My thanks to Atria books and Netgalley.
I'm just going to start here and tell you that if you've not read and got the freaking weirdness that is Mr. Nathan Ripley, then just dont. If you are someone who can't accept the very strange, and have a problem just saying "dude, that's weird"and moving on, then this is not you're groove. Mr. Ripley is weird. His books are weird. His shit gives me the creeps. I like the creeps. Alot! More!
My thanks to Atria books and Netgalley. Mostly, thanks to Mr. RIpley. Who has managed to mess with my mind 2 book's in a row.
Would I recommend this? Yeah, duh! Good stuff, Maynard!

Being a huge fan of true crime, I’m very familiar with incidents like the Manson Family murders, so a fiction book based around a murderous cult was always going to be a winner in my book.
Blanche Potter spent her young life being raised and moulded to fit in with her fathers’ crazy plans, before ultimately witnessing him commit a mass murder and then killing himself. Years later, having escaped her childhood home and attempting to put the past behind her, Blanche is busy working on her latest project as a filmmaker when she receives the news that her estranged mother has been murdered.
I found the story to be gripping; following Blanche on her journey to her hometown, playing detective herself when she finds the local police to be of no help, convinced there’s more to her mothers’ death than meets the eye. As the events of her mothers’ death unfold, there are also occasional flash backs and titbits of information cropping up about the past, revealing the darker secrets of Blanches’ childhood and all the monsters she’s been running from all these years.
I loved Blanche as a character; she is foolhardy, always mouthing off when it would be in her best interest to keep quiet, yet avoiding the conversations she should be having. Luckily her best friend Jaya is generally on hand to try and nudge her on the right path, whilst encouraging her to open up more about her past. I would actually love to read more books with this pair as main characters, as I loved their dynamic!
This was my first Nathan Ripley book, but after enjoying it so much I will definitely be heading off to check out his first novel, Find You In The Dark.

This novel is my first ARC of 2019, so I’m going to go straight into the meat. Apart from the occasional grammar issues (run on or incomplete sentences), I actually enjoyed the ride with the protagonist Blanche’s crazy, distorted childhood. I was kind of thrown off by the names of the characters though, they are unique, definitely. The first three characters you encounter are Blanche, Jaya, and Emil. It was really hard to get pass the names in the beginning, but I got over it half way through. I give my thanks to the theme of the story: the Cult and its cronies. For me, the story line is refreshing because it introduced me to the world of a elaborate cult group. I live my life mostly without religion. I’ve always believed that there is a fine—very fine—line between Religion and Cult. So, I typically stay away from religious talks. The same belief is what hooked me in to this novel. I enjoyed the story, it’s interesting on its own. It makes you think about the other side of the society that resembles Blanche’s childhood and trauma. You’ll be amazed by how possible this story can be real, or close to real, in reality. There will be some self-realization after reading this book, not just about growing up, but also parenthood.

The only disappointment I have with this novel, again apart from the grammar issues that makes it hard to read sometimes, is the plot is predictable. I generally love books in this genre with twists that you’ll never expect it but still logical after the fact. The plot twists here is a natural one that you’ll go ‘Ok, I get it, move on’ , not a surprising one like ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe it, is that right?’ that you’ll want to re-read the chapter or twist to make sure you are following the plot correctly.

When I started this book I wasn't sure what to expect. As I started reading, I got sucked into Blanche's story. For me, it was a roller coaster of emotions along a couple of jaw dropping moments. The creepiness that I felt while reading had me hooked! Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

Your Life is Mine fell flat for me. I just could not get into this book and some parts were to unbelievable.

A very good book, highlighting cults and serial killers. This book was very unique and gave me lots of profound thoughts and questions. Blanche is going back to the past to find out about what really happened and how it has affected her life ever since.

A 3-4 star, higher in some parts, but lower in others. This book is one of those that has some very enthralling areas and can completely captivate you in that scene, but in the next you are having a hard time getting through the page. I think more who enjoy thrillers and don’t mind a fast, fast pace or who really enjoy stories involving cults would likely have a 4-5 star read at all times!
I’ll be using in a challenge and letting the members of Chapter Chatter Pub know about it’s release!

This was a pretty good book. A true crime documentary duo is rocked when one girl finds out her mom has died. It's her mother and she needs to go back home and see her. But it's not because she's sad or even upset her mother is dead. No, she needs to make sure she is.

Blanche was raised by a terrorist - a terrorist that planned and completed a mass shooting years earlier. Her father. He created a cult following that he attributed to chaos. But Blanche knew, even after the first mass shooting and her father's death, that it wasn't the end. Now that her mother's dead, she has no idea when or how it will all be starting again. She just knows that one day it will.

The story is definitely good - well written with suspense and draw that keeps you flipping the pages. Blanche is mesmerizing. She is controlled and disciplined, quick to read a room and anyone she's talking to. As a main character, she was great to see the world through her eyes and be a bit more clued in than those around her. I liked that the plot unfolded slowly and then with quick succession, answering all the question you had.

The end is left with just a small nudge, like maybe there is a possibility of a book 2 and/or 3. I'd definitely read more of this series or from this author.

An entertaining and well written book. It was a bit hard to be involved but after a bit I was hooked.
It's a fascinating travel into cult and the mind of the main characters. I liked the style of writing.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.

This had me at cults.

I was raised with too much knowledge of the Manson Family so I've become fascinated by cults. The author did a nice job of fleshing out Chuck and his beliefs (I enjoyed the chaos theory). I was expecting more of a psychological thriller but it really was about Blanche and her psyche. It was an interesting journey into Blanche's mind and it had me engrossed from the beginning.

