From my blog: Always With a Book:

Last year I read The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard and absolutely loved it! I knew I would be reading everything she wrote moving forward, so as soon I heard she had a new one coming out, I immediately requested it…and I really enjoyed it.

This book is definitely not what I was expecting and I loved that. Yes, it’s a book set during the pandemic, but I honestly had no issues with that. I’ve already read books set during in and around this so that didn’t bother me at all. I really felt that it was more the idea of the lockdown and making sure you had enough supplies on hand that were addressed here in regards to the pandemic than anything else.

This is a book where just as you get comfortable with where things are heading, something happens to make you question all you think you know. I love books like that…it really keeps you on your toes. Ciara and Oliver have just met when the lockdown goes into effect and decide to move in together so they can keep seeing each other but by the end of the book, one of them is dead.

I loved how it is told using multiple points of view and flashing back and forth in time from the present to the past. It’s a very layered story and you soon realize that nothing is as it seems and there are secrets aplenty! The tension builds slowly and the twists keep you hooked. I definitely did not see that ending coming and loved every second of it.

I am so glad I picked this one up and am certainly going to be reading this author’s backlist while waiting for her next book! If you are ready for a pandemic-related read, I highly recommend this one!


Audio thoughts: This is a great book to listen to, narrated by Alana Kerr Collins. She has a great Irish accent and it seems so natural. Her pacing and intonation were spot on and she infuses just the right amount of tension and suspense into her voice as needed. I really enjoyed listening to this one.

The week that Oliver finally finds the courage to talk to the girl he keeps running into at the grocery store is the same week that COVID-19 hits Ireland. With the government mandating the population to quarantine with only their household, Oliver and Ciara decide to move in together. 56 days later, one of them is found decomposing in the bathtub. Did their whirlwind romance turn sour or did someone else take the opportunity to commit the perfect crime?⁣
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We were surprisingly not bothered by reading a novel set during the COVID era. The mask wearing, hand sanitizing, social distancing, and isolating have been the norm for well over a year now so reading about it didn’t phase us. It also sets such an eerie atmosphere that is perfect for a mystery novel. The isolation was incredibly relatable that it makes you wonder if something like this actually happened. ⁣
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Both of us listened to the audiobook and didn’t quite know how to feel about it. The narrator wasn’t our favourite, but our biggest gripe with the book, which was made worse in the audiobook, was the constant timeline and POV change. Chapters are announced by its place in the timeline of the story, so you’re not immediately aware of whose POV it is, specifically those in the past. The POVs of Oliver and Ciara don’t match up on the timeline, which was frustrating because you find yourself re-reading (or in our case re-listening) scenes that you initially read several chapters ago and they are so similar that, as an audiobook listener, you’re are confused if something new is happening or if the file is corrupted. ⁣
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But on a positive note, when the big twist revealed itself both of us were genuinely shocked - like pause the audio and stare into space shocked. ⁣
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Also be warned that this reads half like a toxic/dark romance and the other half a mystery fiction.

56 Days is a generic but harmless pandemic thriller. I expect to see many more of these on the shelves as the years pass; setting a thriller during one of the most anxiety-inducing panics in modern memory should be a no-brainer. The twists in this book came in droves, but they held no emotional sway--reveal after reveal after reveal, and it still didn't make me care about the characters, their weird motivations, or their secret identities. The quarantine wasn't properly utilized as a core element of the drama, either; the book's plot could have taken place any time, which was a disappointment. Reading it did bring back a lot of traumatic feelings about quarantine. Perhaps that's the crutch that was being used to turn this average revenge story into an actual thriller.

This is what thrillers are made of! Going in, I thought “too soon” for a book set in Covid times, but boy was I wrong. This was exactly what I needed while I was packing up my house to move because I didn’t want to stop listening! I needed to know what happened!!
Oliver and Ciara meet in the supermarket just before COVID-19 hit and the lockdowns began in Ireland. They decide to quarantine together even though they’re only just starting to get to know each other. What’s the worst that could happen?
Told in dual timelines between before the lockdown and during the lockdown, there’s a lot of head spinning to keep up with the details but I mean that in he best way! There’s some very intricate ones that if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss and then be wondering what’s going on. But when you grab hold of them, you’re left going “oh heck yes” right up til the last page, putting all the puzzle pieces together.
Is Ciara who Oliver thinks she really is? What is Oliver hiding?
They say you never really know someone til you live with them, but maybe even living with them isn’t enough.
(Insert evil genius laugh here lol)
The narration was spot on. Accents were well done-very Irish but I could understand everything, which I was worried about when it started. I’m now a fan of CRH and will be looking for her future books.
Thanks to Corvus Books and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

Wow! I really enjoyed this audiobook. I went into it believing I would know what would ultimately happen, but I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed how the chapters went back and forth in time and between who was narrating the story during that time and were not super long. I never lost interest for a second. I also like how the Covid virus was part of the story, but wasn't political in nature. I am so pleased I was able to listen to this one, and i will definitely read this author again! Oh, and the narrator was great!

