I was bored at times and thrilled at times. There were twists I didn't see coming, one of which seemed extremely out of nowhere and unnecessary. The writing style was easy to consume. Overall, I enjoyed it. So, 3 stars. I'll be looking to read more from Louise Voss.

Thank you to Trafalgar Square Publishing for a free digital copy of this book via NetGalley.

I loved this book! It was a great twist and the characters were well developed. The story line caught my interest in the beginning and kept me hooked throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller? mystery? domestic noir? I'm not sure what to label it. Lynn Naismith's husband, Ed is diagnosed with early onset Pick's Disease (a form of dementia). This is the same disease that destroyed his father. Lynn is left to watch helplessly and pick up the pieces as Ed quickly declines. But we soon learn that there is quite the backstory, nothing is as it seems, and both Ed and Lynn have a few secrets. Ed's first wife disappeared and is thought to be dead. In fact, after some time, a homeless man confessed to killing her. But is that what really happened? Did Ed have something to do with her death? Is Ed truly sick? If not, why would he pretend to be? Ohhh, what a tangled web we weave...

Lynn and Ed have been married for several years. Unfortunately Ed starts showing signs of dementia .. no surprise since his own father had died with dementia.

Things start happening, much to Lynn's chagrin. Ed forgets words .... keys go missing ... memories forgotten. But other memories begin to surface. Their perfect world begins to disintegrate.

Ed's first wife disappeared and was never seen again. Something Ed says makes Lynn suspect that he killed her and hid her body.

But Lynn knew this before she married him.

This is an extremely well written psychological thriller filled with twists and turns. Everybody lies ... everyone has secrets... secrets just begging to be released from the shadows. The characters are credible ... but not all are entirely likeable.

Many thanks to the author / Orenda Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Psychological Thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Old You by Louise Voss.

A married woman, Lynn, tells the story about her life with her husband Ed. Her husband starts to show signs of forgetfullness and may be dementia. Lynn starts to think things are not what they seem and she tells the story of her sudden worry that things are not what they seem. She's certainly seeing the life she had slowly become more dark. And secrets long buried are bubbling to the surface.

This book was not what I expected and although it was well written, I became disengaged in the middle. This was just ok for me.

I was definitely underwhelmed with this novel When I read about it I thought it sounded great but the characters were not very likable as well as the main character not being the sharpest knife in the drawer. I guess this one was just not for me.
Thank you Net Galley.

2.5
This sounded so good, a great premise. Unfortunately, it doesn’t deliver.

The characters aren’t likable or believable. That plot follows along in a similar fashion. There are twists but they are rather easy to predict ahead of time.

I can’t imagine that someone with police and investigative training would be duped so easily and for so long. Had seeds of doubt been planted along the way then maybe this would have been better or maybe if she had a different employment background... it just didn’t sit right.

I wish this had gone in a different direction as I liked the concept and the writing itself was good. It has some pretty good reviews so don’t let me scare you off trying it, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Trafalgar Square Publishing for a copy in exchange for a review.

Since I have a husband with beginning dementia this book called to me. Good writing, good story, good characters. Totally had me involved until the last quarter. It just got so convuluted and dumbed down the female character. But still a vert satisfactory read and I would definitely read more of her books.

This was a fun read!

I certainly wouldn't label this a 'nail-biter' as the publisher did, but there are some sneaky little surprises to this domestic thriller.

What made this fun to read was in the execution.

First comes from the build up: providing the reader with a very shaky foundation of what's to come, as the information being provided is highly unreliable.

Second comes from the characters....who can you trust?

Last comes from the expert way the author slowly and expertly reveals the truth. I let out a little 'whoop!' when it all came together.

I'm going to have to look into some of the author's other works, as I see she has partnered up with another of my favorite authors Mark Edwards. I look forward to my next adventure with Ms Voss!

ARC provided by NetGalley

It was hard for me to get into this book since I really disliked the main character, Lynn. The story was slow paced but the author threw in some twists to make me want to read to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Trafalgar Square Publishing for a copy of Louise Voss' "The Old You" in exchange of an honest review.

