*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This is definitely my kind of book - a slow-burn thriller that pulls you in and won't let you go. Dark and twisty - I was hooked up until the very end. I loved it - new fan here! Going to read more of Jane Shemilt's books for sure.

The concept of this book was rather unique. I don't think I have ever read anything like this! Stunning writing. All around great book.

"A shocking and twisty novel of psychological suspense about a boundary-breaking love affair between a doctor and her patient, by Jane Shemilt, Edgar-nominated, #1 international bestselling author of The Daughter.

What price would you pay for falling in love?

Rachel is a respected doctor who lives in a picturesque and affluent English village where her husband Nathan teaches at an elite private school. Competent, unflappable, and nearing 50, Rachel has everything in her life firmly in her control, even if some of its early luster has worn off. But one day a new patient arrives at her practice for emergency treatment. Luc is a French painter married to a wealthy American woman who’s just bought and restored a historic home on the edge of Rachel’s posh neighborhood. The couple has only recently arrived, but Luc is struggling with a mental disorder, and so he goes to the nearest clinic…to Rachel.

Their attraction is instant, and as Rachel’s sense of ethics wars with newly awakened passion, the affair blinds her to everything else happening around her. A longtime patient appears to be following her every movement, turning up unexpectedly wherever she goes. Her somewhat estranged adult daughter Lizzie is hiding a secret - or at least, hiding it from Rachel. Nathan has grown sour and cold as well - or is that merely Rachel’s guilty conscience weighing on her? But when one of her colleagues winds up murdered and Luc is arrested for the crime, everything Rachel didn’t know about her life explodes into the open - along with her affair with her patient - a disgrace and scandal that will have consequences no one could have predicted."

The doctor patient relationship is always one worth exploring psychologically.

This wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it would be a psychological thriller about a doctor's affair with an unstable and/or manipulative patient. It was more like a domestic drama with extremely unlike-able characters. Rachel is a middle-aged GP in a failing marriage with an estranged grown-up daughter. She's supposed to be a successful career woman but is an indecisive, nervous wreck. Her husband is a disdainful jerk. Her daughter is a complete brat. The affair with her patient isn't exciting to read about. I felt like nothing much happened for a large part of the book, and then there was an extremely convoluted ending.

Another book that was too slow paced and couldn’t maintain my interest, and I had to move on.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins/William Morrow, and Jane Shemilt for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released May 2, 2022.

THE PATIENT
by Jane Shemilt
William Morrow
Pub Date: May 3

The blurring of boundaries between a therapist and patient is a no-no for good reasons, as Jane Shemilt's THE PATIENT shows in this twisty tale.

Rachel is a doctor with a rather quiet life who has an affair with her patient Luc, a French painter who with his wife has bought and renovated a home near where Rachel and her husband live.

Sparks fly in more ways than one with far-reaching consequences, especially as Luc is arrested for the murder of one of her colleagues.

My thoughts:
I really wanted to love this story -- billed as a twisty mystery -- about the impact of a patient/client affair. But the narrative was so slowly-paced that I had to force myself to get through it, and also found the ending rather predictable. The concept, however, was intriguing and I'd like to read a revised version that nails pace and denouement.

Thanks to the author, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#thepatient #JaneShemilt #WilliamMorrow #NetGalley

This thriller is set to come out May 2022!!

Yikes, this was a tough one for me. I learned early on that this book was not going to jive well for me. First off, the writing was very choppy. One minute the author would be writing about a plot then some word/phrase would trigger this couple paragraph rabbit trail. It left me feeling like I had whiplash. Lastly, it was a slow thriller with emphasis on slow.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thrillers have always been my thing. They keep me reading and keep me interested. I am always searching for that next twist which The Patient provided I just feel like getting to that point was a little boring and clunky.i thought that it was odd that all the main characters where all involved with each other relationship wise, odd in a sense that it threw the story off. The majority of the characters in this story are not good people.
It was an okay read. I love reading an author for the first time.

