We are only as blind as we want to be.
--Maya Angelou

I have a love/hate relationship with Michele Campbell's books. While there were things I liked about A Stranger on the Beach, there were also things I found really annoying. The same held true when I read another of her novels, It's Always the Husband. Her character development is amazing, as is her creativity. Unfortunately, her books always feel a bit overblown and unduly contrived.

So, the nitty and gritty about A Stranger on the Beach-- it's told from two perspectives, Caroline and Aiden, neither of whom is remotely believable. It's the reader's job to determine who is lying and who isn't. While this has the potential to be an incredibly fun concept, it's so utterly predictable, it makes the reading a bit mundane. I was less than inspired.

Nevertheless, I think the story is just devious enough to make fans of many readers. It's hard not to get caught up in the lives of the characters, particularly throughout the first half of the novel. It would make a great beach read.

**My appreciation is extended to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader's copy.

Publication date: July 23, 2019
Goodreads review published: July 20, 2019

A Stranger on the Beach was an okay read. I didn't really love it, but nor did I dislike it. I just felt kind of meh about it.

This book is twisty and turny and takes you on quite the ride. It is dark in spots and the premise is good. My issues were with the characters. I never felt anything for either of the primary characters. Caroline and Aidan had nothing about them that made me like them.

The story was told in alternating chapters, but about the same incidents. The alternating chapter thing is one I quite enjoy, but having the exact same event/s covered every time from both view points made the book feel like it was dragging to me.

I did think the plot was good. I really wasn't sure what was going to happen and once I realized, it all made sense. I just wish getting to that point had been more straightforward.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own and freely given.

I was drawn into this one from the beginning and enjoyed the alternating perspectives from two of the characters. I liked how vastly different their perspectives were and I was always unsure of what was truly going on which made it a fun read. Unfortunately, it didn't hold up for me throughout the whole book and I found myself losing interest in the storyline and the characters themselves. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Michele Campbell (author of “It’s Always the Husband”) is coming out with the perfect beach read. Again she delivers on a suspenseful, who’s guilty read. She weaves the characters so well together that you are constantly second guessing everything! “A Stranger on the Beach” out July 23rd check it out, check her out! #julesbookshelf 📚#astrangeronthebeach #michlecampbell #suspense #arc

Will keep you guessing until the very last word.

Caroline Stark’s beach house was supposed to be her expensive space to showcase what she thought was her perfect family. However a very public fight with her husband, she realizes things are not perfect
Her husband lies to her, the money is disappearing, and there’s a stranger outside her house on the beach.

As Caroline’s marriage and her begin to collapse around her, she turns to Aidan, the stranger, for comfort…and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aidan’s infatuation with Caroline, becomes extremely destructive. But who is manipulating whom in this deadly game of obsession and control? Who will take the blame when someone ends up dead…and what is Caroline hiding?

4.5 ⭐ wow. This one did not disappoint! I thought I was finally reading a psychological thriller with a psycho man as the main character, but I should know by now, my instincts are always wrong in psychological thrillers lol. This was a fast read. The ending was a little weird. I was kind of surprised when I turned the page only to find out that was the end. I can't say too much without revealing spoilers so I'll just say read this book when it comes out July 23rd! Thank you to netgalley, Macmillan, and Michelle Campbell for the advanced copy in echange for my honest review.

Well hello there you fantastic psychological thriller! Wow this book is simply fantastic! It was a 5 star read from page one. I have read and loved Campbell's other books but this one is hands down my favorite.

What happens when you have it all, the perfect marriage, home and life and then....you find out your husband is not being totally honest with you? Your husband of 20 years is acting strangely after you move to your dream home. He appears to be cheating on you and doesn't even make an attempt to hide it. You get revenge! Except sometimes revenge doesn't always work out how you thought it would. Whoa what a wild ride this was!


Caroline is standing in front of her newly built beach house, breathing in the salt smell of the ocean. The view is absolutely breath taking...and then she sees a man staring back at her. What is the guy doing staring at her and her home? Is he casing it? Yet he doesn't look away, he doesn't seem to care that she has seen him. Eww this sent a shiver down my spine as I felt creeped out. Who is this mysterious figure and what does he want? Is he stalking Caroline?


Life starts to spin out of control as Caroline tried to cope with her husband Jason's sudden cold demeanor. She starts to act quite irrational and spontaneous. As this twisty web is spun I began to wonder if I really knew what was going on or if some of the character's were a bit, well maybe delusional?


I loved this book as it was able to just suck me right in from the very start. I flew through this one really quick as it was very suspenseful. I could just picture the gorgeous beach house! I loved reading this as a group read with Brenda, Norma and some other Traveling Sisters. It made for a great group read as we tried to play detective and decipher what was truly going on. I must admit I was on the wrong track and was in for quite a shock when the ending caught me completely off guard.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for this ARC. I loved every minute of it. Thank you to Michele Campbell for yet another great book. I highly recommend getting your hands on this book! Publication date is right around the corner on July 23rd!!

had a difficult time putting this down - questioning myself about which story line was the truth. Caroline seems to have it all, Aiden seems to be obsessive. Give yourself the time to dedicate to the read, you won't be disappointed.

The library will most likely purchase this book, but it is not for me. Didn’t like Campbell’s previous books so could have expected that.

This is my second Michele Campbell thriller and I'm just going to come and say it, I am a BIG fan of her work!

