This was so good!!! The characters were artfully and insightfully written with so much depth and a realistic element of good and bad that made me care about all of them (while still not totally trusting them). The story kept me guessing until the last page, and I know it will stay with me for a long time.

Despite how tense the story was, I found myself caring for Rowan and June, and desperate to know what really happened that night. The writing and pacing were both so sharp and immersive.
This story was unpredictable, emotional, and completely gripping. It shows how trauma can shatter your world and make you question who you can trust.

This book is a slow Burn book about a new mother going through post partum depression and how she spirals out of control. It is a very informative story.

"The Break" by Katie Sise is one of those thrillers that hooks you from the start and keeps you guessing until the very end. Set against a backdrop that intertwines themes of motherhood and mental health, Sise masterfully crafts a narrative that's as gripping as it is thought-provoking.

The story follows protagonist Lucy, whose life takes a sudden turn when she discovers a dark secret about her husband. As she navigates the complexities of marriage, motherhood, and her own sanity, the plot twists and turns, keeping you on edge with every chapter.

What I really appreciated about "The Break" is how it delves into the nuances of these themes without losing its momentum as a thriller. It's not just about the suspenseful twists (though there are plenty!), but also about the emotional journey Lucy undergoes. Sise's writing style is engaging and keeps you invested in Lucy's struggle to uncover the truth while balancing her roles as a wife and mother.

Overall, if you're looking for a thriller that's both chilling and emotionally resonant, "The Break" delivers on all fronts. It's a compelling read that sheds light on important issues, making it a standout in the genre.

3 stars- enjoyed this! thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved everything about this book! The different character perspectives and how everything unfolded. I never guessed how it was going to end.

This book started out slow but it really helped build up the tension of the mystery. Holy cow, Katie Sise can write!

A good thriller that is a slow burn with some twists. This is the first book I have read by the author, and it was not bad.

Rowan O’Sullivan, a writer of murder mysteries, has a newborn daughter, Lila, with husband Gabe, also a writer. The birth has been traumatic, and Gabe hires a 22-year-old babysitter, June, to take care of their baby while Rowan is treated for her Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. June is in a relationship with Harrison, who is Gabe’s literary agent.

The help is necessary as Rowan has had dark spells before, and she has blocked out a particular trauma she has faced recently. Rowan is afraid that something terrible has happened, and that something terrible will happen. Grappling with her mental instability, Rowan accuses June of hurting her child, and then June disappears.

While Rowan is immediately considered a suspect, she decides to unravel her twisted memories to see if she can get to the bottom of the mystery that surrounds June’s disappearance. But how can she even begin to sort through her memories when her mother is in a care home on account of her dementia, and Gabe seems to be a changed man.

The book is written from the PoV of Rowan and June at different timelines.



The characters didn’t really stand out for me. The friendship between June and Rowan didn’t seem all that strong. For the greater part of the book, they seemed like acquaintances, employer and employee at best.



I lost interest in the book for a greater part of the middle section when nothing seemed to happen. I plodded through for the themes of post-partum stress disorder, mental illness and dementia. We do need writing that talks about difficult issues and traumatic lived experiences. Unfortunately, the experiences described in this book didn’t hit the right note.

I was also interested in this book because of the dedication, which was:

For every woman who has experienced a traumatic birth.
For anyone whose path to creating a family has been marked with loss.
For every woman who has battled postpartum mental illness.



The writing was beautiful in parts. Sample this:

We all make our choices and send our fates spiraling.

Imprinted onto my life like ink stains.

We’re all walking around with these big brains that can misfire and split and repress and obsess or hurtle into insanity at any second.


The author threw a lot of red herrings at us, leading us down various paths, until the twist finally emerged at the end, but not in way that seemed organic to the plot. It was like the truth hit the main character all of a sudden. I also found it unreal how slow the investigation proceeded. Despite being a suspect, Rowan wasn’t really made to feel pressured at all. The police had a good lead with the CCTV footage in which June was last seen but they didn’t work on it convincingly. Also Gabe’s mother, Elena, attacks June, and she isn’t held accountable for that.

I was confused about the title of the book. What does the Break refer to? June is an aspiring actress, who is looking for her big break into acting, which she gets, but it has no bearing on the main plot.

