I loved both of Hendricks and Pekkanen's previous books, The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl, so I was thrilled to get an ALC of You Are Not Alone! These two are an amazing team and write books the you just cannot stop reading (or listening to!). You Are Not Alone is no exception. The book is fast paced right from the first chapter and the action snowballs right up until the very end.


Thrillers are hard to review because you don't want to give too much away, but I definitely recommend this book, especially if you loved the authors' previous books. I loved the characters in this book and the story kept me guessing the whole way through. You knew something just wasn't quite right and it was such a wild ride fitting all the pieces of the story together. Though I don't read a ton of thrillers, I do love a good psychological thriller. Anything this duo writes will automatically be on my to-read list!

I’ve loved Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s other books so I couldn’t wait to read this one. Luckily, You Are Not Alone was an amazing psychological thriller.

During the last half of the book, I didn’t want to stop listening at all. This story is just so beautifully crafted and unravels with such elegance. The authors give you just enough time for each piece to click into place before revealing the next. I was never sure who to trust/if I could trust my own assumptions about things and I loved it.

Given that, I would really recommend going into this one blind. (Which is why I’ve tried to keep my review as vague as possible). But, if you’ve loved their previous books or are looking for a great psychological thriller, I would highly recommend You Are Not Alone!

This thriller, set in NYC, has all the elements I look for in a thriller - a relatable protagonist , multiple points of view. We bounce from Shay's point of view to all her new friends, and a massive twist at the end, that I didn't see entirely coming!

When Shay, a struggling millennial who just lost her job, and is lonely in the big city, sees a woman commit suicide on the subway, little does she know how her friend set, her connections, her life and her world will change. A series of events causes her to make friends with the deceased friends and she thinks she's made it. But if a new job, a new apartment and a new social life sound too good to be true, it probably is.

If you're looking for a modern thriller to read with your girlfriends, look no further - this one delivers!

You are Not Alone is a psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It only took 22 seconds to dramatically alter Shay Miller’s life. While she is book smart (and continuously records statistics and data), she is not people smart which leads her to be easily manipulated and taken advantage of. Coincidence after coincidence after coincidence after coincidence occurs (eye roll, please) which coupled with stupid people, puts Shay’s life in danger. Perhaps her obsessions with statistics and data will save her?

The premise is intriguing but the execution falls flat.

Told in three parts, Shay is the primary narrator. However, the reader does get the opportunity to read various perspectives of the group. All of the various perspectives and characters kind of meshed together, and I couldn’t keep track of who was who, outside of Shay and eventually, another character. The supporting characters are supposed to be strong, vicious women who will stop at nothing to get revenge on those who wronged them. What I read did not match. They were flat, one-dimensional and indistinguishable from one another. I wanted more from these characters! I wanted to read more about them and get a better feel for their motivations, but their character development was lacking and made the narrative unbalanced.

I wish I could have just got sucked in for entertainment value alone, but the lack of emotions and nonchalant tone left me not caring. The plot relies too much on coincidences and twists. There are some interesting revelations, but by the time they were revealed I just didn’t care. As much as I liked Shay’s character, I got tired of her constantly spewing data, and her final sentence elicited an eye roll.

Sadly, You are Not Alone didn’t do it for me.

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

This book is my third to read by these two authors, and each one has quickly become a favorite thriller.

Shay Miller is a research analyst, working a temp job, in love with her roommate who has a girlfriend, and happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when Amanda, a woman Shay has never met, jumps in front of a subway. She is so impacted by the experience that she begins delving into Amanda's life, trying to learn more about this woman. What would lead her to do it?

Shay meets Cassandra and Jane, the Moore sisters, at Amanda's memorial, and strikes up a weird yet satisfying friendship with them. But the more she gets to know them, the more she realizes that they know a little too much about her.

Shay and the Moore sisters serve as the main characters of the story, but Valerie, Beth, Daphne, and even Amanda all get to play their part as well. With shifting POVs and changing time periods, the story fills in gaps for the reader as it progresses. This book is twisty, guiding the reader to think one thing only to take it a step further. I definitely recommend this book!

An exciting psychological thriller! Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen really make the reader think about what would you do to have friends that like you and understand you. Shay is at a crossroads in her life as her best friend and roommate Sean is in a serious relationship and it’s not with her. She witnesses something horrible and would change most everyone’s view of life but she takes it to another level. As she gets more involved the authors take the reader on a thrilling ride. This is a must read, can’t put down until finished chilling thriller of a book!

Thanks to Netgalley and Beatrice Jason of St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Now having read all three of their collaborative books, I cannot help but wonder if the two authors turn to each other at the completion of a book and ask "how can we make the next women in our books even crazier?! All I have to say in response is "keep it up because I am loving it." When Shay Miller meets up with the Moore sisters, the story becomes a master class tale of deception that I just couldn't put down! I know this book hasn't grabbed the attention of many, but it was just the type of story that had me on the edge of my seat.


