Review: A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

Title: A Stranger on the Beach

Author: Michele Campbell

Published: July 2019, St. Martin’s Press

Format: ARC E-copy, 352 pages

Source: Netgalley via Publisher

Summary: 

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, Aiden, 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 Aiden for comfort…and revenge. After a brief and
desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him,
Aiden’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.

My thoughts: A couple years ago, I read Michele Campbell’s debut novel, It’s Always the Husband, and I absolutely loved it. I knew I would be reading more books from this author and while I somehow missed her sophomore novel, She Was the Quiet One, I certainly wasn’t going to let her newest one pass me by.

I love when a book is told in such a way that you can’t help but question the main characters and that is exactly what I felt we had here. Told in alternating perspectives of Caroline and Aiden, we see the same story unfold from each of their perspectives. It just goes to show you how we all interpret things differently. But the question remains…who is more reliable? And who is manipulating who?

This book will surprise you at every turn. It’s filled with characters that you will love to hate, that will get under your skin but you can’t walk away from because you need to know how it all turns out and let me just say this absolutely doesn’t go where you think it does!  

If you like stories that deal with obsession and stalking, and manipulation, this one is for you. It’s a crazy ride that you will not stop thinking of until you turn that last page. Michele Campbell knows how to craft that unique psychological thriller, while keeping you guessing until the very end. I enjoyed this book and know that she is an author I can count on for entertaining, thrilling reads. 

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4 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    September 23, 2019 / 8:42 pm

    These two were definitely two that I found myself questioning a lot of the time too. Great review!

  2. Suko
    September 23, 2019 / 10:57 pm

    This story sounds like a gripping psychological thriller–no wonder you enjoyed it!

  3. Lori Bree
    September 24, 2019 / 4:58 pm

    Great review! I'm listening to this on audio right now and it's definitely a wild ride! I keep describing it in my head as a train wreck, but in a good way–I can't stop listening!

  4. Dianna
    September 29, 2019 / 5:07 am

    I have a copy of this on my Kindle, need to get to it!