Cover Image: One Wrong Word

One Wrong Word

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Thank you so much to @forgereads for the #gifted book!

📖Title: One Wrong Word
📝Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan
🗓️Pub date: February 6, 2024

💙This book was such a fun and quick read!

💙It starts off with a bang as the main character Adren Ward is fired for an alleged affair. When her boss comes to her with one final job, she knows she has no option but to take it, but has no idea how much it will cost her!

💙I thought of so many ways this story could go, but the ending still surprised me (I did guess one twist though 🥨

💙There is so little I can say without spoiling anything in this one, but just trust me, you won't be able to put it down until you know what's fully going on with this crazy cast of characters!

💙This is my second book by Ryan and she is now an auto-read author for me! I can't wait to see what she does next!

Was this review helpful?

Words Matter! That is what Arden, a crisis management expert, will need to remember in this gripping new novel by Hank Phillippi Ryan. This book is full of secrets, lies, deception, threats, and betrayal. This book kept me on my toes trying to figure out who to trust in this twist filled book!

Arden just learned that she is losing her job, but her boss has thrown her a bone, a chance to make some money and to fix a messy situation. Cordelia Bannister asks Arden for help. Her husband, Ned, has recently been acquitted in a drunk driving accident which claimed a life. The court of public opinion has sided against them, and Cordelia asks Arden to help repair their reputation. Arden sets out to find out what really happened that night. She will have her work cut out for her!

This is not an action-packed book but a book packed with conversations. Readers will need to pay attention to the conversations as will Arden. I enjoyed trying to come up with my own theories as Arden tried to get to the bottom of things. I always love trying to figure out who can be trusted, who is telling lies, and trying to read between the lines.

Hank Phillippe Ryan delivers once again! I had both the book and the audiobook which made for an engaging and entertaining read!

Gripping, twist filled and well written.

Was this review helpful?

First of all, Hank Phillipi Ryan can do no wrong. As a reader of everything she has written, I am waiting for the book to break that streak and with her latest, One Wrong Word, my opinion still has not changed. I loved it! This is a really fun book to read! Arden is a PR fixer. She has been wrongly fired from her position but has to take on one last case. What follows is a twisty whodunnit full of rich people problems and I loved every second of it! Starts off running and doesn't let up til the end. And what an end!! Eagerly awaiting the next book!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Hank Phillipi Ryan and Tor Publishing Group, Forge Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own!

I will post my review to Amazon, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

Was this review helpful?

One Wrong Word by Hank Phillippi Ryan is the second or third by this author that I have read. It is about Arden Ward who is a crisis management expert. Unfortunately she is thrown into a crisis of her own which forces her to take on one last client. This book has several twists and turns, and the beginning hooked me, but overall I found the middle to be slow. This was not my favorite Hank Phillippi Ryan, but it may be for other readers!

Thanks #NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to #NetGalley and #TorPublishingGroup for the book #OneWrongWord by #HankPhillippiRyan. This book is amazing and takes you on one heck of a ride. From murder and deceit to secrets and lies, to the final ending plot twist. I highly recommend this masterpiece.

Was this review helpful?

