Just when you think you might know who the killer is, you will need to rethink everything you thought you knew and start over.

Danielle has a couple of patients who she has concerns about, but with the killer on the loose, she is not sure who to trust. As she works on trying to figure out which one the killer might be, she is forced to evaluate her patients and decide which one might be the one taking parents away from their kids.
But as she delves into the backgrounds of each, and spends time talking to her own therapist about the case, there is something that just does not add up.

Steena Holmes has written a perfect book, and one that is sure to keep you turning the pages on this fabulous, 'who dun it.' I could not stop reading! Perfect for a weekend read (or really good book hangover material), this will leave you running in circles, and then hit you with a BANG as you suddenly come to the end.

I recently finished The Patient, by Steena Holmes, a novel about a psychologist who believes one of her patients is a serial killer who murders abusive parents and leaves the children untouched. To be honest, this book didn't cut it for me - it was quite hard to get through at times, and I wouldn't have finished it if it wasn't for this review. Here's what I liked and what I didn't:⁠

⁠I LIKED: The ending. I called the plotwist, so I can't say it was unexpected, but Holmes managed to tie all the loose ends nicely enough while simultaneously leaving things open for a sequel.⁠

I LIKED: All the different perspectives, that gave me clues about who the killer was.⁠
⁠
I DIDN'T LIKE: What I would call the cheesy, cliché sentences which are supposed to make every situation more dramatic. I couldn't take the main character seriously whenever she said/thought them.⁠
⁠
I DIDN'T LIKE: I don't know the statistics, but the chances of a serial killer finding so many publicly abusive parents at the same spot (the library) seem to me to be almost non-existent (or at least I hope so).⁠ That aspect of the story didn't made much sense to me.
⁠
I DIDN'T LIKE: the main character's relationships (especially the friendships) were weird, and somehow superficial and really intense. She was also way too emotionally invested in her patients and other people's lives, which was cringey at times.⁠ I understood why this happened in the end, but it still made some parts really hard to get through.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy of this book.

The Patient is different from any book I've ever read before. I didn't really care for Daniella patients. I didn't like any of their personality maybe that was on purpose. There were part of the book that I was really confusing and couldn't understand what was happening. However, It was easy to predict who was the killer was base on all the clues that the author give about halfway through the book. The reason I give this book a 3 star was the ending was not something I expected and it was great.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A well written page turner that had me guessing until the very end . This was a bit of a "different" type story for Steena but it showcases how versatile an author she is. Well done as usual! I ALWAYS expect am exceptional story from this author and again, she did not let me down!

This book about mental illness kept me turning the pages! This is an excellent story, with an unexpected ending. Steena Holmes has written another fabulous book!

This had an interesting plot line. I was hooked from beginning to end. If you want a psychological thriller this is it.

Read a lot of Steena's books and enjoyed them all but didn't like this one at all, I thought it was a strange sort of book in my opinion and found it very hard to get into.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I enjoyed this book about a mysterious serial killer of parents but not their children, even though I figured it out less than halfway through. While saying very much else is a walk into spoiler territory, I must admit that there were some surprises at the end, some of which I should have figured out, and some of which were downright “wows”. I wonder what will happen to therapist Danielle Rycroft, the protagonist, and hope there is a sequel to this book.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is different from Steena Holmes previous books, however, she has quite a way with mystery/thrillers. This book drew me in and and held me captive until the end. Danielle was a bright, intelligent, caring, and loving therapist. She only has 3 patients, but they keep her busy. Tyler is trying to find himself while having a very needy/demanding girlfriend. Savannah a 16 year old that is dealing with depression and a strong dislike of her parents. Ella, who Dr. Rycroft moved to help. Ella has been released from jail and is making a fresh new start. Unfortunately, Dani begins to suspect one of her patients of being a serial killer.

Trying to figure this out leads Dani to seek help of a therapist herself.

There were so many twists and turns in the book. It was all very neatly set in a town dedicated to Wonderland. While I have never been a big Alice in Wonderland fan, I found this town delightful. How fun to have a town based on a fictional character and novel.

Holmes wrote this story beautifully and even though I couldn't wait to figure our what was going on, I didn't want it to end.

I received an ARC of the book from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed it despite the fact that the story and main character kept getting crazier and crazier. I half guessed the ending but it had a twist I hadn't predicted. Decent novel and worth a read.

The Patient was a psychological thriller about a psychologist and her three patients living in the town of Cheshire (like Alice in Wonderland). The story starts with the murder of couples around town, and though the people murdered have children, they are left alive. The main character Danielle begins getting letters in her mail stating that she knows a murderer.

