Alice kills a man who enters her home while her child is having a playdate. After that there many lies and twists in this story. You want to keep reading as little pieces are revealed slowing. Alice is a multifaceted character and you feel for her while reading this book. This is a well done psychological thriller that will surprise you for sure.!

This book had a slightly unique story with some pretty good twists. Yes, it's a little predictable but the writing keeps you engaged pretty well.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Break=In.

I've read the author's previous book and though I wasn't a fan I was interested in her follow up.

Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of The Break-In, which is full of stereotypical tropes and cliches.

When Alice kills a home invader her life is turned upside down as she pursues her own investigation as to why a troubled man broke into her home.

First, Alice is a typical character in these books; uninteresting, dull, and makes one bad decision after another.

She doesn't realize her husband belittles and gaslights her; she doesn't have any real friends or allies to support her.

Second, it's clear her husband is hiding something. He has a shady past she knows nothing about, naturally, because she doesn't ask questions because it hurts his 'feelings.'

I despise this trope; how come women in these narratives never know anything about their husbands?

I know, I know, if these women did know their husbands, then the book wouldn't exist. But it's not realistic.

If you want me to suspend disbelief, some parts of the narrative need to be grounded in reality.

The main characters almost always have a quick courtship, the wives don't question their spouses's past, and ignore all the red flags.

For example, when Alice realizes her husband lied about attending a work conference, she doesn't know the name of the hotel he's staying at because 'she's not that kind of person.'

You mean, the kind of person who needs to know where their spouse is? What kind of partner doesn't ask basic information about where their partner will be traveling too? Or is that too nosy? Too intrusive?

What if there was a family emergency? A medical emergency?

Third, we have your standard cliches; Jaime is a bad guy, hiding in plain sight in front of Alice who walks around with blinders on.

Fourth, there are too many POVs, filler to pad the word count, the pacing is slow paced and lacks urgency and suspense.

One of the author's trademarks is to pad the narrative with minor and supporting characters and their unnecessary perspectives which does not add to the story.

Fifth, then we have the massive info dump at the end and the author does what so many in the genre does; throw twist after twist at the reader hoping one will stick.

If you can suspend disbelief and don't mind slogging through tedious, repetitive writing, then you might enjoy this.

But if you read many thrillers like I do, you'll be able to figure out the twists from the beginning like I did.

There was nothing new or original here that I haven't read in other books.

4 stars-This story is like a spider web. Alice is having friends and their kids over when an intruder with a knife breaks in. Alice kills him to protect the kids. Now we move to the next part of the web. Alice goes to the house of the boy she killed to meet his mother pretending to be someone else. But, his mother knows exactly who she is, the woman who killed her son. I could keep going but then it would spoil the story. I loved the layers and the connections. There are so many details that are revealed as we figure out the connections between the characters…thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc. This was a winner for me!

I have read several books by this author that I have enjoyed and this was another great one! This book had me hooked from the start! Lots of little pieces revealed slowly throughout the book that makes you want to keep reading to find out what happened. Many different characters involved in the book ,so at times it can be a lot to keep track of but also made the book more interesting because so many things are happening with different characters.

This was a well written solidly built thriller sometimes a slow burn and sometimes more fast paced. It is told in multiple perspectives and two timelines and raises lots of moral questions, what is justice, what is justified killing. Alice deals with her pain, fear and guilt after a break in where she kills the intruder by trying to understand him and involving herself in his family lies secretly. Overtime the story and what is the truth about the people in her life shifts and changes and has her questioning everything.

Set in London, this is a twisted psychological thriller. Alice and Jamie live a privileged life with their young daughter Martha, and nanny. A seemingly disturbed teenage boy breaks in as Alice is hosting a playdate and she kills him. The story goes back and forth in time and is told in four sections, which works to move the plot forward. There are many complex interwoven characters. Alice is consumed with guilt, and while I felt others were not very supportive, I question the decisions she makes throughout the story. Still I recommend this interesting and exciting book. With thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

It was an entertaining read. I like the author but this one had so much going on it could get confusing at times especially unraveling of it all in the end.
I appreciate a fast paced, energetic plot. Something to keep my mind guessing. This did that. It did confuse me though and I feel I didn't end it with the full knowledge of what all happened. Sometimes less is more for me. I will recommend to others and I do enjoy Katherine Faulkner's work!
Thanks to the publishers for an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My head is still spinning.

This was my first book by Katherine Faulkner, and I am so appreciative that I received this ARC as now I will absolutely read her other books. Faulkner has a very distinct style of writing (simple and straight to the point, but also suspenseful and thoughtful) and in this story, we follow Alice in the aftermath of a break-in to her home during which she kills the intruder in self-defense. What first appears to be a bungled robbery starts to unravel in the weeks following this event that Alice can not get past. She works hard to balance her guilt and shame in taking a life, while also understanding that in that moment, she was protecting herself and her young daughter from a man wielding a knife. Her husband, friends, and the police eventually urge her to let it go, and move on, but she simply can not shake the feeling that there is more than meets the eye as to why this particular intruder forced his way into her home. I was hooked immediately, and by 50% in to the book, I was fully invested in it's creepiness and Alice's paranoia! It's cleverly layered, complex, and human....and does a really great job at asking how well we really know what we think we know about the people and events that make up our lives. This will be a great summer thriller with heart for beach reading this year!

This a wonderful thriller about a family: Alice, Jamie, and young daughter, Martha. When Alice discovers a burglar in her home one night, she hits him over the head and kills him., As she's now on probation for that she can't go many places but Becca, her nanny, takes good care of Martha so she's not too worried. When Jamie goes on business trip she discovers things on his computer that cause her concern and she is later put on leave after a painting she's restoring is accidentally ruined. It's one of those crazy, convoluted stories I love that kept me guessing until the end!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!