Author Nina Manning- I'm a fan. I read her debut psychological thriller last summer. I started the review for that book by exclaiming,"I give this book 5 Wows! Once you start this book, you’ll be drawn into a pleasant world that slowly and insidiously becomes more twisted, and you will be shaken by the horror that creeps ever closer." And now there's a new book by Ms. Manning- I read it as soon as I could.

Now this book, Her Darkest Fear is a bit different. Still has a great female character, but it's not as gripping or scary. I do recommend this book and I know you will enjoy it!

A psychological thriller focuses on characters, and their unstable emotional states. The genre generally features guilt, obsession, moral ambiguity, and complex and tortured relationships. Yes, there is some of this present in Her Greatest Fear, but this book is better described as “Women’s Fiction” or “Contemporary Women’s Fiction.”So, what is the book about? Once again, Ms. Manning does give us a complex character in Frankie Keegan. Frankie is at that time of life that can be challenging for a younger woman. She is a wife, a mom of two young kids, and she’s working and trying to move up in her field. Her husband is nice, but a bit lost, career-wise and life-wise. Frankie tries to hold it together, but is haunted by her brother’s death 20 years before. She feels responsible. As the 20th anniversary of his death nears, Frankie enters a dark time, and then strange things begin to haunt her

The book is told in two alternating parts- by the Frankie of 20 years ago, whose story gets to be boring and drawn out and the Frankie of the present. This Frankie is much more interesting to read about as she faces challenges from her kids, her husband and her new boss. Frankie is paddling madly and trying to keep her head above water. She appears to be an alcoholic, but this isn’t directly confronted in the book. Frankie is a sympathetic and fascinating character.Readers will enjoy her story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance review copy. This is my honest review

Frankie Keegan was in a car accident 20 years ago. The accident that killed her brother. She hasn't been able to get rid of the guilt since then.

But as the 20th anniversary of his death comes closer, Frankie realizes someone else remembers that night and wants to make sure she doesn't forget it any time soon.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't really for me. It started good, I was interested. But I could never connect to the characters or the story, so, for the most part, I really didn't care what was going on.

But just because it isn't for me, it doesn't mean it's not gonna be for you, so if you're interested you can now get a copy yourself. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher and author for an earc in exchange for an honest review.

Frankie Keegan lived through a trauma 20 years ago in which her beloved older brother was killed. She's never been able to be rid of the guilt she still harbors and each passing year it only gets worse.

And now there's someone else who has not forgotten ... and they're bound and determined that Frankie remembers until her dying day.

The suspense starts at the beginning and maintains its pace until the unexpected ending. Well written, there are several characters that are suspect and will have the reader guessing this one or that one.

Many thanks to the author / Boldwood Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This is not a psychological thriller!!! The first 85% of the book is about Frankie being an alcoholic because her brother died and it is also about her relationship struggle with her husband. The last 15% of the book may be considered a little bit of a thriller, but it is not what I was expecting from the description. I really feel like I was mislead by the description. I think this book should be reclassified as a fictional drama. If that were the case, I think I would have went into this book with a different mindset and I may have enjoyed it, but I kept waiting for the action to happen.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC for my honest review!

This book wasn't gripping like promised. I feel most books pitched that way isn't anyway. I didn't connect with the story. This would be a quick read for a newbie to the thriller genre.

Frankie Keegan is dreading the anniversary of her brothers death. It's been twenty years since he died. But Frankir still feels guilty that she caused the crash. Frankie starts receiving creepy texts from someone.

There is a lot of backstory to get through before we get into the story properly. The chapters alternate between Frankie today, a wife and mum of two, who's just started a new job and she's a little to fond of alcohol. And Frankie twenty years ago, that part is told through flashbacks and journal entries. We get to around the 80% mark before thenstory really starts as most of the book covers Frankie's drinking and family drama. I've been looking forward to reading this book but unfortunately it wasnt as good as The Daughter In Law. I felt this was more a Womens Contemporary Fiction rather than a thriller. I will read ore from this author in future.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Boldworld Books and the author Nina Manning for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. So many twists. Kept me focused for a night
Will be recommending this to other authors

I was a bit disappointed with this book. The description sounded excellent but the book didn't quite live up to it. An OK read but not one of the best books I have read lately

This book is about the accident met by the protagonist twenty years back and the fallout of it. This book is not exactly a psychological thriller. Three fourths of the book talks about Frankie’s alcohol problem and guilt and then suddenly it veers in a different direction. Some of the loose threads are forgotten like what happened in the forest, the issue with the baby sitter. The problems in the family are neither explained nor resolved. I lost interest about 60% of the way.

