I was so enthralled by this book that I didn't want to put it down. As it rotated between 3 POV, I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter to see what was going to happen next. This had some twists that I guessed, which I thought was a big one, ok? And it turned out to be a big one BUT there was one that turned out to be bigger and I was left dumbstruck. I can't give too much away but I will say, this is one of the best thrillers I have read in a while. I love all of Sarina's books and I am so glad she is jumping into another genre and really excelling at it because it just adds to her range as and author.
Thanks to Harper, Netgalley and Sarina for an early copy.

A gripping domestic suspense that had me hooked from the very first chapter.
It begins with a smart, complex heroine whose world unravels when she becomes the prime suspect in her ex’s murder.
Full of emotional depth, unexpected twists, buried secrets, and simmering tension, Sarina Bowen delivers a compelling, addictive read that’s impossible to put down.

Architect Rowan Gallagher is working on the restoration of a family estate and uncovers a sketchy past after her ex boyfriend is found shot in the parking lot. She becomes a murder suspect for a number of reasons, forcing her to dig deeper into family history and the past occupants of the Magdalene School for Wayward Girls.

I'm old enough to remember when places like this existed, and the school becomes a major part of this thriller. There are also some nice romantic elements with daughter's father Harrison who is a felon and also under suspicion. I have to say that Harrison was one of my favorite characters. As for Rowan, she's a likable character, but I didn't really get "architect" from her as she seems to abandon her career to solve the mystery of who killed her ex. I found the daughter to be more interesting as she is not exactly forthcoming with her mother.

There are multiple points of view in the telling of this story, one in particular that had me scratching my head at the end of the story. I was looking for a bigger payoff there, but okay, I may have to go back and re-read that part of the ending to figure it out

Overall, I liked the story. It's an easy read, but it didn't have the level of gut wrenching suspense that there could have been. I guessed the killer somewhere along the way, but that's the best part of reading a mystery/thriller. Entertaining.

Sarina Bowen est une autrice que je lis énormément en romance et j'étais donc intriguée de la lire en thriller. J'ai beaucoup aimé creuser le passé des personnages et tenter de découvrir ce qu'ils cachaient. L'ambiance sera pesante, les doutes bien présents et on retient son souffle jusque la fin.

Rowan Gallagher est une femme de 40 ans qui élève seule sa fille de 16, Natalie. Elle vivait une vie assez paisible malgré les épreuves mais tout cela va changer une nuit, après une découverte macabre. En effet, Tim Kovak, son ex petit ami a été retrouvé mort dans sa voiture, non loin du manoir où elle a été engagé pour le rénover. De découvertes en découvertes, on va se poser des questions sur ses mensonges, ses secrets. De plus, quand son ex mari, Harrison, va être accusé, les tensions seront encore plus intenses. Le passé familial des divers personnages aura un impact évident sur le présent et cette enquête qui va réserver de grandes surprises.

J'ai aimé chercher les indices et découvrir ce que nos héros cachent. Certains vont nous énerver car leur comportement est vraiment problématique. Je ne dirai pas leurs noms car ils font partie du dénouement et donc je ne veux rien dévoiler. Pour un autre personnage, j'ai compris un autre aspect, un peu plus tard et cela m'a donné les clés pour résoudre cette énigme car ce n'est qu'à ce moment là que j'ai compris les tenants et les aboutissants.

Natalie est aussi un personnage car elle nous montre qu'il faut parfois croire aux secondes chances et savoir rebondir suite à nos erreurs. Elle est mature pour son âge et même si elle va commettre quelques impairs et je dirais que c'est logique vu son âge. Elle a une belle relation avec sa mère et cela leur permettra d'avancer et de se soutenir.

Bref, j'ai vraiment apprécié ce thriller, ce qui nous change des romances hockeys de l'autrice. Elle a réussi le pari de nous emmener au coeur des tensions et des secrets pour en venir à un dénouement final palpitant.

Sarina did it again! An exciting thriller that keeps you guessing all through the book. Different stories intertwined along with the main story that all conclude in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Dying To Meet You by Sarina Bowen is a multilayered and gripping domestic thriller that is well written and will have you staying up way too late! This book does deal with some sensitive topics including: violence, teen pregnancy, mention of sexual harassment, and death.

