I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of the story.

This book is a perfect combination of suspense & psychological thriller. It is filled with twists and unexpected turns.

Shay - one of the three main characters - is annoying but is instrumental in the plot moving forward.

The sister - I understood them much better than Shay.

There are a lot of characters which can lead you to forgetting some of the character connections but they are all interesting.

I recommend this book as a good weekend read.

Wow. I’m speechless , such a wild roller coaster ride. Such a great story.
Shay meets the Moore sisters and instantly wants to be one of them. Glamorous, successful, beautiful, flawless. Shay will kill to be like them!!
I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, this dynamic duo of authors are such masters of deception, lies and suspense! I enjoyed this book and I recommend it highly !

I really enjoyed An Anonymous Girl and The Wife Between Us, and this book did not disappoint. I was leaning towards three stars up until the last quarter of the book. If you enjoyed either of their other psychological/domestic thrillers you will enjoy this one as well.
Things that kept it from being a 5 star:
-The main character, Shay, was pretty annoying at times. I felt sorry for her sometimes, but others...
-There were a lot of ancillary characters in the "girl gang" who were introduced, given a back story on, and then never talked about again. It was hard to keep track of the group of friends at times and they didn't all seem vital to the plot line.

Things that kept it from being a 3-star:
-The twist at the end!!
-A suspenseful read with short chapters that you will fly through

Hello NetGalley! I was fortunate enough to receive a print copy of You Are Not Alone prior to receiving this DRC. I have already posted my review on Bookstagram, Goodreads, and my blog. Thanks for approving my request!

My Review

Seriously, wow, just wow! You Are Not Alone (YANA) by authors Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen is such a unique concept in the suspense & psychological thriller genre. To begin with, I thought I knew where it was going and then … I didn’t. Another notable thing about YANA is that it has a fairly large cast of characters. For me, this is usually a bad thing. If I have to pay too much attention to a large cast of main characters, I quickly lose interest and start to forget who is who. Not so in this instance. While there are three actual main characters, the secondary characters play a huge supporting role and are present in many of the chapters. One of the main characters and narrators, Shay, is an unsure and awkward 31 year-old-woman that is down on her luck. Living with her crush and his new girlfriend, she’s truly the third wheel. She’s a market researcher who is currently temping because she’s lost her job under suspicious allegations. If there’s one thing Shay knows, it’s statistics.

"Numbers never lie. Statistics, 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."

A tragic occurrence puts Shay in the path of the Moore sisters, Cassandra and Jane, beautiful and successful, and to Shay, they seem to have everything she’s missing in her life. With the boost of their friendship, Shay starts to become more of the woman she longs to be. Really great things start to happen for her and her luck seems to be changing. And this is where I’m going to leave it! To say anymore would be to spoil and I think this is a book that the reader should go into without any expectations. You Are Not Alone is a page-turner and was a constant guessing game for me. It’s a thrill ride with a maze of plot twists, a fantastic storyline and a dynamic ending.

A big thank you St. Martin’s Press, authors Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

This is a difficult review to write. Overall the book was a pleasant read with areas of suspense, but for the most part the plot took a while to advance and there were a lot of characters to keep straight. It also seemed that Shay was prone to make bad decisions or choose no course of action at all. I found myself wishing that she would have more of a backbone. Towards the end she seemed more in touch with reality, once she figured everything out.
I felt a little uncomfortable with all the stalking Shay did; it advanced the plot, but I kept thinking that there was no way she would have been able to get away with it in real life. I also was anticipating the police (or the sisters) would eventually catch up to her at the worst possible moment.
Multiple characters mean multiple POV’s. This changed with each chapter and at times it was difficult keeping everyone’s story straight, especially some of the more minor characters.
What I did like: The suspense kept building up until the end – the last 25% of the book was the best part. I could not guess the ending until almost the last pages; once I did, I was very glad things turned out the way they did. I enjoyed hating Jody, Shay’s roommate’s girlfriend. She definitely was someone to keep your eyes on and her despicableness did not disappoint.
I enjoyed the authors’ other books and will look forward to reading the next one. They are masters of the psychological twist and you can be sure each book will leave you thinking about the characters for a few days after you are done.

Hendricks and Pekkanen are clearly very talented and excel at this type of book. However, YOU ARE NOT ALONE was a slow start for me. I found Shay's sections to be a bit stilted and I had a hard time getting to know her. I was also a little bored or frustrated by the sisters during the beginning. However, the story does pick up and Shay becomes more relatable as the story goes on, even if I questioned some of her decisions.

Summary:

Shay is a lonely young lady stuck in a bad place in her life right now. She doesn’t have a full time job. Her roommate’s girlfriend is planning to move into their apartment. She is a lost soul in the middle of New York City.

Shay ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and sees another woman who is a similar age to Shay jump in front of a subway. Shay becomes obsessive about finding out more about the deceased young woman.

When attending the funeral, Shay meets the mysterious Moore sisters, and her life will never be the same again.

My Thoughts:

Somehow Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have an art for writing entrancing thrillers. I loved The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl and this book will also be another hot book when it comes out this spring.

It took me 3 nights to finish this book. It is a quick read that will keep you guessing what is going on with these crazy Moore sisters!!!

I highly recommend this thriller!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the advanced reader’s copy! I devoured it!!

