3.5 stars.
What I liked: it meets the action packed, fast-paced psychological thriller points. Aiden and Caroline are both unreliable characters telling their story (first person for Caroline and third person for Aiden). Honestly, you don’t know which one is crazier. You get both sides of the same story which I thought was unique as the version of events differed quite drastically from what Aiden to Caroline.

What I didn’t like: the middle of the book. It was too crazy. I understand it’s a thriller and far fetched is normal in this genre. The book redeemed itself the last three quarters, and I couldn’t put it down. The other downfall for me is that the characters are unlikeable. Again, half way through and I hated everyone. The last three quarters gave me some hope so I could at least root for someone, but it took a while to get to that point. I’m in the minority with my rating but would still recommend to anyone that loves a good psychological thriller.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Juicy and unputdownable!! And it was just optioned for a film. This book really left my head spinning!

”Sometimes fate sneaks up on you. But Aidan Callahan didn’t sneak up on me. He was brazen.”

This book kept me guessing until the very end. If you are looking for a suspenseful story filled with twists and turns, this is it! Told from multiple points of view, the author created a very dark thriller that literally kept me on the edge of my seat.

Caroline lives a life of wealth and privilege. The carefully constructed facade of her glittering New York life begins to unravel when she suspects her beloved husband Jason of infidelity and in a state of shock, has a one-night stand with the sexy, much-younger local bartender Aidan.

”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.”

Aidan has a very troubled past and what Caroline thought would be a passing fling turns very intense very quickly. It is best to go into this book blind without reading any spoilers but suffice it to say this story resembles ‘Fatal Attraction’ with some major twists and turns.

I loved the peek behind the glamorous lives of Hamptons and New York City residents and the themes of class, privilege and infidelity. As I was reading this book, I imagined Blake Lively as Caroline and Armie Hammer as Aidan and the author just announced that the book was optioned for film! I can’t wait to see this book on the screen. Many books are touted as summer reads but ‘A Stranger on the Beach’ is the perfect beach read. The author really knows her way around a courtroom and her legal knowledge really shines in the last half of the book.

The author built an ominous tone throughout the book and yet I was still surprised at the shocking conclusion. I did not know which character to trust and felt sympathetic towards both Caroline and Aidan as the story progressed. If you are looking for a smart, fast-paced domestic thriller that will keep you on your toes, then you will love ‘A Stranger on the Beach’!

This was quite the twist and turn to read. At one moment I thought I knew who was bad, but then the perspective would change and it was a whole different story. Definitely two sides to every story. I found the book moved faster and kept my interest when I just let go and read and didn't try so much to figure it out. A good summer read!

This beachy thriller reminded me of Something in the Water. If you enjoyed that novel, you will love A Stranger on the Beach! I was so intrigued by the play on perspectives in this book. It is extremely well written, with a great plot and complex characters.

Mind BLOWN WOW I needed a night to get over this one. Through the entire book I was page turning fast! So I will say the author has a way of doing different POV well. I usually dont like it when there are alternating chapters but, this wasnt one of those.

She tells you what the characters want you to know....hint..It will keep you guessing through to the end. The family of Caroline is interesting. The set up for the family hate is that the parents die and Caroline and her sister are the only ones who inherit from them. So she has a sister that she is very close with. Her daughter Hannah doesn't seem to like her very much, seems like she is closer to her dad Jason. Caroline in the beginning seems to be at a point in life where her daughter is in college away from home and she throws herself into this Hamptons dream home. She plans to start designing homes and grabbing some wealthy neighbors to resume her business.




The start of the home descriptions had me thinking that all she cared about was material things, designer clothes and home furnishings.

There is one scene describing the view from her bedroom. Sounds like a dream. There is also talk of the "light show" on the ceiling that goes to music. It was screaming "I am rich" I will say that nothing is as it seems. it is a new must read for the summer. A lot of police procedure that is very accurate too. The stranger, Aiden, was likeable throughout the book too. Aiden and his brother had a lot of loyalty. He is "known" for a few things in town, where the locals love locals and hate "weekenders". I can understand that.




The last 2 chapters you will need peace & quiet along with a soft surface to throw the kindle on.

As a New Yorker I really loved the descriptions of NYC and Long Island. Sort of made me feel at home.

This was an interesting book. Told in POV of the two main characters, Caroline and Aidan, it was difficult to figure out who was telling the truth. I didn't particularly care for either of those two characters, especially Caroline, but I suppose in this type of story they aren't supposed to be likeable. While it wasn't my favorite by this author, it was a fast read and it did hold my interest until the very end. A good beach read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

A Stranger on the Beach was an enjoyable read with a big "but" for me. I guessed all the twists, so it wasn't very suspenseful or nail-biting. It has all the ingredients for a great thriller: unreliable and unlikeable narrators, secrets, lies, murder, but it does not have the unpredictable twists I look for in this genre. This book is a fine summer/beach read but not the best thriller I've read.

