First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Liv Andersson, and Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

In the world of thrillers, those of a psychological nature tend to be my favourite. Keeping the reader on the edge of their seat while they delve deeper into the story is a sure way to provide a great deal fo excitement for the attentive reader. Liv Andersson does just that with this piece, as she formulates a strong story on the surface but adds the impact of a secondary, and darker, tale with connections to the primary plot. When a small child goes missing, Beatrice Wicker takes notice. This child has a horrible way of reminding Beatrice of the issues within her marriage. While the hunt for the child and their kidnapper continues, Beatrice remembers an event from her past that she hopes to keep secret. However, that secret could all be revealed too soon and the reason for the kidnapping may not be what everyone is thinking. Andersson does well to keep the reader engaged throughout with a great ending.

Life in Cape Morgan, Maine is as peaceful as it could be, which Beatrice Wicker has enjoyed since arriving. Living in a massive home on the coast with her husband, Josh, there is noting that Beatrice could want more. As Beatrice begins making plans to turn an abandoned asylum into a captivating art retreat, she is happy to see things coming to fruition. Nothing can derail her, even that Josh will occasionally sneak off to see his other family, something that no one knows about and Beatrice chooses to ignore.

While he thinks himself sly and able to muffle it all, Josh is completely unaware that Beatrice knows about his indiscretion and hopes to keep it that way. Beatrice is also harbouring a deep secret from her past, which has had her running from many of the small towns in which she lives. Should it all come out, the utopian life she’s become accustomed to could come crashing down.

After an explosion leads to the disappearance of a young boy, the community is in a panic. Beatrice knows that this is Josh’s son, but remains calm in hopes that he will admit the truth and be able to panic or grieve. Yet, Josh remains stoic and does not tip his hand, which only angers Beatrice more. While they watch others in the community comb the area, Josh and Beatrice are stuck in this circular waiting game, each unsure what they other knows.

The hunt to find little Oliver is exacerbated when a clue turns up one day outside the family home. As Beatrice tries to brush it off, she is left to wonder if her own secret is about to come out, which could ruin things and force her to admit that she is not as pristine as she lets on. A struggle to find the boy, trap the kidnapper, and yet keep the truth from spilling out is all part of this thrilling psychological book that keeps the reader flipping pages well into the night.

Liv Andersson makes a glaring impact on the genre with this piece, sure to shake loose many of the cobwebs for the passive reader. The story is well-constructed, strengthened by a strong narrative core. As it moves at a brisk and yet reasonable pace, there are characters who develop and find their own footing throughout. The story uses some of these central characters to drive things along, though it is the essence of the secrets that both Beatrice and Josh keep that provides the greatest impetus. Plot development is strong and finds itself merging with every passing moment, keeping the reader on their toes as things take a turn for the worse. How will Beatrice face the truth of her past? Will Josh be able to play the role of protective father that he wants? Who is eyeing the children of the community as part of their larger game? All these answers can be found within the pages of this book, though Liv Andersson does not allow the reader to meander through this story.

Kudos, Madam Andersson, for a great and impactful read. I will have to look into some of your other work.

Leave The Lights On tells two different stories. Firstly we meet Beatrice, who is married to Josh and is spending her time converting an abandoned asylum into an artist's retreat. Then we meet Emma, a social worker who ends up being kidnapped and forced into bombing the senate.

The story flits between these two different timelines and, before long, we work out how the two are connected. I always enjoy books that work in this way as I like trying to figure out how the timelines connect and piecing it all together.

This book has it all: kidnapping, bombs, espionage, relationship issues. The premise of the book was really interesting and I enjoyed seeing how it all unfolder.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

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‼️ spoiler alert ‼️‼️
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Trigger warning : kidnapping , Stockholm syndrome.

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I’m not sure where to start. The story was quite a mixed up. 😫
Started when Beatrice was like a social worker looking after for a boy name josh. When she was too attached on him, the dad abducted her . As he was some kind of working in a government. Then she got Stockholm syndrome at some point. Living with this man, his wife and the kid.When she escapes, she hide her identity but she has a past herself.
She then got married to a wealthy man who’s kid got kidnapped, and another person got kidnapped too.
It’s all a echaos😆 but then it’s just a little surprise at the end who actually did this that’s why I stayed for even though my head is all around .
Anyway, good ending. Just the mixup of the story was all out of place.


