⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 {CRIME FICTION} The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown brought them together, but Ciara and Oliver are hiding secrets from each other that become deadly. What happens when they quarantine together? You’ll have to read to find out!

I’m so torn on how to feel about this book. It was surreal to read about the events we just lived through with the pandemic. In one breath you can understand and visualize the circumstances because we just experienced them, but in another it almost feels uncomfortable and too soon to read.

I loved the plot twist! However, the nonlinear timeline and alternating character perspectives made the read a bit confusing and slightly repetitive.

A huge thank you to @netgalley, @blackstonepublishing, and @catherineryanhoward for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

56 Days will be available for purchase on August 17th!

4.5 Stars.

This was a fun mystery! I had my hesitations going into this about it being set during 2020 with the covid-19 entanglement, but I think this ended up being a very normal perspective on the whole situation. Aside from the obvious murder/mystery the book was actually about.

I loved the characters in this. Ciara and Oliver were quite the dynamic relationship all filled with secrets. I loved how the writer had the ability to make you feel a certain way for a character (can't give too much away here), you actually felt bad and wanted everything to work out for them in the long run. I enjoyed trying to figure out what the back story really was.

I also enjoyed the format. The jumps through time were easier to follow than I anticipated at first, and they really added to the story. I loved the dual perspective (kind of) of the past and even some of the repetition of the character's thoughts, but just with that little addition of information that kept you learning what was truly happening.

I would say this one will be towards the top of my list of recommendations for mysteries. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to review this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set primarily in the first coronavirus lockdown in Dublin, in 56 Days Catherine Ryan Howard toys with the idea of Ciara and Oliver starting to date and begin their relationship just as the pandemic began. What would happen if two people who didn't know each other all that well decided to become one household for the purpose of a two-week lockdown? What could that look like? What skeletons could each of them be hiding in their closets? As it turns out, some pretty substantial ones! Oliver's choice as a twelve-year-old altered him forever and he's spent his adult life trying to hide from it, just as Ciara's childhood grief contributes to how she approaches relationships and difficult situations. The way Ryan Howard jumps back and forth in time doesn't lend itself to confusion -- she reveals bits and pieces at a time, until you're left wondering how you didn't figure it out earlier!

I had to let this one sit before I got into it. I was hoping after some time to think I would have a better lasting reaction.

However, this book just landed as “okay” for me. At times I was bored with the lack of answers and action. Other times I was pulled into the intensity of the mystery, only to soon fall out of it.

The twists at the end were very good. They caught me by surprise and I had an outward reaction. However, when the book ended, it did not feel the plot was even resolved. I had to go back and re-read parts of the ending due to my own confusion. Even that did not completely settle it, I still fee like the story ended unfinished.

The narrators all felt too unreliable. No one seemed to have any clue what was happening, and too many secrets were not being revealed The timeline was also very jumpy which was difficult to keep up with for me.

I appreciated that certain characters received closure at the end of the story. The buildup and payoff of the ending were better than I expected. I think there were thought that were well thought out and written, but this book just was not for me.

Honestly, when I saw what 56 Days was about, I was apprehensive. I wasn’t thrilled about reading a “pandemic book” and I don’t often like books with crazy timelines that jump around a lot.

56 Days begins in Dublin as a group of apartment residents stand outside after a fire alarm, one of a series of false alarms. Then the narrative jumps back almost two months as Ciara and Oliver meet by chance in a supermarket line and exchange numbers. Then, a body is discovered. Who died and why?

The most interesting part of the book to me was the way the narrative used the format to add suspense and the pandemic to make the crime harder to solve. The timeline jumped around with every chapter and the POV switched both between and sometimes within a section.

The narrative was told from the point of view of Oliver, Ciara, and two police officers, Lee and Kurt. In the present, Lee and Kurt were trying to solve the mysterious death, while in the past, the narrative shed light on what might have happened.

Once I adjusted to the crazy timeline, I liked the way 56 Days gave me different small insights into the story. With every new section, a new bit of information was added.

The negative (and I feel like I’m seeing this in many books written during the pandemic) is that there wasn’t much setting (which could be explained partly by lockdown in this book) nor much character development. 56 Days was more about a plot conveyed through twists, and secrets revealed, which is not a bad thing.

But overall this was a fun book with a creative concept and I recommend it!

What a fabulous book! I didn't see the end coming and was unsure how to feel about the real motive but found it was a true page turner. Well written and great characters.

Pandemic fiction! I am here for it. This book is twisty and exciting. You move back and forth through the span of a couple of months. Multiple POVs. I especially enjoy revisiting a familiar scene with new information and/or from a different perspective. This is a *smart* mystery.

Five stars. All the stars. I 💜 a smartly done thriller. There is a reveal that had me like 😮. If you were thinking about reading this one, I vote “do it”

Is it too soon for COVID pandemic-themed books? I think not! This was an excellent thriller about a murder that occurs during a lockdown in Dublin, Ireland. This boo is unique in that it switches among timelines and between characters/narrators to give you a unique perspective. I didn't see the big twists coming and while it did take me about half of the book to really get into the "must continue reading" aspect of it, I got there and you should, too!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review).

Thank you for Blackstone Publishing for the arc via NetGalley.

4.5*
I would never thought that I would read a book about the pandemic, I felt it was enough to live in it. But the hype got to me, I got interested. And I was not disappointed.
I liked the realness of it and the details about the unknown when it all started, the questions and how we suppose to continue with our life and like how it all happened in real life. But it was not overwhelmingly done, didn’t take the attention from the plot. The writing style was interesting with jumping time lines from character to character, it kept me on edge and I wanted to know what happened. It makes you think, what would you do in their situation? When you just met another person after long time who you are happy with, but a global pandemic begins with a lockdown and against all the red flags you move together and starting to question yourself if it was a good idea…
So this book really surprised me in a good way!
Theres some plot twists but didn’t felt so huge because as we follow the characters they show us what they do and why, so I was a little bit missing the “ Big Boom Moment” when turns out what happened, but its because of the jumping between times, so it couldn’t build up so much if that makes sense.
It was still interesting and exciting read, I really enjoyed it.

