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.

I really enjoyed this one! I figured a bit of it, but there were twists I didn’t see coming! I was quickly flipping pages to finish this up. Recommend if looking for a thriller that will keep you engaged.

Slow paced—hard to get into. Would recommend to readers who enjoy slow burns. The characters felt a little flat for me.

A good domestic thriller that kept me guessing. I figured out a few things early on - Faulkner definitely leaves some bread crumbs early on.
I kept thinking about all the different outcomes that could occur based on the characters and plot. The story really picks up after the 50% mark.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

my second Katherine Faulkner read certainly did not disappoint! I was hooked on this book from the start. There are so many different- apparently unconnected-pieces that we get that don't appear to have anything to do with the story, but reading along as things slotted into place was wonderful. There was great pacing, interesting characters, a driving plot. I couldn't wait to keep reading to find out what happened!

thank you to NetGalley, the author Katherine Faulkner, and Gallery Books for my ARC of this book.

4 ⭐️

If you’re seeking a gripping, suspenseful thriller that also delves into the real-life struggles of mothers, I highly recommend “The Break-In” by Katherine Faulkner.

Initially, I found myself struggling with our main character, Alice, due to her naivety. She was easily manipulated and gaslit by various characters in the book, and I couldn’t help but want to shake some sense into her! However, as the pieces started to fall into place, I realized that her character’s personality and development were intentionally written this way.

If you missed the clues, here’s a spoiler-free hint: “Even for her age, she was young, you know? Naive.” 🤢

That’s precisely why I loved this book. Katherine Faulkner’s writing is impeccable, and all the signs were clearly present throughout the story. I only realized them after the plot concluded, leaving me stunned! This was certainly a nail biting experience!

I was particularly drawn to Alice’s transformation from a meek and naive young woman to a fierce and determined individual. I also appreciated Katherine’s portrayal of the daily struggles of motherhood, the societal pressures, and the mental health challenges that mothers face.

This was my first book by Katherine Faulkner, and it certainly won’t be my last!

Thank you, Gallery/Scout Press | Simon & Schuster
& NetGalley for my gifted advanced book copy 💕

During a playdate with her daughter's two friends and their mothers, Alice's house is broken into and she ultimately kills the perpetrator.

Alice is extremely broken up by the event and things are about to get worse. When she begins to read odd comments online and starts getting creepy phone calls urging her to look into the burglar's past, Alice begins to wonder if there was more to the break-in than a random event. Someone target Alice and her family and she is determined to find out why.

Something about the setup of the crime and its aftermath felt a little too familiar to me. When Alice goes digging into her husband's background, what she uncovers felt like it had been done before, that I might have read this plot line in another story.

The characters themselves felt static, doing things just for the sake of having said they were finished instead of propelled by action or obvious next steps. Alice is the most fully formed and even she is a little underbaked. An interesting thriller but a bit underwhelming. 3 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Alice kills an intruder who breaks into her house. It is judged as self defense but Alice can’t let it go. From here the twists and turns are many and I had no idea how it would end. An exciting story!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was so intense and suspenseful it kept me awake far to late turning the pages. It is most definitely worth the read! I thank Netgalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Break-In was an absolute page-turner, fast, fun, and full of surprises. It gave me the same addictive thrill I get from my favorite British crime shows on BritBox or Acorn TV. The story follows a woman who kills an intruder (or is forced to), and from that moment on, everything slowly, irresistibly unravels. Just when I thought I had a handle on what was happening, the plot twisted again, and again, until I was completely floored by the ending.

Katherine Faulkner has a real gift for interiority; the psychological depth she brings to her characters makes it impossible to put the book down. You’re constantly turning pages to see how the protagonist is going to talk her way out of the latest tangle, and that tension makes the story all the more gripping. A smart, twisty thriller that’s engaging to read.

I'll shelve this with my Mary Kubica and Lisa Jewell books! It also gave me slight All the Other Mothers Hate Me vibes.

This was an excellent slow-burn domestic thriller and while Alice was not a particularly likable character, she went through one hell of a wild ride in this thriller! The pacing was okay, slower at some points, but towards the 3/4 mark, I was absolutely hooked and needed to know where this was going and how it would all unravel. I've loved this authors previous domestic thrillers and this one is another hit!

At first, this felt like a basic domestic thriller. Something bad happened (a break-in), our protagonist reacted, and she’s picking up the pieces afterward, trying to understand what happened. And then it all starts to get crazy as it becomes clear that this break-in is part of something much larger. Watching Alice’s life unravel was difficult and crazy and full of twists and surprises, and the ending is awfully satisfying.

