This one started well and I was intrigued by the premises of the book but it all just got a bit far fetched and annoying.

This is the first book by Kabler that I have read. I think i may have set my expectations to high. I often found it hard to follow the characters as they just didn’t seem too likable at times.
I don’t think there is fault with the author just my expectations were too high

This book sounded like something I'd really enjoy so was excited to get stuck in,I definitely set my expectations to high because even though I did persevere it just didn't grip me as much as I hoped.
Sadly just not for me but other readers may find this book perfect for them.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

I’ve read and enjoyed several titles by Ms. Kabler so I was excited at the premise of this plot. I do not live in the UK so I don’t know crime sentencing laws there. The ones in this story seemed harsh. I found this story contained several things that were a slight stretch of plausible. I just don’t know if a regular person would trust total strangers as much as Heather seemed to. I liked many of the characters and found them relatable. One person even completely fooled me. The villain was eccentric and unique. He was evil and every woman’s worst nightmare. His Idiosyncrasy didn’t seem well explained in the conclusion. There was also vagueness about Amber’s memory issues. The outcome wasn’t a surprise for me but was nicely tied up. I liked Heather’s determination and could see her in a series as an undercover agent or private investigator. Again, I really appreciated the idea of being framed for a crime that wasn’t committed. The story was easy to read and follow. I will keep watching for the author’s next novel.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of “The Life Sentence” by Jackie Kabler, HarperCollins UK publishing, publication expected 05/09/2024. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

I struggled with this book .I loved the sound of it, it sounded and was very original ,but I wasn't captivated by the characters or the story .I wanted to enjoy it more than I did .I wouldn't want to put other readers off but it wasn't for me.

So, while this isn't the best thriller I've ever read, some of the storyline was new which is why I'm giving this 3 stars. I legit wanted to get to the end so that I knew what the heck would happen to Heather! But there were some misses as well.

Enjoyed:
- Johnny. Super small part but the most likeable character.
-Rhona is a bad ass.
- the twist with felicity and her phone was a good one.
- fast paced and chugged along at a decent clip. I never found myself bored.


Far fetched:
- The fact that Heather just chooses to go back to sleeping with and dating a man who she believes may have hurt other women and sent one to jail. She seemed almost uncaring about her own safety and flippant about what Jack may have done.
- that jack doesn't go out into the sun and the reason why. That... was almost unbelievable.
- that jack got out on bail and the entire ending with Amber. I actually rolled my eyes.
- the camera detector
- that Heather is that good at avoiding cameras.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Heather is approached by a woman named Felicity regarding the imprisonment of Heather’s former best friend, Amber. Amber was convicted of assaulting her boyfriend at the time, Jack. He also happens to be Heather’s ex-boyfriend and the reason she and Amber fell out. Felicity and her brother, Nathan, are convinced that not only did Amber not assault Jack, but that the whole assault was staged. By Jack. It takes quite some convincing, of course, but Heather eventually decides to help – by getting back together with Jack. It would be strange enough if he was your typical boyfriend, but Jack was anything but typical.

She needs to get back into his life to search for evidence of what Jack did. The evidence may not even exist, Nathan’s just basing that off some drunken ramblings of Jack’s. But if it does exist and Heather can get the proof she needs, Amber’s days in jail may well be numbered. Of course, that’s only if she survives dating Jack a second time.

As far as men go, Jack’s not as horribly abusive as I imagined based on the build-up in the story. He has his quirks and is plenty controlling, but Heather was (a little too easily) able to search his estate. The suspense lies in whether he’ll catch on to what she’s doing before she has her proof. There was less conflict than expected, and I was waiting for a twist or reveal that never came. The book was a quick read – I finished in only a few sittings, and it kept me entertained, but it was pretty anodyne. Maybe the author will ramp up the thrills in her next one – I’ll be checking it out, for sure.

Heather lives a quiet life working in a bookshop. She lives alone and enjoys her solitude. On visiting another bookstore for an author talk she picks up her bag at the end and realises it isn't hers, but there is a note in it inviting her to call a number to meet up with the person who has her things. When she finds they are talking about someone she used to know who is now in prison, she really isn't comfortable but one thing leads to another and her interest is piqued. Can she help to find the truth and get her friend out of prison?

