I love Sarina Bowen when she writes romance, I’ve read both her thrillers because I love her as an author.

But while this was written very well, it felt never ending. I lost interest so many times. I also figured out who did it right away, and I’m a dummy who never guesses the plot twist.

It wasn’t the worse thriller I’ve read but it’s not the worse? I just did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I’ll continue to read Sarina’s books and I hope the next thriller is better.

Sarina Bowen definitely has done it again. It's a "fun" summer read (in the sense that you'll just want to sit poolside and devour it). As a former (?) romance author turned thriller author, her relationships and humanity definitely give books like Dying to Meet You a leg up.

Sarina Bowen's second thriller genre novel is a well crafted mystery that kept me guessing to the end. The multiple pov's provided depth and helped build the layers of the story. I enjoyed the unique Maine setting. The characters were interestingly flawed. Just enough red herrings throughout continued the suspense along the way.

I love Sarina's romance themed books, and I wish this one had a bit more romance. However, she remains a top five favorite author for me.

ARC received from Harper Perennial via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Sarina Bowen has been one of my favorite romance authors for a long-time, and I loved her 2024 foray into the thriller genre, Five Year Lie, so I was really excited to dive into her newest thriller. I really enjoyed Dying to Meet You and found myself disappointed each time I had to put it down and do life. The twists and turns were unexpected and I truly wasn't sure how it would end. Having a teenage daughter myself, I found Rowan's relationship with her daughter Natalie to be authentic and genuine. I found the slow burn pace to work really well in this case as it gave time to get to know the characters and for the secrets to be revealed in quite a satisfying way.

I’m such a fan of Sarina Bowen’s thrillers. This is the second one I’ve read by this author and I’m hooked!

I love how layered each of her characters are - a quality that will keep readers guessing until the last chapter! The setting was great. I love hold architecture so to weave the crime elements through a house restoration was a very cool approach. I would love to discover old documents and a torrid past in a century home!

I think this would have been five stars but there were some parts of the story that wrapped quickly without a lot of answers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Perennial and Sarina Bowen for an early review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for allowing me an e-ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Blurb:
Rowan Gallagher is a single mother and architect who is restoring the Wincott Mansion. Her boyfriend recently broke up with her and she has some trouble letting go. So, she “stalks” his avatar on the FriendFinder app to keep track of where he is at and what he is doing. One night, she sees that he is parked in the parking lot of the Mansion (which is right down from her house). She decides to take the dog for a walk to see what he is doing. She approaches his car and notices something off: the door is slightly ajar and he is sitting in the car, unmoving. He has been murdered! Rowan becomes the prime suspect and will do what it takes, with the help of her 16 year old daughter, to prove that she did not commit murder. Will she be free to go or forced to spend some time in the slammer?

This is my second Sarina Bowen book. The first book of hers that I read was The Five Year Lie and I thoroughly enjoyed it. She blends elements of gothic mystery with suspense, creating a story that is both eerie and emotionally resonant. The Wincott mansion serves as its own character, with its hidden rooms and dark history. This adds layers of intrigue to the story. Rowan’s journey is not only a quest for justice but also a path toward self-discovery and healing.

I enjoyed how Sarina had multiple timelines going at once: the present story with Rowan and her family and then the past timeline with Marcus and Coralie. However, I wasn’t aware that it was a past timeline up until the last quarter of the book when I started to figure out who the killer was.

The story is told mainly first person POV. However, most of Natalie’s (her daughter) chapters are told from 3rd person POV. I’m not a huge fan of 3rd person POV so I struggled with the switches back and forth. I did like seeing the story from Natalie’s POV though. It showed true teenage angst and grit mixed with the determination to help her mother solve the murder mystery and to clear her name as well as her ex-con father’s name.

I liked the characters and their personalities. I did not find them aggravating or unlikable. I empathized with Rowan and her situation: single mom of a teenage daughter after her baby daddy killed a man and went to prison. But now baby daddy is out of prison and wants to be back in Rowan and Natalie’s lives. Then there is her work situation. Girl has got a lot going on! I feel for her.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It was a quick, thriller read. I can’t believe the person who wrote this one, writes romance novels as well. Well done!!

Review posted to Goodreads on 5/16/25
Review posted to Amazon on 5/16/25 - went live on 5/16/25
Review posted to IG on 5/19/25

I enjoyed this one. The mansion holds many secrets. Secrets Rowan is slowly finding out. Some people she knows are tied to the mansion and Rowan doesn’t know it.
I liked how this one was told from Rowan’s point of view but we also get her daughter's point of view though in the third person. Her daughter has her own secrets.
Rowan’s ex also comes into the picture after her ex gets murdered. That’s when things start to slowly come out.
Really good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I finished this book in two nights and I liked it a lot. I started to figure out a couple of things half way through the book, but overall this was good.

I was so excited to open Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen.
The writing was sharp and at a perfect pace that kept me interested.
This author does an excellent job of creating an atmospheric setting that adds to the tension of the story.
The writing itself is well done, and the pace keeps you turning pages.
The author's ability to create suspenseful settings and well-written characters makes this book worth reading. The setting & descriptions really put the reader in the action.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Dying to Meet You was an engaging read with suspense, mystery and with some second chance romance added in. Rowan is an architect working on an old mansion. Her boyfriend recently broke up with her and she didn't know why. She happens upon him murdered and the book chronicles her interactions with police as she tries to clear her name and put the pieces of the puzzle together to find the actual murderer.

