I can't remember the last time I had this much fun reading a thriller! It is honestly one of the best ones I have read in a really long time. I honestly kind of stopped reading thrillers as much as I used to because I felt like they were all the same and followed the same specific formula, but THIS ONE had me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I read it in one sitting because I just had to know what was going to happen next! I will say I did find the twist a little lackluster, but I had a fun reading experience nonetheless!

Another thing I loved about this book, and what mainly sets it apart from the other thrillers that I have read, is the writing. Oh my god. I don't care how this makes me sound, but I am not going into a thriller for the writing style or word choice, as far as I'm concerned it gets a pass and is often not even something I pay any attention to. Again, this only applies to THRILLERS. All I care about is that it has a good and intriguing plot. THIS BOOK HAS BOTH! One of the best written thrillers I have read thus far.

Ooh time goes by and if i don't write the review right away...sigh. I'm trying to be better. The best i can do right now is give a star count...

Successful therapist Dr. Lana Landers becomes an overnight news story when she saves the life of a patient whose husband holds her at gunpoint threatening to shoot her. She manages to talk the husband down, and no one gets shot.
Cal Murray, an investigative journalist, covers the story and wants to know everything about Lana. He plans to use his story to get himself the news anchor job he's been wanting. Lana's patients start being threatened by someone who knows their most private secrets. They receive gifts that relate to those secrets, and the progress with her patients stands to be lost.
I spent the whole book trying to figure out who the suspect was and nothing was as it seemed. There was also romance between Lana and Cal which affected her work. Overall it was a great read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

This is a creepy and unsettling psychological thriller. I loved the therapist aspect and the way the book referenced real therapeutic techniques. I love the multiple narrators and felt it added a lot to the story, especially the mystery narrator. I also thought it was clever that the author did reference Covid without making this a Covid-centric book. There were also many important points made about racism, gender bias, social media, and privacy in a digital age.

I did find myself getting a bit bored, even though this book was relatively short. There were lots of people involved, but only one person that made sense, so the ending was extremely predictable which was disappointing. As a personal preference, I also dislike thrillers with a romance aspect, which this had too much of, but if you enjoy that you will love those parts of this book. Overall it was a pretty fun and basic thriller.

Privacy by Nina Sandowsky is a thriller that had me hooked from the beginning. A therapist realizes her patients are being watched and targeted, as well as her own home. Someone has it out for her and she has to find out who, before she and her patients receive further harm.

Thank you to Random House Publishing- Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Privacy was such a unique setup and I really enjoyed the mystery of someone trying to destroy a therapist's career for unknown reasons. There's a high creep factor in the book as sone of the chapters are told from the POV of the stalker. There's a big twist that was easy to see coming but it was still executed well. Perfect for fans of psychological suspense.

I loved Convince Me so was excited to read this one and it did not disappoint! Laina is a therapist who attempts to help her clients work through their trauma and heal themselves. But when she meets handsome Cal, a newscaster, she is smitten and he is drawn to her like the proverbial fly caught in the web. They are both careful to respect each other's boundaries and not discuss clients ,but we all know that when you are in an intimate relationship, things get tricky! And there is The Watcher...someone out there who is surreptitiously invading the privacy of many. I couldn't read this book fast enough...or put it down! Seriously, it's awesome but don't read at night if you plan to sleep at all!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

The pace of this novel is moderate, with some slow parts and other parts that seem to be racing to a conclusion. The plot is believable, with a marriage and family counselor names Laina Landers facing attacks against the privacy of her patients. When she meets intrepid reporter Cal Murray, the attraction between the two of them is instantaneous. Cal wants to assist Laina in discovering who is behind the attacks against her patients and he becomes even more determined when Laina herself is targeted. There were some unexpected twists, a lot of red herrings and a big surprise at the end. I did not consider the characters totally relatable or the narrator completely reliable, so there were times when I was not sure who was being truthful in the story. Laina is persistent in her desire to protect her patients, Cal is equally persistent in his pursuit of the story and the patients seem to be caught in the middle. I liked most of the characters except Harvey, Laina’s business partner who is skanky and untrustworthy. The characters mostly presented a real face to the world, especially the patients who were suffering from having their secrets revealed. There are some steamy scenes between Laina and her new lover, but they did not add or detract from the central story. They just seemed superfluous to me. I would classify this book as psychological suspense, not really a thriller, because although there is a “watcher” who constantly interrupts the story, there are no big threats that made my heart pound as a thriller would. I give the book a 3.5 and round it up because of the surprise ending.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

This book started out strong and I was so intrigued by who was doing the watching, what would happen and where would this lead. However the story quickly changed to Laina's POV and soon thereafter the hostage situation between Laina and her patients is intense! This is where we are introduced to Cal, a reporter new in town ready to make himself known. I didn't trust or like Cal when I met him, but that easily changed when the chemistry between Laina and Cal erupted. He was a go-getter, unafraid to do what needed to be done in order to find and stay on the story. As much as I liked him, I couldn't find it in me to care about all of Laina's patients (there were many to keep track of) or the quest to find out just who is doing the watching, so I admit I skimmed through much of the conversations in the second half of the book. Cal was by far my favorite character and I found myself stopping to read his thoughts and research ventures, but Laina quickly bored me. I gave this book 3 stars as I did end up being surprised by the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The cat and mouse game between Dr. Landers and the giver is intriguing, with several red herrings along the way. The author;s writing style was great, and the way she built tension leading up to the big reveal is crucial for a good thriller. I’ll check out more books by this author in the future!

