Stranger Danger has never been a more appropriate term than for the situation Caroline found herself in.

Caroline found out about stranger danger when she talked to Aidan, the stranger on the beach always staring at her house.

Caroline’s life was falling apart in more ways than one, but getting cozy with Aidan definitely added to what was happening in her life. She made more of a mess of her life or did she?

STRANGER ON THE BEACH will have you rapidly turning the pages and also have you wondering who is telling the truth. One character relays the events one way and the other relays it another way.

The twisty, turny events along with the twisted stories each character tells keeps you guessing and will keep the interest high.

You don’t know who is lying and who is telling the truth. You won’t even know what events are true and what are not.

If you like to be in suspense and like to be surprised about what the characters will do and how they will react, STRANGER ON THE BEACH will be a good read for you.

An excellent, wild ride indeed and one you do NOT want to miss reading. 5/5

This book given to me as an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Caroline and Jason have just built her dream beach home. However, at their big housewarming party, Jason shows up with another woman. Caroline is devastated and finds comfort in a local bartenders arms. Unfortunately he quickly falls in love with her and suddenly Caroline is scared for her life. Her one night stand has become her stalker.

Man I have read a lot of books the past few weeks where part way through I say to myself “what the f am I reading?” But they are also so good!!! This book threw me for a complete loop trying to figure out what the heck was going on! I don’t want to give anything away-I think this is one you should just dive into and not do a ton of research, though I will admit I was tempted to find someone who had read it and get some answers half way through!

A great Summer thriller! This book is fast-paced and books you right away. Caroline, the main character, is interesting and fun to read about. This book can easily be picked up and put down so it’s the perfect beach or pool read!

Bad choices can often lead to interesting stories. In this case we find Caroline’s choice of having a fling leads to a fast-paced novel with two stories. Double narrators tell the story, but it’s not until the end that the reader can relax.

An excellent psychological thriller by Michele Campbell! Caroline Stark is a rich weekender in a Long Island beach town, and soon she has an admirer. She finds Aidan Callahan outside her beach house, and thinks he is just a stranger. He is much more than that...
Things are going downhill with Caroline’s husband, Jason, and Aidan is there to pick up the pieces. He is completely in love with Caroline and will do anything to protect her.
A twisty summer thriller with a very satisfying ending!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

This book is divided into two main sections, “before the storm” and “after the storm.” My experience with each section was very different. The first part “before the storm” was very fast paced and suspenseful. I was immediately drawn into the story. The presentation of two completely contrary versions of the same events was really fascinating. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! I had my suspicions about which character was telling the truth but for the first portion I wasn’t entirely convinced one way or the other. It took me a while to make up my mind on who to trust but once I did it became quite clear which one was malevolent and which one was a rube. At this point I had a strong guess about what was going on and who was responsible.

At just over half way through the narrators switch and we get more of a law enforcement perspective. I found that the excitement started to lag and I became significantly less engaged. It didn’t help that my speculation about what had happened and why was very clearly correct. It seemed like the story tried to keep the uncertainty going into this section but there really was no doubt as to what had occurred. It was way too obvious and nothing in this section surprised me even a little. It all unfolded exactly as I had predicted. I don’t think I’m especially perceptive or canny and I’m pretty sure everyone will figure it out long before it is confirmed. The big “surprise” twist near the end was not at all a surprise.

This was a case of a book starting with such great promise and an absolutely propulsive storyline that then devolved into being very predictable and downright dull. It’s a shame because I loved the first section and was expecting this to be a five star book but unfortunately it couldn’t maintain the momentum and tension.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

Thank you to the publisher St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book will make a great Beach read. It is suspenseful and has a lot of twist that will draw you in and keep you turning the pages to find out more. I read this book in a day, I needed to know what was going to happen next. A Stranger on the Beach was my first of Campbell’s books, but it wasn’t my last!

The story is told in Caroline and Aiden’s POV. Each POV was a little bit different, both narrators were unreliable and it made me question who was telling the truth. These two main characters could not be more opposite. Caroline appears to have it all – good looks, a lavish lifestyle, handsome husband, and a brand new multi-million dollar beach house. While Aiden’s a young man from the town, everyone views him as trash. He works as a bartender, lives in a rundown apartment and has a bad reputation.

It all starts on the night of the housewarming party, Caroline anxiously awaits the arrival of her husband Jason, who originally said he wasn’t going to be able to make it to the party. However she has hope that he will show up. Oh boy, when Jason finally arrives, he also comes with a young Russian woman, they argue and guests start to wonder who she is. The Russian woman gets in her car and drives away. Nothing is explained, Jason just takes of after her. Caroline believes this woman to be Jason’s mistress, to drown her sorrows she heads to a local bar where she has a one night stand with Aidan. Only for him it turns into an obsession, but things aren’t as they appear.

I loved the dark and twisty mystery of this book, and the way it kept you on your toes and at the edge of your seat.

A Stranger on the Beach releases on July 23, 2019.

