I am a huge Mary Kubica fan, so I couldn't wait to start reading when I found out I was approved for the ARC of her most recent book. When the Lights Go Out, due for publication in September 2018, is a fast moving psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator, a cleverly twisted story line and a wallop of a surprise ending.

Jessie Sloane is one of two main characters narrating from a first person POV. Shortly after the story begins, Jessie's mother dies. At her urging, she goes off to "find herself," although this proves to be more difficult than expected. While applying for college she learns that her social security number is invalid. She becomes involved in a search for her identity at the same time that she is overcome by grief and insomnia. Eden's alternating story line, set in the past, poignantly depicts her ongoing efforts to conceive a child and ultimately, her obsession with her inability to do so.

I found this book to be compelling and hard to put down. As I neared the end, I was almost certain I knew what was going to happen, so I was completely blindsided by how the author chose to resolve the story. Nonetheless, or maybe because of that, I thoroughly enjoyed the book although I do think there may be a small percentage of readers who will feel somewhat shortchanged by the ending. Either way, I recommend this book without reservation so readers can decide for themselves.

Thank you to Harlequin - Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! Being a big fan of Mary Kubica I have loved all of her book. This storyline was totally different then her other books. She writes so well. I was engrossed from the very beginning.

I'm a huge fan of Mary Kubica and this is the fourth book of hers that I have read. While it's not my favorite of hers, it still kept me awake all night with the familiar chant of "just one more chapter" until I found myself at the end of the book as the sun was rising. From the beginning you know what's happening as it doesn't appear that the author is trying to hide a twist from you... or is she? This could have been a five star from me if not for the out-of-the-blue plot twist towards the end of the book. I don't get it, I don't understand why Kubika decided to go this route and, in my opinion, ruin an incredibly paced story that had so much potential to end in an extraordinary climax.

I was provided an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cannot tell a lie.............HUGE Mary Kubica Fan ! Was so excited when I saw that I was approved for this ! She is one of the best at what she does and how she tells a story ! Just amazing ! And you never know until the very end just what the heck is going on ! Every time ( Every darn time ) I thought I had it figured out I was completely wrong. My heart broke the whole entire story for Jessie, she was a great character. I literally felt like I was on that journey with her ! And the mother? What can I say ? This book keeps you guessing and wondering what is happening the whole way through ! Mary Kubica is one of the greats !!

**Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.**
2.5 stars
I was so happy when I got this ARC. I couldn’t wait to start reading it. I had high hopes. But this book is extremely difficult to review and rate. It was captivating and hard to put down. Something that I was sure I would give at least 4 stars to. And then it all went to hell. There are many things in this book that I enjoyed and a few that I completely hated. I prefer not to write reviews with spoilers especially for ARCs which makes the task at hand a lot harder. I really loved the book as I was reading it but then there comes a moment when I just felt cheated by this book. The ending was more of a ‘haha fooled you’ and not a twist in the tale. If the supposed twist in the tale was different I would have rated this book highly. A good thriller makes you gasp and say woah or wtf when you uncover the plot but in this case I wanted scream ‘are you kidding me??’. The story gets repetitive at times but that isn’t a huge problem. The writing style is addictive and makes you want to keep reading. I did like the way Aaron and Eden’s relationship and story unfolds. It’s interesting and engaging. I do not like the plentiful loose ends left in this book that are literally explained away because of the said plot twist. The ending really fell flat and I kind of feel like I want my time back. Had it ended differently this book would be exceptional. I wanted to rate it at least at 4, but the ending makes me want to give it a 1, hence leave it at a 2.5 rating.

What started out as a very promising psychological thriller, When the Lights Go Out ended as a huge let down. There are just some plot twists that are so cliché they make me twitch. This was one of them.

This was my very first Mary Kubica book and having heard so many good things, I was ecstatic to get my hands on this book. When the Lights Go Out is a story about Jessica, who spent years caring for her sick mother. Trying to get back on track after her mother dies, Jessie realizes something is amiss with her identity. Going days without sleep, it’s hard to tell what’s real and what is made up.

This much I will say, Jessie’s state of mind makes this story the psychological thriller that it is. Kubica does a fantastic job creating a state of unease, never letting the reader be able to discern reality from sleep deprivation. And just when you think you know what’s going on, about 50% of the way through, you’ll be wrong.

The narrative changes by chapter, a common practice in most newer novels. The air of mystery is what will keep you reading until the end, making this a quick read you won’t want to put down. In fact you won’t be able to let go, yearning for answers. However, the answer at the end is what knocks off two stars for me. Kubica could have gone so many directions and instead….she went with the most dramatic version of a cliché ending as possible.

The writing is good and the mystery is there, it just fell short for me.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Park Row for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was so disappointed in this book. The writing seemed lazy for Mary Kubica and the story dragged on and on without a hook to pull you in. The ending was especially frustrating. I would not recommend this book to other thriller fans, and I expected more from an author whose past books I enjoyed.

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book, however I had so much trouble following it. I kept having to re-read the same pages again because I was so confused. I enjoyed the twists and the overall story line but for some reason it just took a bit for me to really get into it.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This book was a page-turner, and I was genuinely surprised when it turned out #spoileralert




to be a dream!? At first I was mad, but the story still stuck with me, so I did like it.
As a writing teacher, however, I feel my students would find it a cop out.

Mary Kubica has been a favorite of mine. I was so excited to receive a free E-Book version of When the Lights Go Out. There is a lot of back and forth between Jessie and Eden and definitely some back and forth with timing. Jessie really pulled at my heartstrings and lured me in. I couldn't help but want her to be happy and finally get some sleep. There were some eery elements to When the Lights Go Out and that only added to the drama. I will recommend this book to everybody that asks me for recommendations. I was not very pleased with the ending. Was it a good ending? Sure. But the ending did not satisfy me and it left me with many unanswered questions!