❤️shaye.reads

Behind the facade of Beatrice and Josh’s ideal marriage are secrets they both keep from each other. Josh has a secret child, and Beatrice has known about it the whole time. When Josh’s son is the target of an attack, Beatrice’s other secrets begin to surface, but who will tell the other the truth first? Domestic thrillers - where we always assume it’s the husband - are not always my favorite, but I really enjoyed Leave the Lights On. I’m a sucker for a character with a secret past.

The plotting is great, and the dual timelines are done well. The audio narration is wonderful. If you’re looking for a great domestic thriller, look no further.

WHOA. This synopsis had me so interested and I was so excited to receive an early audio copy!
While it was a bit scattered throughout and a bit more filler than necessary, it did keep me entertained and wondering who to trust. I loved the cat and mouse element and the deception woven throughout.

This was a wild ride with lots of action and many surprises. I loved the descriptive writing of coastal Maine and it’s surroundings. Lots goes wrong - kidnapping, disappearances, mental illness, infidelity, deceit. There are many colorful characters - most despicable for an assortment of reasons. I found it quite entertaining to listen to on audiobook.

I am somewhat interested in the “now” sorry but her “past” is such a bore that I started skipping to the next chapter every time we went back there. Eventually I skipped too much and the book couldn’t keep my interest. It seems like a very slow burn?

Beatrice is willing to overlook a lot, she’s got a mansion on the coast of Maine, and lots and lots of money. It’s worth it, even if she has to overlook the fact that her husband has another family that he sneaks off to visit. Josh doesn’t know Beatrice knows his secret, just like he doesn’t know all of the other secrets she’s keeping from him. After a disaster at a local school, Beatrice learns that a small child has been abducted. And the child is none other than Josh’s son, but he can’t tell Beatrice without giving away the fact that he has a secret family. And there’s a lot going on in the story, and it’s hard to find anything to like about either main character, but the location and the storyline are solid

I had really been anticipating this book as the blurb was intriguing, however it didn't really deliver. I thought the plot and idea was great but the execution was really lacking. The narrator was also not the best so that weighed heavily on my mind as well.

This book had good writing - the story itself was pretty far fetched. As the story goes on the items Beatrice talks about going through really seem to get more and more outlandish. It wasn't a terrible book, but not one I plan to suggest to others - especially with the ending.

WOW! I read Little Red House from Andersson earlier this year and really enjoyed it, and when I heard that her next novel was coming out this fall, I kept my eyes peeled for it 👀 and it did not disappoint! In Leave the Lights On, Beatrice lives what looks like a charmed and privileged life until tragedy strikes their sleepy coastal Maine town and a child is kidnapped. The entire community rallies to find the missing child, but clues start emerging that no one recognizes but Beatrice; clues that point to her life before she came to Cape Morgan, a life that has been catching up to her for decades.

I went into this book completely blind, having requested it sight unseen and forgetting to read the blurb. Now going back to review it, I feel that it doesn’t do this absolute roller coaster of a book justice! This book goes in so many different directions before racing towards a wildly dramatic ending. This is the kind of book where you really don’t know who you can trust and what their motivations are!

Leave the Lights On is a perfect genre bender- is it a mystery? Yes. Is it a horror? Kinda! Is it a thriller? Definitely! I will say that some parts of the book do require some disbelief suspension, as many thrillers do. But nonetheless, I absolutely enjoyed it! I read and listened to this book in its entirety in one day- I just had to keep listening. I finished it late last night, and the final few chapters, had me completely wired and unable to sleep until I knew how it ended!

I would recommend this book to mystery and thriller lovers. Be ready for a wild ride with this one! This book does contain sensitive content, so be on the lookout for content warnings if that speaks to you. Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ALC of Leave the Lights On, which publishes on October 17.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Beatrice finds out that her husband, Josh has been living a secret life. All those trips spent away he has been spending them with his other family. Beatrice is not ready to confront Josh yet as that will ruin their happy marriage happy life reputation and might also reveal Beatrice's own hidden secrets. When a bomb detonates at the elementary school a child goes missing and everyone takes part in the search even Beatrice as it turns out the lost little boy is her husband's son. WHAT?? While trying to figure out who would do such a horrible think, a clue is left at the scene and it makes Bearice's blood run cold. Is this all because of her past and what she is trying to hide? Enjoy!!

Wow, this book was fantastic. It kept me guessing until the very end. I was not sure what to believe and certainly did not guess the ending. It was well-written and the audiobook was well-narrated. The time flew by and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I would highly recommend this work by Liv Andersson and will absolutely be seeking out any other books that she has written.

