A great, compelling page turner. I was on the edge of my seat the entire read. Highly recommended.

This book is one you will not be able to stop reading! The book is a psychological thriller and gives us an up close and personal look at a relationship good bad. The lengths each of the main characters will go to "prove their point" and to win is scary! There was much to be learned in the book but there was also a lot of extra information and input that I didn't feel moved the book along.

The topic was relevant to today's news and the message was clear but I think overall the information and message could have been delivered in shorter, crisper way.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read the book!

From the very beginning of this book (the prologue) I sensed that I would have trouble getting into this book. There is a lot of description: She does this, he does this; the house is like this, the kids are like this. I felt like the book was written at a distance far removed from the main characters; it was almost like a play onstage with a narrator describing what we are watching. The characters didn't feel real to me, and I couldn't get into their heads.

By the opening scene of chapter 2, I knew this book was not for me. The intimate scenes, although supposedly from Cass's perspective, made me cringe; they were so strange and detached. I kept going with it for several more chapters, but I never was able to really get into the book or relate to the characters. I hate giving up on a book, but I didn't finish this one.

Cass was a widowed mother whose dream of a happy family seemed lost when her husband died—until she met Ryan Connor. They fell in love, married, and added a child of their own to the two children Cass had with her first husband. They bought a house in need of repair, and planned to make it into a nice home for their children. With Ryan, the happy family Cass wanted so much was finally a reality.

Or was it?

Little things begin to happen that make Cass suspect Ryan is cheating on her. When she questions him, he tells her she is paranoid—of course, he isn't cheating!—but the clues are telling her otherwise. Still, she loves him and with her family living on the other side of the country, it's not like she can easily pack up the kids and leave. So she stays, despite her growing doubts about her husband's fidelity, only to question that decision after the terrible night Ryan tells her he might kill her...and things start happening that make her think he meant what he said.

Poison is a character-driven domestic thriller guaranteed to have you compulsively turning the pages all through the night. This engrossing story has a fast-paced plot with crisply written characters, along with a healthy dose of creepiness.

I really enjoyed reading this book, even though there were times when Cass did things that I found questionable. But—given the circumstances surrounding these decisions—it worked, as it played to her current state of mind and the events happening at that time.

Inspired by her own experiences, Neiderhoffer has written a chilling book that you will find hard to forget after you've read the final pages.

If you're in the mood for a creepy read, I definitely recommend this one.

I received a copy of Poison through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Galt Niederhoffer for the opportunity.

It may just be me and the fact that I've read too many psychological thrillers lately, but unfortunately I found nothing new or original here. Cass & Ryan are newly married, happily in love and seemingly the perfect couple/family...until they're not. Cass is convinced Ryan is trying to poison her but no one will take her acquisitions seriously.

There is a definite unsettling feeling and often I was filled with dread and suspense but ultimately I was not wowed. The ending was abrupt and a little too unresolved for my personal reading preferences. If you like unreliable narrators and creepy chilling reads give this a go.

2.75 Stars

I am not sure if the main characters names changed before or after I received this ARC, but in the version I read, Cass and Ryan Connor were the names of the main characters. This book wasn’t initially on my radar, but I picked it up after it was recommended to me.

While I really enjoyed the overarching plotline, the writing was too descriptive and there was not enough dialog. Additionally the plot was a little cumbersome and there were just too many gaps and loose ends for me to fully engage. Additionally, many times I found myself skim reading over the overly descriptive writing, which is something I really hate doing. I felt more compelled to hurry up and finish it just so I could get on to the next book.

Without giving away any spoilers, here are the reasons why this book just didn’t do it for me. The first is “why”. I understand that Ryan starts to lie and change, but there wasn’t any lead up to why the flip of the switch. There was so much description on Cass & Ryan’s love affair, how they fell in love, their insatiable appetite for intimacy, etc.… but there wasn’t anything that was the catalyst for the breakdown of their marriage. I felt that we needed to see more of Ryan’s transformation from loving and doting to the slow progression of abuser. We are also told that Cass’s mother doesn’t like Ryan, but we are never really told why. Some history between Ryan and Cass’s family would have helped with the transition.

Then there are the gaps of both Marley and Aaron, especially Marley. I really never understood her role and there wasn’t any closure on her arc. I felt that the author could have spent more time closing that loop and providing resolution on Marley. Additionally, I feel that Aaron just randomly got thrown into the story and became a very convenient character. I wish that there would have been more build up to him.