🔍🚀❗ BOOK REVIEW ❗🚀🔍

"People think the decisions you make that change the course of your life are the big ones. But she knows it's the little ones, the tiny moments, that really plot the course."

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! The first few chapters had me hooked....I'm not kidding, when I wasn't reading I was constantly thinking about this book.

I really enjoyed the style of writing. It travels through time to show the reader what's happening with our protagonists and through out each time jump reveals HUGE SECRETS that leave you speechless. The way the author used time, characters and the pandemic to create this plot was absolutely brilliant and is the reason why I never wanted to put the book down.

Authors creating a book about the COVID-19 pandemic have a lot to prove because Catherine Ryan Howard nailed it! A huge thank you to her, Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this AMAZING thriller.

There's quite a bit of a question mark about whether a story revolving around the 2020 pandemic is too soon to tell; I am here to say that if done right, no story is too soon to tell. In 56 Days we meet Ciara and Oliver two people besieged with each other right before the pandemic hits Dublin city center and they're forced to get to know each other very quickly and decide if they should bunk down together without really knowing each other-each of them harboring their own dark and secretive pasts.

This mulit-POV story was interesting in that the main characters (inducing a third main character; Detective Lee) switched between the three, the detective investigating present day and Oliver and Ciara each experiencing the same even in their own POV; i hadn't read this writing beat in a while and it felt refreshing versus having a third voice narration so well done! I also found myself compelled to find out what layers these characters had and what else they would reveal.

Fun, quick easy read and some unique twists. IMO the pace kind of fell off about three quarters in but otherwise recommend.

This was such a wonderfully twisty thriller. Told from multiple points of view and timelines, it’s about Ciara and Oliver who met and began dating right before the lockdown in Dublin began. In order to continue seeing each other, Ciara decides to move in with Oliver for the two week lockdown. But neither of them know each other very well and there are tons of secrets. Every time I thought I had this figured out, there was another twist. I love books that surprise me. I also enjoyed the dialogue and banter between the detectives in this story. I would love to read more books featuring them.

Hold on to those masks folks, a Covid-19 pandemic murder mystery is here. 😷

& it’s serving twist after twist after twist.

Yeah, that’s right. A thriller novel that takes place during the 2020 quarantine.

IMO it’s not too soon, it’s right on time.

Just about all readers can connect with this novel since the entire world just went through this global emergency together - We’ve all faced uncertainty, done the shelter in place, hand washing, news watching, alcohol drinking or banana bread baking…we’ve all been there.

This book takes place in Ireland (which is cool) despite being in a different country I found it relatable…except for the part about moving in with a new bae and then killing them off. That’s where the book does it’s own unique thing. 🤷🏼‍♀️

The author does a fabulous job of creating multiple points of view (girlfriend, boyfriend, and detective investigating the murder that takes place after the couple shacks up during Quar).

The suspense level was high and I was fully engaged from start to finish in this, dare I say, unprecedented *gasp* novel.

There were parts of this book and parts that were a bit slow and I knew Ciara wasn't a total innocent, however, I did not see the end coming. The premise was good and was the first "pandemic" book I've read....and although the pandemic served as a good cover, it was really strange umbrella with the back and forth which at times was a little confusing. With that said, a good beach read that could be tightened up with some more editing.

What happens when two people meet and seemingly fall in love right before a global pandemic? They can either stay apart and try to date virtually, or try out living together. Luckily our protagonists Ciara and Oliver decide they can't possibly be apart for two whole weeks, and do the latter. Sounds simple--that is if you're not carrying secrets that could ruin lives. As we all know, two weeks turned into two months and beyond. How long can they keep their secrets before one of them winds up dead?

As a long time fan of Catherine Ryan Howard, I was both excited and nervous that she was releasing not only a new book, but a book taking place during the COVID-19 lockdown. I kept thinking, "Is it too soon? What if it is just a new fad to try and sell books?". Well I have good news--it is neither. When authors write fiction during this time they could certainly learn Catherine Ryan Howard. This wasn't a story about Covid; its about people who saw a unique opportunity caused by Covid and seized it. The multiple points of view are incredibly satisfying and kept me on my toes. Highly Recommend.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well written and entertaining the story was, and would definitely recommend. I was drawn in by the premise, but on the fence since we are still living in the midst of the pandemic and I wasn't sure if it would capture the feelings and the depths. My hesitancy was unfounded (and the author also revealed she wrote the book over three lockdowns, so plenty of time to craft a great story as she also lived through the events, just like her characters.)

This was a solid story and the author definitely has a talent for writing. However, I think it was just too soon for me to pick up a book with Covid-19 as a focal point. I’m going to give this one three stars because I did enjoy aspects of it. Chalking this up to a “it’s not you, it’s me” type of situation. Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

Just when you think you have it figured out, 56 Days but Catherine Ryan Howard will surprise you. Things are not as they seem so don't stop reading.

What an intriguing thriller this is!. Set during the first wave of the pandemic, It's about two people who meet by chance (or do they?) on the days leading up to the pandemic, and by the end of it, one of them is dead. The layers peel back with the conflicting narratives of Oliver and Ciara in the past, and the detectives in the present. That would be quite the balancing act for a less deft writer, but Catherine Ryan Howard handles it beautifully. This one kept me guessing all the way through. A great read!

What a ride! What a thrill! What a book!! This is our September book club pick and I was so excited to grab a copy. Worth it!!