Crazy, Messy Fun

3.5 stars

“I picked the most exciting woman who had recently died, and I stole her spirit. I stole her story. I stole her life. And it felt really, really good.”

A Familiar Stranger is a psychological thriller about a woman who believes she lives a boring life. With the desire to have some excitement, she pretends to be someone else and soon finds herself in a dark web of lies that leads to murder.

Lillian, a former celebrity obituary writer, mother of Jacob, and wife to Mike lives a boring life. Mike is full of secrets and has a wandering eye. Then there is the mysterious David Laurent, whom Lillian encounters at a coffee shop. Needing a change, she starts a flirtation with David, but her world slowly implodes as she finds herself caught up in a lie she didn't even know she was living.

Lillian is the main narrator for the first half of the book. The second half is dominated by Mike's POV, with some additional chapters told from former cop Lenny's point of view.

I thought I knew where the plot was going, but I was SO wrong. There is a twist that threw me for a loop and shifted this book into crazy territory. The plot is a little messy and chaotic, but I was deeply entertained watching all of the secrets, lies, and deceit play out.

A Familiar Stranger is a highly entertaining and compulsively readable novel. It’s problematic in that one storyline is dropped and never fully explained. The characters, especially Mike, felt a little cartoonish, and the ending felt unfinished. This is not my favorite read from Torre. On the plus side, this book is a page-turner and takes a different path from the norm, which is a win for me.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you very much to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first book I have read by A.R. Torre, and I had high hopes since her previous books are wildly popular. Lillian feels stagnant in her career (and life in general) and finds out that her husband is cheating on her. When she meets David at a coffee shop, she spontaneously introduces herself as "Taylor," thus beginning a whirlwind double life. I don't always reach for thrillers and I thought this sub-genre was going to be cliche. The novel is set up well and I enjoyed the "domestic thriller" aspect; however, while I was hooked in the first act, I ultimately felt like my initial interest was lost in the second act. This might be due to my lack of familiarity with the genre but I didn't fully buy into the plot twists.

Torre is obviously talented at building suspense and I'll give her other books a try. While A Familiar Stranger is a decent book that I know will be a big hit for a lot of readers, it was just not 100% for me.

Lillian Smith, an obituary writer, is in a rut with a negligent husband (whom she suspects is having an affair) and a son she feels disconnected from. When she meets David, a handsome stranger, in the coffee shop she creates an alternate persona of someone more fun and carefree. Lillian's fantasy life becomes more complicated when the relationship leads to an affair. When a scandalous post of her and David is posted on social media, she risks losing more than just her family as her lies become exposed...but she's not the only one with secrets.

A Familiar Stranger is another binge worthy domestic thriller from A.R. Torre. I love her writing style and find her books really difficult to put down. Despite my suspicions, some of which were confirmed, this novel took a very surprising turn towards the end that was not what I was expecting. Although I still enjoyed this novel it was not my favorite read by this author. The only character I liked was the alcoholic ex-police officer/gravedigger who had a fairly minor role in most of the novel. I did however enjoy the novel working backwards from a body being found and trying to work out all of the connections between key characters. That being said this was a fun fast read that I would definitely recommend.

This book was such a fun ride! I love when authors can make you fall in love with such flawed and twisted characters…and this book is full of them! Such a page turner full of many WTF moments, with a huge twist I didn’t see coming! For sure pick up this book.!! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

“And that’s the problem with people. They don’t stay where you put them, not unless they are dead.”

I really enjoyed reading this domestic suspense thriller! This is not your typical cheating spouse story, and it really kept me on my toes the entire time I was going through it. I was pretty hooked within the first few chapters, and loved how short each chapter was in general.

About 50% of the way through this one things started to take a really wild turn, and I loved getting to see each character’s POVs and thoughts as we got closer to the end of the story. I was able to predict one of the twists before it was revealed, but it really didn’t take away from the book at all. There was so much that I didn’t predict or see coming and I really enjoyed this one from start to finish!

I highly recommend this one to fans of thrillers, domestic suspense, or murder mysteries!

It was ok, but I expected more. I usually enjoy A. R. Torre’s writing more, don’t know what happened with this one.

