Lillian Smith writes obituaries for a living, and has a close friendship with an ex-cop, Lenny, whose daughter died, for which she wrote an obituary.
She finds out that her husband has been having an affair, and calls him out on it. Her husband ends the affair in order to cover up what he really has been up to.

Lillian's son is a quiet youngster, with no real relationship with either of his parents.

Lillian meets a man and starts a friendship with him, which turns into an affair. In the middle of the affair, she dies of a drug overdose on a Malibu beach.

Lenny engages his ex-colleagues to investigate his friend's death, and much more is discovered about Lillian's real life, and the scaly business dealings her husband has, and his affair, which was quite a twist.

All in all, I enjoyed the story, but really am not fond of the supernatural. There was enough intrigue that kept me reading the book. I found it somewhat slow, and felt that there was no real affection between the characters. I ended up disliking them all for various reasons.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Alright. Holy 💩

I mean, I have loved every single thing from the author. But this? This! Believe the reviews when they say they could not put this down. The first half had me. I thought, no way is this as groundbreaking as everything else I’ve read from her. No way is this earth shattering like the reviews said.

AND THEN THE RUG WAS PULLED FROM UNDERNEATH ME.

This was SO AWESOME. And so unexpected. And so unique. And so messed up. And SUCH JUICY GOODNESS. Is this my favorite thriller this year? Yes, yes it is.

A thriller with a deliciously wicked twist! Lillian, Mike and Sam are leading double lives and are keeping secrets from each other that are mind blowing. Each is trying desperately to keep these secrets hidden until Lillian discovers Mike’s. I kept trying to guess who had died and why and I was SO wrong. I gasped out loud when I found out who died and who actually was responsible. An intense thriller you don’t want to miss out on.

If you’re a meat ‘n potatoes kind of domestic thriller lover, never willing to add a little something different to the menu, you might want to abstain from reading A. R. Torre’s latest suspense novel.

A Familiar Stranger takes a familiar genre and spices it up. Not in the “spicy” sense of grody sex scenes, but rather by taking some interesting and unusual risks that are sure to alienate some readers. The general premise is pretty standard - a wife begins an affair shortly after learning her husband is having one himself. Someone turns up dead. Readers of course are meant to wonder who the killer is, but first they have to wonder who the KILLED is.

That’s right, for the first part of the book we know someone will die but not who it will be. Then we find out, and then bam, we’re reading a different kind of story all of a sudden.

Personally I’m all in on Torre and whatever she dishes out after her last two thrillers, Every Last Secret and The Good Lie. The lady knows how to write a page turner, okay? So even though I found some of the elements predictable (such as sleuthing out the murderer even though I hadn’t initially guessed who had been murdered), I applaud her for taking chances in a genre that might be approaching its sell by date.

As usual, A. R. Torre does not disappoint. Lillian Smith is a once-famous obituary writer who discovers her husband's affair--but that's only the beginning. She soon decides to begin her own affair, taking on the identity of a woman who not only recently died, but is basically her alter ego, who she wishes she could be. But when their affair is caught on camera, everything falls apart, brick by brick. There's a HUGE midpoint twist that utterly shocked me, and I never saw the end coming. If you're a fan of A. R. Torre, be sure to pick this one up!

Based on other reviews, I’m clearly in the minority, but this book wasn’t for me. I felt like the characters were a bit underdeveloped, very unlikeable, and after a while I lost interest in their stories and involvement in the main plot. At one point, the story took a turn that I wasn’t expecting (and didn’t really like) and I just couldn’t get in to it after that.

I think if you like messy, domestic dramas with wild plot twists, multiple POVs, and a story that keeps you guessing from beginning to end, you might really like this one.

I enjoyed some of A.R. Torre’s other books, so I’ll definitely read more from her in the future.

Lillian smith leads a pretty monotonous life. She has been married to Mike for 18 years- writes obituaries for a living for the LA Times and is bored with her marriage and life in general. She has a cool best friend, Sam. She finds out her husband is also bored, hence his affair he’s been having. Lily is tired of caring, she decides to live a-little and have her own affair and meets Mr David. She gets fired from her job and takes on a new cool job at a local Marina running errands for yacht owners until one day something happens to Lilian. And the second part of this novel begins. Holy heck- what did I just read? Completely threw off with the second portion of this story. Think Ozarks but a really mean Marty Bird!
I enjoyed this one a lot but will say it was underdeveloped for everything that actually took place. I wanted to know more about how Mike and how he ended up in his job. I longed for more of the back story to make sense of the front story. I liked the short manageable chapters and the fast burn it gave off!
A familiar Stranger is sure to be a fall hit for many! Due to hit shelves end of September! Thank you Netgalley and Thomas&Mercer for my advanced copy.

This was just an okay story better than what i read from this author recently. Better plot line and character development. I need more thrill to it.

This book was definitely a surprise. I can certainly say that I couldn’t put it down. It was addictive and entertaining. There were some twists that I was definitely not expecting, and the short chapters made for a more interesting read. Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an opportunity to read this early!

In this book, we follow Lillian and Mike. Lillian is your average mom. Nothing really special about her. Mike, her husband, is a very A-type person.

One day, Lillian finds out that Mile is cheating on her. Mike confesses, and instead of moving forward to fix the relationship, Lillian goes and cheats on him with a guy named David. Eventually, a video gets posted on social media of Lillian and David getting intimate with each other. The next day, someone ends up dead.

