Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I found out I was wrong. To be honest, some of this book was predictable... but others parts were not and there were some characters that were unnecessary as well. But, it was decent and it kept me wanting more.

I started this one a few times and I was just not interested in finishing it. Just not the right book for me at the time I tried to read it.

A crime thriller centered on two women who are determined to take matters into their own hands for justice.

One of the women is Claire Fontaine, a private French tutor, damaged from a bad marriage that resulted in the death of her daughter. She’s certain that her second husband, Simon, was sexually attracted to her young daughter and caused the accident that claimed her life. When she hears that Simon intends to marry another woman who also has a young daughter, Claire is terrified that he will do it again. She tries to warn the future wife but she is spurned, not believed.

Simon claims that Claire is just neurotic and crazy and hires an ex cop fixer, Sloan Wilson, to stop Claire from ruining his upcoming nuptials. Sloan gets close to Claire and tries to make Simon’s problem go away.

But something happens and the truth comes out.

Told in the alternate voices of Claire and Sloan, the narrative is interesting as each woman comes to her own conclusion of what must be done. Plans are set in motion, and though the outcome is a bit predictable, the story was entertaining and the characters relatable. It was a fast read and I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scarlet/Penzler Publishers for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This was my first read by this author. The book immediately hooks the reader and the plot continues to pick up until you cannot put the book down. Absolutely captivating. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 !!!!!!!
Book: An Inconvenient Woman
Available NOW -Release Date: September 1, 2020
Author: Stephanie Buelens
Genre: Thrillers, Mystery, Suspense

An Inconvenient Woman had a lot of things that I really like in my thrillers. Multiple narrators, confusing but able to follow plot lines, things that are not what they seem, and a good reveal- no matter how big or small. This book isn’t packed with in-your-face thrills but has just enough suspense and mystery to keep you engaged.

Claire is a woman who comes off as mystified, crazy, and possibly jilted ex-wife. She is suffering from the death of her teenage daughter and has a lot of guilt from it. She is going out of her mind trying to take down her ex-husband who she says killed her daughter. In comes, Sloan-think Olivia Pope, nonpolitical, to help out one of the exes. What is her angle? She has so much baggage that I was unsure if she could do a good job. The last few pages are what I would call such page turners, literally (because they are literally one page per narrator) but also figuratively as the story comes to such a great close. I think this is Buelens’s debut book and I hope it is not her last because I can’t wait to see what she has in store.

Thank you to @NetGalley @PenzlerPublishers and @StephanieBuelensWriter for an advanced copy of @AnInconvenientWoman.

#AnInconvenientWoman #StephanieBuelens #PenzlerPublishers #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #thriller #mystery #suspense #bookreviewer

I would not recommend this book to be in a classroom at all, not because it was poorly written, but I just am not sure it fits in a high school classroom library well.

While I enjoyed the book, I didn't love it. It took me awhile to even get into the book, which was disappointing after seeing the reviews/etc. I will try another book that gets published by the author though.

I didn’t know what to believe through much of this, and that always keeps me moving quickly through a book. Sloan came on quiet and was actually a great character.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

An Inconvenient Woman
By: Stephanie Buelens
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

An Inconvenient Woman is my favorite style of thriller . . . A dual POV! One woman is Claire. Claire is a freelance French teacher who is haunted by the death of her teenage daughter, Melody. She is convinced her ex-husband Simon is to blame and now that he is set to marry another woman with a young daughter, she feels desperate to warn them. The other woman is Sloan. Sloan is the daughter of a cop and former LAPD herself. She left the force and now works as a “fixer” or what she calls a “sin eater”.
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I’m going to keep this review short because it’s difficult to go into any further details without giving away spoilers. If I could use one word to describe this book it would be ‘paranoia’. This book relies on the concept of an unreliable narrator making you wonder how much is real and how much is in their head.
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This book reminds me of Girl on the Train with the paranoia and The New Husband with the bad decision making! So, if you like those books, you’ll love this one! I’m going with 3.75 stars for this one. I enjoyed it and read it in one sitting, but I’m not sure I will remember it.
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Thank you to @penzlerpub (@scarletsuspense) for this eARC via @netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion!
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#aninconvenientwoman #netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my ARC of An Inconvenient Woman. I enjoyed reading this psychological thriller. It slowly takes you in and captures your attention. About a third of the way in I was hooked and couldn't put it down. I did find the twist somewhat predictable but I still enjoyed the read. This is a great book and I recommend to any who may enjoy reading thrillers and suspense!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review. An Inconvenient Woman comes out September 1st, 2020.

