I had really high hopes for this book I was really interested in the premise and felt gripped immediately but as the story progressed and I learnt more about the main character the more I didn’t want to pick this book up, the main character was really unrelatable and I couldn’t care for her in the slightest some of the things she did actually angered me I went about two weeks without picking this up and thought about leaving it but ended up picking it back up and finishing it it wasn’t awful the premise was good and it had some good twists and features of it

Thank you Mulholland Books and Netgalley for an e-copy of The Stranger Inside in exchange for an honest review.

Kimber returns from a week-long vacation ready to relax at home and get back to work. When she gets there, her key won’t unlock the front door. She tries all the doors and all the locks have been changed. When she sees a man in her window she calls the police. He claims to have rented the house and has all the paperwork to prove it. Who is this man and what does he want with Kimber’s house?

I wish I liked this book more. I loved the idea of the plot but after a while, it just got more unbelievable as more details are revealed. Also, Kimber was not a character I could root for or care for. She was not just flawed but really deep down an unlikable person. These things combined are not for me. I like the plot of my thrillers to at least be a little believable and my lead character to be barely likeable.

Kimber comes home from a little getaway and as she is turning her key to open her front door she realizes that it doesn't work and she is locked out. She sees someone inside her house and calls the cops to come help her but instead the man inside is able to provide a lease that shows he is allowed to be there. This is just the beginning of the many twists and turns in this book. The author was able to keep me guessing on what would happen next and I really enjoyed not being able to figure out the surprises beforehand. I thought this was a solid read and will be recommending it to people who are looking for a fast paced thriller. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Kimber comes home from a retreat to find her locks changed and a shadow in her guest room. She must find out how this stranger got into her house and what he what’s with her. This book started off great. I was instantly intrigued to know who this stranger was and what they wanted. But that slowly faded. Kimber was an unlikable character who only got worse throughout the book. The ending wasn’t at all what I hoped or expected.

Thank you to Mullholland Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

4 stars.*

The Stranger Inside is the first book by Laura Benedict that I've read. I chose it for the cover, the blurb and the ratings I'd read on Goodreads.

I was not disappointed! I read a lot of psychological thrillers, and find I can generally predict about 50% of the plot twists and whodunit. Laura Benedict definitely kept me invested and unsure.

The story begins as Kimber Hannon returns from a weekend cabin getaway to find that her key won't open the front door. Further inspection leads her to realize there is an unknown man living in her house. She quickly calls the police, only to learn that the man claims he rented the house from her and has a signed lease to prove it. Unable to satisfactorily resolve the situation, and unwittingly escalating the situation by physically confronting her "squatter", Kimber lands herself in jail for assault.

The story unfolds with a cast of interesting characters (her lawyer/ex-boyfriend Gabriel who comes to her rescue, her best friend Diana who quickly moves her in and begins taking care of her while her husband/Kimber's ex-lover Kyle smarmily flirts out of Diana's earshot), a tricky back-story - Kimber's sister Michelle died suspiciously when Kimber was just 13 years old, and her family fell apart afterward.

A well-woven mystery with good twists and characters. I'll definitely look for more by Laura Benedict!

*with thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This was a great book. I couldn't put it down and was on the edge of my seat. The character development is great and you grow to have such different emotions for Paul and Rebecca. Definitely a page turner and a book I would recommend!

A chilling twisted page turning read! This book grabs a hold of you right away as the main charecter Kimber arrives home from a trip to find her keys not working & a strange man living inside her house. The author packs this story with multiple story lines from past to present time making some plots a bit easy to figure out & others leaving you pleasantly surprised.

