'The Breakdown' might not have had the ending I expected but it added something to the genre for me that I haven't encountered before.

This is the story of Cass, a teacher, who is just starting her summer break when she gets home at night in the middle of a storm. Against her husband's advice, she takes a shortcut and notices a woman sitting in her car in the middle of the woods. Cass is not sure if the other one needs help but decides to head home in the end. The next morning she learns not only that the woman was murdered but also that she was a new-found friend. Being eaten up by her bad conscience she's not brave enough to tell the truth and then there's the fact that her memory gets all messed up. Both aspects are not helping when she starts receiving strange phone calls and there might be a murderer chasing her.

Cass was sometimes a really relatable character - sometimes she was plain annoying. I can understand her guilt and shame quite well although she gets herself into more problems as the story progresses that she could have avoided easily. I liked reading about her and her way of dealing with her sickness which might not be the way some people reacted to such news but that's not the point.
Then there's her husband Matthew who's caring and sweet in the beginning but seems to grow annoyed with his fragile wife way too easily. I wasn't sure what to expect of his character but in the end, I think it was a great match. There are other characters involved - mainly work colleagues and friends but I believe the character pool was quite limited. This lead to blaming everyone of being the murderer at one time in the book which works in the beginning but gets old about halfway through the book.

This certainly was a fast-paced story but there were a lot of repetitive scenes (honestly, the telephone...) which made the story drag on a little. As the build up to the solution was great I did expect an amazing ending. I actually had some versions drawn up in my mind but I was a little disappointed with the one the author had chosen. Not a bad solution per se but it all happened too fast and was too easy to solve. It literally took the main character about 15 pages to unravel all the mysteries.

I liked the book and I'm glad that I read it but the ending was a letdown.

This book packs a strong dose of anxiety. It reminded me of my feelings of The Girl on the Train, where you constantly want to yell at the main character to STOP DRINKING EVERYTHING. In this one, I want to shake Cass and make her REMEMBER things and stop freaking out over the silent phone calls. Just pull yourself together! But Cass's life spirals out of control and B.A. Paris does an excellent job at stressing you out as a reader and building your suspense. You constantly change your mind and wonder who is the good guy and who is the bad guy, and you don't put all of the pieces together until the end. I haven't gotten around to reading Behind Closed Doors yet, but you can bet that it is near the top of my to-read list after this one!

Overall, I rate this 4/5 stars. Its fun, its suspenseful, and makes for a quick read. Great for someone in a book rut!

I received a free e-copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review. I highly recommend this book for suspense/mystery lovers.

There's no stopping me now! Off to another late night read. Thank you BA Paris, publisher and Netgalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Be prepared for great characters and nonstop suspense. Although the conclusion was predictable, the story was like a fast train racing me down the tracks for see just how this would unravel. Great ending that was much more than I expected. I will follow this author and not miss any of her books. If you like suspense and an easy read, this is form you. Just plan to drink a lot of coffee.

A psychological mystery designed to make readers guess if the narrator is being stalked by a murderer or if she has dementia. I liked the premise, but found the plot predictable and so not that suspenseful. Didn't live up to the hype.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of the Breakdown in exchange for my honest review.

B.A. Paris has done it again!!! Praise for The Breakdown, her second novel after the gripping Behind Closed Doors.

Cass is trying to get home safely during a torrential downpour. Against the advice of her husband she takes a short cut into the dark woods and almost veers into a car awkwardly parked at the side of the road. A woman sits inside the car. The Breakdown. She stops to check on the welfare of the women briefly but fearing for her safety decides to drive home. The next day the women in the car is found dead. Cass’s reaction to this tragedy is one of guilt. Suddenly, there is forgetfulness, anxiety, and paranoia in her life. With a family history of early onset dementia, Cass feels like she is losing her mind and starts second guessing herself. If you cannot trust yourself, who can you trust?

This book grabbed me from page one, and it was a struggle to put it down. In a psychological thriller, I alway love it when a book leaves me feeling an emotional experience alongside the main character. I highly recommend this book and look forwards to B.A. Paris’s next endeavor.

