I received this book as a part of the book club in SheSpeaksUp. This book was written amazingly. I felt as though I was the main character and following every thought, every action and wondering in every situation what I would do. I didn't expect some of the turns and then guessed some of them too. I was on my toes wanting to finish it in one setting but could not do so due to time constraints. I highly recommend this book. Ages 15 and under should seek parental advice first.

3.5 stars

The Breakdown
B. A. Paris
St. Martin’s Press, July 2017
ISBN 978-1-250-12246-9
Hardcover

From the publisher—

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside―the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

It used to be that when a book was labeled as a thriller, I knew exactly what I was about to read, a pulse-pounding story full of action and with danger chomping at the heels of the good guys at every turn but without a lot of introspection. Short chapters and a frenetic pace would keep me flipping the pages as fast as I could. Nowadays, though, the term has become so loosey-goosey that it means almost nothing and I have to wonder what I’m going to get.

The Breakdown is not a thriller but it can fairly be called suspense. Yes, there is a sense of danger but we also spend a lot of time in the protagonist’s head (amplified by the first person present tense narration) trying to figure out what’s going on, stressing out over every little thing, suffering guilt over whether she might have been able to prevent the murder and obsessing over the possibility she has started early onset dementia. That last is frightening all by itself and made me feel very uneasy for Cass but it was hard to relate it to the core mystery of the story until certain things started to become pretty obvious.

I have mixed feelings about this book because, while I found it too predictable and I really don’t like first person present tense in crime fiction, I still enjoyed it enough to keep reading. I was relatively sure early in the story what was happening but I wanted to see how Ms. Paris would get me there because she has such a command of words, a nice turn of phrase, if you will, that the simple act of reading her work is a pleasure.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, July 2017.

#WhoCanYouTrust

I absolutely loved B.A. Paris's debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, and I was anxiously awaiting the release of The Breakdown. I found myself immediately drawn into the story and read nearly half the first night I started it. I took 2 days to read it because I was enjoying the story so much...I didn't want it to end!

Cass feels like she's losing her mind. She's becoming forgetful and worries because her mother had early onset dementia. Add to that the recent murder of a new friend, and she can't cope with the stress of it all. The Breakdown is a fast-paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I wasn't entirely sure of everyone's role or what the outcome of the story would be, and that's the mark of a good thriller for me.

I wish I could give this more than 5 stars. B.A. Paris has firmly cemented her place on my must-buy list.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press and SheSpeaks and I am voluntarily sharing my honest review.

Since reading "Behind Closed Doors," I have been a fan of B.A. Paris, and "The Breakdown" serves to reinforce that feeling. The plot centers around a theme that most of us can relate to--the guilt that results from not providing help to someone who might have needed it.
Cass is on her way home during a severe thunderstorm and is taking a route her husband specifically tells her not to due to safety precautions. While taking the dangerous route, she comes across a car on the side of the road and must make that split-second decision as to stop or not to stop. She doesn't stop and when that driver is found dead in that spot the next morning, the havoc begins.
The tension builds throughout the book and it truly is one of those books you can't put down. Great read!

Paris’s first novel was “Behind Closed Doors”. This is her second novel. I didn’t read her first so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But, as any avid book reader knows, there’s a certain excitement when we have a new story in our hands.

The storyline is about a woman named Cass who on a dark and stormy night (predictable clue #1) drives down a back country road to save time (predictable clue #2) and sees a car pulled aside. She slows down long enough to see a lone woman inside the car (predictable clue #3) Cass figures since the woman didn’t try to motion her over, or flash the headlights that the stranger was okay and kept going to her home where her fiancé was waiting. The next day, the news reports of a woman murdered along that road and right away Cass knows its the stranger she had seen. She is embarrassed for not stopping to see if the woman needed help. After all, gasp, what would her friends think? Really? This is what you worry about? Weak weak weak woman. I’m not sorry for disliking the whole damsel in distress routine. I like my female protagonists to be butt-kicking, strong, capable and sturdy. Cass gets very worried and freaked out because someone keeps calling their home phone and oh my god, there’s no one on the other end! Clutch the pearls darling! Swoon! ok, that was a bit mean, but she’s just over dramatic.

