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!!

I was riveted by this book! I had to just keep reading and ignore everything else. So many great twists in the second half that I did not anticipate. Loved it!

This is a very well done twisty murder mystery, that incorporates Covid-19 into the story in a way that is essential to the plot. I enjoyed this book, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, turns out I didn’t! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I figured out the ending at least 5 times only to be wrong, kept me guessing for sure. It’s so interesting to read Covid as a plot point while we’re still in the throes of the pandemic. This was perfect quick beach read, which is exactly where I read it.

Summary: 56 DAYS AGO
Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin and start dating the same week COVID-19 reaches Irish shores.

35 DAYS AGO
When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests they move in together. Ciara sees a unique opportunity for a relationship to flourish without the scrutiny of family and friends. Oliver sees a chance to hide who -- and what -- he really is.

TODAY
Detectives arrive at Oliver's apartment to discover a decomposing body inside.

Can they determine what really happened, or has lockdown created an opportunity for someone to commit the perfect crime?
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Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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My thoughts: Thank you @blackstonepublishing and @netgalley for the advanced readers copy. I was a little hesitant to read a book about Covid, it still feels a little too soon but this was such a good read !! Once @bookofthemonth chose this as an option for July I knew I needed to read this one! The mystery and twists were so so good! It switched from past to the present murder investigation. The twists were unexpected, the characters were great, all and all a pretty prefect thriller! Highly recommend checking this one out when it hits book stores August 17th!
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#56days #catherineryanhoward #bookreview #thrillerbooks #thrillerreads #thrillerreader #thrillerreadersofinstagram #thrilleraddict #bookrecs #biblio #bookaddiction #booknookstagram #bookphotography #suspense #fictionalcharacters #booksta #readingisfun #readingcommunity #readingnook #readingislife #bookreader #bookrecommendation #july2021 #readingbooks #readinglife #fictionbooks #booknerds #lovetoread

I was not sure about reading a story set during the Covid pandemic while it is still going on, but I am glad I did. I was immersed in the twists and turns of the plot and devoured this book.

Two lonely people meet in a grocery store in early March 2020. They go out on a date, enjoy each other's company, and as lockdown starts...find that it would be ideal to just live together. They don't have anyone in Dublin.

56 days later, there's a body in an apartment. It's been there for awhile. The place has been wiped clean of fingerprints. No one know what happened.

But...who was Oliver....before. Who was Ciara....before.... And what happened in that time they were together.

This is a pandemic book and a thriller. I did think the 'twist' did become a bit convoluted but it still kept me hooked.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

WOW!

Absolutely could not put this one down. The book begins by sucking you in with a love interest between two lonely strangers in Dublin. Once the COVID pandemic hits, they decide to become lockdown roommates. Slowly and steadily, things are revealed about their past. But who can be trusted?

I don’t want to give up much else because I was shocked and tricked at every turn. I always try to guess what’s really going on in every thriller, but I have to admit I did not see any of that coming. So well done. And don’t let the talk of the pandemic deter you - it was a helpful tool to set the claustrophobic tone for this ominous thriller. Be sure to read the trigger warnings on book of the months page if you’re worried about that. Otherwise, try not to look up too much beforehand about this one, just dive right into it and enjoy the thrilling ride.

Set in the early days of COVID shutdowns, 56 Days is the story of Clara and Oliver, two young people living in Dublin. Their chance meeting in a market results in them moving in together when the city shut downs. Both are fairly new to the city and as they explore their relationship, they each have reasons for not telling anyone about it. 56 days after they meet, a dead body is found in a company-leased apartment. As detectives work to solve the murder with only a few clues, it becomes evident that people are not always who they seem and sometimes paranoia is not paranoia.

It was interesting to read a book exploring the onset of pandemic response. Howard does a good job using COVID as a background detail, but not making it the entire story.

A few days ago I finished 56 DAYS by Catherine Ryan Howard. This one will be released August 17th. Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for my advanced copy!

Rating: 4/5✨

56 days ago Ciara and Oliver meet in a Dublin supermarket. The same time COVID-19 is touching down on Irish ground. Their romance is new and promising and with an unprecedented lockdown looming they decide to move in together after only knowing each other for days.

Today, one of them is dead.

This one was a toss up for me. I loved the premise of the two strangers stuck together but this story is also told in the POV of the detective investigating the death and I really think I would’ve liked this book more if I didn’t know someone ends up dead in the end. I would’ve rather kept the suspense and just assumed something nasty was going to happen. Instead we know the entire time who died and (basically) how. There were a couple other characters I didn’t care for too. All in all, I only finished this one a few days ago and it’s already faded from my memory…

It wasn’t bad. It kept my interest and I would read another by the author, but wasn’t my favourite.

