Wow I actually adored this book! I haven't read a thriller in a while and this was a GREAT one to jump into. It totally sucked me in, and while I did have one part figured out, I was totally shocked a few times too!

Ollie can’t escape his past or the mistakes he made as a kid— but he’s trying his hardest to stay undercover. This is getting pretty difficult when he keeps bumping into the woman across the apartment complex— and when he meets Ciara, complete with his NASA obsession and ready to move in right at the beginning of the lockdown. What truths are being hidden? Who is the stranger in this apartment? What’s the difference between passive killing and being a killer? This is an on-your-seat thriller that I’d recommend to anyone.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for my NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found myself drawn into this thriller quickly - Ciara and Oliver meet at a supermarket at the beginning of COVID and later find themselves isolating together. Howard's writing evokes the unsettling time and place of COVID - everything felt realistic to me - almost too realistic. It's clear that Ciara and Oliver both have a ton of secrets, and I liked the way their secrets were spilled over the course of the book. This one kept me on my toes.

I would not read this book if you're struggling to process COVID and the path forward - I probably should have waited another 6 months to read it. But if you can handle this subject matter, this is the kind of book you'll devour quickly - I read it over two sittings. The multiple timelines can be a tad confusing at times, but if you're used to that plot device, you shouldn't have too much trouble. 3.5 stars.

This book was a roller coaster of emotions that I cannot even begin to describe without giving away spoilers. Every juicy morsel of information knocked me for a loop and I was shocked (repeatedly) when I found out what had happened. I normally do not care for stories that jump around with the timeline but this one made it work seamlessly since it just gave it these wonderful layers of intrigue to unwrap and let you see the story from both his and her perspective. This story floored me and I cannot wait to recommend it to every one of my patrons.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, but my opinions are all mine.

When I first saw the description for this book I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a “COVID thriller.” I should say after reading this book, it is not a thriller about the pandemic. It is a thriller that happens to take place during the global pandemic in Dublin, Ireland.

The story bounces from multiple POV and timelines. I found it a little confusing at first until I realized the flow of the story. The twists were surprising and I didn’t see them coming. I enjoyed this story and the only reason I didn’t go five stars on this one is because it was a little repetitive and the jumping around in the story made it hard to really dive into at first. All in all more of a mystery than thriller but exciting none the less. I recommend adding 56 days to your reading list!

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard Oliver and Ciara are not your ordinary couple as revealed in the many twists and turns and shocking revelations. Intriguing premise. However, the switching timelines were repetitive and confusing.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

They say that there’s three sides to every story – your side, my side, and the truth. Sometimes, though, that’s just the start, and as 56 Days unfolds it starts to become clear that first impressions can cover any number of secrets.

Set in Dublin at the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, we’re introduced to Oliver and Ciara as they first meet. They bond over space shuttles and French 75s; when lockdown begins only a couple of days later, they decide to move in together rather than face separation. Unfortunately for them, the reader knows that someone isn’t making it out of there alive; but how and why did it all go so wrong?

56 Days is absolutely excellent – so many of these books turn into a race to the end to find out what happened, but here the reader is going to enjoy the journey just as much as the eventual discovery. It may feel like it reads fast, but that’s just because it will suck you in right from the start – I’d advise against starting this at bedtime, because putting it down again is the only part I didn’t enjoy.

This is one of the first novels I’ve read to take place in the pandemic, and it’s anything but a gimmick. Catherine Ryan Howard has captured the uncertain, unsettled feelings of those early weeks, even down to the odd guilty spark of relief at no longer needing an excuse to stay home. The atmosphere broods in the background, building up the tension and paranoia between our two doomed lovers and bolstering the uncanny feeling of something that’s just not quite right. She’s preserved a moment of time that was hard for the people living in it to put into words, and done it with beautiful clean prose that immerses a reader and keeps them captivated.

56 Days will engage, it will enthrall, and it will most definitely surprise. Easily one of my favorites for 2021, and one I’ll be recommending to everyone in need of a good book.

Oliver and Ciara meet in a supermarket, just before covid-19 lockdown restrictions are placed. To continue their new relationship, they decide to quarantine together. 56 days later, a dead body is found in the apartment they shared.

A unique thriller set in 2020, at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. The author did an amazing job incorporating the pandemic to fuel the story line. It wasn’t over the top and she executed it beautifully.

The characters were well developed and more complex than I thought at the beginning of the book. Each twist caught me by surprise!

The constantly changing timelines was a bit hard to follow at first. Once I got into the flow of the writing, I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the digital ARC of this book!

Loved! This mystery/thriller set in Dublin during the first lockdown is hard to put down. Ciara and Oliver meet right at the beginning of the pandemic. With the one household rule, Ciara and Oliver decide to move in together. As the story unfolds and secrets are revealed, these two have more than a past in common. 56 Days is filled with so many surprises and twists. Thank you, NetGalley!

Ciara and Oliver have a meet-cute in the grocery store two weeks before lockdown. To continue their new romance they only have one choice....quarantine together. 56 days later police find a body.

56 Days is the first fiction book I've read that takes place in the time of COVID-19. Going in I was a bit apprehensive that it would feel too gimmicky or forced. Fortunately the author found a way to perfectly weave certain aspects of the pandemic into the plot in a way that added to the suspense and feeling of unease. While I wish there had been a few more twist and turns this is still a fab (and timely!) thriller.

56 Days is the first book I've read that takes place during the covid lockdown. I really liked that, as it allows for the extremely unusual circumstances of a global pandemic to shape the narrative. I found the book hard to put down. It was in equal part, thrilling and surprising! I also enjoyed seeing what happened through the lens of both of the main characters. I highly recommend this title. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this digital arc.

I have alwways loved CRH's work so was really excited to be accepted for this on Netgalley! Set during the pandemic, it focuses on Ciara and Oliver who start a relationship in the weeks prior to the Irish lockdown so make the best of a bad situation. It's quite dark and is so full of twists.....I had an inkling what was going on with Ciara but then another twist hits and it was and wasn't what you are led to think! And Oliver....well 😱 Very clever and although I didn't think I would enjoy a book about lockdown, this one was brilliant! Pick it up when it's released ❤

56 days ago: Oliver and Ciara are dating and getting to know each other. As they start that stage where they only want to be with each other, COVID-19 hits Ireland. They make the decision to move in together. Now: A decomposing body is found at Oliver’s apartment.

It took me some time to get into this one. There is a lot of back and forth, jumping around, and same situations in different point of views. Once I got the flow of the book, the pacing started to pick up. The last third of the book sealed the deal as a five star read. There were unexpected twists, some of which entirely changed my emotional experience. Overall it turned out to be a darker and more somber than thriller read, but it was perfect.

“People think the decisions you make that change the course of your life are the big ones. Marriage proposals. House moves. Job applications. But she knows it’s the little ones, the tiny moments, that really plot the course. Moments like this.”

56 Days comes out 8/17.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

This was a book I didn’t realize I needed. I was concerned about the plot focusing on COVID and that it might be just a bit “too soon” but the author did a wonderful job not overdoing it. COVID was utilized to enhance the plot and not present as shock value or an unnecessary additive.

This was a wonderfully written, twisty thriller that I couldn’t put down. Definitely recommend this to all my fellow thriller readers out there.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reading copy for an honest review.

I know what you’re thinking…. Why would I want to read a book about Covid? It’s still happening. It’s too fresh. It’s too soon.

So let me begin by saying first and foremost that this is NOT a book about Covid. This is a book set during the time of lockdown in Dublin, so of course there are elements of that isolation that are woven into the plot, but it was handled well and with care. In my opinion, there was nothing solicitous nor anything that diminished the tragedy and heartbreak of Covid. There are no sick people, no doctors, no hospitals. This isn’t a book about Covid, but the pandemic is used as a reason for the characters to be socially isolated.