This noir-ish book, set in Wolsey, near Hampton Court in present day England, involves an unusual set of people who have been flung together in strange ways over the past decade. Lynn Jackson is married to a retired doctor, Ed Naismith, whose first wife disappeared mysteriously. She was presumed a suicide until a drifter confessed to her killing. Lynn met Ed about a year later, gradually fell head over heels for him and the rest is history — well sort of.

The entire novel is narrated by Lynn and periodically, during the the early chapters, she leaves the reader with unsettling comments about herself, her husband, her life. All is not what it seems, she appears to be saying. And then Ed begins exhibiting signs of dementia, of a kind that took his father.

A sense of unease and some unlikeable characters is perhaps to be expected in this type of novel with its noir elements, but I found this story went over the top. While the plot could be compelling, pulling me along to find what would happen next, I didn’t care about Lynn or Ed. I increasingly disliked Lynn though I should have had some sympathy. Instead I disliked her and her motives, the way she was written.

So yes this can be very readable and at times action-packed, but I felt it was a bit tawdry in the end. Perhaps this is noir and it’s not for me.

2.5 rounded to 3

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up

A GoodReads friend had posted a review of this book and it just called out to me. Luckily, it was a Read Now and I was able to snatch it up.

Like the main character, I’m married to a man much older than me and he is starting to have some memory issues. So, I immediately bonded with Lynn. The book is written in first person, which was the perfect narrative style for this type of book. I literally had to keep reminding myself that Lynn was not a real person.

But Ed has more than memory issues. He’s got full blown Pick’s Disease, a form of frontotemporal dementia which effects not just vocabulary but emotions and judgement. He also has a very questionable past, investigated for having murdered his first wife, but eventually exonerated when someone else confesses.

This book gets creepy pretty quickly and moves at a very fast pace. I did start to suss out where it was going early on but that's not to say it didn’t hold my interest. And yes, there was one twist I didn’t see coming. Lynn makes some incredibly stupid decisions which bothered me as I expected her to be smarter. And the ending quickly went into the totally unbelievable category.

So, all in all, a decent read but one that starts much stronger than it finishes.

My thanks to netgalley and Orenda Books for an advance copy of this book.

Another estrogen driven thriller, with much praise to its name. And for my money entirely undeserved. In fact paying money for this would have been very upsetting. So many thanks Netgalley, where your reading pleasure…or disappointment…are always free. Meet Lynn. Lynn has the worst taste in men, something she’s too oblivious (or stupid, also a very strong possibility) to notice until somewhere like 4/5th of the way into the novel. Lynn is happily married or she was until her dearly beloved’s memory started going south. This, Lynn categorically and repeatedly states isn’t something she signed up for. Which is like well, yeah, she did, didn’t she…unless wedding vows in England are very different from US. But at any rate, things are way more complicated than dementia, all those past secrets and lies. And honestly, I don’t know how to talk about them without giving things away, so maybe you should read more of this review if you haven’t read the book. Mind you, I’m not recommending you read the book, but in case you’re not convinced…go on then, check it out for yourself. Now if you are still reading, let’s talk about Lynn some more. Or maybe let’s talk about the author and about how completely predictable her plotting is. Most of the major twists you’ll notice a mile’s equivalent of pages away. The very final one might surprise you, but by then it’s just all too much. And all on Lynn. Who is so profoundly lacking in good judgement, good taste or any sort of discernment and this is all despite having not only police training, but also undercover training that it is mindboggling she’s gotten as far in life as she did at all. Don’t f*ck your married boss, don’t f*ck a suspect, if you can’t control your wild urges at least use protection, don’t marry someone who owns 50 pairs of nice jeans, don’t believe every single suspicious thing…just really basic things that Lynn won’t do. Instead she’s like someone out of a romance novel, making terrible choices, based on (spelled deliberately) lurv. When it finally becomes blatantly obvious that the dementia thing is a giant fat lie, there is a ridiculous amount of Oh yes it is / Oh no I don’t believe it. Lynn remains somewhat in a state of constant disbelief for most of the novel from there on, she just can’t believe she was so wrong about her sartorially perfect choice of a mate. Until pretty much the very end when she realizes just how thoroughly she has been played. Not saying she deserved it, taking advantage of the intellectually inferior and gullible and romantically challenged is morally wrong. But she is something of an idiot. And with an idiot for a protagonist and complete lack of any interesting or charming or compelling characters and a clichéd plot there just isn’t much to engage with or enjoy here. Sure, it would probably make for a relatively entertaining movie thriller, but in book form it underwhelms dramatically and with a plethora of other choices in the genre there is no need to spend time on this one. Even if it did read quickly. Thanks Netgalley.

