The Breakdown was a very fast read-and very intense. I felt that this was even better than "Behind Closed Doors", and I enjoyed that a lot as well. This book had more than one shocking twist...
Cass is a likable but not perfect protagonist, with enough fears and weaknesses to make the reader care about her as her frightening story progresses. Is she losing her mind? Is somebody toying with her? Find out when you read "The Breakdown".

After reading Behind Closed Doors, I didn't think B. A. Paris could top that book. For me, Behind Closed Doors was the book of 2016 and was the best book I had read in quite some time. UNTIL I READ THE BREAKDOWN. Oh my gosh. This book!! It is fantastic. I have been telling everyone about this book. I can't wait to add it to my collection. B. A. Paris is the top writer in the world right now. I don't know anyone that can write better than her.

Cass Anderson leaves an office party in the midst of a severe thunderstorm. The highway traffic slows as the storm worsens. She decides to take an exit that winds through a lonely, deserted wooded area. Suddenly she sees headlights ahead. Hoping to be able to follow the car, Cass realizes that the car has pulled off to the side of the road. She sees a woman inside, but the woman does not seem to need assistance and Cass continues toward home.

When the woman that Cass saw is found murdered, Cass regrets not having stopped. Could she have prevented the murder from happening if she had only stopped and asked to help? Feelings of guilt haunt her, and the remorse she feels is compounded when the woman is identified. She and Cass had met each other recently and become fast friends. When the investigation stalls, Cass wonders if the killer might come looking for her.

B.A. Paris’ well written, chilling psychological thriller is hard to put down as Cass’ world begins to unravel. Twists and turns abound as the novel reaches it’s unexpected conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and author B.A. Paris for giving me the opportunity to read this first rate thriller. It’s one of the best I’ve read in quite some time!

<b>Release Date: 07.18.17</b>

B.A. Paris's <i>The Breakdown</i>, her sophomore novel, is a breathtaking and thrilling experience — that's right: this isn't just a thrilling 'read'; it is a full-blown <i>experience</i>. Anyone who chooses to try this one out will finish at least affected, if not totally in love with Paris's style and thirsty for more. I know I am.

Cass, a married teacher, is driving home from a party in the woods, during a rainstorm. She spots a car on the side of the road, which is still running, with a woman inside. Slightly suspicious (and very curious), she pulls off the road and parks in front of the car, waiting for the woman to get out, or flash her lights — something. She thinks the woman might need help. Nothing burning. After giving ample time (and becoming creeped out by being on a 'bad road'), Cass drives home, only to discover the next day that the woman she spotted had been murdered. From there this story unfolds, dragging the reader along in its dirty claws. And Paris is out for blood with this one.

I can't recall the last time I was so enthralled in a book. A week or two ago, I posted about my 'reader boredom' — I just felt like books weren't grabbing me like they used to. <i>The Breakdown</i> melted those fears away. I started this one around 10am and finished in the early afternoon. At times my hands shook from anticipation and fear — I am surprised I did not break my Kindle in two! I just had to know what happened next. I had to figure out what secrets were being held for me, the awed reader, around every bend. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Not once. This one grabs you and doesn't let go until the very final page — only then is everything, finally, revealed. And I was knocked flat on my ass by said reveals.

This author is now two for two with me. Her debut, <i>Behind Closed Doors</i> is suspense fiction at its finest, and <i>The Breakdown</i> somehow outdoes <i>that</i>! No sophomore slump here; no, not at all. Highly recommended to any and all readers.

<b>Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC, which was given in exchange for an honest review.</b>

This book exhausted me, but in a good way. I felt all of the the fear and terror poor Cass feels during her downward spiral. All because she made a decision to alter her path going home one night during a downpour. After seeing a car sitting on the side of the road and briefly stopping in case the woman sitting inside needs help, Cass continues on home. She later learns that the woman was murdered, and what's more, she knew her. She is also dealing with what she is convinced is early onset dementia because her mother was diagnosed with it at a very young age. Suddenly she is forgetting things she has done and said. She is afraid to tell her husband about the dementia having not mentioned it before they were married. She frantically covers up and makes excuses for her mistakes. Then the silent phone calls start. Overcome with the guilt from not helping the woman who was murdered, scared her husband will become tired of her constant mishaps and forgetfulness, terrified of the phone ringing every day, and able to only confide in her best friend Rachel, Cass can't see her life ever being happy again. That is, until the day everything changes. Twists and turns and an ending that will knock your socks off!

