As per usual, the twists and turns in the new Greer Hendricks book, "You are Not Alone" kept me awake much past this mother of three's bedtime! But it was well worth it! I have a love of thrillers and this did not disappoint. I loved that all the important characters were women. As a introvert myself, I could see how the protagonist fell into the troubles she did. You feel for her and at the same time you are a bit horrified by her decisions and willingness to be so trusting. Highly recommend reading this one.

Meet Shay Miller; a lonely girl, lover of statistics and data, she has one friend that she rarely sees and has a temp job that is on the decline. She lives with a roommate that she has a crush on but his new girlfriend isn’t a fan of Shay. Now, she is finding herself slowly forced out of the apartment. Basically, Shay’s life is in shambles. She desperately needs a social life, a new job, and a new place to live.

One day while waiting for the subway, a woman suddenly jumps in front of the train, committing suicide right before Shay’s eyes. Shay becomes obsessed with finding out what drove Amanda (woman that died) to do such a thing. During her endeavor, she meets the beautiful sisters Cassandra and Jane Moore who were close friends with Amanda. They live a glamorous lifestyle, the type of life that Shay has been searching for. The sisters accept Shay into their inner circle which begins the crafty, deceptive story that Hendricks and Pekkanen strategically weave together...

This book was good, fast paced, entertaining, and makes you second guess who is good and who is bad.

4 stars because the multiple POV’s were slightly unnecessary and would make it confusing at times. Shay’s character would get on my nerves and some of the events that take place are a tad unrealistic.

Shay’s life is not going so well. She lives with her friend, Sean, whom she has a crush on, but his girlfriend seems to be over at the apartment all the time and is slowly working on getting Shay to move out. Her job is not going anywhere. She really has no friends to hang out with and complain to. While that would be terrible for anyone, seeing a suicide happen right before her eyes really tips her life into a complete depressive state.

Shay has always been fascinated by statistics and if she wouldn’t have taken 22 seconds to put her hair up in a ponytail, she would have caught the train and missed the suicide. But, alas, her life is straight out of a Shakespearean tragedy. That is, until she meets the Moore sisters.

She suddenly has beautiful friends who are well connected in the city, and even though they met in a weird situation, and Shay starts out their relationship with a lie, she thinks her life is going to get better. And it does. Until it doesn’t. Until she’s running for her life, hiding out in dank motel rooms, and praying her knowledge of stats can finally help her out in life.

You are Not Alone was a roller coaster ride of emotions with one lie leading to another. And even though the situation should seem ridiculous, you just know something like this could happen. This is the type of book that you want to do a buddy read so you have someone to discuss it with, going back and forth with; Can you believe that happened, and then this, and then when the sisters did that, and then Shay found that???

As with any thriller book review you don’t want to give anything away because you want all the wonderful twists and turns you encountered to be new for the reader. You need to read You are Not Alone. And I need to go read their other two books, The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl.

And my final take away, Women are Evil… but in such a deliciously, devious way!

When these two authors come together to write a book it's like magic! Their books have great twists and turns and you always are in for the unexpected. This book was no different. Shay's life has taken a downturn and things aren't going so well, then she witnesses a suicide while waiting for the subway train and her life becomes enmeshed with two glamorous sisters who happened to be the friend of the woman who commits suicide. Shay's loneliness wins out and she finds herself wanting to be part of the glamorous life that the sisters seem to lead. This book has just the right amount of intrigue, mystery and fast pace that keeps you wanting to turn to the next page. Definitely a hard book to put down!!

3.5 rounded up for great writing.

I enjoyed this quirky story but not as much as the others I have read from these two authors. The stats that lead off Shay’s chapters were a fun bonus for me and gave an additional depth to the character.

There are a lot of reviews that talk about Shay as such a naive person but I don’t really think that’s the case. She seemed a bit isolated and was in such a bad place so she was an easy target for manipulation. I loved that she was able to methodically build the facts to realize what was happening.

The story does shift back and forth deftly to build the suspense and slowly reveal the connections. There are a lot of characters and a few of them don’t really take on any real substance making it hard at times to differentiate between them.

There were plenty of surprises and a nice “grand” reveal. It was a quick easy read and I would recommend it but it wasn’t my favorite (of theirs). That said, I will definitely look forward to their next one!

