Skip to main content

Member Reviews

Family tragedy, justice, guilt, and betrayal combine to create an addictive character-driven thriller. My heart went out to Bill, the widowed father, and his sweet daughter Sally. I loved the way the author demonstrated their close loving relationship. I also enjoyed the connection between Sally and their lodger Karla. The tender description of their interaction was touching and added emotion. Intense, emotional, and suspenseful describe every minute as details are revealed about the murders. I was engaged from start to finish and the last sentence left me breathless. Thank you, NetGalley and Celadon Books for my copy. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I was so excited to read another novel by M. T. Edvardsson as I loved his previous book, A Nearly Normal Family, and I was not disappointed.

I found myself picking this book up in any spare moment I had despite finding the cast of characters overall not very likable. Karla was the only character I had real empathy for in the story and was the main reason I kept reaching for the book. I was very invested in her storyline and what would happen to her. I loved the suspense around her visits with the wealthy, sickly, wife she cleaned for and her handsome and elusive husband.

I found Bill to be a very hard character to root for despite the tragedy that he had experienced. I wanted him to just get his life together and be a responsible adult for his daughter who was depending on him.

Overall, I would describe this as more of a slow-burn, domestic drama and not an edge of your seat thriller but I enjoyed it and will definitely be looking to read more from this author in the future.

Was this review helpful?

This took me some time to get invested, it was a slow build and in my opinion took longer than needed to come to a conclusion. I don’t struggle with books that have unlikeable characters and there were plenty in this story. In addition it has you reflect on what true justice really is as you read.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I read ‘A Nearly Normal Family’ years ago and absolutely loved it, so I jumped at the chance to read another book by this author. Unfortunately, this fell very flat for me. It felt way too long and dragged at times. I’d highly recommend checking out his other book though. Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?

A bit contrived and not particularly well written-not sure if the translation was the reason. I also did not care for the different characters narrating the chapters. Not one character that you could feel some empathy for through your the story.

Was this review helpful?

The Woman Inside
Author M. T. Edvardsson
Available now!

Thank you, @celadonbooks and @netgalley, for the e- arc of this novel!

The Woman Inside is a page- turning thriller/ drama that will keep you up at night questioning just what the heck is going on!

Everything seems to nice and tidy, until it doesn't... Bill is a kind man who has been recently widowed and left to care for his daughter, Sally alone. Struggling to make ends meet, he decides to rent a room to Karla, a law student who is forced to work as a housekeeper for a wealthy couple, the Rytters, as she also struggles financially to pay her tuition. They all get along and begin to form a friendship as Sally and Karla start to spend more time together.

Mrs. Rytter is weak and ill, and it is unknown if her husband is overly worried about her condition or controlling and a little questionable. Karla can't assess the situation properly, and she confides in Bill, who then admits to Karla that he is in a financial crisis. Karla, desperate, is now left at a crossroads and has the potential to choose a path that may affect her future dreams of becoming a judge forever.

This psychological mystery is filled with secrets, betrayals, desperation, and very bad decisions! It's suspenseful up until a point where you have to remember that you're reading fiction and it's not at all realistic! Regardless, The Woman Inside is still entertaining and engaging!

Was this review helpful?

"The Woman Inside" by M.T. Edvardsson is a twisty, page turner and the perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon in the sun. This thriller kept me guessing all the way up until the big reveal at the end. It's a slow burn, and a bit longer than the usual thriller, but it is well worth the time, keeping my attention and interest throughout. None of the flawed characters is likeable (except Dog the cat) but they came together to create a thoroughly likeable book. I found it even more enjoyable than the author's pervious work, "A Nearly Normal Family," a Book of the Month Club selection in 2019, and eagerly await the author's next book. Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

I really struggled with this one. I did not finish because it could not hold my interest long enough.

I love the idea of this story and I love the cover and the title but it fell flat for me.

Was this review helpful?

Bill Olsosson, recently widowed, is desperate to provide for his daughter, Sally that he has no alternative but to bring a lodger into his home. Karla, a law student and aspiring judge works as a housekeeper for wealthy clients the Rytters, a very private family. The wife is ill and has not left the home for months and the husband is overbearing, controlling and obsessive or so it seems. The wealthy couple are found dead in their mansion. Bill and Karla are questioned about the murder. Who done it is the question. This book was a good ride with so many good twist and turns. I wasn't able to figure out the ending so that kept me intrigued. I highly recommend this book. #thewomaninside #netgalley

Was this review helpful?

Nothing can be taken at face value in this spine-tingling thriller. A young student, down on her luck, needs to find a place to live. She sees the ad for a room for rent and meets the owner Bill. He is a nice, but nervous, single father with a daughter. The rent is reasonable and she moves in. Karla doesn't mention to her landlord that she cleans houses as a job. When she is assigned to clean a doctor's home, she is happy to have a nice home to clean. Karla soon discovers the Rytters are quirky. Mrs. Rytter never leaves her bedroom and Dr. Rytter is cold and distant. Why does Dr. Rytter tell Karla to avoid interacting with his wife? What is wrong with Mrs. Rytter?

Karla's landlord is also acting strange. He never seems to go to work, his daughter is very clingy, and money seems to be an issue. Karla likes them but how involved can a poor college student get? Who killed the Rytters? Did Karla mentioning the Rytter's wealth lead to their demise? There are many elements to this story and the author does a nice job of introducing them and then coming to a conclusion. The characters lack full development and leave the story weak in certain parts. Bill's daughter could have had more impact on her father, and Mrs. Rytter could have elaborated on her confinement.