Oh wow! I had only read a couple of chapters of this before I found myself engrossed and wanting to read more. There’s that air of uncertainty and tension between the pages which Jackie does brilliantly. I read The Vanishing Of Class 3B of Jackie's last year and was on tenterhooks the whole way through so when the opportunity to read this arose, I jumped at the chance, and wasn't disappointed. A read I wanted to race through. A brilliant premise so beautifully executed. A crime that didn't quite happen as portrayed, yet it put someone behind bars. A rollercoaster of tension, a clever plot. One I highly recommend.

Imagine going to prison for a crime you not only didn't do, but that didn't even happen... Can your old friend help you? Lives are in danger in this tense and exciting thriller... I loved this, it was brilliant and kept me turning the pages.

I have enjoyed all of this authors books so when I seen this I could not wait to read it and wow I was not disappointed it was fantastic.

Amber has been convicted and is serving time for a horrific crime says she is innocent but is she. Her ex friend is going to try to prove it that she didn’t do it but by proving Amber is innocent she has to put her own life at risk is she going to make it out alive or find out Amber did do the crime.

This was such an original story which had me gripped throughout I could not put it down. The writing style was great it just flowed throughout. There was many twists in the story which I did not see coming. Highly recommended. Amazing! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

This was a little disappointing for me. The author is a very good writer -- I've read other novels by her. I had reasonably high expectations going in, which unfortunately were not reached. That is not to say I was not entertained -- i absolutely was. I just was waiting for the one big twist, the other shoe to drop...which never came. The plot felt slightly unrealistic on several counts -- the friend's life sentence for one - but I was inclined to accept them. I enjoyed the book -- I just hoped for a little meatier story. I will reader more from the author if I get the chance.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

The Life Sentence by Jackie Kabler is advertised as a psychological thriller. It was a pretty good read.

Amber Ryan is convicted and jailed, all for a crime that never even happened (or did it?). She says she is innocent. Now, her friend is going to try to prove it. But to do that, she has to go back, but will she make it out alive?

The book's premise was intriguing and drew me in, although some parts of the story were a bit slow; there were too many details in certain scenes (Heather searching Jack's house).

The story is told from various points of view (Heather, the friend; Amber, in jail; Jack, the ex; and one chapter by Yiannis, a friend of Jack's).

I thought the story was okay. It wasn't as page-turning or heart-pounding as I thought it would be. I would still recommend the book as it was an enjoyable read and had a bit of a surprise ending.

#NetGalley @OneMoreChapter_

Amber has been convicted and jailed for a crime that never even happened.

Heather hasn’t spoken to her best friend, Amber, in a long time, not since Amber was found guilty of a violent crime. She doesn’t expect to ever speak to her again until two strangers mysteriously enter her life and tell her that not only is Amber innocent, but the crime never even happened. The action in this book starts from the first chapter and doesn’t let up until the end. The story is told from multiple points of view and it was fun putting the puzzle pieces together as the main characters try to prove Amber’s innocence while putting their own lives in danger. Highly recommended for mystery and psychological thriller readers!

I’ll recommend at publication and also suggest for my book club. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read!

My name is Amber Ryan. I'm in prison, but I’m innocent. And I’ve been jailed not just for a crime I didn’t commit, but for a crime that never even happened. Now, my friend is going to try to prove it. But to do that, she has to go back. And I know she may not get out alive! Wow! Great book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, gas lighting, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins publishing for sharing this book with me!

I absolutely adored this book! I could not put it down, probably the fastest I have read a book… A brilliant rollercoaster of a ride… I read this book in one sitting in less than a day and loved every minute of it

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Life Sentence.

This is my first book by the author and I was excited my request was approved. I'm always looking for a new author to read.

Sadly, this didn't meet my expectation for a number of reasons:

1. I don't like the author's writing style. Lots of exposition, long paragraphs and no paragraph breaks of long wind=winded descriptions.

The style of writing is also immature, almost childish.

2. The premise is a lie; the incident that put Amber in prison did happen, but there are inconsistencies. It didn't not happen.

3. I'm not a lawyer and get all my legal knowledge from Law & Order reruns but I do know this: there's no way anyone would get life in prison for grand larceny and a stabbing. Rapists and pedophiles get less time in prison. Maybe this is how the law works in the UK.

4. Typical of the genre, the premise is drawn out with Felicity stealing Heather's bag and saying she can't say much, then punting her off to her brother, Nathan, before more long winded exposition is given.

I know the author is just trying to draw out the suspense but it didn't work here. It made me annoyed and frustrated and the poor writing also didn't help.

