THE WOMAN INSIDE by M.T. Edvardsson and read by a cast was a fantastic domestic suspense in both digital and audio!

Bill Olsson is struggling with moving on after his wife's death, but he has to figure something out for his young daughter Sally. He takes on a lodger, Karla, who works for a cleaning service and currently has a high profile job with a Pediatrician and his suspiciously ailing wife. Then he sees an old friend of his wife's in an ad for a fortune teller and can't help but reconnect, but not for positive reasons.

When the wealthy couple are discovered dead, questions begin to be raised and every character has something to hide.

This was a bit of a slow burn suspense. The beginning opens up with the couple being found by police. We then go back and forth with the lead up and the current investigation with pieces of police information and chat rooms as well. I enjoyed this multi-format style. It has been a while since I read something with this type of variation and I felt like it made the story move forward in an interesting way. Short chapters also encouraged me to keep wanting to see what was next!

I felt the characters were not necessarily likeable and all felt like they had unreliable aspects. This worked in this story. The way all the main voices came together toward the end made the anticipation worth it. I was surprised by the final chapters and that bumped this one up for me!

The cast audio was a great way to engage this novel. Because it is translated, having the audio helps me hear the correct pronunciation of these Swedish names and places. The writing helps me see the spelling and all together it becomes a great experience in translated fiction. The cast all did a fantastic job and made the changes of perspective easy to follow.

Thank you to @netgalley @celadonbooks & @macmillan.audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this advanced copy and share my thoughts! This title will be available on June 13th!

The Woman Inside was a fast paced novel the intertwined the lives of several characters. I enjoyed watching each character develop and how they’re related to each other . I would recommend this novel to library book clubs and fans of mysteries and thrillers. Excellent writing and pacing. 5 out of 5 stars!

I enjoyed the style and different POVs mixed with the transcripts. This was a fun read that kept me interested. The ending was a little predictable, but still a good read. This definitely could have been much shorter to keep it engaging.

This book sounded like everything I love in a thriller, domestic drama, a sneaky maid, a murder and multiple points of view but it really fell short for me. The first 40 percent was entertaining and I couldn’t wait to see where the story went but after that, the story got really predictable and I just felt like the characters had no depth. I kept pushing though, hoping the ending would blow me away but it was pretty lacklustre and missing a shocking twist that a thriller like this needs! It wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read and I can see someone new to thrillers really enjoying it but for someone that reads them all the time, I felt really underwhelmed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

🚨Pub Date: June 13th, 2023

Dr. Steven Rytter and his wife are found dead in their home. The mystery is of course how it happened.

Through a series of police interrogation excerpts, the story reveals the three main characters and their possible roles in the deaths. Bill is a widower with a young daughter and he’s constantly struggling financially. Karla is a law student who comes to rent a room from Bill. She also cleans the Rytter’s house. Jennica, who is now dating Steven Rytter, was a friend of Bill’s wife.

The character development was very good, delving into the dark side and motivations we all can have. Their stories are all intricately entwined, and at times it was a bit confusing to keep up with. However, it definitely kept me guessing until the very end.

Solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

I loved Edvardsson’s prior book and equally enjoyed this one. It is on the slower side and listening to the audio is a great way to read this, but it was hard to keep the characters straight for a minute. After a while I got it sorted and was able to settle in and follow along nicely. I also really liked the excerpts in between chapters of the police interviews with potential suspects, as it helped to slowly reveal additional information that was not known. Everyone had a motive, which made this all the more interesting, and just when you thought you could rule someone out, the author would reveal something that would change your mind and move them back to the top of the suspect list. Overall this was very enjoyable and I recommend adding it to your list when it publishes on Tuesday, June 13th!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the digital copy to review.

I thought this book was alright. It didn't wow me. I was able to read the book while listening to the audiobook.

It is hard to explain what it is about. A rich doctor and his wife are found dead in their homes. The book follows the lives of three people leading up to and after the death - the doctor's mistress, the house cleaner, and the house cleaner's roommate. For the longest time, the stories are seemingly unrelated until they all come together, and we find out the connections.

My biggest complaint was that there was nothing to get me to care about any of the characters. They all had their own sob stories, but none of them felt like they had any depth. I wanted to care, but I didn't have enough information.

The ending was kind of out of left field for me. By the time we got there, it was just kind of like, "oh okay."

Overall, the book wasn't bad, it just won't be a memorable one for me.

Thank you to Celadon and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounding up to 3.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for e-arc.

I enjoyed this fast paced who done it Mystery/Thriller. The book had a great beginning and I wasn’t even close to guessing how it ended.

I love how it had short chapters and how slowly we start to find out how the characters are linked to each other the more we read.

Unfortunately I didn’t like most of the characters and that’s why I couldn’t give it a higher rating.

I think if someone likes more of a plot driven story than character, they will like this book very much.

The Woman Inside is a Swedish thriller that really kept me guessing. The characters were all loosely connected in different ways but it was hard to figure out the bigger picture which I really liked!

