Member Reviews

My inner dialogue as I read A Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen book go something like “Oh, Oh No, No... NO!” I have loved this writing duo since a close friend said I had to read The Wife Between Us. Their latest book, You Are Not Alone, does not disappoint. It has all the psychological twists and turns that make you need to talk to a friend about what you just read. After witnessing a suicide in the New York Subway, Shay Miller takes stock of her life. A dead end job, no romantic interests (that are reciprocated) and no close friends she wonders if her life parallels the poor woman Amanda Evinger. As her thoughts about the dead woman become obsessive she finds more ways their lives intersect, or they seem to... what really happened to Amanda? I really must have all of my book friends read this book and discuss! Lol. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

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Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Pub date: March 3, 2020
Shay is living in New York with her best friend, who she is secretly in love with, who just told her he has found the love of his life (and it’s not her). She is also estranged from her mother and has few friends, and with a temporary job filling in the gaps, she feels untethered. Until she meets the Moore sisters. Cassandra and Jane are everything Shay isn’t; classy, beautiful, successful and brilliant. So why would they want to befriend Shay? As Shay continues to spend time with the Moore sisters, she begins to realize first-hand their influence; she cements a deal on a wonderful apartment in New York, she secures a permanent job and she even has started dating. But soon she starts to question the Moore sisters’ real intentions—why exactly did they choose Shay? What do they want from her?
“You Are Not Alone” is the newest novel from author duo Sarah Pekannen and Greer Hendricks, and I’m sorry to say, it isn’t their best.
Shay is desperately lonely and clings to the Moore sisters like a life raft- desperate for anything to save her from drowning. However, once the twist occurs, Shay becomes a completely different character; one who is brave, resilient and self-reliant (and much more likable!). There are other characters in the little circle of friends that are mentioned but are really not relevant, as they serve no purpose to the story or the plot. Without giving away spoilers, I wonder what happened to Daphne? Was she purposely set up with James or did that just happen by random accident? A lot of the extraneous characters end up this way- they are mentioned at the beginning and a plot point is started, and then dropped. But what’s worse about it is that the reader doesn’t even realize they’ve disappeared, because they are so irrelevant to the storyline.
Although the plot was intriguing enough for me to want to continue reading, the plot twist has been done in a million books and soap operas before (although I did not predict the ending, so it gets bonus points for its surprise factor, even though it loses in creativity).
Overall, I expected more from this writing duo but “You Are Not Alone” has some entertaining plot points that will keep you reading, and (eventually) Shay becomes a character you want to root for.

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Greer and sarah once again do not disappoint! Fast paced, always keeping you guessing and that crazy twist is what makes their books some f my favorites to recommend to my customers and fellow booksellers!

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If you ever find yourself thinking, hmm... I would love to be included in that group of girlfriends, they look lovely and we would have great times together, just read this book and then you'll realize you're much better off by yourself. Or maybe you'll just learn the lesson in the phrase, let sleeping dogs lie. That's about all I can say without giving away anything.

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Greer Hendricks is solidifying her spit in my favorite author roster more and more with every book of hers I read! This one was suspenseful, mysterious, engaging... all the good thriller words... also relatable to a 30 something woman. Keep me coming please!

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Shay Miller has no job, no apartment and no love interest. She is interested in data. She witnesses a young woman's suicide by throwing herself in front of a subway train. Shay is afraid that she may end up just like Amanda Evinger. She joins forces with Amanda's friends, Cassandra and Jane Moore, who seem to have their life together. She soon finds her life getting better and better but at what price?
This book immediately grabbed a hold of me and did not let go until the very surprise ending. I found the characters well-developed and very interesting. The plot was fast-paced with lots of twists that kept me glued. I have read the authors' other two books but this one is so amazing. I loved Shay's data at the beginning of the chapters and I do believe this was her saving factor. I can't wait to read their next book and I highly recommend this book, if you are a fan of psychological thrillers.This was my last 2019 read and I would have to say it is my best read of the year. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a free copy for an honest review.

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I started reading this book late one night, read until 2:00 a.m., slept with my Kindle, reached for my Kindle as soon as I woke up. I even missed my morning swim as I could not wait to finish to find out what happened.

The story depicts how a traumatic experience, coupled with loneliness and a desire for friendship can cause a rational, smart individual to lower their guard and be easily manipulated. The story flips between the past and present, with numerous plot twists.

