I really enjoyed this book! A great story line that kept me hooked and excellent main characters. I would highly recommend this book.

Olivia is a mum to Jake and a wife to Frank. After an accident she finds herself relying on painkillers daily just to cope with life.
As she feels increasingly withdrawn from Frank she meets the charming and handsome Dane..... What will this mean for her marriage, life a and family?
The tale is told from Olivias' point of view sometimes from in the past and sometimes from the present
I enjoyed the book, the author painted a great picture of the characters and I enjoyed her style of writing it was descriptive and managed to convey the atmosphere of each chapter.. I was taken through a range be of emotions frustration, disbelief and fear.And there were some great twists in there too!

If you like a thriller revolving around home and Family i think I you will enjoy this. Th a k you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Miranda Smith for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.

This was a hard one for me to really get into, especially as the intro didn't really pull me in as I started reading. I couldn't be pulled in to really care about why the character may or may not have killed her husband. The premise seemed interesting at the start, but was somewhat boring to me after a short number of pages in; it really dragged on for me and these types of books don't do well for me as a reader.

I had a difficult time knowing whom to feel sorry for in this book (that's a good thing). I know that Olivia is supposed to be the sympathetic character, but she consciously made the choices that led to the events of the book. On the other hand, there seemed to be outside factors that were working as well, which kept me off-balance. The author did a nice job of rolling out the background info, which made this a page-turner that I would highly recommend. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

"People aren't all bad or all good...Pain comes in all sorts o' shades, honey."

This is a debut that I'd categorize as domestic drama with a mystery at its core. Who killed Dane Miller on that hot July night in Whitaker, Tennessee?

Since she found the body, police initially question his wife, Olivia Miller. She's the prime suspect for awhile but then, a confession by Marcus Rowe, a small-time thief, takes the pressure off until he later recants and is set to be released. Olivia, living in the condo that she and her dead husband had shared, is now back in the spotlight. Though she's not unhappy he's dead, she wants to clear her name but has no idea exactly who her husband was after all. That's because she's a pill popper, a party girl and a big drinker. In fact, she had left her nice home and former husband, Frank Grier, to be with Dane. In addition, she had to give up custody of her son to Frank because of all the attention focused on her as the possible killer. Her life is a big mess and someone needs to answer for the murder. NO SPOILERS.

I really dragged through this one and I'm not sure why it wasn't able to hold my attention and interest. Part of the issue, I'm sure, is that I absolutely couldn't stand Olivia and the rest of the characters in the story really weren't all that likeable either. Dane was a loser, for sure, but Olivia wasn't exactly a real catch herself. All her decisions were made under the influence and they were all mostly bad. The narrative is told in alternating BEFORE and AFTER chapters detailing all events that led up to the crime and then everything that happens when Dane is shot. A journalist with a popular blog and dreams of writing a best-selling true crime novel shows up in town to try to get some answers for his followers and wants Olivia to help him out. But everyone has secrets and tells likes (as always) and it takes awhile to get the whole story. The writing was good, it's just that the plot wasn't anything new and I'm sure most will have the whole thing sussed out before the halfway mark. It lacked any tension or suspense for me and I just wanted confirmation and to be done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I would look at a new title by this author in the future.

Some Days Are Dark by Miranda Smith gets two thumbs up from me! Wow, such a talented author to keep my eye on! I can’t wait to see what Miranda writes next.

Check out this plot:

I was happy my husband died, but I couldn’t admit it, otherwise, people might think I killed him.

Before

Olivia knows she is lucky. She has a loving husband, Frank, an adorable son, Jake, and a beautiful new home. It couldn’t be more different from her childhood on the outskirts of Whitaker, dirt poor and dreaming of getting out. But at the end of long days with no one to talk to, always feeling like she’s not quite good enough, she starts to wonder if there’s a better life waiting…

After

Everyone in Whitaker knows who Olivia is. She’s the woman who left her family for no-good Dane Miller—and the one who most likely shot him. Now, there’s gossip about her everywhere she goes, she’s too scared to leave the house most days, and she barely gets to see her beloved son.

How can a perfect life fall apart so quickly? And, when you have nothing to lose, how far will you go to save yourself?