Goodreads review 20/02/20
Publication Date 05/03/20

4 Stars

C-RAZY!

When Shay Miller witnesses something horrific on a subway platform, her life is forever changed and she becomes obsessed trying to find out what happened.

Shay is a loner, with no real family to speak of. To say that her life is not exactly glamorous is an understatement. She works a dead end temp job and shares an apartment in NYC with her best friend who she has had a crush on forever. Too bad he has a new girlfriend!

Enter the Moore Sisters. Shay’s new Frenemies! If only she recognized them for who they were and what they wanted.

Say What?!

What a brilliant mystery/ suspense “You Are Not Alone” turned out to be! The twists and turns were cray cray! Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen never ever disappoint! Each and every novel they have written to date is different from the next and is unlike anything I have read before which frankly, I love. This pair deserves kudos for always being original. I truly enjoyed this novel and would have given it 5 stars however there were a few teeny tiny loose ends that never got tied up (which bugged me a tad). That aside, if you’re looking for a novel that is wholly original, this might be for you!

This was a fabulous buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen for the arc.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 2.23.20.

The writing team of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen is amazing!!!!
I have read all their previous books and I could not wait to get my hands on You Are Not Alone.
I was not disappointed in the least. I very much related to Shay, one of the main characters . She was so well described in her feelings of loneliness and isolation. At the same time, she was the perfect target.
The writing was complex and phenomenal. I loved every minute, even the SHOCKING ending.

BOOK TAGS⇣

⤏ ONE MAIN POV INTERSPERSED WITH A MULTITUDE OF OTHERS
⤏ PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
⤏ A SLOW BUILD-UP KIND OF MYSTERY
⤏ REVENGE ISN'T ALWAYS SWEET

BOOK DETAILS⇣

BOOK COVER⇢ IT'S JUST AS MYSTERIOUS AS THE SYNOPSIS
SETTING⇢ NEW YORK
SOURCE⇢ I RECEIVED AN ARC VIA NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
eBOOK LENGTH⇢ 352 PAGES

MY THOUGHTS⇣

Told mainly from the POV of Shay, and interspersed with POV's of a few other key players, with a few flashbacks to the past, everything slowly converges, like watching a painting come together. I think this book reads similarly to their other books, it's not only well-written it's paced out just so...with its slow, almost painfully slow at times, build-up. I actually found myself struggling to get into this, but eventually, it finally started going somewhere and clicking with me, which is exactly what happened in their first two books for me.

While being somewhat twisty, this didn't have the over-the-top crazy kind of twist that The Wife Between Us had, and I liked that. The suspense was nicely dialed up for the last quarter of the book...and it ultimately concluded with a killer ending, making my earlier struggles worthwhile.

MY RATING⇢ 4✰STARS✰

BREAKDOWN⇣
Plot⇢ 4/5
Characters⇢ 3.8/5
The Feels⇢ 4/5
Pacing⇢ 3.5/5
Addictiveness⇢ 3.5/5
Theme or Tone⇢ 3.7/5
Flow (Writing Style)⇢ 4.3/5
Twisty-ness⇢ 4/5
Originality⇢ 4.3/5
Ending⇢ 4.2/5

I almost gave up on this book, it was so confusing, I definitely couldn't figure out what on earth was going on, but knowing the amazingness these authors always come up with, I knew I had to stick with it. It was trying amazing the way they had five different points of view and it really didn't start coming together even slightly until I was 75% through the book. Shay definitely resonated with me as far as being a lonely soul in the big city. These authors never disappoint. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. You won't regret it.

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

Shay's life revolves around statistics.  Everything from crime, to medications, to suicide.  Each chapter of Shay's starts of with a statistic that is relevant to what she is going through at the time.  This was so interesting to read, and I learned a few things.

The chapters alternate between Shay, Casandra and Jane, Valerie and Amanda.  I love getting a peek into a crazy mind!

We know that Cassandra and Jane are sisters, vengeful/right the wrongs of our lives and other type of sisters.  Together they are a deadly duo.  They form a group of friends who all bring different specialties to the table that the sisters find useful.  Who have all been wronged in one way or another.  One fateful day their perfect lives/perfect plans are thrown into disarray when Amanda jumps in front of a train.  In comes Shay, innocent as can be, but the sisters don't know that.  Thus starts a plan that had me spinning for awhile.

Down on her luck in love, work and friends, Shay feels like she has won the lottery in Cassandra and Jane.  The sisters treat her like a long lost sister, and I couldn't figure out why for the longest time!  I knew they had an underlying plan, but it's not at all what I thought it was!  That's why I think Amanda's background is the most interesting.  She seems like the girl next door.

Yes, Shay lies to them about how she knows Amanda.  Unfortunately she can't stop lying, but the sisters are quick to figure that out and call in their resources.

