Stand Out Read


I was one of the lucky ones this year to get an arc of this book and I feel that with my delay that I let not only the author down but myself. I am very late on this review and not because it was a bad read it wasn’t. It was amazing. I just have been in such a funk of highs and lows with my reading that many things have been lost in the shuffle that has become my life. That being said let me tell you about the highlights of this book and why it is worth your money, time, and energy. I have been a fan of B.A. Paris ever since I read her debut thriller Behind Closed Doors a few years ago. Seriously, if you want to read an amazing book, I highly recommend that one. As soon as I see she has a new book coming out I immediately add it to my TBR on Goodreads and inhale it in one sitting. This one was no different. I even went as far as to send a copy of this book to my best friend for Christmas.

The story surrounds Alice and her partner Leo who move into a house in The Circle, a gated community in London. As Alice is getting to know her neighbors, she finds out that Leo never told her that the former owner, Nina Maxwell who was a therapist, was murdered in the house and her husband, Oliver, who ended up killing himself, was accused of killing her. What adds fuel to this story is Alice’s past trauma. About twenty years ago Alice’s parents and her sister, Nina, were killed in a car accident and ever since then, whenever Alice meets another Nina, she becomes obsessed with them and their life story. This is the case with Nina Maxwell, and as she digs into Nina’s life, she discovers that Oliver may not have killed her. What is also interesting is that the more time Alice spends in community the more people do not want to talk about Nina or Oliver. They rather believe that Oliver is the killer then trying to wrap their mind around the idea that their perfect gated community is far from perfect. So much so that there might be a killer living amongst them. What I love about this author is her ability to keep me on my toes. Every time I thought I figured out what happened and who actually killed Nina something would be thrown at me to the point I would feel like I am completely wrong. Not one character is safe from your suspicion while you are reading and it’s great. There are a few things in this book that add to the spook factor and mystery. I however do not want to spoil this book for everyone so I will say go figure out if you need The Therapist in your life like I needed it in mine. You will not be disappointed I promise. Thank you Netgalley and all those involved in me receiving this arc. ( )

Alice is sure that she has been totally honest with Leo, kept nothing back from him; after all, she is convinced she wants to spend the rest of her life with him. But then she finds that he hasn't been totally honest with her. He has tried to keep something back, hoping she won't find out, or at least, if she does find out, she will get over it quickly.

This novel turned out to be a real page turner. To me Alice seemed a bit neurotic, but then we find that although she has been honest with Leo, she has a big secret that the reader is not privy to. Also her need to know what happened two years before makes her suspect everyone, and blindsides her to the real truth.

A good read. I must read more by this author. ( )

I was invested in the beginning. Along for the ride of twists and turns, especially liking the ‘is someone else in the house with them’ bits. But then Alice got…dumber? Her motivations and trajectory stopped making sense. It became too much for me and I agree with others who think Alice should’ve been the one in therapy. Felt like she was hoping for something sinister to happen to her. Why else allow 90% of the thing that happened to her to continue.

The final act was well done. Like an Alice Feeney novel, I guessed part of it but not the whole. Nice that I can still be surprised. But I’ll never be as surprised as Alice. ( )

maybe I would’ve felt different if I read the physical book? this was my first audiobook read ever, so interested to see how others compare! ( )

Getting a house with your long distance boyfriend is probably not the best idea especially with a guy you never thought to do a background check on. The neighbors are welcoming in the circle and they become friends. However, when she finds out her boyfriend lied to her about a murder that happened a few months ago in the house and some other things he lied about. Well it becomes her mission to figure out who the killer is, even to the point as being convinced it could be each one of her neighbors. Paranoid much?

Weird things start happening at the house and will she be in time to figure out who the murderer really is before she is their latest victim?
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