At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to read about a woman suffering with postpartum depression and anxiety and headed for a mental breakdown. I am glad I stuck with it. It revealed alot of tabus and hidden truths about the different psychiatric disease processes. New mother, Rowan O'Sullivan returns home with her baby, but cannot stop thinking that something is wrong, something she cannot recall from the birthing process. The story becomes a complete mystery when Rowan's babysitter goes missing. I found myself engaged in the story; anxious to find out how things would end. Good character development and a good plot.

The thriller genre is crowded and I feel like I've read a lot of generic mysteries lately. Luckily, the Break was truly a standout. I never read the author before, but I'm excited to check out more of her work. The writing was crisp and she gave just enough breadcrumbs to keep me invested and reading. I enjoyed the beginning a lot, Rowan's POV really captivated me and I wanted to know more about her mental break and complex relationship with June. When it switched to June, it slowed down the book a bit, but definitely the momentum returned. The ending really brought everything together well.

Thank you NetGalley and Little A for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This slow-burn suspense novel touches on the timely and trending topics of postpartum PTSD/depression/anxiety/psychosis, (which has become a very popular theme in the thriller genre) and is one that I am thoroughly intrigued by.

THE BREAK is told in dual narration with a fractured, non-linear timeline which is a great way to keep the reader engaged and guessing. I love not knowing whether a character is reliable or not.

Although it was a little slow to start, I enjoyed the domestic drama and unexpected plot twists of this one.

Overall, a multi-layered and mysterious thriller!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This is true feminist horror and the new book "Beware the Women" is such a good book to read after this. The horror is this book is intense

A gripping physcological thriller with twists and turns that I didn't expect. I liked the characters and the ending was unbelievable.

I can’t remember the last time where I stayed up way too late to finish a book and then when I fell asleep, I got up early so I could finish it before work. That book was The Break by Katie Sise and it had me hooked from the beginning.

Rowan is a new mom who had a very traumatic birth experience and everyone around her seems to be treating her with kid gloves. She is nervous around her new daughter but loves her fiercely. June is her friend who has agreed to help with the baby to help take some pressure off of Rowan and her husband Gabe. The story is told from June and Rowan’s perspectives. As Rowan’s grip on reality slips, she accuses June of trying to harm her baby. Her shouts are overheard by neighbors and days later June disappears.

Sise builds the suspense and increases the suspect list by the page. You will be certain you know what’s going on and then you are thrown another curve ball. I had to suspend a little belief towards the end but it was well worth the journey. I totally recommend if you are looking for a fast thriller that you can’t put down.

It took me a couple of chapters to really get into this but once I did, I couldn't put it down. Really felt for the characters here. And had a strong dislike for some of them! Nice beach read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for the advanced reading copy of this unique psychological thriller which sheds a much-needed light on mental health, specially postpartum depression and trauma.

This novel did captivate my interest with its short chapters, characters and unique storyline. Like all great psychological thrillers, there certainly isn’t a shortage of twists throughout the book, specifically towards the end. Highly recommend this book!

I love when thrillers have a narrator who may be unreliable, and the reader has to try to suss out if the narrator is not telling the whole truth, or if everyone around them is actually lying, and The Break really delivered. It's a slow build/slow burn read, so I had plenty of time to come up with a wide variety of theories as to what was going on. Reading the POV of both Rowan and June allowed me to get to know both characters on a deeper level and established both as being imperfect, but sympathetic. The

Told from new mother Rowan and June, the babysitter's perspectives this book is a true mystery.

Rowan had a traumatic birth and is struggling with motherhood. She explodes at June.

we learn what happened, why Rowan exploded, and we learn more about each woman.

Someone dies, well it's a mystery so yes someone has to.

Who? I'd rather not say.

I enjoyed learning about each woman and why they acted how they acted.

I liked learning about June's being an actress as well as babysitter now.

This book kept me turning pages wanting to figure things out.

Full of sorrow and suspense it will keep the reader reading quickly to figure out what in the world is happening.

Highly recommended. 4****

Thank you NetGalley, the Publisher and author and GoodReads for the giveaway and e arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is an interesting domestic suspense book. The suspense definitely ramps up as the story progresses and more questions and mysteries arise. There is an interesting cast of characters and it’s impossible to figure out what the motivations and the true character is of each person until the end. Overall a very compelling and well written book!