*I own a physical copy*

In 2019 my health started going down hill and I didn't take into consideration what that would mean for my book reviewing. Sadly, I've been trying to play catch up for years and it's been affecting my ability to keep up with present day tasks. So I greatly apologize for this but I am going to clear out all these older review books and focus on present day. I will come back and update this review if I end up reading the book, which is very possible as a lot of these books are still ones I would like to read, I just don't think the pressure looming over me is helpful. Thank you for giving me a chance to early read these books and I am so sorry I wasn't able to provide what was needed.

I finished The Patient by Jane Shemilt with a mix of thoughts. The premise was intriguing—about a woman unraveling a mystery surrounding her husband's secrets—but I felt like the execution didn't quite live up to my expectations.

On the plus side, Shemilt's writing is engaging, and she creates a good sense of suspense. The characters were interesting enough, especially the main character, whose personal turmoil adds layers to the story. The pacing was decent, with a good buildup of tension throughout. I think others would enjoy this as well.

Rachel seems to have forgotten the rules she has abided all through life. In one short, intense meeting, Rachel will treat Luc for his temporary mental emergency. When she later meets him socially, the consequences of her actions are the last thing on her mind. But it's not long before fate will make her face the people, both personal and profession, that will be quick to judge her.
A tension filled plot line that may not be original but Shemilt adds some twists that make it unique.

I really enjoyed this one and Shemilt's writing style. There was enough details to keep me interested in the story but overdone to feel overwritten. I thought that it was a bit of a slow burn so it did leave me wanting a little more "action" at times but overall I really enjoyed the story but I did wish there was a bit more suspense.

An engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed! Highly recommend and will purchase several physical and digital copies for library collections. Thank you!!

The Patient follows a psychologist as she falls in love with one of her patients. When her coworker is murdered, this patient is arrested for the murder. Secrets start coming out and everything hits the fan.

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF. I found the first half of the book so boring and nothing caught my attention. I did not like any of the characters and I did not like the premise. Hopefully this book picked up in the later half but I just could not read it any longer. I know others have really liked this one so it must just be me. I don't typically read a lot of books with "romance" in it so that could be part of it. I was also just bored. Alas, not every book can be a winner and this one was not for me.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Luc LeFevre was a handsome man of 40, part French, well-groomed, with longish hair, and an openly engaging face that revealed all of his pent-up emotions the evening that he appeared almost at closing time in the Salisbury medical practice of Rachel Goodgirl, in “The Patient, by Jane Shemilt, crying and confessing that he had just purposefully driven his car into a tree along a bend in the road near Stonehenge—a potential suicide attempt, Seasonal Affected Disorder (SAD), mental breakdown, or all?

In retrospect, what at the time was considered just an immediate appeal for help to a medical professional from a man in crisis, was in fact the kindling that ignited both his and her lives on paths of discovery, revelation, and renewal, as well as disaster, suffering, death, destruction, injustice, and insanity—all before redemption and atonement could finally be achieved.

This is a beautiful story of love, loss, lying and deceit; however, it’s also a promise that it’s never too late to love or be loved.

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Jane Shemilt, and William Morrow Paperbacks, an imprint of William Morrow Inc. for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

This book had a interesting plot that went deeper than your standard psychological mystery. It was slightly predictable in the sense of what characters would end up with which storyline. However, our main character did not figure any of it out until it was too late which lead to a lot of loose ends getting wrapped up at the end of my book. It is a personal pet peeve of mine when the end of the book involves just jumping ahead multiple months at a time.

This psychological thriller has a lot of my favorite elements! This book immediately grabbed my attention and I found myself not wanting to wait to see what happened next. I found this one to be very well written and enjoyable.

In this slow paced domestic thriller, Shemilt introduces us to a doctor, her brand new patient, and the patient's family. The doctor only sees this patient once, but they form an immediate connection and she ends up spending a passionate weekend with him. Unfortunately, not long after they return to their normal lives, her patient is arrested and charged with multiple murders.

This a classic slow burn domestic thriller. No one is who they seems. None of the characters really grabbed me - some were purely unlikeable and the likable characters made such illogical decisions that it was hard to root for them or become attached. They weren't very fleshed out personality wise. However, the atmospheric writing really made you feel like you were in the locations described. That was done very well. I stayed engaged throughout, but just found that I didn't love the characters and the twists and turns were a bit outlandish.

Thank you Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am a bit conflicted about this book. I found it overly complicated, it took too many directions towards the end. The book is very well written and I enjoyed the slow burn, but I just got a bit lost in the last quarter of the book. Not my favorite thriller of this year but enjoyable nonetheless.

The summary for this book sells the story as a domestic thriller, with a romantic relationship between a doctor and her patient. But in reality it’s an incredibly slow burn drama, with a murder mystery in the background. The book definitely has an audience, but the plot summary is not serving this book very well.

This was a mildly entertaining but not mind blowing psychological thriller that brings to light some very strange characters and highly questionable ethics. The characters were all terrible people who I could not relate to. The plot turned a bit crazy but there were some unforeseen twists thrown in. Overall, this was pretty average for me and not as good as the Playground, which I loved.

Love, deception, scandal and guilt come together in this twisted thriller. Morality is tested and long, buried secrets come to light as lives are changed forever. A guilty conscience, a murder, and questionable ethics create a thriller that kept me guessing until the shocking conclusion. Very entertaining! Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for my copy.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

This book was a slow burn type of read. The main character Rachel is a doctor who feels like she's in a rut. She gets a new patient named Luc whom she is attracted to but thinks she'll never see him again. Her and her husband are invited to a housewarming party thrown by none other than Luc and his wife Ophelia. During the party Luc and Rachel end up in the garden which leads to them having a brief affair. This affair has a lot of consequences as a result. Rachel feels like she's being watched/followed throughout the book, but doesn't know who it is. The ending has a very unexpected conclusion and just when you think you know it'll end, there is yet another twist. Overall this was a great read, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

Enjoyed this thriller involving an illicit doctor/patient relationship. Characters and descriptions drew me in and kept me guessing until the end. Will definitely read more from this author.

I absolutely love this moody cover! It caught my eye the minute I saw it. This book was a slow burn but full of suspense and it had me turning the pages so quickly. I really liked it!

Unfortunately, this one didn't quite hit the mark with me. I just didn't find any of the characters likeable, and as a Healthcare Provider with a Doctorate myself, the entire premise of the story didn't sit well AND was too unbelievable for me to get into it. I just found it too hard to believe to even be interesting, and to be quite honest, kind of found it offensive in that I can't imagine a healthcare provider making the unethical decision made by Rachel without there being much more inner turmoil than was described in this book. 2 stars because I think there might be a decent story buried under there somewhere.

The Patient is a slow-burn murder mystery. Although I usually like faster-paced books, I enjoyed the pace as things were slowly revealed and characters developed. I love books that involve mental health. I did not guess who the killer was at all, which I love. The ending was super captivating as you tried to decipher lies from truths.
I truly enjoyed this and would read this author again.