3.5 ⭐️‘s
Alice and Tom have what seen like the perfect life, but with the arrival of their baby, Jo, things started to subtly change. With a highly publicized serial killer case that would be career making for Alice, a journalist, and sleep deprivation, the couple begin to unravel. The killer has chosen to speak through Alice leaving the young family in danger. When a bruise appears on Jo’s arm, it leaves them questioning if it was an accident or deliberate. Especially with Roland, Tom’s brother, newly clean and sober from a heroine addiction reentering their lives. With twists and turns and an unlikely hero, I found this to be a fast paced read, although I figured out exactly where Lake was going very early on. That doesn’t bother me overly much as I couldn’t wait to see if I was right 🙂

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I really enjoyed this book and found myself still reading at 1:00 a.m. to try to finish this book - I couldn't put it down! It's fast paced, keeps you guessing until the vey end. I absolutely loved it!

This is a psychological thriller. I found this thriller to be just ok. I think I would love it more if I did not see all the reveals way before the twists was revealed. I guessed who did it after reading only about 25% of the book. The characters of this book was good. I did not hate the writing or the characters. I just saw everything that was happening in this book way before anything was revealed. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (HarperCollins) or author (Alex Lake) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Ready or Not by Alex Lake is a great psychological thriller. Alice and Tom seem to have a wonderful life, good marriage and a new baby girl, then Alice, a journalist starts investigating a story about a serial killer in their town. Things start falling apart in their marriage and they start noticing bruises on their daughter that they can’t explain. I couldn’t put this book down, it was such a roller coaster of a story. Thanks to Netgalley for this arc.

A thrilling ride! Who is killing people in their town? A local journalist decides to find out, but what she reveals is more than you could ever imagine! This was a good thriller!

A tense thriller about a serial killer terrorizing a city and taking particular interest in a journalist who is writing about him. She and her husband are very sleep deprieved as well, dealing with a young baby. the tension mounts as evil gets closer and closer to home

Thank you Netgalley and Harper 360, HarperCollins for the arc of this book. This is my first book by Alex Lake, but it won't be my last. The story was great and a different take on your standard serial killer book. Alice was a good character, and I liked how ambitious she was about her career. Tom with his family problems was believable and I really felt for what he was going through. The past timeline was intriguing and seemed innocuous at first.
I enjoyed the writing and read the first 3/4 of the book without putting it down (to get some sleep) and finished the book as soon as I woke up. If you want a great read that keeps you guessing, this is the book for you!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Harper360 and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Alex Lake does a wonderful job with alternative time lines in Ready or Not.

This was a very good thriller with a lot of twists and turns. It is told in a "then and now" format with multiple narrators. It got creepy scary in parts which is what I like. On the downside, I felt there were too many characters introduced that had no real role in the story line and then they disappeared. Also, towards the end, it got very confusing. All in all, it is a good read and I did enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC of this very interesting book.

While "Ready or Not" was not as good as some of the others, it was indeed a pleasant read with a good mystery.

1st book I have read by Alex Lake and it wont be the last! Great murder/mystery without the romance. Which I appreciate very much! Can't wait to read another by the author

Ready or Not is the latest thriller by Alex Lake. There is a serial killer on the loose and Alice (a journalist) is covering the stories. At the same time Alice and her husband Tom are parenting their young daughter Jo, and are both sleep deprived. Jo is also being abused by someone. Excellent page turner. I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins for an early copy to review.

What an absolute win of a book! This is definitely one that goes into the can’t put down category! From the beginning I was consumed with the characters and storyline and search for the truth. This is a book that the less you know the better so you can have a clean slate and truly revel in the story.

Alice. Tom. “The baby”. These are different point of views you get and it goes back and forth from 2013 to present day. It sounds more complicated than it is but the transitions are smooth and placed well so it keeps the I need to know what happens next pace. Alice is married to Tom and they have a little baby girl named Jo. It’s been rough for them as Jo isn’t one who is a fan of sleep and they teeter totter around eachother at night (which is the base of the stress they currently have which gets worse..).The mysterious point of view is that of a serial killer who just keeps striking and seems close to the family.. but who could it be?!?

