This book was really difficult to get into. Most of the time I could not keep up with what was going on with the characters or the storyline, perhaps it was me. Lacking. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I could not put this book down. I stayed up way past my bedtime. I kept saying after this chapter I'll go to bed. But then there would be a cliffhanger and I had to move to the next chapter. I had to know what was going to happen. The twists kept me in suspense. I loved it.

A. R. Torre's A Familiar Stranger is a book that caught me completely by surprise. I had never heard of this author before and did not know what to expect from a suspense novel of hers, but was surprised to find this story to be fresh and unexpected. As I turned the pages, I had no idea what sort of dark and twisty path this compelling novel was headed down. It was a wild ride to say the least!

A Familiar Stranger follows Lillian Smith, an obituary writer who is dissatisfied with her ordinary upper middle class life and decides to interject some excitement into it by taking on the personality of another women, embarking on an affair that will change her life forever. When Lillian's affair is blasted across social media, she discovers she isn't the only one keeping secrets. Can she trust those she is closest to, or does everyone have something to hide?

Right from the start, Torre lets on that no one in this novel is to be trusted, but hard as I might try, I did not see the twists that Torre had coming my way. This made for a really fun, engaging read that kept me guessing where this book was headed, but consistently getting it wrong. I love when an author can fool me, so A Familiar Stranger was right up my alley!

I will read anything A.R. Torre writes. They had me at Double Lives. I love a book that lets me go from chapter to chapter not knowing what’s next and not being able to guess what’s going to happen at the end. This one is the epitome of dark and twisty.

This was my first A.R. Torre novel, and to say I was disappointed is an understatement. I found this novel very predictable and at times a little confusing. The beginning was very straight forward, but towards the end the story was pulled in all different directions, and ended abruptly. Towards the end multiple POVs were added to accommodate the addition of new characters, causing the confusion at times. The second half of this novel being so bumpy made it a struggle to get through.

I want to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this book.

I really enjoy A.R. Toore, this one was a slower bur but man it was still exciting. I can not wait for the next one

I've come to expect a fair share of the unbelievable from Torre's books, but that's partially what I love about them. Slipping into one of her thrillers is the highest form of escapism, and that's why I had such specific expectations when I dove into A Familiar Stranger. This one definitely forces you to suspend your credibility radar, but it is so far out there that I couldn't give it the standard 4 star rating that I hoped I could. I will say, there are some very unexpected twists in this one, which is a huge plus, so if you enjoy a book that makes your jaw drop and do the "double take" reader move, this one is for you. This may not be my favorite book from the author, but she always knows how to write a gripping story, and I'll highly anticipate whatever she chooses to write next.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙎𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚?

📍 Read if you like:
• Psychological Thrillers
• Morally Grey Characters
• Thrilling Surprises
• Books About Revenge

This was my second A.R. Torre book and while I enjoy them for the most part, the endings are always so far-fetched and not my thing.

This was a short and super quick read, it’s full of morally gray characters and I loved that the whole time I didn’t know who to trust. There were some surprises I didn’t see coming and some that were predictable, but the ending wasn’t my kind of thing.

I can’t go into why I didn’t love the ending as it’s a major spoiler, but if you read it then you’ll know it was sort of “extreme”.

This author’s thrillers are always quick to read with unlikable and unreliable characters. The twists are something you’ll either love or hate, and they can be predictable at times. I did enjoy the aspect of revenge in this one, but overall it was just fine.

Thank you so much NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Alcoholism, infidelity, murder, drug use, mental illness, addiction

Absolutely amazing! I have literally no words to describe how utterly captivating this book was to read. It offered numerous perspectives, from an interesting bunch of individuals, and left you with the inability to figure out (till the end) who may have done it nor root for anyone in particular. I don't want to spoil anything, but so many things throughout the story kept showing up making the thread for the plot increase more and more. I truly enjoyed figuring it all out as I continued reading. If you like mysterious and thrilling stories with double lives, then I definitely recommend picking up and checking this book out.