Characters speak in long, long paragraphs with no paragraph breaks. Real people don't speak this way unless they're telling a story.

5. Heather is boring and dull; she's pulled into this caper by the siblings and has to be convinced she's the only one who can do it. Things happens to her, not the other way around.

6. The narrative is tedious and repetitive; nothing happens until the last 10 pages. There's barely any suspense or urgency.

We're just reading about Heather looking for evidence, playing her part with Jack, getting the creeps from Rhona, the housekeeper, and having secret convos with Felicity and Nathan.

7. Chapters from Jack's POV unnecessary. Also, he's a psychopath because he's a momma's boy? Can someone page Dr. Freud?

8. The ending is hard to suspend disbelief for, but so was the whole story.

Some readers might enjoy this but the story and author wasn't for me.

I have read and loved so many books by Jackie Kabler so I was very excited to read this one and as usual Jackie always manages to draw me in with the build up of tension which culminates in twists that shock me. This was such an exciting and intense read overall.

Is it bad that I didn't like the way it was written? The book is constructed mostly of dialoques (which many consist of unnecesarry talking between characters) and inf dumb about what happened earlier. Maybe the concept of the novel was good, but for me it lacked depth. I couldn't connect with the characters, probably because of the language of the novel, I know some people will like it, and I recommed anyone who is interested in the plot to at least try to read it. It just wasn't for me.

I swear that there must be a hole in my kindle. Either that or my page turn clicks were on warp speed. I mean, I started reading this book and then - poof - it was done. Pacy, packed with intrigue and more than the off moment of threat and unease, this book captured my attention from the rather unexpected and mysterious opener, right to the high stakes ending. A one day read and just what I needed.

Given how the book starts - protagonist Heather attending a book launch event - you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was going to be a somewhat more pedestrian read. You'd be very wrong. If Heather thought that she was just going to meet a favourite author then head back to her happy and steady life as a bookseller ... well she'd be very wrong too. A strange meeting, a 'stolen' handbag and a very cryptic plea later, Heather finds that her very 'steady' life, is about to be thrown into turmoil. Asked by a stranger to help prove the innocence of Heather's one time best friend, Amber, Heather is all too keen to just say no. But, much as mine was, her interest is piqued and it's not long before she finds herself in a whole heap of trouble - trouble that could cost her everything>

From the very beginning of this book I was intrigued. It's a very easy book to fall into the flow of and although we don't really spend much time with the allegedly innocent, Amber, it was enough for me to become invested in her fate and in following Heather as she works alongside two strangers, Nathan and Felicity, to prove that the crime Amber was convicted of, never even happened. With chapters told mostly from Heather's point of view, with the odd chapter from Amber's point of view and also from a third party - the person they suspect of setting her up - it was Heather who I became completely fascinated by. I can see why she might want to walk away, but also why she became so invested in finding the truth, even if that was simply proving that Amber's conviction was sound. But the more she, and we, the reader, learn, the clearer it is that something is not quite right and the seemingly fanciful tale Heather has been told may just be true.

Now the story may seem a little off, and expecting Heather to rekindle a failed romance in order to get to the truth would be enough to raise objections in any rational person. That is certainly the case for Heather and, the more we learn of her ex, Jack, the more her decision to walk away from him makes sense. He should be the perfect catch - rich, good looking and a very capable lover - but, like all good things, there is such a thing as too good to be true, and for all of his good points, there are some very strange habits for the man too. There were times when I would have liked to shake Heather and ask her just what she was doing, but the way in which Jackie Kabler has framed the story, even the most dangerous of situations and the most unlikely of decision kind of felt plausible. Any which way, I didn't much care as I was completely invested in the story - frustrated by some of the maddening decisions Heather took, sure - but very interested to see just how the whole case would play out and what price everyone would have to pay, however it ended.

There is an undulating tension throughout the book. Not too intense, but just that sense of unease and an understanding that nobody really trusts anyone else. Even Heather feels sort of isolated, trusting the word of two virtual strangers against someone she know, albeit that she knows the darker side of Jack too. But as to how dark ... well that you can find out by reading the book. it really did fascinate me and I just found the pacing of the whole thing right on the money, finishing the book in around a day. As for the ending - well, I was definitely left with a wry smile and that feeling that things ended just as they should have. Was justice done - well, read the book and then you decide. A fun, intriguing and attention stealing novel. Really enjoyed it.