Lilian is a (former celebrity, now regular person) obituary writer for the newspaper. In her spare time, she writes death riddles for her bedside detective Twitter following. As her marriage begins to stale and she learns of her husband's infidelity, she tailspins into a new life and relationship of her own. But when someone outside of the obituaries ends up dead, who are we to trust?
I felt like this book had a lot of promise, but it tried to fit in too many dramatic pieces that ended up going nowhere. One minute Lilly is an alcoholic, the next she has mental health issues...and Michael's big secret could've been further developed. I'm a huge A.R. Torre fan, so I'll certainly be reading whatever she writes, but I'd much more highly recommend The Good Lie or The Ghost Writer.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

I had a good time with this! I have read the Deanna Madden trilogy by A.R. Torre previously and really really enjoyed it so I was super excited to read something else by her finally. Her writing works really well for me and I flew through the short chapters.

For the first half of this book, we're counting down to something. For a novel under 300 pages, it seemed like there was a lot of build up to this event. Like, 50% of the book was build up. But I don't think I minded it because you're able to get to know the characters more and it was fun to try to solve things after it happened based on what you know about everyone already.

I will say that I didn't enjoy the second half of the book as much as the first half, but I still had a good time. It seemed a bit chaotic and a little all over the place. But honestly, that's what made me want to keep reading. I had to find out what the conclusion was going to be as soon as possible.

Overall, I'm very glad I read this and am excited to pick up some of A.R. Torre's other books. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a short, fun, and easy to read mystery/thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun suspenseful novel. It wasn’t the best read of 2022, but certainly not the worse. Unfortunately, I figured out a major plot twist early on, so the big reveal was underwhelming for me. The last chapter was my favorite and really wrapped up the story.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Woah. This book was definitely a new experience.

I mean the plot is pretty basic and common, people leading dual lives blah blah. But the thing is, this book had a grim aura from the beginning which kind of sets the appropriate mood for the story.

There's a supernatural element as well since some chapters are narrated by a dead character! which was a new experience for me. I haven't read something like that before. Maybe it was a bit lame technique and the author could have used someone else's perspective or written in the third person, but I kinda dug it!

There was a plot twist around the 75% mark of the book which I did NOT see coming! It was a great twist! Also at the reveal of the whodunit, it was another great twist!

Overall. it was a quick read, and I loved it! I love this author's other work as well. Highly recommended!

Another smashing success by this author! Highly recommend and greatly enjoyed. The author does an incredible job painting such delicious storylines, complete with complex and interesting characters that make you feel as if you are sitting right next to them as the story plays out. I devoured this book in one single day!!!

This suspense thriller had a twist in the middle of the book that turned the story in a radically different direction than the one this reader was heading.
   Lilian writes obituaries for a living, is unhappy with her marriage, has a drinking problem and can’t seem to get out of her own way. I really felt badly for her and what has transpired in her life.
   The discovery of her husband’s infidelity angers her enough that when a strange man shows interest in her she doesn’t shy away but takes on a fake identity and becomes a new woman as a result of his affections. But she isn’t the only one who has two identities.
   The husband, her best friend and this new lover all have another side that intertwine as the story plays out.  Add a little of the paranormal into the mix and a drinking buddy who becomes a hero and you have an exciting story that will keep you turning pages.

this book started off with so much promise, but sadly, it fell victim to the overused “my wife/husband is having an affair but it turns out he/she is a horrible person” trope 🫠

as a fan of a.r. torre’s writing, I was beyond excited to receive an ARC of this one!! it promised everything I love in a thriller: cheating spouses, dark secrets, dual POVs, and of course, a whodunnit murder!

the story itself just took a weird turn about halfway through, and I don’t think I was ready for that shift in story. it almost felt like the author decided to change directions from a murder mystery to a mafia thriller without adding any context as to the deep connection.

the main character, lillian, was another overused scorned woman trope: constantly popping pills and chugging bottles of wine. I’m just curious as to the value that it added to the story because in the end, her problems really had nothing to do with the plot.

maybe I’m just overthinking this one, because I enjoyed the writing and the pace of it, but the constant veering of the overarching plot just wasn’t it for me. I’m a sucker for continuity 😅

a huge thank you to netgalley and thomas and mercer for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! this one’s out end of September!

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: napa valley zinfandel

Yeah, sooooo........

