Member Reviews

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...

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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

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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!

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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.

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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!

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Thanks to Netgalley for my copy. 4.5*

These two authors are fast becoming my favourite collaborators. This is a psychological novel exploring female relationships and the dynamics of different personalities. Their writing is polished and seamless and keeps my attention throughout. I think if this pair wrote a shopping list I would be enthralled.

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I really enjoyed this domestic thriller from the very first page! I was completely hooked. So many dark twists and turns. Human love, hate and emotion were the epicenter of this great book.
Characters were awesome and so easy to identify with!! Highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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I received an ARC of You Are Not Alone from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Shay Miller witnesses the suicide of a young woman on the subway and becomes swept into the lives of her friends at the funeral. They seem to take a keen interest in her, and so many good things start to happen to her. Not once does Shay stop to wonder why.

I always enjoy books by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen and this one did not disappoint. I found it to be a little slow at first, but it got much more exciting as the story progressed. I got a bit frustrated at Shay as she seemed to make one bad choice after another, but I guess there would not be a story if she only made good choices. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspenseful thrillers with female protagonists.

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wowwwwwww this is the thriller I’ve been looking for. This was wild, many twists and turns that I never saw coming. Greer and Sarah are truly masters.

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Hendricks and Pekkanen are known for their thrillers by now with this third book of theirs. You Are Not Alone keeps the reader guessing all the way through. My main issue with this book is the characters' motivation. Why are they making the choices that they make? I don't feel like the authors explained this well enough. For that reason, I found this story to be rather unbelievable, and this book didn't work for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

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Love the team of Hendricks and Pekkanen. I have read their other books and they are just great writers. This book was very good. I found myself thinking about it long after I had finished reading it. Highly recommend

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This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. The first page captured my attention with a mysterious suicide, and it only got better from there. I love when a book catches me off guard, and You Are Not Alone did just that.

I love it when a book keeps you interested the entire time. This book had many interesting characters, starting with Shay. I couldn’t help but shake my head the entire time as she got herself deeper and deeper into the drama. Cassandra and Jane intrigued me from the beginning- who doesn’t like a book about girls who have everything.

I really enjoyed the format of the book; I love it when books switch timelines and points of view! The best way to slowly reveal information is to change points of view throughout the book. Even though she made endlessly bad decisions, I couldn’t help but root for Shay. It was sad that everything that happened stemmed from loneliness, which is something I think a lot of readers can identify with.

The best part of the book was the last chapters. I hate rushed endings, but this one felt like a slow build that culminated in a surprising and plausible twist. Instead of throwing in something random, the authors perfectly tied the book together and explained any questions a reader might have.

I loved this book and would give it 5-stars for sure!

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What is this book about?
Shay, a math whiz, is in her 30’s when she is laid off from her job and her crush/roommate starts dating someone else. She has no friends and feels lonely. Things get worse for her when waits for the subway and sees a stranger jump from the platform and is killed instantly. She decides she wants to learn more about Amanda, the girl from the subway. She meets two women at the memorial, who are everything she wishes she could be.

Cassandra and Jane are sisters and they know why Amanda jumped to her death. Afraid she told Shay, they befriend Shay in attempt to find out what she knows. They are desperate to keep this secret and will go to any lengths to keep it quiet.

What did I think?
I am so sad because I wanted to love this book. I very much enjoyed these authors past novels and was excited to read this one. I was highly disappointed. There were so many characters to keep track of and not only did it switch points of view often but it also switched timelines. It was difficult to keep everything straight. This made this novel feel like it had no plot. None of the characters were likable either. So many characters were introduced but for some of them you had no clue how they met each other or how their friendship developed. So much of it was unbelievable e.g. at one point, when they were doing flash back, Amanda who was a nurse, steals some drugs for her friends Cassandra and Jane. I can’t think of any scenario where someone would do this for a friend. Especially for people they barely know. I spent a large majority of the book wishing I could finish so I could move onto something else. I will say, that I became more interested at around 70% when things started to pick up but then the ending felt rushed

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This book was so good!! I loved all of the characters and they way that the point of view bounced between the different girls. This book kept me up for hours at night and I just thought it was so good. Another success for Greer and Sarah!

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Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen need to take a bow. They have written 3 books together and each one has been a treat to read. This pair knows how to craft a twisted tale and keep you guessing till the end. The characters are so well developed that you can almost feel them jump off the pages of the book. Each one is unique and despite multiple characters the book is written in a way where you can keep track of each one easily. I can see this being a hit TV series like Big Little Lies! What I love about the writing style is how easily it opens your eyes to multi layered personalities. The authors they take you down dark twisted minds with finesse. I am impressed with their understanding of the human nature, its flaws, and their ability to use those to create a mesmerizing plot. This book gets you engaged from the start., My favorite quote from this book was the first line "Numbers never lie. Statistic, charts, percentages - they don't contain hidden agendas or shades of gray. They're pure and true. It isn't until people start meddling with them, spinning and shaping them, that they become dishonest." For this book, this was the perfect eloquent start!
The twists are deftly handled and completely unpredictable. I like how the book is divided in parts that make perfect sense. This is a "hard to put down" book so pick it up when you can ignore the world around you and be prepared for a thrilling ride.
Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with this ARC for my impartial review.

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Holy.... (you can insert explicative here)! I don't even know where to go or what to say about this book! Everything I can think of to say would possibly be a spoiler.

This book is all about misdirection and vindictiveness. There's really no other way to explain it. 

One minute, I thought Shay was off her rocker. The next minute I wanted to shake her and tell her to run. I was distrustful of every single character. I, myself, trusted no one... Even at times, Shay.

This book is written in pure Hendricks and Pekkanen fashion. Even if you weren't a fan of their previously co-written books, I think this one is the one for you. While I figured some things out and some things were a bit too over the top, this book was definitely worth the read. Some are saying it's their best one yet. I can't decide which of their books is my favorite, but this one is definitely a great book!

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