This was such a good book! I figured out part of it, but the other twist took me for a loop! I will look for other books by this author. I would definitely recommend this book !

Ooof. As a professional in the field, this one stirred some feelings and provoked some thoughts! As a reader, however, it was a good suspenseful read right up to end. Well written descriptions that brought the scenes to life in my mind’s eye.

Harm Reduction
by Todd Grande

It was a disappointment for me. I tried to get into it, but ugh the characters made me dislike them all. I did get through the book but it was slow going and no, I just will forget this one come tomorrow.

I struggled to get into this story's the writing wasn't my cup of tea. The storyline was pretty original but predictable in some places. My favorite part? I loved to hate everything single character. It would have been nice if Jenny had some redeemable qualities however. Also, as a therapist, her actions didn't always make sense.

295 pages

3 and 1 / 2 stars

Jenny Ocean is a young woman who works at a mental health center. But to make ends meet, she also has a part time job as a cleaner at Gazelle. It is located in a bad part of town and there is a rapist on the loose. Completing her work, she leaves the building and is attacked. She is armed. Full of fear and faced with a horrible experience, she does the only thing she can think of.

This situation haunts her life. She has always wanted to become a mental health counselor, so she quits the prescription drugs and alcohol and goes to school. She decides to take advantage of the ten free counseling sessions offered through the program. She quits after four weeks because she cannot cope with facing what she calls her “Big Deal.”

We next see Jenny as a new therapist established in her own practice. She becomes successful, with a full calendar. A new patient arrives. His name is Rio Winston. He is very reticent to talk about anything important, but is always punctual. Finally opening up, the stories he tells are horrific. He is a very sick man. Jenny is fascinated by his pathology. As time goes by, she learns that he knows about her Big Deal. He was there.

Jenny is drawn into a web of horror.

At the same time, she is dating a police officer, Detective Sam Longford. Sam is a piece of work. He begins to cheat on Jenny. She finds herself telling Rio about this.

What I was left with after reading this novel was that I didn’t like any of the characters at all. I don’t know if the reader was supposed to dislike Jenny, or feel empathy for her situation. I thought that she was a bad therapist. Sharing her personal life with her client? Yikes!! She could have referred him. Rio was an abominable person and Sam wasn’t much better. His attitude about the police was destructive and some of his personality traits matched Rio’s. Hmm.

While the story idea was a good one, and the writing was good, this book just didn’t quite work for me. I think that Dr. Grande needs to choose more likable - or at least more sympathetic - characters for his next novel.

I want to thank NetGalley and Unhooked Books for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I really enjoyed this book as it is so different than anything I've read in thrillers! Jenny becomes a therapist after a bizarre accident at the business where she works as a cleaning lady. But little does she know that Rio, one of her patients is a man from her past and his thoughts feelings, and spoken words become increasingly upsetting and scary. But as it is with client/patient confidentiality, she is reluctant and confused about what to do with his confessions and future plans. But like all smart women, she figures it out and...well, just read it and enjoy!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Harm Reduction, was a unique read. At times, a little predictable but it did not ruin the story line. I really enjoyed the character development and how much I actually hated them. They felt so read! The ending was unexpected and almost happened to quick you didnt see it coming. However, it did not leave anything unanswered.

All in all, this was a great read and flowed very nicely.