It would appear that Caroline has it all, a gorgeous new home on the beach, an attentive husband and loving family. But appearances can be deceiving, and Caroline’s marriage and family life are anything but happy, she decides to make herself feel better by hooking up with Aidan, a bartender from one of her beach parties. For Caroline, it’s a one off, but for Aidan, it’s the beginning of an obsession. He can’t let go of Caroline and tries to insert himself into her life at every go. Is he unbalanced enough to have had Caroline’s husband “disappeared”? Campbell writes another page turner, once I started reading, I had to know what happened. Book yourself a block of time, because this book will hook you and not let go

This is Campbell’s best book! It is absolutely unputdownable and makes you wonder the entire time who is telling the truth and who is lying. A book that will have your mind spinning, your lungs out or breath, and be completely sleep deprived until you finish! A must read for my fellow thriller lovers!
I will be using in a challenge and highly recommending in Chapter Chatter Pub!

I stayed up until 2:30 this morning to finish this one and even if I feel tired today it will have been SO worth it!

Michele Campbell hits it out of the park again with this amazing thriller! Caroline has a life many would envy; a gorgeous new beach home, a successful husband, a loving family, a job title she can toss around even as she spends her days running on the beach and working on her new house. But sometimes things are not as they seem. Caroline is already lonely when she discovers that her husband is cheating on her.

Alone and confused, she spends what was meant to be one careless and carefree night with the local bartender, Aidan. Only Aidan has different plans and if Caroline thought her life was a nightmare before she let Aidan into her bed? Well, she's about to find out just how bad things can get....

Told from a few POVs, some reliable and some not-so- much, OMG, this one was so fun and so completely, dangerously absorbing!

Thank you to Michele Campbell, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow wow wowwww. The lady can write! Another incredible suspense mystery from Michelle Campbell.

Following up on her successful previous two novels, this one scores again. Couldn't put it down. And HAD to finish it one Saturday. Just couldn't leave the house until I learned of the ending. And what an ending it was! Highly recommend this novel--that is, if you don't mind being held hostage until you have finished the entire book. Ten stars to this author for her writing, Her imagination, and her shocker of an ending, Please write another real soon!

This is exactly my kind of thriller! I loved Michelle Campbell's novel, I Am Watching You, so I knew I would enjoy this one and I did! In fact, most of my chores were put on hold because I couldn't stop reading; it's one of those "just one more chapter..." books. What's not to love: A cheating husband, a jealous, vindictive wife, a younger handsome bartender, loving family members, a gorgeous beach house, and of course unreliable narrators! You may think you know the truth, but truth is really relative isn't it? So strap yourself in for the ride of your life! Just don't plan on doing any adulting once you start!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. This book had all the elements I love in a psychological thriller: family drama, mystery, various narrators, and alternating points of view. I'd read the author's previous book, and remember I loved it. This one is a little more predictable, but no less interesting. I honestly couldn't stand the main character, and I felt that the character of her husband was less thought out than other characters. That said, this was a really good read, highly recommended and something you'll want to read long into the night.

Thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for this absorbing and highly suspenseful book in return for an honest review. I would categorize it as a domestic thriller and psychological mystery. It was well written with ana the narrative flowed smoothly. Short chapters ended with a sense of foreboding which kept me riveted and anxious to discover what happens next. It is scheduled to be published in July and should make an enthralling beach read.

The characters are definitely not likeable, but they are memorable. I often failed to anticipate where the plot was heading. Caroline seems to be leading a life of privilege. They have a city apartment and a new luxurious beach house. Her husband has a successful job in finance but is rarely home. Caroline is self-absorbed and a snob. Their daughter has moved away to attend University. She throws a lavish party. Her husband appears quite late with another woman which publicly humiliated her and makes her the center of gossip. He leaves with the woman and demands a divorce. Caroline learns their bank accounts have been wiped out and her credit cards are refused.

