I'll read every Shari Lepena book there is, but I am consistently disappointed by how unlikeable the characters are. The mystery is always worth enduring them, but this ending was a bit of a disappointment for me.

I and a huge fan Shari Lapena and I was super excited to get The End Of Her but sadly me and the book just didn’t click. It just fell a little flat for me.

The blurb for this one sounds right up my alley! Unfortunately I didn’t know that it was really centered around cheating. As that is a huge trigger for me I had to stop reading. I also found this one to be very repetitive.

If you’re a fan of suburban thrillers filled with paranoia, I recommend this one to you!

First line: The snow has fallen heavily, relentlessly, for two days now, and shows no sign of letting up.

Summary: Stephanie and Patrick are struggling as new parents with colicky twin girls. They are running on very little sleep. Then one day another stressor enters their life. Erica, the best friend of Patrick’s first wife, has shown up at his work and threatened him. She says that she is going to tell the police to reopen the case of his dead wife unless he gives her enough money to keep quiet. Stephanie believes Patrick when he tells her it was an accident but as Erica continues to stalk them, she begins to wonder if what she believes is true. Who can she trust?

My Thoughts: One thing I will say I liked about this is that the husband and wife actually talked to each other. They discussed what was happening unlike so many other thrillers. So much could be handled if someone just spoke what they were worried about or told their secret.

And as with all thrillers many of the characters are very unreliable. You do not know who to believe. It was the same with this one. Everyone was unlikeable. There were little glimpses into other minor characters that did not make sense at the beginning but as time progressed, they wove into the story perfectly.

I enjoyed reading this. I wanted to see how the author would twist it. There definitely were some shocking moments and gasps but all-in-all it was an average story. But I do love abrupt endings. It leaves me thinking about the story for a bit. Giving me a chance to decide who I thought did it.

FYI: My favorite Lapena book is still, The Couple Next Door.

I won't be posting this review elsewhere, but I am disappointed in THE END OF HER. It's very similar to anything Sandie Jones or BA Paris has written, and the domestic thriller genre has just gotten too repetitive. While there were some interesting dynamics about the main character's lack of sleep, I felt the storyline has been done already.

Thanks Netgalley for my ARC


Disappointed. I am usually a fan but this just fell flat for me. The storyline didn’t really have me hooked... the characters weren’t really all that interesting and I kinda saw the twists and turns coming from a mile away so it made finishing the book an exercise is perseverance. I wouldn’t recommend. There are a lot more interesting reads out there.

This one was a very low four for me. I loved the creative concept behind this book! I felt it was a very unique storyline, and it definitely left me not wanting to put it down. The beginning was a little confusing with the different storylines, and many characters, but I quickly sorted them out. I would have loved a hard copy so I could flip back and forth to remind myself who was who at first.

Once I kept the characters straight, I loved the main storyline the most (Stephanie's perspective). I loved Stephanie's character throughout the whole book, and felt that I could truly imagine the depth of her struggle.

The plot twists were good, but didn't have a ton of build up around them. I would have liked to have been shocked a little more.

Overall, this was a great thriller and I would recommend it for someone looking for a light read.

I have only recently discovered Shari Lapena and I have enjoyed the last couple of books I have read by her.

When I saw this one was coming out, I initially couldn’t fit it on my calendar for review but then COVID happened and a lot of my summer releases got moved to fall by the publishers so summer opened up and I was able to squeeze this one in!

I am so glad that it worked out because I would have hated to miss another book by Lapena!

Summary
In upstate New York, Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin babies. The girls are a handful, but Stephanie doesn’t mind being a stay-at-home mom, taking care of them while Patrick does the nine to five to pay the bills.

When a woman from Patrick’s past drops in on them unexpectedly, raising questions about his late first wife, Stephanie supports her husband wholeheartedly. She knows the car accident all those many years ago was just that–an accident. But Erica is persistent, and now she’s threatening to go to the police.

Patrick is afraid his job–and his reputation–will be at risk if he doesn’t put an end to Erica’s questioning immediately. And when the police start digging, Stephanie’s trust in her husband begins to falter and Patrick is primed to lose everything he loves. As their marriage crumbles, Stephanie feels herself coming unglued, and soon she isn’t sure what–or who–to believe. Now the most important thing is to protect her girls, but at what cost? (summary from Goodreads)

Review
Lapena is great at creating a captivating story and building up characters and destroying them at the same time but the thing that always seems to fall flat for me is the endings. The endings aren’t bad necessarily, but they just done pack the punch that the rest of her books always seem to have. I was hoping that this book would bring a stronger ending.

