I love the cover of this novel and the inside. "Every Step She Takes" is an exciting novel by K L Armstrong.. A page turner for sure.

DNF @15%
2020; Doubleday Canada/Random House Penguin Canada

I am a fan of Kelley Armstrong (aka K.L. Armstrong), as I enjoy her writing. There are a few novels that I have not liked or been able to finish, but I find it is more my interest in the subject matter. There are a few reasons this book may not have worked for me and one of them being Covid-19. I find that my interest in books have gotten even more pickier.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Armstrong has this simple, but fun writing style that I can just devour. It's comforting, but also a breath of fresh air after reading other stories that maybe take a bit more effort to get into. That's not to say she doesn't still surprise me, for instance, she's started branching out into the LGBTQ community recently, which has been really refreshing. This story very much reflects modern society and the damage social media and the media can do to people and their lives. Also the toxic celebrity culture we have where you can be above the law if you have enough money or the right contacts. She might not be saying anything new, but I'm still happy to hear it.

I’ve been reading Kelley Armstrong’s books since I was a teen, and met her at signings twice. (K.L. Armstrong is the pen name she’s recently started using for some of her thrillers). I’m not a big fan of thrillers, but typically I like the ones by Armstrong. Unfortunately, I was left feeling incredibly disappointed not only with the unfocused plot but also with the astonishingly problematic content.

The plot is so not what you’d expect based on the synopsis, but that’s not a good thing. That plot kind of runs its course quicker than you’d expect and from there the story doesn’t quite seem to know what it wants to do. The book alternates between past and present, but the story unfolding in the present was a drag to return to because it was so frustrating. It kept getting harder to suspend disbelief every time something happened, and even now I’m not sure what the point of it all was. Aside from constantly spewing some problematic victim-blaming.

There’s really no way to properly articulate why I struggled so much with this book without discussing spoilers. So, the rest of this review will not be spoiler-free. If that’s not your cup of tea, stop reading here.

One of the main plot points is that Genevieve was sexually assaulted by her much older celebrity employer when she was a teen (and I felt he groomed her too). They’re photographed during the assault, but she’s painted in tabloids as a drunk girl throwing herself at a famous, married man. This is the conflict that fuels everything else in the book, including the mysterious packages and the murder. At first, the flashbacks showing the assault were fine in laying groundwork for her trauma ( that’s not to say it didn’t upset me with the way that was handled). But the fact that the wife of the assaulter finds her and sends her packages years later, and bullies her into flying back to the US to talk is so far-fetched. Especially considering the wife wants to apologize and put out a press release to declare that Genevieve was a victim, but without going so far as to say her husband assaulted her. Make it make sense.

After reading "My Dark Vanessa", it’s even more clear that there are certain ways grooming and sexual assault should and should not be handled. The stories in some ways mirror one another, but "Every Step She Takes" shows none of the growth and nuance that "MDV" does. It’s one thing for the main character, the one who was assaulted, to have internalized shame and blame herself. That’s common given the way society treats victims. It’s another thing completely for the book to reinforce that she was just as much “at fault” as the man who assaulted her. Again and again. Even when other characters tell her it wasn’t her fault, she argues with them and believes it. That never changes. And it reads as though the author believes it, if I’m honest. It’s so problematic, so harmful, that I felt myself getting more and more angry.

I don’t think there’s anything else you need to know about this book. The plot is all over the place. The characters and reveals are, quite frankly, not well written. But most of all, this book victim-blames. If you still want to read this book, that’s your choice. However, I can’t in good conscience recommend it.

Another fabulous, must-read novel from K.L. Armstrong that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat as you fly through the pages of her new addictive, pulse-pounding novel that will leave you hooked!

Imagine building a new life for yourself, in another country with a new name, leaving your past behind you and fitting in with a new life. One day you come home to find a box on your table addressed to you – the OLD you – the name you haven’t used for years! That is the predicament Genevieve finds herself in. Who is the person that has sent her the box? How did they get into her apartment, and how do they know her real name?

As you read the story all of these answers are revealed and we learn about her past and what made her start over with a new life and with a new name. I loved reading through the chapters in this novel and it was a fast-paced read that I couldn’t stop once I started. I loved reading about all the twists and turns, and the revelations that come to light. What makes Genevieve tick, nd what is she running away from and trying to forget?

An addictive read that you must add to your collection ASAP. You will love this book!

