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.

Huge thanks to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for this e-ARC of 56 Days.
This was a really interesting take on a COVID thriller.
At first, I thought it would be too soon but this story hit it out of the park for me. The character build up was great. The story read at a fun pace. Lots of twists and turns with the right amount of slow burn.
I definitely recommend this to thrill lovers.

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.

Ciara and Oliver have only just met when Covid-19 sends Ireland into lockdown, but faced with not being allowed to see each other at all, or moving in together, so they’re one household, they choose the latter. Besides, Ciara’s apartment is tiny and wouldn’t it be nice to see where their relationship goes without any outside influences for a few weeks? But both Ciara and Oliver have secrets from their past they don’t want anyone to know – especially Oliver. 56 days later, the police find one of them dead in Oliver’s apartment. What happened and why?

This is the first book I’ve read that actually focuses on the pandemic. I’ve read some where it’s mentioned, but this one uses it as the main setting of the story and it was so unique! There were some truly shocking twists on top of twists in this book, that I didn’t see coming at all. I flicked back and forward between feeling sorry for Oliver and yelling at Ciara to get out of there. The lengths that Oliver had to go to, in order to keep his secret and keep himself out of the spotlight, made for such a tense and intriguing story.

56 Days jumps back and forward between the present day (where detectives are dealing with the crime scene and investigating whether the death was an accident) and a countdown from the day Ciara and Oliver met. I absolutely loved having to piece together all the threads and secrets, especially since they were slowly revealed, from characters I was never sure whether they were reliable or not. I was obsessively reading with saucer eyes by the end!

If you love twisty thrillers, add this one to your TBR!

Take 2 unreliable narrators, lock them in an apartment together during COVID, and see what happens. That's essentially the premise of this book and I absolutely LOVE it. Suspense builds throughout as we alternate between the past and modern day, following the growth of the relationship between Ciara and Oliver and a murder investigation. Admittedly, I guessed all of the twists in it, but that didn't make it less enjoyable. If you don't think that a COVID thriller is "too soon", give this one a shot.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Wowza! This book was amazing! This one strung me along for the ride, I needed to know what was happening and what happened. With the different timelines it was displayed perfectly for a perfect crime. At 70% of the story I got SOME clarity and my mind was blown, for some reason I didn’t see that coming. Then another twist! I highly recommend this for my gore, thriller, mystery fans!

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for letting me read this one early. This thriller publishes on August 17.

The pandemic has secured its own place in this thriller and it made it all the more frightening to read. The timing of this book is probably a little early for some, but I enjoyed the creepiness of it. I remember thinking it was only going to be 2 weeks and I loved reading those parts to commiserate with these characters. I really loved the writing style, the back and forth timeline and twists were really great, too! I highly recommend this one!

This book is about Oliver and Ciara, who have just met the same week Covid-19 takes over everyone’s lives. When the lockdown threatens to keep them and their new relationship apart, they decide to quarantine together instead. This gives their relationship time to blossom which would have been perfect had honesty been at all part of their relationship. After a dead body is found, the detectives are trying their best to fit all the pieces together.

Is it too soon for you to read a thriller based in covid times?

56 Days is a reminder that all our days are numbered.........

Catherine Ryan Howard sets the stage in a busy food shop in Dublin. Two strangers struggle with their purchases they hold in line with only moments to spare at lunch. Clara notices the handsome man at the head of the line. He casts his eyes upon her as she quickly turns away in embarassment. As she takes to the sidewalk, she hears a voice behind her remarking about her NASA tote bag. Immediately a conversation breaks out about the space shuttles. Oliver quickly impresses her and a date is set for the next day. Ciara and Oliver in their own orbit now.

Howard flips the switch and we find two police officers, DI Lee Riordan and DS Karl Connolly, checking out a report of a dead body at The Crossing, an apartment complex in downtown Dublin. From all indications it seems that the body has lain on the floor of that apartment's bathroom for over two weeks. Not the sort of thing that you wish to walk into after all that time. But with Covid-19 and a lockdown in place, there were very few comings and goings. Someone knew their way in and someone knew their way out.

I enjoyed the writing of 56 Days with humorous dialogue in just the right spots and a fast-paced storyline that gives nothing away. Howard measures time in her chapter headings and flips the actions from present to past and back again. We only know surface information on our characters as we line up our suspects. Howard is gonna make us work for it. Her lead-up with the lockdown brought a sense of relatability to the readers. Who knows what goes on behind closed doors and limited traffic with very few individuals out and about? 56 Days contains knotted threads that dangle in all directions.......just like we like 'em.

Ireceived a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Blackstone Publishing and to Catherine Ryan Howard for the opportunity.

"She came to Dublin. She found Oliver. An unprecedented emergency began. She and Oliver have moved in together. And that's just all in the last month."

This is the first covid-19 thriller I've come across and I have to say, I think the author made brilliant use of the pandemic lockdown as a plot point. It didn't feel forced at all and really heightened the suspense. I enjoyed the dual timelines as the suspense steadily built until all is revealed. I also loved the detectives, Karl and Lee, and their rapport as they work to determine what happened, how someone ended up dead, and whether or not a crime was actually committed. This book is great for fans of Paula Hawkins (The Girl on the Train; Into the Water) and Lucy Foley (The Hunting Party; The Guest List). I highly recommend to fans of domestic suspense! Extra points if you've lived in or visited Dublin because the characters visit many recognizable places, which gave it an added touch of realism that I loved.