3.5 stars (rounding up). Starting with the positives, it was a very interesting cast of characters and I was never sure who to believe (I enjoy that in a thriller). However, halfway through everything did a complete 180 turn, and, to me, it felt so sudden it was as if the author was trying to trick readers (which is a huge pet peeve of mine!!). I felt some things were left unexplained (it’s possible that I missed it, but I went back to reread some parts to check). I did predict the ending, but I wouldn’t call it predictable, I just read a lot of thrillers and have gotten good at knowing where the story is going.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Stranger on the Beach has an engaging, appealing premise. The stranger on the beach watching Caroline’s lavish new beach house becomes a one-night stand, and then an obsessive stalker. Her daughter is distant and her marriage is falling apart. Sounds like a good start for a thrilling story. However, I found the characters and the thin, rather obvious plot to be much less engaging and appealing – and thrilling – than the premise.

There is a lot of action in this book and you will wonder where the danger will come from next. You won’t be able to put it down until you know what’s really going on. The POV jumps between Caroline and Aiden. Their stories are very, very different. Someone is not telling the truth – or is delusional. But rather than speed up and add suspense to the flow of the story this jumping actually slowed things down without providing any insight. So you are left with two totally different versions and no way to try and figure it out until an ending that is rather obvious and just kind of thumps down on you.

I wasn’t able to connect or understand or sympathize with any of the characters. They seemed one-dimensional without any real feel. Caroline is the perfect stereotype of the rich, entitled big city woman. Aiden seemed sincere and earnest one minute, crazy and dangerous the next. The rest of the characters weren’t developed well enough to give them more than a passing glance.

On the other hand, although I enjoy thrillers and the unreliable narrator, perhaps A Stranger on the Beach was just not my cup of tea. It is a very dramatic tale with a lot of excitement and may be a very good book to read on the plane to your vacation destination or on the beach. Thanks to NetGalley for the READ NOW ARC.

This book was fast paced and as I read it it felt like it was going to be a predictable story. But as you get further into it, you start reading the view points from both Caroline and Aidan and things get a bit skewed. I did figure out what was going to happen before the end of the book and I hate when that happens. Hence the three star rating. This book has a lot of twists and turns and it really shows how people see things differently from one another.

I have been anxious to read this book since I first started seeing people talking about it. My newest trope obsession is the mystery/suspense/psychological thriller category and this book fits that bill to a tee.

I hate when I accidentally see comments or spoilers about a book before I read it, so I stayed away from all reviews and discussions and went in blind. And holy wow, I got way more than I bargained for in this book.

This story is the perfect example of how deceiving looks can be from an outside perspective. Caroline appeared to have it all, but in spectacular fashion, it all comes crumbling down in front of everyone at their housewarming party.

I was fascinated with getting both Caroline’s and Aiden’s point of views in this book. I was fascinated with how completely different Caroline and Aiden’s perspectives are on the same event. Which one is what really occurred? Is one or both unreliable narrators?

Michele certainly throws a plethora of twists and turns into this story. Who is telling the truth, who is manipulating who, and can anyone be trusted? I admit there were so many twists along the way, I ended up feeling a little lost and had to reread some parts to get myself figured out and not floundering along. But I couldn’t wait to get to the end to find out what happens!!

This book is the perfect summer read. I read it while on vacation visiting family and feel bad now that I ignored them and read instead! Fans of psychological thrillers are going to eat this one up!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Though I've really enjoyed Campbell's work in the past, A STRANGER ON THE BEACH missed the mark a bit for me. None of the main characters were likable of relatable, and the big twist at the end was easy to see coming. I liked that we got two narratives, from the first person Caroline perspective and the third person Aidan perspective, but I think that part of that set up was part of the giveaway. I did, however, keep reading the book and found it to be quick and compulsive, and could see it working really well as a light beach read during the summer months. I also enjoyed some of the themes about how the wealthy tourists in the beach towns interact and function with the middle to lower class 'townies'. But themes and quick pacing aside, I was overall fairly disappointed with this book.

A STRANGER ON THE BEACH was a let down, though I think that it would be a good read for the beach or a vacation. I'm still very interested in what Michele Campbell will come out with next, and am hoping this missed mark was a fluke.

Wow! A Stranger on the Beach is the book to pick up this summer for your beach read. You will be unable to put this one down. Caroline seems to have it all. She's just completed the finishing touches on a beautiful beach house, but a stranger seems to stop by daily to stare at the house. Unfortunately, Caroline lets the stranger, Aiden into her life. Aiden falls in love with Caroline, and will do anything to have her. Caroline feels bad that she has cheated on her husband. However, he did bring a mistress to their first beach house party. Now, Aiden won't leave Caroline alone, and Caroline's husband may be involved in more than just an affair. The story is told in alternating perspectives of Caroline and Aiden. You won't know what to believe as the plot unfolds.

