I’m unsure about this one. I read it fairly quickly and needed to know how it ended but it also went completely off the rails and not in the usual way I liked.
I can see it being popular though just not sure it was for me, there is something about the overall message in the book that doesn’t sit right although I did love the very end.
I don’t mind unlikeable characters but that’s not what Zoe was she was more fake?
I don’t know- I might adjust my rating up to a three. I’ll sit with it for a day or two. All the decisions Zoe made caused me to feel so uncomfortable but maybe that’s the point?

When Zoe offers shelter to a fellow domestic abuse survivor, she believes she's doing the right thing. But her good deed quickly spirals into a nightmare. Lisa refuses to leave, her violent ex begins a campaign of terror, and Zoe's carefully rebuilt life starts to crumble. But as the danger closes in, Zoe realizes the real threat may not be outside her home... but rather the stranger she's let inside.

The Stranger Inside starts off with a simple act of kindness, and then spirals into a gripping psychological nightmare. Ruth Harrow does a great job building suspense, slowly peeling back the layers of her characters until you're not sure who to trust. Zoe is a sympathetic main character, and her descent into paranoia and fear feels believable and intense. Lisa is written with just the right balance of vulnerability and menace to keep you on edge. My only critique is that the pacing dragged a bit in the middle. But overall, the tension, atmosphere, and emotional stakes more than make up for it. If you enjoy slow burn suspense with dark secrets and satisfying twists, this one's worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ruth Harrow, and Inkubator Books for this eARC! Publication date is September 7th 2025.

Wow, "The Stranger Inside" completely hooked me from the very beginning! It gave me the same vibes I get from a Freida McFadden thriller because it was fast-paced, binge-able, and impossible to put down.

If you enjoy thrillers full of unexpected turns and that “just one more chapter” feeling, I highly recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. Wow! What did I just read? This book had me not knowing who to believe and when I chose who to believe, I was dead wrong. Wonderful thriller I couldn’t put down!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for sending me an ARC of The Stranger Inside.

This was a slow burner for the first half or so. It kept my attention, but took its time to get going. I don’t necessarily find this a problem however.

Once the author pressed the button though, it was 100mph until the end!!! It took me by the collar and didn’t let go! Everytime I thought I had it figured out, something else happened to make me question everything!

On the whole, an enjoyable read with a few twists to throw you off the scent!

This book was a slightly different read from others I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it! A little slow to start but picked up speed and the author kept me reading right to the end! Well written with a little humour thrown in at times, the characters were well thought out too. The twists and turns made this a very good read.
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.

3.5 stars for me. Zoe invited Lisa to her home,Lisa who is abused by her husband Greg. Greg is not happy, and Zoe start getting threatening messages. She's sure they are from Greg, it seems that he knows more about Zoe that she would ever imagine. Things getting worse, and Zoe house burn down, she have enough and decide to fight back. But not everything goes right, and Zoe must to face Lisa who maybe is not truthful about whole thing.

Will Zoe and Lisa ever be safe?
Will the go out from this situation unscratched?

Full of secrets ,this psychological thriller had me turning pages into the night. Zoe was really a good person, but very trustful and naive at times. The twists were surprising, and unexpected, would really recommend this book. Hope to read more by this author.

Thank you netgalley,booksprout and publisher for my arc.

I loved the wit of Zoe and how her past was somewhat obscured. Lisa was another level of mysterious, I thought I had her sussed but was partly wrong. This kept me guessing, with plenty of twists and creepy behaviour, it was a gripping page turner! Although some aspects felt a bit far fetched and slightly confusing. It was fast paced and easy flow writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley & Inkubator Books for the ARC.

This was a very good read it’s has plenty of twists and throughout that make you not want to put the book down.
The story itself was suspenseful and enjoyable, The characters were great and the style of writing was perfect.
Ruth Harrow masterfully creates an atmosphere of tension and unease.

This was a very fast and easy read. Definitely creepy and chilling at times. Only thing is it did feel a little drawn out and dragged in some parts. I would've liked it to be a little faster paced.

This book was overall a pretty easy quick read. There isn’t much of a plot twist or so. You can tell that the chick is nuts from the beginning. There was definitely a lot off about her.
I mean she did this whole crazy concoction of a plan that took months. It’s insane.
And poor Zoe, thinking that she herself was responsible for the boyfriend. For being out of touch with reality caused by that boyfriend.

Overall it was a good read. Slightly predictable but would definitely recommend

Thank you NetGalley for the copy

This one’s a tense, twisty domestic thriller where good intentions spiral into pure nightmare fuel. Zoe thinks she’s helping a fellow survivor by offering her a place to stay—but Lisa’s not exactly the grateful guest she seems.

Zoe is finally free of her abusive ex, but when she invites another survivor, Lisa, into her home, things quickly spiral into a nightmare. What starts as compassion soon becomes a tense, claustrophobic story about misplaced trust and the dangers of letting someone too far into your life.

I found this to be an easy, fast-paced read — I actually flew through it in just a couple of sittings. The tension builds well, and the setup is genuinely chilling. Zoe’s situation had me on edge more than once, and there were moments I didn’t want to look away.

That said, a few of the twists felt a little predictable, and some of the characters weren’t as fleshed out as I’d have liked. Still, Ruth Harrow kept me turning the pages, and I definitely wanted to know how it all played out.

Overall, a gripping domestic thriller that explores trauma, trust, and survival — while not my favourite from the genre, it was an engaging read with enough unease to keep me hooked until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Inkubator Books and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

First, thank you Netgalley & Inkubator Books for this ARC!

