I’m calling meh on this one for a couple of reasons.

• It wasn’t that suspenseful. The *who* of things was pretty obvious for much of the book, despite a try at some red herrings. I mostly read to a) confirm that I was right and b) out of the hope that I was wrong and the author would pull some sort of delightful surprise.

• I didn’t love the ending. Trying to put this without spoilers, but I wanted…abject unhappiness for a certain character or two.

• I hated, hated, hated one of the main characters - did I mention that I hated them? I eventually kind of liked the other main character.

It is a fast read, but I just found myself wanting much more than I got out of this one.

*ARC provided via Net Galley

Her Three Lives introduces us to fifty-something Gregory Hamlin. He is a renowned architect said to have re-made the New York City skyline. Yet for all his outward professional success, Hamlin's personal life is in upheaval. He is in the throes of a late-in-life divorce from the wife who raised his two children as he built his career. The children are now grown; one is a student at Harvard.

Hamlin has taken up with a woman half his age – who we discover is already pregnant with the couple’s first child. Her name is Jade Thompson. She is of Jamaican origin and works as an aspiring social media influencer. Wife number two is not much older than Hamlin’s grown daughter. Their child will be roughly the same age as the grandchildren Hamlin would otherwise be enjoying at this stage of his life.

Hamlin’s children, meanwhile, are torn between their loyalty for their mother and their love for a father who has seemingly betrayed their family. They are resentful of Jade as the mysterious and calculating other. Both children struggle to come to terms with an unfamiliar – and unwelcome - presence in their lives. Complicating this dynamic, we learn Jade is herself harboring dark secrets from her past. Secrets she does not want shared with her new husband and family.

Thus Holahan sets the stage for her cautionary tale of shattered family dynamics. The reader is greeted by a cruel and shocking act of violence right out of the box. From there, the author lets her tale simmer for several chapters, structuring the story around the tragic event in the first act. As her story unfolds, the worse tendencies of all concerned begin to surface, and the story begins to build in a slow boil.

Holahan demonstrates a keen eye for how mistrust and suspicion (and dark ambitions) can undermine even the strongest family bonds. These dynamics are a crucial aspect to Her Three Lives. Holahan uses them to let the characters reveal themselves to us more fully.

Her Three Lives winds its way along at a deliberate pace to its eventual dramatic resolution. The surprising twist at the end I believe only the most discerning reader will see coming (note to author: more foreshadowing, please!). Although Hamlin is white and his new fiancée Jade is black (or Black, as the author expresses, opting for the stylish but grammatically non-standard personal pronoun version of the descriptive), the author largely (and mercifully) keeps race off the table.

On matters of plotting and style, the momentum of Holahan’s tale is a times slowed by the author’s overly descriptive style, and a fondness for simile and metaphor (“a fiery and frustrated tear… he thought of her as unfired clay vase…”) Ultimately, Her Three Lives is rescued by a cast of strong characters given room to develop, and the author’s insight into how they are motivated. It's all about the characters, which is the key success factor in crafting an entertaining read in the mystery/thriller genre. In this respect, Her Three Lives is worth the wait.

I was about 3/4ths of the way through this book when I looked up and asked myself "what is going on in this book?" I guess you could say the book held my interest if it took me that long to wonder. I found Jade to be a sympathetic character. I really felt for her, but at the same time wondered if there was something darker going on about her. That's the suspense of the book. It makes you wonder who is the bad guy here and just what is going on.

All along there is lots of misdirection and finger pointing in all directions. I did manage to work out one part of the what was going on, but at the end there is a real twist that I just did not see coming at all.

Overall, the book is well-written and a pleasure to read. It is not a super intense suspense novel, but the suspense is there nonetheless.

Her Three Lives is billed as a new thriller by Cate Holahan. Prior to picking this book up, I had never heard of Cate Holahan. So I jumped in without knowing what to expect, except for ti to be a suspenseful domestic thriller. However, I found Her Three Lives to be neither suspenseful or thrilling.

