Easy read but enjoyable nonetheless. I finished the book in a day. This was my first book by this author and it won’t be my last. Early on I had my suspicions on who the villain was. The book was suspenseful but predictable as well.

I liked this one. It was enjoyable and a quick read, although the parade of horribles that befall the poor main character almost devolved into eye-rolling territory a couple of times... There were more red herrings than necessary, and in hindsight I should have figured out the villain of the piece WAY earlier than I did, but neither of those kept me from enjoying the story while I was in it. But the pervasive nature of the paranoia that underpins so much of the story meant these things worked in context. It was an engaging and relatively quick read and a great way to kill a handful of hours

I love books that are full of twists and suspects.

Faith and her husband, Liam, are in a car accident after her book signing. Faith is in the hospital, but Liam isn't. She's told that he wasn't in the car with her. But she knew he was. The police find out that he took out a chunk of money before the accident and his phone pinged by the airport the day after the accident. Faith couldn't believe that her perfect husband would just leave her. Things had been hard lately. An ex patient went on tv and told them that he and Faith were sexual when he was 17. The boy had delusions about relationships and sex, but Faith couldn't tell anyone what his diagnosis was. She can't figure out why he did it though. Faith has flashbacks in the book that try to explain different things, but she still can't figure it out. Would Liam have an affair? Why was his passport gone? Faith's ex came back to town when the book signing was going on. There were new people in her building that started to pay attention to her. A co worker of Liam's wanted his job. There were strange e-mails found on his work computer and his co worker said a woman was visiting there. Faith's parents, absent from her life, are likely mad about her book. Faith talked about the abuse she and her sister, Ellie, endured as children. Faith starts to question everyone and everything. She uses alcohol and pills to cope. As the story continues, Faith really starts to become paranoid. And then the threats start.

I had a few suspects throughout the book. There were some twists I didn't quite see coming. It was sad to see Faith fall apart, but it also made it feel real. Liam was her true love. They had plans for the rest of their lives. They were getting ready to travel again. She just couldn't believe that he would willingly leave, but she also couldn't explain everything. I enjoyed that the book took place in Chicago and the Chicagoland area. It's always nice to be able to picture the locations in a book.

I gave this book 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for me review copy.

This book is pretty dark. Warnings for drugs, alcohol addiction, prescription and recreational drug abuse, and physical abuse.

There was just something about Someone's Listening that attracted me straight away, and as soon as I read the blurb I knew I wanted to read this story. I think I was intrigued both by the description of the main character Faith and how her life suddenly fell apart... It sounded like a story filled with secrets, twists and that ominous feel and I thought the story and me would be a perfect fit. I'm definitely glad I decided to read Someone's Listening now, because it turned out to be a more than solid read.

The plot itself is really well done. Both the mystery around the disappearance of Faith's husband Liam, the mystery around her past, the things that happened in the previous months as well as her present situation will keep you on your toes the whole time. There are lots of different sub storylines to keep track of, and lots of suspects and possible truths too... I always like it when a psychological thriller is not transparent and instead leaves us with a puzzle and that hint of foreboding and urgency to solve the mystery before the story finally reveals its secrets. The multiple suspects, flashbacks and subplots give the story that multi-faceted feel and while I had a hunch about the truth early on, I never stopped doubting that hunch and therefore I didn't mind too much that I ended up being right.

The writing draws you straight in and I literally finished Someone's Listening in less than a day. The story incorporates difficult themes such as child and domestic abuse, drug addiction and alcoholism, but it was interesting to see these elements developed in the plot. The story will definitely have some twisted surprises for you in store as well! It was interesting to learn more about Faith's past as well as seeing the present storyline developed as plot twists and secrets are being revealed and that ominous feel is slowly transformed into real danger. The final reveals are also brilliantly handled!