What we know:
Dr. Steven Rytter and his wife are found dead in their home in an apparent "family tragedy"
Karla cleans the Rytter's home
Bill Olsson is in serious financial trouble
Karla lives with Bill
Jennica is an unambitious woman who falls for Steven
Bill and Jennica are connected through Bill's late wife, but there is tension and bad blood between them

What we don't know:
If we are on a linear timeline
How Steven and Regina Rytter died
If there is something bigger at play connecting these individuals
If we can trust anyone

This book definitely kept me guessing and it came together really well. It held my interest and I was intrigued to see how the pieces would fit together.

However, this is one of those books with a bunch of characters I didn't like. Normally, I love to dislike characters, but this wasn't a fun dislike. They were just semi-normal people who kept making bad decisions that annoyed me. Jennica was whiny and a bit of a contradiction for me; Bill just made bad choice after bad choice and the gambling just left me with zero sympathy for him; Karla was obnoxiously naive and never seemed to learn from her mistakes.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it. There were three separate narrators which I always like and they were all fine. None of them particularly stood out to me but they helped move the story along and kept my interest.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. I did however like A Nearly Normal Family better.

Thank you to Celadon Books, MacMillan Audio, and NetGalley for the copy.

💵💵💵💵
“The Woman Inside” is a riveting mystery whodunit that implies virtually every character has a motive to murder the wealthy Dr. Steven Rytter and his wife Regina. I didn’t read the author’s debut but I’m looking forward to it.

Karla—Probably my favorite character because I relate to her the most. Raised by an addict mother. She’s finally escaped her mother’s clutches to pursue her dream of becoming a Judge. She’s putting herself through college working as a housecleaner and the Rytters are a client. She tries to be a good person but she wants to help/save everyone and it gets her into trouble. While she’s cleaning for the Rytters, she notices strange things about the wealthy couple.

Bill—I have mixed feelings about this middle-aged Dad. The guy has been through rough times. His wife—Miranda—became ill and died rather quickly, leaving him to raise their young daughter. He’s a fantastic Father that has been dealt a crummy hand in life and has made it worse by his poor choices. He’s lost without his wife and can’t find the help he needs to get himself together. He’s broke, has no job, and decides to get a lodger to help ease the financial strain. In walks Karla!

Jennica—She was close friends with Miranda forever until there was an incident and they never spoke again. Jennica is a tough cookie. She has major issues with cheating and sees it as an unforgivable offense. She’s the black sheep of her family and has disappointed her parents by not pursuing a lucrative career and settling down. But she has finally found someone she really likes.

Dr. Steven Rytter and his wife Regina—The book begins with the police finding them dead in their house. The further I read, the more questions I had. Regina has been very sick for the past year or so, since getting a virus. She is almost completely bedridden and her doctors can’t figure out what’s wrong with her. Steven is gone all the time, presumably working. Very strange that her husband leaves her home alone all the time.

These complex characters are enmeshed in a web of deceit, greed, secrets and each other! If readers think his first book is even better than this one, I’m in for a real treat.

Huge thanks to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for providing these ARCs through NetGalley and Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.

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Thank you to Caledon , M. T. Edvardsson, and Netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. This definitely kept you guessing throughout the book I to the very climax of the story. A definitely must read. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 strong stars!

The Woman Inside starts with murder, two people are found dead inside a home. Set in Sweden, the story unfolds from the perspectives of three main characters. Bill lost his beloved wife, Miranda, and is trying to make ends meet while raising their daughter. He rents out a room in his apartment to Karla, who is trying to start fresh and is studying law. Jennica just started dating a new guy who may finally be someone her family approves of.
I enjoyed the twists in the story and the character development, even though a couple of the characters were sort of unlikable to me. Some parts were a little slow, but overall, it was a pretty good read.

The Woman Inside begins with the bodies of a couple found in their home. Alternating chapters of character POV with newspaper articles and police interrogations, this story primarily focuses on three characters who are all intertwined in what happened. All of them have secrets, all of them are lying, and all of them have a motive to kill.

This one fell kind of flat for me. I didn’t feel like the POV chapters moved the story along fast enough and sometimes felt like the plot was introducing extra details that were not necessary. None of these characters are likable and I really found myself not rooting for anyone. I am hoping this is just a me thing and that maybe this book will be a top thriller for someone else.

Summary: Wealthy couple Steven and Regina Rytter are found dead in their home in a lovely, upscale neighborhood in a Swedish town. Bill Olsson and his young daughter Sally are struggling to keep their lives together and a roof over their heads after the death of wife and mother Miranda. To make ends meet, they take in a lodger named Karla, who attends university and works part-time for a cleaning agency. Karla starts cleaning at the Rytters’ home and is startled to discover Regina living as a recluse in the home, confined to her bed and clearly addicted to prescription medications. Jennica is an old friend and school mate of Miranda’s who has just met an older man on Tinder and is starstruck by his wealth and sophistication. Jennica’s friendship with Miranda ended on terrible terms years ago when she accused Miranda of cheating with her boyfriend at the time. The lives of these four people intersect over the course of the novel, with unforeseen and shocking results.

