Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - A Familiar Stranger

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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booksbytheglass's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this book started off with so much promise, but sadly, it fell victim to the overused “my wife/husband is having an affair but it turns out he/she is a horrible person” trope 🫠

as a fan of a.r. torre’s writing, I was beyond excited to receive an ARC of this one!! it promised everything I love in a thriller: cheating spouses, dark secrets, dual POVs, and of course, a whodunnit murder!

the story itself just took a weird turn about halfway through, and I don’t think I was ready for that shift in story. it almost felt like the author decided to change directions from a murder mystery to a mafia thriller without adding any context as to the deep connection.

the main character, lillian, was another overused scorned woman trope: constantly popping pills and chugging bottles of wine. I’m just curious as to the value that it added to the story because in the end, her problems really had nothing to do with the plot.

maybe I’m just overthinking this one, because I enjoyed the writing and the pace of it, but the constant veering of the overarching plot just wasn’t it for me. I’m a sucker for continuity 😅

a huge thank you to netgalley and thomas and mercer for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! this one’s out end of September!

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: napa valley zinfandel

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