We have here essentially a triangle of Lee, Grace, and Noah. There are a few other friends thrown in which caused a little confusion for me in the beginning. I consider this more a slow burn of suspense with some soft spots in the center. The characters are hard to like. It’s a solid read but the twist at the end seemed a little far of a stretch.

As I kept reading this book I got more and more into it. It kept my interest as you just weren't sure what was going to happen and what the outcome was going to be. I don't want to give away any spoilers.
The author has great character development; you really get a feel for what the son, Mason, is like along with the trials and tribulations that the mom, Lee, has to deal with on an everyday basis. Further along in the book. Grace, Lee's friend and Noah, Mason's tutor take a major role and the author is able to bring it all together.
Lots of twists and turns in this book. A very interesting and enjoyable read.

Rea Frey is an author to look out for! Don't judge this book by it's cover! This book is dark and twisty and the author will keep you guessing until the very end! How do all these characters tie into each other? Is anyone as they appear?

Lee has a special needs child Mason who is the highlight character of this book! Can Lee actually allow herself to go on holiday with her friends and leave Mason behind ? She finally decides to go and ends up dead. What happened and why? Accident or something more sinister?

This is my second book by this author and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next! Keep them coming Rea Frey!

A big thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

4.5 stars - and it would have been 5 if I had just a little bit more of a look into the future after it all came together. But who knows? That's what second books are for, right?

This was such a twisty, turny tale with so many unreliable narrators throughout, that my mind kept spinning theories. And even though I was sure I thought of every scenario possible, I still had that "Ohhhhhhhhhhh" moment when the "truth" was revealed. I seem to be very into thrillers lately, and this was one of the better ones by far!

Briefly, single mother Lee is raising her "on the spectrum" son Mason, who I simply loved. He was so funny and forthright, and wise beyond his years. Lee has several good girlfriends, and they convince her that she needs and deserves a break, but she has never left Mason before. She also has Noah in her life, who is Mason's at home tutor and, if Lee has anything to say about it, her love interest. Noah agrees that Lee has earned a weekend away and agrees to care for Mason. And off she goes. By the time the short trip is over, one person is dead, secrets are unraveling, and things will never be the same.

I found this book really hard to get into. The characters were solid but the part itself was a bit rushed so it made it really hard to savor the storyline because the soon as you open up the book and start reading it just goes right into it. It wasn’t like where you have books where they start off being page turners it really was a situation where you open this book and the author pretty much hit the ground running which for me and made it a little confusing. The plot was really good The characters were solid but the plot itself was a bit rushed so it made it really hard to savor the storyline because the soon as you open up the book and start reading it just goes right into it. It wasn’t like where you have books where they start off being page turners it really was a situation where you open this book and the author pretty much hit the ground running which for me made it a little confusing. The plot was really good it’s just the execution needed to be a lot better.

Because I enjoyed Rea Frey’s debut novel, Not Her Daughter, I chose to read her second. Told in three points of view (Lee, the mother of Mason, a spectrum child; Noah, Mason’s tutor; and Grace, Lee’s best friend), this book is a read-in-one-sitting page-turner. All the characters are well-developed, including Mason, but all except Mason have deep dark secrets. None are who they seem to be, and the plot draws readers in with its twists and turns. By the time the book climaxes, three people are dead, and the killers(s) are those you’d least suspect. While in Not Her Daughter a bad thing was done for a good reason, here in Because You’re Mine, bad things are done for sociopathic reasons.

I loved the depiction of Mason. Frey does a superb job showing how the delightful quirky, yet devastatingly honest Mason fits into his mother’s world.

Read this book for its characterization and for the surprise ending that will leave you understanding all the clues and wondering why you didn’t see it coming.

"Because You're Mine" by Rea Frey is the perfect example of a story that slowly builds up suspense while still keeping the reader’s attention. In the beginning of the story, the reader is introduced to Grace, Lee, and Noah. Grace and Lee are best friends, and Noah tutors Lee’s on-the-spectrum son, Mason. Noah has agreed to take care of Mason while Lee reluctantly goes on a girls’ trip to the mountains. Lee and Grace having a falling out during the trip, and someone on the trip ends up dead.

I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but the story really picks up speed after the girls’ trip as the characters' secrets are revealed. The book also delves into some serious subject matter such as legal guardianship, sexual assault, suicide, alcoholism, and grief. I wasn’t able to put the book down and finished it in one sitting.

I can't recommend this book enough and am already looking forward to Rea’s next book even though this one doesn't release until August 6, 2019! If you haven't read any of Rea's books, you're missing out. Her writing style is unique, her characters are extremely original, and the twists happen so subtly, it’s actually quite shocking when you read them. I also really like the way she wraps up her stories. You are always left wanting to read more!

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reading copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I read Rea Frey's debut novel, Not Her Daughter, last year and absolutely loved her writing style and storytelling. When I saw her upcoming release was available for review, I jumped at the opportunity.

Thankfully, Because You're Mine was another great Domestic Thriller by Frey! Admittedly, this book did start slowly for me. When a novel features rapidly changing perspectives, I usually find it to be a slower read simply because it takes some time to get oriented within the story, especially at the beginning of the book. At the get-go, we have Grace, Lee, and Noah's points-of-view and it took time for me to get the voice of each character settled in my head. In addition to this, their lives weren't all that interesting to read about. Fortunately, as the story continued, I found my interest being grabbed and was eager to see when the mysterious death mentioned in the blurb would take place, and who the victim would be. 