This was an exciting triller that I will not soon forget. Had some difficulty falling asleep having read it. The writer depicts some super stressful situations that have a significant impact on the lives of the characters. I highly recommend this amazing book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I never read Nathan Ripley's previous book, "Find you in the Dark" and it sounds like I was better off reading this first and then going to read FYITD after seeing some reviews that it was better.

That being said, this book was one hell of a story! Blanche is the child of killer and cult leader Chuck Varner (the name alone sounds crazy!) who performed a mass murder in front of Blanche when she was 10 years old. She worked hard to forget her past by leaving it behind and living with her best friend's family. She is called back home to identify her mother's body where she learns her father's cult is very much alive and well and planning a new wave of activity.

It took a while to get into this book...in fact, I said to myself at one point in the beginning of the book, that if it doesn't pick up, this was going in my DNF pile. But it picked up. Boy did it pick up. So for all of you out there who haven't read it yet, when the time comes, push through the beginning!

Blanche Potter is the daughter of Chuck Varner who committed a mass shooting a mall before turning the gun on himself. Blanche was only 10 at the time and witnessed the whole thing. Her mother then raised her to "carry on" her father's teachings of violence and chaos, but Blanche escaped that situation when she was 18, changed her last name and became a successful film maker. Now her mother has been murdered and Blanche gets drawn back to her old home town where she fears another mass shooting is imminent.

I absolutely loved Ripley's debut novel "Find You In The Dark" but this book just fell flat for me. I couldn't empathize with any of the characters and the plot seemed a little too far fetched for my liking. Having said that, I like this author's imagination and will give his next book a try. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Your Life Is Mine by Nathan Ripley had me hooked from page one. It had a great opening and, from the start, was very engaging! Mass shooter's daughter turned filmmaker turned investigator with a little bit of cult mixed in? That's a plotline. The story was fast paced and had twists that kept me turning page after page to see what was going to happen next. The writing style was perfect. I really enjoyed the descriptive quality. I could see Blanche as a primary character in a series of books. She was a bad ass female lead that I would like to see more of.

Favorite Quote from the novel:
"An amphibian soundtrack behind this discussion of reptiles."

I enjoyed reading Your life is mine. The book did seem to move slow in some parts and was somewhat predictable, however, there were parts that surprised and make you want to keep reading. The basis behind the book may be upsetting for some and won't be a good book for everyone but for the most part the book has a solid storyline and was definitely worth the read.

I’ve been in a bit of a NetGalley rut. This book did not get me out of it. I found the first 80 or so percent boring and confusing. The last part of the novel had more exciting thrilling moments but not enough to make up for the slow parts. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

2/5 stars

I lovedddd this novel! So intriguing and twisty and all the lies it keeps you turning the page and absolutely breathless for more! I couldn’t put it down! Fantastic read and I look forward to seeing more!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Nathan Ripley's debut "thriller", Find You in the Dark, so this was a disappointment for me. I put thriller in quotation marks because Ripley's style isn't conducive for ratcheting up the tension, and I just can't feel a sense of urgency from his writing. Not that this isn't effective when the subject matter is slyly creepy like his first book - but in this one, it makes the action fall flat.

Your Life Is Mine is about Blanche Potter, the daughter of cult leader Chuck Varner. When Blanche was ten, Chuck committed a mass shooting in a local mall to "spread his message", and then killed himself, leaving Blanche alone with her mother Crissy. Groomed to become the next 'Chuck' by her parents, Blanche instead leaves town when she turns eighteen, and goes on to become a successful documentary filmmaker. When her mother is murdered, Blanche returns to the 'scene of the crime', worried that Chuck's particular brand of evil is rising again.

There were a few things I didn't like about this book. For one thing, I found it extremely difficult to 'get into'. I just couldn't find a way IN. It was like there was a brick wall between me and the characters. None of them appealed to me - even Blanche, the ostensible 'heroine'. She didn't ring true, and I couldn't get my head around her relationship with Jaya, her supposed best friend. Jaya mainly shows up so they can have odd sexual tension and/or so she can yell at her for being irresponsible / keeping secrets.

None of the twists felt much like 'twists', besides one bombshell toward the end, and I just couldn't find any pleasure in this tale. It was joyless. I'm sure others will feel differently, and certainly I really liked Nathan Ripley's first novel, so let's hope this was just the sophomore curse.

I found myself thinking in circles throughout the first half of this book. I even contemplated packing it all in. I became confused by the characters and did not like any of them.

On the other hand, this story about a charismatic cult leader, Chuck Varner, and his wife (Crissy) and daughter (Blanche) was a decent suspense mystery. Hardened by watching her father perform a mass murder at a California mall at an early age, Blanche became hard, herself. Her mother lived in the clouds of Chuck's remembrance but somehow had twisted his 6 point theory into something else. More dangerous? Blanche had left her mother at the trailer park while in high school and went to live with her best friend, Jaya and her mother.

After college, Jaya and Blanche went into film documentary production, together. On set in New Orleans, Blanche meets Emil Chandler who marks the beginning of a change in Blanche's world. Through Emil, Blanche meets Officer Maitland who works in California and knew Blanche's mother. When Blanche's mother is shot, and dies, Blanche returns to ID her mother's body and this is where the real action begins.

No one can be trusted...

The theme of both lying and deceit comes in and the story sparks up!

Although I did have a few reservations about this book, I found it invariably entertaining.

Many thanks to Aria Books and NetGalley for a remarkable read!

This book was so entertaining to read, especially when reading about a fictional cult. At first I found it difficult to get into but once I understood the style of writing and read about the characters, I enjoyed the story line. The ending was so unexpected and the whole time I was guessing. I would definitely recommend this but it does take a few chapters to get into! 4/5 stars