I found The Breakdown to be a very interesting read. Mental illness, increasing forgetfulness and demential are all terrible conditions that real families must deal with. The suspense and mystery that B.A. Paris described allows the reader to approach self reflection and group discussion on a topic that is real and frightening. We all have moments when we forget where we park the car or can't find our keys but when a family history of illness proceeds these events, it causes concern and even fear in the person who is experiencing these events. Suspense and fear are portrayed in a realistic manner which transferred to me as the reader. Behind Closed Doors will be my book to read. I recommend this book and give it 4 stars.

What a great thriller. I read this on holiday as a bit of light reading and it certainly kept me entertained and page turning. Cass leaves a party early and drives home through the woods despite the bad storm and against the advice of her husband. Deep in the wood she sees a woman in her car who appears to have broken down, however when Cass stops nobody comes from the car to suggest they need help so Cass continues on her journey home.The next day she discovers that the car she saw was actually a murder scene. Cass starts to have confusion and doubts in her everyday life and becomes concerned that she is suffering early onset dementia like her mother suffered from. The plot twists in this book will keep you guessing along the way.

4.0 - for a while, I thought I was losing my mind alongside Cass (which was troubling); couldn't put it down after a certain point!

I wanted to love this book. Having read 'Behind Closed Doors' by this author, I had high hopes. But, no kidding around, I figured out who was tormenting the main character in the very first chapter. All of the plot devices, the clues as to who might be gaslighting the hapless heroine, were so heavy-handed, I was quite amazed that I was able to keep reading. I kept telling myself that it was only because I was somewhat prepared, given that this is a mystery-suspense novel after all, for the culprit to be someone unlikely. But no. It was just that obvious.

And then there was the heroine. You have to relate to her to enjoy this book. Not completely, but on some level, there has to be a kernel of understanding about why she does what she does, or thinks what she thinks, even if you would not do or think the same. You have to be able to at least empathize with some of what she's feeling because much of the book is her inner monologue--her fears, her loves, her likes, her doubts, her hopes.

But it was impossible for me to empathize, because she spent 95% of the book in a state of confusion, angst, self-pity or reflection on her simpering love for her long-suffering husband. She kept making the same mistakes for at least 80% of the book, never learning anything or changing in any way. "I used to be so strong," she often lamented. But the problem was, the author gave us no reason to believe that. I simply didn't believe it. And her lack of strength given her past, was inexplicable. She hadn't, for much of the book, so much as an ounce of resilience.

At the news of the murder of an acquaintance, the heroine--who saw the victim on the night she died, and fears she could have saved her--then descends into an abyss of self-pity, and self-obsession that made me wonder whether she might not be better off getting a hobby rather than imagining that the murderer might be calling her, sending her letters and watching her from the street outside her home. The explanation for her paranoia, and the fear that she might be losing her mind was 'meh' at best. She had questions about that which could easily have been answered with a visit to a neurologist which was well within her means to do. That felt like a rookie mistake to me -- building an entire plot around a misunderstanding or misconception that is easily resolved.

In the final analysis, I only read the bulk of the book (from about 25% in and on) to see when the heroine would figure out what was so obvious to the reader. I didn't need to like her, I just needed to believe her. And I didn't. So, for me, this sophomore effort fell flat. I will read B.A. Paris again, however, because I enjoyed 'Behind Closed Doors' and know that there are good stories to come from this author. Sadly, this, for me, was not one of them.

5stars again. B.A. Paris had done it again! After her amazing first book Behind Closed Doors she has given us another thrilling page turner.

The Breakdown is a great story about a happily married woman who’s life spirals out of control after she doesn’t stop to help a woman on a dark road one night only to find she was found murdered the next woman.

After that she finds she is forgetting more and more things and and becoming very paranoid because of silent calls she keeps getting. She gets worse and worse until her complete breakdown. Until she finds something out that will change everything.

This is a great read and a great author! If you enjoy thrillers and twists this is definitely a book for you.

Posted: www.readingbetweenthepagesblog.wordpress.com
Date posted: 8/10/2017

This was my vacation read and I couldn’t have picked a better book. There’s not a ton of characters to keep track of and it isn’t an overly complicated storyline to follow, so it was really easy for me to jump in and out of the story and pick right back up where I left off.

It’s dark out and a storm is brewing as Cass is leaving an end-of-school-year party. As she is leaving, her husband Matthew calls her and warns her not to drive home through the woods at night, especially with a storm on its way. She promises she won’t, but while on the drive home the road feels too dangerous with the heavy rains and lightning so she decides to break her promise to Matthew and take the shortcut through the woods. While in the woods, she sees a car pulled over with a woman in it. She wants to help the woman, but is concerned about her own safety, so she pulls over and waits for the woman in the car to either approach her or signal with her car that she needs help. After a few minutes and no sign of the woman needing help, Cass decides to head home.

