3.5 stars
There was a bit of a slow start, but once the narrative took off, the tension was nonstop. I loved the themes of motherhood, loss, mental illness and marriage that were woven into the mystery. It was difficult to put down, and I enjoyed it.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a twisty psychological thriller about a not so perfect family that had me guessing until the very end. It took a bit to really take off but once it did it was hard to put down. I will definitely have to check out more of the author’s books.

A real page turner, I was constantly surprised by the plot twists in this book. While Radley herself was a little annoying at times, especially her inner monologue, I came to terms with her as the book carried on. I really enjoyed the different perspectives between her therapy sessions and life on the orchard. This was a fantastic way of exploring characters, motherhood and the perception of perfection.

This story left me a little breathless. I love when a book manages to feel both intimate and quietly terrifying, when it makes you question people, memories, even yourself. It’s one of those books I want to talk about for hours, just to sit in the emotional wreckage it left behind.

I loved this book. It was so different from the thrillers I usually read. The twist at the end was crazy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Radley, a young American woman, returns to the US after ten busy years in Seoul, to work on a busy apple farm in Maine.

The Clark family welcome her as one of their own, but Radley quickly begins to feel uneasy about Beau and Livia’s unconventional marriage and the well-being of their children.

I found the pace very slow and the characters fairly one-dimensional, meaning I struggled to connect with them and really care for them. An enjoyable read, but instantly forgotten.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Ellen Won Steil and Lake Union for an ARC of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the little cliff hangers at the end of the chapters. It kept me guessing and constantly changing my mind about what I thought was going to happen and I was totally wrong! The twist left me shook. I loved the mystery of this "perfect" family - it twisted and turned and got darker then I expected (but loved) and once I got to the point of figuring out what was really going on - I couldn't put this book down.

I think my favorite part about this book though was how well Ellen was able to describe the never ending roller coaster of emotions that comes with motherhood. I really connected with how the Livia and Radley both felt about motherhood at times. The happy moments, the mom guilt, the feeling of being overwhelmed, proud, alone, busy, tired. happy, so many emotions come with motherhood and Ellen captioned them all perfectly.

This is my personal favorite of Ellen's books. It was greatly written and I can't wait for the release so I can recommend it to everyone. This one is a thriller/mystery lovers dream!

4.5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

The idyllic small town thriller setting...

We start out with our FMC Radley. She leaves her busy life in Seoul South Korea =, for the small town in Maine, USA. She goes to help the Clark families apple farm. They seem perfect...but Radley can't help but be leery.
What starts out innocent leads into a more sinister end. The story had me guessing the twist right until the end when it smacked me in the face. And boy did it hit me! I guessed wrong the entire time.

You will not find any escapism in this book as there are some heavy themes throughout. Loss, the complexities of motherhood and self-discovery. This story did not disappoint and this a new to me author. Will be reading more!

Radley Asher leaves her busy live in Seoul to help the Clark family with their apple farm in Maine. The Clark family seems perfect and welcome Radley immediately, but she can’t help being watchful.

This was a great twisty story that starts upbeat and innocent and ends in some majorly dark ways that I was not expecting at all. I loved the mood shift of the story. It is well done as you don’t really even notice as the spiral starts until you finish it and just think, wow.

“What kind of marriage am I living next to… this family that had swallowed me whole?”

The Lives of Others comes out 8/26.

Another amazing book by Ellen Won Steil! I had high standards after Becoming Marlow Fin, and this book met them all. For starters, I loved the setting. It was so beautiful and familiar to me, with the small town in fall vibes. I love a seemingly idyllic setting for a thriller, and small towns always have the most secrets, so this was truly perfect. And there were so many secrets! Both our main character Radley and the Clark family had complicated pasts which were revealed over the course of the book. It was definitely a slow burn thriller, but the steadily rising tension kept me hooked the whole way through, and the ending was thrilling, emotional, and shocking. I was also very invested in the characters. Radley was unreliable but also self aware, actively seeking help. Though I did that that the therapy chapters, while effective, could have brought even more to the story. I also felt Radley lacked development in the end, and that there were some threads to her past that were left unpulled. But overall this book was amazing and I highly recommend it!

This was an amazing story. It took a bit of time for things to unfold but once it did there's was no stoping with the drama and the twists and turns.

Ellen created characters that felt real and the story was written beautifully. A definite must read if you love domestic thriller, psychological thrilers and family dramas.

Thank you Publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and isn't influenced by anyone else

A woman with a murky past takes up a job on an apple farm and is quickly wrapped up in the strange lives of her employers. Are they as nice and trustworthy as they seem? And is she?

This is a beautifully written book, a complex book, full of depth and heart. A woman, a loner with a troubled past becomes fascinated with this perfect family, as she becomes a worker at their orchard. Despite herself she gets involved and finds way more than she ever expected. Complicated relationships, full of truths and pain. Slow building characters but absorbing. Loved it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Lives of Others" and all opinions expressed are my own. This book has lots of twists and turns, family drama. Keeps you guessing.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the eARC.
This is a really good psychological family drama,observed by a woman who has just returned from a hectic life in Korea, settling in America on a family apple farm.
We see the unravelling of the family's life and secrets through her shrewd eyes.
This story was hard to put down, it's so well written and moving in some ways. I really very much enjoyed it.

In this book, the seemingly perfect Clark family becomes the perfect facade for a psychological suspense that keeps you questioning every motive. Radley Asher’s quiet observation of their lives turns into an all-consuming obsession, and when disaster strikes, secrets begin to unravel in unexpected and gripping ways. With a tense atmosphere and a twisty plot, this novel is a must-read for fans of suspenseful family dramas.

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I loved this book. Such a unique plot. Great writing. Familial drama that is deep. Mystery to keep you guessing. Outstanding!

Radley leaves South Korea for the small town life on an apple farm in Maine, with a lovely picture perfect family, or so she first thinks…

This book is full of twists and turns. With secrets piling up who will slip first and cause it to all come crashing down?

Family packed drama that will keep you guessing until the end.

After the hectic pace of expat life in South Korea, an American woman is looking forward to the wholesome pleasures of life on an apple farm in Maine - even if she hasn't quite bargained for the family she will encounter in the process...

But she is welcomed warmly into their fold, and it is an irresistible distraction from her lonely singleton's life. All too soon, Radley finds herself a fascinated observer of the lives of of the Clark family members.

Unfortunately, things take a problematic turn when the orchard burns down and one of the family's three children goes missing. Perhaps the Clarks' facade of a perfect family is just that?

Suspenseful and packed with family drama, this one is well worth checking out - because the lives of others are rarely as straightforward as they seem.

This book was my first by Ellen Won Steil and I can not wait to read her other books. This book was full of psychological suspense and I was not sure what was going to happen next. The characters were complex and the story was well written. This book really kept me captivated.