I was in love with this book, then it took a turn. I wasn't really fond of the turn it took. I won't reveal anything. I'm sure maybe it was just fine with some. It's a fast easy read, well written, even the "turn" it took was well written just not my kind of thing. That said, I would recommend it.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this advanced copy for a fair review.

Well this was a twisty read. There is a lot of shocking reveals through the whole book, enough to keep you page turning and attention focused.
If you were given the opportunity to write your own obituary, would you? Lillian has made her life out of writing obituaries, which I had no clue was an actual thing. I didn’t know that the writers actually take time to sit down with families and learn about the deceased, picking what to write about them. It takes a special kind of person to be able to do that. And if I had that job, I would totally have my obit already written up and ready.
There are so many lies to expose, and completely out of the park twists toward the end of the book. I had my suspicions, and sort of figured out where the book was going, until the husband ruined everything! Wait til you get to that point, lol. Ur going to feel like that one jumped out in front of you and you hit it at 60 mph.
You’re going to like this one. It’s the second I’ve read by this author, and I enjoyed it. I’m officially hooked on AR Torre

I love every single one of Torre's books. This one was so different from all of her others that I wasn't sure if what I was reading was correct. But wow! What a twist. Heartfelt and full of energy and twists and turns that you won't see it coming! Thank you for the advanced copy of this book. I recommend it to everyone!

What a wild ride! Many twists and turns that I didn't see coming. Follows a typical thriller trope along the lines of infidelity but puts a new spin on things. Good characters. Excellent writing. Any thriller fan will easily enjoy this book.

This story sucked me in completely! Holy moly!! There is so much going on in this book. Just do yourself a favor and read it. All of Torre's books are unputdownable! Get this one now!

I’m a little unsure how to rate this one. I love A.R. Torre books and I didn’t dislike this one, but it definitely wasn’t one of my favorites by her.

I think the thing that sticks most with me is the ending and my hatred for one of the characters! I mean, I guess if I’m honest none of the characters were all that likable. But I did feel for Lillian. I just felt that she always got the raw end of everything and felt her reasons for backlash were warranted.

Overall I would give this 3.5 stars. The writing was still good, like always but the overall story didn’t hit a home run with me.

Juicy, engrossing read. I have yet to meet an AR Torre book I don't like! I will be anxiously awaiting the next one. Great characters, excellent point of view and fast-paced plot.

AR Torre books do not disappoint and this is no exception. Absolutely beautiful story and will pull at every emotion. I loved it.

This book is told in 1st person from multiple POVs but the majority being Lillian and Mike. The chapters are short and leave you wanting more. The storyline was easy to follow despite the multiple POVs. I was really into this in book for about 70-75% of it and couldn’t put it down but then I lost interest. I also wasn’t a fan of the abrupt ending however I did enjoy the book and recommend you checking it out for yourself!

This is my first official A.R. Torre read and I loved it!! I like the multidimensional writing and all the detail without taking away from the actual storyline. You think this book is about Lillian's infidelity when her marriage is on the rocks but it is about so much more. Lillian for a little while fulfills her needs through her double life until it all collides and leads to uncovering more deceptions and lies with eventual death (won't give that spoiler) lurking around the corner when it all comes crashing down. I didn't think this book would go where it did until the end started to reveal itself and the unexpected added to loving this even more!
Halfway through you find out who died and then the detour down the dark path begins. This is told from many POV's but most from Lillian and then a good amount from her husband Mike. I felt like this was a multidimensional mystery with so many crossing points to how it ended up where it did and it was so smooth to read through. I loved how different this was than what I could've ever expected. Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC copy and now I have to get more of Torre's books to my TBR list immediately!
I give this 4.5 stars!

This was such a good book. I went into this book having just read the short description and thought it sounded like a good domestic drama but, it was way more complicated than that and then before you know it there is a murder investigation and I was blown away by the rest of the story. Interesting and addictive!