Genevieve walks into her Rome apartment one day to find a package addressed to Lucy, the name she used to go by when she lived in the U.S. The package leads her back to New York, the place where she was part of a celebrity scandal. Lucy was caught naked with an action star, whose children she tutored in music. Lucy became Genevieve and had escaped that scandal, only to be drawn back into the famous family when she returns to New York.

This was such a suspenseful thriller. I couldn’t put it down. It took a little while for the suspense to start. The real triggering event didn’t happen until almost a third of the way through. I was actually wondering where the suspense was until then. However, once it started, I had to keep reading.

An issue I had with the book wasn’t really a problem with the story, but the synopsis didn’t match what happened. It told the events of the first couple of chapters, but the real plot didn’t start until later. The synopsis should have given a better overview of the plot, so it actually explained what would happen beyond the first chapter.

I loved the ending of the book. I suspected all the different characters at some point. There were some surprising twists that were revealed at just the right moments. There were a couple of loose ends that weren’t cleared up, but they may have been clear in the final version.

My ARC was actually missing some pages, which may have been due to piracy protection or a glitch. That was frustrating, but I still enjoyed the story regardless of the missing passages.

I really enjoyed this suspenseful thriller.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I requested and received this book from K.L. Armstrong and Penguin Random House Canada through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Once again Kelley Armstrong did not disappoint! I read all her books, it does not matter if they are fantasy, teen, mystery, fiction, young readers, I love her style of writing. I read this book in two nights, I did not want to put it down, but I had to go to work which meant going to sleep, sigh. Kelley, as long as you keep writing, I will keep reading.

DNF @ 20%

The way this book takes far too long to get into the actual plot is very frustrating. I am also not enjoying the main character or the format of the book. Not what I expected at all from the synopsis. This might be enjoyable for some, but not for me.

I've been making up for lost time after years and years of never reading a Kelley Armstrong book - since the beginning of 2019 I've read four, including two by her alter-ego, K.L. Armstrong. The latest, just published on Tuesday, is Every Step She Takes, a thriller that kept me turning the pages until I discovered the answers I needed. I ended up finishing the book in one sitting.

Here's the synopsis:
Sometimes there's no use running from your past. . . .

Genevieve has secrets that no one knows. In Rome she can be whoever she wants to be. Her neighbours aren't nosy; her Italian is passable; the shopkeepers and restaurant owners now see her as a local, and they let her be. It's exactly what she wants.

One morning, after getting groceries, she returns to her 500-year-old Trastevere apartment. She climbs to the very top of the staircase, the stairs narrowing the higher she goes. When she gets to her door, she puts down her bags and pushes the key into the lock . . .

. . . and the door swings open.

It's unlocked. Sometimes she doesn't lock it because break-ins aren't common in Rome. But Genevieve knows she locked the door behind her this morning. She has no doubt.

She should leave, call the police. What if someone is in her apartment, waiting for her? But she doesn't.

The apartment is empty, and exactly as she left it, perfectly tidy and not a thing out of place . . . except for the small box on her kitchen table. A box that definitely wasn't there this morning. A box postmarked from the US. A box that is addressed to "Lucy Callahan."

A name that she hasn't used in ten years.
The book's description doesn't give the reader a whole lot to go on. I think that's intentional but I also think it would have been best for the reader to know going in that the main suspense isn't, actually, who sent her the package. It's what happens to that person. I think that would help the set up of the novel because I found myself just waiting for the big moment and for the suspense to truly start. Speaking of the set up...it and beginning of the novel was a tad...clunky? I guess? and didn't seem to flow as well as the rest of the story did. Maybe it's just because I was invested in the thrill and suspense by that point that I stopped worrying about word choices and how certain things were described.

Without giving anything away, I'll say that I didn't figure out the whodunnit. I had a suspicion about part of it and I was correct there but who committed the final, actual, permanent crime? Didn't even cross my mind. I did, however, guess the identity of a certain mysterious character. (And that was even with my e-galley not being formatted properly and missing a number of important instant messaging conversations.) Are you confused yet? What I'm getting at is, there were some predictable, to me, moments and others that completely surprised me. I consider that a win for a thriller.

The story itself really interested me. I was totally invested in Genevieve/Lucy, her past, and how she was going to get out of the situation she found herself in. I think it helped that we were the same age so I could kind of get into her head (both then and now) a little bit easier. I also really appreciated that Armstrong didn't use the unreliable narrator trope. That can be done well, of course, but I like when a story, especially a mystery or thriller, doesn't rely on a trope that I've been reading a lot of.

