Caroline has the perfect life, husband, child or at least she thought she did. It was all perfect until her husband shows up to her party with other women. She thinks her marriage is over and one night she goes out and drinks too much and ends up sleeping with a stranger. However, when she thinks back she realizes she has seen this guy before, in fact, he is the guy who has been standing outside on the beach in front of her house for a couple of days.

Aiden has been working at the local bar and when he sees Caroline he is smitten, to say the least. They end up sleeping together one night and ever since he has become obsessed with her. He becomes controlling and will do anything to protect and have Caroline in the end. Caroline wants to try and save her marriage but when she tries to break things off with Aiden things don't go so smoothly. Aiden doesn't take no for an answer and begins to stalk her, her ex and even her daughter because he thinks something isn't right. But when his past comes to light things don't look good for Aiden and he starts to look like he is the one causing trouble.

Is Aiden the bad guy or is a victim in all this? Who’s the real mastermind behind all the crazy things going on? Does Caroline have a real reason to fear Aiden or is there something more? There are so many questions to ask and each one gives us clues to what is really going on.

This is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read in a long time. This story has mystery, some sexual tension and best of all you don't know where it’s going. In addition to the twist and turns, there is the game of who’s playing who. Just when you think you have things figured out you are thrown for a loop. This is one read that will have you by the seat of your pants until the last page is turned. A Stranger on the Beach is one read that is well worth the read.

Available Now! A 5★ thriller that will keep you guessing!

It's only a bit of fun..... Until someone gets hurt....

'There was a stranger on the beach. He was standing in front of my house, staring at it like he was casing it to rob.
Sometimes fate sneaks up on you. But Aidan Callahan didn’t sneak up on me. He was brazen. He stood there in the middle of the sand, staring up at my brand-spanking-new beachfront house, looking like he was up to no good. I saw him clearly as I looked through the wall of windows, over the infinity-edge pool, to the ocean beyond. Yes, he was gorgeous. But I was a married woman of twenty years’standing who loved her husband, and I barely noticed that. What I noticed was that this guy looked strong. Dangerously so. And he dressed like a townie. Baggy athletic shorts, tank top, the glint of a gold chain at his neck. People like him resented people like me, and sometimes, they robbed them. There had been a string of robberies recently, of some of the big houses. The summer people thought the local cops were dragging their feet about solving them, maybe because the culprits were local boys. When I saw Aidan standing there, those robberies were the first thing that leapt to mind, and a chill went down my spine.
I’ll tell you everything that happened, starting from the beginning.Sometimes fate sneaks up on you. But Aidan Callahan didn’t sneak up on me. He was brazen. He stood there in the middle of the sand, staring up at my brand-spanking-new beachfront house, looking like he was up to no good. I saw him clearly as I looked through the wall of windows, over the infinity-edge pool, to the ocean beyond. Yes, he was gorgeous. But I was a married woman of twenty years’standing who loved her husband, and I barely noticed that. What I noticed was that this guy looked strong. Dangerously so. And he dressed like a townie. Baggy athletic shorts, tank top, the glint of a gold chain at his neck. People like him resented people like me, and sometimes, they robbed them. There had been a string of robberies recently, of some of the big houses. The summer people thought the local cops were dragging their feet about solving them, maybe because the culprits were local boys. When I saw Aidan standing there, those robberies were the first thing that leapt to mind, and a chill went down my spine.
I’ll tell you everything that happened, starting from the beginning. My first impression of Aidan was that he was a potential thief. If only I’d listened to my instincts, I would’ve turned and run in the opposite direction. But that’s not what I did. I walked toward him. And I will always blame myself for what came after.'

*********
A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell is a complex story that is told from two points of view, Carloine, who owns a new beach house, and Aiden,the stranger on the beach. The author had me completely absorbed from the start trying to make out which one of their stories was true and who was completely delusional! Each story was a possibility even though they were completely different! Whose story is true? Perhaps neither account is what was actually happening!

One thing that did go through my mind throughout was based on philosophy 101. How do you determine what is true? Do the facts support the truth?
Not necessarily.
Truth and fact are interpreted by one's perception. No two people can perceive the same thing in the same way.
As we all know, when crime has been committed the facts have to be proven to be irrefutable enough to be determined beyond a reasonable doubt. Cases fall apart unless there's forensic evidence to solidify the facts and/or to back up each person's perception of what occurred. Without it, the facts remain uncertain. Michele Campbell uses this to her advantage! She kept me completely unsure if my guesses would be even close to what actually happened! In the end, I had been completely in the dark once the conclusion was revealed!
This is the first novel I've read by this author and I really enjoyed it! I'll be looking for more of her books to read in the future!