Rowan Gallagher is an architect and devoted single mom trying to balance her personal life with her high profile commission restoring a historic mansion. At work she knows the difference between balusters and spindles, but relationship wise she has no clue what she is doing wrong. Her daughters father is a felon, and she just recently was broken up with by an investigative journalist named Tim. All out of ice cream and sick of watching trashy t.v. Rowan finds a new hobby. Following her ex on an app called FriendFinder. So when one night she sees on the app that Tim is outside of the mansion where she works, she is upset. That was their spot together, did he really take a new girl to their place? Off to confront Tim, Rowan walks the short distance to the mansion, but what she sees is worse than Tim with another woman. Because Tim is dead in his car. Now Rowan finds herself in the middle of a homicide investigation, and with the police looking her way, Rowan needs to figure out what really happened. But the more she digs for answers, the bigger the target is on her back.

From the very beginning of this book I was intrigued. The plot is full of tension and packed with hidden secrets. The way Bowen writes her characters is brilliant, adding in genuine emotions and vulnerabilities to make them realistic. I loved the mother/daughter dynamic with Rowan and Natalie. And of course, a little second chance romance thrown in never hurts!! This was the first book by Bowen that I have read and it is safe to say it's not my last!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarina Bowen, and Harper Perennial for this ARC!! Publication date is May 13th 2025.

I have been reading Sarina Bowen for a long time and love her books. Now she is giving us thrillers and I am all here for them. In Dying to Meet You, we get a story with secrets, twists and turns and I devoured it. We meet Rowan, a single mother, with a recent breakup who may be stalking her ex. But when she finds said ex murdered, her entire life is turned upside down. Now she is discovering things and trying to prove her innocence.

We also learn about a mansion she is restoring, who was almost a character in itself. We learn of the secrets of the house and its inhabitants. What is the truth and will she discover it before it’s too late? I was captivated from start to finish.

Happy reading!

I literally felt like Nancy Drew trying to figure out who done it.
I loved the story, the plot, the characters, I loved it all. I do love me a good o'l fashion mystery every now and again.
Rowan was just trying to make a new life for herself and her daughter when she suddenly finds herself smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation. She finds herself unraveling a web of lies that a very old wealthy family has carefully woven throughout the years. She also finds herself face to face with the father of her child who had long extracted himself from their lives, but now he is willing to fight to have his family back. I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE!

I’m not huge on thrillers but every once in a while I want to read one. I read Sarina’s last thriller and absolutely loved it. This one was no different. There were many twists and turns. It kept me guessing. I love the setting of the story, the PNW. I was so intrigued and didn’t want to put the book down.

Hot damn am I gunna need Sarina Bowen to keep cranking out thrillers cause she had done it AGAIN. This will be a spoiler free review because I truly did not solve this before the killer was revealed so strap in!

Single mother Rowan has lived a pretty average life; a dedicated career in architecture which has led her to her current role at restoring the Wincott Manor; a temperamental teenage daughter, Natalie, her shiny diamond left over from her failed first love; and that’s pretty much it. Just days after her current boyfriend dumps her over text, Rowan discovers the worst case scenario: he’s been killed….five feet from her…five minutes before she arrived. As the police hunt for the killer and the truth, more and more mistakes seem to point them to Rowan. As the reader, we know (I sure damn HOPED) it’s not Rowan. And thus the sleuthing begins!

Is it her powerfully rich boss who runs the Manor? Is it his cantankerous brother whom we see supposed glimpses into his nefarious life? Is it young Natalie, Rowan’s own daughter…she knows more than she’s letting on. Is it Rowan’s ex, and Natalie’s father, Harrison who’s suddenly reappeared in their life after a stint in prison? Or is there a silent killer whom we know nothing about? There are literally SO MANY POSSIBILITIES and Bowen does an amazing job and leading the reader to believe that each one is plausible. No pun intended, but she’s killing the guessing game. I loved watching Rowan spiral trying to navigate her own guilt while dealing with the police and navigating her own mini-investigation into what her (ex) boyfriend was investigating. I couldn’t put it down. Another killer thriller!

Thank you to Sarina Bowen and Harper Perennial for a review copy.

Mysterious, suspenseful and full of drama I really enjoyed this story!
The imagery and setting were spot on, the characters were well developed.
Secrets and unsuspecting twists, this was a fun engrossing read that had a second chance romance as an added bonus.
What happens and how it all unfolded?
Read and find out!

Another thriller filled with so many twists and turns! Dying To Meet You was a great follow up to her debut thriller, The Five Year Lie! It just goes to show how talented Ms. Bowen is!! I have loved all her romance novels and now her thrillers!

