Addictive, thrilling, vindictive, and edge of your seat suspense. This book was a joy to read from cover to end. I was so immersed in this novel it was so hard to put down. We are introduced to several characters in this novel. There is Lee, a single mother of a son named Mason who is on the spectrum and who has appointments at their home with an Occupational Therapist Noah. Noah really likes Noah and all the hard work her does for her son Mason and other children like him. After time, they form a close bond and think fondly of one another and their friendship grows. Lee's best friend is Grace, a divorced mother who actually introduced Noah to Lee. Lee is so close with Grace and Grace gets along so well with Lee's son Mason.

Lee's days are very structured and everything is perfectly planned out each day, and it works for Lee and her son Mason. One day Lee and Grace, along with some other girlfriends, decide to go away to a mountain retreat to relax and have fun. It was difficult to convince Lee to go as she enjoys the daily structure and routine in Mason's life and is weary of leaving him behind for a few days. But after much convincing from Noah and Grace, and Noah offering to stay with Mason, Lee decides that it would be fun and a good idea to go. During the trip, someone winds up dead. Who is it? Was it an accident? Who has died?

I enjoyed reading about the various different dynamics is this novel, between best friends Lee and Grace, and then Lee's relationship with Noah. Noah seemed like a wonderful man, he was great with Mason, he was a good supportive friend to Lee, and was handsome and charming. Lee couldn't help but develop feelings for him. In fact, he is the first man she has felt this way about in a very long time.

Amid all the fun in the resort secrets are also revealed. The ladies all want to know who Mason's father is. Up until now, Lee wouldn't talk about it let along let them know Mason's father and who he is. Lee decides to tell Grace a secret once all the other ladies are gone to bed late one night. What secret did she reveal?

Overall I loved this book. It is a definite must read to add to your books this year. There is so much drama, lies, secrets, betrayal, shocking twists that you will not see coming.

Grace. Lee. Noah. Three friends whose lives are connected through the stories of the past and the present. Living in Nashville, Lee’s son is Autistic and revolves her entire life around him. Grace, her best friend, finds Lee the perfect title for her son. Enter Noah, handsome and smart and caring. Lee can’t help but develop a crush on Noah, and she even trusts him to watch her son while she has a girls weekend away. But the confessions that are made on the girls weekend lead to secrets unraveling, and someone ends up dead. As the story continues to unravel, and the friends navigate the loss, more secrets unfold. And just when you think you've figured out the ending, Rea Frey throws one last twist you never saw coming.

2.5/5 stars

After absolutely loving Frey's first suspense novel that I binge read in one day last year, Not Her Daughter, I am more than disappointed with this one.

Here's the thing - the writing is quite on point, I also binge read this in one day, and whoever edited this did an amazing job, because for an arc copy this was flawless (grammatically, and it always makes me so happy), but either the topic, or the execution of this is horribly wrong.

If I sound like I'm not sure, it's because I'm not. I just don't know what the author was going for, honestly. And I can only hope that she wasn't going for what I'm hoping she wasn't going for. Makes sense, no? Good. I don't want to spoil anything till the book comes out on August 6th, 2019.

Sure, Because You're Mine is compulsive and readable, but when you stop and actually think about it - it’s just a huge mess, with a very far fetched twist that only works if you consider ALL of the narrators completely unreliable.

If you believe all of the narrators then the whole book and the part when the twists happens (the very ending) are two very separate things that lack cohesiveness. It would have worked if the twist was tied together to something substantial at the beginning. Maybe an anonymous opening by that person - so the reader can actually be on track with the events and when the twist does come, it wouldn't feel like something thought of at the very last second, but a plot all along.

Sure, there are hints, but the narration itself contradicts them. Also, the way everything ended made me think that the author condones that kind of behavior? Don't get me wrong, I love a dark novel told from a psychotic perspective - it's chillingly refreshing, just read Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent. That book is a great example of how very, very bad people are presented very, very well. Because you're Mine just left a very bad taste in my mouth after I was done with it.

Structure wise, I was very annoyed with the age old trick of "hey this character has a secret, but I'm not going to reveal it until later one so you will just have to keep reading". The novel didn't give you anything but empty promises and filler material till 38%. Many people would have given up by that point. Speaking of filler, the book is full of it. Some chapters were nothing but filler, that were only there to postpone the big reveals, to stretch the page count.

