I’ll be honest, I thought this book had a slow start and was going to end up on the “eh” side of reviews. I was pleasantly surprised toward the end when I felt the same way the main character did: OMG IS EVERYONE GUILTY?! This book definitely redeemed itself, for me! I’d give it a solid 3.5 ⭐️ rating

I have enjoyed some of Claire Douglas' other books and with a great synopsis I expected to be all in on this one as well; unfortunately this just didn't hit with me. I couldn't connect with the characters, possibly because of the third person/first person narrative and I just couldn't get into it.

The idea of a crime author's books beginning to mirror her own life is such a great premise. Even more so how does someone know what's going to happen in a book she hasn't yet had published? It could be anyone in her inner circle.

I wanted to enjoy this and maybe that just added to my disappointment. I will keep looking to Claire Douglas' for other enjoyable reads but in my opinion this wasn't her best.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in advance of publication.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

I really did enjoy the plot about it being about an author and how her book “came to life.” I feel like it did deserve the 3 stars. However, I wasn’t really wanting to pick it back up because the beginning felt pretty slow and drawn out. The most wild thing to me at the start was that she was an author that seemed known, she has several people in her circle whom are working for the police in some capacity, and she still doesn’t seem like there is any urgency to take precautions of any kind; even though she has 2 children and a stalker. It seemed like all the threats to her family could be prevented or they knew the cause of and yet she was still ..surprised? For example, the skylights were opened and she was baffled, but later it comes out that someone could hack the system and it’s just shrugged off it seemed. She has a stalker but still wasn’t locking the back doors. Her father in law was always reminding her to lock them at night? I may have a poor interpretation or it may be related to safety in different areas of the world but it just brought up a lot more questions for me that took away from the book.
Towards the middle it started to pick up and get exciting but I felt like I had an idea who it was going to be. Some of it was presented in confusing ways or over elaborated on, and then some was just briefly touched upon so it felt like there wasn’t a balance allowing it to flow. I didn’t like how she was flip flopping constantly pointing fingers at everyone in her circle lol but I really did love the whole idea of the book.
Lastly, one other thing I did find is that there was a lot of “telling” rather than showing us with descriptive writing. The hooks at the end of the chapters to grip us and keep us interested basically was a one-liner here and there telling us exactly what to think, which makes it less suspenseful and more juvenile like it’s “trying” too hard to influence the reader. The plot was great and there was plenty of chapters with suspenseful endings that there didn’t need to be ones like that.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Harper Perennial for my DRC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love Claire Douglas' books and this one was no exception. This book is a combination of two stories wrapped into one. It grabs your attention quickly and keeps you hooked right to the last page. This is a wonderfully gripping thriller that is full of twists and turns guaranteed to keep you entertained.
The author beautifully combines the different storylines and delivers a fantastic gripping tale. While experiencing events from Emilia’s perspective, you also enjoy extracts from her book and a police investigation into a serial killer. These different elements make this an interesting read that keeps you curious. When everything is tied up you are left in awe as it all falls into place. This book is clever and creative.
Emilia Ward is excited about the book she just finished writing. She has already published nine books in the series and she is happy that the new book is the last in the series. But when strange things start happening, she realizes that she might have a stalker, someone is re-creating scenes from her books. However, when something is taken from her unpublished manuscript, she immediately knows that whoever is behind the pranks is someone close to her. Who would want to terrorize her, and who could be capable of murder?
I loved the different sides to this story and the extracts from Emilia’s book left me feeling as if I was reading two stories at the same time. This book was clever and it kept me curious right to the end.
The women in this book were a good mix and there is sure to be someone everyone would like. Emilia has everything she has ever wanted until her world starts falling apart and she is left suspicious of everyone around her. The turmoil was fantastic – there was never any doubt about Emilia’s emotions which the author managed to bring to life. I found myself racing from page to page doubting everyone in Emilia’s life.
This book is another addition to my loved list for 2023. The book is gripping, creative and hugely entertaining from start to end. I cannot find anything I did not enjoy about this story. Why have I not read more of this author’s work?
If you are looking for a creative, gripping thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat then you want to add this title to your TBR. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It’s a fantastic read!

