The only thing that kept me reading through to the end, besides wanting to review it, was that I had to know if my initial theory three pages in was correct. It was.

There were some other elements I didn't guess that revealed themselves in the last 20% or so, so I guess I'm glad I stuck it out. But the rest seemed so obvious. I mean, it took me three pages, for goodness sake!

In addition to being mostly predictable, the narrator was infuriating. I know not every human being reacts the same in all situations but I could not, for the life of me, understand who would react like she did. For starters, the only thing she did that made any sense was NOT stop for the vehicle she sees at night on a dark road in the middle of a storm. With no signs of distress from the vehicle, her reasons for not stopping made perfect sense but then she spends the entire book obsessing over her guilt at not doing so, not discussing it with anyone, and just can't get the hell over it. This does not seem normal to me. Her insistence the the killer is calling her is bizarre as well. Yeah, silent phone calls are creepy and annoying but the leap to being targeted by the killer is far-fetched.

At the end, you can kind of give her a pass for some other stuff. Because she was.. not entirely to blame. I'm glad she at least pulled herself together and showed some cleverness and spine. But honestly, it seemed sort of out of character for her at that point. At no point did she have any sort of resolve to find out for sure what was happening to her and her mind, until she gets a push and that snaps into action. It seemed like a big leap.

I'm glad the end sort of redeemed itself but for some, it's going to take a lot of patience to stick it out that long.

Why oh why did I try this author again? Her books sound good in a blurb but the finished product does not give this reader a satisfying experience. The writing is lazy, with a broad-brush plot and characters / scenes painted thinly over-top trying to stretch it out into a story arc. I guessed the "surprise" less than a third of the way in because the hints were so overdone. No suspense, no decent character development. Memo to self: do not read anything by this author again.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the e-review copy of this book.

I loved this book, it was just the kind of psychological thriller that I love.  Really gave me the creeps at times and could not put it down, had to keep reading it to see where the story was going, who was responsible and what was going to happen to Cass.

This is the second book I’ve read by B.A. Paris, I loved the first one but have to admit I thought that this book was even better – highly recommended and 5 stars from me!

Firstly I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this book. This is the first book that I have read by this author and it certainly won’t be the last. This book hooked me in from the beginning and I thoroughly enjoyed it right the way through. I think this book has a really good, gripping plot and a brilliant ending.

Holy Cow! This book will keep you on the edge of seat from the 1st page to the end, I had a very hard time putting this book down.

I love how the author makes you think the breakdown is about one thing then turns it on it’s head and makes it something you didn’t see coming. I did start to get a little inkling of what was going on at about 80% but the reveal still blew me away.

This is one of those books that is hard to review, as I don’t want to give anything away. So I will just say BUY THIS BOOK! This is a must read for fans of psychological thrillers. BA Paris is a new star of this genre if you are a Lisa Gardner or Harlan Coben fan give Paris a try you won’t be disappointed!

I feel like I should say more about the book itself but I can’t figure out how to do that without spoilers.

4 ½ Stars


I received this book from the publisher & Netgalley for fair and honest review and I thank you!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I read B.A. Paris’s first book “Behind Closed Doors” and enjoyed it but I honestly liked this one much more.

This starts off with Cass being on the phone with her husband, Matthew, as she’s getting ready to head home during a terrible storm. Matthew tells her not to take the shorter way home through Blackwater Lane but she does and everything changes the next morning as she wakes up and hears that a woman has been murdered on that road, the woman she saw as she drove through there the night before.

This book was honestly not what I expected and I mean that in a good way. I enjoyed “Behind Closed Doors” but this book was much better. It kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat until the end.

When I got to the last few chapters, the book had a total twist that I didn’t see coming. It made the book so much better. I would have honestly read this book in one sitting if work hadn’t gotten in my way.

If you want a compelling read, I definitely suggest this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Is Cass losing her mind?

After passing what she thinks is a broke down car on the side of a back road, she decides that getting out and helping the woman inside isn't a good idea. So, home she heads. The next day the news covers a murder of a woman that occurred the night before on the same road Cass traveled. Cass becomes consumed with guilt and paranoia. If she had helped this lady, perhaps she could've prevented the murder. What if she had gotten out and become a victim herself? Is the killer after her? Did she really see the murder weapon sitting on her kitchen counter? And WHO keeps calling her, but not talking?

Another good book by B.A. Paris!

Awesome psychological thriller. I was totally taken into the story with plenty of ,What?? What's??" As going along. I will definitely be recommending this book., and can't wait to read more by this author.