Caroline has noticed a man on the beach staring up at her house. She wonders if he is planning a burglary. Feeling dejected, she goes to a bar to drink away her sorrows. The bartender, Aidan, is the man she has seen on the beach. He is very handsome and 16 years younger than Caroline, and feels he is below her social status. Nevertheless, they begin a flirtation over drinks. She brings him home for a night of wild sex as revenge against her errant husband. To Caroline, this would be a one-night affair, but Aidan is obsessed with her to the point of madness. He starts stalking her and intruding into the lives of her family members.

The book touches themes of envy, financial insecurity, class distinctions, greed, murder, fraud, deception, betrayal, obsession. The story is told from the separate viewpoints of both Caroline and Aidan, both unreliable narrators with different perspectives. Deciding how much to believe is problematical. Recommended to those who like a twisty psychological thriller. Very enjoyable!

Loved this book from the very first page! Skillfully woven characters and lives made for a great read. I love a book with twists and turns and Michele Campbell does not disappoint. This one was a challenge for me to try to figure out. About the time I had it all in my head who did what, it took a hard left turn! Deep, dark, and manipulative psychological thriller with characters easy to love and some easy to hate. Just keep on guessing ‘til the last page!!

A Stranger on the Beach is a psychological/domestic thriller which is my favorite genre by far. This novel tells the story from the point of view of Aidan and Caroline.

While Caroline appears to have it all, her marriage appears to be falling apart and she falls, quite literally, into the arms of down on his luck small-town boy Aidan. From there you hear the two very different stories from both characters.

I thought the plot and twists were great, the chapters ended with hooks so you wanted to keep reading and the author built up a strong description of both characters lives. Where the book fell a bit flat for me was that I didn't quite get Aidan's fascination with Caroline, while the groundwork was laid I found his passion a bit too outlandish and unreasonable to get really into the story.

While the book was interesting from the beginning it took me about 20% to really get into the book enough to want to finish. Once I hit this point, however, it was a quick read that kept me turning pages. There were characters to love, characters to hate, and plenty of twists to keep me guessing until the end.

Caroline is a rich wife who has been married to her husband for 20 years. Aiden is the local bad boy who is a bartender in the local bar. He has served time and is on probation.

The story goes between Caroline's version of events and Aiden's version of events. They are very different. Who is telling the truth to the reader? Who is lying to the reader?

Honestly I couldn't stop reading. I was able to figure it out but not until late in the book. I enjoyed this and would definitely read something else from author.

Michele Campbell once again penned an addictive thriller that kept me hanging on until the very last page. The two unreliable narrators kept me wondering who to believe and what really happened during the storm. The contradictory chapters deepened the mystery and the reader’s search for the truth.

This was a well written twisty thriller. Caroline and Aiden both tell the story from their own points of view, which made it a bit confusing at first, but added to the thrill. While I had my ideas, the ending was totally unexpected. Very compelling and hard to put down! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! I'll be looking for more by this author.

I loved this book!! A Stranger on the Beach is definitely a page turner! I could tell from the start that I wouldn't be able to put it down. The story is told from different narrators, and each story is told well. A Stranger on the Beach is nicely paced and held my attention throughout the book.

This book will suck you in the minute you start.
The main character Caroline meets a younger main which starts out as a fling, until she’s convinced he’s a stalker. This book had so many twists and turns. I LOVED it.

WOW WOW WOW!!!! This book is EXCELLENT. I stayed up through most of the night reading it because I literally couldn't put it down. I know I wouldn't realistically miss anything- all I had to do is pick up where I left off- but I couldn't put it down regardless! This is an edge of your seat tale of OBSESSION. It's compelling, absorbing, and gritty. I loved it!

Thank you #NetGalley for an advanced copy of #AStrangerOnTheBeach!

Boy oh boy did I not see this one coming!! When I started reading this book the things that Caroline was saying Aidan was responsible for were outrageous! It made you think there are some really crazy people out there... then when the chapters start going back and forth between Caroline and Aidan’s points of view you start to get really confused... I kept reading think “what the heck is going on here?” Then you come to part two... I thought I had somewhat of an idea of what was really going on between Caroline, her husband Jason and Aidan and man was I wrong. This was an incredibly fast read and I found it a lot less predictable than Michele Campbell’s other two books that I’ve also read. Definitely recommend!