Sure, there are some issues with Every Step She Takes. It's not what I'd call a great book but I got a lot of enjoyment out of it and didn't want to put it down, so that should tell you something about the entertainment value of it (and let's be real here, we mostly read for entertainment). I'm going to continue to check out K.L. Armstrong's books (and those she writes as Kelley, too) because she's clearly getting stronger with her thrillers and I'm curious to see what she writes next.

*An e-galley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Doubleday Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

My favourite Armstrong instalment yet! Told in alternating timelines from the POV of the same bit different female lead, this was a slower burn thriller (at least in the beginning) but once it picked up speed it was full steam ahead! I loved the twists and didn’t see them coming. Armstrong’s writing is gripping and engaging and she sure knows how to write a mystery that will keep you guessing cover to cover. Actual rating 3.5/5

Genevieve is living in Rome. She returns home to find her door unlocked and package on the table addressed to Lucy Callahan from the US. She hasn’t been called Lucy in 10 years.
Let me start off with this is a fast paced read. I found that the first 70% went by really fast and felt like I had only started the book and then the last 30% just flys right by. I was very excited to read this book because K. L. Armstrong aka Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors. I love the way she tells stories and her characters are always so realistic and believable! Genevieve is no different. I love the pace and all the twists and turns the story took. It’s a bit of a shorter book, but that really helped with the pacing. Over all I recommend you read this book or any of Kelley Armstrong’s books!
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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I love anything Kelley Armstrong I've never been disappointed with any of her stories. She can switch fluidly between one genre and the next and tell amazingly detailed and exciting stories and Every Step She Takes is no exception. It's fast paced, well written, and engaging, Kelley will always give you that sweaty all over panic for her characters with the suspenseful situations they're in. My only issue is the synopsis doesn't do the story justice, it doesn't get across the excitement that this story holds.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

I love this author and have enjoyed every book of hers I have read. I enjoyed this book, the storyline was good and the characters well defined. The only issue I had with this book was that my copy was missing many portions throughout, mostly seemed to be the text and emails that did not show on my e-reader. That being said, I still enjoyed the story, and would recommend it.

I really enjoyed K.L Armstrong's summer novel last year and was excited to see she was releasing a new book - today in fact is the day for Every Step She Takes.

Genevieve has a life she likes living in Italy - a home, a job and a boyfriend. Until the day she comes home and finds her door unlocked. And inside is a parcel from the US addressed to Lucy Callahan - a name Genevieve hasn't used in ten years.

"Too much time has passed, and I'm the only person who still cares what happened to me. Yet it takes only this unlocked door to slam me back to that life."

Okay, that's in the first five pages.....and I needed to know...who is Lucy, why is she hiding and what happened to her?

Every Step She Takes is told in first person, so the reader is along for the ride as Genevieve returns to the US to confront both the past and the present. The story unfolds in alternating chapters from ten years ago to present day. I always enjoy this story telling method, finding how the pieces fit together.

Although she thought she was putting the past to rest by going back to the US, someone else has other plans and Gen is in trouble - again. Determined to prove her innocence, she runs. Armstrong gives many us suspects to choose from as Gen tries to find the real culprit.

Armstrong adds some twists and turns along the way to the final whodunit. I appreciated not having a final answer until almost to the end. A few of the plot developments will require a grain of salt, but didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I started Every Step She Takes with my morning tea on the back porch and finished up just before dinner. Armstrong writes many series (can't get enough Rockton), but I enjoyed having a stand alone to spend the day with. Armstrong's writing is very 'readable', moves along at a good clip and is entertaining. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Every Step She Takes.

(K.L. Armstrong is a nom de plume of Kelley Armstrong.)

Genevieve did catch a bad break, caught making out with a married movie star & being hounded by the paparazzi & judged unfairly by almost everyone, but to be tracked down by said movie star's wife 10 years after the fact after she's rebuilt her life? In another country? Under a different name? That's the beginning of a terrible week. And then to be accused of murder on top of everything else.
Fortunately, Genevieve has incredibly good luck in escaping from almost-captures. And then her perfecty thoughtful, tour-guide/bike courier boyfriend ends up being... well, let's just say, exactly what she needs.
I don't know that I found the ending emotionally satisfying, but maybe that was the point? All of the loose ends were wrapped up, though, so I can live with it.