​I loved the character of Mason, he's so pure and hilarious, but by the end of the story the focus shifted so far away from him, that I was left wondering - was his "condition" just for the diversity check point? Why wasn't it explained more, especially when the past was brought up?

I will be able to divulge more into details (especially on who I think was the true victim of this story) and spoilers after the book is published in the end of summer of 2019. Big thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press for an early digital copy of the book provided via NetGalley.

I LOVED this book. This book kept me up late and made me late to work. I was surprised by the events in the middle of the book and shocked by the ending. It seemed like the major event in the story took place in the middle so I was worried that the rest of the book would be boring or unnecessary. I was wrong.

As a speech-language pathologist, I see firsthand how difficult it is for parents who have children who special needs to navigate school, therapy, and social environments. I appreciated the portrayal of Lee because I felt that it was very honest and accurate.

Great book! An edge of your seat read, keeping the final surprise a complete secret until the end. Well written characters with major secrets! I highly recommend this book and this author. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I read this book over Easter break and really liked the characters and the story. I think it is a pretty good book. Will probably order it for the library.

Lee, best friend Grace, and Noah, Lee's son's therapist all have secrets. Their lives are all intertwined in more ways than one. Each has a past that haunts them. Just when the reader begins to figure out a clue given in this suspenseful drama, a twist happens. Readers paying close attention to each clue will probably still be shocked at the end. Highly recommended!

This is the first time I had read anything by Rea Frey, and as soon as I finished, I immediately looked for her first book. I had forgotten I had it and I was very excited to read another one of hers. Because You’re Mine grabbed me from the very first page and when I finished it, I sat in silence for a minute or two, amazed at how I did not see the end coming. I pride myself on figuring out endings to books (although it sometimes ruins the suspense for me). It is not unusual for me to be disappointed with an ending, having figured it out too early on. Therefore, I thought I had figured it out by the middle of the book. It seemed too obvious to me who Mason’s father was, and I was so hoping there would be more to it. Wow, was there ever! The author’s writing style made it very easy to read, and each time I had to put it down to go do something else, I couldn’t wait to return to it. The character evolvement was written so well that I felt as if I knew them. There were a few loose threads during the story, however, that made me ponder the reasons why they were only very lightly touched upon. Without giving anything away, the biggest omission in the character development was not learning everything about all the characters’ pasts. However, it all came together very surprisingly in the end. A wonderfully suspenseful book, and I have already spread the excitement of it to many, many people.

Last summer, I read Rea Frey's Not Her Daughter and couldn't put it down. When I received a copy of Because You're Mine, I knew that I needed to save it for a special occasion - because I was certain I would be equally as obsessed with this book.

And I was right! Because You're Mine completely smashes the idea of a "second book curse" - it is fantastic. I tore through it in a day and couldn't get over the plot twists and character development. I seriously cannot wait to see what Frey does next, because she's 2/2 in my book right now.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Special thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for a free, electronic ARC of this novel.

Rea Frey's newest release, Because You're Mine, is a domestic thriller that will keep readers guessing until the end! Single mom Lee has a brilliant, young son named Mason, who requires strict routines and sensitivity. Details about his father are scant and readers quickly realize Lee has strong feelings for Mason's tutor Noah. Lee's best friend Grace, who seemingly offers much support and advice to Lee, is strangely resistant to Lee's belief that Noah returns those feelings. When an opportunity for a much-needed girls weekend arises, the secrets that Lee, Grace and Noah are harboring prove both twisty and dangerous.

With an unpredictable twist at the end, diary entries that are increasingly twisted and a well developed characters, Frey has another hit on her hands.

BECAUSE YOU’RE MINE by Rea Frey is a compelling and suspenseful psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat for every page. There were so many twists and turns along the way that I never saw the explosive ending coming. Every time I thought I had the story figured out, I would find myself wrong again. I don’t want to give away a single thing, because the brilliantly-plotted story and the unexpected ending are key to this riveting book. The expert way the characters were developed and portrayed made me feel like I knew them personally. There are some difficult themes addressed, but the author does so with sensitivity and compassion. I truly enjoyed this intense and gripping novel and I highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this outstanding book.

