Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!

This is my second book of Ryan’s and not my absolute favourite. While the concept is interesting there’s a certain level of suspending your disbelief required that is beyond the usual required for a thriller in order for me to understand why the main character would do any of this so naively.

I spent most of the book kind of seeing where it was going but also there WERE a few good twists at the end where I was like “ alright you’ve got me here, didn’t see this coming”.

Overall a middle of the road thriller that I definitely still enjoyed :)

Alyssa’s fairytale life is smashing around her. Bill, her husband of eight years, has walked out. Not only is she devastated emotionally, but his power-grabbing is now directed at her. When Bree sits next to Alyssa in a hotel bar, this stranger’s life seems even more of a mess than Alyssa’s. Impulsively Alyssa, afraid Bill is gaslighting her, invites Bree to use the guest house. But how much does Alyssa know about Bree -or Bill? Ryan weaves a tale of money and trust in this standalone novel. The reader isn’t any more sure of who is being truthful than is Alyssa, but making a mistake won’t put us in danger. I enjoyed watching Alyssa grow, but found myself wanting to turn to the end of the book to see if I was correct in guessing the ending. The pacing was a bit slow for me, but this is still a good, convoluted tale. Recommended.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.