Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.8 stars

I had access to both the audio book and a digital copy. I listened to the first half and read the second half. While the narrator did a fine job, I felt the story came across better in print. The story skips around a lot over 56 days and it was less confusing to follow in print.

Oliver and Ciara meet by chance in Dublin at the beginning of the covid 19 pandemic. They both have secrets about their pasts.

I liked that this was a mystery set during the pandemic and more than just talking about masks and quarantining. The story worked because of social distancing and allowed this new couple to be alone and not have to meet family and friends.

3.5 - This was an entertaining mystery/thriller set during the early days of the initial pandemic lockdown in Dublin, Ireland. I actually really enjoyed that this story was set during the pandemic and seeing how it led to a perfect set of circumstances to throw two virtual strangers together in the most unusual of times. The author did a great job illustrating the challenges and loneliness people experienced but what didn't work as well for me was how much the story jumped between timelines and perspectives. I wasn't expecting the ending but I got a little bored halfway through if I'm totally honest. This won't be the most memorable read of the year for me but the premise was 10/10. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. What a fun concept! I loved the idea of using pandemic lockdown as the setting for a murder mystery. Seems like the perfect time to pull off a murder without anyone knowing... or do they? This was a quick read and I'll definitely check out future books by this author.

Set in Dublin during the start of COVID-19 and the lockdowns, this book felt less like a thriller and more like a record of life during the strangest times of my life so far. But I’m not complaining, I actually quite enjoy reading about how other people handled lockdowns across the world and what life was like during that time. It felt surreal reading this book 17 months later while we are still in a global pandemic. But I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this story a lot as well and I liked the dual timelines of the present switched back and forth with 56 days before that. Overall this one was entertaining and interesting and I would like to read more of her work.

3.5 stars

What I liked about 56 Days: Wow. . .this book took some twists that I did not expect, especially towards the end. I really thought I had this book 100% pegged with about 25% to go, just waiting for it all to play out. Then it took another turn.

What I didn't like about 56 Days: THE TIMELINE. OMG. The switching back and forth in time to multiple different times at random points in the book. It was tremendously confusing and unnecessary. You not only have different timelines but different POV from those timelines. . .it was WAY too much and it ruined what could have been a very solid mystery for me.

Title: 56 Days
Author: Catherine Ryan Howard
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

🔊Song Pairing:
Seasons of Love - Cast of Rent
(yes I am a bit sick 🥴)

💭What I thought would happen:

I knew it was a Covid based world that the characters function in. I presumed it was a thriller.

📖What actually happens:

2 timelines: 56 days ago Ciara meets Oliver. A discussion on spaceships has them both enamored with one another. Through instant curiosity, the 2 find themselves about to enter a global pandemic. Do they self-isolate or rapidly move in together so as to not miss a moment without one another?

In the other part of the book today, 56 days later where detective inspector Leah is at a crime scene where a man is found face down in his shattered shower, clothed and ripe AF. The question being was this an accident or foul play…*Law & Order duh dun sound*

🗯Thoughts:

The way the author describes the colors of items: diarrhea-after-carrots-carpet..that is VIVID!

I loved the way the book counted down closer to the present day. It’s like knowing something exciting is coming without having any clue as to what is to come. There were so many twists and turns in the story I could have been car sick 😂

I loved reading a book set in a Covid world. It’s all very relatable being stuck at home with your significant other. I know some find it too soon to be reliving all the tragedy that has happened and is still happening. (Go out and get vaccinated!)

I very much enjoyed this book! The 3 POVs (Ciara, Oliver, and Lee) were great, I loved the mystery of what was to come and the dual timelines were excellent!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Very captivating with amazing character development.
A pandemic brings two new people that have gone on one date close together quicker than they normally would. They decide to spend time together and move in together when quarantine is mandated. But how much do you truly know someone? I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved the synopsis of this book and the idea. But it was really confusing for me with the time jumping.

I was also didn't like that the narratives were repeated from the different perspectives but this is just a personal thing.

I know this one has been loved by many. And I think it is going to so great. It just wasn't for me.

Excellent read! At first, I was hesitant to jump into a “COVID” book but the pandemic is merely a component of the storyline, rather than a focal point. The narrative is keenly written with smooth adaptations in points of view and a fantastic twist!

