A very twisted book and very readable .
This is a page turner
With a gripping thriller
I had an ARC from Mulhodden books

A Stranger Inside is a deeply unsettling psychological thriller that hits close to home. Imagine this being someones real life! It gives me the absolute chills. I found this book to be not only unsettling, but very original as well. I look forward to reading more of the authors novels in the near future.

The Stranger Inside# NetGally#
Laura Benedict

This is the first book I have read by this author, but it will not be my last. I loved everything about this book! Her style of writing is so easy to follow and just makes you want to read the entire book in one sitting. Which is what t I did! I loved the characters in this book, especially Kimber and Jenny. It is a good psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. It truly was a thriller! It has a little bit of all the factors that make a book work. It has mystery, family, love, sex (though not too gritty), and, did I mention mystery?! I wanted the book to go on and was sorry when it ended. So to Ms Benedict, I say bravo for an outstanding new novel. I will definitely be recommending this book to my family and friends.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGally for making it possible for an advanced read copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Stranger Inside was a fun page turner. What would you do if someone took over your house & changed all the locks?!? While I could not relate to, or even like, any of the characters I wanted to know what would happen next. The flash back chapters kept the story moving & answered question quickly. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The main idea of The Stranger Inside was a new and different one for me. To come home after a long weekend to find a stranger in your house, your locks changed, and for the stranger to have documents showing that you rented the home to him? Terrifying! That is what pulled me into this book, made me want to read it. so many thrillers lately focus on the same topics, this seemed new and different. An idea I think most people would find terrifying. When the police essentially take the squatters side? Even worse!
The problem I had with the book, though, and the reason for the 3 star rating is that the main character, Kimber is just SO unlikable. I had to keep reminding myself that she was the victim and that I was supposed to be cheering her on. As the story developed, her character just kept getting worse and worse. I found myself hoping that she would be thrown in jail or arrested just to get her out of the story. It was just very difficult to keep myself reading this book. I think if Kimber's character had been more reliable or just a nicer person, it would have worked better all around.
Overall, I think it has a good idea, I think there are interesting elements to the story. But I just hated Kimber too much.
Very grateful to Net Gallery for the opportunity to preview this book.

So, I'm having a hard time rating this one and here's why - the story is good! I like the past/present narrative (one told from each sister's perspective), and I appreciate how, while there are a lot of moving pieces, everything eventually comes together.

That said, I'm still feeling a little meh on it because it gets to be a little overzealous (extra, as the kids say!) as each piece of the story is revealed. I genuinely feel like the whole family story was enough on it's own and worked really well, the book didn't need the Gabriel/Brianna storyline to make it work. It would've been more than enough for her to have the ex-boyfriend thing happening, and her job could've easily had problems just by virtue of her bringing bad publicity to the station. Obviously, I'm not the editor, but I kind of wish that piece would've been left out. The story still all tied together well and all the pieces were made to fit, I think the book would've felt more cohesive that way.

Again - it's a good story! I enjoyed it and it hooked me right from the start, so it's one that I'll recommend to someone looking for a page turner.

This book had me gripped from start to finish and I read it in under 24 hours. The writing is strong and the plot is intricate and expertly woven from past to present, cleverly keeping the reader hanging from 'then' to 'now.'
I enjoyed the way that most of the characters (including the protagonist) are most certainly not what they seem to begin with and keep the reader guessing as to who to trust. It's a story that explores the complexities of family relationships, guilt and self-destruction. It does make a change to read a book via a narrator who is so complex and has more than a few skeletons that keep tipping through the pages. Some very sad parts also. Authentic dialogue and the sheer amount of twists and turns made the read well worth it for me. 
Now though, I need to read something a little lighter to get me back in the Christmas mood!

The stranger inside is addictive ! I could not put this down ! I was dying to know why this man is inside her house and what really happened that day to her sister ? I loved every twist and turn and sadly the deaths that came with each twist. The only thing I noticed in my e-copy was that flashbacks said 199_ so you never knew what year it was suppose to be. Not sure if that’s intentional but I do enjoy seeing the dates helps me relate it better. Overall though very happy for this ARC and will be recommending it to as many people as I can !

Ok. But found the characters quite hard to relate to. I wanted to know what happened but the lack of empathy with the main character spoiled it.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Imagine coming home from vacation to find that a stranger has moved into your home. Locks have been changed, and there is a rental agreement with your signature on it. This is the predicament the man character is faced with in this new Laura Benedict novel. The premise was promising and the writing was good, but I found it difficult to connect with the main character in any way. While there were many twists and turns, it seemed to me to be a bit far-fetched that one person could know that many mentally unbalanced people. Still, it was interesting and kept me reading to the end.