Wild ride of a book that is set in Covid times Ireland. At first I thought this was going to be just a story of a couple during Covid times but quickly turns into way more. Definitely not a linear timeline and it makes it so interesting and builds up the suspense. Very twisty, turny and realistic.

This one got me, I didn't guess the end of this at all. I love when that happens. I didn't realize I just this author wrote another one of my favorites I read this year, The Liar's Girl. I love the Ireland setting. Great character building, and she's really good at the psychological thriller thing I've been addicted to recently . Great read!

100% will keep you guessing and guessing! This was interesting book set in the Covid lockdowns. What happens if you just meet someone you are interested in and then a pandemic hits and lockdowns go into effect? How do you start when you can’t see each other? Is the solution to move in together that is one heck of a way to start a relationship? But now 56 days later there is a dead body in the bathroom and so many questions.

This book kept me guessing all the way to the end, however the time jumps were a bit confusing on audio there were times I wish I had the book for reference.

Narration by Alana Kerr Collins was well done I enjoy her accent and voices.

I don’t want to give too much more away because this book is such a guessing game. Highly recommend this one!

4 stars

This was an interesting thriller. The pacing was nice but the constantly changing timelines and perspectives was confusing when listening to the audiobook.

I don’t think that I was ready for this type of book, with Covid spiking again and it just feeling so real. Maybe in a few years.

Dang @ all the twists and turns at the end. I ended up listening to this one cause I just couldn’t get into physically reading it. The audio was great and kept me super engaged and needing to know the ending! Pandemic talk isn’t for everyone but the thriller aspect was really captivating

This well executed thriller is set during the onset of the Pandemic as the world begins to shut down for 2 weeks. Right before the shut down two singles meet and feel an undeniable chemistry, or is there something else behind their chance meeting? The lockdown provides them the perfect opportunity to get to know each other. Unfortunately murder, deception and secrets abound as the couple try to navigate shut down.

The story alternates between timelines, giving the reader enough information to slowly reel them in. The fact that COVID is major part of the story made the story more relatable and brought back those feelings of anxiety, fear and dread. Mix those feelings with being isolated with someone that you don't trust and you have a thriller that you cant put down.

Solid story, well executed just a little disappointed with the ending.

One of first books I’ve read in 2021 to reference Covid as an important and integral part of the plot… an opportunity for a character to harbor secrets about his past.

When Oliver and Ciara met days before lockdown on the supermarket check-out line, it seemed like fate…like two people looking for a chance to experience a meaningful relationship who were destined to be on that same grocery line.

But as the story line unfolds, readers will begin wondering if their meeting was truly by chance. As Catherine Ryan Howard weaves together a thrilling storyline over various time frames, she had me on the edge of my seat while I turned pages to learn how Ciara and Ollie are truly connected by their past.

This was a fabulous thriller and one of the first to demonstrate the importance of how current events like a global pandemic can play a role in imagining the next psychological thriller to land on the shelves of fanatic readers like me!

Lastly, I am absolutely a fan at how this story ended! If you are a fan psychological thrillers and you’re like me… you’ll especially love that this story doesn’t end like a neatly wrapped present but rather like your hairdo after getting of a crazy rollercoaster ride!

