Hmm… the story’s premise had promise and ended up under delivering for me. I expected a thriller suspense, but was roped into a slow burn character driven story that bordered on historical fiction centered in the art world. The book started off quickly with the mystery of an alleged human bone in a work of art. Whose bone is it? And how did it get there? I was hooked! It took about 90% of the novel to reveal that surprise and by then, I wasn’t as invested in the story. The characters were pretty dreadful and I couldn’t find a redeeming quality for any of them, so that made it hard to sympathize with their personal tragedies.

Paula Hawkins continues to surprise me by not writing any other book similar to her mega-hit. The Blue Hour had me slightly confused at the beginning as to what was going on. Once I got my bearings, I ended up enjoying it. The main character of this book is absolutely Eris island!

A Paula Hawkins novel promises mind games, tangled truths, and misplaced trust for both characters and reader. Her latest novel, The Blue Hour, fulfills all of these expectations. I will admit to trusting and doubting the wrong people and repeatedly falling for versions of events that were true except for the basic core. Hawkins is a master of manipulation, and I loved every page.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for making an advance copy of this title available for an honest review.

The Blue Hour is a book about art – it is about the reclusive artist, the sculptures and paintings, the curator obsessed with her work and the people who have come to be in possession of pieces of her art. The description of the art and its inception is fascinating. No wonder her work has been fought over. .The Blue Hour is also a psychological drama about self-worth, loneliness, loss, and love. You will probably not like most of the characters. You will probably be surprised by the slow revelations that have led to the present circumstances. But, you will definitely not soon forget this dark and chilling story of obsessive love.

Unfortunately, this book is just not for me and I won’t be finishing it after reading about 25%. I tried so hard to get into it, but it wasn’t capturing my attention. The story is very slow paced and slow moving. I really enjoyed two of the author’s previous works and one fell flat for me, so I guess her books are very hit or miss for me.

If you enjoy a slow burn mystery and an atmospheric thriller, this may be the book for you! There’s a heavy focus on the past and on artists and art galleries, which may appeal to some readers as well.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC and opportunity to be an early reader.

Amazing book. The suspense is next level. The characters are so complicated, and their relationships are so odd and messy. This is her best novel yet, and that's saying a lot because the girl on the train changed the whole domestic suspense genre.

thanks netgalley and mariner books for this arc!

1.5 rounded up. this is my first book by this author and while i’m still going to give her another shot, this one just didn’t do it for me 🫤

i was so bored from the beginning to end, and didn’t feel attached to the story or characters at all. they were all pretty unlikable, and i just felt like i was reading the same thing over and over again

this book also mentioned covid and the pandemic sooo much which is always a big pet peeve for me in books, especially when the plot has nothing to do with pandemics? super bummed about this one

This one was only 3 stars for me. The setting was picturesque and I felt like I could really envision the paintings, however the story dragged on. I greatly disliked Grace, one of the main characters, and found I didn't particularly care about the others. I finished it, but it was miss in my opinion.

The Blue Hour is the latest by Paula Hawkins and I have yet to be disappointed by her works. I loved the idea behind this book and loved the setting of the secluded island, there were plenty of twists that kept me guessing. While I was left with some unanswered questions at the end this book was hard to put down and gets a 4 star rating for that reason. I enjoyed her writing style and the different points of view in the story. I want to thank NetGalley and Mariner Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Blue Hour, the latest novel by the bestselling author of The Girl on the Train, is a haunting and atmospheric thriller that grips you from the first page. Set on the isolated island of Eris, with its lone house and elusive tides, the story unfolds with an eerie sense of foreboding.

The island's current inhabitant, Grace, lives a life of quiet solitude, but when a startling discovery in a London art gallery brings an unexpected visitor to Eris, long-buried secrets begin to surface. The novel masterfully weaves together past and present, drawing readers into a web of suspense that echoes the sophisticated style of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith.

The Blue Hour is a compelling and unsettling exploration of isolation, art, and the dark corners of human nature, confirming Hawkins as one of today’s most skilled and stylish storytellers.

A famous artist who donates her art collection to the Fairburn Foundation after her battle with cancer. The artist lived on a remote Scottish island only accessible for a few hours a day when the tide is out, Julian Becker, the Foundation's art curator is sent to speak to the artist's friend who still lives on the island to find out why a human bone is in one of the sculptures. Many mysteries and connections between the various characters.
Enjoyable but I felt the plot was a little far fetched at times.