I read other reviews of this book and most people thought it was a real pager turner and brilliant. I’m sorry, but it just isn’t what I consider “meaty”.

The story itself is very reminiscent of classic movies such as “Gaslight” and “When A Stranger Calls.” It’s predictable and the ending was lacking in a completeness. All in all, I felt disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

How you react in one moment can change everything that follows, or so Cass thinks. A drive down a deserted road in bad weather creates a chain of events that she never expected. The people in her life—her husband Matthew, best friend Rachel, co-worker John, supervisor Mary, and even the husband of a woman who is killed all impact her life in different ways following the aftermath of a decision she made in that one fateful moment. It causes the reader to ask—“Who can you trust?”

B.A. Paris has once again taken readers on a roller coaster ride of psychological thrill as we follow the characters to find the answer to this question. Just when I thought I knew the answer, I was surprised yet again. I learned what you think is not always it what it seems.

Overall, I was kept intrigued and would happily recommend this book to others. This review was kept short to keep spoilers out. I was say to read it to experience the full effect.

I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

GOOSEBUMPS! CHILLS! AND I STILL FEEL EYES WATCHING ME!

This is book is extraordinarily good! It's the story of a woman, Cass who sees a car off the side of the road while driving home, in the dark, on a deserted side road in the rain. This is the same road her husband, Matthew warned her not to drive on because it was dangerous. Right there, you think predictable, nope! Or maybe but it's so good.

Throughout the book, you can can almost feel eyes watching you. You'll get a tingling spine from the very beginning to the very end!

A phenomenal book that I enjoyed so much, I'm going back and picking up the author's other books.

I loved B. A. Paris' last novel and The Breakdown did not disappoint! I felt so bad for Cass and was frustrated myself for the things she was going through. So many twists and turns. It really kept me on my toes. Couldn't put it down.

An electrifying delve into guilt, terror and the unknown! Strong characters and a plot that keeps you guessing right up until the end!

Cass Anderson can't forget that night. A crazy downpour, heading home by herself in the dark, taking the shortcut along a dark desolate road that she knew would infuriate her husband, seeing the woman in a car, being too scared to get out of her car to offer help. She can't just go on about her life like everyone seems to be doing around her, because she has a secret. No one knows that she was there that night. No one knows that she saw the woman but didn't stop to help ... the woman that turned up dead the next morning.

Now she's losing her mind. She forgets her keys, forgets she took her pills, gets the alarm code backwards ... and those calls. Those unknown, silent calls are driving her crazy. She can't take this guilt anymore ... she can't handle the feeling that someone is watching her ... she can't tolerate the phone ringing.

A descent into madness with a doubly-twisted end. What is happening to Cassie? I'm afraid to say anything about the story because I might give something away. This was a good psychological thriller and kept me flipping the pages. The plot - up until near the end - was fairly predictable, but then there are some surprises. Not as tense as you expect from a thriller, but still a good read.

My thanks to B.A. Paris and St. Martin's Press through Netgalley for the advance copy.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A compelling psychological thriller that carefully untangles the lies, deceit, and memories all the while leave you questioning everything.

After becoming addicted to BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, I was hesitant to jump into B.A. Paris’ second novel. I wanted it to be just as good as her first and hoped for it to be better. Pushing aside my crazy bookish fears, I sat down with THE BREAKDOWN and didn’t get back up until I was about halfway through. This book is everything that I wanted it to be.

Filled with twists, turns, and mind games, THE BREAKDOWN is one of those books that captures the grit of human nature. It plays with the bending of reality and Cass’ memory in a way that the reader can’t help but question everything that she does as well as those around her. It is this tension that makes this book so addictive. From beginning to end, B.A. Paris grabs hold of her readers and doesn’t let go. This is a MUST read!

Highly Caffeinated Rating of… ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕

Netgalley ARC.

If you liked Behind Closed Doors you will love this book because...

