First, I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Stranger on the Beach caused so many vivid emotions for me. Having experienced an abusive relationship in the past, I was sickened reading Caroline’s chapters. This book forces you to weigh the honesty of Caroline and Aidan’s accounts of what has happened, and I immediately sided with Caroline, perhaps out of some sort of pseudo survivor’s bond. However, the more I read, the more I questioned if I was siding with the right person. The retellings given by Caroline and Aidan became so different factually that I started to side with Aidan (even if his supposed love for Caroline was nauseatingly codependent and frankly quite ridiculous and unbelievable). I began to feel as though I were an investigator, trying to work out from Caroline and Aidan’s sworn statements which of them was innocent. I read this book in two short sittings because it was completely engulfing (once I got past the initial aversion to reading Caroline’s chapters detailing her abuse). I do not want to describe more than this for fear of giving away spoilers, but I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves suspense and thrillers. Honestly, I would recommend this book to anyone because it was thrilling to read. I was sad to see that a lot of people who rated this book 1/5 had simply stopped reading after the first few chapters because they had given up on the book. If you only read the first few chapters, of course it is going to seem unbelievable! That’s the point! Your job is to seek out the contradictions and inconsistencies in the “statements” presented to you and figure out what is really going on. Why has Jason’s mistress followed him to his wife Caroline’s party to cause a scene? Why does Hannah, their daughter, side with Jason in all things? Why does Aidan, a supposedly gorgeous bartender, fall in love with Caroline after just one night together? What really happened all those years ago when Caroline and her sister Lynn screwed the rest of the family out of their inheritance? This book causes you to look deeper and piece together the facts until you’re sweating and your heart is racing as you read into the wee hours of the night because you want so badly to just be able to tell the investigators what has really happened. I finished this book late last night and I have been thinking about it ALL DAY. I wish I was part of a book club so I would have someone to gush over it with! A Stranger on the Beach was fantastic overall and I would love to read other books written by Michele Campbell.

#netgalley #astrangeronthebeach

Wow what a twisted convoluted story A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell is. Where is the truth in this book? Subplots and more subplots and it definitely keeps you turning the pages. Great psychological thriller and definitely keeps you guessing. Very suspenseful. Would definitely recommend.

A Stranger on the Beach is a psychological/domestic thriller which is my favorite genre by far. This novel tells the story from the point of view of Aidan and Caroline.

While Caroline appears to have it all, her marriage appears to be falling apart and she falls, quite literally, into the arms of down on his luck small-town boy Aidan. From there you hear the two very different stories from both characters.

I thought the plot and twists were great, the chapters ended with hooks so you wanted to keep reading and the author built up a strong description of both characters lives. Where the book fell a bit flat for me was that I didn't quite get Aidan's fascination with Caroline, while the groundwork was laid I found his passion a bit too outlandish and unreasonable to get really into the story.

While the book was interesting from the beginning it took me about 20% to really get into the book enough to want to finish. Once I hit this point, however, it was a quick read that kept me turning pages. There were characters to love, characters to hate, and plenty of twists to keep me guessing until the end.

A Stranger on the Beach took me by surprise...a bad surprise. It started strong but went sideways. I was excited and enjoyed the twists and turns however half way through it became boring. It did not really believe the story. I had hope for this story. But no luck.

This one is going to be memorable! I didn't seek this book out, it was offered to my by the publisher, and I wasn't sure if I would like it. But I like psychological thrillers, so I thought I'd give it a try. Wow! This will be one of those books I remember for years. In fact, I'm thinking that maybe I should just go back and re-read the last few chapters again ....
As the book started, I didn't care for Caroyln at all. She seemed to have it all and appreciate none of it. I even cheered Jason on, when it looked like he was having an affair. The story is narrated by Carolyn and Aiden, differing points of view, and leaving the other person seeming very different. At first, I felt like the writing was inconsistent for that reason alone. As the story developed and we moved past the half way mark, it got harder and harder to figure out just what was happening. Just who was guilty. Just whodunit. As the hurricane hit I was sure I knew what was happening, but the twists just kept coming! I did anticipate some of the ending notes, but the way the whole story was wrapped up, I didn't mind one bit.
Rating it is hard for me. Parts of the beginning feel like a 2 star rating. Parts of the ending feel more like a 4 star ending. And, this one stayed on my mind when I couldn't read, and kept me wanting more. So I'm going to settle on a 3 or 3 1/2 star rating

I really enjoyed Michele Campbell’s other works and was looking forward to reading her newest novel, but I felt that it missed the mark for me. It began with an intriguing plot, but soon became repetitive and predictable by the middle of the book. I wish I had more positive feedback to give, but feel that a succinct review sums up my thoughts.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I began this book with high expectations. Unfortunately, these hopes were quickly dashed. The initial few chapters set up the situation. After that, the story was told in alternating chapters from different points of view. Unfortunately Caroline and Aiden saw things from such divergent perspectives that one or both are lying to themselves. The entire scenario seemed contrived and I ultimately gave up. I did not finish the book.

Caroline is a rich wife who has been married to her husband for 20 years. Aiden is the local bad boy who is a bartender in the local bar. He has served time and is on probation.

