I thought this book was a disappointment and I feel like the ending taken was a bit of a cheat. The beginning and middle of the book went smoothly and quickly for me, but then something changed. I will never be like Eden, wanting a child no matter the price paid on her finances and marriage. I will not go into debt just to have a baby. That mindset is ludicrous and foolish to me. So I didn't sympathize with Eden very much. I've loved all of Mary Kubica's earlier works but this one fell really flat for me. I hope I like her next book better.

It's hard to rate a book when you really thoroughly enjoyed it up until a point and then found the remainder frustrating. (hide behind spoiler) If you tend to find dream sequences in movies and television annoying, as I do, perhaps this won't be the book for you. It almost seemed like a lazy way to wrap up the story, and as the events that Jessie dreamed were pretty intense and intriguing, I'd have loved to see the follow through on these instead.

3 stars because I did sincerely enjoy the majority of this book.

Jessie is on her own after her mother's death. As she grieves the loss of her mother, Jessie moves into her own place and adjusts to life on her own. Unfortunately, Jessie soon learns something that makes her question everything. To complicate matters, Jessie has suffered from insomnia since her mother was dying in the hospital. Due to her lack of sleep, she starts having difficulty distinguishing fact from fiction.

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Jessie and Eden. Jessie is a young woman who suffers a great loss when her mother dies. Eden is her mother. Jessie's story takes place after her mother's death. Eden's story takes place twenty years earlier, before Jessie.

Both stories are interesting. Eden's story is about her desire to have a child, and the trouble she and her husband have with conceiving. Jessie's story is about her starting out on her own, moving to a new place, applying to college, but also grieving the loss of her mother. When she learns something that makes her question everything, an intriguing mystery follows.

I'm not a big fan of alternate points of view, especially when they involve alternate timelines. It is nice to see how the pieces come together in the end, but the ending isn't spectacular enough to make this a great read for me. I've seen a few reviews that complain of the ending for this one, but I felt it fit with the story being told.

A slow burn psychological thriller. Dark, tragic, and suspenseful.

I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to reading the latest from Mary Kubica, but I can’t say that I liked this one very much. It’s not a bad book--it kept my interest--but what a downer!

The deeper I got into the story, the more I wanted to find out Jessie Sloane’s true identity. Problem was, the story was bogged down in Jessie’s grief over her mother’s terminal cancer. Kubica is a master at tuning in to the feelings of loss.

It may sound like a real stretch, but the story ended up reminding me of an episode of Dallas, the prime time soap opera that was on in the 1980’s. I’ll let readers decide if that is a good thing or not.

I haven’t given up on Kubica and I still have some of her back list on my to-be-read list. This one is just not a favorite.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin-Hanover Square Press/Park Row for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

2.5 stars

It hurts my heart a little bit to give this such a low rating, because I LOVE Mary Kubica!

I liked the alternating flashbacks with the present day chapters, however, I really didn't like either character! I don't want to give away too much. I felt that Eden was awful, and while I can't imagine being in her place, I found her quite despicable at times and really ended up having no sympathy for her.

Similarly, Jessie was also a mess! Yes, her mother had just died but really, insomnia is what brings down our main character here? I can't relate, but it just didn't seem super plausible. I could understand being distraught with grief but the insomnia "episodes" delusions were just too much & she didn't seem at all interested in getting "help" so she could figure out what was actually going on. I was hoping she'd pull herself together and get this mystery solved once and for all, like a kick-ass protagonist should! It really stalled the plot - Jessie, repeatedly struggling everyday, seemingly getting nowhere. To me, not much happened.

Then... the ending. I have no words. I basically felt like I had wasted 300 pages. I'm sorry. I'm trying to not be overly critical but I really think MK sold herself short with this one and could've taken it in such a different direction. I think it had the makings of a fantastic novel, the premise was awesome, but for me it just did not hit the mark. If you are a die-hard Kubica fan, I think you have to at least try it out of loyalty. I would not read this one first though if you've never read anything by her, because it doesn't do her justice!

When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica had so much potential. With an open mind, I delved into this book. I am not a huge fan of Kubica's but thought I would give this title a shot. The premise was interesting, a young woman, Jessie, is searching for her true identity after her mother dies. Great, I was really rooting for her to find out who her father was. Then there is Eden, a woman desperately trying to get pregnant, and when I say desperate, she is beyond any normal functioning person, and takes her desperation over the edge. This story, told in alternating viewpoints of Jessie and Eden, failed to ignite. Their respective personalities were over the top. Eden with her obsessive desire for a child, and Jessie became a raving insomniac, hallucinating all over the place, barely functioning. It was a stretch, and soon I lost interest. Weird characters are fine, unreliable characters are fine, but these were painted with a heavy brush that's never been cleaned. Then the ending! Really! For those who saw it coming, kudos to you. However, if you have invested so much time into reading a book, only to find that a cheap literary device is used at the end, it is a huge disappointment. For this reason, I can only give this story two stars.

