbor dies, Kimber is convinced that her "renter" did the deed. Answering the question of "who is this man"leads Kimber to find out things about her father that she didn't want to know.

YOU PUT YOUR KEY IN THE LOCK. The door won't open. THE HOUSE SHOULD BE EMPTY. But someone else is here.
There's a stranger living in Kimber Hannon's house. He tells the police that he has every right to be there, and he has the paperwork to prove it.Kimber definitely didn't invite this man to move in. He tells her that he knows something about her, and he wants everyone else to know it too.

"I was there. I saw what you did."
These words reveal a connection to Kimber's distant past, and dark secrets she'd long ago left buried. This trespasser isn't after anything as simple as her money or her charming Craftsman bungalow. He wants to move into her carefully orchestrated life—and destroy it.

I really liked the concept of this story and I'm glad I read it, however I didn't like the characters. The dialogue does have a realistic vibe to it and the writing is done very well. My favorite character would have to be the dog, Mr. Tuttle. I'm a sucker for dogs/animals.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of The Stranger Inside by Laura Benedict
Pub Date: 05 Feb 2019

This is the story of Kimber Hannon who returns from vacation to find a squatter in her home that she can’t get rid of. He is a stranger to her who has changed the locks and has a rental agreement supposedly signed by Kimber. Thanks to Kimber’s somewhat shady past and man’s documents the police doubt Kimber’s story and she is forced to evacuate her own house. It leads you wondering, who is this person? Why does he want to stay at Kimber’s house? How did he gain entry? Can we believe Kimber or trust her story? More is revealed over time about Kimber’s past, an accident, and a complicated family situation that leaves you puzzled until the end.

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend to fans of psychological thrillers and mysteries or those looking to start reading that genre. Thanks to NetGalley for my complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sadly I did not connect with this book at all. The premise is intriguing: Kimber comes home from a trip to find that someone has moved into her house, but she has no recollection of when or why that happened.

I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care who took over whose house or why, and I just didn't care for this book at all.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kimber has a great job, her own home, which is her sanctuary, and complete control over her life. Or does she? When comes home after a long weekend away, eager to get into her home, she finds that her key does not work. Totally confused, she discovers a man living there, saying that he has a lease agreement to be there. Little by little, Kimber finds that her perfectly-controlled life, is not in her hands, anymore!

This is a very suspenseful story with many surprises along the way. The twists and turns make it impossible to figure out until the very end. The realistic characters make this story come to life. What a ride!

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.