A Familiar Stranger by A.R. Torre is a character-driven suspense novel that grabbed me from the first page—“Everything I told David on the day that I met him was a lie”—and kept me reading until the final unexpected twist!
The protagonist Lillian is an insecure obituary writer for the L. A. Times who is married to an OCD controlling husband Mike. While her uncertainty about herself and her marriage lead her to make some poor choices and engage in far-fetched activities, she is a somewhat sympathetic character and it is entertaining to follow her adventures. The plot deepens when a death occurs!
Told in multiple first person POVs, the story is particularly enjoyable as we get into the heads of the characters, especially Mike, and an ex-cop caretaker at the cemetery, Lenny. He is probably the most likeable character, as he feels very real and damaged by his experiences as a cop and his personal tragedies. His friendship with Lil shows a sensitive side in both of them. Lil’s best friend Sam, a real estate wheeler dealer, is also an intriguing entity.
The plotting deviously, relentlessly hurtles to the conclusion, with a final twist for an OMG ending!
I enthusiastically recommend this novel to readers who like a fast-paced domestic suspense story with strong characters and a good dose of humanity

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my unbiased opinion.

Wow! I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this! A Familiar Stranger has all the elements a good psychological thriller should, and the plus side is, it’s a fast paced and bingable read.

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.

I found this quite clever. I also have to say I’ve not read this author's previous works, hence why I was so pleasantly surprised. The premise, on the outset, is pretty simple. Husband lies and cheats, so wifey returns the favour. Lo and behold, they’re both cheating and lying to each other. Perfectly acceptable behaviour, right?

Ta da! Now this is where the narrative and plot take a clever and macabre twist and I have to admit, did not foresee. I think it fair to say, that at this point all the snarky lies and deception begin to snowball … and snowball fast, taking the direction of the story into a totally different but equally compelling direction.

A highly entertaining read.

This was soooooo good!! If you want something different that will leave you with your jaw on the floor, this is for you!!! Twists and turn galore. Kudos to the author for putting a different twist on this who-done it.

Great read. Suspenseful and kept me turning the pages late into the night. . Secrets, lies, and secret lives.

WOW!

I absolutely dod not see this coming!
The author completely pulls you in and you are sunk!
The characters seem mundane and boring, and suddenly a change. Lillian begins to become more, more attractive, much happier, fuller of personality and joy. We know why reading, but suffice it to say, something happened, and then the author's sequence of events keep going and going.
Now you're at 70% of the book read and feel like you're watching a train wreck you simply cannot stop.
Friends who are "true" friends? Acquaintances who prove to be real friends. Then of course the perfect family...

Amazing! You had this reader blown away, no , I did not see what was coming!

Karen

This was such a quick and totally bingeable read that I couldn’t put down! I was instantly consumed and I needed to finish it, which I did, in practically one sitting!!

I just love Torre’s writing style and always find it intriguingly twisty and incredibly engrossing!

I loved the formatting of knowing the “what” a someone was going to die and we were counting down to it while we continue reading and trying to uncover the “who” and the “why.” I relish in unpredictable domestic thrillers and Torre served just that!

Although I was left wanting a bit more from the David storyline, I did absolutely love the cemetery sidekick in Lenny!

Told from multiple POVs, this is certainly a psychological thriller that o recommend checking out!

Trust Alessandra Torre to write some twisted shizz. I think she must take pleasure in messing with our heads and taking us on a ride--things she definitely does in A Familiar Stranger. If you're a reader of her romances, then this may not be your read because even though there is definitely plot points that involve Lillian and relationships; this is more a story of deception and loneliness and boredom and anger and how all of those things result in some very interesting (poor) choices.



So as the blurb explains, Lillian leads a fairly boring life. She's bored and frustrated and generally dissatisfied with everything. For fun she creates murder scenarios on Twitter and sometimes likes to imagine herself as someone living a more exciting life, like those of the people she sometimes writes obituaries for. This is exactly what she does when she encounters a man, David, in a coffee shop. She takes on the persona of Taylor and decides that to him she'll be a more carefree, well traveled, fun version of herself. What starts out as a friendly flirtation turns into an affair that fills her days with a freedom she's longed for for quite a while. The trouble with all of this, of course, is that she's married with a teenage son. Sounds pretty despicable, right? It totally is. But as you'll learn there are really only two characters who aren't terrible human beings in this novel. I won't reveal who they are but seriously, I detested almost everyone in this novel for most of the novel. Lillian's husband was a controlling jerk who did his own damage to their marriage and the other characters we meet each have their own issues as well.



If you've seen other reviews for this novel you'll see that there are some readers who didn't care for the twist that we encounter about halfway through. I am not one of those. The twist didn't turn me off or disappoint me; I actually thought it was an interesting way to explore the rest of the story. The 'death' wasn't the mystery, you only have to pay attention to the table of contents to know that someone dies. It's the how and the why that is the fun part and while I had an idea of who was involved and why before everything was revealed, I nevertheless enjoyed it and found it a fun read.



A Familiar Stranger is a fun read, with twists and turns, characters you're going to enjoy disliking, and an ending that will tie up all the loose ends. It's a great weekend escape-give it a try.

4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

This was so good and unputdownable! I don’t know why I waited so long to read a book from A.R Torre, Inhave to read more from her now
I loved the writing, and her style. Liked the short chapters as well. The story overall was soooo good. I loved the twists and I just can’t wait to read more from her!!
Thanks so much for the ARC!!!!

This was a fantastic domestic thriller. The characters were quirky and just when you think you had something figured out, another twist was around the corner. I really enjoyed Torre’s writing style where she gives you enough character development but then later adds another dimension.

This book was not only intriguing and suspenseful. I could not wait to return to this book after having to step away. The story in the back of my mind making me wonder what was coming next.

I liked Lillian and grew to love her through out the story. Her job was morbid but also the last impression of someone. You could tell that she cared deeply for those around her that left her to putting herself last. Until she decides she needs a change and things get real interesting.

What can I say about Mike…..well lets just say I wasn’t a fan of his demeanor or condescending attitude. He was cold and treated Lillian like she was a child. Business seemed to be his first love but Mike’s not all he pretends to be…..

Sam…. the bestie. He seemed to be a true friend. One to listen and look out for Lillian. They appeared to be more than just drinking buddies and who kept her entertained with his intellectual banter.

Levels of deceit, secrets, betrayal and subtle hints that there was more going on than then the obvious or the inferred.

Alessandra’s writing was crisp and concise. The story ever changing and engaging from the first page right through to the end. I liked that she told the story in multiple points of view.

If you are looking for a suspenseful novel to keep you up for “just one more chapter” this book is for you.

AR Torre has done it again!!! I love her books and this book definitely had its twist and turns that make you rethink about everything again!!!!!

“My husband loves to solve problems, which is probably why he married me to begin with.”

I don’t even know what to say about this book. It’s twisty. Its told from multiple perspectives. It’s a little bit sad. It’s a lot torrid. The characters are an interesting bunch, but I admittedly had a hard time rooting for anyone. I feel like so many things happened that I would never have guessed, but there were also some threads I was able to pull on my own. So I’ll say this one slowly unravels, but it’s sort of fun figuring it all out as you go along.

If you enjoy reading about double lives and the thrilling chaos that ensues because of them, then this mystery thriller will give.

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.