Kimber returns from a weekend retreat out of town to find that someone is living in her house. Her locks have been changed and “the stranger inside” seems to know something about a dark secret in her past. The police and Kimber’s lawyer ex-boyfriend are beginning an investigation, which leads to the reveal about what happened to Kimber’s sister when they were teenagers, and secrets that she would rather keep, well, secret. I enjoyed the premise of this book and the beginning reminded me a bit of "Our House." It was fast paced and I liked seeing how the characters were intertwined! Definitely a suspenseful page turner! -- rating 3.5 stars

My Thoughts: Can you imagine coming home from a weekend away to find a stranger with a seemingly valid rental agreement living in your house? And if that wasn’t bad enough, the man seems to also be threatening you with a long buried secret from your past. Kimber Hannon came home to just that and, after acting impulsively, she ended up being arrested. The Stranger Inside tells the story of Kimber’s struggle to uncover who this man is and more importantly why he wants her house. Kimber has a dark secret she’s long hidden and this stranger seems to know far more than Kimber is comfortable with.

The premise of The Stranger Inside is what initially drew me in, but Laura Benedict’s layering on of suspense is what kept me invested. From early on I was trying to piece together the mystery and come up with a solution. It was just twisty enough to keep me turning the pages, and the final solution while not probable, was also not outrageous. For me, the one flaw in this story was Kimber herself. At times I really liked her, but she’d done some pretty awful things. To be honest, those were the parts that didn’t add up for me. In the end the parts I liked about The Stranger Inside outweighed those I didn’t. I read this one, but think it would also work well on audio.

What would you do if you came home and the locks on the doors had been changed and you could see someone inside moving around? Call the police, right? What if a neighbor told them you'd rented your house to someone, but you have no memory of it? What exactly does it take to get someone out of your house who doesn't belong there? And what do you do in the meantime?

A thriller of a thriller! Fast paced, believable dialog and a not too outlandish plot. The characters are well developed and the story kept me glued to the page.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

What a thrilling twisty ride this book was. Just what I want in a thriller! I couldn't put it down. I wasn't a fan of the multiple timelines, but that is just pure preference.

I enjoyed this one enough, I didn't see the twist and it kept me guessing. Laura Benedict did a good job at creating an unlikable character but I still felt a connection to her because it would be terrible/terrifying to come home and someone else says they have proof that I signed them over the house. It's enough to make you think you're crazy.

Cover art (design and how appropriate it is for the book): Great cover art, one of the things that drew me in
Length (too short, too long, just right): Just right
Who I recommend it to: Someone who enjoys thrillers and wants a decent one
Twist factor: I didn't see it coming at all, it made sense and worked well

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow! What would you do if you came home from a weekend trip to find your key no longer works and that some man has all paper trail to state that its no longer yours. The man also lets you get close enough to say creepy things? It was slower but it was so good!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this early copy!

A well-written thriller that kept me reading until the end. I recommend checking out this thriller if you love the genre like I do, it was a good and captivating read.

This was my first read of Laura Benedict. I liked how the story was organized as the synopsis was really interesting. I liked this book and found it interesting!

Kimber was only out of town for a few days but when she gets home she finds her locks changed and a stranger living in her house. When the police arrive, the stranger presents a rent agreement claiming that Kimber invited him to stay. But Kimber never rented out her house. Kimber doesn't know the man. And now she can't get him to leave.

As Kimber tries desperately to get her house - and her life - back, the stranger counters every attempt. The police aren't on her side and there seems to be little she can do. Anger and frustration, not to mention confusion, have become Kimber's everyday life. And now paranoia had joined the club as she becomes certain the stranger is out to take more than just her home.

I love Laura Benedict's work. Just flat out love it!

This latest is a bit of a change as it's straightforward thriller with no horror or supernatural aspects, but, if you couldn't tell, it still has a healthy dose of dread and high emotional stakes.

I can't imagine what I would do if I left for a weekend to myself and came back to find my house occupied by someone else. And to find out the police aren't interested in helping! That's the situation Kimber is in when the stranger claims he has a right to be there. And as time goes by, he even gets the police to believe that Kimber is stalking him!

So Kimber's life is not only upside down, she's being treated like a criminal.

But as it turns out, Kimber isn't exactly a great person. She's done some things in the past that reflect a little... poorly on her character. And so she needs to tread carefully where the stranger is concerned. Which makes this a twisty, turny read from the get go. For Kimber and the reader both.