What this book is also NOT is a story of two people locked in an apartment for 56 days. Goodness no! There are layers, and there is depth and there are plenty of locations around Dublin in which the narrative plays out.

With that out of the way – WOW! I really enjoyed reading 56 Days. It was certainly
surreal to read about someone’s perspective from lockdown in another country.

This is a story of an unprecedented time and two people in a brand new relationship forced to make an outlandish decision. The plot unfolds from each of their perspectives as details emerge about the rise and fall of their relationship. Most fascinating – one of them is dead, and because of lockdown, no one is looking for them.

Finally, just when I thought I’d figured it out – BAM – plot twist!

I loved 56 Days and will now absolutely be reading the author’s backlist titles as soon as I can!

My thanks to @NetGalley and @BlackstonePublishing for the opportunity to read this book before its August 17 publication date.

The author, Catherine Ryan Howard, did a really nice job of working the covid pandemic into this plot. The characters were headed in one direction, but then when the lockdown occurred, the author deftly worked each aspect of the new social order into the plot, enhancing the story greatly.

The determination of our main character to learn what actually happened 17 years prior to cause the death of her brother as well as the mother’s unrelenting grief and the sister’s just wanting to put all that behind her were all too believable. Characterization of the main players was excellent.

Flipping back and forth in the storyline from “now” to 56 days ago, 55 days ago, 35 days ago started out OK. Then it got to be utterly ridiculous. We were jumping weeks prior to 56 days, then weeks prior to today, then days before that, then weeks before that. The mental gymnastics necessary for keeping the story straight became quite exhausting.

And the finale? Let me just say that after the huge build up, it was disappointing. It was as though the author had simply worn herself out before the ending. I was certainly worn out.

I’m thankful to NetGalley and the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, for providing this ARC to me. This review was entirely voluntary and my own thoughts.

I LOVED Catherine Howard's last novel and requested this one so fast. I couldn't get my hands on this arc any faster haha.

So... about that...... sadly this was nothing near the talent from her last book The Nothing Man.

56 days.... the covid books are coming my friends haha.

Oliver and Ciara barely know one another but they decide to spend two weeks of covid lockdown together. What could possibly go wrong?

A lot of back and forth emerging timelines in this one until the final reveal at the end.

Ok... I was extremely bored.... so much repetitiveness and I skimmed half the book I feel like? Also, wayyyy to long this could have been 150 pages less.

The ending was ok... but I just was already frustrated with the majority of the book.

Overall, 2.5/5 stars.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 8/17/21
Published to GR: 6/21/21

I absolutely loved this book! On the surface a couple meet and start dating and decide to move in together when the COVID lockdown is announced so that they can see each other. This timeline alternates and we realize that one of them is dead 56 days after they meet. I loved how the back stories of the two main characters were slowly revealed layer by layer.

Oliver was such an interesting character in particular. I felt a little sympathetic towards him, and a little torn about that for reasons that I won’t get into in a spoiler free review. I also really enjoyed the banter between the gardaí at the crime scene and the little glimpse into their lives.

The plot was superb; built upon gradually with revelations coloring my earlier perceptions differently. I wondered until the last page how it would end, and loved how it did. A superbly written and marvelously clever book. Catherine Ryan Howard is an auto buy author for me now.

I was so excited to recieve a copy of this book and I am so happy it did not disappoint. The storyline was original and clever. I thought it was a great idea to use covid-19 l9ck down as a way to develop a murder mystery. I loved the alternating timelines and narrators throughout the book. You got to see each person's point of view and find outwhat each person was hiding because they both had secrets. At a certain point there were so many twiststhat I could not put the book down until I knew what actually happened. I love all the twists. This was a fun and crazy read that I simply could not put down and I enjoyed thoroughly.