As expected, the story and the characters—-Erica I am looking at you!—are strong, interesting, and twisted. Erica was the character I loved to hate. She was a great femme fatale and I loved her in this book. There was so much to enjoy in the story—-secrets, lies, scandals, infidelity—-and I loved reading most of the book. I was really into this one even more so than the other books she has written. It was well done and a detailed, twisty story that I had a hard time putting down.

Then came the ending. It just fell flat for me and I can’t even say why, it just didn’t pack the punch that I was hoping for. As I said before, it isn’t that Lapena writes terrible endings or that the endings are bad, but I just had a hard time accepting it if that makes sense. Her story telling is so strong and so are her characters that I just expect that to carry through till the end but it just seems to lose a little power going into the ending.

But that said, I ended up giving this one four stars easily. It was a great book and I really enjoyed all the twists and all the secrets and lies spread throughout the book. I also loved the characters, especially Erica, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I will gladly continue reading books by Lapena because I enjoy her solid writing, I just wish the endings brought a little more to the table.

Book Info and Rating
Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Expected publication: July 28th 2020 by Pamela Dorman Books
ASIN
B083RYTYC4
Free review copy provided by publisher, Pamela Dorman Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: mystery, suspense, thriller

Having been a big fan of all of Shari Lapena's books, I was super excited to dig into her latest. But wow what did I just read? Was this written by a ghostwriter or was Shari having a really off time? Because this book is definitely not nearly as good as all of her others. I almost gave up reading it several times but I had to keep convincing myself "it's going to get better" and honestly, it only got worse. None of the characters were likable or relatable. The "shock" at the end was pretty predictable. It really wasn't very suspenseful at all. I'm sorry to say I was disappointed in this one. Hoping the next book is back to the normal Shari Lapena I know and love!

Stephanie Kilgour has the perfect life with her beloved husband Patrick - aside from the exhaustion caused by caring for their colicky twin girls. Then, everything changes, causing her to gradually question her knowledge of her husband, her marriage, and her own safety as well as that of her babies. The questions arise slowly yet steadily in Shari Lapena's The End of Her, as ordinary people are pushed into actions they would normally never have contemplated.

What is about a novel that has a female protagonist who seems to have everything, living nestled in the Hudson Valley only to find out she does. Its satisfying, it makes our less lovely lives more appealing. When a visitor from Patrick’s past shows up suggesting that that Patrick’s former wife wasn’t killed in an auto accident, the marriage already teetering is thrown into total disruption and we have the beginning of a non-stop pager turner. Don’t want to spoil it for any readers, so that’s all I’m saying. It is definitely hallmark Lapena writing.

I love thrillers and I love Shari Lapena thrillers! This book had me on the edge of my seat so many times. Just when you think you know who is lying and who is telling the truth, the plot changes!
Stephanie and Patrick are happily married with twins, colicky twins that make them sleep deprived! One day, a person from Patrick's past shows up and tries to destroy their marriage.
I can't say too much more about the plot without giving away anything, but it is the kind of book that you keep saying ," one more chapter".
The characters are believable and the author blends them in together seamlessly. Lots of twists and turns that you don't expect.
Highly recommend this book if you love a good thriller.

Shari Lapena is at her best when she is crafting stories of domestic intrigue. In The End of Her, Stephanie and Patrick have reached their breaking point as their twins are leaving them sleep deprived and frazzled. Then Erica comes into their lives, raising questions about what really happened to Patrick's late first wife. Erica is devious and untrustworthy, and with Stephanie and Patrick already at their wits end, what will they do with the trail of destruction that she leaves? This one is a bit slower paced than Lapena's other works, but the mystery will keep readers guessing.

The twists and turns made this one fantastic read. I loved this book and.now I want to go back and read Ms. Lapena’s other books.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of The End of Her.

I devoured this book in less than a day. I always love Lapena’s novels and this was no exception. It’s hard to talk about The End of Her without giving anything away but I am rarely so surprised by the end of books that I was absolutely delighted with this one. Super easy, suspenseful read, possibly my favorite by her so far! If you enjoy Ruth Ware or Megan Miranda, I definitely recommend this one!!

I received an ARC of The End of Her by Shari Lapena from @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The End of Her was overall a disappointment for me. Unfortunately, we just didn't jive. I found the book hard to follow with the overwhelming amount of characters, and the writing style to me seemed 3rd person. When Phillip did this, or Hannah was thinking... You get the drift, I found it difficult to keep histories and characters straight, and was often lost when I had to break and return to the book at a later time. This did get easier as the book went on, which could have been a result of the time I spent consecutively reading it or because I was becoming more and more familiar with the character's personalities. The story that lies within is completely insane. I found myself asking how probable something like this was. Do people and entanglements like this really exist?