I sincerely enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing until the end. I found the plot to be original and exciting. I highly recommend this book I'd you enjoy mystery/suspense.

I have enjoyed Michele Campbell's other books and was excited to read this one. "A Stranger on the Beach" did not disappoint.

Caroline Stark lives in a brand new house on the beach which she, and her husband of 20 years have recently built. As the book opens, Caroline meets a man on the beach in front of her house, a local named Aiden, who figures prominently in the storyline. Caroline throws a large housewarming party and her husband, Jason, shows up with another woman and makes a scene. He subsequently asks her for a divorce. Caroline ends up getting drunk and having a one-night stand with a bartender, the aforementioned Aiden.

The story is told from the alternating views of Caroline and Aiden and right from the beginning it is obvious that someone is not telling the truth. I don't want to give anything away because the fun of the book is trying to figure out which version is real.

The story can be hard to follow at times due to the conflicting accounts but, definitely worth the effort. I recommend this book and appreciate the advance copy provided by St. Martin's Press.

This book started out absolutely fascinating. I was hooked, but then it slowed down before getting into anything particularly interesting. There was a long period, from about 25 percent to sixty percent where I wasn't sure I was going to finish it. The good news is, it does get better and the end makes it all worth the time to read.

I found the characters interesting, mostly because, honestly, I didn't really like any of them very much, but the author wrote the story in such a way that I was still compelled to keep reading it regardless. This book quickly becomes a guessing game, making you wonder who is right and who is wrong and trying to put the pieces together as you read so it makes sense. I found out at the end that I was both right and wrong about what was going on.

I gave this book four stars, because in the end, I didn't manage to guess exactly what was going on before it happened, as I so often do. That was exciting. This is an interesting read with just the right amount of psychological suspense to satisfy. Give it a read.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I love books that hook you from page one and this one did just that. A Stranger on the Beach follows Caroline, a wife of a successful financier, and her chance encounter with Aiden, a young bartender. This is a twisty page-turner with all of the best plot elements: love, lust, murder, and deception. If you like this popular suspense genre, I'd highly recommend reading this book!

I received a digital advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review and rating. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for this opportunity.

I have been glued to this book over the last couple of days! It really grabbed my attention right from the beginning and drew me into the story and lives of the characters. What a wild ride. Almost every chapter, I was changing my mind about who was guilty and what was happening. I love that this novel felt like a suspense, psychological thriller, crime drama, romance novel and legal drama all in one.

It would be almost impossible to summarize this book without giving away too much of the plot. Suffice it to say, this tale of obsession, betrayal and lies will have you hooked from beginning to end.

I will absolutely recommend this read to friends and fellow book lovers. Get your copy when it is released in July!

Great read!
I found myself hooked from the very beginning! A married woman finds herself spending her time at her new beautiful beach house alone. She throws a housewarming party which gets ruined by her husband and his mistress! She later goes to the bar to drown her sorrows and she got more than she was hoping for. A stalker! This leads to lots of twists and turns which I won’t talk about so I don’t spoil any of the book!
For each chapter the point of view would change. At first it was confusing but later it made you question who is actually telling the truth! This was such a great book. I will definitely check out more books by Michele Campbell in the future!

This book was awesome!!!!
I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review-
Caroline and her husband own a beautiful beach home. He is so busy with work, or so it seems, that he is never there. Caroline meets a handsome stranger outside her beach home and the sparks fly.
An affair, an obsession, stalking, a husband murdered?
With twist and turns that move so fast your head is spinning you will reel at the ending.

A good read for my fellow Thriller/Suspense loving friends. I'm giving A Stranger on the Beach 4.5 stars!

When Caroline Stark meets Aidan Callahan, it isn't under the best circumstances. After learning her husband of 20 years is cheating and leaving her, not only physically but high and dry after draining their bank accounts, Caroline decides to drown her sorrows in booze at the local bar. It's there she meets Aidan and the two end up having a one night stand.