It is almost the same book! Cass is our willing dupe of a narrator. She has become forgetful and paranoid, driven to the point of madness by the murder of a local woman. It is clear to the reader that she is being gaslighted (gaslit?) by a mysterious person. But who would want to do this to sweet, well meaning Cass? Since the book begins right at the on-set of Cass's madness, we don't get to see much of her identity outside of her predicament. This book is heavy on action, light on character development. But it's still an enjoyable read.

Like Behind Closed Doors, I couldn't put this book down. It is slow burning and claustrophobic. While I had a good idea of the villain's identity, I was surprised by parts of the ending.

The Breakdown by B.A Paris is one book that I couldn’t wait to read this year. Behind Closed Doors is one of my favorite thrillers and so when I saw that Paris had written a new book, I just knew that I had to get it. The story begins on a cold stormy night when Cass is driving home through a wooded, scheduled road when she sees a ‘stranded’ woman in a car. A series of events occur leading her to leave the woman behind only to wake up the next day and the woman is dead.

The entire story revolves around Cass whose world quickly disintegrated after the encounter with the murdered woman. A lot goes on including a possible stalking and an early onset-dementia. With her failing memory, Cass became an unreliable narrator. She did things that didn’t make sense and her memory kept slipping. I thought her character was quite sympathetic but I just couldn’t figure out what was real and what wasn’t around her. I knew that there was more to the story but couldn’t guess what was happening.

This book wasn’t twisty. As a matter of fact, it felt like nothing much was happening especially since most of the story revolved around Cass and her thoughts about events around her and the murder. Another thing that bugged me was the coincidences. I really wasn’t convinced by some of the things that happened around the big reveal. They felt a bit convenient. Nevertheless, I couldn’t stop reading the book. I know that sounds confusing but it is true. The writing was addictive such that the issues that bugged me didn’t affect my reading experience much.

The final 100 pages were even more addictive especially after the big twist. I had accurately guessed part of the reveal and motive but not the entire twist. Certain characters changed from the role of victims to the avengers which I thought was exciting. In the end, the reveals were not shocking as in BCD but this was still an entertaining read.

Captivating, menacing and intense!

This is a suspenseful thriller that highlights just how easily people can be psychologically and emotionally manipulated and how quickly things can spiral out of control.

It is, ultimately, a story about relationships, friendship, greed, jealousy, exploitation, deception, and murder.

The writing is crisp and clear. The characters are complex, secretive and unstable. And the plot, told through an unreliable narrator, builds nicely and has just the right of amount of tension, befuddlement, mystery, and authenticity.

This is the second novel I’ve read by Paris and although I didn't find this novel as dark and disturbing as her previous novel it is certainly just as engrossing, entertaining and enjoyable.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

So last year, I read and reviewed Behind Closed Doors and was really impressed with the potential of the author's writing and couldn't wait to read what she wrote next. I was super excited to get my hands on an early copy from NetGalley months ago and can now finally talk about it!

The Breakdown is definitely more of a slow burn and can truly begin to test your patience as Cass's inability to understand what is happening to her begins to drag on and become quite repetitive. This is not the fast-paced thriller of her previous book nor are there any shocking moments that would make this dark and difficult to read. It reads simply as more of a traditional mystery that is incredibly hard to put down, especially once the pieces start coming together.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first person narration from Cass's perspective because she is the embodiment of an unreliable narrator. You have no idea if what she is going through is what is really happening, yet you begin to realize that you can't trust anyone else around her either. I loved the experience of living this situation out through her and discovering the horrific truth right alongside her. I was just as frustrated and exhausted as she was! One minute I was overwhelmed with sympathy for her predicament, but then the next, I was so incredibly annoyed!

There is nothing complicated about this story and more savvy thriller readers will probably question the logic of some of the plot elements that lead to the big reveal; however, this was still an incredibly twisted and gripping read. Definitely pack this one with you to enjoy along with your summer plans!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and B.A. Paris. It was a pleasure reading this book and providing a review!