With realistic and not so likable characters, this book really kept me hooked and intrigued. From the early pages you are swept up in Olivia’s story, why is she happy her husband is dead? Red flag! It sounds like maybe he wasn’t the nicest guy and no one is really going to miss him. But who did it? Maybe Olivia herself. Fast-paced and compelling, its a book you will want to read in a single sitting! Just clear your calendar and relax on the couch for a while.

Available now! Only 99 cents on Kindle here.

For a thriller debut this was a great read. It started wonderfully and kept me hooked throughout. It was a little predictable but I enjoyed it never the less. I loved the style of writing and the lead protagonist was thoroughly lovable too. The twists and turns were great and kept me guessing. I'm looking forward so much to more from this talented writer.

I took my time to finish this book so I'm sorry for the late review. The plot are pretty slow and wow the twist! I didn't expect that. I mean who would expect that 'person' is the killer lol Btw the main character, Olivia was unlikeable. Frank and Dane too lol I don't think I like anyone in this book 🤣 This story was told from before and after the murder of Dane, Olivia's second husband.

This is not a bad story but if it is not that slow I think I'm going to enjoy this book.

Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for Some Days Are Dark ARC!

🌟🌟🌟.5

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Olivia never felt adequate. She has a husband and son - and then she meets and falls for Dane. All is good until the wild and crazy parties he throws with his scary friends,
And then Dane is murdered and all seems to point to Olivia as the killer.
But - who is the real killer?
I couldn't put this book down and was totally shocked with the ending!

I love the cover for this book, it is so eye catching it really grabbed my attention!

I loved the opening line and how the author grabbed your attention right from the start, this was a book I knew that I would need to stay up later than planned to carry on reading!

The pace was good and I thought that the characters were well developed too. They worked well together and I loved finding out more about the back stories as the book progressed too. It was all very well planned out and well developed – and best of all, it was very well written and a book that completely hooked me.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, I thought it was a fabulous story and the author has definitely put herself on my radar now as one to watch! Highly recommended!!

Some Days Are Dark was so good it was difficult to believe it was a thriller début.

Olivia Miller is married to Frank, her loving husband and the couple have an adorable little boy, Jake, as well as a beautiful new home. Yet Olivia is not content; she never feels good enough, she has no one to talk to and often wonders if the grass is greener... Olivia leaves Frank for thrill-seeking, adventure-loving Dane, but then Dane is found murdered in their home - and Olivia is the prime suspect. But somebody else confesses to Dane's killing.

The story alternates between before and after Dane's murder and exposes Olivia's relationships with her first husband Frank, and then Dane, her second. Wonderfully addictive and engrossing, I read Some Days Are Dark in one go. Miranda Smith's writing is assured, the tension is taut throughout, and the pace never flagged at all.

A fantastic read from a brilliant author I'm delighted to have discovered.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bookouture via NetGalley at my request, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Some Days Are Dark By Miranda Smith
This book had a great opening, and I liked the ending, the middle felt a bit drawn out.
The storyline was good, and while the characters were not particularly likeable, they were not totally horrible either.
Overall a good read 3/5 from me.

This book was good not great. However, it hooked me at the first line. My issue was mainly with Oliva. She was a rather unlikable character in the book. I also wasn’t a fan of the timeline switching from before Dane’s death to after. I found there were times that it was difficult to keep track of before or after.

Overall the book is well paced with just enough twists to keep you guessing. I'm glad that I read it and would recommend.

Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture and Miranda Smith for the opportunity to read and review this book.

2.5 stars rounded up

Some Days are Dark starts of OK, then progressed into a 'good' territory. I like Olivia, I really do, with her wishy washiness and stubbornness. Already felt the twist since the second half of the book, but it was alright, it meant the story foundation was enough to provide me with a guess. I like the last altercation and the ending.

