Until the end of the audiobook The Girl From The Sea by consummate thriller author Shalini Boland I was rating this one as a solid story for psychological thriller fans but that ending upped the ante.

The audiobook begins with a woman describing how she can't breathe and is confused about where she is and what is happening to her mind and body. This intense scene grabbed my interest immediately and I was all in.

Found on the beach, nearly drowned, Mia is brought to the hospital where, besides some bruising and dehydration, she is okay. Oh yeah, except for the retrograde amnesia!

No idea who she is the cops investigate and soon her boyfriend, Piers, comes to claim her and now Mia has a name and a home. Mia is told she loves to row and must have had an accident while rowing.

As she investigates her life things are not adding up including her annoyance with Piers and obvious attraction to her rowing instructor.

Be forewarned there are a few red herrings, some fun surprises and a few obvious revelations but that ending had me grinning from ear to ear.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publishers via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Maya is found on the beach, wet, cold and unable to remember who she is or how she got there. Though her body fully recovers from the trauma of it, her mind does not. She is left unable to remember the most basic things about her life, including her family and the man who comes to the hospital to claim her, saying he is her boyfriend. When she is released to her gorgeous home, with her gorgeous boyfriend she starts having glimpses of her old life, though they don’t seem to match up to the life she appears to be living now. As she tried to put the pieces back into place in her mind, she starts to fall in love with someone other than her boyfriend and discovers that her neighbor hates her, and she doesn’t know why. She’s wishes she could remember, but as the old saying goes “be careful what you wish for”
The story had some slow points but the narrator did a good job of keeping me engaged and I felt like it got wrapped up kind of quickly compared to the rest of the story, but overall, I enjoyed this and found it an engrossing and enjoyable way to spend my morning. A solid psychological thriller.
Thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

3.25 stars

Imagine waking up on the beach and having no clue who you are. The doctor says she has amnesia likely caused by a trauma. Thus sets forth the 'who is who' and 'who can she trust' as Mia tries to figure out what happened to her.

I didn't really love any of the characters, but this was a pretty fast paced psychological thriller, with some predictability ~ an overall decent read.

Once I got used to the accent, Katie Villa did a nice job narrating.

They start so well, then end with blah blah blah. Good news: Narrator Katie Villa was amazing, a perfect choice. I have only good memories of her.


Now back to the not so good story. The ending (without spoiling) has been done too many times. Sadly, after the good start and great narration, the ending fell short. As I sit here now, I feel like the author check-listed all the genre tropes not missing any off the top of my head.

There is a lot of profanity.

I did enjoy the final scene of the prison visit. I also liked some writing descriptions enough to mention. She has a way with words that pulled me in.

This is not a stay home from work, mark your calendar being released book. It's a cover buy, quick glance at the library shelf take or definitely a garage sale pickup. It's just okay. I will look for others by the author and narrator.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for accepting my request to read and review The Girl from the Sea.

#NetGalley
#BookoutureAudio
#TheGirlFromTheSea
#KatieVilla
#Audiobook
#ShaliniBoland

Who can you trust?

Mia James awakens to find herself in a hospital. No memory, or clue how she got there. For that matter… no idea of who she is. All she knows is she was discovered washed ashore. Maybe a boating accident? Did she fall overboard? Or was something more sinister behind her accident.

Mia must somehow reclaim her life, and quickly realizes this will be no easy task. Everyone may have their own best interests at heart, so she must be guarded about who she chooses to trust. Not her family…or her boyfriend. So just who does that leave?

I listened to the audio and the narrator did a fabulous job. I was totally engaged from the start and flew through this one in no time at all. Plenty of twists I didn’t see coming. Always a bonus!

Only my third read from this author but I’d say it’s my favorite to date. Perhaps because of the audio format?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio 🎧

Thank you Netgalley, Shalini Boland, and Bookouture for my gifted audiobook.

Synopsis:
When Mia wakes up on a beach, she has no idea who she is, how she got there, and where she got that headwound from. Not even when her boyfriend collects her from the hospital does she remember him or her beautiful flat. But soon Mia gets awful flashbacks of somebody pushing her into the water...

