This book was ok. It lost my attention a few times and there were points where I almost gave up. I liked the way the timeline went. I liked that Rachael told her own story in her own time, but lots of unnecessary details. The ending to me seemed forced, and the final twist didn’t make any sense. I’d try the author books again as the writing is good but this one wasn’t a winner for me.

The book starts off with our main character Rachel speaking to police in an interrogation room. The book then jumps back and forth between her in the room and her talking about what happened that day. Rachel is just your ordinary housewife however the more she looks at her life the more she realizes that she is just moving through the paces and she is invisible to everyone around her. Her daughter barley notices she exists her husband doesn't see anything that is happening to her and only says the simplest of statements to her and even people on the street no longer turn their heads as she walks by. Things take a turn for the worst however when Ingrid moves in next door. What I liked about this book was how the reader was kept in the dark and finding things out as they happened along with our main character. It made reading the book a nice change and it was almost like a movie in a sense. What I didn't like was even though the story was great in concept there was something about the way that it played out that just couldn't hold my interest. I liked all of the twists however I found the progression of the story to be VERY slow and I kept losing interest and having to put it down. Not my favourite book by this author by far however I did like the idea behind the story just not so much the layout of it.

This book had me from the start and I could empathize with Rachel so very much. Empathy is one of the many themes that are a part of this book and it covers so very much, so many real life feelings and issues that people deal with everyday. Rachel is in her 50s, had suffered from severe postpartum psychosis 20 years ago and now her family is worried about her again. She was institutionalized the first time and it's happened again, as Rachel confesses to several murders she kind of, but not quite, remembers committing. This time Rachel is suffering from extreme menopausal symptoms, debilitating hot flashes, spacing out so that she loses large chunks of time, feeling empathy for people so much that she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

I won't say much more because it's best to read her story, as she tells it to a forensic psychiatrist. A major factor in Rachel's life is that she feels invisible to everybody, like her life has passed her by, her body is no longer appealing enough for anyone to even notice that she exists, that her family takes her for granted so much that she is now just an automated cleaning/cooking service. But, as we read the book, we see that she isn't the only one who feels invisible and this feeling is so very strong and hurtful to all the people who feel that the world has forgotten them, doesn't care about them, passes them by.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC.

The story have a slow start but then it is because the main character is telling her story. I felt her emotions, and what she’s going through or been through. I can relate to her in so many ways, especially that feeling of you dont exists to many sometimes. Halfway through the book, all the actions and emotions started to unravel and I was so moved. I highly recommended this book,

I very much enjoyed reading this book.

When I first read the blurb, I was already intrigued and thankfully the story delivered! The characters are well written and the story itself is executed in great detail! Highly recommend!

This book started out a little slow for me, but it made sense with how Rachel was telling her story. It really picked up and I enjoyed all of the autopsies throughout.

As an average-looking 50-something female I could identify with Rachel.. It was an interesting story and made me think about the frustrations, and sometimes even anger, you feel when your needs aren't met and you feel as though everyone -even strangers -are looking through you.. We live in a world of vanity, I guess, and her actions/reactions made sense to me. Definitely recommend this book, it kept me wondering until the last page.


Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Surprise surprise, its another 5* read from S E Lynes.

Is there no end to this author's talent? Yet another completely different book from the author, but as you would come to expect, so very beautifully written. You can feel the emotion with every wonderfully satisfying written word.

Rachel was a a gorgeous character, and I think there is a bit of all of us in her. You couldn't help but love and empathise with her, whilst she is struggling in her life, by being of a 'certain age' and feeling invisible and ignored. Add to the mix, a backdrop of murders going on, all of which tie back to her, but which she has no recollection of at all, and you have one hell of a book, that you just can't put down. I'd like to say more, but don't want to inadvertently give any spoilers, so will leave it there.

But as usual, so very highly recommended.

Absolutely brilliant!! I've read too many thrillers recently that lost the plot halfway through, leaving me thinking, "Wait, is that it?", but not this one!

I've read a couple of other books earlier by SE Lynes and found them good, but I really loved this one. The writing is sharp, powerful, and real, and maybe, touched a chord somewhere.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

What a really interesting and unique book. Can You See Her? by S.E. Lynes is super compelling and full of twists and turns. At first, when Rachel states that she is invisible, I thought ‘oh no. This isn’t what I was expecting’. However, thankfully, she doesn’t mean invisible in the literal sense. Rachel’s son is off to university, her daughter’s slumming it in her gap year, and her husband hardly realises she even exists. During her ‘invisibility’, Rachel becomes obsessed with the rise of knife crimes happening across the country. She begins to collect files and newspaper clippings of these events to show them to her local MP. But does she take things too far? As Rachel begins to suffer these odd memory losses, she becomes convinced that she is responsible for these crimes.

