You Are Not Alone is the third highly anticipated standalone novel from author duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, and I absolutely devoured it!

Shay Miller has never been more unhappy.

✓ Working as a data analyst at a temp. job, she hates her work.
✓ Every day, she becomes more isolated, choosing to stay in rather than make friends.
✓ Secretly infatuated with her roommate Sean (but he's happily dating someone else), she can't seem to find love.
✓ When Sean informs Shay that his girlfriend Jody is going to move in, she suddenly finds herself homeless.

Jobless, friendless, loveless, homeless, and now she's a witness to a brutal suicide? Shay just can't catch a break. Until she meets the alluring and successful Moore sisters, Cassandra and Jane, who take Shay under their wing, showering her with gifts, praise, friendship, love... The sisters seem to have resources to alleviate all of Shay's problems, and suddenly, Shay is happy. Forever seen as the smart chick, she now feels confident and sexy. She feels welcomed and loved, realizing all she ever wanted was to belong.

Unfortunately, the Moore sisters aren't Shay's saving grace, and soon, Shay finds herself tangled in a web of lies and deceit. Piece by piece, Shay must sift through the threads, freeing herself from one disturbingly sinister plot. Along the way, Shay learns very important lessons, the toughest one being: no one betrays the Moore sisters.

I am an avid reader of this author duo, having become a fan after their stellar debut novel, The Wife Between Us. With each book, I know I will encounter a well-crafted story that's smartly written with strong writing, vivid characters, and expertly placed clues which lead to a final, grand twist. They have yet to disappoint. I absolutely recommend this book if you enjoy suspense novels.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest, unbiased review.

A woman is waiting for her subway to arrive and notices that another woman throws herself on to the tracks. Her seeing this suicide leads her into a twisted and malignant relationship with the other woman’s friends. She ends up living in the studio apartment in which the other woman had lived and allowing the friends to redo her into a very good facsimile of the dead woman. This series of manipulations is the start of a roller coaster ride of circumstances that would cause most people to lose their sanity. Going further into the plot would lead to too many spoilers, but it is a genuine psychological thriller. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC for an honest review.

See goodreads for my review of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to preview the galley and provide feedback.

3.5 stars
Nothing is going Shay’s way. She’s a desperately lonely young woman who is having a bad day that is about to get worse.

As she stands on the subway platform a young woman jumps on the tracks to her death. This sets off a chain of events that ironically leaves Shay thinking life is finally going her way. Glamorous new friends, a new job, new apartment....too good to be true?

Loneliness and isolation makes Shay vulnerable and her dream life will soon turn into a nightmare. I won’t ruin the fun by revealing any more of the plot as its best discovered by the reader.

Shay loves data and statistics and one of my favorite parts of the story are the facts that start each chapter. Loneliness plays a big factor in the story. I liked Shay’s character and found her sympathetic. I really enjoyed the focus on loneliness which is timely, as it appears to be on the rise among young people.

I enjoyed the writing style and the short chapters kept the plot moving along. On the con side are too many characters which I sometimes had trouble distinguishing from one another. As with most thrillers, some suspension of disbelief is necessary. Still, it’s an entertaining way to while away an afternoon.

Have you ever sat down, read a book, and physically responded to it? I’m used to the butterflies in my stomach, my heart skipping a beat, and either tears or smiles covering my face. This was my first thriller. My very first heart race because I didn’t know what was happening next, palms sweating because of the consuming story line, and wanting to hide because it got way too intense. And I gotta say, I loved it and I loved this book.
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Shay is introduced as a women down on her luck and just happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. From then on it is a cat and mouse chase using manipulation and mind games. When I watch a scary movie, which are few and far between, I find myself screaming at the TV whenever the actor goes into a room they shouldn’t have and you know they are going to die, so you keep screaming for them to turn around. This was me, screaming at this book, telling Shay to run away.
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Telling this story with alternating POV’s at each chapter positively perplexed the reader and drew me in to the quandary of who was good and who was evil. It constantly kept me on my toes and guessing until the very end. Going between past and present helped enhance the reader’s understanding of each character and why they were on this current path. The layout of this book really added to the suspense. It was done in multiple POV of everyone involved, but each chapter was a short burst of information alternating between past and present. There were so many twists I didn’t see coming and the extraordinary detail of each scene was captivating. I didn’t want to put this down, and when I did, all I could do was process what just happen and theorized what was next.
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This was a fantastic thriller, with characters that were so believable in their roles, and scenes that made me feel like I was watching it happen rather than reading it. By the end of this book I couldn’t wait to read more by these authors and I also don’t want any new female friends anytime soon. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this thrilling ride.

This dynamic duo blew me away with The Wife Between Us and disappointed me with An Anonymous Girl. I'm happy to say they're back on my good side. I raced through the short chapters and loved how intricate the characters were. They all had their own story and it came together nicely in the end. The twist wasn't shocking but made complete sense, which I actually appreciate when done well. I also thought the addition of statistics to the narrative was unique and clever. Well done! I can't wait to see what they cook up next.