My thoughts:
Usually, I really enjoy the amnesia trope, but this one wasn't for me. I saw all the twists coming from several miles away. I have to say, though, that the "I don't, either" one was delivered like a sledgehammer and had me gasping. Unfortunately, there wasn't one single character I liked - and especially Mia was whiny, irrational, and just plain insufferable. And even though I am not a native speaker, I found the dialogue to be very shallow.

This was my second book by this author, and my favorite is The Family Holiday

My thanks to Bookouture Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘The Girl From The Sea’ by Shalini Boland. It is narrated by Katie Villa.

I originally read ‘The Girl From The Sea’ as an eARC from Bookouture in 2019 and enjoyed it very much. I welcomed the opportunity to revisit it via its audiobook edition and felt that it held up well to a re-read.

A few non-spoilery details: One morning a young woman is washed up on a Dorset beach. She is rushed to a local hospital but has no memory of who she is. After a few days the police advise her that a young man, Piers, has identified her as his girlfriend, Mia James.

With Piers’ help Mia attempts to recover her memory and adjust to her seemingly perfect former life but begins to feel that everyone is lying to her.

I was totally hooked by this novel and read it in a single sitting unable to tear myself away from it. Very dark and twisty indeed! Certainly one that I will be enthusiastically recommending to my friends that enjoy psychological thrillers.

With respect to the audiobook, Katie Villa has a warm, engaging voice that was a pleasure to listen to. She is an experienced stage and voice actor and has narrated over 50 titles, including a number of cosy mysteries and psychological thrillers including others written by Shalini Boland.

Wow this was a bombshell of a listen. I do have a thing for books where the main character doesn’t remember who they are and works to discover it. And every time she interacted with someone I was sure they were shady and had hurt her. I mean every time. I love books that keep me guessing and this one really did.

Katie Villa’s narration was spot on and brought me into the story. Never had me guessing if the main character was the problem.

This was a great listen and I highly recommend it.

There's not one of Shalini's books that I haven't liked, so the fact that I LOVED this one didn't take me by susrprise.

As in all her books, Boland manages to build such a suspense that is almost unbearable. She's a great story teller, her characters are real and relatable and the ending is spectacular!

Kudos to the narrator, whose beautiful voice, made it even more enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover and title fail to evoke or convey what this book is actually about imho. To me, the cover and title suggests horror or fantasy. This story, however, is a psychological thriller with an anesthesia component.

The "twist" at the end was surprising, though certain aspects of it I was suspicious about. Overall, I really liked it and found it refreshing for the genre. I highly recommend if you like stories involving amnesia that's more real-life and less soap opera.


I did have a few problems with the book. The biggest is that Mia wasn't regularly seeing her therapist or specialist. I would have liked more scenes with those people. I also found it odd that Pierce disappeared after she broke up with him and while that IS the goal of a breakup, Pierce doesn't strike me as a guy who doesn't keep trying. Plus there wasn't a resolution about the business.

Well, I was not expecting that!

Just when I thought I figured it out, I was proved wrong. There were quite a few twists in this book! It made me want to listen to it all day until it was finished. I had to know what happened and who Maya really was and who was the woman who was plaguing her dreams? This plot is used quite often, the main character has amnesia and has to work out who they actually are and who they can trust. But this was such an interesting spin on the genre!

Definitely recommend this book. The narrator was also great!

A fantastic twisted incredible read .

Mia is found on the beach with no memory of who she is what happened didn't even know her name . we go on a journey with Mia to try and peace together what happened and who she is and how she ended up in the sea .
this may sound mad but I've suffered with memory loss so I could totally relate to Mia character having to peace together who you are and what its like to be a stranger to yourself and trying to figure out life .
I loved how when I thought I knew what was happen I had the carpet pulled from under me .always love a good plot twist . I thought every character was a suspect . when I didn't find out I was totally shocked it had me in tangles loved that so much . The whole plot of the story was brilliant I would definitely recommend this story if you love a thriller/ mystery.

they audio is brilliant really helps picture the story in your head .

This is the first book I have listened to or read from this author and I really enjoyed it! Maya is found on a deserted beach in southern England but has no memory of how she came to be there. Working through her amnesia, she confronts dysfunctional family and her mysterious relationship. Only as she comes to realize that stories aren’t lining up does she consider that there might be something sinister happening.