As for the characters... I think this was probably my main issue with the book. Why? While I do think Faith is a fascinating character with her background and past, I really didn't like her. Sure, her alcohol and drugs problem can be related to recent events and grief, but I didn't like the constant focus on it and the whole counting to four (to calm herself) mentioned multiple times got old fast too. I didn't like the way she treated others and constantly complained about her life either... Sure, there is no denying that she had a difficult past and the things happening to her in the present are without doubt twisted, but I just couldn't find myself feeling sympathy for her and wasn't able to connect to her for the same reason. The other characters were not that easy to connect to either, but as the main focus is on Faith that didn't bother me particularly. That said, this was probably my only issue with an otherwise excellent story though.

Someone's Listening is an engaging, twisted and compelling psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes until the very last page. Recommended if you enjoy the genre and don't mind reading about an unlikeable but intriguing main character.

3 for neutral, unfortunately I could not get into this book! I will update if able to finish at a later date!

Seraphina Nova Glass has written a superb read with Someone's Listenng. Well worth the time and a true page turner!

I liked this thriller and thought it was mostly entertaining, but it also felt really slow at times. From 80-90% I was glued to the pages with wide eyes and a racing heart, but some of the other parts dragged. On the while would recommend if the blurb excites you, but not my favorite in the genre.

Super twisty plot! I enjoyed this book. It was the perfect sitting around quarantine read. If you aren't sure whether thrillers are for you this book would be a great title to try.

Thank you netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book for my honest review!

Someone’s Listening is a domestic thriller that follows a woman named Faith as she tries to expose the truth behind her husbands disappearance. She knows he was with her that night but nobody believes he’s been harmed. When Faith begins to receive threats in the mail, everyone becomes a potential suspect. What does she need to do to make people believe her?? Is she a reliable source or isn’t she?

I thought this was a pretty standard thriller. I think people will perceive this book in a few different ways. If you’re new to thrillers, this is the perfect one to jump into. It’s not too suspenseful, offers red herrings, and has a decent twist. If you read thrillers all the time like I do, this book isn’t anything too groundbreaking compared to many other domestic thrillers.

I had a hard time with the pacing of the first 40% of the book. There was a lot of background information presented in a slow manner but I still didn’t feel like that background was building much character depth. It took me several days to read the first half. However, once we hit about the 60% point, the story took off and I couldn’t quit reading until I finished in one sitting.

Overall, I definitely would recommend this book, especially for people who are new to thrillers or prefer a thriller that isn’t overly gruesome or intense. This ARC cams with a preview for this authors next book and I really look forward to reading more of her works!

Someone's Listening has some bright, shining moments...and some moments which were not-so-great. It's a solid 3.5 star read.

Let's start with the positive:

-The story was compelling. I was always excited to pick this one up and read.
-The red herrings were very well done. I 'kind of' thought I knew who the antagonist was, then changed my mind...finally realizing my first guest was right all along. Still, it's great that I was so conflicted...definitely red herrings done right.

As for the negatives...

-I wasn't a fan of Faith. In no way did she behave like a professional psychologist. She was sneaky, crass, a raging alcoholic pill-popper, and not at all likable. Although I'm sure many of her choices could be chalked up to grief, I was sick of her counting to four over and over again. She came across as a self-indulged, self-pitying egomaniac. It got old quickly.

Final thoughts:

-I recommend this book for the red herrings alone...they really were on point.

Pick up your own copy on July 28th!

**Huge thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for my review copy.

Someone's Listening is the genre I usually love to read, but this one did not work for me. The premise was intriguing but I had a tough time getting into it since I did not find Faith particularly likable. It went on unreasonably long, towards the end it did pick up, which I felt the entire book should have been thrilling.

I received a digital ARC of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts
Would i recommend it? Yes
Would i read more by this author? Yes
First i want to thank the publisher. As well as NetGalley for letting me read and review it as well as the invite .As soon as i read the synopsis of it i knew it was something i would pick up in a heart beat. And man was it ever, it literally makes you question even thing you think you know about the main character and the more you read the more you realize that you have no idea. It makes you second guess everything and i do mean everything.There was times i kept think ok maybe he did leave , or diD she some how make something happen to him.The more it played out, the more i wanted to know.Beause in this Twisty, dark, explosive story not ever thing is truth and lies , its a bit of both , but who can you trust .

