Thank you so much for my Advance Readers Copy of 56 Days!!!! @cathryanhoward @blackstonepublishing
Out Now! Go check it out 🤯

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
What a thrilling ride! CRH is the queen of a slow burn crime novel, which is understandable that this book has mixed reviews, but I throughly enjoyed it. The ending was unpredictable but it did leave me with unanswered questions.
The fact that this one was a police procedural taken place during the pandemic…. SAY WHAT.
This was my August pick for my book club and it was great to read this with a bunch of bookworms 🤍
CRH is amazing with her writing and she’s definitely an auto-buy author for me!
Have you read this one? What’d you think?

I was curious to read this one since the plot was created around COVID. I was not disappointed. It was twisted and frightening and as a thriller fan, I really enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this.

This isn’t the first book I have read that mentions Covid, but it’s the first that uses it as a main plot point. I have to admit I was nervous about reading a Covid-based book while we’re still in the middle of dealing with the pandemic, but actually thought the plot was handled very tastefully. I loved the way lockdown was used as a catalyst to force the characters into close proximity. What a risky decision to move in with someone without telling anyone, though! As scary as it is to think about, I’m sure something like this happened somewhere in the world.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the trip down memory lane to the first days of lockdown. CRH did a good job of describing how odd it was to walk around empty streets and not hear any traffic. Especially driving down the Las Vegas strip with all of the casinos boarded up–it was eerie!

The plot is told in an overlapping fashion, as you can tell from looking at the chapter titles. We read a scene from Ciara’s perspective and a few chapters later read it again from Oliver’s perspective, and vice versa. I liked this as a method to show both character’s reactions, but do admit that it got a little repetitive at points. The book could have been slimmed down by not repeating so much of the dialogue, which didn’t change between scenes. The plot also jumps to present day and the officers’ investigation of the body found in Oliver’s apartment. I enjoy when books tackle a storyline from both directions like this, and it was very well done.

Both characters have secrets, and I thought they all came out at the perfect pace. This is certainly a thriller I would recommend, even to people unsure if they’re ready to read about Covid.

This is the first book I have read that uses COVID as a plot and I have to say WOW, wow, wow!

This book is mind blowingly good! I loved the character development and it is so well written. There are twists and turns every step of the way. This book should not be missed by any thriller fan. I could not put down this book and loved how unique and dark it was.

I would highly recommend this book.

I LOVED this fast paced, page turning mystery. Was it weird reading about the COVID19 pandemic while it's still happening - Maybe? But, for me It didn't take away from the story. I thought the premise was quite unique. I loved the way Catherine crafted the story. Her twists and turns resulted in me changing my mind 3 different times on who I thought the "bad guy" was. That is the work of a true mystery artist. Overall I was very happy with this story and would defiantly recommend for anyone looking for a quick, twisty mystery.

Thank you so much @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 17 August 2021)

SYNOPSIS | 56 days ago Ciara & Oliver meet at a local convenience store on their respective lunch breaks & have an instant connection. COVID-19 has just reached Ireland & there is talk of a 2 week lockdown to help control the spread of the virus. 35 days ago Oliver asks Ciara to move in with him and present day, a decomposing body has been found in Oliver's apartment.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the countdown structure of the story
- not knowing if Ciara / Oliver could be trusted or not

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I think it was too soon for me to read any kind of story set during COVID-19
- I found myself not really caring who did it or what their motive was (or about the romance in general)
- a lot of the dialogue was repeated from each MCs perspective which just got repetitive & the bouncing POVs got confusing at times

I wanted to like this book but I don't know if it was too soon for me to read about people living in the pandemic. I just didn't enjoy it due to experiencing lockdown.

Thank you for this ARC Netgalley!! It was very much appreciated. This story was really good and quite crazy. I think it was so weird and surreal to read this with COVID as the plot line considering it’s something the world is going through right now. But I do think it’s pretty cool for the author to describe experience of COVID lockdown through her and the characters. And I liked how it switched from the past and the present.

Aahh I LOVED this book! It had everything I wanted in a COVID story - relevant without rehashing too much of our current situation, a love story, suspense, mystery, and twists!

Ciara and Oliver meet in March just weeks before Dublin is shut down due to the pandemic. Hitting it off and finding themselves in a wildly unique (and dare I say unprecedented?) situation, they decide to move in together so they can get to know each other better during quarantine. Alternating between Ciara’s, Oliver’s and a detective’s POV, we know immediately that Oliver has been left for dead in his apartment for at least two weeks. In addition to the various POVs, the novel also alternates timelines and gives us a first hand look at the investigation into Oliver’s death, Oliver and Ciara’s budding romance, and glimpses of before they met.