The book is really effective because of the different perspectives. The main angle we see is Rachel’s point of view, retelling the story to her forensic psychiatrist. The other perspectives are segments of police interviews with her husband Mark, her daughter Katie, her best friend Lisa, and her new neighbour, Ingrid. I thought this was unique, and we begin to unravel Rachel’s mental state.

I love Rachel as a character, and can really sympathise with her. She’d do anything to feel wanted by her friends and family again, which I think is something a lot of women (and men) feel throughout their lives. The themes throughout this book, such as postpartum psychosis, were really relevant and important to discuss.

The first half of the book is slightly slower in pace, mainly because it sets the scene quite nicely, but I absolutely flew through the last chunk of the novel. The ending is really satisfying and full of twists and turns which I didn’t expect!

This was definitely a new type of psychological thriller for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! The ending particularly reminded me of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an early copy.

4 invisible stars

Rachel has grown to feel invisible. She’s aging and doesn’t turn heads like she used to, and her family takes her for granted. She’s suffering from quite a few symptoms of menopause. She’s also obsessed with local crime and each morning reads and prints out the latest stories to store in a file.

We then switch to a storyline where Rachel is telling her story to a forensic psychiatrist because she’s worried that she’s done some terrible things. We also get the transcripts of interviews with the police from those around Rachel. What has happened and is Rachel responsible for these crimes?

This psychological thriller kept me guessing! There were some gasp-worthy twists at the end and I quite enjoyed that!

This is my first read from this author, but she has quite a list of books. This one encourages me to read them in the quiet weeks ahead!

“IF NO ONE CAN SEE YOU, YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH MURDER”

When she was younger, heads would turn when she walked into a room.

Her husband adored her, and she had great relationships with her two children.

So, when did she become “invisible?”

Feeling like JUST a caretaker to her now unappreciative family, Rachel becomes obsessed with the rash of knife murders happening near her home.

She begins a scrapbook of sorts, with clippings of all of the Victims and Crimes. Perhaps, she can persuade the police do more about the crimes if
she builds a convincing case.

Or, perhaps, she should take matters into her own hands?

Rachel narrates some chapters and the rest of the story unfolds though a series of transcripts, as Amanda “blue eyes” Frost, a forensic psychiatrist, interviews Rachel...to try to uncover if Rachel is guilty of the latest neighborhood crimes.

AND, the police interview her husband, Mark...her daughter, Katie, her best friend, Lisa, and new neighbor, Ingrid, as they try to determine what is really going on!

This a dialogue driven novel, similar to “Our Little Secret”, by Ron Nay, in format, BUT with a unique story of its own.

I felt it could have been improved with some editing, as the first 50% pared down a bit, would’ve provided a quicker pace...but once you hit that mark, the revelations and twists come much quicker!

The ending was satisfying too!

My second book by S.E. Lynes and both were fantastic!

Thank you to the Author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the digital ARC provided in exchange for a candid review!

You won’t have to wait long for this one!
Releasing on Apr. 22, 2020!

Can You See Her
S.E.Lynes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book came at a wonderful time! I needed an escape from reality and this read was what I needed. I was hooked from the first page and was never disappointed ....... it’s a powerful story that will transport you to a time in your life that you will be able to relate to realistic situation.... life is hard, so many of us feel invisible and this story will grab your attention and keep you guessing. Without giving too much away this story will not disappoint it will leave you with very thought provoking feelings and is the perfect book to discuss at a book club! So happy I found this author and look forward to more engaging reads!!!
Thanks so much for an Advanced Readers’ copy from Bookouture via NetGalley I was delighted to read this book in lieu of an honest review!

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This is a psychological thriller. It covers many issues, menopause, psychosis, jealousy, revenge, murder, forgiveness.
Rachel is a middle aged woman. She's a wife a mother of two and a wife. She also works in a pub. As she's reached a certain age she has discovered the she is invisible. Invisible especially to her husband and grown daughter who has decided to take a year off before going to university.
No her family don't see her, but there are also others she is invisible to.
Then one day she is the center of attention. She has turned herself in for the knifing murders of several people. Sometimes feeling the blade pierce skin is so satisfying.
This is definitely a compelling work of authorship.
I thought I knew where the ending was going. I was wrong!
Superb read!