This book is good! I was hoping for a little more from Shay at the end.  i guess if she would have been as vengeful as the sisters, she wouldn't have been any better than them.  I would highly recommend this one especially if you were a fan of the authors other books The Wife Between us and The Anonymous Girl then you'll devour this one.

This book was exactly what I wanted from these authors. It was shocking and unexpected at every turn! The writing was middle grade and the novel had a smooth flow. I loved the characters and how they were built throughout the novel!

A fan of the previous two novels by this writing duo, I was excited to see what twists they would come up with in You Are Not Alone. This story met my expectations for a fast-paced page turner that kept me guessing. There isn’t a decent moral compass to be found in this story, but there are plenty of covert manipulations and buried secrets!

For me, this one read more like a YA novel. While I enjoy a good young adult book, the characters in this story are all professional 30-somethings. The voices and mannerisms were adult-adjacent, resulting in plenty of eye rolling on my part. Still, the story kept my attention and I did not see the final twist coming until very close to the reveal. If you enjoyed either of the authors’ previous books, give this one a try!

You Are Not Alone is a suspenseful story about Shay Miller, an average girl living in NYC who collects data. She is an unlucky witness to a suicide and from there her life changes forever. While there were some twists throughout the story I would say as a whole it was not terribly exciting. A bit drawn out for a story that I knew how it was going to end just did not know the exact way they were going to wrap it up. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys suspense, it was an easy read. 3.5/5 stars

Wow. I truly enjoyed this book. Complicated, twisty, and keeps you guessing - everything I have come to expect from these two authors! I liked it at least as much as The Wife Between Is, if not more, and more than An Anonymous Girl. I highly recommend this book!

You know you’re in for an entertaining read when you read a piece by this author duo. There’s always a wonderfully hidden twist you can’t possibly be prepared for. You Are Not Alone is no exception to this rule.

Although the twist did come out of left field and totally threw me for a loop, i can’t say I very much enjoyed the rest of the work. I know- not a popular opinion- but it’s true. I couldn’t find myself rooting for the protagonist for the majority of the novel; I was just waiting for when they revealed what the club was all about. Which was kind of answered, but not completely? The piece felt a little lackluster until the twist was revealed.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this ARC. A more comprehensive review will be posted on social media closer to the date of release.

This is another fabulous psychological thriller by Hendricks and Pekkanen. There is no way to summarize this novel without giving away the surprising and twisty plot, so I'll refrain from doing that, but suffice it to say that these authors have again produced a story that has the reader working hard (and loving every minute of it) to figure out the mysterious relationships of the characters-- this time of a group of women. Are they the wonderfully supportive longed-for friends that they seem, or is something else going on? And if so, what? And for what ultimate purpose? This is a far from predictable-- a wonderful read for the lover of psychological thrillers. Additionally, what I love about Hendricks & Pekkanen's books is that the reader is absorbed in the mystery and the anticipation of what may occur, without being terrified that some over-the-top disturbingly violent scene is going to be thrust upon you and give nightmares. You can trust these authors to keep you on the edge of your seat, without feeling bludgeoned. This is a rare talent and therefore these authors' novels are great for teens on up.

I want to thank the authors, St. Martins Press, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read and review the latest book by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen!

I want to start by saying that I went into this book completely blind. I didn’t look at the synopsis until I was 100 pages in. I knew I wanted to read this book no matter what after reading Greer and Sarah’s previous books. I highly recommend you go into this book without knowing anything and allow the characters to take you on the journey. If you’ve been following me recently, you know I’ve been reading really slowly lately. This book was not that way. I got so sucked in that I easily flew through 200 pages of the book during my baby’s morning nap time. The pages of this intense thriller just fly by! It’s written in a way that just allows you to devour each page and continue to want to know what’s going to happen next. I had some predictions and theories as I was reading and none of them were correct. This book takes place in New York City and I felt like I was actually there! (I’ve only been to the city once on a field trip to see the Radio City Music Hall as a senior in high school). I could relate to what it must have felt to be Shay going through life the way she was and how it was probably easy for her to get caught up in the situation she found herself in. The villainous characters felt eerie and I just felt so uncomfortable reading their perspectives. It’s hard to talk about this book without spoiling it especially after reading the very vague synopsis. If you like thrillers, you definitely want to check this one out! This is probably my favorite release from this author duo so far!!

4.5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

ARC provided by publisher for free but this does not effect my review.

I did a happy dance one I got the approval e-mail from NetGalley. I have loved every book by this fabulous duo of writers. I will keep my review short as to not spoil anything. This book is multifaceted. It goes between different periods of time and different view points, but the main story is of a pair of sisters and woman named Shay. Shay witnesses something horrible and events that unfold throughout the book make you wonder what is going on. This book is best gone in blind. You have to suspend your preconceived notions and realize that this is fiction, some of the things happened are a tad far fetched. An enjoyable read!