Cover Image: The Patient

The Patient

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Member Reviews

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.

The Patient by Steena Holmes was an ok psychological mystery involving a therapist and 3 of her patients. I did guess one part of the story but not all. The main character was likable enough, The clues about the ending were definitely there with a few things that the reader is left to wonder about (like was Danielle talking to herself in front of other people in many scenes?).

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There are very few books that I would like to rate less than one star! But this book was actually kind of offensive. This is kind of a spoiler, but the depiction of a specific mental illness at the conclusion of the book was so off-putting (and frankly just wrong) that it made me actually angry. This diagnosis was completely misrepresented and was chockful of stereotypes. The most egregious part is that it's actually just lazy writing. I get that the writer wanted a twist that was meant to be shocking. Instead, it just made me incredibly frustrated.

Aside from all of that, the writing is mostly predictable and sort of disjointed. There were times when I thought that loose threads were dropped simply because this could have used a better editor. Without the infuriating mental health missteps, this would still not have been a book I'd recommend to others.

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This book kept my interest throughout, but I wasn't crazy about the writing. I was not expecting it to end the way it did. Overall, it was a good read. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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A town plagued by brutal murders… Parents found bludgeoned to death with their young children at home left untouched. A therapist who gets a note that one of her patients is behind the murders…

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Psychological thrillers bring me joy! This one was done right! Steena Holmes keeps you reading until the end. The clues just keep coming.

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This genuinely couldn't have been worse. She gave away the big plot twist a bit past a third of the way in, the dialogue was atrocious, and her metaphors were so heavy handed.

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Who dives deeper into the mind than a therapist? We journey with psychiatrist Danielle as she works with her client which she slowly suspects is capable and possibly culpable. With the wisdom from her best friend Detective Tami Sloan and visiting her own therapist the story twists and turns as we too wonder… I normally don’t reach for books which involve serial killers. Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone In The Dark inspired me to reach for this type of fiction and Steena Holmes I felt would be a safe bet. I was right!!

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I had high hopes for The Patient by Steena Holmes after reading the synopsis and my love for psychological thrillers. I am not sure why but I struggled to finish this one, maybe because I found it to be unrealistic – and I figured it out pretty quickly. #ThePatient #NetGalley

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Steena Holmes is amazing! She captivates your as soon as you open the book and start reading! I found this book to be just as suspenseful and thrilling as the ones before! I recommend all her books to anyone looking for something that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

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Steena Holmes does it again! In “The Patient” she introduces us to a Psychiatrist that has a serial killer as a patient. Or does she? This book is so creepy and makes the hair on your arms stand up. You never know what’s coming. And then Steena’s fashion the ending is never what you expected to be. She is a wonderful addition to the writers I’m the thriller genre. I recommend this book if you love a good, intense psychological thriller.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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I'm a huge fan of Steena Holmes thanks to a Facebook book club I'm in and was introduced to her books. I was thrilled to read an ARC of this book, and just as I thought, it was an amazing read!! This is a must read! I could not put it down!! Highly recommend!

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This is a fairly standard thriller. I've read better, I've read worse. There's nothing original here that had me hooked but at the same time it was a quick read and I never felt bored despite having a fairly firm knowledge about what the twist would be.

I was really hoping that the set-up for the twist was a double bluff because it felt so obvious but unfortunately it went in exactly the direction you'd expect. Perhaps it wouldn't be the specific scenario you'd guess but most definitely the overall outcome was predictable.

Aside from that, the plot moves along at a good pace and the chapter lengths are at that perfect thriller/page-turner size so even if you don't love the whole story, you wouldn't be annoyed at the time invested in reading it because it is a speedy read.

I think a smarter resolution or a double bluff twist, as I had hoped for, might have bumped this higher for me but overall it was average in its genre.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for review.

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DNF. I love the concept of this one - a therapist who thinks one of her patients may be a serial killer but she isn’t sure which one. However the execution didn’t work for me and after reading some spoilers about where it was headed I’ve decided to stop reading this one. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance reading copy.

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I liked the plot a lot. I had to put it down several times. There was something about this book if it was the pace or tone. The characters were interesting, but overall this book really lacked. Needless to say this was a DNF for me.

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My Rating : 3.5🌟
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Kindle/Netgalley/ July2020
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Thank you Netgalley for the review copy which lets me give you my unbiased rating.
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The concept of the book was really intruiging and I absolutely enjoyed the twisted aspect of a serial killer and the therapist relationship. With so much at stake I expected the story to have much more depth and plotlines that will make me root for good things to happen. It's a good narration, but it didn't meet my expectations.

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Thank you for the advanced copy of this book.
This is dark, addictive, disturbing, everything you want from a good book. The book is well written and the characters are interesting and the story is set at a good pace.
This is definitely keep you up at night.
Highly recommended. !

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Not for me! I didn't even get halfway before I put it down. Seems it has some good reviews but I'm giving my honest review.

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This is one intense, twisted, dark and addictive novel! Not only is this a very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters, but the suspense builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds. Compulsive, gripping and horrifying! Will keep you on the edge of your seat!

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Early on, we are treated to a good bit of information about Danielle, who is the main character in the book. This is followed up by introductions to her patients as she conducts sessions with each one of them. You may wonder where the story is going, but it is at this point that the murders are introduced to the storyline, and you begin to get an idea of what is going on. One of these patients may be a murderer, and as their psychologist, what is Danielle to do? It took me a bit to get into the plot, but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

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Danielle Rycroft suspects one of her patients is a serial killer. With a string of murders in town where parents are killed while their children are asleep, Danielle’s own worries have just started. Someone is hiding some dark secrets and Danielle can only trust her best friend, Detective Tami Sloan.

I found it a little difficult to focus at the start. The story didn't seem to connect. I enjoyed the 2nd half a little more. Another issue was that I was able to guess the ending pretty early in the book. I give it 3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

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