An amazing plot with strong characters and a great unpredictable ending.
Alex Stone can definitely write a fantastic thriller!. I didn't know what would happen from page to page.
Lauren is in a relationship with Josh after being a very sick child. They were teenage sweethearts and he always said he would look after her. Their relationship has changed over the years and not in a good way. Then Josh goes missing and her whole world falls apart.
I liked the chapters that dropped in and out of key points in Lauren's life so the reader could follow what was happening in the story and doubt was created in the reader's mind too.
10/10!!!
I received a free ARC book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #bookandtonic, #alexstoneauthor.

This story started off as a slow burn but picked up half way through. Bit disjointed in the timeline but in the end the journey got to exactly where it needed to be. A solid read. Heartbreaking in many ways but solid.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

This was an odd book, i really enjoy short chapters but that may be the only thing I LOVED about this one. This was just overall an odd/strange scenerio with Lauren. I dont agree all women are not crazy. I dont say not read it but to each and their own.

When I first requested this book, which was provided by Boldwood Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, I thought I would read a thriller about a potential murderer and a police investigation. However, the book covered some heavy topics regarding domestic abuse that I wasn't expecting and that had a lot of protagonism and less police investigation than I expected.

Having said that, I did want to keep reading and know what was actually going on and that's always good in a thriller.

It was a slow burn read that really picked up towards the ending. I enjoyed that unreliable narrator vibes that have you second guessing and wondering how honest is the narrator really being.

Also, it had some twists that I was not expecting at all that I also really enjoyed.

All in all, it was an entertaining read.

Thank you so much @bookandtonic and @netgalley for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

What an interesting and mind blowing read! So glad that it showed light on a mental heath diagnosis that is not widely known about. Great read

"The corner of his mouth twisted upwards in a hopeful smile. 'So, Lauren,' he whispered, 'did you do it?'"

Lauren has been with Josh since college. Their plan was to get married and fill a home with children. Something changed all of that. And she Lauren wakes up in the hospital from a severe head injury that caused a concussion, the secrets of the past start coming up and revealing the truth . . .

This was a solid thriller. I was intrigued by Lauren, her way of thinking and her relationships. There was something so off with her and her story but I didn't figure it out until the end. This story did slow way down in the middle which waned my interest though.

3.75/5

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wasn't feeling this book at first, because I think in my head the writing was so simplistic that I assumed that I knew the twist right away (which is on me - sometimes with thrillers you get so used to seeing the same story or type of plot twist that I very blatantly assumed). However, somewhere around the first third or half of the book though, I found myself truly questioning what was going on, and I really appreciated the turn that this book went! I do wish the writing felt a little less shallow - I feel like despite knowing these big emotional moments, how Josh had been such a rock as a teenager, I couldn't really fathom why they were together or how they had stuck together for so long. However, the book was still pretty enjoyable!

I'm not really sure how I feel about the ending. I think ultimately how it ends is what's best for two of the characters, but I don't know, there was something about it that just felt a little bit odd to me. Overall though, this was a pretty enjoyable read, and really quick!

This was quite a different scenario with Lauren feeling compelled to take aim at just about every guy she comes across in her life.
First, I don't really enjoy having a weak woman persona, the dependent on a man idea, the notion she's nobody without her mom or a boyfriend. This irks and rubs me the wrong way and to make matters worse, the doctor patient relationship that may step over the boundaries of professionalism.
The idea that all women are crazy is something that bothers me because as a woman with serious medical issues that hasn't been given the proper respect it's maddening. The notion that every woman is crazy, needs meds to get through the day, and can't stand alone is beyond my comprehension.
However, what we have here is a situation in which everyone offers to 'help' supposedly but in their own weird as F way. There's three men vowing for the love interest of Lauren : Josh, Nick, and Abhilash.
Josh is abusive. Nick is seen as just a friend. Abhilash is from India and is on his way back there but first he's appearing as the rescuer of this damsel in distress.
I wouldn't give two shiites short of a shake for any of them as they each have their own motives to take action and get involved with Lauren and non of them I care for as a human being much less a woman.
So, I suppose the only thing I have left is to toast, "Here's to new beginnings."
We can only hope!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really interesting concept and storyline. I liked the way it was written and the short, easy to read chapters. The pacing was nice and the writing had a good flow in the beginning, but then the pacing slowed and began to plod along. I wasn't too into the love aspects either. I wish it remained quicker paced and there were more important plot points throughout. I did still want to keep reading to find our more of the past timeline; I was very into the earliest timeline as I read. I liked the idea of the plot itself, but it got very convoluted during the end and some of the plot twists were just silly. But overall, it was a short and interesting read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood books for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

