This book kept me on my toes! Every time I thought I had an idea on what was going to happen next, I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself gasping at points and I couldn’t put this down. This was such a clever story about COVID. At first that made me a bit nervous if I’d like it but it didn’t stop me from devouring this story. Overall fantastic!

This book is the perfect nail-biter thriller. Some people can think that it was too soon or too close to home. Not me. For me, the timing was spot on.
Days before the covid 19 pandemic forces Ireland (and the rest of the world) to a lockdown, Ciara and Oliver start dating. So, when the lockdown is enforced, they decide that the only way they will be able to see each other is moving in, together (!).
But this is not the first time their paths crossed. And just one of them knows it.
Oliver was convicted as a child murderer when he was a boy himself. He is trying to reconstruct his life. Ciara is a lonely woman that hides something: the need to know the truth.
I won't go any further plot-wise. I'm just going to say that the story is full of unexpected twists, as shocking as the grand reveal. The storyline is masterfully designed in all its details. The multiple POV makes it very dynamic and entertaining, even with all the different flashbacks that some may find repetitive. Do you know that feeling when finishing a thriller with a great plot twist that makes you want to start the book all over again? Well, here, the author does it for you. I found this resource brilliant. The tension between the two characters adds to the suspense in this high-quality domestic thriller.

56 Days is the perfect read for fans of Lisa Jewell and Lucy Foley.

I thought it was exquisitely done. I was a bit tentative going into the book as it was my first COVID read, but it was just so well done. The author captured the tension of the Covid age and the thriller element added to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

COVID-19 isn't the only threat during lockdown...

Ciara and Oliver have just started dating and they are really hitting it off. Suddenly, the world is turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing them to choose between not seeing one another or taking a huge step- moving in together and riding out the pandemic. They decide to give it a try, agreeing that Ciara can go back to her own apartment if things don't work out. Weeks later, police are called to investigate an odd stench coming from an apartment. They are met with a grotesque, decomposing body, ripe enough to make the most experienced Gardaí quiver. With little evidence to go by, DI Leah Riordan and DS Karl Connolly are left grasping at threads to try and solve what happened in apartment one...
Once I got into the main storyline of this novel, I had a difficult time putting it down. I had to look up a couple of Irish terms, but for the most part, a lot of the slang was familiar. It was surreal reading a book that incorporated the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic into the storyline. As for the story, I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and their deepest, darkest secrets. The chemistry and banter between Leah and Karl was amazing and added a lighthearted touch to some of the procedural scenes. This book definitely kept me on my toes and I didn't want to stop reading without getting some answers. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery/thriller!

Welp. This was a case of “too soon” for me. I didn’t mind the COVID aspect at the beginning but towards the end of the book I couldn’t handle it anymore and started skimming it as it was bringing back too many negative feelings. I started skipping the lock down stuff and the pandemic references but unfortunately, the mystery wasn’t enough to keep me engaged. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars
This was the book that enabled me to leave my slump behind and enter into a world where secrets abide and life for Ciara and Oliver veers off the track that they had planned for one another.

It is the beginning of the Covid disaster that Ciara and Oliver meet. They immediately develop, it seems, an attraction to one another. As the lock down seems to be approaching, the two decide to live with one another as Ciara moves into Oliver's apartment. However, secrets seem to be another resident present, a silent one in the apartment.

They have fifty-six days to connect and fall in love, but things hidden tend to destroy what seems like a slice of heaven as both Ciara and Oliver bear witness to some harrowing elements which happened years ago. Will these elements be the end of their love, or will the couple be able to overcome the ghastly happenings of years ago?

I enjoyed this engrossing tale and want to thank Catherine, Ryan Howard, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for a copy of this intriguing story.

While I found this book to be pretty interesting; I also found it to be disjointed and confusing at times. The book mentions Ciara as the sister of the girl who’s brother was killed but then Ciara is also mentioned as the sister of one of the dead boys killers? I’m just a bit confused and I also would’ve liked more clarity on what the police actually chose to do. It was a solid murder story surrounding covid-19 but I felt it was lacking.

56 Days had a lot of potential, thanks to its Covid-setting and overall premise. Unfortunately, the storytelling itself jumped back and forth and all over the place, making it difficult to keep everything straight. For all of the build-up, I found the ending to be underwhelming. Overall an okay read, but not the exciting thriller I was hoping for.

After a chance meeting in a grocery store, Ciara and Oliver decided to move in together and quarantine during the covid19 pandemic. But there is far more to their story...
This was soooo not what i expected! I was a little hesitant to read a book that has the pandemic as a major plot point. I just wasn't sure I was ready to process something like this, as we are still living through it. 

This story starts with Ciara and Oliver meeting and having an instant connection. Within a week, the pandemic has begun and Ireland is under lockdown- so they decide to get to know each other over quarantine. We quickly learn that there is something more to this story. Oliver has a past that he has worked very hard to hide..but what is it? And what does Ciara know?

I really liked the POV changes. We are constantly questioning just how much each person knows about each other and what their motives are. Plus there is a secondary timeline 56 days in the future that has us questioning everything! I was sucked into this story and blazed through the second half...I just had to know what the truth was. 

The one problem I had was the repetitiveness of some of the scenes. We were getting the POV of both Oliver and Ciara so some scenes were repeated so we could see both sides. it felt unnecessary to repeat the entire scene. The first time it happened I thought there was a problem with the ebook- that it was repeating pages. But other than that, I really enjoyed this thriller. 