With thanks and appreciation to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Michele Campbell for giving me this advanced digital copy to read and review.

A Stranger On The Beach was a quick suspense read perfect to get you through these long summer days. This book is absolutely crazy and is told from the perspective of Caroline and Aiden. I did feel a bit confused by the organization at first, but in the end I felt the book came together nicely.

Caroline’s marriage with Jason is in trouble and their daughter Hannah has just started college. Jason arrives to the house warming party for their new beach house with his apparent Russian mistress. In there following days Caroline before understandably very upset and meets Aiden at the bar he works at and they leave together having a one night stand. In Caroline’s perspective the aftermath of this is that Aiden begins stalking Caroline following her everywhere. Showing up at her workout class in the city! Aiden thinks he is invited and they are in love.

This book has me frustrated. Who do you believe? There are hints dropped along the way you may pick up on them and you may not. I had this one figured out with about 1/3 to 1/4 remaining. Normally I would be annoyed by this, but in the case of A Stranger On The Beach I was oddly satisfied that I was able to make sense of the confusion.

Thank you to those tagged for my copy in exchange for this honest review.

Wow! This was a wild ride. I really enjoyed this fast paced thriller. This book is told between two stories so you are never sure what is the truth. Caroline and Aidan embark on an affair as we believe that Caroline’s marriage is over. We are never sure what is fact or fiction from this part forward. I’m not going to say much as I don’t want to give too much away but this story had me reading in captivated anticipation to find out how all this was going to end. Once you start this book you aren’t going to want to put it down!!

A STRANGER ON THE BEACH by Michele Campbell

This was one fast paced thrill ride. It hooked me right from the start and didn’t let go or disappoint.
Michele Campbell did an excellent job of putting together a story that held my interest and kept me turning the pages. I was on the edge so much and had a hard time figuring out who was doing what. I usually figure out who is guilty and what happens and I admit I did in this book too. But it was in the last 10-20% of the story that it hit me what was going on. Well done. Truly well done.

When your life is on the line what will you do to live? Who can you turn to when no one believes you and it looks like the end for you? Caroline, Aiden and Jason are the three main characters in this story. They all have secrets and things that they don’t want anyone, each other included to know. Aiden has been in serious trouble before. Tommy, Aiden’s brother who was the police chief and has a secret of his own. Caroline is a rich, spoiled, use to getting her way woman that I didn’t like from the start. Jason is Caroline’s husband and one I didn’t like either. Though the husband and wife are both good characters in this book, you will learn to dislike and like all the characters. Even Caroline’s sister, brother in law and I even had some dislike for Hannah, Caroline/Jason’s daughter.

This is a very intense thriller that will make you second guess what you think throughout the book. It changes from each characters story. It’s told from Caroline and Aiden’s points and they are definitely different. One is telling the honest truth as they see it and the other is out for themself and no one else. To find out who it being honest you have got to read this book.

I felt sorry for some of the characters in this book at times. It even brought me to tears in one major scene. The love was so strong between the two characters and what was happening was so touching and honest. The characters are truly good at their part. Richly developed. You will love to hate some and hate to love some and love some without recourse. At least I did.

While the ending was one that I did figure out it took me a while. It didn’t jump out at me at all as lots of stories do. This one has enough twists to keep you guessing and possible never figuring out on your own. So well written in my opinion. A true psychological thriller. Just the kind I love to read.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #St Martine’s Press for the ARC of this book. This is my review.

A big 5 stars and a high recommendation.

This novel was by far my most anticipated summer read! Ever since It’s always the husband I’ve been expecting twisting, fast paced novel from Campbell. It was a wild ride, with unreliable narrator that kept me guessing all along. A but of a cliche plot but didn’t bothered me because it was so damn good that I just wanted to run to see what the hell was going on! We meet Caroline Stark who has a one night stand with a young bartender who turns into a stalker/crazy (which I was creeped out about it, all the credit to the author for the descriptive scenes) But for Aidan, the young bartender, the story is very different.... A solid 4 star beach thriller!