Oh what a tangled web she wove! Celebrating the last day of school with her coworkers, Cass leaves the gathering close to midnight and in the middle of a violent thunderstorm. Eager to get home, Cass takes a shortcut through rugged woods even though she promised her husband Matthew she wouldn't. In the middle of the woods Cass sees a car on the side of the road with a woman sitting in the driver's seat. Not wanting to get out of her car because of the blinding wind and rain, but wanting to make sure the woman is ok, Cass pulls in front of the woman's vehicle hoping she will flash her lights or give some other sign she needs help. When nothing happens Cass continues home. The next morning she hears on the news a woman has been found murdered in the exact spot where Cass saw the parked car. Although the police are asking for witnesses, Cass can't admit to what she saw because Matthew would know she lied to him about not taking the shortcut home. Things go from bad to worse when Cass learns the murder victim is Jane, a woman Cass had recently befriended. Struggling with the guilt she feels over lying to Matthew and not coming forward with what she knows, Cass's life begins to spiral out of control. First she starts forgetting things...a lunch date with her best friend Rachel, Matthew's out of town business trip, and items are delivered to Cass's house she doesn't remember buying. When she starts getting phone calls but no one is on the other end, Cass suspects that Jane's killer saw her in the woods and is trying to torment her. But is she losing her mind, or is something more sinister going on? The Breakdown is like a classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller-nothing (and no one) is what it seems to be. It's intense, twisted and engrossing. The suspense builds slowly-like peeling away the layers of an onion-but then explodes in a mad rush of revelations about who killed Jane and how Cass is connected. Ms. Paris's previous novel-Behind Closed Doors-enjoyed some success, but The Breakdown should be one of the top selling books of 2017.

4.5 stars
I received an e-galley from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved Behind Closed Doors so was very excited to read an advanced copy of The Breakdown and I have to say I was not disappointed. On her way home from an evening out, Cass sees a car (broken down?) at the side of a road with a woman inside. She pulls over, debating as to whether or not to get out of the car to see if the woman needs help, but decides not to, just in case it's a set up of some kind. The next day she learns the woman in the car was murdered and she actually knew her. From there, Cass's life seems to go haywire as she keeps getting hang up on her phone and mysterious things happen in her home. It's possible she has early onset Alzheimer's like her mother- or does she? Is something else going on? Who can she trust?
A total roller coaster ride of a book. Highly recommend.

One of the best thrillers I've ever read! The more I read, the more I wanted to uncover all the details! Read this in one night. I just hope that B. A. Paris continues to write books. She surely have a talent.

Wonderfully written book with just the right amount of suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat. I read this entire book in one day because I just had to know how it was going to end. I really liked the main character and I was hoping she wouldn't end up actually having dementia. I couldn't even predict the outcome of this book it was that good. Thanks for another great read B.A. Paris.

I loved this thriller featuring Cass, a young woman haunted by her mother's death and early onset dementia diagnosis. When Cass herself begins to misplace things and forget dates she has made, she worries she too has the disease. Compounded by the seemingly senseless murder of a young woman Cass was becoming friends with and crank calls she believes are from the murderer, the novel deals with Cass's unraveling mind and her husband's inability to comfort or help her without the aid of medication. Things go into a downward spiral quickly and many people are suspects in her mind. But there are secrets and lies beneath the surface and Cass must find enough sanity to solve the puzzle. This is a must-read!

Loved that book! It was so much time since I read a thriller where, in the end, everything made sense! In fact, this is a strange sort of thriller. There's not much suspense in the first 3/4 of the book, but at the same time it kept my interest because you know something is not quite right... Cass is losing her mind. She thinks she's got early onset dementia like her mother..but that would be too easy an explanation. There's something more..who is trying to foul her? Or is she really losing her memory and if so, why? I suspected everybody and I went really near the thruth, but it didn't make sense with all the hint I was given from the very start of the novel. I was beginning to think that, like most of the time happens with thrillers, I will be left with some unaswered questions, and some hints that lead nowhere must have been placed all around just to make the reader guess different possible endings without being able to get the thruth before the end really come. But for one time I was wrong. Everything fit as it should, no lead was deliberately put in, and every little hint had some significance. This is something I really appreciate in a thriller, and I hope you would enjoy it even more knowing from the start that the author is not playing tricks with you.. Apart from this the book was enjoyable and kept my interest from the very firs page, it was sometimes a stressful read, but in a good way. Sometimes when I forgot something during the days while I was reading that novel, I was suddenly frightened that I could have early onset dementia too!! Umm.. and the ending..the last quarter of the book, is really diabolical and mostly satisfactory. Wow, I could not guess, well even Cass could not guess until the last page! And I was holding my breath with her!
This is my first B.A.Paris book but I already bought the audible version of her debut novel, Behind closed doors, and I really hope it is as good as this one!

I could tell based on ratings that this is one of those books that people either love or hate. Though I didn't hate it, I could have done without reading it.