Synopsis:
Ciara and Oliver meet on a busy Dublin street during their lunch breaks. Both are attracted and intrigued by the other, but have serious trust issues. After a couple of dates, the first covid-19 case is detected in Ireland and the government orders a lockdown. Everyone is ordered to stay at home and quarantine with members of their household; traveling more than 2km from your home is forbidden. So crazy as it may seem, Ciara and Oliver decide to move in together. A few weeks later, one of them is dead.

This story is set in Dublin, 56 days in the past at the early days of the pandemic. This is the story of Oliver and Ciara, both who are new to the area and begin a relationship that moves very quickly due to the state of the world. The story jumps between the past (and both perspectives) and present day where a dead body has been discovered. This was a good mystery, set in the world we are all starting to break free from. It had great mystery elements and the way information was revealed kept me interested and wondering what would happen next. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed 56 days by Catherine Ryan Howard. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for access to this new thriller, I will look for other books from this author after reading this book. I have already been recommending this to bookish friends on Instagram who regret not making it a Book of the Month choice so I sense a hit in the works!

I think as others will say, I was not sure I wanted to read any book set during our recent shared past with the pandemic and strain and uncertainty associated with it but I really enjoyed this book perhaps for that very setting. I thought there was enough unique themes with the mystery/suspense plot and yet moments of connection with the pandemic, the claustrophobia, uncertainty, and lonely emptiness that many felt during the first weeks of lockdown and distancing. I think it is a delicate balance to create a sense of creepiness and disorientation during an already stressful time and to make it engaging without assuming that these feelings were not felt by many during some time in this past year; I found the approach to storytelling to be understanding of how this past year felt and also thought provoking enough to be a what if this happened/what happened in this story. The back and forth perspectives worked well in this book as well and I say that as someone who does not always find that style to be useful; in this book it works because it adds a sense of dread, multiple perspectives on the context and pandemic, and also rounds out the story as it unfolds in back and forth timelines.

I definitely recommend this to suspense/thriller fans and even encourage those who do not yet feel ready to read a Covid time book to give this one a try.

I wasn’t Sure how I was going to feel about someone writing a Covid thriller, would it be too cheesy? But I can confidently say this one wasn’t. Was not my favorite book I’ve read lately, but wasn’t awful either. Some of the scenes were a bit too drawn out, I think the book could’ve probably been 75 pages less and got in the exact same idea across, but not a bad read at all

4.5

This book has confirmed that Catherine Ryan Howard is a new favourite and auto-buy author for me!

I read The Nothing Man by this author earlier this year and absolutely loved it. It quickly became a favourite of all time. When I saw this one on NetGalley, while I knew I loved her writing, I wasn’t sure I was ready for a book about COVID just yet, but decided to give it a go anyway.

I’m so glad I did!

This book is about Ciara and Oliver, who meet just before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and decide to move in together in order the see each other during lockdown. 56 days later, a body is found in Oliver’s apartment.

I don’t want to say too much about what this book entails because I don’t want to spoil anything, but that initial premise had me so intrigued when I first read about this book.

I thought this was fantastic. I had an idea of where this was going, and despite that, I was still enjoying my time reading it. That just shows how much I love Catherine Ryan Howard’s writing, because if this were the case in another book, I’d have probably been bored just waiting for the reveals to happen.

I WAS SO WRONG. This book took a turn I didn’t expect at all. I couldn’t believe it. It truly shocked me.

This is a really fast-paced book. I got through it so quickly. I just wanted to see how it would all come together and didn’t want to put it down. I thought the characters were written so well, and while I didn’t necessarily ‘like’ them the whole time reading this, there were moments I sympathised with the both of them.

The only thing that I didn’t like so much about this book was that it was a little repetitive at times, because in some instances we got the same events but from both Ciara and Oliver’s perspectives.

I didn’t quite love this as much as The Nothing Man, but it’s still a fantastic thriller. If you think you’re ready for books with covid in the plot line, I’d definitely recommend you give this one a go.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

While her characters may be unreliable, Catherine Ryan Howard's books are anything but!

She has become a reliable author that readers can count on for a great story.

The story is described as a new relationship that goes from 0 to 60. From 2 dates to flatmates in 3 weeks. However, some additional context is necessary. A Government Covid lockdown went into effect right as their relationship was at the stage of promising potential. This new couple decides to grasp onto their seemingly potential, and instead of squashing it, they choose to embrace it and live with each other during the 2 week lockdown. Despite only knowing each other a few weeks.

And then the secrets! My, my, the secrets they carry. The depth of these unknowns and the genius wit of the author to combine the storytelling with present, some past, along with the present told in duality from both main characters POV, intriguing indeed!

It's not a plot that can be provided in advance. A man meets a woman in a convenience shop at lunch time, then coffee, a date. As the relationship progresses, the reader is slowly revealed to the true nature of the characters along with their pasts. And then your mind will be shocked!

*Thank you to Blackstone Publishing via Net Galley for the digital reader copy.