A dark and creepy thrill ride. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Highly recommended for dark psychological thriller fans

I really enjoyed this book. It had me hooked, just enough suspense and drama to pull me in. I definitely didn’t see the twist at the end, but once it happened, I realized some clues I had missed.
Many thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. It was my first by this author, but will not be my last.

This was a quick read that was pretty interesting, though I think I liked the storyline more than the actual story. It focuses on Frankie, a mid-30s mom of 2, trying to navigate balancing family and work, while also haunted by the accident that killed her brother 20 years earlier. The chapters alternate between the Frankie of 20 years ago (through both flashbacks and journal entries) and today's Frankie, the latter which I found to be much more interesting. Still, the alternating chapters is a style I like.

The mysteries in this book are around what happened to Frankie's brother, Kiefer, as well as creepy texts/happenings that Frankie starts experiencing around that 20-year anniversary of his death. The story flows pretty quickly, and I could empathize with grown-up Frankie, but I did have a few issues. One was around unanswered questions- Frankie's journal entries lead the reader to believe there is something odd about her and Keifer's relationship, but that isn't addressed. Likewise, there are some tertiary characters, like Todd, Harriett, and Aimee, for whom there are questions that went unanswered. My other issue is, although the twist at the end was a surprise, it didn't feel realistic to me when you find out who the villain is and why that person did what they did. Neat concept, but wasn't laid out in a way that allowed me to suspend my disbelief,

All in all, this was a decent book and I think those interested in domestic suspense and mysteries would like it. It's worth the read but not one that will stick with me for a long time. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing and I was totally surprised by the ending. I especially enjoyed the change from present to past and how the story came together in that way. What didn’t work for me as well was the story in general. It felt very vague and not especially well fleshed out. But it was a fun fast read.

This book was great to read. I was hooked almost from the word go. It was thrilling. Keeping me on the edge of my seat. Then that ending!!! The book was very well written and flowed well. Easy to read but sadly it came to an end.

It was obvious after just a few chapters that this is not my kind of book. However, I'm sure others will enjoy it.

I appreciate the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story! This is a first for me by this author but, definitely worth a read! I was sucked in and my heart was in my throat about 70% into the book then BAM! That twist! I never saw it coming and it veered into a whole different direction than I thought it would! Definitely recommend and I'm definitely going to check out more from this author!

This slow moving thriller has a few twists and turns that will throw off some readers. Frankie, having lost her brother in a horrific accident, is dreading the twentieth anniversary of his death. When strange things start happening around her, she doesn't know what to expect. I thought that Frankie's journal writing about her brother was a little creeping. I was not a fan of Damian nor Frankie's boss. Questions were left unanswered like what was the babysitter's issue and did Damian have an affair with the neighbor. Frankie bringing Todd home to care for was not very realistic. I'm glad counseling was emphasized as a positive act. I had mixed feelings about this book.

Her Darkest Fear tricked me. It has some fantastic red herrings and you’re going to be left thinking you’ve figured it all out but I can promise...you haven’t!
Nina Manning is a master at writing. Her Darkest Fear is a must read! My mind is blown.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher. The review and comments are my honest opinion.
Frankie Keegan is once again dreading the anniversary of her brother’s death. As the memory of that night 20 years ago and her guilt that she caused the crash that killed her brother, Frankie is spiraling out of control.
Someone else is also remembering that night and they begin to taunt and terrify her. For Frankie ‘her darkest fear’ is only met head on with the twisted ending.

Another good book by Nina Manning. Did not see the twist coming at the end! Can’t wait for her 3rd book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.