💜𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲💜
BEHIND HER LIVES
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: psychological thriller
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3 ⭐️
📖 265 pages
🥳𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: 10/25/2022

Thank you @tlcbooktour, @btc_books, @tlcdiversity & @kensingtonbooks for my #gifted copy of BEHIND HER LIVES.

While this was a very fast read, it was just so/so for me. There was a lot of unbelievable parts and a lot just felt predictable. Also the ending ,😬 I was not a fan. I did enjoy the diary entries throughout and appreciated that it was a quick and easy read though!

⚠️ TW: miscarriage and drug overdose

The story follows Deven, whose life quickly changes when she gets a knock on her door from the police telling her that her sister is dead. When Deven goes to identify her however, who she sees staring back at her isn’t her sister..

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In Behind Her Lives, Deven is told her sister has died. Except the woman in the morgue is not her sister. She set out to find out where her sister is and who is in the morgue. I thought this was fine. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. I wasn't a fan of Deven. I didn't love some of the choices she made. I did like the twist at the end. The ending kind of leaves the potential for a second book. However, I would be OK with this current ending. Give it a try.

I was hooked from the beginning from this fast paced story. i really liked devens character and i was consumed in her search to find out what happened to her sister. I felt really connected to the characters and felt the author did a great job developing them. it was like watching a live action movie. i felt this book was well written and full of suspense even though I felt I figured the twit really quick. i cant wait to see what the author puts out next

This story pulled me in from page one as Devan is called to identify her sister Kennedy who is believed to be dead. Deven will not accept that it is her sister. But is it denial or is there more to the story?
She dives into her own investigation. As the secrets and deception are revealed it is clear she does not know her sister or family as well as she thought.
Deven has a boyfriend that seemed very cold. Her “friend” Paul and her had great chemistry. I was rooting for them. There were plenty of twists and turns and
I did not see the ending coming. I have come to expect the unexpected from Briana Cole! TW for drug use and miscarriage references.

This one starts off fast and had me hooked from the beginning. I liked Deven’s character and found myself completely immersed in her search to uncover what really happened to her sister. The author really shines when it comes to characterization. Her characters felt so real that it felt like I was watching a movie instead of staring at my Kindle. While I was able to figure out the big twist eventually, this was a very well-written, suspenseful read. I’m looking forward to seeing what this author puts out next!

Opening the door to the police before 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning can never lead to anything good, a truism confirmed to Deven Reyonlds when she’s told that her younger sister, Kennedy, is dead by suicide and she’s needed to identify the body. But when shown a picture of the women found in Kennedy’s apartment, Deven is relieved to announce that the person is not her sister. The ME, the police, even her sometimes-boyfriend Justin think she is in the denial stage of grief, but Deven knows she’s right. That doesn’t explain though why the woman was found in Kennedy’s apartment or why Deven can’t locate Kennedy.

If Kennedy has disappeared, she must be in trouble, and Deven is determined to find her and protect her. She just never thought that Kennedy might want to remain hidden. Deven’s investigation reveals a chain of secrets and lies spiraling back decades that makes her question everything she knew about their relationship. The closer she gets to the truth, though, the dangerous the quest for answers becomes.

Because Deven’s grief about her sister and a previous loss color her reactions, she is a believable but unreliable character. At times, I wanted to redirect her from her poor decisions, but I admired her loyalty. She was further tested because her father had passed not too long before and her mother, in assisted living, was beginning to have fewer and fewer good days due to dementia.

The book was suspenseful and propulsive, and had interesting side characters who operated on the illicit side of the law. Fans of psychological thrillers such as those by Shanora Williams, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Shelly Ellis will enjoy this page turner!

CW: suicide, drug use, pregnancy loss, dementia

The story started off really solid but as the plot continued everything became more than a little clunky. Too many side characters that were thrown in to distract us but ended up not contributing to the plot. The twist at the end was great!

Behind her Lives is a fast paced, twisty thriller. Devon’s sister has been found dead, but she can’t believe this person to be her sister. Determined she’s missing instead of dead, Devon begins her own investigation as the police believe this crime to be just another overdose.

The deeper she dives into her sister life, the more she begins to realise she didn’t know her sister as well as she thought. Every revelation unearthed brings a truth bigger than the last, including why she thought her sister left to live with her father in their teens.

Behind her Lives is an addictive read leading to a shocking conclusion. Rating 3.5

Thank you Kensington Books Let's Talk Book Promo for the #gifted copy of this novel in e-book format.

Deven receives an early morning visit from the police informing her of the unexpected death of her sister. But when Deven goes to identify the body, she insists that it is not the body of her sister! So, in the spite of mounting police evidence proving otherwise, Deven embarks on a mission to find her sister. But she is not prepared for where this journey takes her.

This story moves quickly and will keep you turning the pages! The timeline alternates between the past and the present, with occasional childhood diary entries mixed in. It is told from Deven’s point of view. The action was easy to follow. There seemed to be a few themes: grief, regret, and bad choices. Though I personally could have done without the steamy scenes, this book kept me reading and I did NOT predict the ending!

Read this if you enjoy books with psychological suspense, multiple suspects, and secrets!

Thank you @bcoleauthor @kensingtonbooks @letstalkbookspromo for my gifted copy. My thoughts are my own.

This was a solid, entertaining read that kept my interest throughout the story.

There were some slow parts but there was always this level of suspense that kept me eagerly turning the page. Due to those down moments I wouldn’t necessarily call this fast paced but it also wasn’t too slow. There was a very steady pace, shedding light piece by piece until it all became clear at the end.