Arden Ward is a fixer in a crisis management firm. Her job is to improve the tarnished reputations of her clients by taming public opinion while creating ‘a safer reality’ for people to buy into. I found this best expressed by a sentence in chapter 9 “Truth is only what someone believes or can be convinced to believe.”
This reinforced my opinion that anyone who is in need of a fixer, or as it’s sometimes called a spin doctor, is clearly someone whose behavior has justified their poor reputation. There is however another side and that is people who have been set up to look bad or guilty, but are really victims of someone else’s nefarious behavior. One Wrong Word explores both sides of that coin.
Arden has just been fired by her boss, Warren Carmichael, to placate the wife of a rich and powerful, but morally deficient client. But, in exchange for a sizable severance and a reputation saving public perception, Warren wants a ‘favor’. Arden is to take the case of Ned and Cordelia Bannister for her final two weeks of employment. Ned Bannister, a corporate executive, has just been found not guilty of vehicular homicide, but public opinion has a different verdict. To add to the drama, his wife Cordelia is contributing by insisting that Ned is hiding something and that her reputation, as well as that of their two children, has been seriously damaged by Ned’s behavior. So who should Arden believe? There seem to be compelling arguments, as well as holes in the stories of both sides. Ned Bannister’s past legal situation is closed, so reinvestigating it isn’t going to change anything, but could it significantly impact the future? And then there is what will Arden do with her life and how will she make a living once she leaves the Vision Group?
The Bannister storyline comprises the majority of the book with a somewhat slim connection to the storyline on the background of the loss of Arden’s job.
In true Hank Phillippi Ryan style, the book engages the reader immediately and is an exceptionally well written cat and mouse tale. The direction turned out to be different than I anticipated, but kept my attention. Even the secondary characters made significant contributions. However it’s more than a good story and an enjoyable read. I don’t usually expect a thriller is going to make me think, but this one did. The obvious thoughts were about what I would do if I found myself in the position of either Arden or Ned. The broader thoughts were about how I’m influenced by the barrage of information I’m exposed to from the many sources we have today that I didn’t have growing up or in the majority of my adulthood. Where is the truth? Is there such a thing or is it just the most persuasive mirage? What are reasonable expectations for behavior of those in positions of power? What has happened to past standards?
I do have one criticism, which is a bit picky, but naming one of the main characters Cordelia was an issue. The image created was old fashioned and specific, such as someone in the Gilded Age New York/Newport social set or a prim and proper schoolmarm. Basically the name got in the way of forming an image of this character that fit the story.
Thank you to one of my favorite authors, her publisher Forge Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC.

Was this review helpful?

I am a huge fan of Hank Phillippi Ryan and really enjoy her books, and this one was SO twisty and fun! The audio was great, I followed along with the book and thought both were equally fine to read. The story starts off fast, it captured my attention out of the gate and the pace did not let up until it was done. Everyone is unreliable, there are so many twists in here that it was dang near impossible for me to figure out. Every time I thought I was have it, something else would happen and off we would go in a different direction. I never had an issue keeping up which was great, and overall I definitely recommend this one!

This one is out February 6, make sure it is on your list! Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers Promotions, Forge Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

Was this review helpful?

This is the third book I have read by this author and she never disappoints.

She takes you on a ride, One you won't soon forget. Events things that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Late into the night . well are they impossible or did they happen . Well one way to find out pick up A copy and read yours. You won't want to miss this fabulous story. It's One of those books you just can't put
down..

I can say arden was my absolute favorite character in this book..
A woman out to save her career. A strong woman.

One wrong word could it be the end of everything.


Ryan wright terrific books.

Was this review helpful?

Hank is one of my absolute favorite writers and when you read this book you will understand why. Every time I get one of her books I think she can’t possibly top the last one but somehow, she ALWAYS does. I loved this one from start to finish!!!

Was this review helpful?

The author always gives her readers a clever, twisted ride in her thrillers and ‘One Wrong Word’ is no exception.
A false accusation brings on a crisis. More lies, unlikeable characters and manipulation had me whipping through this book as twist after twist surprised me. Well done Ms. Ryan.
Thank you Netgalley and Publisher Forge Books for an early copy. This review is my personal opinion.

Was this review helpful?

As always, this author delivers a Thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page. This is about a woman that helps people fix publicity nightmares. And then she finds herself in one!

Was this review helpful?

3.75. This was a solid whodunnit! I love Arden, I hope there’s more of her to come. Cordelia drove me absolutely bonkers from start to finish. The twist was pretty obvious, but it was entertaining to see it all unravel. It lagged bit about 3/5 in but still great!

Was this review helpful?

In the latest thriller from Hank Phillippi Ryan, we meet Arden, who is an expert at turning around the public's opinions of other people when their reputation has suffered, Through no fault of her own, she is unfairly fired from her position, but her boss Warren promises her she can take one last assignment in order for him to give her support and recommendations when she looks for another job. She's assigned the case of a man charged with murder. Even though the jury finds him not guilty, his home life suffers, as he's still seen as guilty. Desperate to get her old life back, his wife reaches out to Arden for help. As the story develops, and Arden questions who really is guilty and what really happened in that parking garage where the person died supposedly at the hands of her client's husband, she must rely on her skills and her gut to outsmart her pursuers, and discover the real truth. Full of twists and turns, in typical Ryan fashion, this will have you guessing until the end, and then remark "well I didn't see that coming!" Out 2/6/24 - pick it up in a few weeks for a great page-turning read!

Was this review helpful?