Honestly, I am not sure if I would move in with someone I did meet online. But this is exactly what Zoe is offering after finally breaking free from her toxic marriage and rebuilding her life. She does invite in Lisa, another member of a parenting forum, to stay with her and get away from her own husband, who is abusive as well.

But Lisa has no plans to leave. And Zoe's husband? has plans to destroy Zoe's life for taking Lisa away from him...

With stories like this, I am more than thankful again to live in a healthy relationship. Like, the tension in the book was so thick, it was easy to cut it with a knife. It was an addictive read with a lot of twists along the way that will make your heart race, and you will not be able to stop reading until the last page was turned!

This was a really good book and veered off in directions I definitely didn't anticipate! So many twists and surprises! I liked the way the main character Zoe spoke, I do like a bit of dark humour, and it added to the book for me.
I will definitely check out other books by this author, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Lately, I’ve found myself drifting away from romance reads. Maybe it’s the season, maybe it’s just reader fatigue—but psychological thrillers have become my go-to comfort genre. There’s something oddly satisfying about curling up with a cuppa and diving into a story that grips you from page one and doesn’t let go until the final twist. The Stranger Inside by Ruth Harrow was exactly that kind of read—one I devoured in a single sitting, blanket wrapped around me, heart racing.

We meet Zoe, a woman trying to rebuild her life after escaping an abusive relationship. She’s found solace in an online forum, offering advice to others in similar situations. It’s raw, real, and sadly relatable. One post catches her eye—a woman claiming her husband is controlling, even making her take photos in the supermarket. It’s eerie, and when Zoe spots someone doing just that in real life, she wonders: could this be the same woman?

Her curiosity leads her to Lisa, a seemingly fragile soul in need of help. Zoe, with her big heart and desire to do good, opens her home to her. But what starts as a kind gesture quickly spirals into a nightmare. Lisa isn’t who she claims to be, and Zoe finds herself tangled in a web of manipulation, crime, and secrets that threaten to destroy everything she’s worked to rebuild.

This book had me whispering “just one more chapter” until I realized I’d reached the end. Ruth Harrow masterfully plays with the reader’s trust, making us question every character’s motive. The pacing is tight, the tension palpable, and the ending? Let’s just say I didn’t see it coming.

If you’re like me—craving something that pulls you in and doesn’t let go—The Stranger Inside is a perfect pick. It’s a reminder that sometimes the scariest monsters aren’t strangers at all… they’re the ones we invite in.

So if your TBR pile needs a shake-up and you’re in the mood for a thriller that’ll leave you breathless, this one’s worth bumping to the top. Just maybe don’t read it alone at night

The Stranger Inside started really strong, and I felt the suspense from the very beginning. The writing was great, but I thought it was a little drawn out at times. I would've enjoyed it more if it were a faster-paced story instead of a slow-burning thriller. That's simply a personal preference.
I appreciated the sections of the book where Zoe was reading the posts because it felt natural. It seemed like something one would read on an actual online forum.
I did love the premise of the story; it was gripping and nail-biting. It was original, making the outcome quite unpredictable. Ruth Harrow created characters who were relatable. I felt empathy for Zoe, and that helped draw me into the story.
The ending was unsettling. I wasn't crazy about it, but it did tie all the loose ends together.

Ruth Harrow is always teaching me lessons within her books. What did this book teach me? Never, Never, Never invite a stranger into your home and you really don't know someone!! I was on the edge of my seat with this book!! Just when I thought I had it all figured out....WRONG!!

Do NOT sleep on this one! Go get your copy TODAY!

Trigger Warning: Domestic Abuse

Thank you to Inkubator Books and Netgalley for the eArc.

Ruth Harrow delivers another tightly-wound psychological thriller with The Stranger Inside, a book that plays on our deepest, most domestic fears — the idea that home is no longer safe, and worse, that we might not even trust ourselves.

From the opening pages, the tension is palpable. Harrow crafts a compelling atmosphere that slowly suffocates, layering paranoia and dread as the protagonist begins to question the strange occurrences happening in her own house. The pacing is sharp — chapters are short and punchy, keeping the story moving with a kind of breathless urgency that makes it nearly impossible to stop reading.

What stands out most is Harrow’s ability to blur the lines between reality and perception. The unreliable nature of the narration keeps readers constantly guessing — is someone truly stalking her, or is she unraveling? It’s a psychological tightrope, and Harrow walks it with skill.

While the plot does rely on a few familiar thriller tropes, Harrow injects enough originality and emotional depth to make it feel fresh. The twist, when it comes, is satisfying — not overly flashy, but grounded in character and past trauma, which gives it weight.

If you're a fan of domestic thrillers that explore identity, fear, and the fragility of trust, The Stranger Inside is a gripping and unsettling read. It’s a page-turner that doesn’t just entertain — it lingers.

A terrific thriller that grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go. The pacing is electric, pages seemed to fly by, making it an incredibly easy and addictive read. Ruth Harrow masterfully weaves twists and turns throughout the story, keeping you guessing about who’s dead, who’s collaborating, and most importantly, who to trust.
Yes, there are quite a few coincidences, but in the realm of fiction, they work to heighten the suspense and drama. The ambiguity at the end is a standout feature—unsettling, thought-provoking, and perfectly executed. It’s been a while since Harrow’s last release, but this one was absolutely worth the wait.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers with unreliable characters and a creeping sense of dread, The Stranger Inside is a must-read.Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.