This book had all the elements of a cracking good read but after a very good start it started to rapidly dip for me. There were too many POV’s as they simply slowed the story down so what started as a good ploy to hold any tension just didn’t work.

Jayne arrives on Cliff Island, Maine, to nanny for two young children for the summer while their mom, Celeste, recovers from a car accident that left her with memory loss. But soon after she arrives, 4-year old Lizzie, goes missing.

I loved this author's previous book, The Guilty Sister, so I was super excited to read this one! It had so many twists and turns! Told from multiple perspectives, we find that all of these characters are harboring secrets and that any one of them could be responsible for Lizzie's disappearance. Every time I thought I had figured out what was going on, I found out that I was wrong. The end was mind blowing and I definitely did not see it coming!

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Arianne Richmonde for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Breakdown is a new debut novel by Arianne Richmond.
A fast paced, twisting story that will draw you in and keep you turning pages long past bedtime!
This one did not disappoint! Great characters, a tense and tight plot.
This has all the right ingredients for a wild thriller.
As the book progresses, the twists start to come fast and furious. I was constantly caught off guard, as I hadn’t anticipated most of them.
For a debut author she didn't disappoint.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

TW: mention of child death, kidnap, suicide attempt, alcoholism, brief mention of adult/minor relationship

Jayne Smith is travelling to an island just off the coast of Maine to be an au pair for the summer for the Wainwright family. Celeste Wainwright is currently unwell following an accident, & her husband wants someone to take over looking after the children, Liam, Lizzie, & baby Violet for most of the time. Jayne will be staying in a cottage on the grounds of their house & she is happy she is not in the main house as there is a strange atmosphere. Max Wainwright is pleasant but distant, Celeste doesn't remember anything from one day to the next, & the nurse there to give Celeste 24/7 care is overbearing & unfriendly. Shortly after Jayne arrives, baby Violet dies suddenly & then a few days later, four-year-old Lizzie goes missing in the middle of the night.

The narrative is from several points of view, including Celeste, Jayne, & the detective who is investigating Lizzie's disappearance. Everyone, including Jayne & Dr Stephen (who is a bit of a creeper), has their own secrets which may or may not be relevant. I flew through this book in a few hours & really enjoyed reading it with its twists & turns - some of which I guessed correctly but not all - & that's the mark of a good book for me. I thought the ending may have been a little too neat but it's a minor quibble.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Bookouture, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Celeste was pregnant when she was in a horrible car accident with her daughter, Lizzie in the back. They are lucky to be alive. But sadly, Celeste is left with a loss of her memory. She doesn't remember giving birth to her daughter, Violet and is now at what her husband, Max describes as her favorite place - their summer house.

Who can complain about being on an island off Maine? Well, if you are having memory issues, and your husband is always whispering to his sister and your daughters.... I guess, Celeste has a lot to complain about!

This was a gripping and fast paced read for me. I was captivated right away and naturally; I did a fair share of super sleuthing while reading this book. There are quite a few things going on and there is more than one POV being told. This was a compelling book which kept me on my toes while my eyes were glued to the pages. There are a lot of secrets, lies and twist and turns in this book. This kept me guessing and I loved every second of it.

This was my first book by Arianne Richmonde and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Fabulous cover for The Breakdown, and goodness me, what a stab in the dark—no pun intended! I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s a thriller; it’s more like a whacking good whodunnit. Trying to predict the plot got me quite worked up as I consider myself to be quite a dab hand at doing just this. And if Richmonde gave me the runaround, imagine the detective in charge of the case.

I have to say that Detective Adele Alba was one of my faves. She’s methodical and keeps an open mind as one would expect her to do, yet well aware that all involved are hiding something. Yeap, lies are the name of the game. So, who is telling the truth or trying to throw her off the scent? 

What floored me was the opening chapter; however, the author doesn’t give the reader time to pause as Celeste’s story unravels. Mother of young children, I found her emotional state a tad strange. I wanted her to react more to the circumstances; however, when memory fails as hers does, one has no option but to go with the flow.

Told from multiple points of view in first-person, some of the characters' stories move back and forth in a shortish timespan, keeping the reader in the loop regarding their thoughts. No issue here. But why the author hadn’t given Celeste’s husband and his sister a voice got me thinking because something felt off.

We meet the au-pair whose nativity frustrated me no end, poor girl. Perhaps another pawn in a bargaining tool? Wait and see! And despite another player leaving an impression on me, his actions fell a little short. I doubt the author wanted me to like the nurse, either. Well done here, Richmonde. It’s been a while since I’ve had so many convoluted feelings. 

In the second half of the book and much to my liking, Richmonde fastened up the page-turning pace. Her throwing in more clues didn’t mean I was able to guess who was behind such dastard doings in surroundings so breathtakingly beautiful. 

The ending. What. A. Shocker! I loved the way the author led me down the garden path. Bravo, Richmonde!

The Breakdown is my second novel by Arianne Richmond, the first being the Guilty Sister.

The book alternates between multiple POV, Celeste, a mother who has lost her memory following a horriffic car accident, Jayne, an au pair who comes to live with the family to look after Celeste's and her husband's children, Stephen, the doctor treating Celeste and the Police Detective who is investigating an incident that happens. The plot summary and title of the book, I felt didn't really match the story, while one of the main characters has had a breakdown, the focus of the novel really is about the disappearance of a child and the mystery surrounding this. The book gave me Agatha Christie vibes or Ruth Ware. I loved the character of Jayne and felt she was a much more interesting character than Celeste and could have had the entire plot told by her. I loved that all the characters were complex, multilayered and had their own motives and secrets. Trigger warnings for suicide, child death, SIDS and mental health. I really enjoyed this twisty novel with a surprising ending that I didn't see coming. I will definitely read others by this author.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Jayne is hired as a part-time au pair for a family who lives on an island off the coast of Maine. As she’s in the ferry, someone wishes her luck with them and starts the feeling that she is making a huge mistake.

