I’ve read one other book by Michelle Campbell, She Was The Quiet One and I really enjoyed it. This one I enjoyed even more! A Stranger On The Beach was told in two different viewpoints. One was telling the truth the other wasn’t. This book had so many twists and turns and I just loved it!

Fans of "The Affair" on Showtime, rejoice! A Stranger on the Beach is DEFINITELY the book for you! Told in alternating perspectives from Caroline to Aidan, you will see the same situations play out through both sets of eyes and clue you in to exactly how perception can differ. But just which of the two is relaying the story more accurately - is it Caroline who's husband's shocking affair has left her jilted and seeking out a handsome younger man to get her revenge - or is it Aidan, who feels this socialite has all he ever wanted and will stop at nothing to lock her down? Form your own opinions as you follow the story, but in true Michelle Campbell fashion, the outcome will absolutely surprise you.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love beach themed thrillers. I cannot get enough of them. The beach is so beautiful and peaceful and its very easy to get lost inside a book that has a beach setting. Its also the perfect place for murder and lies and everything horrific. All the heebie jeebies. All of them inside this book. I LOVED it. And if you are looking for a twist, A Stranger on the Beach has it, along with lies, sex, deceit, a very bad hurricane about to wreak havoc on a very glamorous house in the Hamptons, and more sex. The hurricane was symbolic as it wasn't just the weather about to come crashing in, so were the lives of the characters.
The characters were so brought to life off of the pages and the scenery was well created. The book was written in two POVs and each POV as describing the same situation but totally different. I had chills most of this book.
I read this book in one day/night. I cannot wait to read more by Michele Campbell. 5 stars for A Stranger on the Beach.
The cover is also a 5 star. It perfectly depicts the darkness inside this twisted story.
Thank you #NetGalley, the author and the publisher for my free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-book in return for my honest review. The characters were great, but not very likeable. You have rich, well-to-do Caroline and wrong side of the tracks Aiden. This could go either way and just when you think it's "this" it's totally "that". I tend to always take "sides" in books but this one threw me for a loop! Not at all what I thought during several points in the book. If you like twisty psychological thrillers, this may be up your alley!

Caroline Stark, the owner of the luxury beachfront house, notices that there is a stranger on the beach, staring intensely at it. At that instant, her gut-feeling tells her that he is a potential thief, and is best to stay away from him. Instead, she walks toward him, and strikes up a conversation. This fateful moment is the beginning of her downfall and changes her life.
Caroline has decided to host a housewarming cum Jason’s birthday party at the beach house. Jason, the husband whom she has married for 20 years, is no-show at first, then showed up with a Russian or maybe Czech woman who apparently is his mistress!
Coincidence or fate? The stranger on the beach is actually tendering bar at the party that day! His name is Aidan Callahan.

Out of frustration, Caroline confides her husband’s infidelity to Aidan. She has even asked Aiden to help to take out her husband!

When the storm approaches fiercely, Aiden rushes to Caroline’s beach house to protect her from Jason who intends to put her in jeopardy. Both men get into a heated altercation, and a violent fight… The next thing Aidan knows is that he is in his truck, covered in blood… What’s actually happened?

As pages turning, there are more secrets and lies! And there is an unexpected twist toward the end of the story!
A Stranger On The Beach is a well-written psychological thriller by the talented Michele Campbell. This is my first book by her and I am loving it. The novel will be on sale in July 2019, and it is a good summer read for fans of suspense/mystery thrillers.
I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the digital ARC of A Stranger On The Beach.

A STRANGER ON THE BEACH affirms that Michele Campbell is most definitely a master storyteller. Two sides of the story are presented by Caroline Starks and Aidan Callahan. The book begins as Caroline observes 27-year old Aidan standing on the beach and staring at her home. Her first impression is that he is a potential thief and confronts him. Other than exchanging names, not much more was said as they parted when it started pouring down rain, but that brief meeting caused Caroline to let her guard down.

Forty-two year old Caroline, a recent empty-nester, has been married for twenty years to Jason, an investment banker who travels a lot for business. Caroline had been an interior designer before her now 18-year-old daughter, Hannah, was born and is now away at college, Caroline feels that she needs to focus on herself. The Starks had recently had an ocean-front house--her dream home--built on the land that once belonged to Aidan’s grandfather.