A Stranger on the Beach drew me in right away. As soon as I realized we’d get chapters in alternating points of view, making the truth murky and hard to determine, I was hooked. Many thrillers use this kind of storytelling, but A Stranger on the Beach took it to another level.

That being said, a little over halfway through the book my interest started to wane. Caroline is not really likeable or relatable. There’s a certain point in the book where she complains about the police not being able to check on her empty beach house in the middle of a hurricane because they’re busy with life-threatening emergencies. “My tax dollars hard at work” she thinks. I had to put the book down because my eyes were rolling so hard.

I enjoyed Aidan’s character and different POV at first, but he was too naive and unbelievable for my taste, especially near the end of the book. I found myself skimming some parts because I just wanted to find out what happened in the end, not because I was invested in the characters.

I liked the exploration of “what is truth?” and the format of A Stranger on the Beach. I think it has a lot of potential, but the characters and story in the latter half could be better.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This fantastic book deserves more than 5 stars! Jason and Caroline Stark are wealthy, live in a multi-million dollar mansion in the Hamptons with a fancy apartment in the city. There seems to be problems in the marriage and Caroline has a one-night stand with a much younger bartender from the local bar near their mansion. From there, the story is one giant roller-coaster of a ride with many twists and turns. Every time I thought I had it figured out, the story went in a different direction. This book is a real page turner and I still cannot quit thinking about it. Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the ARC of this super thrilling book. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a very suspenseful thriller.

Caroline had it all - a custom made luxurious beach home which she shared with her husband Jason and her daughter Hannah and enough money to enjoy their lifestyle. But all that changed on the day she spotted a stranger on the beach. He was no stranger to that location and had a special reason for being there.
This book was rather slow, but it did gain momentum towards the end, which was quite predictable.

I found this book to a pretty enjoyable summer read full of drama, he said she said and more drama. I love thrillers. I loved the idea of the plot. It was intriguing and why I wanted to read A Stranger On The Beach. I found it a bit repetitive in areas (other than the he said she said chapters) and the characters were a little difficult for for me to connect with on a personal level. Though, for me, it only detracted from the story a little. I did truly still enjoy reading it. This did make a pretty good book with a nice twist and is definitely worth giving read. **I would like to give thanks to Net Galley and St Martin's Press for this advance copy.**

Not a memorable book for me.

This book follows two storylines - Caroline's (wealthy, attractive, marriage on the rocks) and Aidan's (rough around the edges, convict, good looking, naive). Who's telling the truth about their relationship?

Aidan's childish language and demeanor bored the heck outta me and I found myself rolling my eyes at his behavior throughout the entire book. I struggled through this one and there were so many side characters (Lynn, next store neighbor - forgot her name, Mike Castro, Tommy, Hannah, Galina, Jess, Vernon Mays) who really held no purpose to the story and were just added throughout the book that they added very little value to the plot, in my opinion.

I do think many will like this book, but I've read so many of this genre that it really has to "wow" me to be considered a good read.

<b> Arc Granted to me via Netgalley for my honest opinion </b>

This was nerve wracking. I mean I was so anxious reading this, my heart was pounding during certain parts.

There are two parts to the plot twist, I figured out the first part to the plot twist very very early on. About 20% in. The second part I honestly didn’t see coming, but it wasn’t that huge of a twist I guess? I wasn’t shocked by the ending let’s put it that way.
The story itself though was shocking and creepy. You get to see two sides to the same story and you seriously don’t know who’s side is the right side. Or what’s the truth. Even though I figured out the first part of the twist I did still read this and be so confused as to who was telling the truth.

Caroline was a little rich spoiled brat. I couldn’t stand her. Like seriously. A Hurricane is hitting where she lives and she calls the cops to say her house is broken into, they ask if anyone is there and she says no. They tell her they can’t come right now because they have emergency life threatening issues to see too and she says “but my house has been broken into”. Then continues to think “my tax dollars hard at work”. What?! What hoe?! Spoiled rich biotch.... ugh. She was really unlikable..

I didn’t care for any of these characters honestly but i was super interested into what the heck was going on lol.

Caroline appears to be the typical socialite. Wealthy family, loving husband and a daughter off at college. Caroline spends her time between two residences, one in the city and her luxurious beach house on the ocean. Aidan is a young, hot looking bartender at the Red Anchor, a local bar at the beach. Aidan eventually finds his way into bartending at one of Caroline’s lavish parties. Caroline’s house is built on land that belonged to Aidan’s family many years ago which they eventually lost due to a tragic accident. Aidan’s dream is to one day own that property again, so what better way than to become closely acquainted with Caroline. What starts as a one night stand, leads to a far greater obsession for Aidan. And when it all but looks like Caroline’s marriage and world is falling apart in shambles, the real question is who is obsessing who? This is a fast-paced thriller that keep me engaged throughout the entire story. Full of twists which leaves the reader questioning who is trustworthy and who is not. A Stranger on the Beach is the perfect beachside or poolside thriller best served with a comfy lounge chair and sipping your favorite cocktail!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.