My stomach is in knots after reading this one. Both haunting and sickening, there were so many twists that left my jaw hanging.

The story alternates between the perspectives of the Seng family. As children, Violet and Fiona are on a passenger plane with their parents, when it suddenly plummets and crashes in the wilderness. Their parents are tragically killed and the girls are left alone for weeks before they’re finally rescued.

Now in their 30’s, the sisters are estranged and continue to live with the trauma from their “alone time”. They’re forced back together when they become subjects of a documentary, bringing their quiet lives back into the public eye. At the same time, a woman from their father’s past appears and claims to know the truth of what really happened.

Alone Time is psychologically chilling with sick twists at every corner. The story lightly covers unexpected themes such as, split personalities and cannibalism, which adds complex layers to the story without being overtly graphic. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, but the ending is stopping me from giving it 5 stars. The final revelation was the best and biggest shock of the story, but what followed after was disappointing. I would’ve liked to see a different response from that specific character. In retrospect, the character deserved a “happy ending” moment, but it felt a bit cliché and undermined the horrific events that happened.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the e-ARC.

Wow that ending! This book had so many twists and turns I was hooked throughout. I will definitely be reading more books by Elle Marr after this!

This is such a thrilling novel! This book has such strong fall vibes. The way Elle Marr wrote about trauma in this novel just felt genuine. Nothing felt forced or just written to further the plot. Also, can we talk about the ending?! One of the best thrillers I've read in a while.

A very good read with a lot of twists and turns. I was absolutely shocked by the ending, and I am still thinking about it!