EXCERPT: I'll tell you everything that happened, starting from the beginning. My first impression of Aiden was that he was a potential thief. If only I'd listened to my instincts, I would've turned and run in the opposite direction. But that's not what I did. I walked toward him. And I will always blame myself for what came after.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: There is a stranger outside Caroline's house.

Her spectacular new beach house, built for hosting expensive parties and vacationing with the family she thought she'd have. But her husband is lying to her and everything in her life is upside down, so when the stranger, Aiden, shows up as a bartender at the same party where Caroline and her husband have a very public fight, it doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary.

As her marriage collapses around her and the lavish lifestyle she's built for herself starts to crumble, Caroline turns to Aiden for comfort...and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aiden's obsession with Caroline, her family, and her house grows more and more disturbing. And when Caroline's husband goes missing, her life descends into a nightmare that leaves her accused of her husband's murder.

MY THOUGHTS: Deliciously trashy....I read this overnight, totally unsure of where it was going. In fact, I didn't figure it out until the 80% mark, and even then I wasn't totally sure I was right.

The story is told from two points of view; Caroline's and Aiden's, and their accounts of the events differ markedly. So who is telling the truth? Aiden? Or Caroline? Or is the truth somewhere inbetween?

Have fun finding out. I did.

😍🤩😍🤩

THE AUTHOR: Michele Campbell is a graduate of Harvard College and Stanford Law School and a former federal prosecutor in New York City who specialized in international narcotics and gang cases.

A while back, she said goodbye to her big-city legal career and moved with her husband and two children to an idyllic New England college town a lot like Belle River in IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND. Since then, she has spent her time teaching criminal and constitutional law and writing novels.

She's had many close female friends, a few frenemies, and only one husband, who – to the best of her knowledge – has never tried to kill her.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to St Martin's Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage

Caroline Stark may have just built the most beautiful beach front home but her marriage is falling apart. Her husband is cheating on her & has emptied all the bank accounts. If that's not enough she had a drunken fling that earned her a dangerous stalker.

There's a lot more to this story than I was expecting. However the more was just as unlikable as the characters.

The first 25% or so of this book I was sucked in. Then out of nowhere we switch perspectives and it was a rather bumpy switch every time perspectives switched. Then if that wasn't rough enough, about 70% in we get thrown an entire new perspective.

**SPOILERS FROM HERE** But the worst part for me was the first & main perspective we got was a completely made up story. I didn't even feel as if it was made up by the character. I just felt like we, the readers, were being lied to by the author for the wow factor that never came.

In case you can't tell by now, I really really did not like this book. By 63% I wanted to dnf but figured I'd power through. That last 37% was brutal. There was one part I was surprised but by that point in the story I'd checked out too much to even care enough. Both Caroline & Aiden were stupid. Caroline left a trail so wide I saw it coming for a mile away. And poor Aiden deserved whatever came his way because of how stupidly naive he was.

I'm giving it a very generous 2 stars because the first 20% was enticing.

Ah! I've been so excited to read this book! First of all, I thought that the author's premise was so great - and I loved the format of the story. Campbell was able to keep the reader really guessing throughout the story, and kept the reader guessing as to who to trust and who was unreliable. This really kept me on my toes, and added another layer to the twisty nature of the story.

My main complaint with this one was that the foreshadowing was a little heavy-handed in the first third of the novel. I felt like every chapter ended with a dun...dun....dunnnnnn..... But that was a small price to pay for a really fun book. I have read a TON of psychological thrillers and this one really kept the genre fresh. So good!

Caroline Stark, age 42, has just moved into a magnificent new beach front home. Her husband, Jason, is an investment banker and travels all the time. They have a daughter named Hannah who is in college.

Caroline is so happy with their new home and is planning a housewarming party. The night of the party, Jason finally arrives late with a harsh-looking woman in tow. With him acting so strange, she is convinced that he is obviously cheating on her. When Caroline tells him to choose, he leaves with the other woman. Later, she learns that Jason has emptied their bank account and has cancelled her credit cards. Furious and humiliated, Caroline is ready to divorce him.

The next night finds Caroline at a local bar when she chats with the bartender named Aiden. Turns out, he had worked the housewarming party at her house too. He keeps plying her with drinks and she drowns her sorrows. After getting drunk, Aiden goes home with her for hot sex.

Embarrassed at her actions, she tries to get Aiden to understand that it was just an unfortunate one-night stand, but he claims to love her and will not stop following and and trying to contact her. Now, she is terrified that Aiden might do something to Jason as she is trying to mend her marriage.