FYI - This book should come with a Trigger Warning for scenes of sexual themes involving a minor(s). Keep this in mind when reading reviews or picking up the book.

"Oh, Snapped"

An Inconvenient Woman is a thriller told with the usual formatting of non-police procedural driven storylines; an unreliable narrator and two seemingly unrelated cases that merge toward the final act. However, Buelens takes this formula and elevates it to tottering heights - an unreliable narrator with a shaky past, unsympathetic characters, an abundance of melodrama, and a plot that tracks like a Lifetime movie or an episode of Snapped. I don't mean for these things to be complimentary, and it's also something that the author seems to be aware of and pokes fun of in the narration - the main character relates and compares herself to the women of the "Femme Fatale Network" shows she watches.

An Inconvenient Woman is a story about the dissolution of a marriage and the ingrained suffering of the ex-wife, Claire Fontaine. When we meet Claire, she is paranoid and struggling to assert control over the fallout from her divorce from Simon Miller, her second husband and a member of the L.A. elite, from five years earlier. It is revealed that Claire has recently been in contact with Simon and threatening to blow up his pending marriage to a woman named Charlotte.

Allow me to go full Gossip Girl for a second to relay how the following characters discussed are related and give you a general idea of the plot.

Claire was married to a man named Max, who later died of cancer. Claire and Max had a daughter named Melody. Claire remarries Simon. Melody, now a teenager, tells her mother that Simon has molested her. Melody drowns in a boating accident soon after she tells Claire and Claire confronts Simon. It is worth pointing out that when Melody tells Claire about her assault, Claire does not believe her despite having seen evidence to the contrary that is revealed in more reader flashbacks. Simon proceeds to gaslight and control Claire inevitably ending their marriage which we are told was toxic from the start.

Simon is about to marry a woman named Charlotte who has a daughter - Emma. Emma is the same age that Melody was. Claire is worried that Simon will do to Emma what he did to Melody. Claire is determined to STOP THE WEDDING. Simon hires a woman named Sloan to "take care of Claire" and ensure that she doesn't interfere with his matrimonial plans.

Sloan is a retired L.A. cop who now works as a "sin eater' cleaning up other people's messes. Her father, also on the force, wanted to be commissioner until her mother accused him of being corrupt. Sloan hates the memory of her mother, who died soon after these accusations were made public, because she believes it ruined her father's career. Sloan adores her father and puts him on a pedestal. Sloan also has a real problem with believing, or even liking, other women.

What unfolds is a story of egregiously trite situations in overblown proportions. The characters, especially Claire, are elitist and the tone of the book - how Claire looks at other characters - is slightly derogatory. I imagine that fans of Big Little Lies will enjoy this one. If you're looking for a good revenge thriller with a strong female lead - this probably isn't your book.

However, and this is HUGE...the ending is AMAZING and very satisfying. Truly. The book just plods forever to get there.

I think Buelens would have done well to allow her characters to have personalities outside of their trauma. They felt reactionary to situations rather than the focus. An Inconvenient Woman is a great idea, but is poorly executed.

Imagine living for years with the pain of loosing your daughter, and not only just that, but also seeing that your ex is getting remarried to a single mother, and that child is the same age that your daughter was when you got married with that exact man! My goodness!!!! That was one very long sentence, lol. Anyway, Claire had it bad, her daughter had died on what appears, on paper, an accidental drowning, but she feels that her Ex Simon played a part in her death.

I am going to be totally honest, I thought it was going to be one of those very quick reads, but this book started so great and fast, and then it got slow, and it stayed that way, because there is so much going on, and I am here thinking “how is this relatable to what’s going on right now?” Claire is the mad woman, trying to prove to the world that Simon is a molester, especially to his new fiancé and daughter. She does come out as crazy but what Simon does next changes the whole game.