This was a very fast paced thriller. I love books that I don't know what should happen next and this book covered that! Can't wait for more from this author

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to preview The Breakdown" by BA Paris. I started hearing about this book, and was very happy to get the chance to preview it. The story started out slow and I did have some trouble getting into it, but quickly that turned around. This is a suspenseful story about a young woman on the verge of mental illness. She is married, has close friends, and should be very happy. Her mom passed away from dementia, and she has held this secret from her husband, Matthew.
This is written in the first person, and you can feel "Cass'" terror as she begins to realize that she may be going crazy.
Cass is driving home one night and she sees a car on a deserted road. Although she stops to check on the driver, she leaves the scene. The next day, it is revealed that the driver of this car, "Jane", has been killed. Cass is riddled with guilt - could she have saved this woman from death if she had stopped? Cass starts to get calls from an unknown person, but is she? She starts to forget things, lose things, and can feel reality sinking away? Is she the next to be murdered or is everything a figment of her imagination?
The Breakdown is well written, and one of the best for 2017 so far. RECOMMEND!!!!!

"The Breakdown" by B.A. Paris is a haunting tale of a woman named Cass Anderson. The story exposes the major humiliations that she experiences over the course of several months. After learning of a brutal murder of a woman, Cass feels unfathomable guilt after realizing that she never got out of her car to help the woman who was pulled off the side of the road. Her anxiety escalates even further when she realizes that she knew the dead woman.

In addition, Cass starts to experience episodes of forgetfulness. She is fearful that she will succumb to the same fate of her mother, who was diagnosed with dementia at age 44. Cass starts to slither into a depressed state of mind and finds difficulty in mundane tasks. Her world becomes clouded by drugs that are prescribed for her by a doctor for her anxiety.

Without giving too much away, I would have to say that this book will be in my top ten for 2017. Paris does a great job of lingering in moments of despair and hopelessness. Cass' character was the heart of the story.and I was intrigued if and how she would climb out of her depression. I finished this book in one night and immediately ordered her first book, "Behind Closed Doors." This is an author who is here to stay and hopefully will continue to entertain us with her gripping and powerful stories.

My thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and B.A. Paris for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

After reading Behind Closed Doors, I was eagerly anticipating B.A. Paris's next novel, and it did not disappoint! Cass's inner monologue throughout the book really made you feel like you were in the story. It moved at the perfect pace where it kept you hooked, but you didn't feel like you were being rushed towards the conclusion. Although I read this in the spring, it seems like it would be a great beach read for the summer.

After being thoroughly disappointed (and bored) by Behind Closed Doors, I was skeptical going into The Breakdown. The Breakdown had me hooked from the first page to the very last. There are so many twists and turns, ups and down… buckle up!

Cribs notes: Cass takes a shortcut through a dirt road and comes across a parked car. After pulling over to see if the woman in the car needs help, he deems it unsafe to get out of her car and continues home. The next morning, Cass finds out that the young woman in the car had been murdered. Cass is torn up and ridden with guilt for not having done something. Cass’s starts having memory issues and fears the worst as her mother suffered from early onset dementia. In addition, Cass starts receiving silent calls from a blocked number whom she is convinced is from the murderer.

I could not put this book down. It had my holding my breath. Every time I thought I had it figured it out, I was wrong.

This book delivers. You will not be disappointed. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Breakdown in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved B.A. Paris' first novel, Behind Closed Doors so I couldn't wait to read this one. While I figured out the "who done it" part around 20%, it didn't really ruin anything for me and I questioned my guess a couple of times. I really enjoy Paris' writing. The book kept me hooked until the very end. I look forward to her next book.

Had a pit in my stomach reading this book! I found this to be a page turner until about half way through the book, then it slows and picks right back up at the end!

I enjoyed this read, I liked it more that Behind Closed Doors, it was more believable...

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!!

I previously enjoyed B.A. Paris' debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, so I was excited to read her much-anticipated follow up novel, The Breakdown, via Netgalley.

One of the best elements of this novel was the the unreliable narration. This is one of my personal favourite literary devices, because it add a level of uncertainty into any story. In this novel, the main character is painfully aware that she cannot trust her own memories, which creates an interesting dynamic.

The writing was a bit cumbersome at times with some awkward sentences occasionally pulling me out of the reading immersion. The characters, themselves, were fairly decent. There was not a lot of character development, which is a common complaint of the thriller genre. Most of the characters were emotionally detached and a touch unlikeable.

Unlike in Paris' previous novel, the Breakdown relies on elements of mystery and plot twists to pull along the narrative. Much of the storytelling is designed to purposely leave the reader in the dark. Unfortunately, this is the greatest weakness of the story. The big build up to the ending and the final reveal was quite underwhelming, because the plot twists in this novel are very, very obvious. Most people who has read at least a few psychological thrillers will be able to guess the ending from a mile away.

However, despite accurately guessing all the plot twists, I still generally enjoyed the reading experience. The deterioration of the main character was quite entertaining to read, although it became a bit repetitive in parts. The story started out a little slow for a psychological thriller. Yet, the buildup of the narrative was very well done. By the midpoint of the novel, I was pulled into this page-turner.