I nearly did not finish Her Three Lives after reading 46% of it, but since this is an ARC, I made myself finish so that I could give a full review. I found that the characters were undeveloped. When a book's plot is as simplistic and uneventful as Her Three Lives, it at least needs to have compelling characters to keep me interested. It had none of these. I did not see the ending coming, but most likely, that is simply because I did not care enough to guess. I was completely uninvested in the story and the characters.

One thing that really bothered me about this book was the glaring inaccuracies. First, Rikers is a jail, not a prison. Therefore, there is no way that someone convicted and sentenced to 25 years would be housed there. Second, videotaping a person without their consent in a public place is not illegal in New York. If you are going to write a book, at least do the research. If your book involves the U.S. criminal justice system, you should at least understand how it works. While it was not an inaccuracy, one additional thing that made me cringe throughout the book was the normalization of toxic masculinity.

Overall, Her Three Lives was okay for me at best. I cannot see myself recommending it to anyone in the future.

Her Three Lives by Cate Holahan is a highly recommended domestic thriller.

Greg Hamlin, 52 years-old is waiting for his pregnant fiancée, Jade Thompson, 32 years-old, to get ready for a party they have to attend when a home invasion leaves him with a traumatic brain injury. After he emerges from a coma, he learns Jade was beaten, loss their baby, and had her engagement ring stolen. At the hospital, Greg's soon-to-be ex-wife, Leah, and his children, Violet, 23 years-old, and college-aged son Paul clearly are united against Jade, although they met after Greg left and filed for divorce. Jade loves Greg and is determined to stay with him as he recovers in their new home.

To ensure their safety, Greg buys a home security system with a plethora of cameras. Both Jade and Greg are nervous about why they were targeted for the brutal attack. As the police investigate, Greg begins to watch Jade's every move on the security cameras and track her whereabouts. Jade is wondering what Greg may have known about their attackers or if something from her past is the cause of the invasion. Both Greg and Jade are tense, with Greg's PTSD making him increasingly paranoid.

Chapters alternate between the point-of-view of Greg and Jade. You will know that Jade really does love Greg, and, although she has kept secrets from him, she is trying to protect him during his recovery. It is also clear that Greg is becoming increasingly paranoid and mistrustful. Progressively, he becomes a malignant character. The trust between the two is totally broken. Actually, I increasingly began to ask myself why did Jade stay with Greg. I understand she loves him, but most people would have reached a breaking point. The actions of both characters increasingly became far-fetched and implausible.

The writing is good and keeps the drama moving along as more and more information is provided and the alternating thoughts and actions of the two characters are juxtaposed. Although the lead up to the denouement is predictable, reaching the conclusion is where the enjoyment is found in this domestic thriller.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Grand Central Publishing in exchange for my honest opinion.
The review will be submitted for publication on Amazon, Google Books, and Barnes & Noble.

Her Three Lives is the latest psychological thriller from Cate Holahan, an author whose work I've read a few times in the past. When the latest became available, I definitely wanted to read a copy given it's set to be released in the next few weeks. What a fantastic Sunday morning journey!

Jade, a 32-year-old Caribbean woman whose father is in jail and mother is uber-religious, bcomes engaged to Greg, a fiftyish Caucasian man in a Connecticut suburb. Greg's divorce is mid-process, though he didn't begin dating Jade until after he and Leah split up. Greg has two twentyish kids, Paul and Violet, and works as a semi-famous architect. Jade runs a design-related blog, and she's several months pregnant with their child. Then an intruder breaks into their new home. Greg is left in a coma, and Jade struggles to move on with a life filled with uncertainty. Someone knew they could break in to steal her expensive engagement ring, but which person in their inner circle claims responsibility?