Finally, whether the author intended this or not, I never really felt that Cass was unreliable. I believed her the entire time and I am not sure if we are supposed to or not. Most times it is obvious when we (the reader) are supposed to question our protagonist or not. I will, however, give extra bonus points to Niederhoffer for not making Cass an alcoholic. Amen and all that jazz for bucking the formula on that.

Overall, I liked the premise of Poison, but feel that it really needs some massive editing and rewrites. There is a lot of potential, but there are just too many loose ends and not enough build up. I wish I could have given this book a better rating, but I read so many books in this genre that this one just did not stack up.

I didn't find any of the characters likable, and I think the plot moved to slowly. Some ends didn't match up, and there were a lot of predictable twists that I don't enjoy in thrillers such as this.

A really good immersive read. I really enjoyed the story line.

It's not often I will give a novel the equivalent of "five stars." "Poison" deserves a 5-plus rating! From the first few lines, Galt Niederhoffer had my attention - and she refused to let go. The story of Cass and Ryan is not a love story, but rather a tense thriller to the last page. The author's analogy of marriage and a broken machine corresponds with the characters' thoughts and deeds in a deliciously tense manner. A poisoned marriage can take many shapes and colors, and truth is seldom just two-sided. The parallels between Cass and her journalistic approach to females and legal equality plays right into the storyline. Kudoes to a well-written novel with depth and narrative seldom seen in today's fiction.

I love this publisher but I just can’t bring myself to like this book. The protagonist lacked depth for me, despite the situation she found herself in, and the prose really irked me. (For example, the use of the word ‘sibs’ for ‘siblings’ was just silly.) There was an absurd amount of repetition to the point where it feels like you’re just reading a list. That combined with meandering, comma-filled sentences make it so that a decent fourth of the book could have been cut with no damage to the storyline itself.

My favorite thrillers employ a sense of subtlety but this novel really beats the themes into the reader on multiple occasions which I found grating. I appreciate the author really getting at the point that women still face the prejudice of hysteria and victim-blaming but I believe the reader could infer that instead of reading it multiple times. The ending also felt rushed to me and I was left more befuddled than not.

Overall, I didn’t like this one. Maybe it’s because I just finished another domestic situation based thriller that was much better but I think that Poison just wasn’t going to be for me either way.


Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin’s Press, and the author Galt Niederhoffer for the opportunity to do so.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview Poison.
Unfortunately, this book did not engage me and I did not finish it.
I cannot give it a fair review.

Cass and Ryan Connor have a happy life. Three kids, good jobs, a beautiful house. They have achieved the American dream. At least, that's how it appears on the surface . . .

After Cass's first husband died, she wasn't sure she could go on. She had two kids and wondered how she would get by. But time went on, and she found herself healing, and then she met Ryan. She worried that he wouldn't accept her kids, but instead he jumped in to their lives, filling it with love and laughter. He adored her kids just as if they were his, and when Cass got pregnant again, Ryan was absolutely over the moon. They created a happy, loving family and moved from New York City to the West Coast, where they could buy a big house and embrace the suburban family lifestyle in Washington state. 

Ryan's job as an architect and Cass's leap from journalist to college professor offered them a good lifestyle. While they are far from millionaires, they can afford a comfortable life. But Ryan's late nights start to take their toll, and Cass's study of how to turn an accuser into a victim feed her anxiety about accusing Ryan of having the affair that she thinks he's having. Through the secrets and lies, the insinuations and arguments, the "proof" that he so easily explains away, Cass finds herself wondering just who it is that she married, and what she should do about her doubts. 

Poison by Galt Niederhoffer is a confounding look at modern marriage and at how and why we trust those close to us. 

I will be honest--I struggled with this book. Some days I loved it and some days it just felt awkward. The book is told in third person, and as an admitted first-person narrator junkie, I felt a little put off by the narration. But there is another layer of distance that I felt with this particular narrator, like it was being told by a psychologist or academic describing what happened as a clinical post-mortem on this marriage. At times that was off-putting and at other times it was mesmerizing. Like I said, I struggled. I felt like I alternatively got sucked into the story and then pushed away, which (now that I think about it) mirrors what happens in a relationship, particularly a marriage like this. I think that's why I stuck with the novel through my feelings of discomfort. 