Not quite 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I think it’s best to not share much more than what is shared in the synopsis..

Lynn loved her job, but after realizing that her affair with her married boss, will not lead to the marriage and children she covets, she asks to transfer to a new city...seeking a fresh start.

She meets Ed, in a most unorthodox way, and has been happily married for ten years....until he is diagnosed with Pick’s disease, a form of early onset dementia. Ed is losing more than his ability to use the correct words in sentences...his behavior is becoming secretive, irrational and occasionally violent.

Does Lynn REALLY know her husband? Is his “true self” being exposed because of his “dementia”?

The story seems to jump around a bit when the books begins, and just when it finds its groove, a few chapters of Lynn’s back story are introduced, crucial to the plot, but the transitions between past and present are a bit uneven.

Also, although I do not need to like the characters in the book, in this case, I felt like the author WANTED you to sympathize with Lynn, something I couldn’t do, as I found her morals lacking, both personally and professionally.

However despite a few flaws, I was thrilled to FINALLY be reading a story with a unique premise! Even if I was not thrilled with how it ended.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Trafalgar Square Publishing/Orenda books, and the author for providing a copy in exchange for a candid review! If you are intrigued...this book is available NOW!

A good read but didn’t blow me away. It had some fun twists and turns but some parts were very slow. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for review.

3.5/5 stars

With clever twists and fun surprises, this hair-raising well-written thriller is quite good. I don't think I can add anything that hasn't already been said. Recommended.

Keep the Kleenex nearby because you will need it with this book. It is heart breaking to see how aging takes us down in ways you never expect. Absolutely pick up this wonderful book. Happy reading!

3.5 stars rounded up

Lynn and Ed have been married for ten years and things seem to be going great for them until Ed is diagnosed with early onset dementia. It is not long before Ed starts missing words, strange noises are heard in the night, and Ed becomes secretive and his demeanor begins to change. But the synopsis teases the reader - just who is having their mind play tricks on them?

Soon the reader begins to learn that there is more to this story and the characters than meets the eye. Psychological thrillers are all the rage these days as are books with unreliable characters/narrators and plot twists and shocking reveals! Well, this book does not disappoint in that area, but will I remember it by this time next year? My guess is vaguely.

Not all the characters are likable in this book which keeps things interesting. I did find myself getting annoyed with one character - massively annoyed. Knowing these characters aren't real, I still wanted to ask this particular character "Are you really this ridiculous all the time? I mean seriously? How clueless can one person be? How did you ever work in that particular field and well.... UGH!

But I do have to give the Author props for being clever. The story was interesting and entertaining. Just when you think you might have this story (and the characters) figured out, the Author will surprise you. I did guess one thing early on, but the rest surprised me. Secrets, lies, deception, twists, turns, doubt, shock, anger - it's all here! The Author pretty much throws everything but the kitchen sink in here.

Thank you to Trafalgar Square Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought this book started out slow, but the more I read I became enthralled. This was a fantastic thriller. What would you do if you found out your partner had a form of dementia how would it change your life and what if it brought forth some awful secrets?

The publishers were kind enough to let me read this despite it having already been released. I was quite aware while reading that it wasn't quite the final draft. There was a serious font issue throughout. Now having said that let me tell you about this book.

There's so much I'd love to say but I never give spoilers. This book has several twists you won't see coming even though you have a general feeling that you know what's happening. If you're anything like me you'll find you were right and yet oh so wrong.

The beginning is a simple pace, nothing too dramatic. But once you get to the main event you can't stop reading. A delightfully twisted tale of betrayal.

*this review can be found on Goodreads and Amazon