This is unlike any other psychological thriller novel in a multitude ways. Jade is our narrator, and you learn early on that she's not a gold-digger, didn't arrange the attack, and is truly upset at potentially losing Greg. She's sane and smart, even a little too accepting, at times, of his somewhat rude first family. I really liked her, and for the most part, even with some silly secrets she kept, is a strong character. Greg, frightened over the incident, has a long road to recovery and begins to mistrust people. He's also reliable, and on most occasions, he attempts to balance his first family with his new one. Apart from them, at least 6 other suspects are viable options for the orchestration of an evil break-in that led to an attacker crushing Greg's skull, and while some of the plot is predictable, it explodes at the end in a way I didn't expect. Very surprising in a positive way.

The writing shines in this one... it's really not so much about who arranged the break-in as it is why and how did he or she hide it. I found myself captivated by the relationships and the little secrets told to keep each other from being suspicious. I rooted for Jade and Greg, even when he was turning a blind eye to his daughter's insufferable attitude (entitled and obnoxious). Similarly, I wanted to bop Jade's mother on the head for her one-dimensional insight into how her daughter should behave in her relationship. Quirky personalities with memorable traits lead us astray... but then you throw in Jade's father's prison stint and an architect with a potential grudge against Greg, and you've got a well-rounded cast.

I relaxed into the story. Waited for the big reveal. Enjoyed the subtle and not-so-subtle tensions. People played games, sometimes unwittingly, because they were insecure. When you could've simply said what you were thinking, the honesty might've prevented disaster. For me, this was a solid read and shows why I keep turning back to books penned by Cate Holahan. And I will continue to do so in the future.

To the public, Jade’s a popular social media influencer. At home, she’s the loving fiancé to wealthy architect Greg and a joyous expectant mother. But Jade’s harboring secrets from her past, ones that she fears would change the way her fiancé sees her and damage their relationship. When a brutal home invasion causes Jade to miscarry and leaves Greg with a traumatic brain injury, both are determined to protect themselves and find out who is responsible. While the attack forces Jade to revisit her past to look for the perpetrators, Greg turns hi-tech, installing security cameras all over their home to prevent another attack from intruders — or maybe even from the woman he loves.

Take your anxiety meds before reading this one! Brimming with betrayal, suspicion, and doubt, “Her Three Lives” might be Cate Holahan’s best yet. An highly addictive page turner, it explores the fragility of trust and how well we truly know those we love. Jade has secrets, but they’re meant to protect her life with Greg, not harm it . However, her odd behavior after the attack makes Greg wonder what she’s hiding and if she’s the one who intends him harm. A shred of doubt turns into a mountain of mistrust when his grown daughter’s suspicions confirm and compound his own. Greg has blind spots when it comes to the people he cares for the most, choosing to see only what he wants. It’s Jade’s secrets and Greg’s blind spots that ultimately create the conflict in the story (as well as the anxiety) and make it so compelling.

It’s often said that the greatness of a story is in the telling. That couldn’t be more true with this book. “Her Three Lives” is fraught with multiple layers of tension that only intensify as the novel progresses. There’s tension within Jade as she tries to hide her secrets and protect Greg from them at the same time. There’s also tension between the characters, and tension in some of the scenes as you bite your nails, anxious to find out what happens next. Tension fills the overall story too. Both Greg and Jade feel watched — and not just from the cameras. You can’t help but hold your breath at times when you read, expecting the attackers to jump out from the shadows to finish the job they started. It creates a sense of urgency as you read.

Not as fast paced as it is intense and intriguing. Not as twisty as it is highly suspenseful from scene to scene, chapter to chapter, and beginning to end. “Her Three Lives” is an exciting read that grabbed me by my attention span from the very first page. I love well written domestic suspense novels, but I find a lot of them cliched. Not “Her Three Lives”. It checked off all my boxes and did the one thing I love for a book to do: kept me reading way past my bedtime because I couldn’t put it down.

Her Three Lives is the new domestic thriller from Cate Holahan.