The story goes between Caroline's version of events and Aiden's version of events. They are very different. Who is telling the truth to the reader? Who is lying to the reader?

Honestly I couldn't stop reading. I was able to figure it out but not until late in the book. I enjoyed this and would definitely read something else from author.

Michele Campbell once again penned an addictive thriller that kept me hanging on until the very last page. The two unreliable narrators kept me wondering who to believe and what really happened during the storm. The contradictory chapters deepened the mystery and the reader’s search for the truth.

I did not like this book but did finish it, as I was granted the opportunity to read and review it as an ARC, via Netgalley. The characters were a compilation of woodenheads and miscreants, including the police, chief of police and the attorneys involved. I do not want to interject spoilers but I will say that I figured out the ending quite quickly.The repetition of dialogue felt like being beaten over the head. I got it the first time! Disappointed with this “beach read” but my own fault for thinking it would be a page turner/mystery. Thank you Netgally and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

This book is a tricky one to rate because I am left trying to decide if the positives outweighed the negatives. The story got off to a real strong start, but about a third of the way in I began to lose interest in some of the characters. Points to the author for coming up with a slightly creative story but there were parts I wish were more fully fleshed out.

Caroline is living the high life in a beautiful new beach house when her whole world is knocked upside down. Her husband has been keeping secrets from her and Caroline finds herself being comforted by a handsome stranger named Aiden. And let's just say this fling is going to have disastrous consequences.

A big reason this story didn't completely work for me was Caroline. I realize the story is complicated but I still think the author needed to fine tune the character a bit along with a few others. In order for a story like this to work on a high level, the reader needs to have this uneasy feeling while reading that something terrible is going to happen to a character they care about. That extra layer of drama just wasn't there and it didn't make a difference to me if something bad happened to her or her family.

I had some problems with a few of the transitions in the book. I literally questioned more than once how the story got to that point and whether my kindle had skipped a few pages. I don't know how to describe it other than it feeling like there was no explanation to why a character was acting a certain way. Fully understanding characters' motivations is something I struggled with at times while reading the story. I think there needed to be a better setup as to why characters made certain decisions as in some cases the reasoning was pretty flimsy. It just wasn't something I could completely buy into and it felt like it was being told rather than shown.

The author tried to do something different with this story which I appreciate and overall this is an okay read. I just think the potential was there for a thoroughly entertaining story but it fell short.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a free advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a well written twisty thriller. Caroline and Aiden both tell the story from their own points of view, which made it a bit confusing at first, but added to the thrill. While I had my ideas, the ending was totally unexpected. Very compelling and hard to put down! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! I'll be looking for more by this author.

This book will suck you in the minute you start.
The main character Caroline meets a younger main which starts out as a fling, until she’s convinced he’s a stalker. This book had so many twists and turns. I LOVED it.

I loved this book!! A Stranger on the Beach is definitely a page turner! I could tell from the start that I wouldn't be able to put it down. The story is told from different narrators, and each story is told well. A Stranger on the Beach is nicely paced and held my attention throughout the book.

WOW WOW WOW!!!! This book is EXCELLENT. I stayed up through most of the night reading it because I literally couldn't put it down. I know I wouldn't realistically miss anything- all I had to do is pick up where I left off- but I couldn't put it down regardless! This is an edge of your seat tale of OBSESSION. It's compelling, absorbing, and gritty. I loved it!

Yay! I loved this book as much as "It's Always the Husband!" It kept my attention until the very end. I do wish it would have ended with Caroline's voice one more time at the end. So good!!

Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #AStrangerOnTheBeach!

Boy oh boy did I not see this one coming!! When I started reading this book the things that Caroline was saying Aidan was responsible for were outrageous! It made you think there are some really crazy people out there... then when the chapters start going back and forth between Caroline and Aidan’s points of view you start to get really confused... I kept reading think “what the heck is going on here?” Then you come to part two... I thought I had somewhat of an idea of what was really going on between Caroline, her husband Jason and Aidan and man was I wrong. This was an incredibly fast read and I found it a lot less predictable than Michele Campbell’s other two books that I’ve also read. Definitely recommend!

I sincerely enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing until the end. I found the plot to be original and exciting. I highly recommend this book I'd you enjoy mystery/suspense.

I have enjoyed Michele Campbell's other books and was excited to read this one. "A Stranger on the Beach" did not disappoint.

Caroline Stark lives in a brand new house on the beach which she, and her husband of 20 years have recently built. As the book opens, Caroline meets a man on the beach in front of her house, a local named Aiden, who figures prominently in the storyline. Caroline throws a large housewarming party and her husband, Jason, shows up with another woman and makes a scene. He subsequently asks her for a divorce. Caroline ends up getting drunk and having a one-night stand with a bartender, the aforementioned Aiden.

The story is told from the alternating views of Caroline and Aiden and right from the beginning it is obvious that someone is not telling the truth. I don't want to give anything away because the fun of the book is trying to figure out which version is real.

The story can be hard to follow at times due to the conflicting accounts but, definitely worth the effort. I recommend this book and appreciate the advance copy provided by St. Martin's Press.