This book definitely took an interesting turn, but it wasn’t unpredictable. I had my doubts about a certain someone since the beginning. And because this book is fairly short, it’s easy to get invested in the plot and finish it in like a day.

We do follow different perspectives, though Mike and Lillian are the main ones. However, that being said, I felt like some characters sounded the same. I wish we got more personality from each of them.

Overall, a good read!

Would I recommend this book? Sure!

I will read anything from Alessandra Torre she is my absolute favorite and this book was no different. I was hooked from the first chapter and devoured it in a day. Love the twist, the setting, the characters...so good! I HIGHLY recommend this book! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Wow! What a ride that book was! I had recently read another book by A.R. Torre and was a huge fan, so I was excited when I saw this on NetGalley. First, I loved the different perspectives. I felt like I never quite knew what exactly was going on and which character to trust. I also loved the countdown aspect- you saw everything leading up to the event and got to see the aftermath. I read this book in about a day. I can’t wait to recommend this book to my fellow readers. Thanks again to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was an okay book, but it definitely wasn’t a great work of thrilling fiction which is what I prefer. The book started off okay and I was super interested in what was going on but unfortunately that didn’t last. The characters were underdeveloped, and the plot seemed all over the place. Even though it tied together in the end, the route it took to get there didn’t hold my interest at all.

Fans of A. R. Torre will enjoy this #fastpacedthriller. I can’t reveal much without spoiling anything, but there are lots of twists and surprises. It’s a gripping story with multiple layers and interesting characters. No one is who they seem. It had a noir #mysterythriller flair at times, and I liked how different the second half of the book felt. This would make a fantastic film or TV adaptation. 3.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thanks to @netgalley and @amazonpublishing for the #arc #advancedreaderscopy. It comes out on 27 September 2022 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon now.

At first, there’s nothing unusual about the plot of A Familiar Stranger. It’s sad but all too common. Lillian Smith has learned to accept her loveless marriage. She’s sure her husband Mike is having an affair, her teenage son Jacob lives in a world of his own and reckless behavior has cost her her job as a celebrity obituary writer. Her only friends are gay realtor Sam and Lenny, a former cop turned cemetery groundskeeper. Enter David. A chance coffee shop meeting with the charismatic David Laurent awakens Lillian’s creative nature. She introduces herself as Taylor and begins a passionate affair. Of course, we know this will not end well.

It doesn’t. Full of well described characters, especially vulnerable Lillian, with a faced paced plot that ends in a satisfying but surprising conclusion, A Familiar Stranger is impossible to put down! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and A.R. Torre for this ARC.

I was so excited for this book and let me tell you it did not disappoint one bit. Every chapter alternates between all the characters. And this book was definitely filled with twists and turns and in the end it all gets tied up perfectly with no questions left. I didn’t get bored at all through the book I just wanted to keep going I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with this plot before. I’ve loved all the books I’ve read by A.R. Torre. Highly recommend this if your into domestic thrillers. Thank you netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for allowing me to read this early!

🤯🤯🤯🤯

Reading this one was like biting into a piece of chocolate and discovering there is a surprise peanut butter filling in the middle which is my favorite. 😍 (or whatever flavor you like for non peanut butter lovers 😂) I knew I was going to like the book within the few chapters but it just kept getting better to the point, I devoured it in one sitting.

Y’all get ready, because there are a couple twists that will make you say WTF at least 5 times. 🤣🤣

It’s a wild ride!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of A Familiar Stranger.

I'm a big fan of Ms. Torre's books. She always creates compelling, intricate female main characters who are both relatable and interesting to the reader.

In A Familiar Stranger, readers are introduced to Lillian Smith.

She's no one special, in her mind; she writes obits and has been married for 15 years to a man she suspects is having an affair.

After a chance meeting with David, a handsome stranger, she is enticed and energized by an affair, creating a new name and persona, becoming the person she wished she was, instead of who she really is.

But, when her adulterous affair is exposed on social media, threatening her family, their reputation and standing, Lillian will discover actions have consequences, all of them deadly.

As always, the writing is good, but A Familiar Stranger is my least favorite of Ms. Torre's books.

The plot wasn't bad, though predictable, and I called nearly every 'twist' as it occurred.

There was something very rushed about the narrative; the sparse character development, the hurried introduction of each character, and who they are in Lillian's life.

Lillian wasn't a memorable or interesting character and even though something happens to her, her voice and perspective disappears entirely at the end of the novel.

This was a huge disappointment because I wanted to know what happens to her, how she feels at that particular point in her life.

I even flipped back and forth through the pages to make sure I hadn't missed her final chapter.

The only person I did end up liking was the former detective turned cemetery groundskeeper.

He's flawed but relatable, and his loyalty to Lillian and his strong moral code made him an engaging and likable character.

I'm still a fan of the author and look forward to her next book.

To say I loved this book is a huge understatement! I stayed up until 5am to finish it in one sitting! I absolutely love the writing style and am going to run and read the authors other books when I finish this review. The story was so unique and captivating and the plot twist threw me! It wasn’t meant to be a heartwarming story but one thing about the ending had me cheering. A.R. Torre you have a new fan in me!

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review - Lillian's husband is leading a double life - unknown to her - but she is beginning to suspect he maybe having an affair - but who with? Lillian has her own troubles as she writes obituaries but when her boss gives her a bad review - she is fired for keying her car - - She meets David and their hot affair begins until pictures of this appear on the web. Can she save her marriage or will it all fall apart as her secrets and her husbands secrets are revealed?