Is it too late to change the narrator? I liked the story. It was a slow burn for sure. I did almost DNF because of the narrator. Her voice was very monotone and boring to listen to.

My anticipation for this audiobook quickly turned into disappointment as I delved into the story. The characters, who are usually the heart of any narrative, lacked the depth and relatability I crave in a story. There was a noticeable absence of genuinely likable characters, making it hard to invest emotionally in their journeys. The plot, which should have been the driving force, felt ambiguous and failed to capture my interest. Moreover, the much-awaited twist was disappointingly predictable, robbing the narrative of its potential impact.

What saddened me most was the pervasive sense of melancholy that permeated the entire audiobook. Rather than evoking a range of emotions, the story left me feeling consistently downhearted. I found myself empathizing not out of connection but out of pity for the characters and their circumstances.

In summary, this audiobook lacked the compelling characters and gripping plot I had hoped for, leaving me with a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction and sadness.

I’m DNF at 35% because I thought this book was about a wife getting back at her husband for having another family.

Instead we have a wife who knows her husband is cheating. A mistress who knows her baby daddy is married. It seems the housekeeper and people of the town all know this too. Here’s the kicker… it’s been going on for 3 YEARS!

He has an 18mo old with his mistress. I’m sorry but at some point in those 3 years one of those woman would have given him the ultimatum.

He sleeps with both women. This is so degrading to women to act like two women would just sit back and let a man think everything is good for 3 YEARS!

It would be one thing if neither woman knew about the other, but come on.

What mother is going to be fine with her baby daddy who supposedly loves her staying with his wife?

Saying all that this book has very little to do with this man and his cheating ass.

It has to do with the wife and her past. And her past somehow has gotten the love child kidnapped… what? Why?

It makes no sense at all.

I’m sure more would be explained, but this does not relate to the blurb of the book at all.

It seems like 3 different books got shoved into one making a bit of a confusing mess.

I think throwing the affair in there takes away of the story that seems to mostly circle around the wife, her past, and the cult trying to catch her. And if the blurb reflected this and the affair was taken out I’d probably be sucked in. It’s just too much and too messy.

Especially when the blurb makes it seem like this is going to be about a wife gone crazy because of an affair and has something to do with kidnapping his love child.

I will not post my review on any media sites as I DNF’d it.

This is just my honest feedback.

The premise of this story was certainly interesting. I enjoyed the backstory more than the main story unfortunately. I also feel like there was a lot of buildup to then have the book end very abruptly.

I really wanted to love this book but it seemed like there was a lot going on but I found it underwhelming. I didn’t connect with the characters which made it hard for me to really be drawn into the book. ***SPOILER****I was intrigued when I read what the book was about but after it took a conspiracy theory twist, it lost my attention. I found myself annoyed with the FMC and was disappointed with how the plot unfolded. I had high hopes. I do want to thank the author, Liv Anderson, the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook.

I really wanted to like this. The synopsis sounded entertaining and right up my alley. But I felt like the synopsis was only a fraction of the overall story. There’s just so much going on from kidnappings to domestic terrorism to conspiracy theories. Although I can tell the author attempted to tie everything together, it just fell flat for me. The characters are interesting but I couldn’t follow everything that was happening. I was losing interest.

Beautiful prose, but I'm a plot > prose reader. If the prose manages minimum competency (not drawing attention to itself and distracting from the story) I care way more about an interesting, fun story.

Beatrice/Emma, the protagonist, was too stupid to love. I don't love that for protagonists, and definitely not for a protagonist of a mystery/thriller.

How she went from a worried social worker looking out for a poor abused boy to in love with her crazy prepper cult captor to back-to-sane did not make sense. Either she was truly a top contender for the Darwin Awards, or she was acting in service of the plot and not the way that she honestly would act.

I was also bummed that the dangling carrot of the premise (a wealthy woman who knows about her husband's affairs but turns a blind eye) wasn't properly paid off. I wanted to understand! Instead she just seems cold towards him - we see her in their final state of emotional remove, but we don't understand how they got there. Presumably she would have been head over heels at one point in order to choose to marry him, no? I want to understand how she went from in love to 'meh, he has a flower baby and is IN LOVE with another woman, but it's chill because he's rich.' That's a wild curve and the author just leaves it as a given. Tell me more!

On a line level, it was really well done. It just need a strong developmental edit to make it work!

Thanks, NetGalley and Dreamscape, for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.