Overall, I think fans of Behind Closed Doors will likely enjoy Paris' new novel. I would recommend this one to readers looking for an entertaining story, but do not necessarily need a shocking ending.

This book was incredibly hard for me to get through, from the beginning to the very end.

To start the main character, Cass, leaves a party with her co-workers and drives home in the middle of a horrible storm. She phones her husband and he tells her not to take the shortcut to their house, it’s a windy road and it’s night time and storming and it seems like a good decision to me. But instead she decides to take the road and comes across a car broken down on the side of the road, lights flashing. She pulls in front of the car and waits, but no one ever gets out, and she doesnt’ want to get wet either. So she decides that the driver has already called for help and they are on their way, so she pulls away and finally makes it home safe.

The next day she finds out that the woman she saw inside the car was murdered right after she had driven by, and thus begins the longest novel of my entire life.

So the bottom line is that the main character Cass, just isn’t relatable at all to me. She was annoying most of the time. Her mother had early onset dementia and now she thinks that she is getting it too because she keeps forgetting everything. She is always stressing out or having a panic attack about something incredibly stupid. Then she gets in her car and speeds around town until she sees someone she knows. And the panicking and the forgetting and the freaking out about stuff just goes in a circle over and over and ohmygod is there ever an end? I have a couple huge beefs about the inconsistencies in her character, but it isn’t easy for me to talk about them without spoiling the plot, so if anyone wants to talk about this book feel free to comment or message me.

The husband was supposed to be this super hot guy, as the author had implied many times, but I couldn’t help but think about him as this sloppy fat mulleted white guy that was nice to his wife until they got in the car away from everyone. As I was reading I felt like their relationship was a farce, or maybe that is what the author was shooting for? I don't know but it was impossible for me to connect with any of the characters.

This book obviously took place in England, so maybe I'm not as familiar to their culture. But I also think that may be a reason why I was having a hard time believing all these situations Cass was getting in.

But there was an end, and there was a twist, just like every other book that is published these days.

It was an ok twist, one that I sorta saw coming since the very first chapter. Most of it was just way to unbelievable for me, and I think that’s why I couldn’t like it or the characters.

I thin that the author has a good writing style, and there was nothing wrong with the imagery or anything, there was just dumb stuff happening, with a totally unsatisfying ending.

I was so disappointed through the entirety of the book because her first book is one that I see other readers raving about, so I was sure that this one would be so much better, but I was only able to hang in there because I promised NetGally a fair and honest review in exchange for letting me read the book for free. If I had been reading my own book I would have put this one down early on. Honestly the only reason I gave it the extra star is because I thought that the basic concept of the novel was original enough, but it all needed to go down in a different way. There might be plenty of people that enjoy this one once it comes out. 2/5 stars.

The premise was interesting the beginning sucked you in, but I felt like the middle dragged. The ending was strong and exciting.

I loved this book! I read it in one day since it was very engaging and it kept me on the edge of my seat.
If you enjoy a good plot twist and a book that keeps you guessing throughout the story; then this is a must- read.

Many thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. If I could give 4.5 stars I would. It's a good, solid psychological thriller. I enjoyed it a lot. Part way through, I thought I had everything figured out...twice....but later discovered I was wrong. The only reason I didn't give it a 5 was that some of the episodes seemed to occur over and over. That said...if this was really happening to me, maybe that would be even more of a concern. I not only couldn't put this down, I found myself thrilled my husband was gone :) so I had the afternoon to continue reading to the conclusion! I hadn't read the author's first book, and I just immediately ordered it. Another was in my line up...but Paris has gone to the top!

I have to admit I really struggled with this book. I found the main character to be really hard to like and it made it a struggle. I'm glad I did persevere to the end because I felt it improved a lot once the "twist" was revealed.

A very tense psychological thriller that starts out with a character seemingly overreacting to a situation she's involved in after she learns a woman has been murdered. At the same time, she's desperately afraid that she's going to suffer from early onset dementia as her mother did. Soon, nothing makes sense as she begins forgetting things. It starts out innocuous, then one day she can't remember how to use the microwave. Another day, she can't figure out the washing machine.

In the middle of all of this, she is receiving many phone calls with an unidentified caller where no one is there, but they don't hang up. Things continue to go downhill for Cass as she is given medication to help her deal with the situation and no one around her believes her and she falls deeper and deeper into anxiety, depression and forgetfulness.

The story dragged me in, even though I had troubles with how upset Cass was at the start of the book. It seemed out of proportion to the situation. In fact, she'd behaved as any normal woman who isn't in a horror movie would do - she removed herself safely from the situation. So that part didn't add up, but soon I just had to know what the real story was. Was Cass really an unreliable narrator or was there more involved. To be honest, I had to believe that there was more involved otherwise all of the suspense was building up just to learn that she really was forgetful.

Good book with a satisfying conclusion. I still have the bad taste in my mouth from believing she was overreacting in the beginning though.