I listened to the audio version of this book and I felt the narrator was perfect for the rule, had a very good pace and intonation. The narrator made the book even better!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Girl From the Sea is a fast paced thriller about obsession, memory and delusion that kept me gripped from start to finish.

Maya washes up on the beach one Sunday morning with absolutely no memory of who she is, where she came from or how she got there. She is soon 'claimed' by her handsome boyfriend, and is told that she has an idyllic life. She is young, rich, pretty, lives in a gorgeous house and is surrounded with friends and her boyfriend. But she can't remember this lifestyle, and no longer identifies with the person who she is told she once was.

Maya is searching for answers, but can't seem to get a straight reply from anyone in her life, who all appear to have their own agenda. Searching for meaning, she turns to the one thing she instinctively feels a connection to and changes her lifestyle.

But , as in life, secrets have a way of working their way to the surface and she soon becomes embroiled in a thrilling, dangerous situation. As things become clearer, Maya needs to figure out whether she wants to return to the person she once was. The book raises questions about memory and character. If you had a chance to start again, would you? Could you? Or is the person you have become through your lived experiences you person you will always be?

When I read the plot of this book I knew I wanted to read it. Currently I am very much into stories dealing with amnesia or memory loss.
So Mia finds herself washed up on a beach with no idea who she is and where she comes from and of course she has no clue how she ended up there.
What begins is a twisted story uncovering her true identity again over and over.
I particularly liked the ending which I would not have guessed.
The narration fitted the plot brilliantly!
Thanks #NetGalley #Bookouture Audio for this audiobook

Wow, wow, wow! What a story. I feel like I lived this book! The plot centers around a woman named Mia who washes up on a beach with no memory of how she got there. A man who claims to be her boyfriend comes to the hospital to get her, but can she trust him? Did she love him? The same questions race through her mind when she meets her mother, sister and even friends.

Mia is obviously an unreliable narrator, as she has no memory. The author did such an amazing job making me feel as lost in the story, as Mia was lost trying to figure out who she was before the accident. The end of this book took my breath away. I truly screamed and was shocked.

Overall, this is a fast-paced story, with many twists and turns that leads to a clever, unforgettable ending. It is not only one of the best books I have read in a while, but a story I won't forget!

I thought this one an interesting storyline but unfortunately I didn’t find it gripping more like it just goes through the motions with not really anything happening to move the plot forward. I was expecting lots of twists and turns along the way but there just wasn’t any. It felt extremely repetitive when it came to Mia trying to gain her life back. You get a mix of likeable and unlikeable characters. At about 75% it did get interesting when it came to the conclusion but it was a little to late but at that stage I was in that far and wanted to see how it would play out. Just didn’t work for me which is such a pity as it had great potential and could have gone so many different ways.

2.5/5 🌟🌟/🌟

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC that’s out on Friday.

Mia was found washed up on the beach with no memory of her life. She has no idea what happened or who she can trust. Mia seems to be a person you would want to know while following her journey to remember her life. The story takes quite a few unbelievable twists and turns with an ending I did not expect. A must read! I am looking forward to reading more books by Shalini Boland.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for letting me review The Girl from The Sea.

Wow!! This one is impossible to review without spoilers. All I can say is there’s more going on than you will know until the very last sentence. You have no idea who to trust. Half the cast is rotten. The story is great though; twisty and turny, with me shouting at Maia, ‘Don’t trust him’ and then ‘What the actual…?’
Read it.

From the very start the narrators voice. Katie Villa. Draws you in. Add into the mix the author Shalini Boland then you know you’ve got a cracking book.
Mia has been found washed up on a beach. She doesn’t know who she is. Or how she got there. The doctors say it is retrograde amnesia caused by trauma. It is only when Miles, her boyfriend comes forward does she discover her name.
He takes her to her home. While he seems at easy, she doesn’t recognise anything. The boyfriend, the clothes in the cupboard , the house. To Mia is like starting again with a blank canvas and trying to discover why she was the girl from the sea.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the o hear a copy of this book.