I had a lot of trouble with suspension of disbelief. I struggled to stay interested in the narrative when our main character has so serious memory issues that she just chooses to ignore because she is afraid. She goes through stuff, worries about her state of mind, vents to her husband, and that's it. She is obviously distraught but neither her husband nor best friend seem to realise it or if they do they just downplay it and shrug it off. And she never turns to anyone else.

So for at least three quarters of the book we are presented with situation after situation where Cass can't remember things right. And it's not like there was much of an end goal in sight other than time to go back to work approaching, but even that isn't mentioned much. So it all felt rather pointless.

It annoyed me because the writing was very engaging, other than the whining protagonist, and I was sure that by the time the book ended it would all make sense and wrap up nicely - which it did. But there was nothing during the large majority of the book to make me interested in what happened. It was just... stuff, you know?

I wonder how much longer the book would have gone on had our main character not stumbled upon the truth accidentally, or rather had it handed to her (literally). (view spoiler)
So I am still struggling to figure out the point of everything up until that point, which felt rushed due to all the luck involved.

(view spoiler)

As you can see, there isn't much I can say about why I am not a fan of this book without writing spoilers so I will just say that The Breakdown has its qualities, for sure, particularly the writing, and it is quite different from what is out there. However, as far as the story and characters go I was just not content.

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I feel bad leaving a less than stellar review for any book but I pretty much figured it out 12% in. I didn't like the main character, Cass, either. I felt she was whiny and made really ridiculous choices. Skipped to the end and lo and behold, I was right.

Loved it! 5 stars; I'll be back with my full review soon

OMG I just loved this book this Author is defo one that is going on my favourites Authors list..
I read the first book this Author wrote and so enjoyed it so i had to also read this one and yes it did not disappoint it was just as good....This Author has a great future in front of her if she keeps turning out books like these 2 I am not going to say what it was about you can read the blurb for that just to say the book is really well written the characters are all great and the ending is wow...

Thank you Netgalley the Author and Publisher for a chance to read this book...

I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and B.A.Paris for the ARC of "The Breakdown" by B.A. Paris for my honest review. B.A. Paris is the author of "Behind Closed Doors", and her novel "The Breakdown" doesn't disappoint. The genres of this novel and Mystery and Thriller. One of the blurbs for this book are" If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust."
I find that B.A.Paris describes her characters as complex and complicated.This story reminds me of the movie,"Gaslight". I read this book in one sitting and did not stop until I was finished. I just couldn't put this down.
The story starts when Cass is driving home from a torrential downpour and is forced to take a path through the woods. She sees the headlights of a car, and barely notices a woman sitting in it. Not sure what to do, she flashes her lights and looks for some indication that the woman needs help. It is an isolated area, and with the heavy rain and lightening, Cass decides to move on. There is no cell reception to make a call.
Cass is extremely insecure, and had been taking care of her mother, who had dementia at 44 years old. When the mother passes away, Cass inherits a tremendous amount of money that she had no idea existed. Cass has a career teaching, a husband and friends.
When Cass gets home, she is distracted and relieved, and forgets to call for help for the woman in the woods. She doesn't tell her husband she went through the woods, because he would be furious.
The next day Cass finds out the identity of the woman in the woods who has been murdered. Cass feels guilty and starts questioning her decisions. Cass's house is near the woods and isolated. There is no information that is given that can determine the killer or the motive. There is a murderer running around. There is concern and tension.
Strange things start happening. Cass starts getting phone calls,with no one on the line. She has the feeling someone is watching her. Things are misplaced, and Cass has no idea how this could happen. Packages arrive at the house with items that Cass does not remember buying. Cass is missing appointments with friends, and making appointments she does not remember making.
Why is this happening? Who is the murderer? There are twists and turns. Some of the characters are not likeable. Some of the characters seem to be suspect. I enjoyed this intriguing book and would highly recommend it.

I must start this review by saying I'm surprised about how much I enjoyed this novel. For those that follow my reviews (and thank you!) you may be aware that this author's first novel upset me immensely. Behind Closed Doors was a fast paced thriller that had a strong story of an abused wife. I would have loved it if that's all it was. But adding in the gimmicky feeling of torturing a mentally retarded girl ruined it for me. So when my fellow reading friends convinced me to give her a second read I did so cautiously. And I am so glad I did. B.A.Paris is a creative story teller and a genius at twists and turns. Her stories are haunting and shocking enough without adding anything. In THE BREAKDOWN her talents really shine through! Ms Paris reels you in and has you questioning everyone around you including yourself. The story takes a bit to develop but stick with it because everything comes together and you will be completely invested. I'd say at the 40 percent point I didn't want to stop reading. Also make your own theories but keep them close because these twists will make you question them all! Absolutely loved this book and hope the ones that come out stick with the strong story and twists so I can read her more

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an early read! This is the perfect mid summer read just read it with your phone off, doors locked and all the lights on!!