Publisher: Gallery Books / Simon & Schuster Audio
Published: January 25, 2022
Source: Print – ARC Paperback via Gallery Books / Audio – ALC via Simon & Schuster Audio
Summary:
“A twisty, fast-paced” (The Sunday Times, London) debut thriller, as electrifying as the number-one New York Times best seller The Girl on the Train, about impending motherhood, unreliable friendship, and the high price of keeping secrets.
In this “gloriously tangled game of cat and mouse that kept the twists coming until the very last moment” (Ruth Ware, number-one New York Times best-selling author), Helen’s idyllic life – handsome architect husband, gorgeous Victorian house, and cherished baby on the way – begins to change the day she attends her first prenatal class.
There, she meets Rachel, an unpredictable single mother-to-be who doesn’t seem very maternal: She smokes, drinks, and professes little interest in parenthood. Still, Helen is drawn to her. Maybe Rachel just needs a friend. And to be honest, Helen’s a bit lonely herself. At least Rachel is fun to be with. She makes Helen laugh, invites her confidences, and distracts her from her fears.
But her increasingly erratic behavior is unsettling. And Helen’s not the only one who’s noticed. Her friends and family begin to suspect that her strange new friend may be linked to their shared history in unexpected ways. When Rachel threatens to expose a past crime that could destroy all of their lives, it becomes clear that there are more than a few secrets laying beneath the broad-leaved trees and warm lamplight of Greenwich Park.
My thoughts:
There are two things that drew me to this book – the cover and the fact that it is from a debut novelist. Those are like my kryptonite – the cover because it’s just so beautiful and it draws you in; and the debut novelist because you have no preconceived notions of what to expect from the author other than hopefully a good story. And luckily, we get just that.
This one did grab me from the get-go, but I do have to say it’s not exactly the fast-paced book I was expecting. It’s a little more slower-paced that you might be lead to believe based on the synopsis above – but luckily that ended up being ok. I loved the sense of unease that built almost from the start. Having the story told from three points of view keeps things interesting, though I do wonder if we really needed one of them – I won’t say for fear of ruining anything – but it really wasn’t my favorite to say the least.
Lies, secrets and lots of misdirection kept me guessing all the way through, though I did figure out one part. But I was still shocked at the final ending and that definitely made the book for me. I might not have loved every part of this book, but there is definitely talent here and I’m excited to see what comes next from this author.
Audio thoughts:
I had the opportunity to listen to this one and the narrator, Laura Kirman, did a fantastic job narrating it. This was my first time listening to her and I thought she did a great job with all the voices, giving each character their own personality.
