Member Reviews
What She Knew by Miranda Rijks really does live up to being the psychological thriller that it claims to be. I had it somewhat figured out but I still didn't see the ending coming. There was a lot of detail that probably makes this book perfect as a screenplay. In my opinion it was a bit unnecessary for a book but it still had me hooked until the end. Life's been wonderful for Stephanie. She's married to college professor, Oliver, and has two loveable school age children. She has a nice home and is surrounded by beauty. But nine years prior, Her flatmate, Alison disappeared and is presumed dead. It was a terrible time in her life and she's worked hard not to focus on it. Then a True Crime TV researcher calls to interview her and Oliver about the case. Now Stephanie is forced to confront her past and face the fact that she's always needed an answer to: what happened to Alison? It quickly becomes clear that someone doesn’t like her searching for the facts and they're willing to do anything to cover up a web of lies. As her life comes apart, she realises that by opening the door into the past she's poked the bear. Now her life, among others', is in danger.
Disclaimer: Although I received this book in exchange for my honest review…all the thoughts and feelings are my own!!!!!
This was a fast paced and enjoyable read with an ending that I didn’t saw coming. It’s a decent thriller and the plot was good executed. The characters were intersting and well written.
I will definitely read more books of this author…
Thank you so much NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review!
I think I have to agree with the other reviewer who called it "ridiculous but fun." First of all, the plot is implausible and wraps up in a neat bow so fast you'll feel the wind off the epilogue. Too much time is spent on things like what people ate and what rooms looked like rather than character motivation.
Also, once again, I the gentle reader am saddled with a main character who couldn't think their way out of a wet paper bag.
Loved this book and was sorry it had to end. A great read from start to finish. Highly recommend to those looking for a bit of suspense and mystery along with a thrilling ride, Don't miss this one.
From the first page I was gripped. It was a really easy read and a great well written story. It was obvious in places but I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. I would be really interested to read others by this author.
I found the cover of this intriguing immediately. The pacing in this was a bit slow- especially at first, and going back and forth between "then" and "now" did take me out of the story a bit - but I liked the characters enough to be invested fairly quickly. But once things got into the thick of it, I just had to know what happened. I was sure I figured it out, and then bam... nope- there was so much more to it than that. It is hard to surprise me with a believable twist, but this book did it!
I like that the ending wrapped up all the loose ends and answered the open questions, too!
I came across this author just over six months ago and loved the addictive writing and have quickly devoured the other novels. This is another addictive read and great suspense.
Stephanie is married to Oliver, a college professor and they live in a beautiful house with their two children. But life has not always been so picturesque, nine years ago, Stephanie’s best friend Alison vanished but now she’s back to haunt her. Alison was Stephanie’s flatmate and she disappeared presumed murdered. Life has proved difficult at times for Stephanie but when a TV researcher working on a true crime series wants to interview her about the case, she is forced to confront the past and recognise that she has a deep need to answer one burning question – what happened to Alison? When Stephanie starts to try and un earth the truth to Alison’s disappearance it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want her looking too closely at the past. Stephanie investigations are having repercussions and by looking into the past she is putting her life at risk.
Well written, great characters and lots of suspense make this an entertaining read.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Inkubator Books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This is my first novel by Miranda Rijks and I did enjoy it.
In this story we meet Stephanie who has a somewhat comfortable and normal life, living with her husband and her children. Many years ago Stephanie's friend disappeared and was thought to be dead.
We follow Stephanie as she is approached by an reporter who wants to interview regarding Alison's' disappearance. Stephanie is ravaged with guilt as she feels somewhat to blame about her disappearance - or that's how I perceived she must have felt.
I read this book within 3 days as it captured me and I wanted to find out who and what had really happened to Alison. A great fast-paced read, so if your a reader of a good gripping thriller then this is one for you.
Thanks to NetGalley, Miranda Rijks and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Loved this book. Kept me guessing, right up to the very end. Complete rollercoaster ride. Beautifully plotted, with interesting characters, and great storyline. Highly recommended.
This just sucked me in from page 1! I literally couldn't wait to get through my daily plans so I could get back to my book and it was fine within a very enjoyable weekend. It's not the most original story but it is really well written and will have you hooked. def recommend
Ridiculous but fun!
2.5 stars
What She Knew is a psychological thriller about a superstar art student who went missing. Told through the eyes of her former roommate, we get an unreliable narrator’s perspective on the events that led to her disappearance.