A.R. Torre opens the door and in walks Lillian Smith. Yup, we get the standardized "Smith" last name with seemingly no strings attached. Lillian has been using her no-frills last name in her by-line obituary articles for the Los Angeles Times for almost twenty years. Lillian is appearing to be a regular bread-and-butter main character here.......and this is an A.R. Torre novel? Sooooo, yeah.

And then Torre begins tinkering with our gal Lillian. There's some crust on that bread. Lillian is beginning to suspect that her controlling, hard-nosed husband, Mike, is having an affair. Their marriage has been slammed against the rocks for some time. Robots with wedding rings alongside their teenage son, Jacob, who spends more time away from home than in.

We begin to see that Lillian is an off again/on again medication user/abuser. She remembers and then she forgets.......blurred by glassfuls of adult beverages. Lillian often visits a retired police officer who is the caretaker of a cemetery near her home. Lillian wrote the obituary after the loss of his young daughter. They became friends and confidantes over the years.

Depression sits heavily next to Lillian. But there's a perk on the horizon. Lillian makes eye contact with David in a local coffee shop. Innocent flirting becomes an affair and the affair finds residence on a boat at the marina. Lillian loves Mike, but Mike loves his job. David provides a diversion from real life for Lillian.

A.R. Torre slips in a little countdown noise in the background. We have a murder soon to take place. As readers, we're lining up the usual suspects. But here's the kicker. When it finally happens, we will be forced into two camps: the oh hell no group and the hell yes group. It will completely turn the tide in this novel. A.R. Torre is famously known for mixin' it up in her novels.

I must admit that I wanted to grab the wheel at this point and turn this bus around. It wasn't my choice of destinations. (Hence, the 3.5 kicked up to 4 Stars for the A.R. Torre writing) But, nevertheless, Torre is on cruise control and we land splendidly at the end. A Familiar Stranger has to be experienced for one's self. The cover is magnificent and deserving of this author. Ya gotta take this one out for a spin with Lillian ridin' shotgun.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to A.R. Torre for the opportunity.

I love this author and this book was no exception! Tons of twists and turns... kept me guessing and made me lose sleep! A Familiar Stranger was suspenseful and makes you wonder if those closest to you are who they say they are.

Solid 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the book, the writing was well done. It kept me engaged throughout and I did really like the characters, well developed. I could easily rate this one up if the plot was more in tune to my own personal likes and dislikes, but I would recommend.

Finally, after starting three books I couldn’t get into I find this one! I couldn’t put this one down. Lillian is in a troubled marriage, has problems at work and a son that’s a concern. After discovering her husband is cheating, she gets involved with a man she meets at a coffee shop, after totally reinventing herself. This story is fast paced and told in first person changing with each chapter. The more you read the more you have to find out what happens. The twist caught me totally off guard. I will be recommending this one to all my reading friends. Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

#AFamiliarStranger #netgalley #ARTorre #Thomas&Mercer

Terrific! The one word that describes this book to a tee. Lillian Smith is a bi-polar, functioning alcoholic who makes her living as an newspaper obituary writer and married to Mike Smith, an uber-cautious financial planner. They have one son, Jacob, and live a quiet life in an unassuming neighborhood mostly doing what is expected of them. Lillian, who sometimes goes off the rails, is feeling bored and ordinary. She discovers Mike is having an affair and, throwing caution to the wind, has one of her own. However, nothing is as it seems and their perfectly structured life begins to unravel.

A. R. Torre has written a psychological thriller that sets off bombshells page after page. It is un-putdownable and you won’t see the ending coming.

Thanks to NetGalley for introducing me to, yet, another fabulous author and an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I couldn’t put this one down. Fast easy read. Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy of this book. I will definitely be recommending this one to family and friends.
What a wild ride. I didn’t know what was coming and I didn’t see the twist of who did it till the very very end. I loved how there was different POVs but it wasn’t confusing.

From the beginning, we know someone dies in A Familiar Stranger, we just don't know who.
I found the first half of the book kind of slow as Lillian begins an affair because she found out her husband is having an affair. But, about halfway through, when we find out WHO dies, it becomes more interesting with a twist. The ending/killer wasn't totally surprising, though.
I did like the short chapters, but felt character development could have been better, particularly with Lillian's son and in dealing with her mental illness.