Thoughts: What a gripping and engrossing read this is! The Woman Inside really made me think about how we perceive ourselves, and the lies we tell ourselves in order to feel safe and comfortable. None of the characters in this novel are entirely what they appear to be, or what they tell themselves they are. Like everyone, they each have a darker side and are capable of taking unethical or outright criminal actions when they feel it is justified. They also lie to themselves about the other people in their lives, choosing what to believe and what to conveniently ignore. This is a tense, dark, psychological thriller which will string you along to the very end. I will say that I was left with some lingering questions, but I suspect that is what the author intended.

I didn't love this one, though I thought some parts were well done. I enjoyed how the characters are intertwined, even without them realizing it. They're all connected, and several have a motive for the crime.

But I also found some of the characters' motivations hard to understand. Yes, people make poor choices, but some of these characters seem to make nothing but poor choices. It was hard to sympathize with any of these characters aside from Sally. All the adults seem like horrible people with bad judgment.

Overall, I thought this book was an interesting mystery and it kept me reading until the end. After finishing, though, I kept thinking of all the ways it didn't work for me.

3.5/5
This suspense mystery is the 2nd title I’ve picked up by Edvardsson and it didn’t disappoint. While I thought this story lacked the thrills necessary to call it a thriller, it held a gripping mystery that kept me glued from beginning to end and the characters were compelling enough for me to want to see how their stories concluded. The ending felt incomplete in some ways and left me wanting more. I like the ambiguity of it but I wish there were some definite answers to certain questions that arose. Solid mystery, nonetheless. A fast paced read.

Thank you NetGalley, Celadon books, and MT Edvardsson for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Woman Inside by M.T. Evardsson

A wealthy couple is found dead in their home and there’s multiple suspects. The woman hasn’t been seen outside of the home in months and the man has carried on an affair. This follows Bill, a recent widower with a daughter. Bill can’t shake his money troubles. There’s Karla, the wealthy couple’s housekeeper, who is also a full-time law student with an addict mother. And finally, there’s Jennica, an old friend of Bill’s wife who started seeing the wealthy man before he died.

This was entertaining enough and the multiple POVs kept the twist going a bit. All in all, I wasn’t super impressed. It felt a lot like other books I had read. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters. It was well-written enough, just didn’t have a lot of uniqueness to it. The multi-cast narration was great though, and helped me keep the characters straight. I wish I had more to say about it, but that’s about it, unfortunately! Not a bad read, but not a great one.

Thanks to @celadonbooks / @macmillan.audio for the review copies!

This was a very intriguing and engaging mystery! It starts off a little slow out of the gate but picks up quickly and holds the reader's attention the entire way through! I loved the multiple POV's as it allowed the reader to gain a better understanding of every single character. The interrogations in particular were super interesting to read and added another layer to the story! This was definitely a lighter/quick read but still very entertaining!

This was a fun mystery/thriller about a wealthy couple found murdered in there home. I loved the way the story was told in multiple perspectives as well as interspersed with interview clips in present tense while the story was told in past tense. That writing style really kept me engaged.

My only complaint is that a lot of the story seemed very similar to several thrillers I've read recently (mostly my own fault for reading too much ;)), but there was definitely some originality as well!

I've also read A Nearly Normal Family by this author and think this one was even better than that!

The audiobook has a full cast audio which was very well done!

Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio and Celadon Books for the gifted ARC and Audiobook!

This book will be available on June 20th!

3.5 Stars rounded up for GR

When the extremely wealthy Steven Rytter and his wife are found dead in their home, the investigation leads officers Larsen and Hemstrom on a merry chase. There are many suspects to choose from. Karla works as their cleaner and as she gets closer to the ailing Regina, she soon suspects Steven of poisoning his wife. Bill cares for his young daughter after losing his partner to cancer. He’s lost his job and is about to lose his home. Taking on a boarder is a quick fix for now, but ultimately he needs a quick bit of cash. Karla answers his add and moves in shortly thereafter. As she shares news about her employer, Bill is quite intrigued. Jennica has met the man of her dreams. Steven is everything she’s ever wanted and then some, but is he too good to be true? She is a fortune-teller/ psychic by phone each night, even though she has no physic abilities. After being cheated on by a former boyfriend (who also has connections to Bill), and living in a home where her father consistently cheated on her mother, she is out to save all the women who call in nightly for her help. Someone has killed the Rytter’s the only question is who? This book/audio was fast paced and compelling from start to finish. The audio version was read by multiple voices making it easy to distinguish who was talking (my favorite type of audio🙂). Told in three voices with excerpts from the investigation intermixed this was a very good read/listen. Thank you to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC and ALC of this book.