Cass’s whole life changes one night when she makes a terrible decision to take a shortcut home through a darkly wooded area. When she comes upon a motorist who appears to be broke down she stops but the motorist doesn’t show any sign that they need help so she drives on.

The following morning her husband tells her a woman was killed near their home. Once she puts it together and figures out it’s the same woman she saw the night before she is terrified. Did the killer see her? Does he know where she lives? Then the mysterious silent calls start, they call multiple times a day, but never when anyone is around. They cripple her with fear and on top of the murder she has started to lose memories. It starts out small, forgetting things behind or engagements, then it’s forgetting how to use various appliances. She worries that she has the same disease that killed her mother and caused her to lose her memory.

Plauged by fear of the killer and fear of losing her mind she begins to take pills to help calm her. But when she accidentally overdoses she reevaluates what has become of her life. She needs to find out who is calling her and why and who killed the woman down the lane. Only then will her life make sense again.

This was my first B.A. Paris novel and WOW, this did not disappoint. I found myself turning the lights on at night while I stayed up late reading this and more than once jumping sky high into the air when I heard a noise. Such a relatable novel to anyone who has been home alone.
5⭐️’s

Thank you to publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I've posted my review on Goodreads. In all more of a 3.5 stars for me rounded up because I was surprised by ending. For once, I wasn't able to guess the big reveals so that was enjoyable! The plot was a little tedious for my likes. It was okay initially reading about Cass' "breakdown"but I found myself wondering as the story progressed when are we going to get to something else?? There were also flaws in some of the plot logistics so some of Cass' decisions didn't make sense to me. That took away from some the story's credibility. Overall a good read though and I had a hard time putting it down.

what a nice story, wont give anything away but really enjoyed this. now i have to read the other book from this author.

Having read some reviews of The Breakdown and knowing that Behind Closed Doors wasn't really my cup of tea, I went into this book not expecting terribly much. I was actually pleasantly surprised- The Breakdown was much more enjoyable.

Driving home on a stormy night, Cass sees a car pulled to the side of the road. She briefly stops and considers offering help, but with the driver not indicating she's in need of assistance and a reluctance to get out of her car in the storm, Cass decides to drive on. This decision will haunt her when she finds out that the driver of the car was murdered, and was in a woman Cass had recently befriended. She becomes convinced that someone knows she was there that night as she begins receiving hang up calls, and finding herself forgetting or misplacing (or imagining?) things regularly. Her own mother suffered from dementia for years before her death, and Cass is terrified that she's experiencing the same fate.

The story is fairly predictable and readers who have read much in the way of mysteries will not find much surprising about the twists this book offers. Despite having a pretty solid idea of what was going on and would happen in this story, I found the way the plot moved towards the ending to be page-turning as I wanted to find out what would happen to Cass next. However, the ending felt very rushed and unsatisfying, leaving me feeling a bit disappointed in the story overall. This book was very different from the author's first, and while I imagine I'm in the minority, I think I'll be more inclined to try the author again after this book than I was after Behind Closed Doors.

Full disclosure: I really didn't like 'Behind Closed Doors'. I found the main character so annoying, I wanted to shake her, slap her and shake her some more. In 'The Breakdown', the heroine is a bit whiny (definitely a theme with B.A. Paris) but I found the plot to be pretty unique. To the point, I'd question my own sanity at times. The pace moves super fast, the twists are not earth shattering but it's a fun plane read. A huge thank you to NetGalley for a free digital download prior to the publication date!

As usual B A Paris brings about an edge of the seat, nail biting hours of reading pleasure. From the word go, though the story starts out placid and very nice you know the ending is not going to be so nice. It is not going to be expected either.

Without spoilers, it is difficult to get into this story but believe me it is good. A seemingly placid happily married couple, lots of friends, easy social environment, one unexpected murder seemingly random, no clues and then wham!

If you seek mystery murder thrillers/psychological thrillers, please go read this one. It is a must.
Goodreads and Amazon review up on 6/7/2017. Review on my blog 27/8/2017.

4.5 stars. I enjoyed Behind Closed Doors by this author, so I was looking forward to this new release. I could not put this book down and read it in one afternoon. I thought the author did a great job weaving a story with so many intricacies. All I can say is revenge is sweet.