This was my first book by the author, and while I did figure out the twist pretty early on, it was still a good read, and I loved how the plot flowed. I really loved her writing, too.

A thriller that kept my interest until the end. Although I was pretty sure I figured it out, there was that doubt, just enough that made this book a very enjoyable read!

Dr, Laina Landers is amazing at what she does; she's a therapist with a growing business, success stories of the people she's worked with and lives the life she always imagined, but when one of the couples she's been working with end up on television and her quick reactions deflects a situation she is thrust into the media spotlight- one that could prove advantageous for her future endeavors but while she puts one fire out, another seems to spring out of nowhere and one by one her clients begin going through situations of their own. Is someone stalking Dr. Laina? Meanwhile Cal Murray, a blossoming investigative journalist following the story and enamored by Laina altogether begins helping her get to the bottom of who could be behind those attacks.

Pros: interesting story set in San Diego CA with some fun character narratives.

CONS: predictable, sometimes infuriating choices of some of the characters and got a bit repetitive towards the middle of the story, in the end I was invested in wanting to figure out what was going on but it felt more of a chore rather than for enjoyment.

DNF at 75%. I was intrigued by the premise but the execution didn’t work for me. The pacing felt off - took a long time to reach the point of connecting that her patients were getting the packages. The writing style also isn’t working for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free review copy.

This psychological thriller got off to a good start—a very successful therapist, Lana Landers, is called to the scene of an emergency. She ends up saving the lives of two of her married clients and rockets to fame as a hero. But someone is after here, and they are using her clients to get to her. That was the interesting premise. However, the execution was lacking. The psychological warfare was over the top and the romantic prospect, Cal Murray seemed one-dimensional—not nearly as well drawn as Dr. Landers.

This was a middling psychological thriller, with an interesting premise but ultimately falls short of its promise.

Privacy sucks you right in. Laina is a therapist has her own practice with a fellow therapist. She saves her clients life in a hostage situation. From that point on this books grabbed me and never let go. A fantastic suspenseful read.

I found the writing to be rather flat and sophomoric. The plot was ok, but the ending didn't make a lot of sense in context with the rest of the story and character development. None of the characters were particularly likeable. I can't get into the meat of why I REALLY didn't like this novel without spoilers.

3.75/5, This was a pretty quick read and I didn’t expect the twist/reveal towards the end. Somewhat unbelievable but a decent read for summer. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 Stars rounded up!

I do love a thriller when it has a psychologist as it’s protagonist and this one did not disappoint. Someone is stalking and WATCHING Dr Lana Lander’s well known patients as they soon start showing up as criminals or associated with known criminals.
Cal Murray, journalist, is trying hard to find out who this stalker is and to protect Lana from any further harm as they are getting to close. Time is running out and he needs to solve this puzzle quickly; however, there is one piece he has missed.

With an unreliable narrator, a quick tempo, a ton of romantic suspense, murder, lies and mischief this is one of my favorite stalker thriller books I have read and you should check it out now!

Thank you @suzyapprovedbookstours, Bantam Pub and PRHA for the gifted copy of this sensational twisted suspense.

Rating : 3 out of 5
Blurbs :
Dr. Laina Landers is good at her job. She’s an accomplished therapist, dedicated and compassionate. When she is summoned by a panicked patient who is being held hostage by her husband, she intervenes and dissuades him. Laina becomes a media sensation. But as her star rises, a target is placed on her back.

Not everyone is impressed by Laina’s achievements. Someone has it in for her and is targeting what matters to her most: her patients. One by one, Laina’s patients spiral after they receive unsettling gifts that mock their deepest fears and hidden traumas. Liana’s own home is targeted, in a mysterious break-in where nothing is taken, but left behind is the same message sent to her patients: Watching you.

Enlisting Cal Murray, an ambitious and charismatic investigative journalist to whom she has an explosive attraction, Laina must examine her patients’ lives and her own to identify the culprit. All she knows for sure? It’s someone with access to her records. Someone who wants to destroy her stellar reputation, shatter her newfound success, and even, perhaps, end her life.

Thoughts : Not really difficult to get into this book but it's not the best murder-mystery and psychological thriller book that I've ever read. It's enjoyable once you understand and follow the pacing. It's just like a normal therapist-patient psychological thriller, you find out there. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!