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.

A Familiar Stranger is a psychological thriller.

It started off so well. It is a bit slower in the middle. But then it got super exciting all of the way until the final page.

The main narrators are Lillian and Mike (husband and wife). We find out early on that someone will supposedly die. So I was very intrigued to find out who it was and what actually happened.

I love when characters are morally grey. I like reading about psychopaths. And I love when people are out for revenge. This book had all of these things and more.

There are a lot of interesting reveals and unexpected developments in this book. Also There is a bit of a cliffhanger ending. And I definitely have questions! Looking forward to discuss this book with my buddy read group.

Talk about a wild story. Even though I’d received an eARC for A Familiar Stranger some time ago, (BTW thanks so much to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for that) I ended up putting off reading it until yesterday evening. And since I am now writing a review for it, about 24 hours later, you could say it did a fairly good job of keeping my attention, lol. No, seriously I enjoyed the heck out of this one. Lillian’s life seems to be stuck in neutral, if not going in reverse. Really, she is just spinning her wheels. She’s got plenty of problems in her life, among them she is sure her husband is cheating on her, she can’t connect with her kid, and her job as an obituary writer has lost it’s spark of excitement. (yeah, I know that sounds strange but when you read it you’ll understand. Also I think this may be the first time I remember a main character having such an unusual job). So what’s a girl to do? The unexpected answer to that question comes in the form of David, a man she meets and ends up having an affair with after completely reinventing herself. Suddenly she is leading a double life…but she’s not the only one keeping secrets and it’s not long before things get way out of hand. I know it’s cliche to call something a roller coaster ride, but in this case it really does fit.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-familiar-stranger-a-r-torre/1140688421?ean=9781662500121&bvnotificationId=ce1e2931-3e8c-11ed-942c-0acc4ca92b51&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/218352324

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1GCDDSSSUKVK9/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Well, that was a wild ride of a thriller. The lies, the deception, the anxiety.
I felt for Lillian. On all the levels I felt for her. She just didn’t want to be normal and wanted her husband to look at her like he used to. She wanted to feel desired. Halfway in, this book took a turn, and it was all downhill from there.
I am a little mad that I guessed pretty much every twist, and there was a lot of them. It kept me engaged and I didn’t want to put it down, so that gave major points.
Thank you to Thomas Mercer, AR Torre and Netgalley for an early copy.

I love Alessandra’s books, but I really love when she visits the dark twisty side! She does them so well! You think you know what you’re getting yourself into, and then all of a sudden you’re completely smacked up side the head. It’s always a rush and an amazing read! Just loved!!

First, I love the writing style of this author! So easy to read and I flew through this one in just a few days. Told in multiple POV, the reader mostly follows Lillian as she slowly discovers her husband’s secrets, which turn out to be much deeper and darker than she would have imagined. There were quite a few twists throughout the book, and I loved every second reading them. The ending wrapped up nicely and I felt closure for each character, which is always nice in my opinion. This is great for someone looking for a fast read that will throw you for a loop and then circle around to tie it all up in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas and Mercer, and A.R. Torre for providing me with this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: September 27, 2022

A properly gripping domestic thriller. This had my anxiety levels up throughout and it kept me guessing until it didn’t. One hint about 2/3 of the way in and you could figure out the rest, but I still wanted to know how it played out. Plenty of unreliable characters in this one!

TW: infidelity, revenge porn, pregnancy loss, eating disorders, mental illness, addiction

I love the ride A.R. Torre books take a reader on and this was no exception! I was completely sucked into this book. I didn’t see all the twists and turns coming. This book held my attention and I couldn’t read it fast enough. I don’t want to ruin this story for you, reader. I enjoyed getting to know Lillian and Mike and how the secrets they had affected everyone around them! Do yourself a favor and grab this book today!

This is such a quick, exciting, wild, and twisty psychological thriller! A.R. Torre’s writing is just hypnotic and mesmerizing. If life didn’t get in the way, I would have finished this in one sitting.

There were several times throughout this books that I had a pit in my stomach as the writing was like a sucker punched to the stomach. The ending was jaw-dropping delicious and was just the right cherry on top.

***** Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley, and A.R. Torre for the #gifted copy as it was provided to me in turn for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this story, such a rivetting mystery that keeps the reader engrossed. Definetely recommend.

Thanks netgalley and publisher.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and arent influenced by anyone else

I'm usually a big fan of Alessandra Torre/A.R. Torre's books. But this one missed the mark for me.

Lillian Smith has a lot going on in her family and work life. Her inattentive, controlling husband husband may be cheating on her. Her teenage son ignores her. She was demoted in her job that she has been doing for twenty years. Lillian starts an affair with David, who she meets in a coffee shop. But Lillian isn't the only one leading a double life.

The first half is your typical wife stuck in a boring marriage and she finds out her husband is cheating so she decides to cheat storyline. Then you throw in wild and outrageous plot twists and it becomes a complete mess. The characters were unlikable. I disliked the way the author handled mental illness in this book. And a postmortem POV, really?

I still however, look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and A.R. Torre for an ARC of "A Familiar Stranger" in exchange of an honest review.