Sloan is a “Sin Eater,” Simon hires her to keep eyes on Claire, and to keep her away. I feel Simon is trying to hide something, but being that this assignment triggered something from her own childhood, she decided to take it, and manipulate Claire on being her friend so she can end it all, and get her payment from Simon. But when she finds out that Simon has not been very truthful, everything changed for Sloan and Claire, and those involved.

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A solid 3.5 and an author I will watch!

An Inconvenient Woman had its good parts. I liked the dual narration and the idea of the two women on different sides of an investigation. The story also had a lot going on and felt a little scattered to me. I think the story would have had more impact if it had focused more on the two woman and their relationship to Simon Miller rather than trying to pack in so much - Claire's history with her father, her husband's death, her daughter's death, her obsession with her ex-husband, her stalker, etc. etc. For me it was a bit too much.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read an Inconvenient Woman by Stephanie Buelens. An Inconvenient Woman had a great plot (and twist!), unique characters, and definitely worth the read. Claire is haunted by the death of her daughter and blames her ex-husband. She will stop at nothing to make sure her daughter's fate does not happen to anyone else. Meanwhile Sloan, a sin eater, is hired by Claire's ex-husband to make Claire go away as she is harassing his new fiance and stepdaughter. Lies and truths are uncovered and of course...a murder.

Fast paced and a short read, I devoured this in one night! After Claire’s daughter dies in a boating accident, many secrets start to unravel and the step-father is harassed by Claire without much evidence. The plot twists start once a former cop turned “sin eater” gets involved.

This book has some of the best villains I have read in a psychological thriller like this, absolutely vile people. This author is not afraid to go dark and ominous. You feel paranoid alongside Claire for most of the book. The whole time I found myself humming “Gaslighter, denier, doing anything to get your ass farther...” This isn’t just your run of the mill domestic thriller, I promise.

As far as this novel goes, the characterization of an inconvenient woman is one who tells the truth about a bad man.
Claire learns that her ex-husband is remarrying. Sure that he is the worst sort of criminal, she sets herself the task of stopping it by whatever means necessary. To get Claire off his back, the ex hires a retired cop turned “sin-eater” who specializes in handling delicate cases.
The attempt at revamping the sin eater fable is an odd choice and wasted opportunity in this book. Defined here as an individual who is akin to a fixer or cleaner of misdeeds. But the mark is missed symbolically speaking as there is no “taking on” of these sins, merely the intent to exact punishment for them.
The authors profusion of red herrings should offer suspense. Leaving the reader to ponder; what is the truth here? Who’s telling it? Who’s hiding it? But their volume, seemingly one on top of each other, obscures whatever aspirations the author may have had in flooding us with them. We are also taken on many tangential paths and left to puzzle out when, or if, they will somehow merge. I found that they did not.

Wow, I absolutely loved this book. It is one of the best thrillers I have read this year.

The book centers on Claire, who believes her ex-husband Simon killed her daughter. When she learns he is remarrying, she becomes certain he is going to do it again. So Claire begins trying to warn the new wife, and also apparently begins stalking her ex-husband.

Most people in Claire’s life think she’s gone a little nuts, and think it is clear her daughter’s death was an accident. Even her most patient friends are either fed up or concerned for her mental health.

Claire’s ex-husband Simon then hires Sloan, an ex-cop who is now a “sin eater” who makes problems (like stalkers) go away for influential people. As the mystery develops the reader is left to wonder whether Claire is really crazy, or whether her ex-husband truly is evil. Or is Claire? And what will Sloan do to Claire?

There are a lot of books out there on this topic of late (is she crazy, or is he gaslighting?) but this book is a cut above the rest. The introduction of Sloan as the sin-eater and antagonist is brilliant and makes this book very different from the usual ex-husband vs. wife story. I absolutely loved the character development in this book, and the plotting of the mystery was original and unexpected. The author’s writing style is emotive and involving. I finished this book in one sitting because it was so unputdownable. It was fast-paced and scary all the way through with just enough twists and surprises. It also has a perfect ending. Be forewarned, this book tackles some heavy issues, but it does it in a way that is both responsible and thrilling.

This was the perfect thriller - expertly plotted and beautifully written with a moral center, a great villain and tons of suspense. I can’t wait to read more from Stephanie Buelens. I’d also love to read more books about Sloan.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Stephanie Buelens and Scarlet Publishing for the ARC. One of the best books I’ve read this year.