Rowan was a single mother that was trying her best to juggle her personal and professional life. Working as an architect on a high profile historic mansion restoration should have helped her financially, but it turned out to be more than she bargained for. Becoming a potential witness to her ex’s murder was just the beginning.

Oh my goodness! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! I loved how things unfolded and I was grasping and gasping at everything she was giving us. Every single time I thought I might have figured something out, another twist came along and I was back and square one. I can’t wait to see where she takes us next!!

⭐️⭐️Review⭐️⭐️
📖 Title: Dying To Meet You
🧍‍♀️Author: Sarina Bowen

This was a quick, gritty, and fun domestic thriller! With
well fleshed-out multiple POV’s, wealthy people behaving badly, and a boyfriend who is not who he seems, the follow up to Sarina Bowen’s debut the The Five Year Lie, is definitely worth read!!

Did I mention there is a historical piece woven in centered around a haunted old mansion that at one time housed young, unwed mothers? And a second chance romance? Annnddd a heartwarming, mother-daughter duo ?! This book checks all the boxes - can’t go wrong here. Happy publishing day!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you you to #Netgalley and#HarperPerennial for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.75 stars. Definitely a suspenseful storyline. Keeping you wondering who did it. Different storylines going on at the same time until it becomes clear and then some. A bit slow in the beginning but worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I'm happy to say I enjoyed this as much as The Five Year Lie. It's not often that I like a favorite author's new genre but that's not the case here. Sarina Bowen writes mystery just as well as she does romance. There wasn't as much suspense here as I was expecting, although the mansion did evoke a creepy setting. I loved the growing relationship between Natalie and Harrison. I wasn't thrilled with Rowan at first and the story was a bit slow in the beginning which are the only reasons this doesn't get 5 stars. I did guess the who and why of the mystery but that didn't stop me from enjoying the fast pace of the second half and wanting to see if I was correct. Will definitely be recommending this one.

Always love to mix up my read and throw a thriller into the mix every now and then. Enjoyed Roan's story. Lots of intrigue and mystery and twists thrown into the story. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to more mysteries from Sarina!

This was a twisty domestic thriller/murder mystery involving an architect and single mother Rowan whose working on a historical Portland mansion that use to be run as a unwed mother maternity home in the 60s. When the guy she was dating turns up murdered Rowan gets caught up in the dark history of the house, the victim's connection to it and also has to deal with her teenage daughter and the reemergence of her ex-con ex. Layered with great history, a touch of romance and tons of drama. It was also good on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Rowan is a single mother and architect, working on a mansion remodel that she hopes will help bring her name more recognition as she moves away from working for a big firm. But she is also going through a recent breakup that caught her off-guard and tracks her ex’s whereabouts from her phone, worrying about what he’s doing and who he’s with since their breakup.

This story picks up quickly, as Rowan finds her ex’s body at her workplace and the police quickly look to her as a suspect. As the investigation heats up, Rowan can’t shake the feeling that someone is trying to set her or her family up.

Rowan’s family is a realistic dynamic in a single parent household. Her teenage daughter pushes buttons and boundaries as any teen would do, but also sees things about her mother’s relationship that her mom doesn’t see at the moment. Her influence in several plot points added another level of threat as Rowan has to worry about not only herself, but Natalie’s safety as well.

I was surprised by the twists and turns this story took, and though I got pretty close to figuring out the mystery, I was pleasantly surprised by the final twist. Multiple points of view weave together to keep the story moving and to build all the layers of secrets. There are so many layers to this story, caught up in the mansion renovation, the family history, and Rowan’s own family. Each layer added more drama to the unfolding secrets and made it more fun to try to figure out what was happening while the police and Rowan searched for answers.

I will always be sold on a book that takes place in a gothic potentially haunted creepy mansion.

This was everything you want a domestic thriller to be and I loved it. I read it start to finish in one sitting. It had everything you could want: an atmospheric setting, rich people behaving badly, stalking, rekindled love and mystery.

I really enjoyed Sarina Bowens previous thriller and I’m excited to see what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

As a Sarina Bowen fan, I was really keen to explore this genre change of direction.

Traditionally known, at least to me, as a romance writer, this domestic thriller kept me on the edge of my seat and turning pages as Rowan attempts to uncover the mystery of Wincott Mansion.

The Wincott men, by all accounts, sound like stand-up gentlemen - NOT, and their behaviour is at the very least questionable.

I enjoyed trying to piece together the clues that were stacking up and I'm sorry to say it took me until about 85% of the way through before I had my light bulb moment.

Dying to Meet You has whetted my appetite for more of the same from this author, so fingers crossed!