From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: Last year, one of my most favorite and anticipated reads was B.A. Paris's debut novel, Behind Closed Doors. So of course I was ecstatic when I got an early copy of her second book, The Breakdown, and even had the opportunity to meet her in person during BookExpo this year at a luncheon for bloggers.

This is another psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It just gets under your skin. But, I think it really is one of those books where the less you know about it going into it, the better. So, forgive me for being a bit vague in my review - I definitely don't want to give anything away for anyone and ruin their reading experience!

The pacing of this book is fast...it will have you flipping the pages as you try to figure out what is going on. There are a lot of factors at play here - anticipation of what you think might be going on, mistrust of just about everyone you meet, and the coming apart of our protagonist. It's exhausting - not only for her, but for you as you try to put the pieces together. You feel as if you are on a rollercoaster with all that is going on.

This book is so good - it's addictive and while you might put some of the pieces together, it's still worth the read. I loved it from start to finish and I cannot wait to see what comes next from B.A. Paris...she is definitely an author on my must-read list now!!!

You know a book is going to be good when you just have to keep reading it and it gives that feeling of uncertainty- a feeling of insecurity because you empathise with the characters. Cass promises her husband that she won’t take the minor road home in the storm. Despite her best intentions and a lapse of concentration she does and almost grinds to a halt in the gathering water. She carries on with care and sees a car pulled over. She slows down to see if she can help but the driver doesn’t come out and wave her down. When she sees the news the day after, she hears that the woman has been murdered and Cass starts to get rather paranoid about the whole thing. This is one brilliantly written book that encompasses you from the start. That feeling of being watched or something eerie about to happen is well portrayed and adds to that uncertain feeling as you read it. Can you become “addicted” to a book? Is there a term for it, because if there is I have it with this one? One stunning read. I voluntarily chose to read this ARC and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Reading this book took me on a journey of what guilt can do to your psyche. Having come across a stopped vehicle in the middle of a storm in a secluded area, Cass drives off feeling scared it could be a setup for attack for an unsuspecting good samaritan. Finding out the next day that the woman in the stopped vehicle had been murdered just was the icing on the cake of her guilty feelings.

You need to look beneath the surface to follow the undercurrent of emotions and danger. Our heroine is concerned she is losing her mind and might be in danger from the killer. There is so much more going on.

This author has an amazing style. Picking the correct words to paint an image in our minds, she also creates an atmosphere where you know there are hidden clues. It is like reading Agatha Christie or a Sherlock Holmes novel where the clues are given in such a subtle manner you must be alert to pick up what is going on. LOVED this story!

I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I thank the publisher for sharing a copy of this book with me.

This was a very well written book. It held my interest all the way through. (Amazon reviewed).

Cass takes a dangerous back road home during a storm. As she drives, she sees a car on the side with a woman in it but she's not acting like she needs help. Deciding that she surely has someone on the way, she makes her way through the treacherous storm home safely. The next day she hears that the woman was found brutally murdered and the killer is still on the loose. While she spirals into guilt, she also finds herself forgetting things and her family's history of dementia is starting to make her question herself at every turn.

As one of the most highly anticipated thrillers this summer, a lot was expected after the author's success with Behind Closed Doors. While it's hard not to compare the two, I was a bit underwhelmed with this one. Maybe it's because of just how MUCH I LOVED BCD. I found myself flying through the short chapters - I have to say, I just love the way B.A. Paris writes. Short, concise chapters that flow from one to another. I had a few issues with this book that just didn't sit right with me. I felt there was a lot of repetition, and for goodness sake, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING ALREADY! Uff, Cass annoyed the ever living crap out of me most of the time. The ending was tied up a little too neatly into a bow for my liking and felt a bit rushed. I also felt like the murder took a back seat and popped up when needed but could've been completely left out without taking away from the storyline. What I did love about the book is that despite my irritation with Cass, I still couldn't stop reading. I needed to know what was happening. Is she crazy? Will we ever find the killer? I will say this, I will definitely pick up more of B.A. Paris. She's extremely talented and I feel there's a lot more coming out way and I am looking forward to all of it.