"The night after I first saw Aiden on the beach, my twenty year marriage fell apart. I swear to God, nothing had one thing to do with the other. It was a total freaking coincidence, the worst coincidence of my life."...….

Caroline and Jason have built a beautiful beach house. Wanting to show it off, and mix business with pleasure. Caroline is hoping to give her career as a designer a restart. Jason’s not necessarily as committed to their twenty year marriage as Caroline.

Then he appears. Aiden. “A Stranger on the Beach,” just outside their new home. Is it a coincidence that Aiden comes into Caroline’s life at the same time as her life comes crashing down? As Aiden slides into Caroline’s life, he has no intentions of giving up what he sees as having hit the jackpot. A rich, lovely, beautiful woman. What’s not to love? The chip on his shoulder is going to be a heavy weight to bare.

Caroline may realize just how many mistakes she’s making with her choices, and Aiden. Allowing a stranger into her life may be regrettable. Not everyone has her best interests at heart. Her marriage isn’t something she just wants to throw away. Her judgment is clouded by heartbreak. If she does want her husband back, Aiden may have other plans.

The one night stand, told by both Caroline and Aiden, proves they are not on the save wavelength at all. It was pretty unnerving for Caroline. It could drive Aiden over the edge of a thin line he already walks. Their encounters are uncomfortable, even for the reader. You want to yell at them to get away from each other.

Someone may end up dead and someone has secrets. Maybe no one is telling the whole truth. It became a little predictable early on. It was still a suspenseful story from start to finish.

Thank you Michele Campbell, Netgalley, St. Martins Press

this book...

once you start it, you will not want to put it down.

if you've read Ms Campbell before (she has two prior works)you know all about her style- i won't go on in case you haven't read her - i don't want to spoil anything.

i will say that i did figure almost everything out fairly quickly but i think that's due to having read Ms Campbell before (again to say more will spoil things).

just know that this book is totally worth the read

This. Book. Was. Wild! If you’re looking for a fun, beachy thriller to lose yourself in this summer, this would be ideal as long as a slightly over the top plot doesn’t bother you that is! But from a purely read for entertainment standpoint this fits the bill as it’s fun and fast paced.

This is told from both Caroline and Aiden’s point of view, and boy do they have different viewpoints. At first I struggled to decide who I thought was telling the truth, they both seemed unreliable but soon enough I saw where things were going and I was right. But for once that didn’t really annoy me, I had more of an issue with the direction the story headed, pretty ridiculous and over the top, but also sorta fun?! I definitely kept reading and was engaged so despite my minor issues I did enjoy it. If you’re a fan of the author you’ll like this I think, it was something different from her but also had her signature strong writing style.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Michele Campbell for the opportunity to read and review her latest psychological thriller - another great read by this author! 4.5 stars - couldn't put it down!

Caroline has it all - a beautiful new beach home on Long Island that she's preparing a huge housewarming party for, and her family - husband, Jason, and their just off to college daughter, Hannah. However, things start going wrong - Jason is suddenly traveling more and shows up at their party with a Russian mistress, causing a social scene. Desperate for a distraction, Caroline heads to the local bar and strikes up a conversation with the handsome bartender, Aiden. They have a brief affair - and one that turns to obsession for Aiden. Told in alternating (and very different) points of view from Caroline and Aiden - which story is true?

The less said about this storyline the better - trust me that you will enjoy trying to figure this one out! Great read!

This book didn't do it for me. I started and immediately had a hard time with the style of writing. Caroline seemed to be telling the story, but looking back and talking about different places where she shouldn't have done something or she should have known better (many of these, by the way, were foreshadowing for events that NEVER TOOK PLACE). I'm not a fan of this style to begin with and the writing seemed... amateurish.

The book then switched to alternating perspectives between Caroline and Aiden, the bartender she picked up for a one-night stand. These chapters told the same events but from two very different viewpoints. This was never explained how two people can literally remember events happening differently (not just small details, these are major differences in each viewpoint). I get the unreliable narrator aspect but this went on for too long and never was really justified.

The reader can't really emphasize with anyone because no one is likeable and it's hard to follow what's actually going on. The end supposedly has a "twist" but it's predictable. Most pieces of this plot are not answered and are just left hanging. It's not that the book went on for too long; rather, it was too repetitive and didn't give any new details or information.

I was so addicted to this book. I was questioning everything. Was Aiden crazy, or was Caroline? Or was it me?!

‘A Stranger on the Beach’ had me at the edge of my seat trying to piece everything together. I thought I for sure had figured out whose retelling of events was actually true. I was right, and I was wrong and that is one strange feeling.