Aiden tries to warn Caroline that someone is out to harm her and she thinks Aiden wants to harm her. Who’s right? But when things explode and someone dies, it gets very bad.

The story is told from the point of view of both Caroline and Aiden. Which one of them is telling the truth?

This story is good in that it kept me guessing up to the end and surprised me at that. A tale of obsessive attraction. Beware with whom you hook up.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The story was immediately compelling - with every woman's nightmare - a stalker! The dueling viewpoints were sometimes confusing but it seemed clear who was telling the truth and who was delusional - - until it didn't. About halfway through, I began to have my doubts and as the story progressed, I suspected what turned out to be the twist at the end. Sure, some of the details were far-fetched, but who cares - - it was a great thriller.

The characters are vivid and the pacing of the narrative was steady and fast. I really enjoyed the book

Caroline thought her biggest problem was that her husband, Jason, was cheating on her, but unfortunately, her life was about to get worse. Much much worse. And it all starts when she meets a stranger on the beach named Aidan who can't stop staring at her gorgeous, new beach house "like he was casing it to rob." And so it begins... a shady tale of he said, she said. Who is telling the truth about what happened that night? Who killed Jason and why?

This story started out very strong, and even though I found it implausible that Aidan would fall in love with Caroline so quickly and so completely after a one night stand, I kept reading because I just had to know who killed Jason and why. Overall, I'd give it 4 stars for the dark and twisty plot and 3 stars for Aidan's gullibility. At 26 years old, I feel like he was too old for that type of behavior. Unfortunately, I lost interest about half to three-quarters of the way through this one, so the author's previous book, She Was the Quiet One (4 stars), remains my favorite of hers.

Location: Suffolk County, New York

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a wild ride of a story. I had so many theories, but no basis for any, because I had no idea what was actually happening, due to the dueling unreliable narrators. I normally like this tactic, but it felt shoddy and half-baked in this book. It was hard to discern the truth from the conflicting viewpoints of the same events, and this made the story drag for me.

Most of the characters were very unlikeable, and I had trouble connecting to them. Everyone made stupid, reckless, and immature decisions, which was really frustrating. If I hadn't been reading on my Kindle, I probably would have thrown the book across the room in frustration multiple times.

The best things about this book were the suspenseful twists and crazy turns, plus how creepy and entertaining some parts were. The plot was unique, but pretty hard to believe, which took away from my enjoyment.
The combination of unreliable narrators, unlikeable characters, and unbelievable plot made this book a slow read for me. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Michele Campbell, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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3.5 Stars⭐⭐⭐💫
A Stranger on the Beach had me flipping the pages with anticipation for the majority of the ride. Though the pace did slow in some parts, it still had enough drama and intensity to hold my attention.

The story was told in dual POV and it was interesting how differing each main characters account of events was. Both could be seen as unreliable narrators, but for me, only one stuck out as truly unlikable, and that was the one I had pegged as a liar pretty early on. Was I right in the end? Yes. Lucky for me though there was still one big twist I hadn't anticipated, and it added some much desired shock value.

In the end this was a somewhat predictable but still enjoyable enough read. It had a strong start, got a little weak in the middle, but finished with a satisfying conclusion. Check it out if you're in the mood for a psychological thriller.



**Complimentary copy for review provided by St. Martin's Press. All opinions expressed here are honest and entirely my own.**

"Sometimes fate sneaks up on you. But Aidan Callahan didn't sneak up on me."

After finally finishing her dream house, Caroline Stark's almost 20 year marriage begins to fall apart. While she's trying to pick up the pieces, she keeps running into local Aidan Callahan, who she can't help her attraction to. After a wild night of passion, Caroline is a little more clear headed and wants Aidan out of her life, while Aidan becomes increasingly more obsessed with her and their "relationship"

Remember that movie where Mark Wahlberg stalked Reese Witherspoon? Through most of the book I kept thinking of that, but also that it couldn't possibly be just a crazy stalker story. That movie was great when I was in middle school, but this book was way better. Sorry I almost compared them.
Back to the book. Psychological thriller is becoming an overused term. Most popular mysteries call themselves psychological now. This one earned it. It had me questioning exactly what the hell was going on.I'll admit, I correctly guessed what was going on relatively early on, but I don't really base my opinions on predictability. This was a well written and fun to read book. My biggest question is... when is the lifetime movie coming out?
I highly recommend this one as a summer read. Especially if you're in a beach town.