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

You Are Not Alone is Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen’s newest psychological thriller that is centred around a data-obsessed bit of a loner who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Shay has witnessed a horrifying sight of a young woman throwing herself in front of an oncoming subway. Desperate to learn more about about what possessed someone to take their lives she starts to find more information about Amanda. At the same time Amanda’s friends enter Shay’s life and fill her up with all the things she’s been missing. While both sides are trying to unravel the reasons behind the suicide, all the paths converge into one twisted, desperate, messy tangle that will have you putting the pieces together til the very end.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen do a great job of writing this story in two perspectives. One is Shay, a woman whose life is not going the way she wants. The other perspective is from Cassandra & Jane Moore, sisters who seem to have the world by the tail. Shay meets these women through a chance encounter and gets swept up in their orbit. She feels like her life is finally coming together when the wheels start coming off. I could not put this book down. The twists and turns were fun and the two perspectives well written.

Just when you think your life is going nowhere, you meet 2 people that can turn your life around. This is what happened to Shay Miller who had a job that seemed to have run its course and a roommate who was moving on with a new girlfriend. Then Shay has a terrifying experience and just when she is at her lowest, she meets Cassandra and Jane. They are elegant, confident and have everything that Shay would love to have, so she is thrilled when they invite her into their circle and show her how wonderful her life can be. But does this come at a terrible price.
This psychological thriller kept me reading late into the night. The characters jump.out and grab you and you never know what is going to happen next. Thanks to the publishers, authors and Netgalley I got to read and enjoy this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book starts with a bang, has many twists and ends with just as big of a bang as it started. There was only one moment when I thought the plot was going to become predictable but it wasn.t and I am so glad for that. A young woman named Shay is a witness to another woman's jump/fall onto railroad tracks in NYC. She becomes obsessed with finding answers about the woman who killed herself and finds a pair of sisters that were friends with the victim. The Moore sisters are wealthy and successful but have a dark side; Shay becomes friends with them but it isn't an easy transition. The sisters are even leery of Shay's witnessing of their friend's death, why didn't Shay do anything to stop her? Or was the victim afraid of someone?

So many delicious questions throughout this book. It was nice to read a thriller/suspense that remained suspenseful and chilling AF. I thoroughly enjoyed this and hope other readers do as well. I have read a few other works from this author and liked them, and if you haven't , please start with this one!

Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler Alert-
You Are Not Alone wasn't bad but it was a bit predictable and boring. I was disappointed that Shay and Sean didn't end up together.

This book is INSANE. So when I started I was not so sure. Starts with a girl witnessing another girl commit suicide. And it seems like it’s going to be a sad book. However I stuck in there because I am a huge fan of the authors other work. And I am so glad I did. This woman witnessed a suicide and then begins to stalk the friends and family of the deceased woman. And then. Things get weird. Such an amazing build up of characters and plot. And that twist at the end had me yelling what the heck???? I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the third book I've read by these authors and while I wasn't over-the-moon about this one, I'll read anything they put out because they have a knack for story-telling. In terms of what I liked, the premise of the book is interesting and kept my interest but I didn't connect with the characters. Everyone seemed one-dimensional in this book and everything ends up rather predictable. I'd give this 3.5 out of 5 stars. Thanks to the publisher for the advance review copy.

Shay is minding her own business and gets thrown into a mess! Her new friends, Cassandra and Jane, are charismatic and intriguing, and definitely hiding something! In Part 1, I was trying to put the pieces together. By the beginning of Part 2, I thought I had the main plot figured out but wasn’t sure of a few small things. But, into Part 3, I was still getting surprised! I’ve read both The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen and enjoyed both as well. I definitely recommend checking this title out when it is released in a couple weeks!

As a big fan of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's previous books, I could not wait to dive into You Are Not Alone. I love their writing style with alternating timelines and multiple POVs.

Shay Miller's life isn't great. she has a temp job, hardly any friends and no love life. Then she witnesses a woman committing suicide by jumping in front of a subway train. She becomes obsessed with knowing about that woman (Amanda's) life and integrates herself into her friend group, where she meets the dynamic Moore sisters. Now she has friends, a new look and a new job, but is everything as perfect as it seems?

I really enjoy this pair's writing style. It's fast-paced, draws you in and keeps you attention.I was left craving more background and details about the Moore sisters- I found them so much more interesting than Shay and could read an entire book just about them! Less unqiue than their past books, its a highly entertaining thriller that does the job and keeps you engaged. As is the trend, there are twists and turns galore and a "bam" of an ending.

If you liked their previous work and enjoy a quick thriller, this is the book for you.

This extraordinary writing duo has done it again!!!!

After reading <em><a href="http://cmashlovestoread.com/2018/09/21/review-an-anonymous-girl-by-greer-hendricks-and-sarah-pekkanen/">An Anonymous Girl</a></em> and <em><a href="http://cmashlovestoread.com/2018/01/25/the-wife-between-us-by-greer-hendricks-and-sarah-pekkanen-review/">The Wife Between Us</a></em>, I knew I had to get my hands on this novel.

