This is...definitely a book.

The author tries to do a twisty thing that ends up being a really obvious from the go thing. I appreciated the try, though.

Our characters are very unbelievable and there's really no one to root for.

Main character is a door mat, though I think door mats may have more personality.

Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me.

* ARC via Publisher

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. The plot was fairly unique and kept me guessing. The ending developed well and took me by surprise.
I’ll definitely read more by this author in future.

"I turn but there's no one there. My heart is racing. I could have sworn it was him - the man I killed. I suppose this will be my fate: to always mistake the rustle of leaves for the whispers of ghosts. But who cares? I'm free, and that's all I ever wanted.
Now, I can finally live."

📘If you like:
Short chapters ✔️
Dual timeline / POV ✔️
Unreliable narrator ✔️
Diary entries ✔️
Marriage / family drama ✔️

The cover and plot of this book drew me in and I like that it has short chapters.
After the revelation about who the killer was, I had to go back and reread chapters on clues I have missed. The reading experience was a heady mix..Some things fell into place while others did not seem to add up and left me confused. Like it's unbelievable that some of the characters got away unscathed. But that's ok since some of the characters I don't really care much about. There wasn't enough of the back story or character development of our main characters. The ending was kinda rushed but still an overall decent enough thriller since I did not predict some of the twists.

Happy publication day and thank you to NetgAlley and the publishers for the arc! 🖤

2.85 ✨

I enjoyed the plot and the playing with timelines, but the plot twists were not as surprising as I wanted them to be. The hints weren't too vague so it didn't really hide how things turned out, especially for an overthinker, such as myself. It was a pretty quick and well paced read, coming in at under 300 pages, it allows for minimal filler content, so things never strayed from the original plot lines.

Thank you to Matt McGregor, Inkubator Books, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

Well I wasn’t expecting this! I really enjoyed this story and the twists. I am expecting another book because of the ending. I do wish we got a little more background to all of their stories but otherwise, really good story!

This was a read that pulls you in, trying to determine who is good, who is bad, and what their motivations might be. I spent about 75% of the time watching this slowly come to life, and 90% of the time wondering what the blippity blip was actually going on. When all is said and done, I think it would have been beneficial to have a bulletin board with pushpins and different colored yarn to put it all together. I also think that there wasn't enough of the back story or development of the characters. I like a little show with my tell, and I don't think there was enough of that. I also expected more of a boiling bunny rabbits (which only makes sense if you know the Fatal Attraction tie-in) vibe, but that wasn't really what this was. I enjoyed my time spent reading this, but I think it could use more plot and character development.

Thank you NetGalley! This one had potential and intrigued me at first. I just couldn’t get into it as much as I wanted to

The cover and plot of this book drew me in right away and the twists and turns kept me reading until the end.

This was such good, fast read with so many unexpected twist and turns.
I enjoyed it! The way all the characters came together and intertwined and connected was so brilliant!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

I enjoyed this story line and I did not find it to be predictable. Ending was a bit rushed but I give it a 3.5.

A gripping read, kept me hooked to the end. Loved the dual timeline and took me a while to figure out James chapters were in the past! I liked how all the characters had secrets and different sides to them. Had me guessing to the end on who the killer was

A captivating, puzzling read that's hard to put down! I picked this up on a whim and finished it in a single night, only taking breaks to stare at the wall and try to figure out what on earth was going on.

The main narrator is a woman with a secret who is married to a wealthy, busy man with skeletons of his own. They're moving from New York to Montana to start a family and save their marriage from the distance growing between them. Upon arriving in Montana and awaiting renovations to be done on their new family home, a secret sister is waiting, along with a melange of confusion, betrayal, and unreliable narrators with secrets and agendas all their own.

The pacing of this book was exactly what I love in a mystery, although it did breadcrumb for longer than expected, which at times could be frustrating. It was worth the read, although with the similarity in names, I was pretty confused after the first twist in separating who actually did what, and how that reflects on how we look at each character. I kept having to reflect and mentally correct what I actually knew of each character so far, which I could see some readers struggling with.

By what seemed to be the initial conclusion, the author did leave some gaps in logic, especially how a would-be rescuer showed up to a remote cabin in the nick of time, and why the whole story wasn't told in truth to the authorities. It didn't take away from the overall story, but did feel rushed and patchworked into a convenient bow. Then the final conclusion hit, which had me dropping my jaw and absolutely bumping this book from 3 to almost 4 stars.

I truly enjoyed the book. I was happily lost in figuring out the puzzle, and how each small interactions layered into others. In the end I was stuck pondering the book well after I'd finished, and honestly look forward to reading more from this author!

I appreciated the short chapters and in the first half of the book I was a little confused! But the ending had me gasping and kicking my feet!!

This was a good psychological thriller!! I enjoyed this fast paced read, but it got repetitive, I thought for sure it was another twist coming but the same plot happening multiple times? A bit lazy in my opinion. The parts that needed more work were: making the characters more likeable so we can root for one of them at least, and the plot was all over the place and very confusing right off the bat. That should have been more tuned in.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

This was an entertaining thriller with a pretty decent twist. There were some spots in the book that I felt like the plot kept repeating itself but the climax didn't disappoint.

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of twists and turns and it’s very well written. Just when you think you have figured it out…boom! Think Again!! Storyline was great. Thank you Matt McGregor and NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

🍓🎀 𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝐸𝒱𝐼𝐸𝒲 🎀🍓

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“An old house. A new marriage. A deadly obsession.”

This is the first book I’ve read of Matt McGregor’s & I was pleasantly surprised.

I was initially drawn in by the cover art and then the blurb. An easy read, with a twist that had me so confused as first, but then it all fell into place. Just went you think all is said and done, the final chapter left me saying, “not again!”

I would recommend to those looking for a fast paced psychological thriller with a twist that I personally didn’t see coming. Perfect for fans of Daniel Hurst, Kiersten Modglin, John Marrs.

Thank you @netgalley & @inkubatorbooks for providing The Make Over for honest review.

#netgalley #TheMakeover

I feel as though this was a good idea for a novel, but the plot was so all over the place and just did not work for me. I do wish the story came across less confusing. And the characters were more likeable.

Confusing yet ultimately very readable. This book has lots of plot twists including a time shift that threw me for a moment! Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Virginia is trying to start life over with her husband in a new place. James is obsessed with his bosses’ wife. Their paths and lives filled with deceit will collide in unexpected ways. But when will the truth come out and what will it be?

The description actually felt a little deceptive for this book, but in spite of this I enjoyed the read. I binged this book in one night, and I felt like it was worth it. I do think some adjustment to the description would make the plot clearer to readers.

The novel is comprised of not only multiple points of views but also multiple points in time. The additional point in time isn’t obvious at first though, and once I realized that tidbit I was really drawn into intersection of the primary characters and how it would play out in the plot!

I did not like any of the characters but, because I love a good mystery, I was eager to know what was going to happen to them and what the connections were. At one point early on I wondered if Virginia was just losing her mind or if her husband was gaslighting her. About 3/4 of the way through the novel I had a good prediction of the connections though, which proved to be correct. But what happened with those connections at the end I did not see coming.

I think the plot was well done, a good slow unfolding of the characters, their secrets and connections. The description being not as accurate as it could be feels problematic to me. I had some points I was a little confused about the characters and the timing, but I can spin that for good and felt it can add to the mystery of what is happening and why. But I objectively know that may throw some readers off.

If you are someone who wants fast paced constant action, this would not be the book for you. But lovers of a good mystery will enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC read!