This book left me guessing as to what was happening, reality versus imagination, until the author made it clear. You felt compassion for the characters because they were well written and had depth. I loved the correlation between reality and dreams. The ending didn't disappoint and left you with hope for the character's future.

Mary Kubica is hands down one of my favorite authors. She writes a compelling story and is able to develop these intimate characters that make you feel like they’re real people. This book did not disappoint in that aspect. I would 100% recommend.
However, personally, that’s not how I would end the story. (spoilers) the fact that everything was a dream to Jessie was mind blowing and upsetting. I felt like that “dream” had so many questions left unanswered. But perhaps that was the point, since it was a dream. I’m a very literal person and don’t like it when books don’t answer all of the questions or explain how certain things happened.
For example, how did Eden get that journal to Aaron after she mysteriously took off? It upset me that she didn’t tell him the truth when she had the chance. It could have been perfect.
What doesn’t sit well with me is the whole aspect of the identity theft. So that’s no longer an issue? There no longer is a dead Jessica Sloan? That never was the name of the girl who was killed by a car? The book does lead you to believe one thing and then changes it at the last minute. I tend to find books predictable but I didn’t see that coming. Though I would have felt more complete with the book ending a different way, Kubica’s writing is still addictive.

First, let me tell you how much I ADORE all of Mary Kubica's novels and secondly, this one was right up there with her others! I am so happy that this was another page turner, all of her books have the perfect amount of suspense. The only downside was that the beginning of the novel confused me a bit. Although after reading another chapter or two everything started to fall into place. Kubica is a star at creating her characters and making them come to life.

Now: Jesse's world is in turmoil. Her heart is broken when mother dies of cancer, and her sanity follows as insomnia won't let her mind rest. Money is tight with funeral expenses and she is forced to look for a new place to live. And when a credit check is required, clues start to reveal themselves about Jesse's possible true origin. 

Mid-1990s: Eden and her husband want to have a child. After moving with her husband out of Green Bay, she decides to focus on renovating their new house instead of finding a new job. But fertility issues and a new friend who takes her family for granted create a toxic mixture of anxiety, frustration, and desperation for the couple. 

When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica is the result of these two women's lives intersecting, and the tension created by time and memory ambiguity.  Here's a couple thoughts about the result. 

I'm a very tough critic when it comes to written descriptions of dream states, semiconsciousness, or any form of shaky lucidity. There's a lot of it in this book and at times it is done well, and at times, it's just too much. 
I never felt like the stakes were high enough for me to fully care about the narrative. I don't want to say anything more because it might give up spoilers, but I did read all the way to the end to find out all the answers.
There were several stacked coincidences. You know, those coincidences that make each subsequent one kind of easier to believe than the last one... you feel yourself slipping away and allowing yourself to be pulled into believing. 
I know that is a lot of negativity.  It's just that there have been so many good thrillers published in the last couple years that think it has caused us all to set the bar a little higher.

Overall, When the Lights Go Out is a decent, quick read. There is history muggled, lies compounded, and a cancer that takes away all answers. The reader's mind is wracked by possibilities: An absent father? A stolen child? Coincidences? The mystery is there and told in a way that measures out hints at a good pace. Readers of Kubica's earlier works will definitely want to see what this one has to offer. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin/ Hanover Square Press, Park Row Books, and Mary Kubica for the advanced copy for review.

An emotionally charged book about Jessie who is trying to rebuild her life after her mother dies & trying to find out who she really is.

I really enjoyed the first few books I read by this author. that being said. the last two that I have read of hers were very disappointing to me. I'm all for books having twists and turns. but how this book ended was like she just got bored and wanted it finished.

I grabbed this book when I saw it on Netgalley. It is due to the author. It was one that I downloaded right away. It started out ok but this was not a great thing. In fact; after a few chapters I was ready to be done with this book. Yet, I put it aside for a while. I decided to come back to it with no hopes of liking it any better. The book did improve after coming back to it. Enough that I was able to finish it.

My issues with this book were that there was not much life in the characters. Yes, I liked the two voices of Eden and Jessie but at the same time their voices were kind of depressing. Also, the story is predictable. This was caught every early in the story with no surprises given or provided by the author in the story. Not that there always needs to be twists but I do want to feel an emotional connection to the characters; which I never felt. This book was just alright.

As Jessie's mother is laying on her deathbed, she encourages Jessie to figure out who she is. When applying for college on her quest to do just that, Jessie finds out that there is an issue with her social security number - it seems to be the SS# of a girl who died at the age of three. Jessie soon begins to wonder if there was more to her mother's dying words than she initially thought....

This book... I don't know. I wasn't totally pulled in for some reason. I felt like it kind of dragged, and that I was simply slogging through it because I felt like I had to finish it. I've read and enjoyed other books by Mary Kubica, but for some reason this one just didn't work for me.

**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I've always wanted to read a Mary Kubica book because I've heard such great things about her writing. While I'm pretty vague in my review of mysteries/thrillers for fear of revealing something that could spoil a book, I must say that I'm disappointed by the ultimate reveal of the story. Now, this book was well crafted, at least 90% of the book held moments of suspense that kept me turning the page, but there were times when I felt that the back and forth in time had repetitions that would reveal something new--and it didn't.

Thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin, and the author for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Review: WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT by Mary Kubica. 🌟🌟🌟🌟Great book, just when you think you have everything figured out...NOPE. Awesome author.