At 31, Shay Miller feels that her life is going nowhere since her circle of friends has vanished due to marriages, families and careers and herself in a dead-end job.

Then one day her life changes. Waiting for the train, she notices a girl very close to the edge and thinking if she should approach her. However, in that instant, it is too late because the girl jumps in front of the train. Shay, so traumatized by the event, wants to find out everything about this girl, who she now knows as Amanda. So much so, Shay even attends the memorial for her.

There she meets Amanda's friends, who seem to bring her into their circle. Her newfound friendships lift her spirits but then things turn sinister. Is it Shay that she is the guilty one in a murder or is she a victim?
Are these girls truly her friends or are they setting her up?

I could not put this book down. The pages turning as fast as I could read. The story pulled me in and didn't let go until the unbelievable ending. My head was spinning throughout the story trying to figure out how it would end and it was shocking!!!! Totally engrossing and chilling! What a read!!!!!

Not only do I recommend this book but their previous books too!!!!

GR posting: 02/20/20
Blog posting 03/03/20

After a great debut novel and a lackluster follow-up, the authors are back with an inventive and twisty story.

Shay is stagnating in her life- in her job, lack of relationship (the clichéd in love with roommate), lack of friends, lack of hobbies, etc. All that changes when she witnesses a woman jump to her suicide from a subway platform.

This one event brings into her orbit a group of glamorous women friends, a new job, and a new apartment. But, like all things, nothing comes without a price.

The data points at every chapter add way more to the story than I thought they would. Really wonderfully twisty story.

Hendricks and Pekkanen do it again! They bring us another tale of innocent bystanders caught in the web of manipulative and highly intelligent people. We’ve all been Shay Miller at some point. Lonely, awkward, desperate to connect with other people. Her life in  NY seemed painfully familiar (eating in restaurants by herself reminded me of my own 20s in the Big Apple!) Shay is relatable, even if her quirks and interests are unusual (I must ask her what’s the percentage of the population who are into statistics). On the other hand, the Moore sisters must exist because I’ve seen girls like them, I’ve just never talked to them. They look flawless even in the middle of a windstorm and their clothes seem pulled from the runway. How will their lives intersect? It takes just a few seconds for Shay’s life to change radically. She sees a woman jump in front of a subway train and that makes the Moore sisters notice her, even if the reasons are unclear. It takes her a while but, once Shay realizes that something’s going on, she’s actually smart, which made me like her even more. As in their previous novels, the twists completely blindside me and make perfect sense. The rhythm never slows down and I devoured the novel.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ St. Martin's Press!

I do love stories that start off with a shocking moment. I’m rarely surprised by “whodunnit “; you got me Hendricks/Pekkanen! This book will be in many beach bags this summer.

Excellent addictive storyline! Shays life seems so pathetic and sad, especially when she witnesses someone jump onto subway tracks. It was great to watch her blossom and come to life under Cassandra and Janes direction. They seemed like strong, together women. How could Shay know they also love to participate in vigilante justice? For me, the book really took off when Shay started questioning things. I loved all the twists and I thought it was a very satisfying ending. I could have used more character development at the beginning, at least for Shay. Sometimes I wasn’t sure who I should be cheering for in the story.

Since loving this author duo’s debut, The Wife Between Us, their books have become auto-reads for me. Unfortunately, I’m beginning to think they’re a bit of a one book wonder for me.

I was bored for about the first 90% of You Are Not Alone. There was some mild intrigue with Cassandra and Jane, the Moore sisters, and figuring out what exactly they’re up to, but it didn’t really take long to figure things out. I kept hoping there was a lot more to them and their group of friends, but there wasn’t. While I did like reading the multiple perspectives, getting the others just made Shay’s perspective more frustrating. I just wanted to yell at her to stop being so stupid all the time, which isn’t necessarily fair since I was privy to more information than she was. Still, though, for how intelligent she was supposed to be, I felt like it took her way too long to become suspicious.

I found the writing between the two authors to be seamless, as always. They have very compatible writing styles and I do find that impressive. I was just underwhelmed with the story. I thought much of it was very obvious and thought things drug out for too long. There was one surprise towards the end that I hadn’t guessed, but it wasn’t exactly a game changing twist like I have come to expect.

Overall, You Are Not Alone, just wasn’t for me. While there was initially some intrigue, I felt like things become obvious way too early in the story and I kept waiting for things to get really crazy, but they never did. I found myself just trying to get through the story, rather than enjoying it. While I still think these authors are talented, this story missed the mark for me.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2.5 Stars