Aidan Callahan knows after one drunken night that Caroline is in love with him. He refuses to let her get away, he deserves this woman and she deserves him. Becoming obsessed with Caroline, Aidan does all he can to insert himself into her life. But, neither Caroline or Aidan are who they pretend to be. Both are hiding secrets.

Told from multiple POV, this book will have you questioning everything you read. Family drama, Suspense, Thriller all rolled into one good tale.

A Stranger on the Beach is sure to make you shiver in spite of the heat this summer!

Oh, gosh, I’m not sure how to tell you how much I love this book without spoilers, but I’m gonna try! Caroline is living the good life until her husband’s mistress crashes the party at her new beach house. In a drunken fit she cheats with the local bartender setting off a fatal attraction style love affair.

Told in alternating points of view, you soon find that you’re not sure what’s true and what’s not—just how delusional is Aidan to have fallen in love after one night with Caroline? The deeper into the book you get, the more Aidan’s and Caroline’s stories diverge. And when the police start investigating a murder, the situation gets darker and more confusing.

I don’t think I can say much else, except that author Michelle Campbell’s plotting is masterful. You need to go into this mostly blind if you want to enjoy the twists and turns.

This book in 3 words: unreliable, tangled, intricate. Five stars!

Do you have any auto-buy, auto-read authors? Michele Campbell has become one of those authors for me, so I was beyond thrilled to get a copy of her newest book, A Stranger on the Beach via @netgalley. This book doesn't come out until July. Of course, I have zero chill, so I threw my February TBR out the window and dropped everything to read this book.

Synopsis: Caroline has a spectacular new beach house, built for hosting expensive parties and vacationing with the family she thought she'd have. But her husband is lying to her and everything in her life is upside down, so when the stranger, Aidan, shows up as a bartender at the same party where Caroline and her husband have a very public fight, it doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary. As her marriage collapses around her and the lavish lifestyle she's built for herself starts to crumble, Caroline turns to Aidan for comfort...and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aidan's obsession with Caroline, her family, and her house grows more and more disturbing. And when Caroline's husband goes missing, her life descends into a nightmare that leaves her accused of her own husband's murder.


Review: This book was the perfect thriller for me! I love the way Campbell writes. She has a way of weaving a story together that leaves you guessing throughout the entire novel. The story alternates between Caroline and Aidan's point of view, and I didn't know who to trust. I love a juicy thriller with an unreliable narrator. Whenever you decide to pick this up, I would recommend doing it when you have time to read it in one sitting, because that is what you will want to do. The plot touches on so many themes including betrayal, envy, murder, the lifestyles of the rich, adultery, and much much more. Campbell's background as a lawyer and federal prosecutor shines through in her writing. A Stranger on the Beach would make the perfect beach read this summer, or if you're like me, the perfect thriller to curl up with on a weekend. Make sure you add this one to your TBR. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5!! Thank you @netgalley @michelecampbellbooks and @stmartinspress for this digital ARC!

Great psychological thriller. This book kept me interested until the end. I would definitely recommend this book!

A Stranger on the Beach grabbed me on the first page and never let go. It's written in alternating viewpoints, his and hers, telling the same story. The kicker is that the stories don't match up at all! Somebody's lying and you can't quite decide who it is. Is Aiden, the good looking bartender, mentally unstable and deluded? Is he seeing the world the way he wishes it were, rather than how it is? Is Caroline being stalked and threatened? By Aiden? Or someone else? And what about Caroline's husband, Jason? Why is he gone all the time? Did he really bring his cheap looking mistress to Caroline's elegant party at their new beach house?

Michele Campbell weaves in enough clues to keep the reader guessing until almost the very end. Then she wraps it up and ties a bow on it in a satisfying ending. Highly recommended!

