I found this story to be very confusing and there were too many storylines to keep track of. I do plan on giving the author another chance and read more of their books

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

Fool Me Twice by Glede Browne Kabongo is a domestic thriller with plenty of thrilling moments. The story revolves around Shelby, who works as a scientist in bioinformatics. One day, while Shelby and her physical therapist Alessandro and are both out with their respective spouses, Alessandro begs her for help escaping his abusive wife. He plans to flee with his two children. Soon after, he's found dead in Shelby's trunk. Who is trying to frame Shelby and why?

Here is a chilling excerpt from Chapter 1, which is a conversation between Shelby and Alessandro:

"We don't have much time because something bizarre is going on, and I want the girls and me gone as soon as possible."
"What do you mean by bizarre?"
"Strange phone calls. The person hangs up whenever I answer. I also think someone is following me. Mostly on my way to or from work. That's why I wanted to meet out here."

Overall, Fool Me Twice is a domestic thriller with an intriguing premise that failed to deliver. After reading the first few chapters, I was hooked and couldn't stop turning the pages. I wanted to find out who wanted revenge on Shelby and would go to such lengths to frame her. Unfortunately, the plot was hindered by chapters from various characters' points of view. I was not interested in Shelby's teenage daughter's point of view. In addition, the killer's motive was unrealistic and unsatisfying. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, you can check out this book, which is available now!

I love a good thriller. Something to get the mind working, heart racing and having you on the edge of your seat. Great writing, great characters and a great storyline

Shelby has a beautiful life, but nobody knows her past, her dark secrets and a message is telling her that her secrets are not going to be secrets anymore.
Thanks, Netgalley for this Arc.

Seemingly Perfect….
A seemingly perfect life with a seemingly perfect career begins to unravel in this slow burn psychological suspense with twists aplenty. What secrets are being kept and just how far will one person go to seek the ultimate revenge? One thing is for sure, not all is as it seems.

“…𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚐𝚘. 𝙳𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚕𝚘𝚠.”

What I enjoyed most about this novel was that it was easy to empathize or forge an attachment with the Coopers. I loved each and every one of them!

There were so many secrets and little twists within the story. Here I thought we were just getting to the bottom of who framed Shelby, but the dark secrets of Shelby’s past had a lot of surprises.

I was so invested in the characters and their story that when the main twist was revealed… it wasn’t exactly a WOW moment. If anything, I was hoping Shelby did something sinister to deserve the attention of this crazy stalker. The reason behind all of this felt a bit flat. Even how it all came together, it just felt a little bit much? A little bit overkill. We get that the crazy stalker was a bipolar psychopath but how said person pulled it off… uhmmm okay. Sure. Let’s go with that.

Weirdly enough when the identity of the villain was revealed , it had very little impact on me and it was nothing compared to the closure I got from the epilogues - I need that! Somewhere along the way, it wasn’t so much about who framed Shelby Cooper it became about Shelby’s past.

Well-written, gripping and unputdownable. I look forward to reading more of her work.

Thanks to BrowneStar Media and to @netgalley for giving me a digital copy of this novel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4/5)

Revenge is a dish best served ice cold.

Shelby Cooper lives with her husband and 2 children in a rich suburban town, just outside of Boston. Until, one day, she gets pulled over for having a broken tail light and ends up arrested for the murder of Alessandro Rossi, her physical therapist.

The story as a whole wasn't bad, and i believe there to be lots of potential, but it lacked something to really quench my thirst.

Here are a few things that really bugged me.

1. I can't see how either Shelby or Jason wish to remain together since they are both harbouring pretty big secrets and hiding a lot from one another. To me, it is as though they are strangers. I understand that Shelby had a tough upbringing, but if she believes her and Jason are mates for life, then surely you would trust your partner with your past ?

2. There are a lot of subplots. Maybe too many? Most aren't resolved to a satisfactory level. The story ends the authors leaves a lot of unanswered questions, which is rather frustrating for me, the reader.

3. Unfortunately (maybe I read too many crime novels?) my suspicions formed pretty quickly on who the real killer was.

4. Way too many coincidence and good luck.

5. I found the pacing quite slow. There are a lot of pages and chapters where I feel the author is writing to fill pages and not to help move the story along.

The book is written from more than one POV, Shelby's (1st person) then other secondary characters, such as the antagonist, the husband, the daughter, etc. in 3rd person. This is the first book that I've read that is written this way. And I'm not sure it works for me. I would have preferred they all be written in the same person. But that is my personal preference.
Unfortunately, there are some mistakes and typos that escaped the editors ... it's not that big of a deal, but some sentences don't make sens, because they go in one direction, then the author obviously thought of a better way of saying but didn't delete the whole of the previous sentence.

Would like to thank NetGalley and BrowneStar Media for providing a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow..just wow. A thrilling book till the very end. A secret that she swore to leave behind comes full circle for Shelby. A book you wont be able to put down. I finished it in one day!

Thank you BrowneStar Media, NetGalley and Author for this advance ebook copy in return for an honest review!

Fool Me Twice is the perfect thriller. I love a good revenge story and this book delivered.
At first it started off quite slow, and I thought maybe I wouldn’t enjoy it..
It quickly picked up, and I could not put it down. It has mystery, murder, intrigue, deception, and was SO THRILLING!
The characters are complex and wonderful. The whole atmosphere of the book was great! I enjoyed every little thing about the book....

Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!