"The Break-In" by Katherine Faulkner thrilled me to the very end!! 4 stars!

Alice is hosting a playdate in her upscale London home when an intruder breaks in. To protect her daughter and other children in the next room, Alice stabs the man, ultimately killing him. It is ruled self-defense; though Alice is having a tough time moving on when strange comments appear online, she receives a disturbing anonymous call, and she learns more about this intruder's identity. It doesn't help matters that her husband, nanny, and friends are all behaving strangely. As she digs deeper, she discovers a trail of dark secrets...

"The Break-In" is Katherine Faulkner's third thriller; she is also the author of "Greenwich Park" and "The Other Mothers." She has definitely established herself as a solid thriller writer. Events and characters are never what they seem. Faulkner's descriptive writing totally sets any scene and helps the reader feel like they are in the story. Her style is atmospheric and creates a perfectly eerie vibe. She chooses relatable events to set her crime; in this case it's at a regular playdate. I can totally relate to having a playdate at my house and, subsequently, to Alice's actions of defending the children.

The first half was a little slower for me, but still totally intriguing. At about 50-60% in, the sh*t hit the fan! I didn't know if Alice was unreliable or if she was totally being gaslit by the people in her life. It was twist after twist; some I predicted, but some I did not. The ending was the right amount of shocking combined with "ohhhh okay I see that now."

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the gifted ebook. "The Break-In" releases August 26 and will be a perfect read for end of summer/beginning of fall.

This book was so much more than what the cover copy tells you. Alice is at home with a few friends and their children when someone breaks-in, and in self-defense, she kills him. This event truly affects Alice, and despite having no charges levied against her, Alice still wants to investigate why this random man broke in to her house. While this is the cover copy, it barely covers 10% of the novel. As a reader you are led in many different directions, perhaps too many directions?, and this book quickly becomes more than just a mom killing a random stranger in self-defense. While I enjoyed the premise and the overall story, the author put a few too many ingredients into the story and it could have used some editing. I would still recommend it as a solid thriller, giving it 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press for the opportunity to read and review.

The Break-In is a gripping, slow-burn thriller that totally pulled me in. Katherine Faulkner has a knack for creating tense, layered stories where nothing is quite as it seems. I loved how the suspense built gradually, with little twists that kept me second-guessing everyone. If you like domestic thrillers with smart writing and plenty of secrets, this one’s definitely worth a read.

Katherine Faulkner has easily become one of my favorite authors! My kindle battery died half way through this book and I was so mad because I couldn't put it down. Nothing is as you think in this book! Character development is something Faulkner does so well, and this book doesn't disappoint as at times I felt like the main Character was someone I knew!
Thank you for the advance copy! Can't wait to share this book with my book club!

The book premise sounded suspenseful and thrilling but unfortunately this book lacked all of that and a bag of chips. The pacing was so slow, I kept giving it chances to pick up and it never did. Alice was such an unlikable, whiny character from the get go. I never really got a full sense of character from any of the other main characters pov like Becca or Linda. Then the plot twist of Jamie and his background felt like it came out of left field. It wasn't discussed until like 65% in. The plot twists were so thrown in and didn't even go with the story, this was honestly super painful to read and I could not finish it.

Whenever I'm in the mood for a domestic suspense/thriller novel I know I can count on Katherine Faulkner. Her books always suck me right in. Perhaps its the atmosphere she writes? Or her characters in general? I simply can't get enough! The Break-In kept me on my toes. It's not a slow burn thriller but not really fast paced either. It's somewhere in the middle which was PERFECT for me. I loved the twists, the multiple POVs which allowed me to get everyone's perspectives, and how the story generally played out. I felt like I was along for the ride with these characters.

I recommend this one along with the authors previous books as well. You can't go wrong with them!

In Katherine Faulkner’s latest novel, The Break-In, Alice and Jamie’s seemingly perfect life in London is upended when Alice accidentally kills an intruder entering their house. The book starts with this break in and the rest of the novel exposes the truth behind their life and the true reasons the intruder was there. It kept me guessing until the end! I’ve enjoyed Faulkner’s previous novels and this is no exception! Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press and Netflix for the Advanced Reader’s Copy!

One of the best thrillers I've read in a while! The storyline is complex with multiple layers that just kept unraveling. There was absolutely no way I could predict how this would go, which is the best type of thriller! I was glued to the pages and just when I thought I could see where things were headed, another major twist was added in. Neighborhood drama is one of my favorite themes for thrillers, and this did it perfectly!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books | Gallery/Scout Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.