The decisions Cass made this fateful stormy night, taking the road through the woods and not helping the woman in the car, sets her on a horrible downward spiral and her life will never be the same. Cass becomes confused, scared, and paranoid. Between the guilt she feels from leaving the woman on the side of the road and the possibility of having early stages of dementia like her mother, she is quickly losing control of her life.

I had part of this mystery/thriller figured out early on, but I’m happy to say that I didn’t have it entirely figured out until the end.

This is my first B.A. Paris book and look forward to trying her other book, Behind Closed Doors.

*Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and B.A. Paris for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion.

I read this book in a couple of days and mostly enjoyed it immensely. It was one of those books you find hard to put down. Cass is driving home in a storm from a night out when she goes through the woods despite her husband telling her not to, she sees a car just sat in a layby but she is too scared to stop. When she finds out it's her new friend she wishes so much she had done. What follows is silent calls that Cass is convinced are from the murderer. While this is happening she is becoming forgetful and is so scared that she is developing early onset dementia like her mother. What would she do without her best friend and husband? Why does John her colleague from school keep turning up unexpectedly? Is he the murderer? Is it her new neighbour? I kept reading late into the night to find out what was happening. The only thing I didn't like was the way the ending was done. A good read though nevertheless.

A good story line but too slow for me. It was a bit rambling and padded out in parts.

This was a great novel. Overall, I was impressed with the fact that the story kept me guessing throughout. I was convinced I had figured out who killed Jane and who was tormenting Cass, but I was wrong. I appreciated the sense of hysteria that the author was able to evoke in me, as a reader. Highly recommend for fans of The Girl on the Train!

B. A Paris has offered readers an entertaining but all too predictable novel. I was disappointed to have figured out the plot early in the first half of the book. That made it difficult for me to believe, faced with the same facts as I, the heroine was so very clueless. As I said, the book was enjoyable, just not riveting. I have enjoyed another book by B.A. Paris, which was why I picked up The Breakdown, and I would like to read another from the author. Perhaps this novel just wasn't for me, it happens.

I read The Breakdown by B.A. Paris in one day. A friend told me that a mutual friend of ours described it as "unputdownable". And it was. It really really was. I truly loved Behind Closed Doors, which was the debut novel for Paris, so I wasn't surprised at how much I enjoyed The Breakdown. I couldn't stop reading it. Seriously. Could not stop.

Now, admittedly, some of it I did figure out, but it was not predictable in the least. It was the kind of story that you turned page after page - or swiped through if you read the ebook - and couldn't stop reading. I literally read a huge chunk of it on my phone while my daughter was at karate. THAT's how badly I wanted to find out how it ended.

Overall I absolutely recommend this book.

My first thought as I read the last word of the book: WOW. Just WOW.

This is an excellent psychological murder mystery that kept me glued to my seat from cover to cover. While I wouldn't exactly call it a “thriller” (no heart racing or palpitations), it will take you on a suspense filled, emotional roller coaster ride. The characters are well described and you know who they are and what part they play in the story's plot [well, you know what you're supposed to know – when you're supposed to know it].
The location – not so much Other than that dark, desolate, creepy road – that road I can still see in my mind. The scene playing in my mind like a video from a horror show.

The author knows how to draw the reader in to the lives of the characters in the story. Cass is going through a difficult time in her life – having recently lost her father to an auto accident and her mother to early onset dementia.

Cass drives home late at night during a bad thunderstorm. “Don't take the short cut down the road through the woods – it's not safe at night for women alone” her husband warns........ but she does. Cass sees a car parked on the side of the road, a woman inside.... although Cass stops in front of the parked car for a few moments, she doesn't get out to check on the woman, after all, it's raining, and it's not safe..... it might be a trick. Then Cass hears on the news the next day the woman was murdered!! And it was her new friend Jane!

Cass feels so guilty! What if I'd gotten out? Jane might still be alive. Then Cass starts getting calls repeatedly every day, no one speaks..... Cass just knows it's the killer! Cass is also having growing episodes of forgetfulness, memory lapses..... she's terrified the killer is stalking her, but the guilt of not stopping is tearing her apart. Cass, it seems, is having a horrendous mental breakdown........ or is there something much more sinister going on?

This was a fast paced read and I simply could not put the book down until I finished it.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. My review will be posted on amazon, goodreads, netgalley and moonshineartspot.blogspot.

This book was fast paced and interesting. The main character is suspected of having early onset dementia which leads her to believe she is having a nervous breakdown.

Certain events and memories are skewed and she doesn't know what or whom to believe anymore. I guessed half of the ending but even so really enjoyable and interesting read.

This was an entertaining, solid psychological suspense story. The mystery has a nice twist, although there aren't a huge cast of characters to make it too hard to figure out which direction it was going. Even though the book was a little long in spots and little too wordy, it really was quite a quick read.

I had high hopes going into this book but unfortunately, it just didn't do it for me. I liked the premise of the story and I liked the beginning but I just found the whole in between to be long and tedious and I just wanted it to end because you know it's not going to be the dementia thing in the end . So, not the worst thing I've read but certainly not the best either.