I went into this novel fairly blind and I’m glad I did. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I had a really hard time putting it down. There were even a couple moments where my jaw literally dropped!!

A novel set during COVID won’t be for everyone, but I thought it added so much to the story! I definitely recommend for anyone who is looking for a unique and current thriller!!

This was my first book based on Covid times so I was curious to see how it would play out. It was a little slow to build up but the ending was quite twisty! Some parts became redundant as the author showed the 2 main characters points of view for the same events. It was repetitive but I also found it beneficial to hear both sides of the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

OK, this is my first COVID19 book to read and it completely did not disappoint! Wow, so a guy and a gal meet in Ireland one day. Go on a few dates, hit it off, COVID19 lock down hits and they try living together....

During this fun read, I was transported to the wonderful areas of Dublin during each step of lockdown. Not only did this author manage to depict all of the feelings one went through in the initial stage of lockdown, but they did it in a way where you see yourself in Ireland within the first few dates. Mix in a murder mystery?! Hello!!

This was a (domestic?) lockdown thriller, and I really enjoyed it. I kept picturing the chapters in my mind as episodes of Netflix series.

Admittedly, the Ciara/Oliver chapters felt more like romantic drama than thriller to me. But this wasn't a downside at all; I actually found myself really enjoying the relationship building - I was excited, giddy, and anxious with them.

However, I loved the Lee/Karl chapters more! I totally enjoyed their banters, and I wish I could've read more about them. It felt to me they should've been given their own detective series; I was actually surprised to see that this book wasn't part of a series because I would totally read more about them. In this book, I found they mostly acted as post-mortem narrators rather than active participants in the story. I wouldn't mind seeing them more in the action in the future. Will they appear again in future Catherine Ryan Howard books?

This book was such much more fun than I could have even expected! I was nervous going into a book about current events, but it was handled so well. I loved the changing perspectives & the way it kept me constantly guessing. I will absolutely be buying from this author in the future! I'm just so happy to have read a book that felt so fresh & original.

Cleverly plotted and compelling right up to the last page, with perfectly timed twists, the pages practically turned themselves. My reading buddy, Marialyce, and I enjoyed peeling back the layers, where even if you think you know where the story is headed, there are surprises in store.

Sooooo this one was really hard to get into. I almost feel bad because I might not have given it a fair shot. I saw mixed reviews and I'm definitely unsure of how I feel about it.

I don't like that it took me more time to get invested.
I did like that it was the first book that dealt with COVID as the main plot. I don't personally think it's "too soon" or something that is taboo and shouldn't be written about. It just wasn't totally for me?

Talk about a relevant setting for a book. Two people who meet and hit it off right as COVID-19 hits. Restrictions more or less force them to move in together if they want to keep seeing each other. Great idea right? Well let me tell ya this was a super unique and crazy story to read. I loved how it alternated between different perspectives and different timelines. It really helped build suspense and keep my attention. Also the twist at the end was really fantastic. While it was slightly predictable, it at the same time kept me guessing till the very end. This is my second book by Howard and I’ve loved them both. She’s making her way onto my favourite author’s list for sure.

Remember March of 2020 when we thought we’d have to stay home for a couple of weeks and then life would go back to “normal”?
56 Days begins before what was supposed to be a two week lockdown in Dublin. Set in a backdrop of working from home and isolated circumstances, it was easy to miss a man disappearing.
I loved this twisty thriller. I listened to the audiobook over the past couple of nights and I had absolutely no idea where it was going. It was a brilliant setup and setting, and y’all need this for your end of summer reading stack.

First book I’ve read that uses Covid as a plot point. I was skeptical because of that at first and wondering if it would hit too close but it actually played out well.
This book kept me guessing. I loved the multiple POVs and the non-linear timeline. It felt like I was peeling back the layers of an onion to uncover the mystery and it kept me guessing till the very end. I won’t divulge an actual synopsis because I’m afraid of spoiling anything. Overall this was a well executed mystery that had me hooked from start to finish!

Riveting thriller. The twist got me in the end and I enjoyed the back and forth timeline plotting. Definitely will read more by this author.

56 Days combines dark pasts, hidden identities, and twists plus Covid to make a clever pandemic thriller!