4.5/5 *I was given a copy of this book by netgalley in exchange for my review.

A Stranger on the Beach by Michelle Campbell

Brief Summary: After her husband shows up to their housewarming party with another woman, Caroline seeks comfort, revenge, and fun in a one night stand with the local bartender. Little did she know what she was getting into. This is my second book by Michelle Campbell and I eagerly anticipated her follow-up novel.

Highlights: This is an easily engrossing and engaging read. Campbell does a great job building empathy towards both narrators but I was soon questioning how reliable they each were and what was actually going on in appreciation for the brilliance of the author’s plot twists. This is one of those novels that you don’t want to go into knowing too much. I really enjoyed trying to figure out who was believable and what was really going on.

Explanation of Rating: 4/5 stars- this is the perfect easy, enjoyable, and entertaining summer read; but it was not a schedule clearing read and didn’t profoundly impact me or cause me to think differently. Though I’ve only read two of her books, this is easily my favorite of hers and shouldn’t be missed this summer.

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

I received an advanced copy of this book. This one will keep you guessing from start to finish! I highly enjoyed this book and had a VERY hard time putting it down! In this book, Caroline and Aiden have a chance meeting at local bar after she has a disaster of a party at her beach house. Things get very mixed up and confusing from there. This is a very good book and has an ending that I didn’t see coming! I LOVED this book and didn’t want it to end!

"We are only as blind as we want to be."

Caroline has been married to Jason Stark for over 20 years. They're quite well-off and have recently built a lavish beach house on a lovely property on a bluff overlooking the ocean miles outside the city. Their daughter, Hannah, has just gone off to college and it's time for the two empty nesters to enjoy the spoils of all their labor. But things go off the rails the night of Caroline's housewarming party. For one thing, her husband is a no show -- until he turns up late with a woman. Is Jason having an affair? The guests are lapping up the drama and Caroline is humiliated. When confronted, Jason leaves and Caroline can't get in touch with him. The topic of divorce is raised. Meanwhile, she takes herself down to a local watering hole, recognizes the bartender as a guy she'd met outside her beach house earlier on, and proceeds to get drunk with him. One thing leads to another and the 43-year-old Caroline has what she believes will be a one night stand with 27-year-old Aidan Callahan. And that's when it all begins...NO SPOILERS

This domestic suspense thriller really takes off and is immediately confounding as the story is told in two voices -- that of Caroline and that of Aidan. It's difficult to assess reliability because the way each describes events is completely different. Is this a torrid love affair or an obsession? The characters are well-developed and given comprehensive backstory, but it's hard to know who is telling the truth. Neither of them is particularly likeable, but the reader is drawn in quickly to all the drama and it became impossible to put this book down so I read it in a single sitting. Absorbing and confusing, the narrative continues with twists and turns that you may or may not see coming. Just go with it, suspend any disbelief, and ride along for the final revelations that make complete sense in retrospect. I really liked the writing style and the shifting points of view, especially when the police become involved and interject their own commentary.

I heard recently that this is to be made into a movie and I can't wait to see it! I enjoyed this one and see "Summer Blockbuster" written all over it. If you like your charcters honest and straight forward, this is not the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-book to read and review.

4 big twist stars

Caroline has the perfect life: a gorgeous beach house, an adoring husband, a daughter off in college but who is that stranger on the beach? This delightful thriller is sure to make a good summer beach read. For me, it was a great read for the airplane, I couldn’t swipe through the pages fast enough! I thought this one was well-paced with plenty of clues/red-herrings thrown in to keep readers guessing.

I don’t want to give too many plot clues away as I think this one is best read blind. There are several points of view (Caroline and the stranger/Aiden) presented and it took this reader a while to put the pieces together. I wasn’t quite sure who to believe, but that made it all the more enjoyable! This is my first read from Michele Campbell, but I have one on the bookcase that is getting moved up the list.

A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell is an excellent psychological thriller. Wow! This book kept me reading and guessing all the way through. Caroline and her husband, Jason, have a big fight at a party, when he brought his lover to his house during a party. Jason leaves Caroline and takes all their money. Caroline goes to the local pub and gets drunk, and ends up sleeping with Aiden, a much younger man. The are so many twists and turns in this book, that I never saw coming. This book made me feel like I was right on the beach, watching everything fall apart. I strongly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. Thank you.