It was a gripping read and at times I wanted to scream at Shay. I was happy when she finally started to figure what was going on and begin to take action. I will not go into additional description to prevent spoilers.

This is the first book I am reading from the authors but it will not be my last. Highly recommend!

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I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I loved a good thriller and You Are Not Alone did not disappoint. I enjoyed the characters, the storyline and the plot twist. I read this book in two days because I just couldn’t put it down. These authors are not new to me and I will continue to seek out their books as I have loved them all. Add this to your TBR, you will not be disappointed..

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This was a fast paced story where the reader knows what is going on long before the protagonist figures it out. It centers on Shay, a lonely woman in NYC who happens to be in a subway station when the person next to her on the platform jumps to her death. Shay has trouble dealing with this, and ends up meeting the dead woman's friends at the memorial service. Jane and Cassandra Moore are sisters and they pull Shay into their orbit, when she finally feels wanted and included, but is getting overly involved in the life of the girl who died on the subway platform.

I spent much of the book going back and forth between being frustrated by Shay and feeling sorry for her. I found her to be awfully gullible, though she did start figuring out the things that don't seem right that the reader already knew. I did like the references to the data/statistics throughout the book, and thought that was an interesting addition. I spent much of the book thinking that the Moore sisters were taking things a little too far for what they were ultimately trying to do, but as I got closer to the end of the book realized the stakes were much higher than I initially thought.

I'd recommend this book to those who like the psychological thriller genre- it does not disappoint! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Hendricks & Pekkanen are amazing together. I'm actually not a huge thriller/mystery genre fan, but I really enjoy their writing! However, their books are super tough to review - so much of the enjoyment comes from not knowing anything about the book or where it might go. So I will keep this as a super vague review. Suffice it to say there are plenty of twists, plenty of "what just happened?" and plenty of "whoa, I did not see that coming." I had a lot of emotions surrounding Shay's character - mostly I felt sorry for her. But I loved how she rallied and turned things around. The data and statistics were an interesting piece to the book.

I can't really say any more without giving too much away. Again, this is a book that needs to be read without knowing anything at all about the book. If you've read other books by these two authors, you won't be disappointed by this one either!

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This book is impossible to review without giving spoilers. Suffice it to say, it is unique and creative, with plenty of twiest that keep you turning the pages until the very end. If you are a fan of psychological fiction like Gone Girl, or The Lying Game, and if you enjoyed prior books by these dynamic authors, pick up this title.

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It was an absolute thrill to receive an ARC of You Are Not Alone, the upcoming novel from Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. These authors are masterful at crafting gripping thrillers that will keep you guessing until the very end. The novel follows Shay Miller who finds herself at an impasse in all aspects of her life. She has recently been laid off from her job, she is secretly in love with her roommate Sean who is now in a serious relationship, and she is craving the connection and companionship of friends. Right from the beginning this novel moves into the rising action with Shay witnessing the death of a young woman. Shay soon finds herself in the orbit of the glittering Moore sisters and their friends. It quickly becomes clear to the reader that Shay is part of the sisters' tangled web, but will Shay realize the danger before it's too late? Each chapter alternates perspectives to give you all the juicy points of view as the story comes together for a gripping conclusion. If you loved The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl then you will be enthralled once again with the twists Hendricks and Pekkanen have packed into You Are Not Alone. Look for this one March 3, 2020. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advance copy of this fantastic book!

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I have read the other books by this awesome author duo so I was honored to receive an advance copy of their new novel. Once again, they did not disappoint. Shay Miller, the main character, is pretty much alone. She has recently lost her job and lives with her male roommate who, although he has a girlfriend, is her secret crush. She is a numbers person who obsesses over statistics. When she witnesses a young woman jump to her death in front of a subway train, she feels compelled to find out why she jumped.

In the course of her "investigation" she meets Cassandra and Jane Moore, two sisters who were close friends of the deceased woman, Amanda Evinger. The sisters are glamorous and wealthy and seem to accept Shay into their lives. She feels accepted by them and let them take over control of her life.

Of course there are other agendas at work in the novel as well as twists and turns. I had a hard time putting the book down, it really held my interest. Shay is an interesting character and though I was annoyed with her for most of the book, it did keep me reading.

I highly recommend this book.