Aidan has been recently released from prison and is on probation, having served a 10-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction. His brother, Tommy, is the police chief, and has warned Aidan that Caroline is trouble, but Aidan is young and naïve and flattered that he has caught the eye of a rich woman who is the owner of the house on his grandfather’s property.

Caroline is busy finalizing the details for a huge housewarming party which includes the works--caterers, tents, valet parking, and a society magazine photographer. As the time nears, Jason tells her that he will be out of town and will most likely be unable to attend the combination birthday celebration for him and housewarming. Caroline immediately jumps to the conclusion that he is having an affair and later utilizes the GPS tracker on his cell phone to confirm that he is not where he says he is. In addition, when he does show up late to the housewarming, Jason creates a stir as he is accompanied by a Russian woman, a purported business associate, but Caroline and the attendees perceive that he is blatantly having an affair.

Thinking that she is headed for divorce court and discovering that contrary to what Jason had told her, had emptied out their bank accounts, Caroline heads to the bar for the second time in two days where Aidan is a bartender. One thing leads to another, and she and Aidan are headed to her house for a supposedly one-night stand.

This is the third book I have read by this author, the others being SHE WAS THE QUIET ONE and IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND, and this story is the best one yet. They just keep getting better and better. I wish to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read a pre-release in exchange for an honest review, and look forward to reading more by this talented author. I highly recommend this to all readers who appreciate a well-written story.

This book sounded like it would be really good, and it was! A real page-turner. Caroline is a wealthy wife of an investment banker who just built a large beach house out in the Hamptons. Caroline is a bit annoyed to notice a young good-looking strange man staring at her house multiple times. Is he thinking of robbing it? And so begins the wild relationship of Aidan and Caroline. I grew up on Long Island so I loved the many references to local towns and the LIE and LIRR. While I did predict the ending, doing so did not distract from my enjoyment of the book. Well done, Ms.Campbell!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with this advance copy.

I was given this arc copy by netgalley in exchange for my honest review it does not impact my review in anyway. This book was an incredible thriller from start to finish. Loved this. The twist and turns happens so fast its enough to give the reader whiplash. Incredible writing. Great book.

This book had a very different writing style, in that you didn't know who was telling the truth or who was in a fantasy world. I wasn't sure I liked it. Thought it would be too predictable but the ending was a little different than I expected. Anyhow, I did actually like it and would recommend. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read pre release in exchange for honest review.

As a big fan of Michele Campbell's work, I was looking forward to her latest book to be released, A STRANGER ON THE BEACH. My high expectations were surpassed! This book was a WILD ride and I had no idea of the huge twists coming chapter after chapter.
The story follows the beautiful, rich character of Caroline who had a husband she loves, a gorgeous home and a loving daughter. Rebounding after discovering her husband is having an affair, she spends the might with a local ex-con and exchanges a night of passion for endless chaos to follow.
This journey is told from several POV's which keeps you guessing...who is lying and who is really the victim?
Michele Campbell has done it again with her incredible plot twists and this is a must-read for all thriller fans!
Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Michele Campbell for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Caroline is living the dream life ~ a mansion on the ocean, a loving husband, a daughter - and a stranger on the beach seemingly watching her house, and quite an attractive stranger at that! But is everything all it seems to be? It seems Caroline and hubby Jason are not really doing all that well, and he may have a mistress on the side, and Caroline is feeling rather lonely and upset. She decides to find the young man who watches her house and enters his world. Aiden is his name, a local bartender with a past, but she's just in it for the fling. But what is Aiden in it for? Lots of twists and turns in this one, some believable, some not so much! Thank you to NetGally for letting me preview this tale.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Michele Campbell for this eARC of A Stranger on the Beach in exchange for an honest review.

I almost didn’t finish this story, but I’m so glad I did! This book is about a “power” couple who appears to have everything. A beach house, apartment in the city, and the perfect marriage of nearly 20 years. Jason has a high paying Wall Street job and Caroline is wanting to jump start her interior decorating career after her daughter goes off to college. She decorates her beach house and invites a slew of people to show off her skills only to be surprised by her husband and his mistress! She falls apart and ends up at a local bar a few days later where she meets the bartender Aiden and has an affair of her own. However, it seems Aiden has a criminal past and Caroline may be in danger now.

I had a hard time getting into the story because Caroline was just too stupid for her own good and Aiden was a psycho. At times their behaviors were questionable or a bit far fetched, but I hung in there. It all paid off in the second part of the book! Just when I thought I’d figured it out, Ms. Campbell surprised me again. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys twisted plots, thrillers, suspense, or mysteries.