Thank you Netgalley and Doubleday Canada for giving me an advanced copy of K.L. Armstrong's Every step she takes for an honest review. A long fan of Kelley's work, I am happy she has taken time to branch out to contemporary stand-alone novels. While I totally love her fabulous fantasy series, and her thriller Rockton series, sometimes you just want to sit down to a single serving (so to speak). Which is what I loved about Every step she takes!
Genevieve has secrets that no one knows. In Rome, she is just an ordinary girl, has a boyfriend named Marco, who is a guide to tourists. But one day a package shows up at her door addressed to Lucy Callahan.
The story is meant to be suspense/thriller and it is. I happily let the story take over as it bounces back and forth in time which was not as jarring as some stories have been. I loved the character interactions that takes place throughout the story! This is a great summer read with a great ending!

4.5/ 5 stars

Kelley Armstrong is one of my absolute favorite authors. I am excited whenever she writes a new book. I loved her suspense/thriller from last summer. So I absolutely could not wait to read her newest book, Every Step She Takes. And it did not disappoint.

This book is a suspense/thriller. The thriller part is not apparent right away. But this was such a good book!

The book blurb does not give a synopsis telling us exactly what the book is about. But IMO too many book blurbs give away the entire story. So in a way I am glad that the story wasn't completely spoiled for me.

The narrator is Genevieve, an American woman living in Rome, Italy (1st person POV).

She plays the viola. And has spent the last 10 years trying to keep a low profile. I was very curious to know what happened in her past. The story goes back and forth for the first part of the book between the past and the present.

The past was New York 2005. Usually I am not a big fan of past/present storylines with alternating chapters. However, in this case the past was very interesting.

In 2005 she was an 18 year old girl working as a music tutor/studying at Juilliard. In 2020 she is 33 years old living in Rome.

The mystery/thriller part of the book did not start right away. But once it did the book got so exciting.

By the halfway point I was so curious to know how this book would end. There were definitely lots of unexpected revelations. And I was anxious to find out who was guilty.

The mystery was so strong. The thriller part was so exciting. Overall this was a great book.

Man, this was a fantastic book! I just love Kelley Armstrong's writing, and the story was just so enticing! I just couldn't wait to dive into this story, of Genevieve, and why she hasn't used the name Lucy in 10 years. I just had to read it!

One thing that I really enjoy about her writing is that the characters are smart, they have common sense, and they're practical. As in, when there's something wrong, they're not going to be idiots about it and make things worse. They might make mistakes, but they're human. I just love this quality!

The way this story was told-back and forth between the present with Genevieve getting a package addressed to her old name onward, and the past, the reason why she hasn't used that name in 10 years The way things were intertwined was fantastic to read!

This was a bit of a mystery thriller, at least the present was. And on multiple levels, I really enjoyed that one twist with who the one guy was. And that ending, oh, that was clever! The whole thing was just a little sad, that everything happened, but it was a really satisfying ending!

Loved reading this book, it was amazing, and I'm really glad that it's the book I chose to read on my birthday!

I always go into Kelley Armstrong books with high hopes and I have never been disappointed before and this one lived up to all of the hype that I had for it in my mind. A thriller by my favourite author there wasn't much that could go wrong in this book. I found the writing in this book to be really good and it flowed together nicely. The author really pulled the reader into the story without overwhelming them with a lot of useless information. What I didn't like however was reading the blurb I got a very different feel to what the book would actually be about. It actually wasn't until about half way through the book that I really started to get a feel on what the story was about. The time changes in this story were a little jarring but I'm not a fan of that in any story so I didn't expect to like it. Very fascinating read once you get into it while the first half took me a while to get through the second half I just flew through. I wasn't able to put it down.

The writing is clunky (notable examples being, “I fairly leapt the other way,” and “I’m the only person who still cares what happened to me.”) and the main plot doesn’t kick in until page 91. Up until this point I kept asking myself, what is the point of this book? Who is it for? Why is it a thriller? By then, however, I just didn’t care.

First, the synopsis is misleading. The parcel is just a plot device. Four years prior, Genevieve was hired as a music tutor for the children of two famous actors (Colt and Isabella). Genevieve and Colt are caught in a compromising situation which leaves Genevieve’s life in shambles. She flees to Italy. In present day, Isabelle reaches out to Genevieve to discuss that night and extend an olive branch. Isabella, shortly thereafter, is murdered and Genevieve is framed. The past she’s running from are tabloid stories and crazed fans. Also, there’s no break in. Genevieve’s fling/boyfriend brought it in the parcel.

We jump back and forth between past and present, but we’re not given any time to get to know the characters or witness the relationship development between them. We’re told. EVERY STEP SHE TAKES reads as very “this happened and then this other thing happened and the main character was mad”.

As a fan of Armstrong, I’m left disappointed.