Thank you to #NetGalley and @blackstonepublishing for the ARC of #56days which was read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

since this was an ARC i won’t spoil anything in this review. i liked this book a lot! it was paced a little differently than a lot of other mysteries i’ve read which took some getting used to but was ultimately a great change. i also really liked how the even during the time jumps you’re presented with several different narrators, and it’s entirely up to you to decide who to trust. i wish it had touched a little more on the distrust of law enforcement many started to feel during lockdown because of large scale, global social movements because i felt like there were many opportunities for it to be woven in and it was already referenced, though sparingly. i definitely loved the dynamic between the characters, their equal love and mistrust of each other was super interesting and not something we’re used to seeing in a romantic relationship. overall this was a fun read!

As someone who had a lot of anxiety during covid and decided to go on meds for it during this time AND THEN decided to come off also during covid, I will say that I have not been gunning to read covid-based fiction. HOWEVER, the premise of this book sounded really interesting and I decided to try it out.

This book was marketed as a thriller (which I suppose it is), but what I really liked about it was that it started out like a contemporary fiction book about a couple who falls in love during a pandemic. We have alternating perspectives between Oliver and Ciara. There are little hints to this or that which is the thriller element, but I mainly was just enjoying watching them start out their relationship.

By the end of the book we have discovered every step leading up to the dead body (which we learn about immediately). I found the style of story telling very interesting and despite the fact that it does involve a dead body, I found this to be much less gruesome than most thrillers I read so it may be a good gateway thriller.

Locked room thriller feel- Covid style. I didn't know how the author would portray this. I saw some reviewers say they were disappointed with the lack of seriousness the author took with the covid background, but I thought it was okay to use as a setting and focus more on the murder mystery. Especially since this was right at the beginning of the world going into quarantine. I laughed really hard when Ciara said “What if the lock down is longer than two weeks?” Oh girl, little do you know. I recommend this as a weekend binge read and loved the twist toward the end. I received this book as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A contemporary mystery/thriller set in the time of Covid-19 in Ireland. Oliver and Ciarra meet a few days before lockdown. Their romance is burgeoning but the country is about to shut down due to Covid-19. How will they make this work? Well, Ciarra moves in with Oliver for the 2 weeks the country is in lockdown. But Oliver has secrets he must keep hidden. Seems Ciarra has a few herself.
This novel was a really cool take on lockdown, the start of relationships, and huge secrets that could ruin just about everything.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early e-arc of this thriller.*

56 Days written by Catherine Ryan Howard is a Covid thriller Pandemic novel that follows three timelines.

Brief Synopsis: Clair and Oliver meet in a grocery store “56 days ago” and really hit it off. This is right before the pandemic is about to hit in Ireland and they really enjoy one another's company. Cue the pandemic and the second time line of “35 days ago”. Clair and Oliver decide to move in together so they can continue to date during the “brief” lockdown. She sees the potential for a great opportunity for their relationship to flourish and he sees it as an opportunity to hide who he really is. Cue the third and final time line of “today”- Oliver is found dead inside his apartment. Detectives work to figure out what happened throughout this lockdown and why Oliver was left for dead in his apartment.

My Thoughts: While reading this book I was a little confused during the bouncing timelines. I had received a digital copy of this book and it isn’t so easy flipping back to the beginning of the chapter to determine which timeline I was in. I think if I had the paper copy of this book, I wouldn’t have been as confused. I liked the idea of this book and the overall mystery was filled with twists and turns that had me guessing throughout the book. What I didn’t like about this book was the whole Covid theme. Here in Ontario, I still feel like we are living this nightmare and I think this book is touching on a sensitive topic for many. I don’t feel like I was ready to see words such as “unprecedented” and “lockdown” and “social distancing” in a book yet. I think that if this book was to come out a few years from now, it would have been more well received by me. When you really think about the lockdown and what the world went through- it is pretty wild. I just wasn’t quite ready to see it in book form yet.

This book is about to hit the shelves in Ontario on August 17th. If mysteries, pandemic related reads and multiple timelines and perspectives are your thing, then I think you would like this one.

Overall Rating 3.5

Thank you to Catherine Ryan Howard, Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for this advanced copy.