I saw mixed reviews of this new book by Paula Hawkins, and admittedly was hesitant to read because it sounded like it may be a disappointment. I am SO GLAD I ignored those reviews and read anyway. I actually thought this was her best book yet. Yes, it’s a slow burn, but the tension building is phenomenal! There’s a feeling of dread with each chapter. There is an ominous feeling to the story, and that just increases with each secret exposed. I would highly recommend for any psychological thriller/mystery fan, and don’t let the “slow burn” fool you. You’ll be turning pages quickly to see where it’s all leading.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read in advance!

Although I am a fan of Paula Hawkins I did not care for the Blue Hour. Definitely a slow, dark thriller, but I couldn’t connect with the characters or the way the chapters were laid out.

This is a slow burn, character-focused thriller with many twists and turns that really leans into a classic gothic writing style.

The famous artist, Vanessa Chapman, lives on a secluded island that is only accessible twice a day, depending on the tide. Famous for her ceramics and paintings, she became equally as known for her husband’s disappearance. After Vanessa loses her battle to cancer, she leaves her art to a museum while giving her house to her friend, Grace, who took care of her while she was sick. After one of Vanessa’s sculptures is found to have a human rib bone as part of it, the museum seeks out to investigate Vanessa, Grace, and all their hidden secrets, unraveling the truth bit by bit.

I’ve read a few other books by Paula Hawkins that I’ve enjoyed, but this one just didn’t hit the mark for me. I really appreciated the ode to Shirley Jackson and the dark tension throughout. However, I struggled to connect with any of the characters. I found them immensely dislikable and not that interesting. I thought that having it set in the art world would add to the mystique and darkness, but it just didn’t work for me. I think someone more into making/collecting art might appreciate this one more than me.

Thank you Mariner Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I liked this story about an artist and her relationship with a doctor she goes to for a broken wrist. Meanwhile, the Foundation that the artist's estate was left to has its own drama. There is missing art that was listed as part of the estate and a missing husband. This puts a different spin on this mystery. Hawkins has proven herself to be a solid writer.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I'd say it was maybe 3.5 stars. It had all of the things I like in a book--a secret past, a mystery with a twist, a celebrity or famous person in an isolated location--but it didn't quite stick the landing for me. I'm not quite sure what was missing--maybe more tension? But I was never quite pulled in and immersed in the way that I wanted to be.

With spooky season right around the corner, I wanted to start off the season with a dark thriller and my goodness did this one deliver! With a secluded Scottish island, unreliable narrators, incredibly flawed characters and timelines this book had everything I was looking for and more.

This book is a slow fire burning (see what I did there 🙃 also a great book by Ms. Hawkins) But once the story gets going, it’s a raging fire of emotions and I left feeling satisfied with the ending and the story told.

If you’re looking for a dark read this spooky season make sure to pick up this book October 29, just in time for Halloween!

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was a bit underwhelmed by this book. I found it to be a bit predictable and I wasn't a fan of the ending of the story.

Artist Vanessa Chapman died with an unusual will. She left her small island house to her long-term companion Grace. All of her artwork and notes, however, she left to her former lover and bitter enemy Douglas Lennox -- or rather to the foundation he created. The foundation is currently being run by Douglas's son Sebastian since Douglas has also died in a shooting accident on his estate. Sebastian is a spoiled rich kid who doesn't know much about art, so he's glad that James Becker has been hired to oversee the day to day "arty" work of the foundation. In addition, James is something of a Vanessa Chapman fanatic. He's studied her all of his life and is thrilled to be able to delve into her papers and to see all of her artworks up close. While many of Vanessa's physical works have been sent to the foundation, none of the paperwork, notes, journals or photos have been. Grace Haswell is still living in the house she inherited from Vanessa and is still in possession of the papers that should go to the foundation. Ben is sent to get the material from Grace. The house is located on an island that is separated from the mainland by a causeway that is underwater many hours of the day, depending on when the tide is out. There is an added sense of urgency to retrieving whatever else they can from the Vanessa Chapman estate. One of her artworks, a work involving "found objects" inside a glass cube has just been discovered to contain a human bone. This is alarming since twenty years before, Vanessa's husband came to the island to visit her and was never seen again. Could this bone possibly be an explanation of what happened to him? Grace, living alone now on the island, isn't too happy to receive visitors, but she and James soon bond over their shared admiration of Vanessa and her work. Unfortunately, this sense of comradery leads to ill=advised confidences being shared on both of their parts.

The book moves along at a very fast pace. It is a combination of backstory being revealed about both James and Grace, as well as entries from Vanessa's journals and various notes, emails, and newspaper stories. There are plenty of surprise revelations and twists and turns throughout the story. Loved it!

The blue hour by paula hawkins is beautiful written and well paced. I was drawn into the hook of a reclusive artist who still left mysteries behind after she died. But I will say that I was ultimately disappointed in how the book ended leading to my decreased rating.