Which man what an ending, I personally loved it and thought it was so neat. Although there was one little part that didn’t seem plausible it didn’t ruin it for me.

This was my first by Briana Cole but will be checking out her past books as well now!

Behind Her Lives was a good suspense thriller story. It definitely took me on a journey and I was eager to see what would happen next. I liked the characters but I was definitely suspicious of every single person. Nobody was really innocent to me. I think that the plot twists were timely but I felt like the ending didn’t necessarily answer all of my questions. I was completely wrong about what would happen and I can appreciate that because it means that I didn’t see any hints throughout the story. Good read for me. I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Dafina for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow!! Briana Cole’s writing really blew me away. Her words flowed flawlessly. And the cover—gorgeous . Couldn’t put this twisty psychological thriller down! It was a wild ride! I really enjoyed Deven’s character, the flashbacks, and the diary entries. This is a thriller you don’t want to miss out on!

Read this book if you enjoy:
•sibling rivalry
•secrets
•crazy amount of suspense
•plot twists

Highly recommend! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for this review.

I didn’t love this or hate this. I felt like the characters were built up but certain ones seemed inauthentic at times. There were some interesting moments in the plot and the suspense was there but the ending did not work for me. I did not find it at all believable and was a bit of a letdown.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book, receipt of which did not impact my review.

Behind her Lives is a twisty family thriller, following Deven after she is called to identify her sister’s body - but she insists it’s not her. In the days that follow, Deven follows the clues (and some hunches) to try to get to the bottom of what is really going on.

This book was a roller coaster and I was happy to go along for the ride! Briana Cole is a talented storyteller and I enjoyed the twists and turns. Deven was a complicated main character, and so was her sister (who we meet throughout in journal entries and flashbacks) - but made them seem all the more real. I recommend this if you love a family thriller focusing on sibling relationships and mystery!

What if everything you thought to be true was turned upside down?

This new thriller from Briana Cole threw several plot twists at me that kept me guessing for most of the book. Every now and then, I did guess a few of the twists, but definitely not the major one at the end.

Devan is the main character, and it is primarily her POV that this story is told. There are a few sections that share parts of her sister's diary entries. The story is primarily in the present, but there are flashbacks to her past with her parents and her sister. We don't learn the full story of her sister and why they lost touch for so many years until much later as the story is unravelling. 

I sympathized with Devan, but at the same time, she let herself be taken advantage of by the people in her life. She let her boyfriend take advantage of her. Personally, I think he was a narcissist. But not to worry, he gets his later in the book. There are people that care about her, but it takes her a little while to fully trust them and their motives. Actually, there are many characters that are hard to trust, and for good reason, as you will learn. 

While Devan's world is turned upside down, she also learns more about herself and that she is stronger than she realizes.

There is so much more that could possibly be told in this story, but unless there is a sequel, we will just have to make up our own future for Devan and the rest.

We give this book 4 paws up.

Whoa, I softly whisper as I slowly close the book. That was an intense, crazy ride that Briana Cole just took me on. My hair still flying from the whiplash, as I took every insane twist and turn that came flying at me over the last few hours. I am still wired and trying to work it all out in my head. Cole does a phenomenal job of setting up this story as you are blown back from the reality of what actually happened. Hold onto your hats once you open this book, it is not easy to put down!

Deven opens the door to two police officers and her entire world drops from beneath her feet. Her beloved sister Kennedy has overdosed, and she is needed to make an identification. As Deven gazes down at the photo, she knows in her bones this is not her sister. The police are saying otherwise. Deven dives into Kennedy's world to uncover what could have happened and what her sister was involved with. Will Deven be able to handle the truth as more information about her and her family comes to light?

This book was an excellent roller coaster ride. That leaves you feeling as if you have had the rug ripped from beneath your feet. Hold on tight, once you turn to that first page you will be all in as you fly through the pages. Thank you to Briana Cole, Dafina, and TLC Book Tours for gifting me a copy of this enrapturing read.

Behind Your Lives is definitely a page-turner. I found myself absolutely devouring the story of Deven and Kennedy. If I say too much, it will spoil the book. I felt like every other chapter had a great twist. I will admit I did guess a few of the twists, BUT the way they were written was great. Lots of suspenseful ends to chapters and the ending was really strong. I read this in nearly one sitting.

I definitely recommend this fast-paced thriller!

Thank you Kensington Books - Dafina, NetGalley, and TLC Book Tours for the eARC!
4.5/5 stars

Deven receives a visit from the police to inform her that her younger half-sister Kennedy has died, and is asked to identify the body. When she goes to the morgue and sees a photograph, she is convinced the dead body is NOT her sister, although her sister is missing. She then embarks upon an investigation to try to find her sister, and uncovers unpleasant truths about who her sister really was along the way. Deven's story is interspersed with diary entries from Kennedy to flesh out her character. There were lots of twists but because of the sister dynamic this thriller had more emotional resonance than the usual thriller.

The premise sounded wonderful, but I struggled to connect with the characters, as I didn't really like any of them,
and stay engaged with the story. The plot seemed to be all over the place, and there were just too many flashbacks, which made it hard to follow at times.

Where is Kennedy? Deven is certain she isn't the dead woman- the woman who OD'd- whose body she's just been shown. The police don't agree but something doesn't sit right with Deven, who sets out to find the truth. This is twisty and thoughtful with, let's face it, a few unlikable characters. It's also a good read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.