Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing | Thomas & Mercer for gifting me a digital ARC of the first book in a new series by Minka Kent. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Camille has it all - a loving physician husband and two young children. But she's keeping a big secret - she had a traumatic childhood and has been diagnosed as a sociopath. She has to hide the truth, because she knows that if her mother finds her, she'll kill her. But when 6-year-old Georgie comes home from school talking about a new imaginary friend who knows way too much, Camille is terrified.

This was a gripping psychological thriller that had me turning the pages as fast as possible. Because just what was happening here? Told in the present as well as in the past via therapy sessions, you can feel the fear that Camille is experiencing for the safety of her family. I was shocked at the ending and never saw that coming. I'm on to read the next book because I have to see what happens!

This is the first book in the Dangerous Strangers Thrillers series, a psychological thriller. I read it and truly enjoyed it — and the audiobook version added all the feels to the story. The story is original, intriguing, and captivating, filled with intrigue, tension, and twists and turns. The characters are well developed and enigmatic. The plot is well crafted and entertaining. Renata Friedman did a great job bringing the story to life. I’m looking forward to listening to Circle of Strangers, the next in the series.

This was SO GOOD. I'm a huge Minka Kent fan and this might be my favorite so far. I tore though it in two days.

The story follows Camille, a diagnosed sociopath with a traumatic past. She’s incapable of love and struggles with empathy. Despite having nothing in common with her, I found her surprisingly relatable and rooted for her from start to finish.

Kent’s exploration of mental health here is both sensitive and unflinching. She captures the nuance of sociopathy in a thoughtful way that feels deeply researched. I found myself considering what it must be like to understand emotions on an intellectual level yet never truly feel them. That idea has stayed with me since I finished the book.

Though dark and unsettling at times, this book was a pleasure to read. Kent's writing really draws you in and keeps you hooked. Beyond that, the book flowed perfectly. The short chapters, tight pacing, and perfect length made it totally bingeable and impossible to put down.

If you're into psychological thrillers, this is a must-read!

4.3 rounded down to 4.

Minka Kent does it again! What a suspenful and intriguing read! The storyline was eerie and full of suspense with short chapters that kept me reading. Highly recommend

This story hooks you with a deeply unsettling premise and drip-feeds you the tension until you’re questioning everyone and everything. The main character Camille is compelling but flawed in a very human way. You’re never quite sure if you can trust her version of events.
The pacing is sharp. Short, punchy chapters kept me saying just one more, until I realized I’d finished half the book in one sitting. The writing is clean and accessible, which makes it easy to fly through even as the plot grows darker and more tangled.
I did see some twists coming. But even when I guessed what was happening, I still wanted to see exactly how it would all play out, and Kent delivered a satisfying, if slightly rushed, finale. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for my ARC.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for the e-ARC of this novel. Here are my thoughts.

Camille had a very troubled upbringing. Her mother was abusive, and Camille has worked hard to ensure her family is safe and healthy. But suddenly her daughter, Georgie, is saying things that only Camille’s mother would know. Is she going to find her and her family, and are they in danger?

Any thriller with a kind of creepy kid is so entertaining to me. Georgie gives off creepy vibes at the start of the book and I couldn’t tell whether this was a spooky kid or if someone was influencing her. I won’t tell you which it was! It was definitely creepy, and I liked the way the book interwove Camille’s past and present.

There were scenes in the therapist’s office and present day, showing how Camille was trying to work past some of her traumas from her childhood. I liked her character a lot, as she had a very honest inner monologue which was refreshing. She didn’t feel like the typical thriller heroine who is kind of clueless but curious, she took her situation by the horns and knew what needed to be done. Some of her decisions were infuriating but I liked her none the less.

This is a quick read, that I found challenging to put down. The chapters flew by and in true suspenseful fashion, I wanted to read more and more to find out what happens. The sequel to this novel comes out in August and I am already checking the best time to queue it up this summer!

Imaginary Strangers is a fast, twisty read that kept me hooked from the start. Minka Kent nails the suspense—just when I thought I had it figured out, the story flipped again. The psychological tension builds in such a subtle, eerie way, and the ending totally got me. Perfect if you like quick thrillers with a dark, emotional edge!

Minka Kent's Imaginary Strangers plunges you into a chilling world where the past isn't just a memory, it's a living, breathing threat. Camille Prescott has meticulously constructed a perfect life, a shield against a horrifying upbringing. But her carefully built facade begins to crumble when her daughter's imaginary friend starts revealing secrets - secrets only Camille's monstrous mother could know.

This isn't just a thriller; it's a descent into a mother's deepest fear: the past isn't just haunting her, it's reaching for her child. Kent masterfully crafts a sense of creeping dread, blurring the lines between reality and delusion as Camille races to protect her family from a danger she thought she'd buried forever.

Imaginary Strangers is a suspenseful and unsettling exploration of the enduring power of trauma, the fragility of family, and the terrifying possibility that the past can not only return, but also whisper its poison into the next generation. Prepare to be gripped by a story where the most innocent of relationships - a child and her imaginary friend - becomes the chilling conduit for a mother's worst nightmare.