I'm not going to lie, I was a little weirded out when I first learned that the setting of this book was during the Covid lockdown. It seemed slightly unsettling to be reading a story that happened so fresh in our minds, but I decided to take the leap and try out the book anyway and y'all.....

SO.
WORTH.
IT.

There were the perfect amount of twists, a riveting storyline, and it almost read like a locked room mystery in a sense. I think that the confined spaces of the lockdown was the perfect setting for this story and don't know if it could have worked as well in any other way. I really ended up enjoying every aspect of this book, especially the ones I was reserved about.

I think Catherine Ryan Howard's writing was fresh, inviting and just top tier.

One quip: I actually loved seeing the same scenes from each character's point of view but sometimes they happened further apart that made it feel kind of repetitive, but honestly this is just a minor thing in the end. Just something I noticed while reading, but still give this 4.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was hesitant to read this because it felt ‘too soon’ to be reading about something set during the pandemic, but the pandemic is basically background noise in this work. I liked how the stories eventually tied together, I didn’t suspect part of it for quite a bit. Still not sure how I feel about the ending as whole, but I’d definitely recommend picking this one up. An easy read, I read it in less than a day!

Really enjoyed this book! This is the first (and probably only) book I've read that's set during COVID. I haven't really been a fan of COVID plots in tv shows I've watched, so this made me wary, but the author made it feel much more natural and organic than some of the other COVID centric media I've consumed. I'm a self-professing true crime junkie; I read this book almost in one sitting and was riveted by the storyline. Well done!

I was super skeptical about reading a book taking place in such a recent past! Covid 19 was incredibly traumatic for the entire world, and Howard really captured all of those raw feelings as they were unfolding. I loved hearing how things happened across the world in Ireland in the beginning of the pandemic while also being woven with the solving the murder. This is a story of Oliver and Ciara who met in the beginning of the pandemic and decide to move in together so they can still get to know eachother while also following guidelines. We also come to 56 days later when one of them is found dead in the apartment. Everyone in this book has a secret and watching each thread unravel as you get more of the story from different perspectives makes for a super fun read!

First, (and most likely last) book set during the first lockdown I read, not because it wasn't good but because it's way too fresh for me to read about the first cases and lockdowns, etc. However, this book was much more than that. I read somewhere once that every romance book could be a thriller if things turned sour and this was the perfect example of it. Ciara meets Oliver right before the first lockdown happens, they move in together because they like each other's company, they have a good time, might as well take a chance, right? Except both of them have secrets and confined together 24/7 might make them implode sooner rather than later and a rotting body is found.

The writing was engaging, keeping me guessing up until the end of the book. The twists were well done, clever. I highly recommend this if you want a gripping thriller à la The Guest List.

“The virus is especially dangerous for him, but not for any medical reason. He’s worried about a different kind of exposure.”

I think you’ll agree: Covid-19 lockdown is/was/will be the perfect playground for crime!

Catherine Ryan Howard has taken the 56 days between March 6 – May 1 to showcase a new couple, in Dublin, who move in together in an effort to keep seeing each other during lockdown. It’s the perfect scenario – they can navigate their way through the new relationship without the scrutiny of family and friends. Unfortunately, one of them uses it as a way to hide who he really is. Let’s face it, we all tell a few white lies at the start of a new relationship. However, in this case, there’s no one to contradict anything either of them are saying. It’s the perfect storm!

Howard got the idea after hearing the UK Deputy Chief Medical Officer advise new couples to either break up or move in together to abide by the new ‘no mixing between households’ rule that had been put in place. Known for keeping her novels as realistic as possible, the scenario was easy to write. Howard used her own experiences as Lockdown 1.0 in the UK started on March 27th. Howard would go for a daily walk and see Dublin in a way she hadn’t before and then put whatever she saw into the chapter she was writing at the time. I’ve been in St. Stephen’s Green and the shopping mall, as well as shopping and coffee dates on Grafton Street, and know how busy it is. I can only imagine how eery it is with nobody milling about.

I’ll admit, I was perhaps a bit reticent to read a novel set in lockdown…but it’s just the setting. The situation gives two people the chance to start a new relationship and gives one of them a unique opportunity. Yes, you’ll read about lining up, social distancing, lockdown, visors, masks, and stockpiling paper products and pasta, but they are in passing, not the focus of the story.

I love it when an author fools me and this is the second one recently; I was completely fooled and surprised by the ending. I overlooked my frustration at the timeline hops because it was such a fantastically crafted plot.

Publishes August 17, 2021

I was gifted this advance copy by #catherineryanhoward #blackstonepublishing and #netgalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.