Faith Finley had a good life. She is a psychologist, an author, and a radio show host. She is happy and secure in her relationship with her husband Liam. What could go wrong? Well, a professional scandal, an accident, the disappearance of her husband, threatening notes, and a bit of an alcohol problem.
Just in case I wasn't clear, a lot happened to Faith! The beginning of the story didn't grab my attention until the details of the scandal were revealed. From that point, I was hooked, trying to figure out if Faith was a victim or perpetrator. Did Liam discover that Faith had a dark side and just walk away from the life they shared? There were many ways I pictured this story going, but none of them were close to what transpired.
Faith was unsteady, unstable, and unsure, nothing like the flashbacks we saw of her when her life was on track. If she hasn't hit rock bottom yet, she is well on her way. I felt sorry for her and as the pages flew by, I become rather obsessed with her tale. I wish the world was in normal not pandemic mode since I would have taken this book to the beach and it would have been a wonderful way to spend the day.
Twisty doesn't begin to cover Someone's Listening. My first read by this author and as a bonus, there was an excerpt from her next book, The Seduction, which sounded amazing.

Dr. Faith Finley has provided an outlet for women escaping abusive situations. She has garnered fame and published a book based on her own experiences. Tragically, while leaving her book signing there is an accident that spirals her life out of control. With her husband missing, Faith is desperate to find out the truth of what happened that night, and more and more evidence seems to stack up against her.

Someone’s Listening is very hard to describe without giving too much away. There are so many small pieces to this puzzle that create multiple twists throughout the novel, I am finding it hard to create a synopsis that works. It is probably better to go into this book blind, and just dive in.

I really liked this book, the storyline left me guessing, unable to see the next twist coming. I especially liked how all avenues of Faith’s life were tied into the plot line, which added to the suspense. It was definitely a slow burn because there was a great deal of backstory that was necessary to the overall plot, however, it read quickly after you understand all the different pieces coming together.

Thank you to NetGalley, Seraphine Nova Glass, and Graydon House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sadly I didn't love this book as much as I wanted to. The premise was super intriguing but I didn't love the main character. I feel like the trope of an unreliable main character with a drinking & pill problem is overdone and I never love it.
I did love the the aspect of the main character being an abuse survivor and teaching others. I wished we would have more plot with the radio show, I would have loved to see that play out,

This is likely the most comforting mystery/thriller I'll ever read. The author doesn't keep you in suspense when her character is doing the stupid things, she just describes what's going on and moves on to the next thing. It's goddamn refreshing.

This is one of those great books where you don't know if the narrator knows the whole story. (Although, like with many of these types of books, I did think, "Maybe if you stopped drinking so much, you might get your act together.") This tells the tale Faith and her life after the car wreck where her husband went missing. She says he's missing, but no one else believes her. While she tries to solve his disappearance, she becomes involved with two different men who are either out to help her or kill her. Who is who? Really suspenseful read. Recommended.

I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but as soon as I saw the book, I was intrigued. Someone’s Listening by Seraphina Nova Glass is a captivating novel with lots of suspense. I think you will be totally invested in the story from the beginning pages right up until the very end.

Synopsis:

Faith Finley has it all: she’s a talented psychologist with a flourishing career, a bestselling author and the host of a popular local radio program, Someone’s Listening, with Dr. Faith Finley. She’s married to the perfect man, Liam Finley, a respected food critic.

Until the night everything goes horribly wrong, and Faith’s life is shattered forever. Liam is missing—gone without a trace—and the police are suspicious of everything Faith says. They either think she has something to hide, or that she’s lost her mind.

And then the notes begin to arrive. Notes that are ripped from Faith’s own book, the one that helps victims leave their abusers. Notes like “Lock your windows. Consider investing in a steel door.”

As the threats escalate, the mystery behind Liam’s disappearance intensifies. And Faith’s very life will depend on finding answers

This novel checks all the boxes for me: Interesting characters? CHECK. Intriguing plot? CHECK. Great writing? CHECK. Suspense throughout? CHECK. This thriller is one that you don’t want to miss. I look forward to what Seraphina writes next.

This will be published on July 28, get it here!