I found the story line to be intersting and unique (I am mostly a romance reader). I thought the story was well written. I do think it was a little slow in the middle part of the book and was at times hard to stay invested. Overall it was a good read, and I would recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was an atmospheric, twisty and suspenseful book. A single mother and an architect becomes a suspect of the murder of her ex, Tim. Because she was first to witness him unalive in his car. While he broke up over the text and it was unsettling for her so she stalks him and finds him in their spot, she go there to check who he is with but a twist of fate and he turns out to be dead. The haunting mansion which she was restoring certainly added a layer of mystery and then another mystery unfolded. The book has some twists, i didn’t see coming and truth was twisted. The ending was jaw dropping. Expect the in unexpected, secrets, mystery, twists, shocking revelations at the end, investigation and so much more. You will devour this book

Thanks to the Publisher.

Thank you, Harper Perennial and NetGalley, for my eARC of Dying to Meet You by Sarina Bowen. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I enjoyed this thriller and had a good time following along as we figure out who murdered Rowan's ex. I liked how Bowen intertwined all of the elements in the story together so that several characters and the mansion were connected. While I enjoyed the twists and turns, I wasn't super surprised about the ending. Some of the things Rowan did while she was investigating felt a little far-fetched. I think the most memorable character for me was Rowan's ex-husband, which was a bit disappointing. Despite not really connecting with the characters, I couldn't put this one down because I needed to know what happened next.

Thanks, Harper!

Definitely a 5-star read!
This one hooked me right from the start. Rowan is juggling a tough new job while dealing with a fresh breakup, and following her ex probably isn’t her best move, but she just can’t let it go. When she finds him dead, things spiral fast. She gets pulled into the investigation and starts uncovering layers of secrets that connect not only to him but to her own life in ways she never expected.

This was such a fast paced thriller with twist after twist. Just when I thought I had it figured out, something new would pop up. I flew through it and would absolutely recommend if you love thrillers that keep you guessing.

This slow-burn thriller blends suspense with a touch of second-chance romance, and it does so with a thoughtful hand. While it moves at a gentler pace than many thrillers, the writing is sharp and engaging, striking a solid balance between tension and emotional depth.

The Portland, Maine setting gave the story a vivid sense of place, and the addition of a creepy old mansion brought just the right amount of eerie atmosphere to the plot. It helped ground the mystery while also enhancing the overall mood of the book.

If you enjoy thrillers that lean more into character development and emotional stakes than constant action, this one is worth picking up.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fun thriller about a single mom, her snarky teen, the murder of mom’s boyfriend-with-secrets, and a cast of others who all might have done it. And there’s a twist!

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller! It has murder, mystery, and twists that kept me guessing until the end. I am so glad I didn't have the ending. Great read!

I am definitely looking forward to reading more by Sarina Bowen!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Netgalley.

I enjoyed this mystery set in a smaller town. Rowan is a single mom trying to raise her daughter and make her name be known as an architect. She’s working on an old mansion trying to restore it accurately and on a budget. She breaks up with her boyfriend and a few days later he is found dead. Also, her ex is out of prison and comes back to her town. I enjoyed the ex and actually felt for him trying to get dad to a daughter he didn’t raise. I predicted the suspect but enjoyed the book nonetheless. I loved Lickie, the family dog!

I've read and enjoyed several Sarina Bowen books so I grabbed this book when I saw it. The cover wasn't only attractive, I knew the exact location of that lighthouse, having lived several years in the Portland, Maine area. I got a special kick out of knowing many of the locations in the book.

Rowan is an architect and she's got a fascinating project. She's working on renovating an historic house that has an interesting history, beautiful lines and hidden paintings on the walls. It had been transformed from the home of a wealthy family to a home for unwed mothers, and now it's being refreshed and brought back to life.

It's still in the hands of the original family and there is so much history within those walls - not all of it wholesome. Rowan had been seeing a new man and although they had been lovers, she wasn't in love with him. But when he dumped her by text, she was hurt. Within a few days, she finds him murdered on the mansion property. She comes under suspicion.

Additionally. the father of her daughter has been released from prison and she wants him to stay away from both of them. Of course, he shows up in Portland.

There are so many interesting turns and hidden secrets exposed in this story. It turns out that I did figure out who dunnit. The book was so much fun to read. I recommend it.

I have always read Sarina Bowen is a romance author and I'm usually more a romance girl but thrillers have peaked my interests lately. I've loved tons of her romance style stories so I thought I'd give this one a go.

The story started off great and built up to mystery and suspense. I was on edge the entirety of the book trying to decide in which direction it was going to go.

The characters were great. I enjoyed how it all unfolded and kept you dying for more.

It's always great to see an author you've known for so long for one thing try at something else and do well at it. I can definitely see myself reading anything she releases. I was impressed as always.

Oooh this is a fun domestic thriller! From the outside Rowan Gallagher is a successful, strong single mother. Her little secret is she spies on & stalks her ex. She bored & he seems to be moving on with no issues. One night when he parks at what used to be “their” spot, she lets her dog off the leash. Instead of finding him with another woman, she finds his body & ends entangled in the investigation. There’s slight gothic overtones due mainly to the mansion she’s helping to restore. It’s history, the family that own it & the fact that it was once a boarding house for unwed mothers all lend to that. As the investigation goes on Rowan learns things she didn’t know about her ex & her own past starts popping up at the same time. Needless to say, she’s goes through a lot. You get to see a couple other viewpoints besides hers, I wasn’t sure where they were going exactly but they eventually are tied together adeptly. Overall this is a good murder mystery, that will keep readers entertained.

📱

Read if you like:
* For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing
* The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn