A crazy read with a hell of a twist at the end. I liked the characters in this story. The background of Oliver’s life was well thought out and brought to life. The writer has perfectly conveyed the line between villain and someone you could fall in love with. The ending was phenomenal and shocking.
At first I thought the way it was told was unique going backwards from finding a body and alternately forwards from Oliver and Ciaras meeting. But the back and forth became hard to follow and choppy and a lot of the story then overlapped and was almost repeated. The story itself was great but the style of writing really took away from it for me.

My first COVID-19 book! This was almost surreal to read since COVID is just on the downslope. It was well written and had my interest throughout the whole book. I really loved how you weren't sure what both characters motives were but I was definately surprised by the ending!
Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

First, thank you to the publishers at Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for this e-ARC of 56 Days.

56 Days is a crazy good murder mystery, a true whodunnit and why?

Taking place during the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020, Ciara and Oliver meet via the fates and begin a relationship just a few weeks before everyone must be designated to their own households for at least 2 weeks. This untimely event seems to spell the end of their relationship, or does it?

When a body is discovered after almost 5 weeks of lockdown, Lee, a detective called to the scene, immediately thinks murder, but was it?

Switching between three points of view, Ciara, Oliver, and Lee, you’ll love the back and forth timeline happening in 56 Days. It really showcases the writer’s strengths in constructing a great whodunnit! I was completely shocked by the events as they unfolded. The story starts off a bit slow, but once all three voices are introduced, it really begins to take off!

The ending is crazy good! At first I thought this was happening, but it turned out to be something completely different. This is an unputdownable thriller with plenty of twists and turns! 56 Days releases August 17! Preorder today!

When I began this book, I thought it was a routine psychological thriller of the girl-meets-boy-and-boy-turns-out-to-be-a-psychopath variety, with a bit of hand sanitiser thrown in to make it topical. That all changed when the police characters, Lee and Karl, made one of the most squirmingly memorable entrances by a detective duo I've read.. From this point on, I had a real page-turner on my hands, told via three timelines from the viewpoints of Lee, Ciara and Oliver.
In March 2020, 25-year-old Ciara is new to Dublin when she meets Oliver who's even newer to the city, only resident there a week. Sadly, the spark between them looks set to be extinguished by the global pandemic and the Irish government's ban on meeting anyone outside one's own household. On the spur of the moment, Oliver invites Ciara to spend lockdown with him.. Ciara suppresses her doubts about moving on the relationship so quickly. After all this lockdown thing is only going to last two weeks. If it doesn't work out between them, no harm done.
Lee's timeline is set 56 days later when lockdown is still in place and, given the stinking mess that she and colleague Karl discover, plenty of harm has been done in the meantime.
I was uncomfortable about the parallels with a real-life British case, but there was enough other stuff going on for me to keep reading. I guessed two of the twists but was caught out by a third one. My favourite part of the book was the depiction of the pandemic. The author recalled details we all lived through but I'd started to forget: the initial bemusement, nervous humour, denial and then slow acceptance as people fought over loo paper, queued two metres apart and donned masks. The emptying out of the city centre was reminiscent of many a dystopian novel, and so true to 202o. And the pandemic wasn't just a well-described backdrop; it was integral to the story. The particular conditions of the global emergency provided a perfect storm for what happened between the characters.
With thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an early copy.

First i want to thank Blackstone Publishing, NetGalley and Author for this outstanding ebook copy!
In return for an honest review!

56 Days..... WoW! Let say first I knew this was going to be a wild ride! And I enjoyed every second of it!

I'm so happy someone wrote a story with the covid pandemic added into the mix! I was wondering how long it would take and obviously Howard decided to jump all over it!. Bravo girl! 😍

56 Days Ago..... Ciara and Oliver have just started dating getting to know one another..... When suddenly Covid 19 hits strikes Dublin.
They decided to move in with each other!
56 Days Later...... A body has been found in Oliver's flat!
Only one of them is dead and the other is still alive!

The two detectives Lee and Karl, were great characters. Well played!
I was gripped from the start and it kept me up reading all dang day!
Overall if you enjoy police investigation, twists and tension.and a plot that is tense and full of twist and turns?.
You will not want to miss this amazing electrifying book!

I seriously can not thank Blackstone Publishing, NetGalley and Author for giving me a chance to read and review this compelling advanced ebook copy!

Shortly after COVID-19 arrives in Ireland, detectives are called to the scene of a gruesome crime scene at a Dublin apartment complex. Ciara and Oliver we’re the “meet cute” couple who were occupying the apartment in an attempt to stay together while following the government’s quarantine guidelines. What happened in that apartment during the 56 days they were together that led to the grizzly death of one of them?

I couldn’t put 56 Days down once I started it. This was probably one of the most chilling psychological thrillers that I have read in a very long time. I would recommend it to everyone who likes the genre.

I discovered Catherine Ryan Howard’s writing during the lockdown for the pandemic. I spent the next few months devouring everything she’d written.

So when I saw that she had a new title forthcoming, I couldn’t wait to read it.

Then I discovered that it was set during the pandemic and I thought “not yet.” Everything still felt too fresh. But tonight I picked it up…and devoured it in one sitting.

To say too much about it would give all the twists and turns away. While I’d been worried about reading a novel set during the longest months of my life, the concept genuinely worked. Without it, it would have lacked all believability. It was claustrophobic and twisty and really, really entertaining.

I really wasn’t sure how CRH would top herself after “The Nothing Man,” but “56 Days” managed to. I can’t wait to suggest this title to others.

The first mystery I’ve read which includes Covid, and it’s a good suspenseful read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

"When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests that Ciara move in with him. She sees a unique opportunity for a new relationship to flourish without the pressure of scrutiny of family and friends. He sees it as an opportunity to hide who - and what - he really is."

WOW! My jaw is still on the floor.

Who here remembers meeting someone for the very first time. Its heart wrenching, its exciting, you want to spend every waking minute with them. Now, throw covid into the mix. What could go wrong?

Catherine Ryan Howard did an incredible job taking us all on a ride of our lives. This story was engaging and I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the gut wrenching anxiety feeling while reading a thriller.

Here come the covid books! Certainly timely, but not necessarily well done. Personally felt this wasn’t up to Howard’s usual standards.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the digital advanced reader's copy.

Ciara and Oliver meet in Dublin just weeks before the 2020 COVID lockdown. In order to be able to see each other during the lockdown, they decide to move in together temporarily.

56 days later, a body is found in the apartment they shared.

What?!?

What an attention-grabbing premise!

Howard does a great job moving through the time-jumping plot, propelling the reader toward the twisty, tragic ending.

Ciara and Oliver are fascinating characters with secrets on top of secrets.

When their final secrets are revealed, they're much darker than I expected for what I thought was a simple summer thriller. Be prepared that this novel moves into some inexplicable and dire places.

I found the story of Ciara and Oliver compelling and the best part of the story.

I was less intrigued by the police investigation. I understand why this portion of the story was necessary, as you need a point-of-view from the present day, and neither Ciara nor Oliver can provide that without revealing important plot points. However, I never felt particularly interested in either of the detectives, Lee or Karl, and I was always skimming those sections so that I could move back to Ciara and Oliver.

Again, I know that point-of-view was necessary for the plot, but it didn't particularly interest me, and it took me away from what I really cared about - the relationship of Ciara and Oliver.

All-in-all, this is a solid thriller.

The setting in Dublin with the background of the early days of the pandemic is unsettling, and the story leans into the confusion and fear of that time period.

Great read for thriller and mystery fans.

*language, violence, sexual situations

Since in real life COVID-19 is still our reality, there were moments when the setting very much felt too soon. But then again, reflecting back on the surreal early days of the pandemic is a little irresistible.

56 DAYS is a thriller that takes place in Ireland during the start of COVID-19/lockdown.

Oliver and Ciara meet right as the pandemic begins. In order to get to know one another better, they decide to quarantine together. But how well can you know someone you just met?

The story is told from multiple POVs and jumps to different timelines of before, during and after lockdown. And while I love this concept in thrillers, certain parts of this book were too repetitive.

The writing was excellent and this book will definitely stand out against other thrillers. It unravels in a unique way but I would have been happy with a bit more suspense. It takes you right back to the beginning of COVID when things were so scary and uncertain. I thought I knew exactly how this would end. I was wrong! I definitely recommend.

thank you @blackstonepublishing & @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review (pub date 8/17/21)

What a scary mystery filled with twists! I really enjoyed both main characters and I was so surprised at each turn of events! It was like I haven’t read a mystery before.. This author knows what she’s doing for sure!

Yaaassss! First Covid mystery for me. I love that this will be a great historical document at some point. Perfectly captured the escalating threat of Covid and the feelings as two weeks became over a year. On the mystery side, very food twists and turns. A fun ride and one I stayed up well past my bedtime to finish!