2.5 stars

I liked the concept of A Familiar Stranger, but the attempt was lacklustre.

There was never enough time to allow the suspense to build. We get lots of time with Lillian feeling wishy-washy about her marriage, flirting with a stranger, considering an affair, and having problems with her job - but none of these aspects were suspenseful. And then bam, bam, bam. I started to think, 'yes, I can get into this' and then - everything was settled right after it started. Torre just hands you the resolutions one after another - no twists, surprises, or red herrings.

The male characters and their perspectives were a lot less developed - every Sam or Mike chapter was very self-explanatory with 'okay, let me tell you exactly what I did and why.' Instead of allowing the reader to be an observer and try to discover answers for themselves, all of the secrets are instantly revealed. So much more telling than showing. Lenny was a little better, but for an alcoholic caretaker, he miraculously returned to his rockstar detective roots with no problems and solved everything within a few chapters. But the police couldn't?

Too much time was wasted on relationships that barely came into play later on, and not enough was spent on the suspense. I don't even want to classify this as a thriller, though I know it's supposed to be. It almost feels like an attempt at a psychological thriller but not enough effort was made to give Lillian that dissolving sense of reality that you would expect to see. Instead, she's a pretty typical, bored, unhappy housewife. There are hints at a history of mental illness and alcoholism, but these are more offhand comments than anything that was explored in depth.

I honestly went into this review with a 3.5-star rating. But, unfortunately, once you break things down, I can't justify going above 2.5 stars.

This was my first book by A.R. Torre and I am hooked on this author's writing! I will be going back and checking out the backlist of books. "A Familiar Stranger" is told through multiple points of view and timelines, very clear to follow, as the reader pieces together what is happening in the story. I found myself guessing how this was going to go throughout my reading and still being wrong! I could not put this book down because I had to know! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

A Familiar Stranger was a weird one for me. There were parts that I loved and parts that I didn't care for. Let's start at the beginning..
First few chapters were a bit hard to get into. This is my first A.R. Torre book (so keep that in mind) I wasn't sure if it was a normal writing style but it was a bit jumpy and the dialogue felt incomplete. But after a couple chapters, either I settled into it or it just started coming together better. Either way I started really enjoying the story. I just knew I was in for a twisty, psychological domestic thriller. See we have Lillian, a wife, mom and well ... somewhat of a career writing obituaries, she was just recently demoted. Her husband Mike, a bit of a swarmy guy is having an affair. But after Lillian confronts him he promises to end it, he's just relieved she hadn't found out all his secrets. Enter David, a handsome stranger that makes Lillian feel like she could be a different person. And then there's a death. The web of lies and deceit unfold in a fast paced, unputdownable, twisty fashion. Alternating between quite a few different point of views, the chapters are quick and compulsive. I'm loving it, I'm all in. Then the twist happens and it lost me. And that has nothing to do with the writing or the story telling of the author. Both of which were on point. It's just my own likes and dislikes. It's hard to summarize without spoilers. I did enjoy the book, but the last half took away some of the enjoyment for me. All I'll say is it felt like it was an element not needed to finish the story. And a few story threads that ended up going no where, left me with some unanswered questions. For most readers this will be a great read. I highly suspect I'll be in the minority with this one. And as I said this is my first A. R. Torre book, her writing style is intriguing, and I look forward to picking up another one of her books.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

A Familiar Stranger started out as a pretty typical thriller but then halfway through the story took a surprising twist and I loved it. I stayed up late just to finish. I can't wait for her next novel.

I really don’t understand these low ratings on this book. I was glued to the pages from the beginning. We’re being told there’s a death, but is it hers or his? The story is told with lots of ambiguity but you might be able to make some educated guesses. I really felt for Lillian, all her personal struggles and questioning her marriage. Mike is a whole mess himself with his lists and back up plans for everything. Their poor kid just a teenager going through the hormones has no clue his parents are losing it. What are they losing? I’m not sure they really had a good grasp to begin with but it’s slipping. This would make a great Netflix movie or a mini series. It has all the right elements: intrigue, bad guys, sleazy guys, drunks, murder and mystery. Torre’s suspense thrillers are always exciting to read and get lost in someone else’s crazy world. I received an early copy and wrote this review voluntarily.

Solid popcorn read--some good twists, but graded down because there were some threads that went nowhere and I don't like unresolved things.

Lillian is an obituary writer married to Mike, they have a teenage son Jacob. Lillian finds some evidence that maybe Mike is having an affair. She meets David in a coffee shop and decides to do some flirting herself, which turns into more. Then some shocking events occur--we know from the beginning that there is a death but not who or why --and the reader is left to wonder who is responsible. The book is told mostly from Lillian and Mike's alternating points of view with a few random others scattered throughout.

I didn't care for really any of the characters (maybe the cemetery caretaker) and that made me struggle to care what happened to any of them. They were all slimy in their own ways. And as I mentioned above, there was one storyline that was completely unresolved, we have no idea what was going on there. And the way the author dealt with Lillian's mental health issues was just icky too.