"Jade is engaged to Greg, a successful architect. His soon-to-be ex-wife and kids are not happy with Greg's choice of partner. After a vicious home invasion leaves Greg with a brain injury, he becomes suspicious of Jade and installs a hi-tech security system that takes all of his attention. Jade has her own secrets and wonders if her past has come back to harm her. Greg has his own secrets and wonders if he is worth more to Jade dead than alive."

Holahan really shows the effects of PTSD in Greg. His behavior changes and his ability to be rational changes. I'm reading and thinking that Greg is really being extreme with his thoughts and actions about Jade and the behavior of a rival colleague. Even to the point of using a drone to spy on her. I'm thinking it's extreme until I realize how many of those "worst case scenario" conversations I have in my head everyday. (I think every thriller/crime fiction reader might be like that)

And Jade doesn't share any of her past with Greg because she's not sure what his reaction will be. The result is he becomes even more paranoid. The final confrontation is explosive and will surprise you.

Jade is a social-media influencer and Holahan addresses the risk involved in allowing strangers into some part of your life.

Holahan has gotten very good at domestic thrillers and this is one you'll want to add to your list.

This was my first work by Cate Holahan and I found that I enjoy the way she writes and found this easy to read. I really liked the character of Jade. She is an extremely strong female character who has made her own way and has her own career before she gets married, but who is also dealing with a lot. Her mysterious past was very intriguing, which made me want to read and find out more about it. I really disliked the character of Violet, but it’s also a testament to Cate’s writing that I hated her so much and it seemed like she was written the way she was to get under the readers skin.The conversations between characters flowed well and there was a good mix of action and description of both people and setting. The suspense built throughout the book which kept my attention and the had me turning pages to find out what would happen next. I suspected some of what ended up happening, but I was shocked by other things. I am now going to go back and read some of Cate’s other books and look forward to reading her next one. I will be recommending this book to others to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the arc of Her Three Lives!

I had no problems getting into this. The action started almost immediately and I always appreciate that. I felt like I knew what would happen but the added intensity the security cameras (and the obsession with them) really had me glued to my kindle. This didn’t have a ton of twists and turns and was more of a suspenseful read packed with tension. Tension and lack of communication usually make for a great time and this proved that. I wasn’t shocked at the ending, and I was really hoping I would be. The ending also seemed too neat? But regardless I will still be recommending this and definitely picking up other work by this author!

*posting review to Netgalley and Goodreads now. Will post on IG on pub date 4/20/21

Jade Thompson, a successful and intelligent social media influencer, is engaged to divorced and wealthy architect, Greg. To the public eye, they have it all. But, after a home invasion leaves Greg with a brain injury, they are both left reeling and searching for answers. While Greg obsesses over the camera feeds of their new security system, he grows more and more suspicious of Jade and her odd behaviors. Does she know more than she is letting on? Could this beautiful woman who claims to love him actually want him dead?

Told from the dual perspectives of Jade and Greg, Her Three Lives, was an enthralling story. I enjoyed the way Cate Holahan writes and found this easy to read. The conversations flowed really well and I thought there was a good mix of fast-paced action and description of the people and their surroundings.

The characters in this book were convincing and complex enough to keep my attention. Jade was a strong female character that was dealing with a lot. I loved how her Caribbean culture was incorporated into the story. Her mysterious past was intriguing and had me wanting to read on to find out more. As the story goes on and Greg grapples with his PTSD and increased paranoia, his obsession with the security cameras became so creepy to me. I found his daughter Violet such a frustrating and toxic character. She was very well written to get under my skin the way she did.

Even though the ending was somewhat predictable for me, I still really liked this book and I'm left wanting to go back and read Cate's previous work.

Thank you to @netgalley and @grandcentralpub for an eARC to review.

