This suspense thriller made me think that trust in a partner is something rarer than I always imagined. Stephanie and Patrick have it all, including new-born twins, with a severe case of colic. Patrick has some relief in his job as a partner at an architectural firm. Stephanie is running on empty.

Suddenly, an already stressed-out family starts reeling from an accusation that Patrick's first wife did not die in a car accident. A woman from the past in Colorado claims Patrick killed her. The narrative arc jumped around and left me dizzy with all the betrayal and cloak and dagger moves.

<B>The End of Her</B> was a decent fast read for a rainy spring day.
Thank you to the author, Bantam Press, and NetGalley for this pre-release copy. The book will publish on July 23, 2020.

Shari Lapena has become one of my go-to domestic/psychological thriller authors with my favorites of hers being The Couple Next Door and An Unwanted Guest. Unfortunately, The End of Her will not be added to that list. Stephanie and Patrick are sleep-deprived new parents dealing with colicy twins when someone from Patrick’s past comes into their lives: Erica, who claims that Patrick murdered his first wife because they were having an affair. Erica warns Stephanie that she may be next, as she has a large inheritance and life insurance policy. It was a decent, fast-paced thriller but predictable and with one of those endings where you have to decide what happened for yourself.

The final chapter of Shari Lapena’s newest page turner fits the title perfectly! The End of Her. Wow what a twister! The first 3 chapters had me confused and not caring who all these separate people were. By the middle of the book I was still confused. Now I know how they all connect but nobody is who you think. I’m hooked.
A well woven soap opera of murder and blackmail in what seems like your normal suburbia neighborhood. The strange blonde lady that keeps showing up, threatening the lives of Stephanie and Patrick who are barely functioning with newborn twins. Patrick’s partner who promises his wife never again. The soccer mom and her family. They all have secrets. Past and present. Lapena doesn’t give a single one away till the very end. Well played!
Every one of her novels have been a twist on what we see as the normal daily lives of us all and what may lie deep underneath. She’s good! (Suspense-fiction, Domestic-suspense)

Lapena writes lightning-fast, totally engrossing (and totally ridiculous) books. They're all plot, and that plot flies by in a blur, which makes for a really fun reading experience.

But it also comes at the expense of character development: there is none. Every character is a type or a collection of experiences rather than people. Erica, for example, is just a villain. There's no reason given for why she's awful, no change in her over the course of the novel. She does things because the story dictates it, not because it comes from some place of motivation or characterization.

Lapena's books also tend to have very unsatisfying endings. Whether it's because there are too many loose ends or too many twists (both are the case here), they never (for me) add up to something that feels natural and complete. In this case, we have an ending with one character acting totally against what we know of her and an epilogue that's kind of like a choose-your-own ending. It's fun getting there, but you have to stick the landing in books like these.

After reading some of Shari Lapena's other books I could not wait to read this one! It was exactly the style I was anticipating. Each chapter had you asking more questions, drawing your own conclusions only to be shocked when you turn the page. This book was gripping until the final page. Definitely a must read for summer!

This book is filled with twists and turns I didn't see coming and I couldn't put this one down! Patrick is happily married to Stephanie, who has just had newborn twin girls. Neither of them can get a wink of sleep, but no matter, because they are happier than ever. Then Erica Voss comes into their lives and everything changes. She is Patrick's ex-lover who he was sleeping with during the marriage to his late ex-wife Lindsay. Erica is determined to make Patrick's life hell, and will stop at nothing to do it.

What happens when a bad decision comes back to haunt you? Patrick and Stephanie seem to have a fairy tale life with newborn baby twins. Patrick gets a shocking visit at work from his past who wants to invade his future. Erica, wants to resume her spot as Patrick's dirty little secret and will stop at nothing to make it happen.

I thought the first part of this story was really good. I was hooked instantly. The ending ruined it for me. There were so many confusing questions left unanswered and I bombshell was left with little clarification. I wish the ending of this book would have turned out differently.

Lapena tells this story from multiple perspectives and really aims to keep readers guessing until the last few chapters of the book. While well-written, I did find that I was able to figure out the characters’ motives pretty early on in the story. Regardless, I enjoyed this one! Thanks, Netgalley, for the advanced copy of this book.

The End of Her
A Novel
by Shari Lapena
PENGUIN GROUP Viking
You Like Them
Pamela Dorman Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 28 Jul 2020 | Archive Date Not set

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for the ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this mystery/thriller.
A sleep-deprived couple is focused on in this book. I think we can relate to this when you have a colic baby.
One of the best books I read while in quarantine this spring. I will recommend it to our readers.

Summary:

Stephanie and Patrick are struggling with twin girls with colic. The sleep deprivation begins to become extremely grueling for the couple, so when Erica appears in their lives, Stephanie and Patrick are not sure what her intentions are.

As Shari Lapena’s books normally go, there are several perspectives that the story is told from. Erica informs Stephanie that Patrick’s first wife’s death was Patrick’s fault. Patrick insists that it was an accident, and that she is blackmailing them. Why did Erica wait this many years to come back into his life? Who is telling the truth?

My Thoughts:

I loved this book! This is coming out July 23rd and is one is the best suspense books I read while being in quarantine. I stayed up till 2am finishing this book.