Untangling the Rytters' deaths leads to many revelations and surprises. Be suspicious, the mystery needs to be solved! This is a great late summer/fall book for thriller and mystery fans.

Was this review helpful?

im pretty sure it’s just the translation but the stilted writing was really distracting for me - there were several moments of forced humor that really didn’t land and it took me out of the book…I wasn’t invested enough in the characters or plot to finish

Was this review helpful?

The novel begins with a wealthy couple found dead in their home. We then go back in time to follow several seemingly unrelated groups of characters including a widow with his school-aged daughter, a struggling student, another student newly dating the perfect guy. This was a satisfying mystery, though I did not enjoy it as much as M.T. Edvardsson's previous novel, A Nearly Normal Family. The short chapters with alternating viewpoints kept me turning the pages and there were enough twists to keep me invested. I also really enjoyed the excerpts from interviews and newspaper clippings. The conclusion was satisfying and while a few things I had predicted, I was ultimately surprised. Though it is lacking the originality of his previous novel, I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a well-paced thriller that includes both a well-done story and good character development. 3.75 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for sharing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Told from multiple perspectives, a murder occurs. How many secrets will be revealed and how far does one go to hide the secrets?

The Woman Inside was a fine read. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either. I found the characters insufferable but I believe they were meant to be that way. A few main plot points were similar to other books I’ve read, which doesn’t actually bother me just worth noting.

Overall I would rate this one a 2.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review!

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this but definitely didn’t see it going the way or did or the ending being what it was! I appreciated the discussions on criminality and the justice system I totally agree, especially in America, it is very criminal focused and more supportive or in allegiance with the criminal vs the victim or the victim families etc ! This topic and issue has been in my circle so much lately and this book too happened to bring it up and I really liked the perspective and honest discussion about it ! It wasn’t necessarily I mind blowing whodunit but it was really enjoyable and held my interest.

Was this review helpful?

The Woman Inside, by M.T. Edvardsson, is a rather lengthy thriller with a unique writing style and great attention to detail, which occasionally slows the plot down a bit. In this character driven novel, we follow three people and gain their perspectives as we slowly unravel the murder of a wealthy local couple.

One of our main characters in our story is Bill, a widower and a father who has lost his job and is struggling to make ends meet. He decides that the best course of action is to rent out a room to Karla, a law student with plans to become a judge. Karla earns money on the side by cleaning the house of a wealthy couple. The wife never leaves her home and is mysteriously unwell and there are questions surrounding her rather intense, controlling husband. Finally, we have Jennica, an odd character and loner who is filled with anger toward her father and desperately searching for love in all the wrong places.

Early on we discover that a wealthy couple has been murdered in an exclusive part of town and from there the suspicions, secrets, dark pasts and high drama begin. All of the characters in this story are flawed and unlikeable, and all have things in their lives they’d rather keep hidden. They also all have means and motive for murder. The story unravels the who-dunnit piece-by-piece.

The plot of The Woman Inside is a bit flat, but the characters, the banter,, and the insertion of interviews and interrogations keeps it interesting. This dark psychological Swedish thriller isn’t quite as captivating as the author’s first novel, but is engaging in it’s own way.

Was this review helpful?

This story, about the presumed murder of a slimy doctor and his chronically ill wife, started off with potential, but ultimately disappointed.
The characters were not very fleshed out and the climax was kind of dumb.
Thanks to #netgalley and #celadonbooks for this #arc of #thewomaninside in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

The Woman Inside sounded like an intriguing Swedish domestic thriller. A wealthy couple ends up murdered in the nice part of town. But who is responsible?
The story is told through three different points of view: Bill, Karla (his roommate and the cleaner of the wealthy couple), and Jennica (a “psychic” who is involved with the characters). This is a very character driven story, with lots of detail from the three points of view that I felt distracted me from the main point of the story, and only seemed to drag the story on for a bit longer than necessary.
Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

Bill, a single father struggling to pay rent, opens up his home to Karla, a college student needing a room to rent. The two are tangled up in a murder investigation when Karla's clients are found dead in their home. This is not my typical read, but Celadon Books were kind enough to send me an ARC/ALC so I gave it a go. I have to admit, I did not find a single character likable, but I think that was purposefully done. Overall, this did keep my attention but I wouldn't say it was in any way mindblowing as far as mysteries/thrillers go. The ending was kind of obvious but does still leave you with a bit of uncertainty and questions. 3.5/5

Was this review helpful?

I have been provided with a review copy of The Woman Inside from NetGalley for an impartial review. This book was just so easy to get lost in. I completely got lost in the story and I just loved getting to see these new characters come together. I just absolutely love this story and I just didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

Was this review helpful?

While I definitely enjoyed this book there were a few things that I was confused about which is why I gave it a four out five. I do like the writing of this book and the climatic layers that M.T. Edvardsson has created was wonderfully done!

This book would definitely be of interest to anyone who is following the true crime story of Honey and Barry Sherman billionaire murders. It's very similar vibes and very similar!!! Definitely an interesting read!!

Thanks to Celadon and NetGalley for the eARC!

Was this review helpful?