Available March 3, 2020



https://hockeysticksgripsandtrips.com/2020/01/14/book-review-you-are-not-alone-by-greer-hendricks-and-sarah-pekkanen/

You Are Not Alone runs out of the gate with a suicide witnessed by Shay, a lonely woman struggling professionally and romantically, who can’t seem to shake off the memories. Shay attends the memorial and there, she encounters Cassandra, Jane, and a group of the deceased Amanda’s friends. As they unexpectedly befriend Shay and start elevating her stifling and lonely live into something more, something more sinister rises to the surface in the well of their intentions.

This is a difficult story to discuss without giving away the plot, but I felt the story was told well in the third person, but Shay’s first person narratives felt stilted and awkward. The characters lacked depth, and the plot twist at the end wasn’t that profound or brow raising. Predictable to a large extent, but I’d say it’s still a respectable enough thriller.

Spellbinding. Gripping. Shocking. Just a few words I’d use to describe this book. I loved reading it being twisted and turned along with the main character and finding out the facts as she did. I read this book within 24 hours as it was so gripping.

This was a really good book! I read another one by this duo and it was fantastic. This one was almost as good. I don’t want to tell you very much and spoil the book. Shay Miller wants to find love, have a great job and find good friends. Right now, she is very lonely. Then she meets the Moore sisters, Cassandra and Jane. They have the life she wants. But.
As with their other books “The wife Between Us” something is going, on. I thought the writing was every good and the story unfolded in an interesting way.
I recommend this book highly. Thank you, Net Galley. I voluntarily reviewed this advanced copy.

This was a compelling read. It started off kind of slow to build up the large cast of characters, but it did end up tying everything together nicely in the end. Very dramatic and interesting. I liked the main character Shay, I could relate to her and thought she was fairly unique for a main character. I think general fans of psychological suspense genre will enjoy this book and it will be a popular one. I enjoyed it.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for this ARC version of #YouAreNotAlone by #GreerHendricks and #SarahPekkanen to read and review.

If I could give this book 10 stars I would! Excellent! It is rare to read something that I cannot figure out the ending until the actual ending! I found myself thinking about the book and trying to figure it out while working, driving, cooking, etc. and couldn't wait to get back to reading it. The book has numerous characters, but I kept them all straight and felt the character development was good. I liked the first two books by these authors, but this one is definitely my favorite! I will be recommending it to all my reading friends as well as patrons at my library. LOVED it!

⭐⭐⭐💫

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen an interesting suspense/mystery. Shay finds herself on a subway platform where she witnesses a suicide. She has just lost her job and is feeling very alone. As she finds out more about the woman who died she feels welcomed into her group of close friends. The deeper into the friendships she gets the more her life seems to turn around. Has her luck turned around? Are they really her friends? Little suspicions start to creep into her mind. Who are the sisters, Jane and Cassandra?

The story is told in a dual timeline and told by numerous characters. At times I felt there were too many POVs. This was an enjoyable read but I struggled with liking the main character for much of the book. Shay was more likable as the story progressed.

This is my third book by these authors and I look forward to reading their next collaboration. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

***I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

General Fiction (Adult)
Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: March 3, 2020

This was a twisted, intricate thriller. As in their previous novels, the authors do a great job at making the plot mysterious and ominous, and unlike in other books I've recently read the main character, Shay, is smarter and less gullible than what her counterparts, the Moore sisters, first assumed. To quote this very book, “Something was looming; about to pounce.” And it's very blurry at first, a bit too slow too—though I understand the intention. A good thriller overall.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This author duo never disappoints, and I'm glad for that, but also a bit spoiled. Once I see their names, it's an automatic read for me, before I even know the story. They claim it's one of the most anticipated books of 2020 and they are most certainly not wrong. Highly recommend.

This is a first class psychological thriller! I read the previous two books by these authors which were also 5 star reads. I do not want to give away too much information here which might spoil the read for you, but will try to give enough to make it a ‘must-read’. Shay is sharing an apartment with her good friend Sean and secretly she wants to be more than a friend. But Sean has a girlfriend now. Her job is going nowhere and her boss sounds like a creep. Cassandra and Jane are sisters, the Moore sisters and have a glamorous life, solid friends, so what do they want with Shay? You must read this to find out. This is a chilling and fast moving thriller!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This suspense thriller has Shay being welcomed into a new group of friend with women who seem very admirable. All is not as it appears however, and Shay will soon come to see that life, even though she wasn't satisfied with hers, is about to get much worse.

Lies, deceit, murder, betrayal, this book has it all. Shay has witnessed a suicide and becomes entwined in the woman's life. Cassandra and Jane have it all, beauty, brains and charm, but who are they really? Shay is about to find out that all is not as it seems. This book is filled with tension. I was immersed in the pages. The characters are edgy and complex. I was literally holding my breath at the ending. The tension is palpable! One of the best psychological suspense books that I have read! These authors really know how to weave a story that draws you in from the very beginning and takes you on a mesmerizing ride. I could feel the fear and confusion. I was there! I highly recommend this book! Great suspense! Awesome writing! Don't miss this one!
1 like

Another fantastic edge-of-your seat thriller by Hendricks and Pekkanen!

I could not put this down! I won't give too much of the story away here, but if you love Girl on the Train, you will love this one. The only issue for me was there was a little too much going on with other members of The Group, to which The Moore sisters formed. With so many people and stories going on, I got a little confused at times.

That being the case, this was a great read and I cannot wait for this writing duo's next adventure!

I was SO excited to get this book as I have loved both of Hendricks and Pekkanen's other books. This one did not disappoint. I did take me about 30% to get really into the book, but once I got there, I couldn't put it down. Better than The Wife Between us and just slightly fell short of An Anonymous Girl.