I will start this review with a trigger warning. I am not giving anything away because the author goes into her own experience at the beginning of the book. The triggers are sexual assault, suicide, drug use, and alcoholism. If any of those triggers you, do not to read the book.

I enjoy reading mystery/thriller/suspense novels. I like the charge I get when reading them. I love not knowing what is going to happen next in the book, which is why I decided to review Because You’re Mine. I am glad I did because this book was fantastic!! It was everything I thought it was going to be.

Because You’re Mine has three plotlines. They are Lee, Noah, and Grace. When I first figured that out, I was kind of “eh” about it. If there are many plotlines, I sometimes have an issue keeping track of them. In this case, though, I was good. The author marked each chapter with who it was (Noah, Grace, Lee). She even went one step further and marked it when the book went from past to present. When I noticed that, I whispered a “Thank you.” That is a huge pet peeve of mine when reading books with numerous and intertwining plotlines. They aren’t marked and if there are changes between present and past, forget it.

I will admit, I was a little irritated by the journal entries. I couldn’t understand why they were there. But, as I got into the book, the entries started making sense. Of course, I got who was writing them wrong.

I liked Lee. Life wasn’t easy for her. Raising an autistic child was hard. She had to keep to a precise schedule for Mason, which meant no dating, no men. She was slightly selfish. When she got together with Grace, everything was about her. She never let Grace get a word in edgewise. But, then again, if my only outlet were talking about my past, I would do the same. I will say this; I was not expecting a couple of twists that popped up in her storyline.

I was iffy with Noah. I felt that he was throwing mixed signals at Lee. I didn’t understand why he couldn’t have come clean sooner to her. I did feel bad for him when his secret was revealed. I would not have been able to live with myself after that, which leads to the second secret. If the first secret hadn’t of happened, then the second one definitely wouldn’t have happened.

I thought Grace was a great friend. I felt terrible that she had to hide her secret from Lee. Her stress was palpable. I could understand why she wouldn’t have wanted Lee to know. Her other secret blew my flipping mind. I couldn’t believe it. I put my Kindle down and said “No freaking way.“

I thought that Because You’re Mine was a great fit in the mystery/suspense/thriller category. The author did a fantastic job of keeping Lee, Noah and Grace’s many secrets, well, a secret until the end. I did guess Noah’s and had kind of a feel for Lee’s. But Grace’s, no way. Talk about blindsiding someone.

There are a few sex/sexual scenes in Because You’re Mine. The one involving Noah and Grace disturbed me. Not because of the rough sex but because of what Noah said. I got shivers reading it.

The end of Because You’re Mine messed with me. I was not expecting the 180 a particular character did. Talk about making my mouth drop. I was a little aggravated at the lengths that person was going to go through to get back at people. If you read the book, you know what I am talking about. Other than that, it was one of the best endings I have read in a while.

I would give Because You’re Mine an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is language. There is violence. I would reccomend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Because You’re Mine. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy

For some reason, I was a bit reluctant to read this novel. Maybe because I wasn’t fond of the cover nor of the title. I read the summary several times, thought it looked pretty good and intriguing, willing to read it, adding the novel onto my TBR pile, and then went to another book. Every time I returned to my TBR shelf, this cover would look at me and I was like, “Meh.”
But I was wrong. So wrong. From the prologue alone, I knew that I was going to adore it. The writing style is fresh and beautiful and I slammed my forehead for having once again judged a book by its cover. Wrongly.
It turned out that the story is stunningly crafted, intricate; characters linking to one another through various backstories that are divulged little by little as the big picture grows closer to readers. Because the thing is, everyone’s got their own secret. Some keep them to keep people safe, while so others have other intentions in mind.
Of course, with this kind of story, you expect twists. And there are quite a few indeed. So when <i>this</i> bit is revealed, you guess that <i>that</i> happened, and you’re wrong. The story goes on and you learn another crucial detail, so you change your theory and have another guess. You feel it all coming together. And of course because it’s this kind of story again, and because by now you’ve probably exhausted all other possible twists, you know there’s got to be a final twist coming. But whether you find it or not, at this point, you can’t be disappointed—you’ve been so engaged with the story for the past hours that you don’t even realize you’ve read it in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for my review. It did not influence my opinion.