I’ve read quite a few books by this author, some better than others, in my opinion. This was definitely one of her better reads, I thought the whole premise was amazing and done extremely well. It was unique and very intriguing. I like to read psychological thrillers without reading much of the synopsis, so this was more of a request based on the author. There were a lot of small details that added up to a great big picture novel. This is one that would make a great movie!

Jessie was so strong, I couldn’t imagine picking up my life and trying to figure out all the random stuff that was going wrong in her life while mourning her mother’s death. I’ve first hand seen the effects of insomnia, and I will say this was a topic widely researched and portrayed very well. I like that there was a sort of multiple point of view vibe. I thought the diary entries about Eden (our other POV) really added that sense of what the heck is going on? I loved that it was so mysterious.

I feel like if you are a fan of Paula Hawkins, you would really enjoy this book. I had a hard time trusting any of the characters and that is one of my favorite aspects in a psychological thriller. I don’t think I would suggest going into this one when you are starting out this genre. I thought the ending really made this whole book worth it, so if you are reading it and questioning if its for you please finish, you won’t be disappointed.

A very enjoyable book. Wanting to have a baby and no matter what you do it’s not working. It can destroy a marriage as well as consume your life. The characters in this book are believable and I could feel their pain as well as sympathize with their dilemma.

I would first like to thank NetGalley for sending me an ARC of When the Lights Go Out. I really enjoy reading Mary Kubica's books and was excited to read this one.

If I could give it a half star rating, I would probably give this book a 3.5. I felt like it was a bit slow throughout the story, but the storyline itself did keep me reading. I wanted to find out who Jessie was and why her mother had kept her past such a secret. I felt like there were some loose ends when the story was finished. I don't believe it was Kubica's best, but it was still an enjoyable psychological thriller.

Mary Kubica's newest novel keeps you guessing! Jessie Sloane and her mother, Eden, were always close, and the death of her mother is devastating. As Jessie struggles to sleep in the days following her mothers death, she finds that she and her mother were not as close as they thought. When Jessie applies for college, she is told that her social security number belongs to a dead girl. As Jessie struggles with the possibility that her mother was keeping secrets from her that impact her entire life, the lack of sleep begins to take over, making it difficult to tell what is real and what is not.
When The Lights Go Out is told in alternating narratives by both Jesse and Eden, with Eden's being told out of order. The telling of the story this way, also makes you doubt what you have read, just like the lack of sleep makes Jessie doubt her own reality. While some of the story is predictable, don't think you have it all figured out.
It is a solid read from Mary Kubica, and while I do not prefer the ending, the read is definitely worthwhile.

This was a slow read that had too many plot points so the twist at the end was less impactful. The back and forth between Eden and Jessie, as the chapters are laid out, jumped through the time line to suit the ending. The details of the story were overkill and it came off as trying to be too clever and fizzled.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Jessie loses her Mom and finds out she herself is dead according to the Social Security Office. This story goes back and forth between Jessie and her Mom's story. Some incredible twist and turns throughout. At one point I was not sure what to believe. Very complex and enjoyable.

Kubica... Girl...Your books send me on a ride.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin/Hanover Square Press for the ARC of When the Lights Go Out. I've read all of Kubica's books. She somehow manages to keep me on the edge of my seat reading all of them. I love her writing style- and I feel like I connect with her characters, including "When the Lights Go Out". I heard good things about this one. This is my favorite Mary Kubica book I've read yet. EXCEPT FOR ONE THING. The one criticism I do have is that ending- WHAT?! I won't spoil it, but I just was not expecting that at all. It almost ruined the whole book for me but I am reminding myself that the ending isn't the whole book....*sigh*

I am a fairly easy to please reader. Give me either a quick, fast-paced read, interesting characters and a great twist or a slower setup that pays off with a knock-your-socks-off ending. With the exception of the slower part, this was none of the above... I have loved all of Mary's previous books and don't want to ruin it for anyone so I will stop now..... I hate leaving a poor review, BUT I was very disappointed.Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!! #Netgalley #WhentheLightsGoOut

This book tells the story of Eden and Jessie and goes back and forth between past and present. Jessie’s story was intriguing but none of the characters were at all likable. And I’m SO annoyed by the ending. Do not waste your time.