Oh, I loved this book. It was on my AmaZon list for its release date, so I was thrilled to receive an ARC. I love an unreliable narrative, and this book had not one, but two. I don't want to give too much away, but this was well written and I couldn't put it down. Definitely worth the read.

If you're looking for a great new thriller, this is it! Told by conflicting POV it kept me turning the pages all night. I could not tell who was lying. Great twists especially at the end! I've read other books by this author and she just keeps getting better.

A Stranger on the Beach is a twisted tale of what happens when love and marriage go wrong. Carolyn is about to have the housewarming party of her dreams, as she and her husband Jason are ready to move into an exclusive beach house. When Jason shows up to the party with another woman, it's apparent to everyone that he's having an affair, and he soon confirms that by walking out on Carolyn. Aiden is a bartender from the party, who is young and attractive, and could he possibly be flirting with Carolyn? When Carolyn has too much to drink, an innocent night of flirtation with Aiden turns into a one night stand. Suddenly, Aiden seems much more interested in it being more than Carolyn would like, and it's a question of what Carolyn has gotten herself into.

The story is told from Carolyn and Aiden's point of view. Aiden's obsession with Carolyn takes a dramatic turn for the dark side when Carolyn tries to break things off and reconcile with her husband. Could he be responsible for hurting Jason? The thing that pulled me in the most was the fact that both points of view were diametrically opposed. That's the question for me that kept me flipping pages, which one of these two is the unreliable narrator or are they both? It's hard to say much more about the story without giving something away, but I will say the story kept me engrossed from the first page to the last and I didn't see that ending coming.

I had a lot of thoughts as I was reading this one about what was really going on. I went back and forth between thinking that Aiden and Carolyn each were guilty, but I never figured out the whole plot. This book won't be published until July and I could definitely see it being a terrific beach read, though it held my attention on a cold January night. Kudos to the author, even after reading the final page and thinking about what I'd read, there were no obvious clues that I missed staring me in the face.

This book was awesome! Had me hooked right from the get. A married woman who has had a one night stand begins being stalked by her one night stand in this crazy thriller. A secret that can’t be kept hidden.

Michele Campbell has done it once again! I am totally blown away! I read the first 40% of A Stranger on the Beach in one sitting and then I literally had dreams about where this novel would go the entire night through. So of course, as soon as I woke up, I grabbed my kindle and spent the day finishing this twisty tale and boy was I wow’ed! I don’t want to get into details because with any mystery/suspense it’s always best to go in as blind as possible, but trust me this won’t be a novel you figure out quickly which is true testament to Michele Campbell’s fantastic writing! A Stranger on the Beach is a 4.5 star novel that is unputdownable! Michele Campbell has solidified herself as an automatic 1-click author- an absolute must read!

Absolutely fabulous book. I loved it. Caroline has what seems to be an envious life until it is gone. Aidan is a handsome bartender with a shady past. I really didn't envision the events that took place but they kept me hooked until the end. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Michele Campbell is in fine form with A Stranger on the Beach which is a follow-up to It's Always the Husband and is an equally good read!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins press for giving me the chance to read and review and ARC of this title. This is the second book I’ve read by Michele Campbell and I do believe I’ve become a fan of hers. The style reminded me quite a bit of the show The Affair and how it would show two sides of the story. I love that because you’re kept guessing up until the climax. I really enjoyed this and I’d recommend it.

A Stranger on the Beach
Michelle Campbell
Description
From the bestselling author of It's Always the Husband comes a novel about a love triangle that begins on a fateful night...
There is a stranger outside Caroline's house.
Her spectacular new beach house, built for hosting expensive parties and vacationing with the family she thought she'd have. But her husband is lying to her and everything in her life is upside down, so when the stranger, Aidan, shows up as a bartender at the same party where Caroline and her husband have a very public fight, it doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary.
As her marriage collapses around her and the lavish lifestyle she's built for herself starts to crumble, Caroline turns to Aidan for comfort...and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aidan's obsession with Caroline, her family, and her house grow more and more disturbing. And when Caroline's husband goes missing, her life descends into a nightmare that leaves her accused of her own husband's murder.
A Stranger on the Beach is Strangers on a Train meets Fatal Attraction in Michele Campbell's edge-of-your-seat story of passion and intrigue.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advance copy of this wonderful novel.
WOW, this book started out with me not connecting in any way with Caroline or Aiden. It was like a wild train, started slow and just being to take up speed. It was she said, he said thing with pov from both. But, the pov had different pov?
It was a good read. Never guessed until the end.