A Stranger on the Beach is what you get when you mix a cheating husband, a vindictive wife, and a handsome young bartender with a past. Talk about unreliable narrators! This is a gripping he said/she said which will have you neglecting all of your responsibilities in order to get in "one more chapter".

A huge thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loooooved this book!! You have not one but two unreliable narrators. A Stranger on the Beach is told from the alternating POVs of Caroline and Aidan. Caroline says Aidan was just a one night stand who has grown so obsessed with her that he’s begun to stalk her. Meanwhile Aidan claims it’s true love and that Caroline is just pulling away as she’s extremely wealthy and she’s embarrassed by his meager earnings but he’s determined to prove he can please her. So you’re left wondering just who is telling the truth? I loved trying to figure it out and I’m sure you will too! Definitely pick up this book for your summer reading. You won’t be disappointed with this fun, fast paced thriller.

Caroline seems to have it all, a great husband, a wonderful daughter, an apartment in the city and a stunning beach house. When she discovers that her husband is having an affair, she decides to get her revenge by sleeping with a local bartender which she has met on the beach in front of her house. This one-night stand will unravel her life and endanger her family.

The story is told in the voices of Caroline and Aiden, the bartender. Both narrations do not add up and soon you realize that there is something weird happening. Who is telling the truth?

💁🏼‍️ Thank you, St. Martin’s Press for sending me an eARC of this thrilling book.

Which one is the liar?

Told from the two vastly different perspectives of the main characters, Aiden and Caroline, there is really no way of knowing which of them is telling the truth. There are definitely some interesting clues that can send your opinions spinning faster than a carnival ride that feels out of control.

I have a deep appreciation for well-told psychological thrillers and this is definitely one of them!

The story told from two different points of view, but what is the truth? I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I don't always finish a book when I'm not a fan of the main characters, but this book I couldn't put down. I don't want to spoil the book by describing it further. This is a good suspenseful read.

What a CRAZY, frantic, page-turning ride! Michele Campbell hooks you from page 1 and never lets go!

Caroline Stark seems to have it all - a gorgeous new beach house, a successful husband and a daughter headed to college. Now it's finally time to focus on herself and revive her career. What better way than to throw a lavish party and re-announce yourself to the world - bigger, bolder and ready for the future?

Unfortunately, Caroline's perfect life is far from perfect. In fact, the shiny surface is riddled with cracks and they get wider with every turn of the page!

I refuse to give away too much here. This is the perfect book to just jump right into and enjoy the ride. You are in for one juicy, spine tingling, creepy filled treat with this one!

I think in life we tend to forget there are three sides to every story. Both individual's and what actually happened. This book is a good reminder of just that. The story goes between two people, Caroline and Aidan. Each persons point of view. OH and how different they are. As you watch the story unfold you start to root for Caroline. She is just a rich housewife who believes that Aidan is stalking her after a one night stand. Aidan on the other hand believes they are in love and will be together. He starts following her husband to see what nefarious activities he is up to. Then the storm hits and all hell breaks loose. I don't want to give to much away. However this is where it starts to get real good. And the twist at the end leaves you thinking: What the fudge! I didn't see that coming!!!

If you like to be on the edge of your seat and still not know what is going on this book is for you!

This was a great read and one I am ever so grateful to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me this ARC in return for my honest review.

When I read the premise of this book it had a ton of potential, but it just didn't deliver in a way that I enjoyed overall. My rating is a 2.5 stars, because, in all honesty, it fell flat. It seemed predictable and therefore it just didn't hold much suspense for me while I was reading. I kept reading because I was sure that I was missing something and it would surprise me, but it just never did. I read and loved the author's previous novel, It's Always the Husband. Because of that, I would still pick up another novel by this author. Her writing is easy to read and I know it's there, it just missed the mark for me in this one.

* I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

A very fast paced enjoyable summer read. Maybe I think of it as a summer read because there is a beach house? But the pace definitely kept me hooked. Unfortunately I figured out the final twist way too early in the story to really enjoy the second half.

"She let him in. Now there's no way out"

The less you know about this story the better. The plot unfolds through the eyes of Caroline and Aidan, the two main characters, in which you can read the same events but with different perceptions, these points of view make you wonder who is telling the truth and who isn't.

A Stranger on the Beach has so many turns that you are no able to guess what is going to happen next, I love the way Michele connects all the situation perfectly making the end a very good one. I didn't like any of the characters, Caroline was terrible I felt no sympathy for her and Aidan was very annoying, but I couldn't put the book down, I have to see what the outcome would be. Perfectly done.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #AStrangerontheBeach

I can understand the hook of A Stranger on the Beach and why it’s thrilling. It’s really a bit of a heart-pounder given the nature and style of the writing, creating the sense of mystery and confusion of who’s telling the truth, who can be trusted and what in the world is actually happening. It contains the lure of secrets, and the tension of impending doom. The premise and the unstable, unreliable narrators are equally intriguing. However, once you’re a ways into the story, the plot becomes pretty ridiculous and all of the characters come across as nothing short of stupid. Countless events and actions throughout the entirety of the story were highly implausible. It was actually hard to take seriously and read more to me like a parody of a mystery than a serious thriller. And despite the tension and suspense, it managed to be quite repetitive and felt longer than it actually was. I fully respect this author’s previous work, but this one was distinctly different in every way and just didn’t work for me.