#AStrangerOntheBeach #StMartinsPress

My FAVORITE thriller I've read in awhile. Once you start this book, you will NOT be able to put it down. The story pulled me in from the first page and I read late in to the night to finish. Has all the elements a good thriller should have and will keep you guessing from the start who is telling the truth. Highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

WOW just WOW!!! A Stranger on the Beach was fabulous!! This book takes you on a twisty thrill ride until the mind blowing conclusion that I did not see coming. I lost sleep because this book was simply too hard to put down. I would definitely recommend putting this on your summer reading list.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

When I started this book, I couldn't understand and didn't enjoy the alternate viewpoints. I love Michele Campbell and thoroughly enjoyed both of her previous books, and the writing in this one felt choppy and the sentences seemed fumbled. However, I did push through, and ended up really enjoying the ending, when all the strings were pulled together. I will be posting my full review on my blog when I receive the copy arc in a couple of weeks.

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell was SO AMAZING. I loved it from the beginning and didn’t want to put it down until the very last page. This is her best book yet, in my opinion.

This is what I said on Goodreads:

I was riveted by the book from page one! I loved it and didn’t expect the twists and turns. A Stranger on the Beach will keep you glued to the pages until the very end. 2019 is starting out to be a very good year for books. If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers, you will want to scoot this up to the top of your MUST READ list.

Here is the synopsis:

There is a stranger outside Caroline’s house. Her spectacular new beach house, built for hosting expensive parties and vacationing with the family she thought she’d have. But her husband is lying to her and everything in her life is upside down, so when the stranger, Aiden, shows up as a bartender at the same party where Caroline and her husband have a very public fight, it doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary.

As her marriage collapses around her and the lavish lifestyle she’s built for herself starts to crumble, Caroline turns to Aiden for comfort…and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aiden’s obsession with Caroline, her family, and her house grows more and more disturbing. And when Caroline’s husband goes missing, her life descends into a nightmare that leaves her accused of her own husband’s murder.

First of all, I cannot let any details about this book slip because I don’t want to ruin it for you. Second, its a story that will have you reading well into the night so plan accordingly. And lastly, prepare yourself for twists and turns.

Due out in July.

The lead in to the story is an interesting start that sets up what is to come. The characters are well written..There is a lot to keep track of in this book. I actually re-read a significant amount of the book because I thought I had missed some information that would help me understand the story arcs better. The reveal explained all my lingering doubts but it seemed it was a long time coming.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy from St Martin's Press through NetGalley
#AStrangerOnTheBeach #NetGalley

Review of advance reader eBook

In the middle of a party thrown by wealthy socialite Caroline Stark, her husband, Jason, arrives at their posh beach house with another woman. Although he denies being involved in an affair with the woman, he leaves with her following a verbal altercation with his wife.

Hurt and angry over the apparent collapse of her twenty-year marriage and convinced that two can play at the marriage-cheating game, Caroline picks up a local bartender for a one night stand. But unbelievably obsessive Aidan Callahan seems to have no sense of reality and begins stalking Caroline who, hoping to reconcile with her husband, seeks to end the affair. As Caroline desperately tries to avoid further entanglements with Aidan, an unplanned encounter between the three leads to unforeseen tragedy.

Plot twists and unexpected reveals help build the tension in this disturbing tale rife with secrets and lies. The story spins out in alternating viewpoints between Caroline and Aidan; this often-used device here creates an unnecessarily-convoluted tale that tends to leave the reader confused as to what is actually happening in the unfolding story.

The unlikable main characters consistently fall victim to “too-dumb-to-live” decisions, giving the narrative a growing sense of ludicrousness. Unfortunately, the unexpected twist that heralds the denouement in the telling of this tale comes from so far out of left field it is likely to leave readers feeling dumbfounded. By definition, unreliable narrators habitually subvert the truth; here the purposeful strategy of misrepresentation hides an essential truth; it may preserve the startling final revelations, but it also intentionally deceives readers who are likely to feel cheated by the deliberate omission.

I received a free copy of this digital galley from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley
#AStrangerOnTheBeach #NetGalley

Edge of your seat story!! I couldn’t put it down because I had to know who did what!!! Great book! Thank you net galley!!

This book should have been a fast paced page turner but it dragged! It was twisty and very unreliable to the reader but maybe it went too far and just seem long.

I received a copy for my honest opinion from Netgalley.