This is my second book by Howard, she is a great storyteller.

WHOA. This was a fresh story written during the beginning of COVID in Dublin. I was a bit confused at first when the story would jump between present time and various stages of the last 60 days. However, once I got into the story, I was invested! The author was great at making you think something was off about a few of the characters until it all came to an explosive end. Definitely recommend this one!

I had so much trouble connecting with this book.
The multiple timelines was a bit distracting. I felt like something would happen and then there was a brief pause before things continued.
I also cannot fathom living with someone I barely know.
I did feel some familiarity with the setting though, living through lockdown will do that.
Overall, not a bad read, I was intrigued with some bits but also had some trouble just locking into the story

Wow, this one really came out of nowhere for me. I saw some buzz about it when it was a BOTM selection so I decided to request it on Netgalley and luckily I was granted access. I really enjoyed this story. It's timely (it takes place as the pandemic is hitting), it's atmospheric (Dublin *sigh*), it's got probably my favorite meet-cute of all time (hello - NASA chat!) and the mysteries within are really cleverly written. 

I would say it's best to go into this one not knowing much about the story. Ciara and Oliver are strangers who meet in a grocery store just as the pandemic is hitting. They have chemistry and lovely banter but both are holding back pieces of themselves. The first lockdown of the pandemic has them make an unusual choice to share an apartment only a couple of weeks into their relationship. Interesting details as they both begin to wonder about who one another really is.

You should the story is not written in a straightforward manner, it has multiple POV and a timeline that skips around a little. It reminded me of Memento (am I dating myself with that reference?) meets Sally Rooney with a dash of Lisa Jewell. I really loved that, but I can imagine it won't be everyone's cup of tea. I also wouldn't say it's a thriller so much as a well-written slow burn mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this novel. All opinions above are my own.

I was a little nervous to read a book during Covid but it is going to be the #newnormal….see what I did there?!
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Anyway, Covid was not the main focus but the backdrop in this one. Ciara and Oliver meet at a grocery store, which would have been impossible during the pandemic. They start saying the first week Covid hits Dublin.
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When lockdown starts they decide to move in together. Covid becomes the background to this thriller. I don’t want to say too much to give anything away but this is definitely an interesting concept.
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There were times the nonlinear timeline had me going back and re reading passages but perhaps it added more to the thriller.
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Amazing book!! I loved this twisted story. It kept me engaged and entertained throughout the whole book. Such a great plot and you honestly can’t believe how it all plays out.

56 DAYS AGO Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin and start dating the same week COVID-19 reaches Irish shores. TODAY Detectives arrive at Oliver’s apartment to discover a decomposing body inside. No one even knew they were together. Now one of them is dead.

Catherine Ryan Howard is one of my favorite authors because she always gives the best twists that you never seen coming and her plot lines are always so unique. Her ability to tell a story in multiple pieces and perspectives is unparalleled!

Her newest book, 56 Days, is no exception. This story follows Ciara and Oliver’s budding relationship as they choose to move in together because of newly imposed Covid lockdown rules in Dublin. And you very quickly learn that neither is exactly who they say they are.

I loved that even though the story takes place back in the very first days of the virus taking over the world, it is not a book about Covid. It is simply the backdrop against which this relationship begins.

Like all her other books, Howard creates an atmosphere of building tension and you have no idea what is going to happen next. The timeline jumps back and forth between days early in their relationship and the present day death investigation.

I highly recommend this book if you love twists and turns and not knowing what anyone’s true motives are until the very last page. I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what was going to happen next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced digital copy. I loved it so much I bought it twice!!

a thriller set within the context of covid, a new couple decides to quarantine together and realize quickly they don’t know each other very well at all.

this had so much potential! a covid thriller! but nooo i didn’t care about anything that was going on, found the jumps between timelines unnecessary, just… boring. oh well

In the first 2/3 of the story I was a little bored and hoping for a huge payoff. The last third was great - I didn’t see the big twist coming. Some of the flashbacks were repetitive (word for word but from another characters perspective). This plot driven thriller is def a must read if you usually figure out twists before they happen. This book will drop hints but nothing is as it seems at the end. Read this for a refreshingly thrilling plot-driven story.

I really enjoyed the twist and the overall premise of this thriller. I wasn't a fan of the banter between the detectives and could've done with much less of that. Also the repetitiveness of the timeline/alternating perspectives was fine at first, but was grating at the end. I know some people aren't interested in reliving the early days of the pandemic, but seeing the perspective from Ireland was interesting, as was a crash course in some laws that I won't get into here. This was a solid page-turner and I'll definitely recommend it. Thanks NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read this.

I finished this a few days ago and loved it! I read parts physically and listened alongside.

It was slower paced but utterly compelling and I was immediately drawn in from the first chapter.

I had lots of theories running through my head while reading too. I adore Catherine Ryan Howard and will definitely be picking up whatever she writes next!

I would highly recommend picking up a copy if you’re looking for an compulsive story to read this autumn.

Review coming to IG soon.

The book was good. It started off strong, with several mysterious elements.

I was really absorbed in the relationship between Oliver and Ciara. The only reason I was interested in their romance is because I knew something would go wrong. If it's too sappy, it's a hard pass.

This was my first book taking place during Covid, and even though it bores me to death constantly hearing about it, fortunately it was not the main topic of the story.

Ending was okay, but I think the second half of the book kinda dragged on.

3,75 stars