WOW - what a read! If you are looking for a great psychological suspense read, pick up A Stranger on the Beach. Michele Campbell really rocks this one, putting together a highly compelling read that is SO suspenseful I felt as if I were on the edge of my chair the whole time. I actually had to put it down and walk away sometimes just to give myself a break!

This is one of those books that is really hard on a reviewer because to say anything about the story itself would be to steal some of the surprises for readers, and I don't want to be a spoiler!! Let me just say that this book takes he said/she said to a whole new level, and that the viewpoints used to tell the story are not at all similar. There is surprise after surprise and just when you think you know what may be true....SURPRISE again!

This is twisted, delicious, devious read that you won't want to miss!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Michele Campbell for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy of this TWISTED book. This was a WOW book, told by the two main characters but with very different outlooks in what happens. It made me think who did what, in some parts I guessed correctly what would happen but each chapter something else was going on so I had to rethink what I thought was happening. It was a verrrry engrossing book. Thank you Michele Campbell.

This review will be short and sweet because there isn’t too much I feel I can say about this one without giving too much away. A Stranger on the Beach follows the story of wealthy housewife Caroline trying to put her life back together after a one night stand with local bartender Aidan Callahan. Caroline wanted some revenge on her cheating husband, but Aidan falls hard for her, becoming obsessive about taking care of her.

The story is told mostly through Caroline’s first person POV for the first half of the novel, with Aidan’s POV interspersed throughout. We quickly come to see that the story Caroline is telling and the story Aidan is telling do not match up. One of them is obviously lying. I did like this approach, but it didn’t take me long to decide which account I believed and I ended up being right. From that point on, there weren’t really any reveals I found surprising and I found all the chapters from the perspective of the person I didn’t believe to drag on for a bit too long. In the second half of the novel, the perspective of one of the detectives working the case was added and I felt like the pace really picked up from there.

Overall, I enjoyed A Stranger on the Beach. I thought the first half of the novel dragged on just a little too long, but the second half helped make up for it. Even though I figured out things pretty quickly, I still thought the writing was clever and enjoyable. I think that readers who don’t read a lot of this genre could end up being really surprised and entertained by the twists and turns. Because of this, I’m upping my rating up a bit than what I was originally planning to.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 4 Stars

3 stars rounded up just because i loved her other books annd believe she will do better next time. This book really had me going w/the way the story was written and how it makes you go "what???!!!!" a couple of times. I was really into it until I figured it out and then I'm sorry but it was a letdown for me. This is only my opinion though and I hope my review doesn't discourage others from reading.
Okay we have Caroline Stark, whose husbwnd starts acting fishy and then she gets blasted with the slap in the face that he is having an affair. Well she falls into her own side piece but hers backfires on her because hers becomes obsessed with her. Stalking her and her family.. then bam her husband ends up dead. Who killed him? Aiden, the troubled man she has a fling with or was her husband into shady stuff Caroline knew nothing about? Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for my honest review.

A Stranger On The Beach is the perfect beach read! It's full of twists and turns that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish. Grab yourself a copy on July 23rd and get ready for one heck of a ride as you will not be able to put this one down!

I loved how it alternates from Caroline and Aiden's POV. There are times where the same events are told from both POV and the reader can clearly see how the same events can be lived and seen very differently. The reader is kept guessing the whole time about who is telling the truth and who is not.

The two main characters could not be more different. Caroline appears to have it all while Aiden comes from the other side of town and barely has anything. One has everything to lose from the events and the other has nothing to lose. Who is responsible? Caroline, the rich and older woman who is going through a rough divorce, or Aiden who is viewed as trash and has a bad reputation?

I loved the dark mystery in this book. I couldn't put it down and it is one of my favorites this year!

Well, I might be in the minority here with this one but I just couldn't connect with the characters at all. I had hope in the beginning but then it just fell flat for me half way through. A Stranger on the Beach had the perfect beach setting with such an intriguing plot, I really thought it would be a winner for me, but unfortunately, it just became a little too unbelievable as the story went on.

Overall, if you are looking for a light beach read with some drama and twisted lies, this is definitely the book for you!

*Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book.