This book should have been more gripping than it was. It certainly had the intrigue and suspense as you didn’t know who Kimber could trust. However, I think because Kimber was so unlikeable it was hard to get into because you found yourself not really caring about her. She is the victim to what has happened to her, but the more you read, the more you wonder if she is getting her comeuppance?
What I kept finding it hard to get my head around were the flashbacks, these were written in Kimber’s sister Michelle’s voice. However, the tone they were written in was the same tone as the rest of the book, but we know from these flashbacks that Kimber isn’t a nice person. However, she is written as the victim in the current chapters as is Michelle in the past chapters, so that was disorientating. I had to keep remembering that the Kimber we were getting to know was the same person as the sister to Michelle. They felt like different people.
Overall, it was a good read, and I enjoyed it, but there was just something that just didn’t grip me and stopped this book being an unputdownable book which it should have been.

I found the writing better than the plot in this book. It still got me turn the pages and learn what happens in the end. But, the plot for me was just too unbelievable and there were not enough reasons to justify it.
But, it was exciting and bizarre.
I would still read another book from the writer.
Thanksa . lot to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.

Really enjoyed this book! Definite page-turner; gripping. Left me wanting more & constantly guessing who "the stranger" might be. Shocking ending!! Will recommend to others!!

Imagine coming home, going to unlock your front door and nothing happens. Have you accidentally tried the wrong key or is a friend perhaps pulling some kind of joke? Kimber quickly learns that this isn't a joke and that a stranger is living in her house. When Kimber calls the police, the stranger shows them his rental agreement, signed by Kimber and things are about to go from bad to worse. You see, Kimber has secrets and the stranger knows the one that if revealed, would be more devastating than being locked out of her house.
I am drawn to stories with flawed characters and Kimber definitely had some issues. Legally, she has to fight to get back inside her house, and it isn't going to be easy. She also has to figure out who this stranger is and how much of her past does he really know. There are numerous twists and turns and every time Kimber got a bit closer to understanding why this was happening, the author added another unexpected twist. There was very little 'down time' as secrets and lies were constantly revealed. I quickly fell into 'page flipping mode' and even though I never really liked Kimber, I didn't think she deserved everything that happened.
My first book by Laura Benedict and I would like to read more.
I received a DRC from Mulholland Books through NetGalley.

I seem to be in the minority with my opinion on this book.. I did not think it was particularly bad but it just was not a page turner for me. I slogged through most of it because I wanted to see if Kimber finally got her just desserts. Yeah, I know the story centered on her horrific tale of a house stolen out from under her but as I read along I learned that Kimber was a very twisted individual and so were almost all the people in her life. This book just did not click with me but I would still read another book by this author. I felt that the writing flowed even if I did not enjoy the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

4 shiny stars!
Unique story with so many twists! Definitely a fast paced, thrilling, psycho, paranoia filled plot with characters that I loved to hate!
An ending to make you say “WHAAT?!”

Thank you #NetGalley, the author and publisher for my free arc in exchange for my honest review. I will also be posting on Goodreads and Amazon.

Look for this book Feb 5!

(Thanks for the arc)

Oh God!! What a compelling read. From the start till the end, the story was gripping and intense.
The story follows a girl named Kimber who returns from a holiday only to find someone else living in her house.
This story had complex characters who had made many mistakes or weren't how they looked like. Kimber, the lead was flawed in all ways, yet you feel sorry for her time and again, over the helplessness she feels.
The first half builds the story well, and then piece by piece everything starts revealing itself, and it was beautiful how in the end everything gets a closure. Although I had guessed some of the suspense, a lot it had kept me guessing till the end.

I had mixed feelings about this book at times, because the main character, Kimber, was a genuinely unlikeable person. She was selfish, manipulative and did some horrible things.... Yet I felt for her because her life had become a nightmare. I guessed most of what would be the ending somewhere in the middle of the book, but it didn't dampen the reading experience. This novel was well organized and well written, and I was excited to get back to reading when I had to put it down for any period of time. I don't want to give too much away, but I do feel that the ending fit the story well. I will definitely recommend this book to others, and will seek out other novels by this author in the future. 4& 1/2 stars.

Heart pounding read! I strangely love books that make me feel uncomfortable. Coming home to find that someone or something has changed the locks to your own house and knows about your biggest is one way to make me feel a little uneasy to say the least. This book kept me up at night until I devoured every last word. So worth the read!

Looking for a new fast paced psychological thriller to read? - Step this way! The Stranger Inside was an original and well thought out page turner. I inhaled within 24 hours and it pairs well with a couple glasses of wine. This is an excellent adult read. The first chapter of the book is brief and eerie and left me scratching my head and thinking “give me more of whatever that was.” The book began under bizarre circumstances and quickly turned chilling. Like most great psych thrillers, the secrets create a intensely mysterious vibe. I found myself questioning the innocence and motives of everyone. The suspense was spring-loaded in this one. It was perplexing to find myself in a situation where I sided with the main character while simultaneously not liking her. She was not a very good person and this element added complexity. I liked the story and recommend it for anyone who wants a read that is hard to put down. If you love novels by authors like B.A. Paris and Shari Lapena then you will enjoy this one.