What did i just read ? All I can say is talk about being at the wrong place at the wrong time... The story has 3 main characters but 4 other smaller ones. It took me a really long time to figure out what what going on. It all comes together at the end. They go over a little bit of each of the women's back story. It was different. It was a weird premise but i still dont understand the necklace part... Did everyone have a GPS in theirs or just Amanda?

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC

Another winner by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen!

This pair writes great twisty-turny, keep you guessing tales and so far I have loved everything that they have written.

Four stars!

Cross posted to Goodreads.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was WILD - I second guessed myself throughout the entire book and literally couldn't put it down for the last 40% because I had to know who the real villain is. Even when I thought I had figured something out, I was only partially correct and mostly looking in the wrong direction.

You Are Not Alone tells the story of Shay, a lonely 30-something living in the city with no job, no relationships, no friends. But it also tells the story of Cassandra and Jane, sisters who are strikingly put together but hide a sinister secret. And then there is Amanda who we meet as she frantically throws herself in front of a subway train in New York City while Shay watches. Amanda and Shay don't know each other, but Shay will soon know everything about Amanda. What follows is a horrifying suspense that takes a look at the friendships we make, the susceptibility of lonely people, and the lengths people will go for revenge.

Shay is such an interesting main character because she could be the unreliable narrator that we hear about all the time, she could be the stalker with a plan, or she could just be a lonely woman. You honestly don't know the answer to this until the end, and you will second guess yourself the entire book.

I was a bit thrown by all the small chapters telling the stories of Valerie, Stacey, Daphne and Beth, because they felt out of place and not needed. Fortunately, they all make sense as you finish out the remaining chapters, and they pack a punch when you start to realize the truth. I do wish that there was more diversity in this book. Although it is realistic to amass a group of all white female friends, it would have been nice to see folks across races represented in the group - especially in a city like NYC.

This is the type of book that I can't share too much about except encourage others to read it. Because it is truly a wild ride.
*ARC graciously provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

With friends like these, who needs enemies? That should be the caption of this book! It’s my first by this writing duo, and I absolutely loved it!

Skillfully plotted and absolutely chilling, the story centers around Shay, a super-lonely woman who wants desperately to find love and belong. When she witnesses a woman jump in front of a train she quickly becomes obsessed with the woman. Wanting to know more about her life, she attends the woman’s funeral and becomes friends with her friends. But without knowing it, she’s put herself in the web of the Moore sisters, who invite Shay into their circle.

Soon Shay doesn’t feel lonely, but before she knows it, she wishes she did.

Written in elegant, exact language, this is a ferociously smart thriller that’s suffused with menace. I highly recommend!

Now, I know why this book is being hailed as an anticipated book of 2020. Hold onto to your seats because the dynamic duo are going to take you on a wild ride. The ins and outs of Shay , Cassandra and Jane are intermingled so precisely. The authors have you turning pages so fast to get to that "aha" moment and when it does watch out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a ARC...

Once again Hendricks and Pekkanen take a situation that could so easily be reality for someone and steamroll it into a situation out of the protagonist's control that makes you wonder how many steps away you could be from it happening to you. In You Are Not Alone it's Shay, who isn't particularly unusual in her circumstances - she doesn't have a full time job and the relationships she has with friends, family and her roommate aren't what they were or what she wants them to be. Then she's in the wrong place at the wrong time and sees someone commit suicide, and it draws her attention to her loneliness and the uncertainness of her work and living situations. When she's at her lowest point she comes into contact with Cassandra and Jane, who seem to make her life so much better. But are they really that altruistic? It's interesting how this comes together, not unlike the previous stories written by the authors. While I can always guess the general outcome, their books always are at their most unique and creative in unspooling the why and the loyalties of certain characters. I still feel like there can be more complexity to their novels, but I always enjoy them!

3.5 stars
The writing duo of Hendricks and Pekkanen has a gift for making you want to keep reading because you absolutely must figure out what the heck is going on. All the fun could drain right out of this story if you knew too much in advance, so my review is deliberately vague.

A mysterious coterie of women has attached itself to Shay Miller because she witnessed something to which they have some connection. Shay is (apparently) so desperate for friendship and acceptance that she falls for their blandishments and eagerly allows them to manipulate her thinking when their stories don't add up.

Trying to figure out the motives of these women, and who they really are, gives the story a nice momentum. What didn't quite work for me was Shay's willful gullibility in the face of such obvious deception and dissembling. Would a 30-plus-year-old woman who has lived a long time in NYC really be so trusting of people she barely knows, simply because she's going through a rough patch in her life and needs propping up?

The plot becomes more unrealistic when Shay gets a clue and seemingly has a personality transplant. Suddenly she becomes an ultra-resourceful, excessively suspicious super-sleuth with spy-level self-preservation skills. It strains credulity.