My favorite Cate Holahan so far. I could not stop reading this book from the first page. I love stories that have slow building tension and the looming question within the characters of "who can I trust?" And this book embodied that perfectly. I really felt for Jade and the experiences she went through with Greg's family. I loved the aspect of technology with the security cameras. There are so many thrillers and mysteries that are so similiar to ones we've all read before and this one really stands out on its own. Highly recommend.

A domestic drama involving Jade and her fiancée Greg who suffer through a home invasion. Jade believes it has something to do with her past. Greg is becoming suspicious of Jade and her possible involvement in the attack. I didn’t enjoy this story as much as I had hoped to, a little to predictable and not very suspenseful. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Whoa! This one will stick with me for awhile. I love how timely this story is. I'm not sure if I would call this a thriller just because it didn't have a whole lot of twists (to me) maybe more suspense? It definitely had a lot of tension, which I appreciated.

Her Three Lives, by Cate Holahan is a psychological thriller, and the psychological aspects of this “troubling-in-a good-way book” are convoluted and compelling. Get ready to be thrilled.

Many psychological thrillers showcase unreliable narrators- psychologically stressed characters, with distorted mental perceptions, and complex and tortured relationships. All of these characteristics are at the heart of this novel. There is suave Greg, who in his public life is an artistically talented and highly successful architect, and his fiancé of 6 months, Jade, who in her public life is a successful social media influencer. And then there’s Greg’s first family-a wife, and two young-adult children. (Plus, there is Jade’s Caribbean mom, and two inept police.)

As the book begins, Greg has fallen passionately in love with Jade. He is about 20 years older than she is, but that doesn’t interfere at all with their dreams for a new life together. Until…one early evening when two masked men invade their home, injuring Jade and causing severe head trauma to Greg. Who did it?

Readers will have an intriguing time trying to untangle the clues. Each character has a private life and a secret life and each of these rather paranoid individuals is trying to out-maneuver the others. Is Greg interpreting everything through the fog of a serious brain injury? Is that why he is so enthralled with high-tech surveillance? Is Jade a gold digger? Why does she lie about where she is going and who she is meeting? Are Greg’s children trying to protect their mother a bit too much?

This book is a dark mystery, filled with technology and balanced with relatable characters and Instagram-worthy descriptions of their lifestyles. (I was rooting for Jade.)

Thanks to Net Galley, Grand Central Publishing and Meryl Moss Media for a digital advance review copy. This is my honest review.

Jade and Greg are happy, despite the age difference in their relationship. When a brutal home invasion takes place, their relationship is shattered. Not knowing who did it or why, flares the suspicion of family members and loved ones.

This thriller definitely had my attention and kept the pages turning. I would not call it twisty, but it definitely was mysterious with suspicion thrown in many directions. One component of domestic portrayals in books that really makes me anxious is miscommunication. This book really had it! The lack of communication led to so much suspicion and you just want to jump in the book and shake the darn characters! The ending was a surprise for me, even though there were limited characters we were introduced to and suspected. A fun twist to this book was the Caribbean culture twist... the food descriptions had my mouth watering. One question I still have is why the title is “Her Three Lives”. If anyone has any input, please let me know!

“Even good people were capable of very bad acts when a life-altering amount of money was at stake.”

Her Three Lives comes out 3/20.

This was a great psychological thriller and had me on edge from the start. I was interested to see how the story would pan out! I highly recommend this book to thriller fans!

An excellent psychological thriller they kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page. This is going to be one of the best books of 2021. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes edgy psychological horror.

Her Three Lives was a roller coaster of suspicion and blame. I guessed the villain early on from a small clue but was still surprised when they were revealed later. The suspense was well-built, and it was interesting living through Greg and Jade getting to know each other - for example, Holahan would often describe how one was beginning to understand certain facial expressions of the other - but I found it hard to believe that a fledgling relationship like theirs could so easily surpass some of the hefty obstacles they faced throughout this book. Another solid thriller from Cate Holahan!