Danielle begins to explore the people she knows in her life, including her only three clients, Tyler, Savannah, and Ella. She begins to struggle with sleeplessness and stress, causing strange things to happen as she works with her friend Tami, a detective working on the case.

I want to say I was shocked and surprised, but from the first 10 chapters, I already knew where the story was going. It seemed a bit predictable to me, but I still enjoyed the story. I loved Steena Holmes’s writing and the direction she took the characters. It was well written, but if you looked you could find clues throughout the book leading up to the ending. I do feel that the book ended a bit abruptly, and there were more things we that could have been explained. All in all, I would recommend this book and enjoyed it a lot!

Thank so much to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC!

Really enjoyed this novel. The writing flowed and the characters were depicted very well. Couldn't wait to find out what happens next.

Wow,I really liked this book by Steena Holmes.What a great thriller!Usually with these books,I've figured out the ending halfway through the book,but not this time.What a twist at the end-did not see that coming!

In a book that is different from her norm, Steena Holmes grabs her readers and never let's go. Dr. Danielle Rycroft has just recently moved to a small town where she only has two friends and three patients but for that's all she needs. When her friend Tami tells her there's a serial killer in town Danielle can't help but think it's one of her patients.
This book automatically made its way into my top three books of the year. As a fan of Steena Holmes, I hope to see more books like this from her
This book is available for pre-order now.

A well crafted story that will keep you guessing as you try to unravel the mystery.

What would you do if you were a psychologist and you were afraid that one of your 3 patients was a serial killer? Would you trust your best friend who is a cop with the things you uncover? Can you handle the stress as more people are killed?

Enjoyed the way this was written. I loved trying to figure out who was the serial killer.

Absolutely fantastic had me gripped!!! Loved it! Can't wait for more from.this author. Storyline was great, characters were easy to.connect with

Thank you for the advanced copy

3.25 so sorry but you gave so much clue from the beginning so I didn’t enjoy the final surprise because I already found it which puts me in the minority group of readers who don’t like the book so much stars!

Reading too much surprising, twisted, whodunit, “Oh no! I didn’t see this coming!” books made me suspicious person who sleeps one eye open and love to finish puzzles, guessing unconventional, unforeseeable endings of the books (or movies! When I told my friends, I think Bruce Willis was dead at the tenth minute of Sixth Sense, they threw me out from the theater!)

In this case, this book has a big final twist most of my friends didn’t see it coming but I felt its moves from the first steps because in my opinion the author gave us too many details to solve the puzzle and get the clues. So when you realize what’s going on at the beginning, it’s so boring to read 300 pages more.

Can you imagine to know how the Lost series end and you keep watching them. Of course not, because that’s the worst ending on television history. At least this book’s ending is predictable but also good.

Oh come on! There are too many thriller fishes on the sea so you want to keep catching them!

Only one sentence at the end intrigued me so I add 0.25 points more!

As a result, there is so hard to connect with the characters but you’ll understand the reason again at the ending why the characters acted like something completely wrong with them. (I’m not gonna spill the beans! When I was little, I hid my siblings’ Agatha Christie books. I read all of them and wrote who the murderers were at the middle pages of the books with my devilish red pen and returned them back. You may guess my siblings still plan my murder! But they didn’t succeed, yet!!! Ha ha ha! So I don’t want my GR friends hold grudge against me and plot my murder,too!)

I have to be fair, the writing was smart but also a little complicated with too many POVS and emotional turmoil.

The author chose a hard plot and throughout the development process she might have had real difficulties.

Because the story has too many mismatched puzzle parts. But I still appreciate the effort and I’m curious to read the other books of the writer. Because you may sense she’s still gifted. And most of the readers enjoyed this book! Unfortunately it doesn’t work for me! Still keep my hopes up to start my new thriller!

And speech part: Special thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley to send me ARC COPY in exchange my honest review!

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Someone is murdering parents and leaving the children alive..
Danielle, a therapist is worried it is one of her patients. The stress of this causes Danielle to seek counseling for herself.
What she discovers is sure to shock you!

This book kept me guessing until almost the end. It has twists and turns. You start with a therapist who seems so innocent but has has a lot to unravel. Highly recommend!!
#netgalley #steenaholmes #stmartinspress

This is the first, but by no means the last, Steena Holmes book I have read. Having never read anything by the author I jumped into the unknown and it was great!
Thriller/physiological mystery that will keep reads on the edge of their seats.
Only slight negative for me was extensive gruesome murder details, I love thrillers but not so much gore.
That aside a fantastic book!