My original judgements of Aiden and Caroline were that Aiden was delusional and creepy while Caroline was making the most frustrating mistakes but wow! There was so much more to it than first impressions! A Stranger on the Beach gave me total “You” vibes from the start and I couldn’t put it down. A cat and mouse thriller that will have you wondering who to believe throughout the entire story with such contradicting narrators... who is telling the truth?

Wow. Fatal attraction. This was a gripping novel that had so many twists and turns, leading up to a volatile ending. Caroline has it all: career, husband, beach house...One night with a handsome bartender changes her world. Who do you believe? Who is manipulating whom? Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Well written domestic thriller. Told by different characters point of view. Plenty of twists and turns that kept my curiosity piqued to the end.
This is the first novel by this author that I have read and I am looking forward to reading her present and future books.

I could not put this down.. a couple Mornings needs more sleep from status so late reading!! This is a definitely must read!

This book is a complex proof of understanding evil, lying in the human psyche. Several parts I could not even fathom, some I was shocked to read. The ending is worth the second part of the book, which for me was equal to confusion.

As much as I'd love to give this book a 5 star, one thing holds me back. The mysterious holes throughout the book, holes of information that pointed to confusion rather than mystery. But oh my, the last chapters were unexpectedly revealing, with incredible information and brilliant outcome.

Aidan' s character is in itself a flaw, symbol of what could go wrong in society due to taking advantage of gullible people, unlucky and poor. Caroline' s character stands for lies and avarice. These two are opposites and of course they attract each other.

The fact that up to a point the book is written through different POVs, got me confused and intrigued at the same time. I wonder if this was the goal of the author. If not, she managed it pretty well. There were so many elements and pieces of information that did or did not fit together at all. This affected slightly the flow of the novel.

What I recommend is to really go and read this book and convince yourself. Fans of suspense and family dramas will love it for sure.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

Yet another fantastic read by Michele Campbell . I loved her first two and this was eagerly anticipated and lived up to my expectations . Caroline , believing her marriage is over has what she perceives as a one night stand with Jason a bartender .Unfortunately that is not how he sees it and he believes them to be in a relationship . As we read on the story splits and is told from both Carolines and Jasons perspective . It becomes a he said she said and I seriously did wonder who's version of events was the truth . It was a brilliant read and I thoroughly enjoyed it . Another 5 star from me

Love, love, love this book. Author Michele Campbell is a wonderful writer.
A "Stranger on the Beach" is a clever suspenseful mystery thriller. The story is full of unpredictable plots and fun twist. Soon to be a big summer bestseller.

This is the kind of book that will keep you up late at night reading. The author hooks you from the start, intense page turner.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this book was great. The story was told from 2 viewpoints, Caroline, the wealthy woman whose husband was cheating and the guy she had a brief affair with, Aidan. You can tell early on that the stories don’t line up and someone is lying. Even though I sort of figured out the ending a little early, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment. I also liked the cameo appearance by Melanie Vargas since I had read the series featuring her some years ago. This story had a lot of twists and turns and kept me entertained. It had sex, obsession, deceit, all the necessary elements for a good thriller. Once I got to 60% I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to see how it would end. I am excited to read more from this author.

A great read that pulls you in from the first chapter. You'll find yourself drawn into the twisted world of lies and deceit and it will make you wonder who you're truly supposed to be rooting for.