When Stephanie’s university roommate, Allison, disappears without a trace, she is mired in guilt. The night of Allison’s disappearance, Stephanie ignored Allison’s outreach for help. Nine years have passed, and Stephanie seems to have moved on; she is happily married and a stay-at-home mother to two children. All is well until a documentary researcher begins investigating Allison’s disappearance causing Stephanie to reevaluate what happened to her friend while at the same time facing the truth about her so-called perfect life.
For the most part, I have read this plot before. There is one major twist I didn’t see coming, and while surprising, it’s what pulled this book into the realm of the implausible.
Narrated by Stephanie, her naivety was frustrating. She is a teller, not a shower. She tells the reader about how she feels, but we don’t get much opportunity to see what’s happening. The timeline switches back and forth between the past and the present with chapters titled “Now” and “Then.” Although 10 years have passed since Allison’s disappearance, there is little growth in Stephanie’s voice.
The dialogue is extremely awkward-- it’s more of people talking at each other rather than to each other.
The ending was laughable. It’s over-the-top and rushed. From Stephanie’s 5 minute relationship with Rahul to the reveal, it was all a bit too far-fetched. However, I couldn’t look away. At a certain point, I had to give up being critical of this book, or I wouldn’t have been able to finish it. I still rolled my eyes from time to time and laughed at the events, but I had fun doing it!
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A gripping psychological thriller that kept me whizzing through the pages! I loved the characters, especially Steph because she was so relatable, and that I couldn’t guess who the killer was right away! Although I felt the ending wrapped up quite suddenly (I’d wanted more build up to the Amerling plot line) I thought this was a really satisfying and easy read, A perfect summer holiday book. Would recommend. 4*
I’m confused. Truly. I hate the moment when you finished the good story and have a feeling that this could be better if... Gosh. That drives me mad.
The book is good. Nice idea, page-turning, I was completely lost in it. Spend long hours reading cause I just needed to know what is the final here. Cannot wait to uncover the mystery, the psychological games, and reveal the truth about what happened to Alison. So, from the very beginning (the prolog is incredible!) I was thrilled.
But then, the final came.. It was a disaster. I get the idea, ok, I can understand what the author wanted to say, but it was a huge misunderstanding. The "scene" (let's call it that) was not linked to each other so while reading I was surprised that everything changed out of blue and you have absolutely no clue what is going on here.
I have to say, that due to the dual timelines I found some significant errors. A not small one, hard to catch, but flagrant ones. The writing is something the author needs to work on, cause she has great potential and I would love to see her next book but written in a bit better manner.
I admit, at first it took me a little while to get into, but im glad i stuck with it! A wonderful read, truly thrilling and just the right amount of tension!
This is yet another fabulous psychological thriller by Miranda Rijks. She is very quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.
It’s fast paced, well written and engaging.
I’d definitely recommend this book.
What She Knew by M. Rijks, published by Inkubator Books, is a full length, stand-alone mystery/thriller.
This book gripped me right from the start, had me in knots and gave not much away right till the end.
Stephanie is a woman who seems to have it all. A loving husband and two adorable kids. Only her past is a bit murky and when the case of her roommate Alison is researched, some skeletons show up. Now she's asking herself, could I have done more? Yes, she could have. The plot was ok, but the twist had me again. I never saw that coming . All in all a solid 4 star read.
Another fast paced thriller from this author I just loved every page and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
I can recommend this book and thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this brilliant book.
Although I found the protagonist to be unbelievably naive at times, I still loved this book. It was face paced, exciting and suspenseful. Another hit by Rijks! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I recieved an ARC of this novel for an exchange of an honest review thanks to NetGalley. Unfortunately this book definitely wasn’t my favorite… I predicted mostly every situation in this novel…. Maybe I just read too many thrillers/mysteries? Although I did like the little bit of history that was included. #WhatSheKnew #Netgalley
Miranda Rijks is one of my favorite psychological/domestic thriller writers and I dived into the cesspool of this new novel. Her characters are always accessible and I can often ‘see’ them when reading. This one centers around Stephanie who married Oliver, her college professor and is living a good, if not great life, with the exception of never forgetting and always mourning her former roommate Alison who disappeared from college as if it was yesterday. Her grief gives her traumatic nightmares and Stephanie feels guilt as she didn’t return Alison’s text that fateful evening. Now, Alison’s ex-boyfriend is in jail accused of her murder. A journalist David, contacts her when he starts investigating the disappearance for a podcast. Oliver, Stephanie’s husband is adamant that he doesn’t want Stephanie involved in any way. Strange things start to happen so Stehanie secretly investigates herself. Couldn’t put it down and didn’t guess the ending at all. Excellent and highly recommended.