Just as Covid-19 quarantine begins in Dublin, Ciara and Oliver are beginning their relationship. They have some things in common - new to Dublin, new employee at their jobs, with no family or friends in town. Without risking their relationship, Ciara moves into his apartment. All is good though there’s some weird signs and strange behaviors that Ciara doesn’t pickup on and vice versa. It’s a bit slow in the middle, but it picks up with a twist I wasn’t expecting! Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for a gifted copy. This is my honest review.

Wow, wow, wow, wow! Mind blowing good! So well written, with character development done so well, you cannot help but completely emerged in the story! Unique, fast paced, and absolutely unputdownable! Full of suspense, twist and turns, spine tingling chills, thrills, and gasp worthy shocks! This is one of those books that’s so good it’s hard to review, but should absolutely not be missed by any thriller fans! It’s dark, disturbing, and just plain good! Grab today, clear schedules, and prepare for one heck of a hangover! Highly, highly, highly recommend!

3.5 STARS

My head is still spinning a little after the jumping timelines!

Different time periods within 56 days as well as the present day are presented in alternating chapters.

Quite a bit of back and forth, a tangled web emerges, until the big reveal emerged as I turned the last page.

Oliver and Ciara barely know each other, but decide to spend the next two weeks in Covid lockdown together.

They know virtually nothing about each other.

What could possibly go wrong?

I enjoyed the way the story unraveled in such a unique, puzzling way. However, the repetitiveness of certain parts frustrated me and I think it was too long (like 100 pages). I'd say it is still quite a curious page turner with a unexpected ending! Got me!

FRESH and FRIGHTENING!

Take a moment to REALLY remember what it feels like when you finally meet someone that you think could be “the one”....those early days when you can’t stand to be apart...when you are hoping that every “ping” on your cell phone is from THAT person.

Now think about FEELING this way about someone you met just TWO weeks before a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic forces the World to go into lockdown.

This is a story about two people who were forced to make a decision without precedent.

How they come to this decision is shared from EACH of their perspectives, which results in some repetition in a few chapters, but it isn’t written that way for the book’s entirety.

Both had just relocated to Dublin, and barely knew their new co-workers. Neither had family close by.

Very alone in a scary, new reality, they choose to “shelter in place” together so they can still see each other, but to not tell anyone, because they KNEW what kind of “push back” would be received...

Now, one of them is dead and nobody is looking.

Gillian Fannin from #4 has called in a “smell” coming from #1, just three doors down the hall.

And, now DI Leah Riordan and DS Karl Connolly have been called to figure out what has happened between the couple who met just 56 DAYS ago....

I don’t think that author Catherine Ryan Howard ever imagined that when this very CREEPY idea of hers, written during lockdown, would be released as her next book, that we would still be dealing with this virus, and yet, here we are!

But, set your Covid-19 fatigue aside and embrace this EXTRA layer of fear, because this author knows how to write books which are engaging from start to finish, and she hasn’t let me down yet!

And, if you haven’t yet read “The Nothing Man” (my favorite-who gets a mention in this book) do so while you are waiting for the August 17th (2021) release of this one!

Thank You to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley! It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

The COVID books are coming! The COVID books are coming!

While riding out the COVID lockdowns of 2020, bestselling author Catherine Ryan Howard rolled up her (pajama) sleeves and said LET’S DO THIS. She had an idea for a story about a new couple locked down together in Dublin, “for whom the strange, isolating circumstances of this new and uncertain world was just the opportunity they were waiting for.”

The end result was 56 Days, a captivating thriller with great characters that kept me on my toes. Oliver clearly has a past he’s trying to keep hidden, so although he seems like a very likeable fellow readers aren’t sure if he’s the hero or villain of the story. Ciara, his girlfriend of only a few weeks, agrees to shelter in place with him though she perpetually second guesses her decisions. Wouldn’t you wonder what type of weirdo you were living with?

Heck, DIDN’T you wonder what type of weirdos you were living with last year?

Since in real life COVID-19 is still our reality and not even 56 days behind us yet, there were moments when the setting very much felt too soon. But then again, reflecting back on the surreal early days of the pandemic is a little irresistible. We were all in it together, which makes it easy to relate to Ollie and Ciara.

56 Days had twists and turns that I did not see coming, and it might have been a 5-star read had the back-and-forth timeline not felt so repetitive in some places. But if you’re up for a stroll down COVID lane, this is a thrilling place to start.

My thanks to the author and Blackstone Publishing for my gifted copy to review via NetGalley. 56 Days is slated for US publication in August.