I definitely did not see the end of this book coming, although most of the earlier twists and turns were much more obvious. However, thinking back, I'm not sure there were any real clues leading to the actual ending, which is different from most mysteries.

However, I couldn't get past some of the writing in this book. Lots of cliches, conversations that just don't work. I just found it very distracting while I was reading. It probably could have gone through one last round of editing to get all the way to where it needed to be.

Lee is a single mother, hairdresser, and best friend. On the surface, it seems like she has everything under control. Her best friend Grace is also a single mom and their boys instantly become fast friends. Lee's son Mason requires a lot of patience and special attention and it seems like Lee has forgotten that she has needs of her own. Her friends are always trying to get her to let her guard down and have some fun but she worries so much about being there for Mason that it never seems like the right time.
Lee does start to develop a crush on her son's teacher that could either turn into the real deal or he could just not even be interested. Lee takes a leap of faith and decides to tell Noah how she feels only to have him respond by leaving. She starts feeling like all her old demons are coming to the surface and isn't sure how to stop them. She knows she needs to be able to confide in someone but who? Lee's complicated and dark past have been hidden from everyone in her life and she wants it to stay that way.

Grace loves Lee and just wants her to find some balance in her life. Everyone needs to find some love and happiness, right? Speaking of happiness, Grace has some pretty big news of her own that she wants to share with all her friends and she thinks the upcoming girls getaway is the perfect chance. Will Lee be happy for her or will this be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back?

I refuse to say anything specific about this book because I don't want to give anything away. I 100% feel like this book is one of the best I've read in years. I had no idea what was going to happen or just how twisted the story was going to get. A true page-turner.

Rea Frey writes another suspense thriller with plot twists that have you turning the pages late into the night.

A complicated story of intertwined lives leaving three people dead and the custody of one handicapped child shifting.

To explain the characters & their relationships would reveal the surprises that are revealed as the novel unfolds. Be aware of the chapter headings "Past", "Present" so you don't get confused as the characters' expose their actions.

Surprise ending was a mixture of cunningness, creepiness and a warped version of happy ever after - I LOVED IT!

Wow! This was quite the read! I devoured this book in a single day, finding it impossible to put down. It was very intriguing and had quite a few twists, ESPECIALLY at the very end. I did not see that final bombshell coming st all. Absolutely recommend this novel!

WOW!
Because You're Mine is a story about a single mom taking care of her autistic son and how she doesn't feel she can trust anyone with him.
When she finally decides to trust her best friend with her son things don't end well.

This story will keep you turning page after page. The ending will blow your mind. I could not put this book down. Can't wait to read more by Rea Frey!

Talk about thinking you know the answers, don’t be so sure, I was confident I had it all figured out, but wow did not see most of this coming.
Up until the last page is turned and even then, the surprises keep appearing, and didn’t let up.
A child, a mom, a mom, a friend, a foe, you will be shaking your head and then the father, who can you trust, and when you do you probably shouldn’t have, no one seems to be who you meet at first and right up to the end it keeps changing.
If you enjoy suspense, you don’t want to miss this one, it will keep you up late, and then enter your dreams!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin’s Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of Because You're Mine in exchange for an honest review.

Grace and Lee are struggling single mothers and best friends. Lee is a hairstylist raising a feisty son, Mason, who is gifted but has special needs. She has hired, Noah, a handsome tutor for Mason but after seeing him with her son has formed an intense romantic crush on him. Lee has been extremely stressed out so Grace convinces her to take a quick girls trip to the mountains with a couple of their other mom friends. Grace has two motives for this weekend, get Lee to relax and confess a secret she has been carrying with her. However, this relaxing getaway turns chaotic when one of them ends up dead.

I was very excited to get an early copy of Rea Frey's newest novel since I enjoyed her previous work, Not Her Daughter. It is an intense thriller told from multiple perspectives with present and flashback time frames. The main characters are all interesting with traumatic pasts that haunt them throughout the novel. I loved the first half of the novel, the pacing is good with secrets around all of the main characters. The second half spends a ton of time on the characters pasts and a lot of focus on Lee's former friend, Shirley, probably too much time for my preference. But hang in there the ending has a great twist.