2.5 stars
Some Days are Dark makes some mighty big promises in that subtitle. Sadly, it doesn't quite deliver for me. The opening line of the book was certainly promising, and I was all set to hunker down and enjoy the read. Now, I will say that the book is well written for the most part. The writing is crisp and sharp, and this one could've been at least close to the promise in the subtitle had it not been dragged out quite so far. But it is what it is, and the longer this one went on, the less I wanted to keep pushing through. My biggest problem is that the plot has been done and done again, and it was way too predictable - and yes, that includes what I'm assuming is supposed to be the 'breathtaking twist.' Honestly, I think I would've enjoyed that twist more had I not been looking for it, but since I was looking for it, I just wound up disappointed. The author does give us some interesting characters in this one. None of them likable, but they are interesting in that looking at a train wreck sort of way. In the end, this one was more domestic drama than anything else. I didn't get that sense of tension or urgency due to the predictability of it, so I can't really say that I felt any real suspense or thrills. It's just too bad that the rest of the book didn't live up to the terrific opening line.

I got so distracted by the questionable time line of the book, that I couldn't really enjoy it. I didn't go so far as to lay out a spreadsheet tracking the dates, but they were all so compressed that it just didn't make sense. The only reasoning I can see for this was to keep Jake, the son, young throughout the story. Needless to say, this confusion decreased my enjoyment of the book, but I had a hard time fully accepting the story even without the timing questions. Olivia was unlikeable and even knowing she possibly suffered from PTSD and drug addiction, I couldn't get myself to care what happened to her. The plot was slow moving and the bouncing back and forth between the two time lines didn't add suspense but instead felt like it was dragging the story out. I know I've said a lot of negative things here. Overall, the book wasn't bad, just wasn't something I needed to know the ending of!

This is a great twisted thriller which had me hooked from the start. It alternates between before and after the murder which keeps your mid zipping between making it all the harder to try to predict the storyline.

I found it an interesting read and very very well written. The author writes with a refreshing tone. There are so many twists in the story, I found it impossible to guess how it would end! My perfect read!

This review is being shared as part of the blog tour by Bookouture Annonymous! My sincere thanks to BOOKOUTURE and NETGALLEY for the opportunity to read and review ‘Some Days Are Dark’ by Miranda Smith. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.All my reviews can be found on my blog momobookdiary.com

That first line of the book...I enjoyed this one! Told from different time perspectives was kinda different. I'm not really sure what to make of the main character though. She was definitely different!

3.5 stars. This was my very first approved ARC from Netgalley so I do want to say thank you to them for giving me a copy for review. For a general synopsis, we follow a woman named Olivia and in this book we get to see both chapters in the present and the past. In the past chapters, Olivia is a new mother who is married to her husband Frank. On the outside, it looks like Olivia has it all. A wonderful husband, a perfect baby boy named Jake and their perfect home to raise their family. Olivia knows she has it all but feels like there is something missing. In her past chapters, we learn that Olivia has actually left her husband for "no-good Dane." We actually start the past chapters a year after Dane was murdered and everyone in town thinks she is the one who did the deed. Just like a classic thriller that we all know and love, we are trying to find out what really happened to Dane and who is the real murder.

This book hooked me with the first line. "I was happy my husband died, but I couldn’t admit it, otherwise people might think I killed him." I really enjoyed following along through Olivia's eyes and seeing how she grows in both sets of chapters for the better and the worst. Although at times, I found myself screaming internally at Olivia for the reasons and decisions she made, I did enjoy her journey overall. I loved Frank and how he is always wanting to protect and provide for him family even when his family was falling apart at times. I had early guesses on who really murdered Dane but I was completely wrong once we got to the end of the book.

The problems that I had with this book are, I would times only like the past chapters more than the present one but then found myself flip-flopping to like the present over the past. This process continued on and on throughout the book and I'm not sure if this was "me thing" or if this was necessarily the writing. I also didn't like Brock's character and found him to be annoying at times but I managed to just push through.

Overall I did enjoy this book and look forward to reading more by this author. Will be sharing my thought in my March Wrap Up YouTube video at the end the of the month

Some Days Are Dark is a domestic thriller, following Olivia who is believed to have murdered her husband.

Olivia is an unreliable narrator and an incredibly unlikeable character, as are the rest of the characters in this book. I struggled to finish as it was predictable and underwhelming. Unless you're a fan of slow paced books with unlikeable characters, I would avoid this one.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.