“To the outside world Lauren Taylor’s relationship with her boyfriend Josh is perfect. He is supportive and loving and has been there for Lauren during her darkest moments. But behind closed doors, secrets and lies can be hidden…

And when Lauren wakes up in a hospital bed and is told Josh is missing, those secrets come bubbling up to the surface. ”

LOVED this book! The characters were great and it held my interest the entire time. It was twisty and suspenseful and almost perfect.
4.5 ⭐️

Lauren and Josh have a perfect relationship or so everyone thinks. Until she wakes up in the hospital after an accident and Josh is nowhere to be found. The police think she killed him but her doctor swears she didn’t. Does she have herself fooled, the police or the doctor? It’s a heart racing build to the end.

A good read although wasn’t too keen on the main character as she did repeat herself quite a bit throughout the story and although reasons for it became clear she was very unsure of herself and what she wanted
All in all an intriguing read

Trigger warning: domestic abuse
Lauren is in hospital yet again. Her life seems to have been once incident or another leading to hospital visits first with her mother and then about her boyfriend Josh. This time Lauren was on a jet ski, a trip Josh usually took with her but she insists she was alone. Josh, however, is missing and the police want to know what is going on. Lauren has formed a friendship with one of the doctors treating her and he is doing his best to make her realise that all these hospital visits are not about her, they are about Josh and her now deceased mother.
Oh wow! I quickly thought of Munchausen's by proxy (now known as FII) as the relationship between Lauren and her mother rang bells. The doctor, Abhilash, is convinced of Laurens innocence as he has seen what she has been through and has got to know her, seeing her as a survivor. Alternate chapters take us to then and now, then being when Lauren was with Josh and Abhilash finding out more about her.

"Because I know what love isn't" How powerful, and something some of us don't realise when we are in the midst of things, only when we are able to step away. A story of realisation and becoming the person you can be- not what others need you to be. A powerful, dramatic, thought provoking read.

#blog tour

A thoroughly good read which I enjoyed from the beginning until the end with good characters. For me, personally, it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat but it was well written and I soon got into the storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC which I can definitely recommend.

This talented author has written a novel of mystery and intrigue. Secrets and lies abound. The characters are realistic and come alive on the pages. This theme is touching…sad…horrible really…however, it reads like nonfiction at times…this book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. The main character has a physician who cares about her. She is in the hospital often. Their relationship is problematic to say the least. The man in her life…words escape me.

Lauren has been in a relationship with Josh for years, all she wants is to get married, but Josh is not interested. Lauren wants a family, and thinks that Josh's family will fill that gap in her life.


She meets Dr Menon during a hospital stay after a jet skiing accident. and he urges her to tell the truth about her relationship. That it is as toxic as the relationship she had with her mother.
Lauren is interview by the police because Josh is missing, and they suspect her of murdering him. They could not be further from the truth.


I did enjoy this novel, although I wasn't keen on the main characters. I found Lauren weak and slightly immature, but she seemed to become stronger and more mature at the end of the novel. I realise this is probably Alex Stone's intention.
The GBV was a trigger for me, but I did really rejoice at the scene with the bat. Shows a real act of courage. I don't want to say too much, as I don't want to give away too much of the story.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.