Get ready for a wild ride. This story has 2 narrators: the wife Caroline and her lover. According to Caroline, she had a one-night stand with Aidan after she discovered her husband was cheating on her and planned to leave her. Then Aidan became possessive and started stalking her and her family. Aidan tells a far different story however. He was in love with Caroline and she was in love with him, and once she got her divorce they were going to be together. When the husband is murdered, the police have to decide if it was a crime of passion, or a very calculated and well thought out plot.
I could not put this book down. I had no idea which narrator was telling the truth. Caroline's sounded more plausible, but Aidan seemed to be looking at Caroline through rose-colored glasses, so that could be how he really saw it all playing out. This is a definite must-read for everyone who loves a good thriller or mystery.

Incredible and unputdownable!! The action starts right away in this stalker/thriller novel and it doesn’t quit until the very last page! After a one night stand with a local bartender, Caroline is terrorized and stalked by Aiden who is completely head over heels in love with her from the moment they met. Aiden is relentless, and will stop at nothing to get Caroline to realize how strong he feels for her. Even her own family is not off limits to him. This book is 100% wild. I loved it.

Twisty! Caroline looks like she has the perfect life- she's worked hard to make it that way- so when she has a loud and devastating argument with her husband Jason at their housewarming party- all bets are off. Picking up someone on the beach is never a good idea but Aidan, well, Aidan seems like a good guy, doesn't he? Told from both Caroline and Aiden's points of view, this one takes you down a path where you'll be kept guessing. Jason's gone missing, there's a lot of blood, Aidan has a secret in his background- is everything as it seems? Caroline is not the most sympathetic character and Aidan is, to be honest, a tad creepy (although she doesn't read what we do!). That's OK because it makes the twists even better. No spoilers! Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is a good plot driven read that will keep you turning the pages.

This was my first Michele Campbell book and boy is it a doozy! Told from the POV of Caroline, the wife who has it all, a wealthy husband, a beach house in the Hamptons and anything she really wants and then Aiden, the local bartender with a history and shady past. What happens when these two get together is simply twisted! There's at least one unreliable narrator or are there two? This one had me guessing to the end. It was so well written that I didn't know who to believe. At times I thought her POV was true but then by the next chapter I believed his. This one really had me going! Fast paced with some well placed twists and turns, I relished every minute of it! I recommend this timely Beach read and can't wait to read the authors other books!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC to read review and enjoy.

A Stranger on the Beach is a thrilling tale, that takes place in the Hamptons and is told from two perspectives. Caroline and Aidan share their sides of the story, but their truths do not always match up. They both claim to have met on the beach outside Caroline’s home, but the events that follow will have you wondering who’s telling the truth… who committed the crime… and which stranger is lying.

I have never been pulled so deep into a thriller. Campbell’s mysterious, contradicting chapters have you weaving out details and developing your own theory about what it is that happens between the two main characters.

The character development is so strong. Both Aidan and Caroline seem relatable during their chapters. Both share strong points of view and make a case for their side.

I’ll tell you honestly, throughout the novel I was definitely hopping between perspectives. I was honestly scared for Caroline throughout the novel. I worried that Aiden was really stalking her, but I also worried about Aiden and wondering if he really was getting himself in too deep with this woman he barely knew. Campbell pulled me into her 5 star novel hard, and I loved every minute of it! I will be going back and reading her previous works, for sure!

Get ready for a wild ride with this story of a deadly love triangle. Caroline’s perfect life begins to quickly unravel at the housewarming for her lavish beachfront home. Her husband shows up with another woman and she learns he has cleaned out their bank accounts. Her life goes from bad to worse when she has a fling with Aiden, a good looking young bartender with a troubled past. The story was told from view points of both Caroline and Aiden. The fact that their accounts are completely different adds an interesting twist. It’s definitely a page turner.

3.5 Stars* (rounded down)

One Crazy Wild Thriller.

An Affair. A Life Destroyed in Mere Seconds. Alternating Perspectives of Caroline Stark and Aidan, ”A Stranger on the Beach.”

There was a moment where my eyes literally popped and I mean popped. That good old fashioned skeevy feeling took hold. You know, the one that makes your skin crawl. Yeah, I think I still feel it.

Trust your instincts ladies. That’s all I’m going to say. I trusted mine and admittedly, I had this novel figured out from the get go, however I don’t think that everyone will.

This is a novel for which it is best to go in blind. No reading the blurb or reading reviews that give anything away. Just dive in.

“A Stranger on the Beach” is an insanely fast-paced read. You will tear through it like a bag of Sour Patch Kids. While I did find parts of the plot to be far-fetched, I must say that this is a crazy and creepy read that will definitely stick with me. If you like highly entertaining mystery/suspense, I have a feeling that Michelle Campbell’s new release will be exactly what you are looking for!

A buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to Jordan Hanley at St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Michelle Campbell for an arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Goodreads and NetGalley on 7.14.19.
Will be published on Amazon and Twitter on 7.23.19.

Caroline is arranging the party of a lifetime at her beach home. But it’s not purely entertainment. She’s also hoping to use this opportunity as a re-launch of her design career.

Everything is set and prepared to perfection. Beautiful, just one minor detail...where is her husband? Suddenly he’s spotted across the room, and he is definitely not alone. Lover boy has a ravishing brunette hanging onto him! How dare he!

A chance encounter on the beach, followed by another surprise meeting at the local watering hole, brings Caroline together with Aidan – the local bad boy. Maybe it’s time for a little pay back for her husband. Perhaps it’s her chance to turn the tables!

Quickly, everything spirals out of control. How can one night change everything so drastically, so quickly!

Two perspectives...one affair!

Told from both Caroline and Aidans’ points of view. Fascinating how two people’s version of that one night can be so very different!

Michele Campbell writes a gripping thriller soaked in obsession and revenge that will have you thinking twice about trusting anyone you meet on a beach...or even in a bar!

This was a rapid, easy thriller, great for a summer read...considering it takes place on a beach!
There were some delicious twists along the way, though I did predict the ending.

Another great buddy read with Susanne!

Thank you to Jordan Hanley at St Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Michele Campbell for an ARC to read and review

Holy unreliable narrators, Batman! This story is mostly told by two narrators. Caroline is a socialite with a beach house and a Wall Street husband. Aiden is a bad boy bartender who is fifteen years her junior and the spitting image of Brad Pitt. Their one night stand sends this book into "Fatal Attraction" zone if we are to believe Caroline. Aiden believes he has found his soulmate and that Caroline feels the same way. As events escalate we start to realize that neither one of our narrators are giving us the straight scoop. Obviously a great beach read =D.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews " A Stranger On the Beach" by Michele Campbell, St. Martin's Press, July 2019

Michele Campbell, Author of  "A Stranger on the Beach" has written an intense, edgy, captivating, and intriguing novel. The Genres for the story are Mystery and Suspense, Psychological Thriller and Fiction. The timeline for the story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The story takes place East on Beachfront property on Long Island and New York. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. There are twists and turns, lies, secrets, betrayals, and murder.

Caroline and her husband have just finished building an expensive house overlooking the beach. Caroline sees a man standing on the beach looking at the house. There have been a string of robberies, and Caroline is worried that he is casing her house.

To celebrate and show off her new home, Caroline has an enormous well-catered party. The same man that was on the beach, Aiden is tending the bar. Carolyn is very upset that her husband has told her that he can't make the party. Surprisingly, the husband shows up with another woman. Caroline is embarrassed and angry.

When Caroline confronts her husband, he leaves to follow the woman, and now there are many questions. Is Caroline's marriage over? Caroline lets Aiden comfort her. The story is told at times from Caroline's point of view, and Aiden's point of view. Who can you believe?  

I would highly recommend this edgy, suspenseful story for those readers who enjoy an intense mystery and psychological thriller.

I really liked this. I like the different points of view with the main characters. I do think it could have been a little shorter, and felt like it dragged in the middle. I did enjoy the read!

There were several things I like about this book. In the beginning, it was very fast-paced, a bit creepy, and I just kept wanting to read. The book was told from a he said/she said point of view, and it was obvious halfway through that their stories were begin to diverge dramatically. But at some point their stories were so different, I started getting confused--which I suppose was the point!--but for me it stopped the flow of the book, as I was getting bogged down by the alternating stories. For me, it wasn't a ploy that worked. I didn't like any of the characters, and even in a book like this I feel like I at least need to have some empathy, or sympathy--some kind of a connection to at least one of the characters in the book, and in this case, I didn't feel that way towards anyone.

Well this was twisty and delicious. Even though it was a bit predictable, it was fun and kept me turning the pages in anticipation.

I received this book from Netgalley for an unbiased review. A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell might be the best book I've read all year. It was an amazing, stay up too late reading, can't put it down book. It kept me in suspense until the very end. I was literally talking to the characters (in my head) pleading with them not to do this or that. I was drawn in from the first chapter of Caroline and Aidan's story. There were lots of plot twists that I never saw coming.