I definitely recommend reading this one to be entertained and go on a roller coaster of accusations on who the guilty party is. By halfway I was pretty sure of what was happening and it was all confirmed towards the end but nevertheless I still loved the journey!

Thank you Harper 360 and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book twists and turns like a roller coaster. Very well written and there were a lot of unpredictable things that kept me reading way into the night. Loved it!

Alice and Tom Sark seem to have it all! A great marriage and a beautiful baby. Also Alice is a journalist and has been assigned to a major story of a serial killer that is operating in her hometown. Soon after things start to fall apart for Alice. Alice and Tom begin fighting and their baby starts to have some issues also. And the worst part is that the serial killer is now taken an interest in Alice!

A thrilling story from Alex Lake! I really found this one to be very entertaining. The author used a past and present timeline which kept me engaged all the way until the end. I can highly recommend READY OR NOT, if you are looking for a fast paced, entertaining read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

Ready or Not
by Alex Lake
Description
The incredible new thriller you won’t be able to put down from the Top 10 Sunday Times bestselling author
A happy family…
Alice and Tom Sark seem to have it all – a wonderful marriage, a gorgeous baby, a beautiful home. And now Alice, a journalist, starts investigating a story which could make her career – a serial killer in their town.

A murderer lurking in the shadows…
Very quickly though, the murder case takes its toll. Alice and Tom begin fighting all the time. Their baby daughter just won’t stop crying. And sometimes it feels almost as if they’re being followed…

Not everyone will live to tell the tale…
The killer has found a new family to target. And the clock is ticking for Alice and Tom to stop their worlds from being destroyed forever.

Well, I was hooked. It was insanely right on the money as a taut thriller . I was savoring this book, not rushing thru it. I so hate when a great read is over. rushing, no I made the intrigue and twist last for the whole day and a half. Brilliant.

Alex Lake has another winner in this one, Alice and Tom, and their baby Jo, seem a perfect little family. Until a really creepy serial killer gets closer and closer. Alice is writing about the local killer, almost daring them. . Tom of course is terrified . Alice, a journalist pursues the story. Suddenly they are running for their lives. Who are they really running from? While we have clues, it gets so dark and nasty, it’s hard to keep reading, but you must.

Thank you to Alex Lake, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All reviews are my own unbiased opinions.

This was a pretty stereotypical thriller/murder mystery, but I definitely did not see where it was going. Alice and Tom were written really well, and I loved the short little chapters from each main character’s perspectives. I kept thinking that the killer was possibly one character, and then my mind changed, and then it changed again. I did feel that the little subplot of Roland was unnecessary, however it made sense as to why it was needed. Towards the end of the book I grew to dislike Alice quite a bit, but I was fully invested until the end. This was a great quick thriller read!

I really struggled whether this was a 3 or 4 star book. I liked that there was a woman psychopath that I did not expect. This book actually took many turns that I did not expect and I do appreciate because I was wrong in my assumptions of who was the killer.
There was one specific character I had come to dislike so much, Alice. Toward the last part, I thought there must have been really something wrong with her, when it finally ties together. It makes me realize how much you may think you know a person and not really know them. It is sad to see what a person will do if they do not really care for you.
Other than the grammatical errors that kept stopping me up, I thought it was a pretty good read. It covers insecurity, jealousy, drug abuse and suicide.

"Families are places of half-hidden secrets." Although I didn't like any of the characters and sometimes found the writing and/or dialogue quite stilted, I finished "Ready or Not" in three days, which is pretty fast for me! Lots and lots of red herrings...and plot points are excellent. I found myself truly perplexed as to what exactly was happening. Lake does an excellent job of describing the angst and horrible state of those first few years with a fussy baby. At certain points, I felt as sleep-deprived as Tom. Nice twist and it all falls into place once it hits. Despite my few quibbles, I totally enjoyed this ride!

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.