I was impressed as things went on just how unsure I was of what could happen in the climax of the story. It seemed as if there were plenty of justifiable variables. One of my guesses turned out to be halfway right, but even so, I felt blindsided by the ending. This is a book to stick with for the excellent twist and conclusion. I read Thrillers only for their endings because I love being surprised by books. It's something that rarely happens these days, having read many Thrillers through the years, but when it does happen it's sure to make me bump up my star rating. I can't wait to read more from Rea Frey! She's here to stay.

Pick up your copy of Because You're Mine on August 6th.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and Jordan Hanley for the invitation to check out this digital galley via NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review.

OMG! Rea Frey has written one heck of a novel. Having enjoyed her previous novel,Not Her Daughter, I knew that there was absolutely no way that I was going to wait until August to read this ARC. Since publication is so many months away, I shall make my review brief and vague. Narrated by several characters, the story involves the before and after of a tragic incident. Like its predecessor, I am sure that this book is going to be on the lips of many readers for many months to come.

Because You're Mine set me into a tailspin because the synopsis really throws the reader for a loop. I thought I had it all figured out, but I really hadn't and I imagine Rea Frey is probably in a room somewhere yelling "Gotcha!" But I shall forgive her because this is certainly a favorite of 2019.


Goodreads review published 27/03/19
Publication Date 09/08/19

Once again Rea Frey has given domestic thriller fans a book that will leave them breathless! Because You’re Mine grabs the reader and engulfs them in a storyline of secrets and lives that are intertwined in ways that you won't see coming even though you think you do. The characters are so deeply developed the reader becomes comfortable with them until you get to that one moment every reader enjoys and makes you wonder out loud WHAT DID I JUST READ! A jaw dropping ending makes you want to immediately reread it to see all the clues you just know you had to of missed.

This book was dark and twisty, and I didn't see the end coming. In that way, it was definitely worth the read. But it came awfully fast, with no time to really savor the twist. The characters were emotional and you could feel the despair through the pages. The motivations make a perverse sort of sense, but the time frame seems almost too long. Plus, it seemed like the whole SPD plot device was unnecessary. The women's discussion about the "incident" and knocking teeth together was hilarious, offering a moment of lightness in an otherwise taut and tense book. A mixed bag with this one. I would give it three and a half stars, but not quite four.

This is one of those books that has you believing one thing, when all along the story was about something and someone else. It is about the friendship women share, and the one thing that might shatter that is the love of a man. It is about autism and feeling like you should never leave your child. And the first time you do, it is tragically the last time. I read this book feeling like I knew who the sinister one was. And I was wrong and quite surprised in the end.

3.5

I liked this. The characters were interesting (Mason was incredible). But what a sad story full of awful happenings. These thrillers are fun but can leave you feeling a bit icky when they’re done.

As far as the twist goes... ugh. It seems like I’m running into this one quite a bit lately and I’m up in the air about it. Once you get there you have to mentally digest everything you thought you knew (was wrong) and then I’m left rooting for what exactly happened. It’s clever and entertaining but completely unnerving.

The writing is very good. The author’s words at the beginning let you know how tough this story is going to be (and it was). It was quite brave.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Press for a copy in exchange for a review.

Great read! Read it while in the hospital and couldn't put it down. Will look for more from this author in the future.

Truly not what I was expecting at all!
A psychological mystery that you will not solve until the very last pages of this novel.
Rea Frey has created an amazing story that captured me from the very first page.
It is well written with characters that are so easy to understand and befriend, it was almost impossible for me to put this book down.
Do yourself a favor and definitely find a day to read "Because You're Mine!

I absolutely loved this book, right up to the final, breathtaking reveal. I didn't see it coming, and that was just the frosting on the cake.

Rea Frey has created so many fully formed characters with complex relationships, and you want to be part of their lives. When tragedy strikes, nothing prepares you for the final answer as to how it happened. Yet when the answer arrives, it all makes sense in retrospect.

A fantastic accomplishment all around.

Rea Frey’s Because You’re Mine, pulled me in from page one. The characters are believable, but not quite likable. Many times I thought I’d figured the plot out only to be pushed in another direction. Twisty, dark and someone heartbreaking, it kept me guessing. The ending? Whoa! I did not see that coming! Get your hands on a copy!

This book had the perfect combination of contemporary fiction and mystery that keeps you guessing all the way
through. With a compelling and well written cast of characters and a murder this book is the perfect combination
of mystery and suspense. What I didn't like was the switching between who was telling the story and if it was in the present day or the past I found it very confusing to try to keep track of what was going on. Very intense thriller that I couldn't get enough of. I really liked the characters, I found them very fascinating and I got very wrapped up in their lives which makes for a good read. This is one book that once you get the time changes figured out, you will be up into the wee hours of the morning to finish this book. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me an advance copy.

Another fast paced book that kept me turning the pages! This book really surprised me! Wow! Another unexpected ending!! I thought it was good

I would like to thank St. Martins Press for giving me the opportunity to review this advance copy. All I can say is WOW!

This book had me hooked from the first sentence of the prologue. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I found out that I was wrong! I never saw the last twist coming!

I loved Mason, he was just kind of a quirky kid that I found so endearing. I felt Lee was a little difficult to identify with, which I think was exactly what was intended. And I felt as though Grace could be any one of my friends, just a normal and down to earth character.

I loved this book, and flew through it. You won’t want to put it down!