I don't know exactly why but I never could connect with this story... The "author's books coming true" trope is not a new one in murder mysteries, and that's not necessarily a problem - but what is, is when there doesn't seem to be a new, fresh, or compelling twist to the concept, and unfortunately I didn't find any of those elements present here. I couldn't connect to the characters and the writing just didn't draw me in. I may have simply read too many versions of this type of story, but this one didn't work for me and I couldn't finish it.

This was a bit slow, but intriguing enough to have kept my attention. I skimmed some things but thoroughly enjoyed most of this story. A decent read.

This book is a complete novel of twists turns and unexpected results. The author truly keeps you engaged. I kept making guesses about the ending but man was I so far off. Great character building and I loved reading everything happening in the story.

It was great. Loved the flow and all the characters. I enjoyed every minute and flew through it. Can't wait to read more of of her books. The reading of her novel while reading about what's going on was great.

Emilia is a tired author ready for a new start after a bestselling series about a detective solving crime. She writes a story that kills off her main character, hoping that will pave the way for future stories to be had. But when the events of her books start happening to her, she wonders if she’s about to befall the same fate as her character…
I really tried to like this book, I think it had a great premise and at moments that shone through. But overall this book felt just as tired as Emilia, almost throwing all possible ideas at the wall to see what sticks. By the time the final twist was revealed you could almost guess it by deduction, which was unsatisfying. One subplot that I did enjoy was Emilia navigating keeping a friendship with her ex-husband while having a new husband. I think seeing that dynamic at play was so interesting and I hope in the future Douglas might be open to writing more about that. I’m grateful to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for letting me read and review this novel!

Good book. Liked the story and characters but it was a little slow and long. I feel it could’ve finished sooner than it did. I like this author so I will keep reading.

I really enjoyed the book. This is my first Claire Douglas book and I enjoyed the writing style

I loved the plot! This was a great thriller!

I thought this was a fun book. Parts of it were pretty obvious early on (her new friend was seriously suspect!) but it was an enjoyable ride. I like reading books about writers and having her be a mystery author gave the book a nice set up to have a mystery in a mystery in a mystery and even a slight twist--what was in the book vs reality?

I did find her husband a huge distraction. He did not seem to be a very good husband and never improved in the book. I get that she has low self esteem but she could do so much better! He was a wet blanket in all aspects of her life and I spent a lot of the book wishing something would happen to him so she could move on with her life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the ARC! I really enjoyed Claire Douglas’s writing style as this was my first book by her. The storytelling was fantastic. I love a good mystery/thriller.

This novel kept me on my toes. So many plot twists that had me wondering and getting it wrong a few times. I finally knew what was coming towards the end. The execution missed the mark a bit, as I was confused at the beginning when we got different POV's. However it wrapped up nicely.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Inc. for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Right now, words cannot adequately describe how incredible this psychological thriller was. With a twist in every chapter, this novel was impossible to put down. How on earth have I never read anything by this author? It blows my mind. I cannot wait to get my hands on another one of her books. This book deserves more than five stars.

Apologies, error. I included the review for the wrong book in this section. I will revise when I read this book. My apologies.

HOLY COW!!!!! This book was so good. Claire Douglas does it again with her amazing storytelling, plot, and all the twists. I had the hardest time putting this book down because I was so invested in this story.

I absolutely loved this one and I would give it 10 stars if I could.

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read this early access book.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the eARC.
Emilia now has a lovely life with her 2nd husband and 2 children, after a miserable divorce from her 1st husband. She is also a successful author with a 9-book series and working on finishing no. 10. She is happy and feels so lucky.
Little does she know she's in for a world of hurt, which has her doubting everyone and everything in her life and brings her to her knees emotionally and psychologically.
What a tense, unputdownable book this is; it was impossible for me to even think about my chores ... I just wanted to keep reading!

I enjoyed this book. I really like her style of writing overall. It is a fairly quick read and it catches your attention and begs you to keep going. A few of the characters were tough to connect with. Overall I would recommend this book. She is a good writer that knows how to catch your attention and add a twist at the end.