Wow was this a crazy ride. I was so hesitant about reading a book that uses covid as a plot. There were times it was hard to read, especially the beginning. But what’s scarier than something that scared and scares you on a personal level!? Ciara was an amazing MC. Oliver was so dark and twisty and mysterious. The detectives POV was hilarious. Talking about throwing away your sourdough starter killed me! Their chapters were definitely my favorite. I recommend this one! And if you’re hesitant about reading about covid, it’s worth the wait.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard is a very highly recommended murder mystery set in Ireland during the 2020 lockdown.

What would you do if you started a new relationship and the attraction was mutual. You both think this new relationship has potential - and then the whole world shuts down. Should you shelter together during the lock down? This is the story of Ciara and Oliver, who met in a grocery store fifty-six days ago. Their first date is the week COVID-19 reaches Irish shores. Thirty-five days later they learn the country is shutting down and they decide to live together in Oliver's larger apartment. Today a decomposing body has been found in Oliver's apartment. Now the police need to uncover what happened.

The writing and the pacing are excellent. I was totally engrossed in this story start to finish. Enjoying a lock down story this much surprised me, but it's the layers and depth to the narrative that set this apart as an outstanding novel. Both Oliver and Ciara have secrets and things they are hiding from each other. They are attracted to each other, but are also questioning everything the other person is doing or thinking. Adding to the tension is the fact that we know the police Detectives Lee Riordan and Karl Connolly are investigating a body found in an apartment.

The narrative jumps between the points-of -view of Ciara, Oliver, and Lee and in doing so it also jumps between time periods. The revelations slowly build up a complete picture of everything that happened. The tension builds and the questions escalate while the story is mesmerizing and admirable. Ciara and Oliver are both realistic, interesting characters and you will like them. They like each other and have made this surprising decision, and it makes sense. Certainly their relationship will flourish without outside tensions. But we know something is going to happen once the detectives begin investigating a body found in an apartment. What could have gone wrong?

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Blackstone Publishing.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and submitted to Amazon.

Happy I was giving the chance to read 56 Days. I enjoyed it and many parts stod out more tham others. A 3 star read for me.

56 Days ago Oliver and Ciara meet at a grocery store and bond over their shared love of the NASA program. At the same time word is spreading about a flu-like illness making its way towards Ireland. Within a few weeks Oliver suggests to Ciara that she move in with him during the lockdown so they can see how they fare together. Now a body is decomposing in the same apartment and police are trying to figure out if a crime has occurred or if it was just a horrible accident.

This one was a page-turner folks! I write notes as I read and so many times I was writing my theories in and questioning everything that was going on. The dialogue was really well done and all the characters were suspicious. Even the banter between the two detectives was funny and felt real.

I really loved how the author slowly meted out bits of the backstory and ultimately the why of the event. It was a particularly eerie story as it had some similarities to a case we had in British Columbia several years ago.

My only minor gripe was that some of the scenes in which we revisit a time from a different perspective had too much repetition but my gripe is small compared to how much I enjoyed the book overall.

Catherine Ryan Howard is a new to me author but one I will seek out in the future. Thank you to @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. 56 Days publishes August 17, 2021.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Catherine Ryan Howard - 5 stars!

56 days ago - Ciara and Oliver meet in a grocery store just as Covid-19 becomes a threat to Ireland. 35 days ago - Ciara and Oliver decide to move into his apartment when the 2-week lockdown hits so that they can explore their relationship in a bubble. Today - a deceased body is found in Oliver's apartment.

Enough said! I absolutely love a cleverly-told, original tale and loved the way the author told this story. We get multiple timelines and get to see things unfold from both Ciara's and Oliver's POV. Both of them are keeping big secrets. Adding the initial horror of Covid-19 just adds to the tension - we all remember wiping down our groceries and being scared of everything (not sure that's still in the past but still!). Highly recommended!

I was a bit hesitant to go into this book since it's about COVID and we're still dealing with it...maybe a little bit too raw? It ended up not being an issue since COVID wasn't really talked about much explicitly. It's more focused on just being stuck in a quarantine together--which could be literally about any global disaster. That said, the story did keep me hooked, but it felt like there were a lot of other places this story could have gone that would have been more fulfilling. I blew through the book because it really did suck me in but I found myself just disappointed at the end.