The main character, Cass, is haunted by her fear that like her mother, she is suffering from early-onset dementia. She is traumatized on rainy trip home through a deserted highway when she comes upon a “disabled” car. As it turns out, the occupant of the car was murdered. She becomes consumed with guilt, fear, and anxiety. Her mental state continues to deteriorate day by day as she forgets everything from where she parked her car to social appointments. Why can’t she remember things? She tries short vacations, spa trips, and eventually medication, all to no avail. Day to day activities overwhelm and oppress her. There certainly is something wrong, but what? Then, finally, there is a point when, piece by piece, this book becomes the thriller it was meant to be.

The book is written in a first-person narrative by Cass, so readers definitely perceive that all these events are absolutely exhausting for her. Unfortunately, it is almost as exhausting to read. The action is slow and almost tedious. The reader is far far into the book before it truly becomes compelling. As a reader, I was tempted to just disconnect and not finish the book. If the last 25% had been integrated into the first 75%, bit by bit, it would have kept me questioning, looking, and guessing right from the start. As it was, I was just glad when she finds out everything and it is over.

I received a copy of “The Breakdown” from, St. Martin’s Press, B. A. Paris and NetGalley in exchange for my impartial review, and this is it, I just thought the book was OK. I am surprised that I didn’t like it because the description seemed so compelling. I am sure that many people will love this book, but I really did not.

I LOVED B.A. Paris's debut novel Behind Closed Doors (5 stars) and I wondered how her second book would compare. I should have known I would not be disappointed. The opening chapter of the book was truly scary, I could imagine it being a movie. It may be one of my favorite opening scenes in a book and a great catalyst to get the story rolling.

I never expected to read this book in one sitting, but it sucked me in, and I couldn't stop reading. I liked it even better than Behind Closed Doors. I liked Cass, and this book had some interesting twists. If you are a fan of thrillers, read this one!

I highly recommend this new thriller from B.A. Paris. Cass is a happily married young teacher. One night while driving home in a storm, she decides to take a short cut through the woods. She sees a car stopped on the road, and a woman sitting in the car. Pulling up ahead, to see if the woman needs help, Cass gets spooked and decides she must just be waiting for someone. The next day Cass is horrified to discover that the woman in the car had been murdered. To make matters worse, it is a woman that Cass had recently met and befriended.
Cass begins to doubt her sanity, she keeps forgetting things, and she is getting silent calls, or is she? Her husband is starting to lose his patience, as Cass worries that she is suffering from early onset dementia, the same disease that her mother had developed in her forties.
There are so many twists in this plot that it's hard to review without revealing anything. Great summer read, or for anytime you want to curl up with a good thriller! Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A nice read but the author gave away a few clues early in the book so I was able to guess the story, it did drag a little in the middle. But I liked it enough to go and get her first book.

My rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

This is a great psychological thriller and you are in for a treat!

Cass is a teacher that has been married to Matthew for about a year. One night after attending a party, Cass drives home by herself through a dark road, it's a stormy night and on the road she notices a car parked on the side of the road. She stops in front of the car and notices a woman inside. Cass wants to help but is afraid to do so because it's dark, raining and she's afraid for her safety, as it is understandable. She decides to get home which is only a few miles away and call the police from there so that they can help the stranded woman, she can't call from the road because there is no reception there. However, when Cass gets home she forgets about it and falls asleep.

When Cass wakes up the next morning she's shocked to learn that the stranded woman has been murdered and this is where our journey begins.

The story is told from the point of view of Cass and as days go by stranger things start happening around the main character. I felt many emotions reading this book, I was reading and talking back to the book like: "Cass don't do that!", "Cass do this! and so on.

I am purposely withholding details because I want you to go into the book with as little information as possible. Just know that it will engage all of your emotions, it will hold them in a tight grip, and will not release them until the end.

I have read Behind Closed Doors which is another book by the same author and also enjoyed it greatly.

Overall I really liked this book. It was such a fun thriller to read and the author delivered a great ending. Bravo!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted on Netgalley, blog and goodreads.