Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

A Familiar Stranger by A.R. Torre

4 reviews

sizzlesteaks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

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kaylasbookgram's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
“I just want to start off by saying that love wasn’t what caused all this. The murder, the double life, the lies . . . None of it was triggered from a lack of me loving my husband. It was from a lack of him loving me back.”

I have fallen in love with A.R. Torre’s style of writing! I love that I’m able to dive into these books and come out shocked at the ending! That’s the kind of thrillers I live for! 

This book is an amazing thriller where you go in thinking the wife is going to kill the husband, at least that’s how I went into it. (I don’t typically read synopsis before I read the book) and come out with a completely different idea by mid way and then a huge spoiler of a jump at the end! 

If you love thrillers and love to be surprised then check out A.R. Torre’s books! 
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kimveach's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I started this book on Audible, but the narrator's delivery drove me nuts.  I switched to the Kindle version, which was much better for me.  It was a decent thriller.
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srivalli's review against another edition

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fast-paced

3.0

 3 Stars

One Liner: Fast-paced but okayish

Lillian Smith leads an ordinary life as a wife and mother of a sulking teen. She is an obituary writer with hardly anything exciting in her life. It appears that her husband Mike feels the same and looking for excitement else. 

When Lillian meets David, a handsome stranger, she creates a new persona of herself. Soon, she is living a lie and having a great time. However, things don’t last long. The affair is revealed on social media, and Lillian’s life slips out of her control. 

It wasn’t until later that she realizes her life was never in her control. As secrets tumble out of the closet, it appears impossible to get back to normal. 

The story comes from the first-person POV of Lillian and a few other characters. 

My Thoughts:

  •      I love that the book is fast-paced from start to finish. The chapters race by, even if there’s no character development as such. That made the book a lot easier to read. 
  •      Lillian’s job as an obituary writer is unique and interesting. The tweets she posts on her Twitter handle are rather fun (she shares murder puzzles for her followers to solve). 
  •      The characters have great potential (though be assured that you won’t like most of them except Lenny). Sadly, they aren’t explored in detail. Once we know who they are, they continue to stick to their roles and do nothing different. 
  •      The second half is different, but that didn’t make it fully entertaining. I like some of it and didn’t feel bored, so that’s something. 
  •      I don’t like how Lillian’s mental illness is handled. Even for a thriller, it could have been better. 
  •      The climax and ending are a little too convenient. A certain twist, which leads to the ending, is eye-roll-worthy. 

To summarize, A Familiar Stranger is a fast-paced domestic thriller with enough to keep you reading. However, it is a passable book with 2D characters and an easy ending. This is my first book by the author, and I see that it is not her best. I’ll read a couple of more books before I decide. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. 

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