Michele Campbell is an exceptional writer, and after having read ‘She was the Quiet one’ and ‘It’s Always the Husband’ I had put her on an incredibly high pedestal.

Im kind of at a loss, right now. I enjoyed the book, but the ending really let me down. There was a huge crescendo and I kept thinking “oh no, here it comes” and then the story just kind of fizzled out. I was hoping for more of a dramatic ending than what we got.

I mean, couldn’t someone have gotten hit by a car, or struck by lightening? Something to give that brutal sense of justice outside of the court system.

I would definitely still recommend this book, because the story line and characters are unique. Campbell did a phenomenal job of making me question every single thing in this book. I’m still not certain I don’t need a psych evaluation. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you team Caroline, or team Aiden? How did it change throughout the book?

For the third summer in a row, I've eagerly awaited Michele Campbell's newest thriller and A Stranger on the Beach is my favorite of her three books. Just like her previous books, it has a fantastic writing, clever plot, dynamic characters, and suspenseful twists to make this one a page-turning thrill ride!

Caroline seems to have it all: beauty, wealth, a lovely family, and her gorgeous new beach house. She throws a house-warming party to celebrate when her husband Jason finally arrives with another woman, a Russian on his arm. Obviously, she's his mistress no matter what he says and rumors begin flying! The next thing Caroline knows, he's closed all her credit cards and taken all the money from their savings accounts. She's completely broke, betrayed, and angry. What else can she do but head to the local bar to drown her sorrows?

Aidan is the local bad boy bartender who looks like Brad Pitt. A complete stranger to Caroline although they have met before-on the beach in front of her house while he stood staring at it. Their chance encounter on the beach and the bar leads to a one night stand that Caroline sees as revenge on Jason. After all, two can play the cheating game! But things go wrong very quickly as things spiral out of control!

It's the perfect summer thriller-short, fast-paced chapters, alternating POVs that make you question how two people can have such wildly different perspectives of the same events (only one of them is telling the truth, and I knew who early on), and enough enticing twists and turns to make any thriller lover happy.

A Stranger on the Beach is an engrossing tale about obsession, love, lust, secrets, betrayals, lies, revenge, and murder. Just your typical, crazy, summer affair!

A wildly, entertaining thriller you definitely need to read this summer!

**Thank you, NetGalley and Jordan Hanley at St. Martin's Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.**

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book started out strong for me. I was intrigued from the beginning and wanted to know more about this "stranger." About halfway through, I lost interest. I kept thinking that much of what happened in the beginning of the book would have an explanation that made sense, and I guess I did, but it just was too far fetched to make it believable. This one wasn't for me.

This thriller has two unreliable narrators so your first job is to decide which one is telling the truth, while also trying to figure out what the heck is going on!

Caroline and her husband Jason have built a beautiful house in Glenhampton, NY but Jason ruins the housewarming party by showing up with his Russian mistress. Caroline is humiliated in front of all their friends and retaliates by having a one-night stand with a hot, young local bartender named Aidan. From the beginning of their affair, we get two different versions of the events that follow. Is Aidan a crazed stalker or is Caroline manipulating him for some unknown purpose?

The final section of the book turns into a police procedural which I thought was less effective. To me, it seemed fairly obvious what was going on so I wasn't taken in by the final twist.

I received an arc of this thriller from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. Many thanks!

In A Stranger On The Beach Caroline finds her perfect life, complete with a lavish beach house, completely turned upside down. When she meets a handsome young stranger she finds solace in his comfort, but eventually does it become something more? The story flips back and forth between the two conflicting views of Caroline and her young new lover and leaves you questioning what is real? Is Caroline madly in love with this man who is only trying to protect her or is there something more ominous going on with him? This book held my interest on every page and definitely surprised me in the end. You think you have it figured out, but you have no idea.

This story is told from alternating POV for each chapter. I do wish that the chapters would have been labeled so I knew who was talking without having to read. I found this lack of information to be somewhat confusing for some chapters.

This book shows how difference in perspective of the same situation. I found this concept to be especially disturbing since both main characters appeared to be so "normal".

There is an impressive climax of suspense. This is my first book of Campbell's and I will be looking for more from her.

This is going to be a pretty unpopular opinion, but this book just was not for me. I couldn't stand Caroline. I'm not really sure why. I just didn't like her from the very start so it was hard for me to get myself invested in the story.

The twists and suspense kept me reading, but ultimately I just didn't care for this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I would give this book 3.5 stars out of five if I could. I was super into this book for about 80% of it. I usually am not a fan of multiple points of view but I didn’t mind it in this book. It was quite fun to read from Aidan’s perspective versus Caroline’s perspective. I thought I had the story and the main twist figured out, but then the last 15% or so of the book surprised me. I will say the ending felt rather abrupt and piece meal rather than complete and full. I would recommend it for a quick beachy read!