Overall, this is a popcorn thriller with some wild twists that kept me compulsively reading even if it wasn't as good as it could have been.

I’ve started to really look forward to A.R. Torre books and I was definitely intrigued by A Familiar Stranger. I will say that the synopsis doesn’t really seem to fit the actual story that unfolds, but that ended up being ok for me.

The story starts off pretty slowly and is told mostly from Lillian’s point of view. She’s feeling dissatisfied with her boring life and her boring job and her boring husband. I thought this part of the story did drag at times, as Lillian’s thoughts were kind of repetitive and tedious. My favorite parts were her husband’s, Mike’s, POVs that were peppered in throughout. There is definitely more to him than meets the eye and I really wanted to find out what he was hiding.

The timeline of the story includes a countdown until a death occurs and once that happened, I felt the pace really started to pick up. A lot more secrets were revealed and while I did guess a lot of them, there were still a couple that surprised me. There was a twist, as well, that I wasn’t really sure I could get on board with, but I tried to keep an open mind about it and it eventually stopped bothering me. We also got several more POVs and I thought they all added something. I also liked how short the chapters were, which kept me wanting to turn the page, even when I thought things were going a little slow.

Overall, I enjoyed A Familiar Stranger. I liked the short chapters, the multiple POVs, and the characters I loved to hate. One of my complaints with some of the other books I’ve read by this author has been that the endings tend to be a little anti-climactic, but I thought this one did a better job with that. However, I still thought there were several things I wanted a little more explanation or closure on. I also have to mention that my reading experience was definitely enhanced because I was reading this at the same time as one of my favorite bloggers, Deanna, and we messaged each other throughout the whole book with reactions and theories. That extra enjoyment is what is tipping my rating up from 3.5 to 4 stars.

A Familiar Stranger by A.R. Torre (aka the amazing Alessandra Torre) kept me at the edge of the seat from start to finish. We know something is coming right from the start. Get ready for a story full of surprises, twists, and suspense. In this domestic thriller, Lillian is not happy with her life right now. She lost the job she loved, she is non-existent to her husband and son. Then she meets David and everything changes. She becomes a new person, literally. But what happens when truths come out and things are not always what they seem? How will it all end? I could not put this book down.

Happy reading!

EXCERPT: As I added cream and sugar, a familiar code came across the scanner.

A dead body, found. Setting down the Garfield cup, I turned the radio up, then grabbed my pen and my work notebook. Writing down the details, I glanced at the sunshine clock above the family organisation board that hung by the pantry. I pulled out my travel mug and poured my coffee into the stainless-steel vessel and screwed the lid onto the top.

I try not to be excited by a death, but this moment, before I find out the details, before I know all the answers - it's like a shot of adrenaline. I love it.

ABOUT 'A FAMILIAR STRANGER': Such a quiet and ordinary wife and mother. Who will even notice what she’s done?

Lillian Smith leads an unexceptional life, writing obituaries and killing time with her inattentive husband and disconnected son. Then she meets David, a handsome stranger, in a coffee shop. Lured into an affair, she invents a new persona, one without strings, deadlines, or brooding husbands.

Lillian has never felt so reckless, unpredictable, or wanted. But as her affair with David intensifies, she withdraws from everything that’s real, even her closest friend. When evidence of her life as a secret lover finds its way onto her son’s social media, she risks ruining much more than her marriage or reputation.

As lies beget lies, Lillian’s two worlds spiral dangerously out of control. And betrayals run deeper than she imagines. Because Lillian isn’t the only one leading a double life.

MY THOUGHTS: I'm definitely classing A Familiar Stranger as a guilty pleasure read! It has many elements that I love - crime, manipulative characters, family and relationship dramas, mystery, and just a smidgen of romance. It's twisty and unpredictable.

The characters are all multi-layered, though it certainly doesn't seem that way at first. It's like peeling an onion, the way the author slowly reveals their secrets, their lies, and their true natures.

Sam is Lillian's best friend and supporter. He's gay, a man who thinks things through to the nth degree, a compulsive listener of podcasts, and always looks like he has stepped straight out of the pages of GQ. Her other best friend is Lenny, an alcoholic groundsman at a local cemetery. There's an extremely touching story behind this friendship. I loved the scene where Lillian meets Marcella, Lenny's daughter, for the first time. It's both poignant and funny.

Torres writing is seductive. I was pulled into the story from the beginning and it just never let go of me. I read the whole book with a dirty, great grin on my face, and that ending? Just perfect!

This whole read played out like a movie in my head as I was reading. In fact, this would make a great movie.

A twisty and fun read filled with secrets, suspense, drama and danger!

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3

#AFamiliarStranger #NetGalley

I: @alessandratorre4 @thomasmerceruk

T: @ReadAlessandra @AmazonPub

#contemporaryfiction #crime #domesticdrama #friendship #mystery

THE AUTHOR: A.R. Torre is a pseudonym of Alessandra Torre and is her dark alter ego. While Alessandra writes spicy romances, A.R. focuses on twisted stories filled with secrets, suspense, drama, and danger.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of A Familiar Stranger by A.R. Torre for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

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