What an edge of your seat hold your breath psychological thriller with more twists and turns than the rollercoasters at Alton Towers….. this book will have you accusing everyone and thinking the worst of others…. Ava’s “perfect life” is turned upside down when intruders get into her house, her husband, Robert is held at gunpoint to lead one of the perpetrators to the safe along with their 11 year old daughter June (who is not long in remission from cancer, already been through so much at such a young age), with the other intruder making sure Ava behaves, she decides to fight back picking up the first thing she could find and cracking the man’s head and once he’s down, she runs up the stairs to where she saw June being taken….. next Ava remembers she is waking up in hospital and is told June is fighting for her life……….

A suspenseful well thought out thriller, with some red herrings thrown in to boot, how far would you go to protect your family? Strap yourself in and get ready for the fight of Ava’s life……Highly recommended.

Ava and her husband Richard seem to have a life most would envy. Richard got lucky and made millions and now they have the beautiful home, their eldest daughter Hannah is in college in NY, their youngest June is in remission after they almost lost her to cancer. Gene her stepson is still struggling to find his way and lives in an apartment over their garage but she is hopeful he is turning things around.
One night after coming home early from meeting with her friend Laurie, Ava is in the shower when she hears a scream and runs down to see two masked men in her kitchen holding Richard and June at gunpoint.
What are these men doing in her house? What are they looking for? How did they get in past the alarm? The events that follow will show that the question that June asked in the beginning of the book - is it ever ok to lie? Doesn’t always have an easy answer.
This was a quick enjoyable read. I did guess a couple of the twists but the final one got me!
Fans of thrillers will enjoy this novel. I look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to # netgalley and the publisher for the free ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ava and her husband Robert live in a beautiful big house with their daughter June and Roberts son Gene while their eldest Hannah is at college in New York. When armed men break into their home leaving Ava and Robert injured and June in a coma. When Ava wakes up in hospital she is determined to find out why this has happened to her family and has to deal with her past to find the truth.

So many twist and turns I have been on the edge of my seat for the whole book 😱 I could easily of read it in one sitting an addictive read and I was kept guessing to the end.

Ava has the perfect life. A beautiful house which her husband Robert worked hard to give her. Two beautiful daughter and a lovely step son Gene. But life hasn't always been plain sailing. Their youngest daughter June has cancer. At 11 year old and the rest of her life in front of her. Will June survive?

Ava and Robert have been married a long time. After her friend Laurie thinks her husband could be playing away. Ava thinks to herself that she would know if Robert strayed.

Robert organised a special anniversary night out, however Ava cancelled it as Laurie needed her more.
Coming back earlier than expected to a surprise husband. She jumps into the shower.

During the shower she hears raised voice downstairs. Two men in masks were trying to rob them!
They end up in hospital - Ava and Robert beaten up but June got hit by a bullet and is fighting for her life)

But when the Ava friend's Nate, the police officer tells her Robert may have staged this and tried to kill her. She sets off an investigation by herself. But is this too close to home?

A brilliant story that kept me hooked from start to finish; There are a few twists to the story that make you think OMG. Just when you thought you'd figured out the plot and who had done it.. Something happens and you rethink it.

This is one of two books in 2019 that I've read in one sitting - a rarity in my busy schedule. Ava leads a privileged life - plenty of money, a big house in California. But like everyone else, she has hardships. Her daughter just recovered from cancer, her husband is working more and more, and her adult stepson smokes pot in their guest house and shows no signs of leaving. Her perfect life shatters after a home invasion.

I found the characters to be extremely believable. Ava is a strong woman who will go to any lengths to help her family and save them from impending threats. There were quite a few twists that were well executed, along with a fast plot that kept me reading past midnight.

This is a fast paced book full of twists and turns. Maybe a few too many for my liking. I’m a huge fan of the big twist that comes out of nowhere and knocks your socks off but I felt this book just had lots of little ones scattered throughout which sort of distracted me from the bigger reveals.
I’d still recommend it, though. The plot is great. An innocent family targeted in a home invasion that leaves a twelve year old girl fighting for her life and a mother desperate to find answers.
Also, I know it’s a petty thing to pick on, but I just didn’t like that the 12 year old’s name was June and that she had a brother called Gene.