Despite my middle-of-the-road rating, I do recommend the book. If you're willing to suspend your disbelief, it's a fun ride. When you get near the end the revelations come at you fast and furious. I blew through the last 30% all in one go.

This book comes out March 3, 2020. While you're waiting, go read An Anonymous Girl by this same writing team.

I'm grateful to the publisher and net galley for the digital ARC.

Wow! This book was amazing. Awesome mystery, suspense. These authors do not disappoint with this new book. Can not wait to tell friends about this.

Shay Miller’s life has taken a downward slant that she wasn’t expecting to find herself in at her age. She has just lost her job due to downsizing. She doesn’t have a love interest. She’s losing her only friend and roommate to his girlfriend. Nothing is going right. Could a new potential friendship change everything for her?

The Moore sisters are a manifestation of Shay’s dream life. They have a glamorous life filled with an unbreakable circle of friends, perfectly styled outfits, and a successful PR firm.

Shay would love to have their life. The Moore sisters want Shay’s.

Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have quickly become one of my favorite writing duos. Every year I look forward to their latest release and they never fail to come through with a new book for me to love!

The premise for YOU ARE NOT ALONE is ultimately a simple one. This is the story of a woman who wants more from her life and she believes she has found that in the Cassandra and Jane Moore. They’re basically living Shay’s dream and thanks to some bizarre circumstances the three women have bonded. What isn’t obvious is the truth behind the events that led to their meeting and the interactions that have taken place since. I absolutely loved the cat and mouse feel to this story as Hendricks and Pekkanen flip between different POVs to give the reader a full perspective. Have you ever read a book or watched a movie where you found yourself screaming at a character to not do something or not to believe something because you knew the truth that was eluding them? That’s this book!

Hendricks and Pekkanen drive YOU ARE NOT ALONE with Shay Miller as their star. Shay is relatable and her past is so realistic that the reader can easily find themselves sympathizing with her actions. I constantly found myself asking what I would do in her situation. Would I go to some of the extremes she went to in order to win the approval of the Moore sisters? Probably not, but until I’m in Shay’s exact situation I can’t know for sure. That’s the beauty of this book! You can feel yourself saying that decision feels wrong, but I get it.

In addition to our main character, Hendricks and Pekkanen ramp up the pace with glimpses into the minds of Cassandra and Jane. I loved these parts of the book! There are other perspectives from a handful of other characters the reader gets to know along the way that feel important to have as details needed to form a complete picture. This isn’t just the story of one woman or three women, but all of the individuals surrounding the meeting of this trio.

Chapters are kept brief and often filled with cliffhangers in order to continually lure the reader to reading just one more chapter. I found myself unable to put this book down, as I didn’t want to look away from the disaster unfolding before my eyes. Several times Hendricks and Pekkanen drop twists or large revelations on the reader that again propel the pace of the story. I don’t think I came up for air in the last fifty pages of this read. I needed to know what crazy shenanigans were going to come next!

If you’ve read Hendricks and Pekkanen before, this book is a no brainer for your TBR. If you’ve never experienced this duo I’m telling you now to order this one and their previous two at the same time. Prepare yourself to become addicted to the drama that Hendricks and Pekkanen create!

A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Instagram’s #mysterybookclub for sending me a free copy of this book!

You Are Not Alone started off on a great note for me as far as thrillers go.  The first scene totally grabbed my attention and immediately made me want to know more. I appreciated that the book summary was pretty undescriptive, which helped me not make any assumptions about the plotline.

Unfortunately, it just went a little downhill for me after that and I found keeping up with all the characters tedious, especially with the jumping between past and present. I didn't find any of them particularly likable and some of their choices just made me think "huh?!".

The pace did pick up at the end but it just felt a little too unbelievable for me at that point. Without a strong connection to the characters, the ending wrapped up too quickly. I think this just might be my own reading taste but endings out of nowhere just don't work for me, especially when I haven't been given anything that helps me feel super invested with the main characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I always enjoy the writing styles of these authors and the story was well written and organized, however the plot was a bit far fetched. While an enjoyable read, this was just an average thriller.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45046742

Wow! You Are Not Alone was absolutely outstanding. I think this may be their best book yet, and definitely one of the best thrillers I have read in quite some time. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen deliver well developed characters and a fantastic story that comes with an unexpected twist at the end. Shay Miller witnesses a woman commit suicide in a subway station, and then suffers from PTSD and can't stop thinking about what she witnessed that day. This story provides intriguing, fast paced reading, of a book you won't want to put down. Highly recommended!

One of the best page turners I have read in a long time. I don't often devour a book in one sitting, but the characters in this masterpiece hold a vice like grip on the reader as well as each other. A must read for anyone that likes a great thriller, page turner, knuckle biter, great binge read.

You are not alone! Amazing! Intense! Intriguing! A real page turner! A definite must read! I give this book 5 well deserved stars and a strong recommendation!