While I love Mary Kubica's books and I love a good page-turner thriller, this book aggravated me to the utmost degree. It started out great -- young Jessie's mom dies (not a spoiler) and leaves her all alone; she applies to college and finds out her social security number is associated to someone who died at the age of three, almost 20 years ago. She now has to go on this journey to find out who she really is. Good, right? Yeah, it's good for the first 20% of the book. After that it just drags on -- oh there are some thriller aspects thrown in there, but it just drags on without a lot of depth. Halfway to 75% of the way through, I kept thinking that this just would have been better as a short story -- cut to the chase and wrap it up. And then, there's the last 20% of the book. It goes from annoying and ridiculous to the worst ending EVER. While some people might say it's a twist they didn't see coming, I say it's a "twist" that is a total cop out and never should be allowed in books and movies any more. One more comment: I am tired of the "unreliable, female witness" storyline that is quickly becoming its own genre. Girl on the Train, The Woman in the Window, The Woman in Cabin 10 (all good, btw) all used this technique and while it worked for those stories, it is getting old. Are there any unreliable MALE witnesses out there?

A special thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, HarperCollins, and Park Row Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jessie Sloane had been caring for her mother, Eden, and is now on her own for the first time in her life. She takes out a lease on an apartment in an old carriage house and applies to college. But when the college informs her that her social security number belongs to a deceased three-year-old girl, Jessie begins to doubt everything she's ever known.

For as long as Jessie can remember, it had only been just the two of them. When she asked about her father, Eden never disclosed who he was. The mystery of Jessie's life and who she is becomes further exacerbated by the grief surrounding the death of her mother as well as the lack of sleep—Jessie refuses to sleep because when she fell asleep at the hospital, her mother died, and she feels an incredible amount of guilt. As the days go by and the insomnia gets worse, Jessie's mind starts to play tricks on her and she can't decipher what is real and what is actually happening.

Twenty years earlier and two hundred and fifty miles away, Eden appears to be happily married and dreams of having a child with her husband, Aaron. The couple is struggling with infertility and Eden's desperation for a child becomes all-consuming. Eden makes an impulsive decision that years later has Jessie questioning her whole life—has it been a lie, or have her delusions finally gotten the best of her?

Told in alternating perspectives and timelines, the sharp plot is blunted by Jessie's delusions and Eden's obsessive behaviour. The reader is stuck inside both Jessie's twisted perceptions, not knowing what is real and what isn't, and Eden's emotional breakdown. As unreliable narrators, Jessie and Eden are the perfect vehicles to execute this psychological thriller.

Kubica is at the top of her game and she pens something totally fresh in When the Lights Go Out. I would highly recommend this book, it was a fantastic read and I enjoyed the many twists in the plot.

SO GOOD. Just so good. I know now after finishing When the Lights Go Out that Mary Kubica is an author that I will consistently read now. The books that I have read of hers have been great, thrilling and twisty reads and this one was no different.

I wanted to start with her writing first. In this book, Mary's writing was compelling and eerie (and we all know I have a thing for eerie writing). So when I was reading, I couldn't quit turning the pages because I was mesmerized by the way she was explaining the things that were taking place. The details and intricate placing of the events taking place were woven together in a way that would throw most authors off. That most authors wouldn't even be able to execute so, props to her there.

Now, to stem off of what I said above, the book is told in two different POV's and a past and present. Both story lines taking place were equally great. I couldn't decide if I wanted to stay in the present tense or the past tense and I know that is a huge thanks to the author's writing. The past POV was just as thrilling to me as the present one was. To me, that is a cool problem to have.

At times the book was so haunting. Not only because of the setting but because of Eden's POV. How she transforms into this person that no one knows. How she is just taken over and entranced with what she wants. I loved the feel of not ever knowing what she was going to do and when she was going to stop. And then when you get to Jessie you hold her hand the entire way through and try to understand the things that she is trying to understand in the process that she is using. It's hard to jump on board with at first but once I got the hang of being inside Jessie's head I understood it more and more.

Another favorite thing of mine was going back and piecing all of her puzzle pieces together. Mary Kubica made it so easy to do, too! I finished the book and then thought back at all of the wild things that kept taking place and it all made sense to me. The bread crumbs that this author always leaves behind is so cool to experience.

The ending was bizarre (hence my four star rating). I was really confused for a second because there is another chapter in the book that makes us think one thing but I think it was just a sloppy sleight of hand that the author tried to pull over on us. So with all of my positivity I had to just point out how disappointed the ending made me.

I was so sure I knew what the ending would be but to my dismay, it wasn't what I thought. Although I didn't agree with it and it didn't play out how I wanted it to, I absolutely love that! How fun to read a book and get so lost in it's words that we come up with all of these possibilities and they don't turn out accurate? I feel as if this would be a great novel for a book club to read and pick apart and a discussion that I would LOVE to be a part of .

This was a HUGE disappointment. Just could not connect to any of the characters. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this book prior to publication.

While the premise of this book was good, I had a hard time finishing it. About a third of the way in it started getting stale, and I found myself struggling to keep reading. The plot fizzled out and until the very end did not keep my attention at all.