This book was not for me. I was intrigued by the premise: the child of a murder-cult leader grows up trying to distance herself from her infamous father and discovers, with the death of her mother, that her father's cult is being revived in a very large and violent way. But I think it was Blanche's story that intrigued me, not the cult itself (I never really got a handle on the purpose or structure of the cult; it felt like details were being discovered as we went rather than being deliberately concealed and revealed). By intercutting the story with other perspectives, it lessened the impact of Blanche's story and the shock of being thrown back into the life she tried so hard to leave behind.

The cult followers did not have any redeeming qualities; when we saw them for what they were, they were universally sleazy and altogether uninteresting. For the "villains" of a story, this makes them impossible to empathize with and, in my mind, unbelievable. They were purely "crazy" rather than having a much-scarier "reason for being" that would have added a big impact to the story.

The other thing that was odd was that Blanche is never alone in the story. Her conflict is very isolating and it would make a lot of sense for her to be alone. Instead, she's saddled with her best friend/business partner/foster sister for the entire book. Jaya (the friend) is just a fount for awkward dialogue and confrontations that all just fizzle away. Her entire purpose in the book seemed to be for one big reveal near the end, which would have had a lot more impact if she hadn't been halfheartedly fighting Blanche on something every other chapter.

Essentially, this book lost my interest as soon as it brought up characters outside of Blanche, who were all very simple and uninteresting. The twists weren't unique or groundbreaking; indeed, they were telegraphed pretty far in advance. For people who don't read this genre much, the murder-cult could be a big draw and they could be satisfied with the story. However, it wasn't for me.

This is the first book I've read from this author. It was a pretty good book. It was a little slow for me in the beginning but man, it pulls you in right after. The thing I loved most about this book is that it definitely turned out differently than I thought. In a good way. It kept me guessing and each time I was wrong. I really loved the character of Blanche. She was tough, smart, awesome and more. Things you want in a female character. Really great book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first ARC I read, not the first review I posted though, which in and of itself is very exciting! I got the Kindle of this book from Netgalley, my interest really came first from the cover and second from the description. The cover is perfection, it pulls you in, and gives off the vibe that this book holds.

This book is 304 pages long, but it was an easy read and didn’t feel like it was too long. It’s due out on June 4th and I’ll have the pre-order link at the bottom of the post for anyone interested.

So I’m going to not give a review with spoilers of the book, I’ll post some quotes as I always do, and the description of the book but outside of that this review will be on the Characters, the writing, my overall feeling and impression of this book. So thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for allowing me to get this wonderful book.

The story is mainly told from Blanche’s perspective, from when she learns about her mother to the end, with only a few chapters in other perspectives. Blanche is hands down one of the most badass but flawed characters I’ve had the pleasure of reading. She’s been through a horrific trauma, she’s rose above it even though she’s still plagued by the effects. She’s blunt, she’s witty, she’s smart. But she’s also terrified of all of this taking away the life she’s built for herself.

I think what I love the most about her is that she doesn’t really apologize for how she is. She has zero problems calling someone out and telling them off. She tries so hard to put all the trauma behind her but it’s still there and yet she still goes on, still works for herself, to make her life better.

Her best friend, Jaya, is funny and sarcastic. She doesn’t really put up with any of Blanche’s BS which I can appreciate but over all I didn’t much care for. Not because she was a bad character, because I felt so deeply for Blanche that there were moments that I just didn’t like her friend at all. I wanted her friend to behave differently and in the end I think that it was the right way for her friend to behave but I didn’t like it as I was reading it.

The moments that we learn about her father, are interesting because they really let you in on why she is the way she is but also the way he was. It makes you understand aspects that at first seem one way. The cult as a whole isn’t all that different the the ideology of most cults but it also is interesting to me because it’s described in a way that while you are against it you can understand the appeal for some characters in the book.

The cult to me, seems like something that anyone learning about it on TV or the news, or hearing it from Chuck’s mouth, would go home and say that it’s terrible what he’s done but they get it. It has deeper meanings to it beyond the violence that we learn about it. I suppose it’s the kind of thing that people would be foolish enough to want to be a part of and that tells me just how well this was written.

The secondary characters are well written to, their agendas aren’t necessarily what you expect and at first I was making guesses about who was the killer but I was wrong. This book keeps you guessing, keeps you reading and wondering what will happen next. I didn’t feel there was an lulls in the book, and mostly had to stop reading because my phone battery was dying and I needed to sleep.

The back half of the book is where things really pick up and where all the twists and turns take you on a ride. I was shocked about a lot of revelations that I just was not expecting but they were good and not ridiculous in the grand scheme. They fit and overall made sense.

I would highly recommend this book when it comes out. BUY IT! Invest in this! You won’t regret it, from the characters to the twisty plot to the flat out great writing. This is a winner and I’m so happy I got to read it!