I have mixed feelings about this book.

At the outset of the story, Faith is involved in a scandal. Her neighbors avoid her. Her colleagues shun her. Liam, her husband--a seemingly perfect man--has disappeared, though the police dismiss her concerns about foul play. She worries that Liam believes the lies told about her.

But the story takes a long time to reveal what the scandal is. It's not until chapter 6 that we find out. I don't want to tell spoilers, but it is scandalous. It's easy to see why this might destroy a career, friendships, and a marriage.

But it's tedious wading through Faith's rather self-indulgent moping around, self-medicating with alcohol and prescription medication and reminiscing about her marriage with the missing Liam. Without knowing the nature of the scandal, it was hard to feel much sympathy for her. I really wanted to get to what the blurb promised: the threats ripped from her own self-help book.

Psychological suspense is hit-or-miss for me. When done well, it captivates me. But a lot of authors use overly vague language to keep us reading, words like "something" or "the event" or "what changed everything." It's deliberate, of course. I guess the idea is that by keeping "it" vague, we'll be curious to find out what "it" is. This works, to an extent.

But used extensively--as in the beginning of this book and others--it's too easy for me to become impatient. I feel like I'm being strung along by someone recounting a story in an agonizingly slow manner, someone who won't get to the point. I fear that when I do get to the point, that there won't be one because it's insubstantial or predictable.

The other big thing in quite a few suspense novels is a dual timeline: before "the event" and after "the event." Sometimes dual timelines work. Here, I really don't think it does, and the book is structurally weaker because of it.

I don't think it's a true dual timeline, actually, as the "before" chapters are from the point of view of Faith in the present time, rather than when they actually occur. They're actually flashbacks. But the alternating chapters are labelled "then" and "now", which makes it appear to be a dual timeline concept.

Much of this beginning section felt overly drawn out. It wasn't interesting to read about Faith coping by indulging in alcohol and medication. There's only so many hangovers that I can tolerate reading about. This fed into my impatience for the story to get to the point, dadgumit.

In Glass's defense, there is substance to the point and the story does speed up eventually.

First, we learn what the scandal is.

Second, when the "dual timelines" merge into one after Liam's disappearance, the story comes together and makes up for the bumpy beginning.

From that point forward, I enjoyed the novel.

Once Liam disappears, the suspense increases. Glass gives us multiple twists leading to the climax. Some are predictable for the avid readers of the genre; others are truly surprising. If I hadn't read the ending first and known the culprit, I don't think I would've guessed that person's identity. Nor would I have predicted the individual's motive. Though it's predictable that Faith's own advice will help free her from the menace, I didn't know how that final showdown between she/he and Faith would play out.

There are lots of interesting characters. Glass delves deep into the psyches of her characters to create some fascinating, troubled individuals. A troubled teenager, a hacking guru, a terrible baker/Etsy craftsperson, a lawyer ex-boyfriend: Glass creates memorable supporting characters. Each of them contributes to the rising tension building to the climax.

The resolution of the novel feels rushed, but it's still enjoyable. It's appropriate for this story. After the bumpy structure of the beginning, Glass nails the ending.

My favorite thing in this book . . .

I liked watching Faith's relationship with her sister Ellie, and how they navigate multiple crises together after their abusive childhood. Ellie is overcompensating for their lack of family by being the perfect wife and mother herself. Though Faith doesn't want children, she listens to her sister's endless stories of domestic trivia because both sisters know that Faith does not want to discuss her own situation. Ellie's stories are her way of helping her sister cope. But it also means that Faith doesn't discuss the threats with the one person she totally trusts. It's a really interesting dynamic. I can easily see this happening in many families between grown siblings.

While I don't think this book is a must-read, it will appeal to avid readers of psychological suspense. A solid 4 stars.

Note: this review will appear on my blog on July 20, 2020. Thanks to Netgalley and Graydon Books/Harlequin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book didn't grip me as much as I was hoping it would. It wasn't bad but for me it was a little bit predictable ! I still recommend this one and can't wait to read others reviews for it.
Thank you so much for this early copy of Someone's Listening.