Poison is not a light read. It's not a simple thriller or just a tale of a marriage in trouble. It's complex and complicated and filled with deep psychological insights and difficult questions about how humans behave in extreme circumstances. Daring and mind-bending, Poison is a powerful novel if you think you've got what it takes to ride it out. 



Galleys for Poison were provided by St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

All over the place and the storyline is just bizarre. Cass and Ryan have been married 3 years, Cass is widowed and Ryan is “the perfect husband” until he suddenly isn’t and starts pushing Cass around, choking her, threatening her and poisoning her. No one believes Cass except her best friend when she tells people. Not the doctors, police, her father. This book does a poor job at trying to make you decipher whether Cass is crazy or actually being abused. I couldn’t finish it.

Poison by Galt Niederhoffer was a definite page-turner that did not grab me immediately, but once it did, I had trouble putting it down. The topic of domestic violence was not one I have read before and I found it to be uncomfortable, but it sure made for a lot of intense moments. Aside from obviously not liking the protagonist, I really did not like the main character's mother, what a despicable human. I would highly recommend this book for anyone wanting an intense suspense thriller.

Cass and Ryan look like a couple that has everything going for them. Cass' first husband died and she and her two children found happiness and a new sibling with her new marriage. Cass is happy, and she thinks Ryan is too, until she begins to suspect that he's cheating. Of course, he dismisses her and denies her claims, but her paranoia begins to grow. She's always been a bit paranoid, right? Surely, Ryan isn't going to harm her? I liked this, but there were times when the characters' annoyed me. I tend to be turned off by books where the husband is gaslighting his wife unless there is a big redemption at the end. I didn't get my payoff with this one. I also don't feel like I got enough resolution out of the ending. Still, I enjoyed the tension and suspense this book brought and I'd give this author a try again.

Noticed I've been behind on my reviews. Sorry Netgalley as I do appreciate the books from here so much. This was an interesting mystery. Kept you guessing throughout. They were wondering if the wife was crazy our paranoid or if she was actually being poisoned. Worth reading to find out! Actually 3.5 stars....

All is not as it seems in the Connor household. What happens when happily ever afters are just an illusion? This is the story of Cass who was left a single mom of two after her husband dies.

She's lost and alone until she meets the ever charming Ryan. When they marry and have a son of their own all is even more perfect. Both have thriving careers, moved to a new state and bought a wonderful family home.

Just as things seem most ideal, things begin to fall apart. Ryan is working later and later and then there are the secret calls and texts. When Cass confronts Ryan on what she believes is an affair he turns the tables and she begins to question everything about her life and her sanity.

The ending will certainly leave you wanting more!

This story did keep my attention, but I had some issues with this one as well. To name these would spoil the book, but I will say they were more personal beliefs than the author/plot. The ending was also just there - BAM, done. No warning. I also had quite a few unanswered questions. Overall just OK. 2.5/5

It was mostly a solid 3-star thriller. Nothing really stand out but nothing really terrible either. What knocked it down a little towards the end was lesson it was trying to impart and then the all too convenient wrap up at the end.

I felt it got a little preachy, like the author was trying to shove it down our throats that women are not only victims of men but of a system that does not believe women. Which is a fair point and very topical these days. I think I just resented that the author had to hound us with that point instead of letting us infer that for ourselves. To me, it also would have raised the stakes for the narrator to be caught of guard by this, instead of armed with this knowledge and still somehow surprised by it.

This novel makes no mistakes about where your trust should lay, or rather where it shouldn’t. So I kept expecting something surprising, since you know early on who the villain is and what his intentions are. You can’t mistake the narrators assertions for hysteria, despite everyone else doing so, so I thought there would be some other surprise along the way to make up for that knowledge. But it comes too late and too sudden that it doesn’t really land with the intended impact.

The very end seems like it was tacked on, maybe at the urging of others. An all too convenient way out for the narrator in the last few pages. I would have been upset by a messy ending for the narrator but I would have respected the balls it would take to have so unsatisfying an outcome. The final resolution seems like a cop-out.

Such an interesting story!It took me a little bit time to understand and connect with the story but once it happened I enjoyed it a lot!! It wasn't an easy read so it took me a little bit longer to finish it!The characters and the concept was realistic .