Aidan can't stop looking at the spectacular house that was built on the beach property that had belonged to his grandfather. It's everything that he's ever dreamed off. The woman that lives there is beautiful beyond compare. What a life that would be, a gorgeous woman, an amazing house, on the very property he lives so much.
The woman's name is Caroline, she has seen the man standing outside her house. All she can think is that he's casing her home. Maybe getting ready to break in and rob her.
Than one day running on the beach she sees him again, his name is Aidan.
Following a humiliating house warming party where her husband showed up with his Russian mistress, Caroline is looking for a place to try and forget her problems. She goes to the Red Anchor a local bar. There she discovers Aidan is the bartender. He's really not that bad. And, he's very attractive.
This is a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. You get two views of the story Caroline's, and Aidan's. The characters are interesting as is the plot. It was a great read with a surprising ending.

First, I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Stranger on the Beach caused so many vivid emotions for me. Having experienced an abusive relationship in the past, I was sickened reading Caroline’s chapters. This book forces you to weigh the honesty of Caroline and Aidan’s accounts of what has happened, and I immediately sided with Caroline, perhaps out of some sort of pseudo survivor’s bond. However, the more I read, the more I questioned if I was siding with the right person. The retellings given by Caroline and Aidan became so different factually that I started to side with Aidan (even if his supposed love for Caroline was nauseatingly codependent and frankly quite ridiculous and unbelievable). I began to feel as though I were an investigator, trying to work out from Caroline and Aidan’s sworn statements which of them was innocent. I read this book in two short sittings because it was completely engulfing (once I got past the initial aversion to reading Caroline’s chapters detailing her abuse). I do not want to describe more than this for fear of giving away spoilers, but I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves suspense and thrillers. Honestly, I would recommend this book to anyone because it was thrilling to read. I was sad to see that a lot of people who rated this book 1/5 had simply stopped reading after the first few chapters because they had given up on the book. If you only read the first few chapters, of course it is going to seem unbelievable! That’s the point! Your job is to seek out the contradictions and inconsistencies in the “statements” presented to you and figure out what is really going on. Why has Jason’s mistress followed him to his wife Caroline’s party to cause a scene? Why does Hannah, their daughter, side with Jason in all things? Why does Aidan, a supposedly gorgeous bartender, fall in love with Caroline after just one night together? What really happened all those years ago when Caroline and her sister Lynn screwed the rest of the family out of their inheritance? This book causes you to look deeper and piece together the facts until you’re sweating and your heart is racing as you read into the wee hours of the night because you want so badly to just be able to tell the investigators what has really happened. I finished this book late last night and I have been thinking about it ALL DAY. I wish I was part of a book club so I would have someone to gush over it with! A Stranger on the Beach was fantastic overall and I would love to read other books written by Michele Campbell.

#netgalley #astrangeronthebeach

From the moment she saw him standing on the beach staring at her beach house, their fate was sealed.
Caroline and Jason are an “it” couple. They have an apartment in the city and a beautiful beach house on the ocean. They are both beautiful. And successful. And rich. Other than good looks, they are everything Aiden isn’t. And have everything Aiden doesn’t. Bitter about the big beach house built on his grandfather’s land, he still can’t help staring at the beautiful house longingly. But Aiden is an ex con who works as a bartender; he will never own a house like that.
But maybe part of that dream isn’t out of reach for him. Maybe he can’t have the house. But maybe, just maybe he could have the wife. Aiden can’t believe is luck when Caroline turns her attention his way. That perfect relationship Jason and Caroline have has developed a crack after their housewarming party turns ugly and soon after, Caroline finds her way into his bar to drown her sorrows and ends up with more than she was bargaining for. A moment of drunken revenge turns into a nightmare.
He’s desperate and obsessed with her. She’s mortified and frightened. And then two stories come into play. Same events are narrated by both Aiden and Caroline. But told entirely differently. Which is the truth? Or is it somewhere in the middle?
This story is so cleverly written. I was engaged throughout as I tried to figure out the truth. I didn’t want to put the book down while my head tried to wrap around what I thought was true and what I suspected. This book is full of suspense and intrigue and you will want to stay up until this one is finished.
4 1/2 stars for me.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the privilege to read and review this book by sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.