Claire lives a lonely life, haunted by the fact that she didn’t believe her daughter when she accused Claire’s husband of child molestation. Sloan is hired by Claire’s husband to be a “fixer” and stop Claire before she ruins his chance of remarrying another woman with a young girl. Between the two women lies as uncovered, truths are faced and someone is going to end up dead.

This story takes you in and gradually increases plot speed until you are helpless to do anything but finish it. It allows you to completely escape from thoughts of the pandemic. The writing is very, very good. It goes quickly and you will be sorry when it ends.

Rating: 4 / 5

**Received ARC from Netgalley for honest review

This is one of those books where...the author got so close to making it perfect, but then a couple of things just louse it up. It's a classic case of "author panics on how to finish the book and thus makes several mistakes". However, it's not that bad, but it does merit my taking off one full star from an otherwise great read.

The plot is as about "desperate heroine bordering insanity who no one believes" as one can get, starting off with our protagonist, Claire, who is divorced from her second husband, Simon, and is now keeping tabs on him as he plans to remarry. The reason for this is that Simon did "something" to Claire's own daughter, and now Claire wants to save the daughter of Simon's newest fiancé. Unfortunately, she's seen as an insane, delusional woman by everyone, and therefore no one supports her against Simon. Enter into the plot our second protagonist, Sloane, who is hired by Simon to keep Claire away from him--but, we'll see where that goes.

This story is made up of the main plot, as mentioned above, and a couple side-plots focusing in on the different difficulties in the lives of both Claire and Sloane, as well as as some side characters. There's also several bigger issues at hand that get tackled in the story by the end, but to keep things spoiler-free, I won't mention what those are. What I can say though is that the unique voices of both Claire and Sloane are brought completely to light in their narratives, and that, along with the fast-pacing of everything, makes this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Ehhhhh..............until the last fifth or so, that is--i.e. the climax.

To sum up what's wrong with that, well...

1. It goes by ridiculously fast, and this is because...

2. the author has a lot of loose plot threads to tie up and for some reason she's rushing to get them all in there and done, solved easy peasy, which leads to...

3. the author skimping on some details and just assuming we'll fill in some of the blanks of what happens based on the minimal skims she's given us, which leads to

4. an overall unsatisfactory conclusion and feeling for the reader.

There's just a lot of good stuff in this story that's all cluttered in a clunky way at the end, just to sort of get it all done. Now, it's not often I say this (and, in fact, I don't think I've ever had to say this), but...I feel like this book could and SHOULD have been longer. In all honesty, if the author had taken some time to flesh out more of the details and give us more of an emotional connection and time to grasp everything she wanted to get resolved, then I really feel as though we could have had a better, more impactful story overall. Granted, the entire story in itself is rather fast-paced, and so perhaps it makes sense for the climax to be even more so, but...well, the whole point of a climax is to leave a big impact on the reader, right? Sometimes--as such would have been the case here, I think--that works better by going slower at the dramatic moments rather than faster. Just a thought of mine, but I really feel that it could have helped.

However, I still think that it's a worthwhile read overall, and that the writer has great potential in this genre. As her debut novel, I think she does a great job of getting started, and from here on in will hopefully only improve!

Recommended to anyone who likes mystery/suspense novels, AND good, strong heroines. Definitely worth checking out.

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An Inconveniet Woman follows two women, one convinced that her ex molested her daughter and another hired to keep the deranged woman in check. Neither of them expect what they’re about to uncover.

Wow. This book reads very dark and a little creepy. Our first protagonist, Claire, isn’t easy to like....which actually works very well for this book. I constantly questioned her character, her sanity, and her motives. I honestly never knew what to believe when it came to Claire.

And then there’s Sloane, a sin eater who is reconciled with her past and moving forward in the good name of her father. Sloane is the voice of reason of this book, but can you really trust all voices if reason?

I highly enjoyed this book. I think the tone fit well given the topic. I honestly didn’t know what to expect at the end, and I wasn’t disappointed. I do feel like the end was a bit more rushed, but that might just be because the rest of the book was a slow burn. Plus, I think the actions the characters took at the end fit well with their story and development.

Highly recommended for mystery/psychological thriller lovers!