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New Yorker, Shay, has always been obsessed with statistics and she's made them her career. Having lost her last full time job due to harassment, and her live-in boyfriend because he found someone else, Shay is now living with a male friend and working as a temp, while she looks for a new full time job. Shay is lonely and feels like a third wheel, as her roommate and his girlfriend clearly need more alone time, in their tiny apartment. Then Shay watches a woman commit suicide by jumping in front of a speeding train. Shay is horrified and also transfixed by this event and the life of this woman, who looked so kind, like she could be a friend to Shay. If only Shay could have reached out sooner, shouted out sooner, maybe she could have saved this desperate woman.

In Shay's obsessive search for more information (data!) about this woman, she comes into contact with this woman's tight group of six friends. Shay would love to have friends like these women and once the ringleaders of the group meet and embrace Shay, for the first time she feels like she could belong. Good things start happening for Shay, after meeting sisters, Cassandra and Jane, and Shay begins feeling confident and strong, with their embrace of friendship.

For me, this group of women was where the books gets way too bogged down and confusing. There is a lot time spent on the backgrounds of the women and their present activities but really, the only women I could truly keep straight in my mind, were Cassandra and Jane. After I was too far in the book, I was wishing I had been keeping a book of data (just like Shay), from the beginning, because I felt swamped under useless and too much information.

By the end of this book, what I wished for was that we could have seen this story from the perspective of Shay and the two, barely seen, woman police officers. I know that might make this more a police procedural than what the story actually was but I would have liked to have been in the heads of these two police women rather than seeing this story from the perspective of Cassandra, Jane, and the other women. I just felt so confused when usually I'm pretty good at keeping a story straight.

What I did like was Shay and her story, her love of statistics, her attempt to keep her head above water when life was going so wrong. And I also loved the use of statistics at the beginning of many chapters, relating to things in the book. Those stats put us in the mind of data obsessed Shay and were a great way to help me feel like I knew her.

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

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I've read the other two books written by these authors and was excited to get the chance to read this one early too. This was a solid thriller and I'll continue reading their books.

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I loved this !!!! Raced through it and can't wait for the next one from these authors !! The Moore sisters are glamourous , popular and successful , when they take Shay under there wing she is so grateful for their friendship she overlooks the fact that there could be a reason behind this . Eventually she does cotton on as the sisters dark side and agenda comes to light . I loved it when Shay took back control and went on the offensive . Great twist another 5 star read from me !!

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I was approved to read this a few days before Christmas. And a very Merry Christmas it was. Every so often you come across an author, or in this case two, that makes you go crazy waiting for their next book. I felt this way after dying to read the next book after loving and adoring The Wife Between Us. I was honestly trying not to get my hopes up with this one because we are now on the third book by the dynamic duo, and it can go either way.

Honestly, You Are Not Alone was my last fiction read for 2019 and I am so glad to end on a good...no GREAT note! This might be one of my favorites because the tension was so insane I didn't know what to feel or who to suspect.

Go into this book blind as a bat. Don't read tons of reviews (except this one) or anything like that. For a quick synopsis.....

Girl wants to be like a pair of sisters. Sisters want girl. The end. Don't read anything else that might spoil the soon to be hit of 2020!

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Having read The Wife Between Us and Anonymous Girl, by the same authors, I knew that I would also like their newest book. This is a story about Shay. Shay is a girl that seems to have nothing going for her. She is a loner and doesn’t quite like being that way. One misfortune day, Shay witnesses a girl commit suicide by jumping on the tracks of the NYC subway. She is distraught and finds herself at the girl’s memorial. From that day forward, her life isn’t quite so lonely anymore. There she meets the suicidal girl’s friends who are almost the exact opposite of Shay. She is drawn to them and keeps on finding herself in more and more situations with them. Is it a coincidence, is Shay pursuing them, or is something else going on? I feel like I can’t say anymore without giving away the best parts of the book so this is where I am going to stop. This book has so many twists and turns it will keep you guessing all the way through! You won’t be disappointed by the shocking ending!

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What a great book. Interesting and clever . The story builds on detailed facts and you can’t help but be intrigued. Characters are well formed and the storyline believable. Cheer for the underdog but hope the villains get their reward. A must read

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The dynamic duo is back! This writing team can sure deliver! This was another heart racing, on the edge of your seat ride from the authors. This is best as one to go into blind so skip the synopsis and just dive in. Set aside some time in your day because you’ll be hooked! I loved every minute, including the conclusion. The setting details are rich and enhance the story in a fabulous way. Thank you to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

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