The title already grabs you from the start. I was wondering how it would play out in the storyline. This book is a great book to read when you don't have anything important on the next day, because it will keep you reading all night

Nathan Ripley follows up Find You in the Dark with another successful thriller: Your Life Is Mine. Great plot and characters!

Blanche Potter, at a very young age, watches her father, who was a cult leader, open fire on many innocent people in a mall, and then kill himself for “the cause”. Her mother takes over as leader and tries to train Blanche to be a follower. Blanche gets away from her mother and spends her life distancing herself from her crazy family, until her mother is murdered. She returns to her hometown to identify her mother’s body. Was she lured back home? And why? Is this the beginning of the cult’s next chapter?

I really really wanted to like this one. When I read the summary, I was all in! I love books about cults! I’m sad to say that this fell flat for me. The story was a bit scattered for my taste. I had a hard time keeping interest and overall, I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters, probably because none of them were really developed. Truthfully, I kept waiting for a twist, or something shocking to happen and pull me in, but it never did. The overall premise was interesting and it was a quick read, though.

Your Life Is Mine is a bit different from the usual crime/thriller. A bit slow, but engaging and well written.

Blanche Potter’s father was Chuck Varner, the notorious cult leader who after shooting several people at a mall right in front of his 7 year old daughter, ends his own life.
Years have passed since that incident and Blanche has built a new life for herself. A life in which her deranged father and mother don’t exist. A new start. A new city. A new name.
Until she is approached by a journalist who claims he knows who she is and wants to make a documentary about her and her father. Moreover, he informs Blanche that her estranged mother has been shot to death in her trailer house.
Blanche has to go back to her hometown, to make sure if her mother is really dead and to figure out who killed her and why.

Thanks to the author, Atria Books and the NetGalley for providing me with a copy.

Your Life is Mine was suspenseful, creepy, thrilling, and heart racing. I couldn't put it down as I flew through each page. It was absolutely fantastic. I love thrillers that I don't guess the ending.

A little bit slow for my taste, Your Life is Mine is still a solid thriller. It tells the story of Blanche, whose father was a cult-like figure who ended up shooting up a shopping mall. Blanche has a successful life as a documentary filmmaker, when she is forced to return to her hometown after her mother is murdered. Understandably, Blanche has a lot of issues, but she's still working on them. She is not a likable character and some of her reactions were strange to me. The twists didn't seem too surprising either. The setting and descriptions were my favorite part. You can almost feel the humidity on your skin. Too bad I couldn't relate enough to Blanche to really worry about the outcome.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Atria Books!

This has all the goods you could want in a thriller but it moved a bit slowly for me.

The premise, plot, characters, writing was all spot on but too little happens for too long. There is also a lot of (thinking) internal dialogue and vivid descriptions that probably could have been trimmed to speed things along.

I liked the character of Blanche. She was very interesting. I’ve read other fiction that has been narrated by the child of a serial killer(s) and this was one of the ones that felt the most real.

There will be some twists and surprises if you hang in there. The conclusion was fine, good even, I just expected it to be far more freaky which probably means I’m a bit too jaded in my fiction 😏

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Atria Books for a copy in exchange for a review.

Cults are my ultimate fascination in books! I was so excited to read this!!

I am wondering if I should have read the first by this author... since it appears those that read it enjoyed it a little more with the background of the first.

I found this extremely difficult to get into and almost DNFed this book to be honest. My interest was completely not on the book and was bored. I couldn't get into the characters which was crazy to me since Blanche the daughter of a cult killer is the main punch line.

None of the twists in the book seemed great to me and the ending was just blah to me. There was one decent twist towards the end but just didn't live up to my expectations.

Just fell a tad bit flat for me and am wondering if I read the first I would have enjoyed this more?

3 stars!

Thank you to Atria for the advanced arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 6/4/19
Published to Goodreads; 4/21/19

This was my most anticipated book of 2019 since I read Find You In the Dark and absolutely loved it. This book is great. A totally unique perspective for a thriller once again. I loved how surprising it was. I found I read this book quite quickly because I just needed to know how it would all end. I really look forward to continuing reading Nathan Ripley’s books.

Bummer. She is the daughter of a killer and now her mother is dead. So off home to find the truth. This was my first book by Nathan Ripley and it’s was deliciously creepy. And yes it also involves a cult.

3.5 stars

A creepy story about a daughter of a mass murderer and her troubles when people in his “cult” start problems!

Interesting premise and I was drawn in from the start. Got the book finished in a day, it was a page turner.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cults are like cupcakes for me. I simply will not pass up an opportunity to eat a cupcake or read about a cult. The idea that an average man can convince others to believe in their word like the Messiah is so mind boggling and completely fucked that I don’t think my appetite will ever be satiated (also applicable to cupcakes). Nathan Ripley played into the idea of cults, but from the perspective of the leader’s child. An interesting yet not completely original take.