Really good book...for the first half. The second half dragged on and on and there were too many red herrings to throw you off the scent of the person behind the break in, but even then, I still called it. I read the book a few weeks ago and don't remember what exactly, but I recall being annoyed by something that was constant with the book. I think it may have been the main characters whining or how she treats her oldest daughter like a kid. Overall, had potential then went ehhh later on.

In Her Eyes is a book you will not be able to put down, full of lies, twists and turns, definitely an interesting read.

"Lies. Lies. Lies."

This book was so much fun. IN HER EYES follows the story of a woman who makes shocking discoveries after a deadly home invasion.

A few pages in, we have delicious, yet chilling action-packed moments. What's so great about this book, other than the evident talent of the writing, the way the story's narrated and the suspense build-up that makes you shiver, is that the author presents us with a strong and believable protagonist - one who, at every one of her thoughts or actions, makes you think, "Wow. I want to be her."

But seriously, this book will make you question your life and suspect everyone in it. It was such a fun read and there was never a dull moment. I'm looking forward to reading more adult thrillers from this author.

I could not put this book down!! Very suspenseful and full of lies that weave a tight web. I highly recommend this book! I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

Ok gimme a minute to pick my jaw up off the floor. Phew. Ok this is one of those books you will want to read any chance you get! So Ava is leading a seemingly wonderful life with her husband, two daughters and her stepson. One night their home is broken into and one of her daughters is left hospitalized with serious injuries. I won’t spoil anything but as a suspect emerges, Ava struggles to find out why. That only leads her to unbelievable secrets and lies within her family. And Ava has some of her own as well. This book is full of action, suspense, and family drama. I finished it in two days! Loved it!

In Her Eyes is a good thriller with interesting characters and storyline. The book is well written.I would read more by this author.

I really enjoyed this thriller. First one I’ve read by this author but will definitely read more in the future. I’d recommend to anyone.

Really good book...for the first half. The second half dragged on and on and there were too many red herrings to throw you off the scent of the person behind the break in, but even then, I still called it. I read the book a few weeks ago and don't remember what exactly, but I recall being annoyed by something that was constant with the book. I think it may have been the main characters whining or how she treats her oldest daughter like a kid. Overall, had potential then went ehhh later on.

Ava is contentedly leading an idyllic life in the suburbs with her handsome, successful husband and beautiful children, until one fateful night. Returning from dinner with a friend, Ava finds her comfortable life turned inside out when a violent home invasion tears her family apart. In the aftermath of the carnage, Ava continues to be bombarded with bombshells which indicate that her 'perfect' life is anything but, and that this seemingly random crime may not have been as random as it first appeared.

I was gripped from the start by this thriller, which turns the idea of 'stranger danger' on its head, as with every page we are brought closer to the truth of this crime, which turns out to be far more personal than initially thought. Ava was a sympathetic and resourceful heroine, and her determination to unravel this mystery was quite compelling. The final twist was genuinely surprising and left the novel on an intriguingly disturbing note. I felt that the narrative did occasionally get bogged down with the drug subplot, but all in all it was a thrilling read.

Alderson’s first novel for a mature audience is a definite page turner with many surprises in store. It tells the story of a woman trapped in a nightmare after a break-in leaving the youngest daughter in a coma as her life rapidly unravels.

Alderson’s new novel is a crowd pleaser which moves at a rapid pace and doesn’t really slow down until the end. Keeping the reader engrossed and entertained as the plot unwinds is one of the things that really work with this book. There are times that we think we have this figured out but Alderson keeps it slowly reined in and gives quite a few surprises along with some bread crumps to help put together the mystery.

Written in the first person perspective, we are lead into the life of Ava. Alderson’s does something interesting that sometimes can feel false with telling a story using this device, and we get hollow characters that are not fully fleshed out. This is due to seeing things through one person’s eyes but Alderson doesn’t fall into this trap and is able to give fully realised characters from the no name nurse upto the major characters. This is an incredible feat within itself.