Overall, my dislike for this book was based on personal struggle. If you decide to give it a shot, I do hope you enter into the commitment with some patience.

Almost all the characters in The End of Her are unlikable, but they are all compelling.
The story centers on Stephanie and Patrick, a young couple sleep-deprived because of their colicky twin daughters. As if that wasn't enough, a woman from Patrick's past appears trying to blackmail him so she doesn't tell a sheriff to reopen the case of his dead wife, whose death was ruled an accident. She claims she has proof he murdered her.
The woman, Erica, is about as evil a character as you're going to find. Patrick is not the only person she's trying to blackmail and/or get money from, but for different reasons.
There are so many twists and turns in this book I really didn't have any idea where it was going and my mouth literally dropped open a couple of times.
Then, there's the ending that does not tie everything up in a neat little bow. When interviewing the author, she told me she likes to leave people guessing and, in effect, writing their own sequels to the story.

This is the second Shari Lapena novel I've read, and wow! she can really spin a heck of a domestic thriller.

The End of Her is about Patrick and Stephanie, a happily married couple and new parents to twin girls. Patrick is a partner in an architectural company, and Stephanie has left her job to stay home with the girls. Both are struggling with having two colicky babies that don't sleep and cry all the time. Stephanie is so sleep deprived she forgets to shut off the stove, and sometimes leaves the front door wide open. She just can't remember doing those things. There's not enough coffee in the world for her to stay functioning normally. Visits to a pediatrician for help don't really go as planned; the girls' doctor simply says they will stop being colicky sometime, and it will end abruptly. Meanwhile, Stephanie, and Patrick, too, are having major sleep deprivation.

One day, a woman from Patrick's past appears, and threatens to blackmail Patrick if he doesn't pay her off. Erica knows Stephanie has inherited a few million dollars, and she wants money. Who is Erica? She's a woman who had an affair with Patrick years before, in Colorado. She was Patrick's first wife's best friend. And that first wife? Lindsey? She died, along with their unborn child, in a freakish accident. But Erica says she knows Patrick deliberately killed her. WHAT?!

Patrick tells Stephanie about Erica, and Stephanie refuses to give her money. Things are going to get sticky for everyone...and Erica is determined to get her way. She's not afraid to make some noise, and make a whole lot of trouble for Patrick. Erica makes enemies wherever she goes.

This was such a good thriller! I raced through it. So many twists and turns. Shari writes about seemingly average couples; however they're really hiding a lot of secrets, and capable of doing terrible things. Things they may never have imagined doing just a few short weeks before--it's amazing what people will do to protect themselves. Look a little closer at domestic bliss and you'll find it's usually pretty dark, and not so blissful.

It's only taken me two novels to become a firm fan of Shari Lapena. Thanks to NetGalley and Viking/Penguin for the advanced ebook. This novel is out in hardcover on Tuesday, July 28th in the U.S. Shari has plenty of novels, and they are all stand alones, so you don't have to read them in order. You'll be hooked in no time!

Rating: 4/6 for a twisty-turny domestic thriller that will keep you guessing who to believe--and an ending that will leave you with just one more surprise!

Available Tuesday, July 28th in the U.S. in hardcover audio, and ebook.

Shari Lapena's latest domestic thriller, The End of Her, will keep you guessing until the bitter end! You will have to decide whether Patrick is a victim of circumstance or a cold-hearted killer. Would you be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt? Enter the femme fatale, Erica Voss. She is a self-serving opportunist who might just be telling a horrific truth. Erica exploits every situation to her advantage. Nothing is sacred. How far would you be willing to go to protect what you hold dear? When one person is pushed beyond the breaking point, it could mean The End of Her.

This one is tricky for me to review because I didn’t love it but I also definitely didn’t hate it either, it falls somewhere in the middle for me. I’ve been back on a thriller kick lately and I’ve read some really fantastic ones too so in comparison this one falls a bit short for me. I am a firm fan of the author and have been from the beginning though, I just don’t think this is her best book.

So what worked for me? Well I really liked the idea of this new mom, to colicky twins no less, being utterly sleep deprived and half out of her mind. I very clearly remember the days of very little sleep when my own kids were babies very well and can only imagine how much worse it would be if you’re dealing with the kind of domestic drama that Stephanie is. The pacing was good for me, it was steady enough to keep me engaged and there was enough doubt about many of the characters to keep my brain working. What didn’t work for me was the predictability, I think it was fairly easy to see where this one was headed and I think most avid thriller readers will be able to figure it out as well. The ending fell a bit flat for me too and I always expect a strong ending from this author so I was a little disappointed. Overall it wasn’t a bad read, just not quite up to my admittedly high expectations this time but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for the authors next book.