4.5 Stars
This is the first book I’ve read by B.A. Paris, and I know it won’t be my last.
The beginning of the story really sucked me in. It was such a spooky setting… a stormy night, driving on a dark deserted road… Cass the main character getting herself all worked up as she drives home, taking a shortcut she knows she shouldn’t take, and sees a car parked off to the side of the road… It’s the kind of opening you can just imagine in a horror movie.
The story was cleverly written - just the kind of suspenseful thriller I love to read. About 30 percent into the book I got a little annoyed with the main character Cass and her memory loss, and of all her fears and insecurity. But by 50-60 percent the author finally starts giving us more and more insight to what’s really starting to happen, and the story gets rolling faster. By 75 percent I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it to the end. This book was filled with many twists and turns, which had me guessing right up to until the end. It was an entertaining and captivating read and I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a really good suspenseful/psychological thriller.
*A special thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing, for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.*

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I ended up finding it really enjoyable. The moment I started this book I was extremely hooked. I didn't want to put it down. I really liked how it started. You find out about the murder right away and then you have an unreliable narrator. I thought this was a refreshing way to do an unreliable narrator. It's usually because of the character drinking or something along those lines. Here the character has memory loss and is always questioning everything. It was sad to read about at some points. I did end up feeling really bad for the main character.

I do have to say I loved the ending of this book. I loved how the author took the time to explain everything. It wasn't rushed at all. It was a very shocking ending that I felt made the book a lot more enjoyable. I ended up staying up last night until 2am because I needed to know everything. I couldn't wait any longer.

I really enjoyed this a lot. It was very shocking and really surprised me in the end. I will be checking out B.A. Paris's other book. I have not read that one yet but I really look forward to it after this one.

This book is another page turning thriller like her previous book, Behind Closed Doors. A woman drives past a car on a rainy night. She feels incredibly guilty, but she's scared and decides it isn't worth the risk. The next day, she discovers their was a woman in the car at the time, and she turned up murdered by the next morning. The character starts to think the killer is after her too. As she tries to keep her facts straight in a mind that seems to be turning against her, the book keeps you guessing from the beginning and becomes truly chilling as the plot is revealed. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone for a day of great reading. Because, yes, I read the whole thing in one day because I couldn't put it down.

My Rating:

4.5

Favorite Quote:

It used to happen to Mum all the time. She’d be there, nodding away at things I was saying, offering her opinion, even making suggestions, but a few minutes later she couldn’t remember anything that we’d said at all. “I must have been away with the fairies,” she’d say. “Periodic amnesia” the nurse who came to check on her called it. Was that where I’d been, away with the fairies? For the first time in my life, fairies seem like evil creatures.


My Review:

I alternated between captivated and exasperated by the main character of Cass and tantalizing storyline of The Breakdown. It was maddeningly paced and kept me intrigued and on edge. There were two different types of “breakdowns” in the story. One involved a situation with an automobile and the other the mental health of the main character of Cass. I decided early on that poor Cass was either 1) suffering from a marked degeneration of her mental health and quickly descending into madness, 2) being Gaslighted, 3) being harassed, or 4) a combination of the first three. Turns out I was correct, but I won’t tell which of my hypothesis were proven. No spoilers here…

Watching her mother rapidly deteriorate with early dementia while in her forties, Cass was highly anxious when she was starting to have memory issues, although my first thought was she may have a dissociative identity disorder and was losing time to an alter personality. I grew skeptical of the Gaslighting, as it would have had to involve too many people to pull it off. Cass was being increasingly anxious, fretful, paranoid, forgetful, losing or misplacing items, completing complex tasks and conversations without recall, and was also possibly delusional and or hallucinating as she swore she saw things no one else did. I felt so bad for her but she wasn’t speaking up or being honest about her concerns and was also lying without reason. She started receiving multiple silent phone calls - which exacerbated her anxiety and kicked all her symptoms into hyper-drive. She was soon overreacting and thrown into panic mode every time the phone rang and was easily startled and terrified by any noise. The storyline was taut with tension, my shoulders were practically in my ears as I read, and B.A. Paris certainly knows how to weave that complex web while stringing us readers along, plucking at our curiosity, and heightening and maintaining the suspense and intrigue. I reveled in the outcome and nearly jumped from my chair to cheer for Cass when she finally snapped to attention. What a clever tale. This author could well be an evil genius, her family members should be on constant alert to ensure her good spirits or risk dire consequences.

B.A. Paris is quickly rising up on my top 10 fav author's list!

I can't remember when the last time the first chapter of a book got such a reaction out of me. I was instantly sucked in and wanted to shut myself away from the world until I had all the answers.

While there was some predictability here, I thought the author did a great job of creating tension and keeping the reader off-kilter by having to rely on an unreliable character for information.

Some other aspects of the book came across a bit far-fetched, but all was forgiven with the big reveal and the brilliant uncovering of how it all came to be.

I think this is one of those great weekend reads when you want nothing more than to get lost in a book. I look forward to the next adventure from Ms Paris!

ARC provided by NetGalley