Paranoia is the key here and it comes through on every page of The Stranger Inside. And the questions that drive the plot - Who is the stranger? Why is he out to get Kimber? And what are these shady secrets Kimber is so determined to keep to herself? - are guaranteed to keep readers frantically turning pages until the big reveal at the very end.

The Stranger Inside will definitely hold the interest of anyone who loves novels with unreliable protagonists who have familial and friendly drama that results in the police getting involved. While the narration isn't done in a style that I particularly enjoy, Benedict did a great job developing her characters and keeping even secondary ones well-rounded. Since you don't know who the culprits are and whether or not Kimber is mentally stable, readers have to pay attention to all the little details. A couple details seemed far-fetched, while others were clearly spot on. It's a quick read, regardless, and will grab your attention right away.

YOWZA!! What a thriller!! So many twists and turns right up to the final pages. I had guessed a few possibilities but nowhere near all of them. The writing is good with excellent descriptions and a plot that keeps the reader frantically reading to find out what happens next!! I can't say I liked Kimber, but I felt sorry for her. Actually, the character I liked best was Mr. Tuttle. ha!

I won't say more about the story - I don't want to give any spoilers. This is a book that deserves to be read without any preconceived ideas of what will happen. I'll be very surprised if this isn't a best=seller.

I look forward to Laura Benedict's next book!

You come home to find your key no longer works in your front door and a stranger claims that your house is now theirs. What would you do?


Kimber has just returned from a weekend at Lake of the Ozarks to find out that she can’t get into her house because the locks have been changed. There’s a man living in her house!

Frantic, she calls the police. According to Lance, the new occupant, he's been living there for six months after Kimber gave a lease because she was moving in with her boyfriend. She also said to take care of the yard until she decided whether to sell the house or keep it. He presents documents with Kimber’s signature.

How did he get Kimber’s signature on the papers if she was away the whole time?

To which Lance replies that he found the property on a rental website the previous week and rented the house unseen. Her nosey neighbor, Jenny even claims to have seen Kimber hand the stranger a set of keys and documents.
But Kimber insists that there must be a huge mistake; the whole thing is some kind of weird misunderstanding. Besides she has no boyfriend.

While trying to force the intruder out of her home he whispers in her ear, and out of earshot of the police.

“I was there. I know what you did.”

Kimber is shocked. She has no idea what this stranger is on about. Or does she?

As the story progresses, the reader learns that Kimber witnessed a crime twenty-five years ago, which she may be partly responsible for. Someone has discovered the truth and is threatening to expose her. Who is the stranger in her house? Is he someone from her past? And what does he want from her?

The Stranger Inside is a gripping, psychological thriller with enough suspense to keep any reader turning the pages. I would definitely recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I desperately wanted to like this book. I’ve been on a thriller, mystery and suspense knick with books lately. The premise of The Stranger Inside by Laura Benedict really stuck out to me; the main character returns home to find someone else living there instead.

Kimber Hannon comes home from a weekend getaway to find her key no longer opens the door. She then discovers there is man inside and he has settled in. He insists he has a signed lease and has absolutely no intention of leaving. But there is something darker behind this stranger wanting to live in Hannon’s home, and it all has to do with her past.

Just like that the book became predictable and the plot slowed to a snail’s pace. What really made this book drag was Kimber. She was such an unlikeable character and I couldn’t find sympathy for her, I almost thought she deserved what she was getting.

The amount of lies and secrets revealed were very overwhelming and hard to keep up. Like I said, it became predictable and the storylines between Kimber’s present and her sister Michelle’s flashbacks were hard to keep up with and weren’t easy to follow.

I have to give credit to the author Laura Benedict for building up the suspense and suspicion around the characters, which made me keep reading this book.

I had high hopes for this book because of how it was described, but this was a flop for me. It looks like there are mixed reviews out there for this one, so take this review or leave it. I’m giving this a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author Laura Benedict for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.