Minka Kent has done it again!!!

It only took for me to read one of her books (Silent Woman) for me to make Minka Kent an auto-buy author for me. Seriously, I will not accept any negativity when it comes to her books! Excellent character development, twists and turns that will make you gasp out-loud, and you will not know exactly where she is taking you until the very end!

This was a unique and fantastic story all in one nice, neat, package. Camille seems to have the perfect life. Married to a surgeon, living in a well-to-do neighborhood, with two perfect children and a well kept home. But, Camille has a dark past that she has never shared with her doting surgical husband or anyone for that matter. She grew up with an awful mother who was drunk most of her childhood. The story goes from the past, starting when she was a child, to later in adulthood when she sees a therapist, to the present. We get to sit in on her therapy sessions and learn about everything that she went through, how she is coping today and the secret she is trying so desparately to keep deep and buried. Until one day, her sweet six-year old daughter comes home from school and begins to explain that she has an "Imaginary" friend. Only Georgie starts to say things to Camille that only Camille knows. So where is Georgie getting this information and is her friend really imaginary or is she very real?

Holy Rollercoaster!!🎢

Well, let me just say this, buckle up, because this is one wild ride! I could not put this book down because I needed to know what was going to happen next! In true Minka fashion, it was not what I was expecting, and WOW! So, so well done! Bravo Ms. Kent, Bravo!!!! 👏

I highly recommend! 4.5 wine glasses rounded up! 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

I only gave this 4.5 wine glasses because I was able to guess one part of the ending, which I almost am never able to do. And I'm not mad about it at all!! It ruined nothing for me, I was actually kinda happy that I was able to figure even a little bit out for once! LOL!

The premise of this book was so creepy and I was very interested. I love books with creepy kids in them, and the imaginary friend trope had me hooked.

I enjoyed the story and think the writing was strong. This was fast-paced, dark, and overall entertaining.

3.75/5

Imaginary Strangers by Minka Kent was a unique read! I was thrown by the twists and turns and even the subtle hints. The characters were fascinating, and so was the timeline. It felt like there were many moving parts, but it felt effortless. I loved the different timelines we had going on, and I was not expecting some of the things that happened. Great job, Minka!

Camille has the perfect life: an amazing husband and family. But life didn’t start out that way for her. Her childhood was plagued by her terrible, abusive, vindictive mother and she is determined to leave that life behind her. Then one day her six year old daughter starts talking about an imaginary friend who knows things about Camille’s past. How does six year old Georgie know these things if her friend is imaginary?

Thank you to Minka Kent for sending me an ARC of this book for review. I apologize that it has taken me so long to share my review. But this book- WOW! I love Kent’s writing style and have read almost all of her books. I’m hooked on her psychological thrillers. This may be my new favorite. I enjoyed the duel timelines where we learn of Camille’s troubled past and then go back to present day when she is raising her daughter. Reading about Camille’s childhood was gut wrenching and really makes the reader feel for her. The short chapters kept me turning the pages because I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. The creepy kid trope always gets me- with the imaginary friend, it was definitely freaky. And the ending… I didn’t see that coming!

This was a pretty good book. This is a book that kept me guessing and I couldn't figure out where it was going!

Imaginary Strangers by Minka Kent is a gripping and suspenseful novel that plunges readers into the dark atmosphere of it. This is a psychological thriller full of tension that explores family dynamics and buried secrets. It was fast-paced that kept me entertained in the story. The writing is good and i was hooked from the beginning. The ending was amazing and the twist was right on top. Overall, I enjoyed quite much but felt like the middle of the book became a bit slow until it picks up closer to the end.

Enjoyed this one, a great thriller!
Thanks NetGalley and Minka Kent for letting me read before the release!

Really enjoyed this thriller. I usually love this author’s books and this one did not disappoint. Thanks for another thrilling read!

Not my usual thing, but a good time. Got through it pretty quick and was pretty engrossing at times. I'd like to read more from the author

As always, Minka Kent is brilliant. I love the authors writing!

This book will grip you from page 1 it is masterfully written and when you get to the end will leave you questioning life :)

Fast pace, lots of twists and turns and just everything you want in a domestic suspense thriller.

Great job as always on the book. Loved it. Will continue to read more from Minka Kent.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. This is the first book in a thrilling new series Dangerous Strangers.
Camille is married with two kids, a daughter and a son. Husband's a doctor, and she's a stay at home mom. Anyone looking at her life would think it's perfect. Just how she wants them to see it.
She has worked hard to bury all the childhood trauma she endured. With the help of a therapy, it has been years since it has affected her. But with one sentence from her daughter, it all comes crashing down. Now, she has to do everything she can to protect her family.
A definite page turner with a twist I didn't see coming. This book does not end on a cliffhanger but does leave you wanting to know what happens next. Can't wait for the next book.

Imaginary Strangers by Minka Kent is a gripping psychological thriller that masterfully keeps readers questioning reality until the final pages. With its fast-paced plot and chilling twists, the novel delivers everything fans of domestic suspense crave.