I have not read a Shari Lapena book that I didn’t love!

This is definitely a book you need to pre-order to read this July! The twists and turns are grea

Lapena’s new novel focuses on the Kilgour family; Stephanie and Patrick are the proud parents of six-month-old twins and they’ve been struggling. Both their twins are struggling with colic, and Patrick and Stephanie are running on very little sleep. When a woman from Patrick’s past, Erica, shows up and blackmails Patrick, he has no choice but to tell his wife the truth about what really happened to his first wife. His first wife passed away young at eight months pregnant due to carbon monoxide poisoning and Erica has come back because she thinks that Patrick had a hand in killing her and wants money to stay quiet. Erica inserts herself into Patrick and Stephanie’s lives, as well as the lives of people around them, and starts to cause trouble.

A thank you to Netgalley for the privilege of reading an arc of this book prior to publication.

As to my thoughts on it, I will admit that this is a hard book for me to review. Although the author has been hit or miss for me over the years (although The Couple Next Door & Someone We Know were both a wonderful surprise) my feeling on The End of Her are mixed. On the one hand, it's a fast read for its length and there's enough cat & mouse action to keep people engaged, yet completely invested. The ending too was less surprise and not. It's possible, however, that my reaction may in part stem to the fact that this was obviously a very early edit from the book as the narration and transitions were far from clear that it's impossible to believe that it will at all resemble this on final publication. A final note - I think I would have enjoyed this one more on audio.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Erika’s character was absolutely fascinating to me. I honestly believed Patrick so I was disappointed with that turn of events. What a tangled web! Can’t wait to recommend this to friends!

Another Shari Lapena book that did not disappoint. Though the plot was a typical marriage thriller, I could not put the book down. Whenever I thought something was happening, I would have to make a new prediction. I finished this book in less than a day and would definitely recommend to Shari fans!

The characters in this book have more secrets than they know what to do with and it constantly keeps the reader on their toes! I love Shari LaPena and this book is one of her best in my opinion. Stephanie and Patrick are parents to colicky new twins and if their life wasn’t overwhelming enough a blast from the past shows up to make it even more difficult! This book was fast paced and while the changing narrators seems confusing at first the reader quickly gets the feel for each character which makes the transitions easier. A must read!!

Wow. What a wild ride.

This is a standard Lapena novel. She really knows how to get you to keep turning page after page. Not to spoil, but the twist is one I don’t think you are really built to see coming, though if you are really paying solid attention to detail, you might catch it. Either way, OH MY GOSH!!

While I read this quickly and with an ever-increasing heart rate, there were a few things that kept me at a distance.

The point-of-view shifts are so quick that sometimes, they are jarring. And they really keep the characters at a distance. I felt as if this wasn’t a story with a unique set of characters so much as a cast of flat stock characters who kept repeating their “best lines.” There were also quite a few plot devices (colicky twin babies that both parents constantly being used to explain stress of circumstances really helped keep the narrative going...).

Still, as I said before, this was a wild ride and really forces us to wonder if we ever fully know the people we surround ourselves with. What’s fact? What’s fiction? And what’s their breaking point?

Thank you to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book captures your attention in the first page and never lets’s it go.! Fast read that has you wanting to devour it until the end! i completely enjoyed it!

This book had so many twists and turns I found myself on the edge of my seat holding on
I loved this book. I think the characters were well developed and the different stories twisting without tangles.
I think readers who enjoy fast paced books with drama and suspense will be up all night!
Trigger warnings should include: domestic abuse, drug /alcohol abuse, violence and violent crimes
Some readers may object to the profanity throughout this book (f word peppered throughout))

Shari Lapena's new title is the standard, mystery title that follows the thriller format without any surprises. Not one of her better titles. If working with a title budget, her earlier titles would be better additions to a mystery collection.

The plot is a pretty typical marriage thriller. Patrick Kilgour and his wife, Stephanie seem to have a perfect marriage—they have beautiful twin girls, Patrick is a successful architect, and Stephanie comes from wealthy parents. We quickly learn Patrick has a past full of secrets when his ex-lover, Erica, resurfaces after 10 years to expose Patrick as a murderer. I love a good page turner, but I typically can predict the ending early in the book. With this one, I genuinely had no idea how it was going to end. Patrick and Erica are both unreliable characters, so figuring out who was the biggest liar kept me guessing from beginning to end. The plot is written well enough that Lapena doesn’t have to rely on various plot twists to keep the reader on his/her toes. Just enough hints are dropped and facts are foreshadowed to make the “truth” believable without being too obvious. I gave it 4 stars because I felt the characters Niall and Nancy were throwaways. They weren’t integral to the plot; in fact, their story line could have been eliminated entirely and the book would have ended no differently. I also felt the ending was a little rushed. The ending itself isn’t bad, but it’s not fleshed out enough to be believable. One of the characters makes a rash decision that does not fit with the character profile we’ve been given. It didn’t ruin the book for me, but it did take me out of the story a little bit. Overall, this is a gripping read that will keep you on your toes. Thank you to Penguin Group Viking, Shari Lapena, and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.