I listened to the audio version of this thriller. I really enjoyed this novel. The premise intrigued me, and I was immediately absorbed by the police evaluation of the crime scene. It was horrible without being overly graphic. I like a murder thriller to be at least a little gritty. The male lead in the story (Oliver) was also creepy. I was curious about what he was hiding from the beginning. The author built tension and played to the reader's curiosity. I continued listening beyond what I might have otherwise.
The setting was interesting: Ireland during the initial two weeks of COVID lockdown. This is the first novel I have read/listened to that takes place during COVID. I wanted to see how the author presented it. I was able to vicariously experience lockdown in Ireland, which was quite different from what I experienced in the US. It seems to have been much more strict. The author did a respectable job presenting this situation and having the characters function within it. It also made for viable circumstances to throw two people together in an intimate situation who otherwise would have waiting to get to know each other better.
Unfortunately, when Oliver's deep, dark secret was revealed, I was at first disappointed. Then more was revealed toward the end of the novel, and I was less disappointed. This story had plenty of plot twists, tension, and creepiness. I would read this author again.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for an opportunity to review this audiobook but unfortunately I could not even get into it with the sound/quality of the audio. It was not the narrator, but the quality of the audio itself. It almost sounded robotic or echoey? I will have to wait and try to read the physical copy.

I read a physical copy of this book so I wanted to see how the narrator shaped up, and I can say I rather enjoyed the narration. I felt it fit the story well enough and will keep readers engaged. Thanks for the arc!

My first full quarantine novel, and I really liked it! What an interesting turn this book took as you get to know the characters (or think you do). I like the weaving of stories over time, and the timeline jump wasn't confusing at all- the back and forth between what's happened, and the events that came before it. I found this novel fascinating. I was worried I'd feel a little too put on about the quarantine part, seeing as we're not out of the Covid woods, so-to-speak, but that was merely a fact in the book and didn't feel consuming. I really liked this a lot! The narrator was extremely understandable and very clear. Her voice gave good character to the novel.

I first encountered 56 days via Book of the Month. The hardcover book was so good and I rated it a 5/5.
Today, I am able to give an equal rating to the audiobook via NetGalley: a 5/5. The reader was perfect for the book and made it just as ominous as the handheld book, if not more.
This book is one of my favorites of 2021 and I hope that others enjoy it just as much!

I cannot tell you how clean my house is because I DIDN’T WANT TO STOP LISTENING TO THIS BOOK AND I HAD TO KNOW THE ENDING!!!!

I loved “The Nothing Man” and my expectations were high. I was not disappointed!!

Once again the narrator is Alana Kerr Collins and I think her light Irish accent seems perfect for Ms. Howard’s books.

What does a talented author do when the Covid crisis hit?? When she is in lockdown herself?? She gets an idea for a brilliant book about a couple in lockdown, what can go on behind closed doors and with everyone sheltering in place??? Turns out A LOT!!

This couple, Oliver and Ciara have only met and gotten to know each other for a few weeks. There is a spark there and they both feel it.

Lockdown begins in Dublin and they decide that Ciara should stay in Oliver's apartment, it is large with an extra bedroom. She ends up staying for months.

They are both hiding secrets, WHICH ONE HAS THE MOST TO GAIN FROM THIS RELATIONSHIP?? WHICH ONE IS SEARCHING FOR ACCEPTANCE AND LOVE???

Then we switch to present time with two detectives who are called to an apartment in an upscale neighborhood in Dublin. A resident had called the police and complained of a strong smell coming from another apartment. What DI Karl Connolly and DI Lee Riordan find is a decaying corpse. Whoever it is has been dead a very long time.

The novel goes back and forth in time from before the pandemic to present time. The timeline switches flow well and I had no problem keeping track of what was going on.

While I didn’t feel the tension that I felt in “The Nothing Man” this was an entirely different kind of thriller. I felt an inner fear kick in towards the last third of the novel when secrets were revealed!! Ms. Howard builds the fear slowly as we get to know the characters. During most of the novel we know little about them.

I did not see the big twist that came at the end and I loved it!!

My one complaint is that between these two points of view sometimes there was repetition of events, etc. It wasn’t enough to detract from my enjoyment of this audiobook.

I received an audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. This audiobook is available now for you to enjoy!

This book grabbed my attention straight from the beginning. We start out with 2 timelines, Ciara 56 days ago and the police in the present. As we meet Oliver and begin to enter their story, we know someone is dead. We know Oliver has done something bad in the past. I wanted to know so badly what those 2 things were. As we get on in the story, we get Oliver's point of view of things that we have already gotten from Ciara's point of view which I thought was really interesting. It threw me at first and I was a little confused, but I ended up really liking the jumping timelines and POVs. We end up actually going past farther than the original 56 days which is something I wasn't expecting and something that just added to the secrets and the mystery.
The ending was something I really wasn't expecting and I really liked how it played out. Definitely check this one out if you are a thriller fan!