CAN YOU SEE HER? Is the story of Rachel, a middle-aged wife and mother who all of a sudden finds herself invisible to those around her. Nobody pays her any attention, and it’s almost like everyone looks through her and not at her. This convinces her that she must’ve wanted to take advantage of feeling invisible, pushing it all the way to a series of murders in her town. Is she really a killer? Or is there something even more sinister going on?

I have to admit this book didn’t get going for me until the 50% mark. I thought about skipping the rest and moving on, but author S.E. Lynes is a phenomenal writer whose previous work I’ve really enjoyed. I soldiered on, and I’m glad I did. If you can get past the slow beginning, you’ll find a mysterious story with a main character who is darkly funny and who you will really care about. You’ll also find emotional scenes that tie into the plot, and will finally feel the pace increase as everything comes to a head.

Thank you to S.E. Lynes, Bookouture, and NetGalley for an ARC.

Can You See Her? is the first novel by S.E. Lynes that I have read and it is outstanding! It had me hooked from the first page, and by the end, it had left me reeling, it’s not often that books have such a big impact on me. The writing is powerful and totally absorbing. You can definitely label me a big fan, and I’ll be catching up on her previous work!

What I thought was so clever is the how S.E. Lynes took us into the minds of her characters. This is a slow-burner, so if you’re looking for a fast-paced read then you won’t find it here, but what is done so well is the S.E. Lynes takes a close look at the psychological impact of a crime. This is what interests me the most and what I find all the more compelling in crime fiction novels. This book needs to be added to your TBR pile.

We first meet Rachel when she is sitting in a room with her psychologist. Most of the story takes place here as Rachel peers back into her past. Rachel is convinced that she has done something terrible, but we don’t know much more about it. It is only as her psychologist peels away the layers of the last few days do we get to see the big picture. As I delved further into Rachel’s mind, I wanted to understand what had happened, and how she came to be sitting in that room in the predicament that she now finds herself in. As more details were revealed, I could never be sure what the true story was. I had one idea forming in my mind as I got to know Rachel a little better, but I was completely surprised by S.E. Lynes final twist.

This book is also quite topical as S.E. Lynes tackles the topic of knife crime which has been hitting the headlines for the past few years.

What I thought also made this book really intriguing is that some chapters are written in the form of a police transcript, from when they have interviewed a suspect. In these sections, we get to see what people think about Rachel, and I began to form my own opinions of what had happened as I read these scenes. This is also what makes the pace of the book pick up.

I really connected with Rachel. I felt exasperated for her as it seemed that she was totally on her own. Even her own family seemed to be distancing themselves from her. You can see how much of an effect this is having on her, especially on her well-being; it was here that I began to wonder what really was going on in her own private world.

S.E. Lyne’s description is brilliant, as well. She painted the scenes in vivid detail, and I felt as though I was transported to that moment. She is a really talented writer.

I think the only way how I can sum up this review is that you need to read this book! I couldn’t stop turning those final pages as S.E. Lynes kept me glued to her words. Can You See Her is a heart-breaking and powerful read.

This was an incredible novel that drew me in and never let go. I felt emotionally invested in the characters’ lives and couldn’t stop reading.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Can You See Her.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it though this book. There were some really good reviews so I was excited to start but it just fell a little flat. 22% in and I just wasn’t excited to read. This is the second SE Lynes book I’ve had to put down so maybe her writing just isn’t my cup of tea!

I have read all of S E Lynes books which all have their uniqueness but equally as well written and addictive. I was hooked form the very start as we follow Rachel on her journey of story telling , loss of identity and remembering. I was sobbing by the end near to the end of the book and had to take a break before I could finish it. It resonated with me on so many levels. A heartbreakingly beautiful story.

I usually pick one quote that jumps out to me and sums up the book, but there were so many that touched me. I couldn't decide between these two, so picked them both!

"That's all any of us want, isn't it? To be seen, to be listened to with compassion and attention while we unload our troubled hearts"

"I'm thinking that hate is going to eat this world up if we're not careful. And what we need is love"

I found this book very slow and hard going. It struggled to keep my attention but I did enjoy the ending