I had a hard time getting into this book because it had a rather slow start, It did get better, however, at times it was still a slow read.
Rachael is a doctor who thinks she is happily married but falls in love with a patient and that lands both of them in big trouble.
There was some mystery and some romance in the book and had a few interesting twists and turns.
I was given an ARC copy by NetGalley and Jane Shemilt and am leaving my unbiased opinion.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 stars)

My thoughts: was this a thriller? Was it a romance? Some combination of the two?

Either way, this was a slow-burn kind of book. I’m not a huge fan of slow-burns, but I did like this one. There were a few (minor) twists that I didn’t see coming. And although I’m not a romance fan in any way, I did love the story of Luc and Rachel.

Thank you to Harper Collins, William Morrow, Jane Shemilt and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Patient will be available to the public on May 3rd, 2022.

Rachel is a doctor, happily married to her school teacher husband, living in a nice neighborhood outside of London. At least she thinks she’s happy. But when she thinks about her adult daughter and the tension they seem to have, and the fact that things with her husband and her job all seem to be just “ho-hum,” Rachel is ripe for the excitement new neighbor, Luc, brings. But as with most affairs, there’s a price for Rachel and Luc to be together…a very, very expensive price. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed it, even if it was a little predictable toward the end.

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided a copy through net galley. I found The Patient to be a compelling read that kept me wanting to flip pages. I found it much stronger/more interesting in dialogue than storytelling. For me, the intersection of characters became strange and far fetched. But I did want to read all the way to the end. If relatability or believability is important in your reads, it may not be for you.

A marvelous look into the decisions that lead us down dangerous paths and how often those decisions are things we know in our gut are things we should have run from. With eerie atmospheres and a slow burn pace this thriller is for anyone that enjoys never really knowing the full story but always being hungry for more.

The writing of this book was not a fit for me. There was so much description and flourish that I had to keep rereading sentences to follow it. Likewise, the way the characters spoke felt unnatural. If the writing had been tighter and the plot more fast-paced, I think I would have liked it more. Unfortunately, it was a miss for me.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for a ebook review copy.

This book read slow for me. It was more a drama than a mystery or thriller. I liked the synopsis,and idea of the story, i guess I just wanted more thrill. I love fast paced thrills,and page turns,and was hoping this book would provide that,sadly I wasn't that thrilled.

If you enjoy a slow burn thriller this might be for you. The pace was way to slow for me. I was bored throughout reading so much descriptions. I could not get into this one at all.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

A slow-burn, drama/light mystery

Rachel is a doctor who lives in Salisbury, her home life is lacking and she becomes entangled in an unethical relationship with a patient, Luc. "It was dangerous and safe, wrong and right......".

Rachel throws caution to the wind and goes all in with her dalliance. Her character came off a bit flat for me and not entirely authentic. The story is more about her relationships with her husband, daughter and patient than a thriller. More of a domestic mystery. There are secrets, some lighter suspense and some chapters when Rachel is in custody.

I did enjoy it and wanted to finish, but found the happenings too far-fetched (some eye rolls here) and was expecting more suspense and a surprise twist (which doesn't happen).

Those who enjoy more of a slow burn domestic drama may enjoy this one.

This book took quite a while to hook me, and I honestly contemplated putting it down a couple times because I wasn't getting into it. Now that I've finished, I'm not upset that I stuck it out, but I'm not floored by the ending either. I actually had a very different villain in mind up to the very end. All in all, this fell somewhat short of the very promising synopsis for me, but it's decent.

The suspense of not knowing what happened until the last page kept me reading until almost 1 am, long after I should have gone to bed. I couldn't put this book down until I knew what had happened and why.
The plot to this one was very fast paced, it really kept the story flowing well and kept me engaged from page one. I found nothing that was draggy or slow with the story. There were also some pretty unexpected events that took shape in this one. I loved the action and excitement that came along with.
It was aggressively addictive, and I felt that Shemilt handled her characters with undeniable authenticity and grace.
The Patient, is one amazing, wonderful read and readers are going to go wild with this story!

William Morrow Paperbacks,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

Ooooh this was fun. There were a few points where my belief had to be suspended and it took me out of the story a little, but I still genuinely enjoyed this story!