Wow! Arden has found herself in a cat and mouse twisty situation! She’s a PR executive accused of having an affair with a client. She’s innocent and on the verge of losing her job. She’s asked to take on one more case. Cordelia Bannister reaches out for her husband’s reputation. Ned Bannister is a real estate mogul who was involved in a fatal accident. Did he really try to murder someone? Was it an accident? Can Arden fix her own reputation while working with the Bannister’s? . Can Arden bring out the truth among the lies? Read and enjoy finding out what happens!

Was this review helpful?

Review of One Wrong Word

Hank Phillipi Ryan has done it again.
‘One Wrong Word’ is a masterfully crafted Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride of suspicion, intrigue and deceit. Your brain won’t be tempted to wander off while reading this book as it
demands your attention while it twists and turns its way through two life changing weeks. I was absolutely sure I had figured out who did it and how but my smug smile would fade more than once as another twist proved me wrong.
Hank had my mind spinning and racing to keep up till the end.
The characters and plot keep you reading straight through to the end. I didn’t want to put it down.
As a longtime Bostonian I loved being able to picture the locations in my mind. Hank is very descriptive.
This book would make a great thriller/whodunnit movie and should be filmed in Boston.
I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read it in advance.

Was this review helpful?

FIrst time reading a book by this author. It was fast paced and the plot was strong. There were a few instances where I lost my attention, but that didn't take away from my final thoughts on this book. I am excited to read future novels by this gifted author!

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely LOVED One Wrong Word. I was intrigued from the very beginning and by the end of the first chapter I knew this book was going to be SO GOOD. Hank's characters drew me in - some I really liked and some I really disliked. Everytime I thought I had things figured out, another plot twist popped up to keep me engrossed through the entire book and I kept vacillating back and forth on who the "good guys" were. I spent more than one night up WAY too late because I had to read "just one more chapter", which invariably turned into more. If you enjoy suspense you MUST read One Wrong Word!

Was this review helpful?

Another twisting, turning, who’s-double-crossing-whom story by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Great dialogue — and yes, I read the acknowledgements — to know she probably drove her copyeditor and proofreader a little batty.
And good use of the word “one” and “once” and other similar phrases to always tie back to the title.
Just when I think Hank can’t possibly top her last story, she does.
Thanks for a great read!

Was this review helpful?

This is a gripping, gut clenching story. Arden has been hired to do public relations for a man who has just been found not guilty, and for that of his wife. Neither is telling her the entire truth. The wife is concerned not only for him, but for herself and their two children. And then she drops strange morsels of information - hints?

Arden has been fired from her public relations job for something she didn't do. She's contending with that, her former boss, the losing trial DA, and her client's own lawyer. The reader knows, feels in their very being that something is wrong - really out of whack. But what? And who can Arden trust?

The reader is buffeted from all sides, and is forced to work really hard to figure out what is true, what isn't, who is going to benefit, who is trying to hurt others. Marvelous story that will keep the reader guessing and reading more and more quickly until the end.

Was this review helpful?

My heartfelt thanks to @thrillerbookloverspromotions @hankpryan & @forgereads for having me on this tour!
This is being released on Feb 6, 2024! Pre-order it now! You won’t regret it.

Wow, what a mind bender this was. Speaking of complicated plots, but it was everything I expected and more. This was my first novel by @hankpryan and I don’t know why I’ve never read this author before!

When I start a thriller, the detective in me starts looking for clues and signs that point to who the culprit might be. But I've never been so confused about who was telling the truth as with this story. The author took me on a wild goose chase until I no longer knew who to believe.

Arden Ward has just been fired from the Boston PR office where she works, but before she leaves, her boss Warren wants her to take on one last client.

Her client, Cordelia Bannister, is at a loss with the curveball life has thrown her. Her husband Ned has been acquitted in his trial for drunk driving that resulted in a man's death. But reporters still won't leave them alone, and now Cordelia believes her husband may not be innocent after all.

You can't help but root for Arden as she tries to help the couple get back on their feet. But the more she gets involved in the story, the more it doesn't make sense. Take Cordelia, for example, why does she seem afraid of her husband? And what exactly is Ned hiding?

At 60% in I was as confused as Arden appeared, and by the time I reached 85% on my kindle I had changed my mind 4 times about who the culprit was!

Believe it or not, this is my first book by this author and I just couldn't put it down until I knew what the heck was going on!

Was this review helpful?