The plot is very fast moving and it very rarely gives you room to breathe. Many a sleepless night was spent with this book due to I went through sleep deprivation because I was so involved with the novel. Starting out like a suburban soap opera in the first chapter, Alderson switches gears and we are now in crime and mystery territory which is done exceptionally well. The book removes layers and layers of what we think is the true story at its cores and reveals something that was not totally expected. We start out with the perfect family and life and as each layers is removed, we have secrets and lies and at its core, a family in turmoil in more ways than one.

The finale is exciting and Alderson doesn’t tie things up with a nice little bow. We are left with secrets that maybe should remain in the dark and one of the characters life is still left in the balance. I admire this because like life it is messy and we are not always left with a happy ending but an ending nevertheless. This is a brave move on the rights of the author.

Overall, this is highly recommended and thoroughly enjoyed reading this exciting page turner. With its realistic characters, impossible situation that they find themselves in and the clever way that Alderson keeps a tight rein on the plot is definitely a crowd pleaser. She skilfully handles the mystery and action and ensures that it never once runs away from her. If this is what her adult fiction is going to be like, I am definitely going to sign up to see what she comes out with next. This is highly recommended and enjoyed every minute and sleepless night of this novel.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

Wow - chilling thriller - have not read this author before but will certainly be looking out for more

Lots of twists and turns - was on the edge of my seat


A great summer read

A home invasion is a terrifying thought and many novels have made the most of the idea.

Sarah Alsderson's In Her Eyes takes the event of armed men breaking into a home and the serious injury of Ava's daughter June and turns it into something else. It moves from the invasion to the aftermath as Ava discovers information that stuns her.

Devastated, Ava finds herself doubting almost everyone around her as she learns about things she never suspected. Then someone targets June in the hospital.

Who to trust?

I suspected one person after another. Each new circumstance introduced a possible reason for the violent invasion and raised new questions.

Alderson skillfully guides the reader through Ava's discoveries, keeping both the reader and Ava off-balance. Well-plotted, red herrings and twists, and suspenseful.

Read in July. Blog review scheduled for Oct. 29, 2019.

NetGalley/Mulholland Books
Suspense/Thriller. Nov. 14, 2019. Print length: 352 pages.

This book was good overall. It was easy to follow and hard to guess. I found the end a bit confusing as it went really fast when you started figuring out the truth.

If you've been reading these reviews for a while you'll already know that I'm a huge Sarah Alderson fan. I've been reading her books since her publisher handed me an ARC of her debut YA book Hunting Lila at a Twilight convention! When I got sent In Her Eyes as a pre-release review copy I just couldn't restrain myself and had to read it as soon as possible.

Now a lot has changed over the years with Sarah having lived on three different continents and is currently working as a Hollywood scriptwriter. So it's no surprise that new thriller In Her Eyes is set in California.

Ava and Robert lead a comfortable life. Robert's success in developing apps has seen them upgrade to a very nice house outside of town. They have two daughters, Hannah is at college and June is a cancer surviving teenager. Gene is Robert's son from his first marriage and he just smokes dope and lives in the flat over the garage. Leeching off his father and unable to make any life for himself. There are tensions between him and Hannah.

A violent break in at the house changes everything. Robert is badly beaten, Ava is terrorised and assaulted with the barrel of a gun but daughter June is shot. She's in a coma and the prognosis is not good. As Nate the local sheriff begins his investigations it appears that everyone has been lying and that nothing is as it appears. Robert is arrested for insurance fraud and Ava realises that her entire world is a sham.

To say that this is a book of twists and turns is an understatement. With every chapter I suspected somebody different and was completely blown away by the ending. Alderson always writes such strong female characters that are vibrant and vivid. I trailed along behind Ava in her search for the truth, for justice. Certainly one of the best thrillers of 2019.

Supplied by Net Galley and Hodder & Stoughton in exchange for an honest review.