Your life is Mine starts off introducing us to Blanche, the daughter and witness to the Mall Massacre of Chuck Varner (better known to Blanche as dear old Dad). He simply takes his daughter to the food court, tells her to sit down and goes about his murdering business. Unfortunately for Blanche, the cult aspect doesn’t end there, Mommy Dearest takes it upon herself to continue spreading the YLIM word. But after about 10 years of this lifestyle, Blanche changes her name and never looks back (well as much as someone can in her position). All seems to be going well for Blanche Potter until she gets the news of her Chrissy’s (mom) death. What should be the last time Blanche has to look over her shoulder, turns into a nightmare she couldn’t have dreamed up herself.

The prologue or chapter before the chapter was fire. I read that and was like “Come to Mama!” Ripley did a fantastic job enticing readers with that pre-chapter. Usually, I find prologues confusing since I don’t know anything or anyone yet. But that bad boy was kindling to a fire. However, the first few chapters weren’t as hot and took a second to get me fully flamed up about this story. As the novel unfolded we got a taste into the past of the cult and the new happenings of the cult. Which was pretty okay and enjoyable enough.

I do have a few issues. The ending. Did you just read that short sentence? How quickly you read that was how quickly the climax and resolution happened. It felt like Ripley had a deadline and wanted to just rush through the ending. Which is exactly what he did, it wasn’t a very satisfying ending. The author did a pretty decent job building up the plot that I was incredibly disappointed in the lackluster effort that he called an ending. Additionally, I felt like there were too few characters to not guess what was going to happen or have a good inclination as to who not to trust.

Overall, Ripley created a pretty decent read. It was a solid 4 until the climax was resolved. The ending was simply lazy. So I have rounded my 3.5 Star rating down to a 3. Despite the ending, I still think this is a book that cult lovers and weird lovers alike should try out.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the Advanced Read.

WEIRD! but oh so good! I love the murders colt aspect. It really has me hooked. Intriguing, creepy, exciting... I couldn't put it down. I look forward to reading more from this author

I was drawn to this book from the description alone. Being from a small town where an actual mass shooting had occurred, something made me want to read the book so I could sympathize with the main character, Blanche, the daughter of the shooter. I wondered what it must be like to have to live with what a family member had done when you had absolutely no control over what they had done. Along the way, Blanche reveals her thoughts, feelings, and how she was brainwashed from an early age. Early on, in the book, an incident happens that makes Blanche think that someone has decided to follow in her fathers foosteps. Become the next mass shooter of the town. Blanche and her best friend Jaya pack up their things and head pack to their childhood town to unconverted the truth. The only thing is, Jaya may find out there is more to the original story than she thought. As more of the plot is unraveled, secrets are revealed, and trust is broken. Blanche needs to figure out who is after her and her hometown while trying to keep her secret from Jaya and the entire police department.

This book was a thrilling ride to say the least.

3.5★s
Your Life is Mine is the second novel by Canadian author, Nathan Ripley. Renowned documentary maker Blanche Potter has spent the last twelve years avoiding all mention of her father. In 1996, Chuck Varner killed nine people in a shooting spree in the Harlow Mall in Stilford, California, before turning the gun on himself. Known to few is that he took along Blanche, then seven years old, to witness this.

Now, over twenty years later, Blanche learns that her estranged mother, Crissy, another disciple of Chuck Varner’s cult, has been shot dead, supposedly in a home invasion. Blanche has had a recent visit from Crissy, who was insisting Blanche needed to return for “the next one”, so she is sceptical of the stated circumstances of Crissy’s death: she knows what this news really means. Blanche goes back to the trailer park in Stilford, the scene of her years of indoctrination before she rejected her parents’ teachings, to see if she can prevent a lot more people dying.

Not much real detail is given about Chuck Varner’s murderous cult, and what Blanche endured with her parents is similarly vague. But Blanche does carry a deep guilt, the revelation of which is a jaw-dropping moment.

Some aspects of the story don’t sit quite right: at first Blanche’s genuine response to events is quite believable but, given her upbringing, she is perhaps a little too trusting. Also requiring a major suspension of disbelief is the police interview in which a detainee is shot.

This is not a mystery where the killer can be picked from a list of suspects, although readers may be wondering about some characters as their true nature becomes apparent. While the narrative from the perspective of the unnamed murderer may help the reader eliminate some suspects, trying to guess his identity is a highly unsatisfying undertaking as he does not feature among the named characters, appearing only in the last twenty pages.

Blanche’s backstory is filled in with flashbacks to her youth and extracts from a book written about the shootings. There is plenty of action leading to an exciting climax but the characters seem a bit flat and the build-up of tension does not have the urgency it ought to: the potential is not quite realised.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Atria Books.

This was a very interesting book, perhaps not as much as a thriller as I’d hoped but found it a great read. The book had a great opening and had me hooked from the start and every page after. The story was fast paced and had lots of twists. Quite creepy at parts and I enjoyed the cult parts. A very good read.

Great psychological thriller. I loved reading this, and I will now need to read some of Ripley's other works!