The family is strange, with a nurse and therapist hanging around to help the mother who is apparently very ill, the father demands that things remain casual and “laid back”, and children that run wild. Jayne is only there 2 days before something tragic happens.

This is not the only thing that happens though, because a few days later Jayne is a suspect when one of the children goes missing. Jayne thinks she is innocent but she can’t prove it to herself or the police, only time will tell.

This book was really good!! I was super into it the whole time and really had no idea who did what in the store, although I did have a few inklings. However, the ending took me by surprise! I love a good plot twist and this was definitely one I could only predict a small part of, with a big chunk of it a total surprise!

This one had me captivated from the very beginning. So many characters and so many secrets yet somehow the author was able to tie everything up with a nice little bow by the end! Loved all of the plot twists and turns. I will be looking for more by this author!

There were times in The Breakdown by Arianne Richmonde that I thought the psych thriller would give ME a breakdown.
Seriously, there were so many times that I wondered exactly what was going on.
And there is a LOT going on.
At first, I thought it had a very Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights feel to it. Perhaps that is because of Jayne’s name, or the situation where the nanny is entering into a strange family situation in a fairly secluded area.
I don’t know if that is the intention, but it is a strong vibe.
As I got further in the plot, however, I realized that there was an undercurrent of action that I had missed because I was set in my initial mindset.
At that point, I dropped everything I thought I had figured out and just went along for the ride. Trust me when I say the book is best enjoyed if you do this from the beginning.
I don’t want to say too much about the characters, because this is a case where one thing could give away a bigger plot point.
There is not a large cast of characters, but everyone is hiding something, and it does take a bit of concentration to keep everything straight. There are more than a few “blink and you’ll miss it moments.”
And even if you don’t blink, by the time you get to the end, you’ll wonder if there WAS something you missed. Because there are twists you will not see coming. Right up to the very end.
Even though it started a little slow, The Breakdown ended up being another great read from Arianne Richmonde.
Here are some more of the author’s books to try:

Set on Cliff Island, Maine, this psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat several times as I couldn't stop page turning.

Celeste is suffering from a brain injury after a car crash. She is married to Max and they have three children, Lizzie, Liam and newborn Violet.

Jayne is an au pair recently hired from England to help look after the children to take the pressure off the wealthy couple.

Other characters include Celeste's nurse, therapist and Max's sister. Everyone has secrets!

Chapters alternate between current time and a few days earlier, told from the point of view of several characters. It's really easy to follow though as each chapter has the heading of the character, past and present. This format is what kept me page turning and is one of my favourites formats.

The first chapter starts with a shock as Lizzie is taken by an adult, but who?

What follows is a totally twisted story where everyone is a suspect and the idyllic island becomes a crime scene, but where is the body?

Just when I thought I had discovered the truth, wham, a twist hit me, followed by another!

This is the second book I have read from this author and it's another hit for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC.  Really enjoyed this read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Last year I read Arianne Richmonde's, The Guilty Sister, and loved it! I was so excited to get approved for this e-ARC and be able to be a part of Bookouture's book tour!

The Breakdown was a little bit slow at first, I'd say 20% in, but then after that, it was absolute craziness. I enjoyed how the chapters alternated between different characters POVs. My mind was reeling trying to figure out what was happening between all of the characters. Every character was hiding a secret. I was even questioning my own sanity while reading the chapters from Celeste's POV. I couldn't decipher if she really had a traumatic head injury or if she was just faking it. I thought I had everything figured out, but I was totally wrong. This book contained some crazy secrets, a ridiculous amount of lies, and so much suspense! I loved it all! The ending was mind-blowing...I was beyond surprised! One of the best twisted books I've read by Arianne Richmonde. Can't wait to read more from her!

My rating: 4.5 stars/5 stars

Highly recommend!

I will post my review for my book tour date on 4/13 on instagram @thrillersandcoffee

A baby is dead, her sister missing and many suspects. And everybody has something to hide. In the end it's a masterpiece of deception.

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

The Breakdown by Arianne Richmonde is an unputdownable thriller with an ending that you won't see coming. The story is told from multiple POV's, but revolves around Celeste and Jayne. Celeste has recently lost her baby after getting into a car accident while she was pregnant. Now, her other daughter Lizzie is missing as well. Meanwhile, Jayne has been hired to be the children's caretaker. Is it really an island paradise? What secrets is everyone keeping? And will they be able to find Lizzie before it's too late?

Here is a chilling excerpt from an opening chapter, which is from Celeste's point of view:

"Apparently, this is our summer house.
...
The house is all wood and creaky old windows and floors. It’s so romantic, other worldly, and the sense of peace is extraordinary. The lap of waves, the jingle of boat bells, the birdsong. But when the tide comes in and the waves kick and smash against the jagged, granite rocks, it makes me remember little slices of my life, and my past, and then it comes back to me: we are on an isolated island. Anything could happen, especially with the weather. Things could change in just one blink.
There are buried secrets here. Rumors whisper amongst themselves about ghosts and centuries-old ships sailing in the fog and mist.
The dead still live on, some say."

Overall, The Breakdown is a surprise-filled thriller that you won't be able to put down. One highlight of this book is how interesting it is. I kept turning the pages because I had to see how it would end, and I ended up finishing the book in a day. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that the multiple timelines and multiple POV's had me confused in the begining, but I eventually got the hang of everything. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in April!

OMG! I had soooo many theories going into this book and I loved how I was able to fine tune my theories as some were proven and some were disproved. Even still, I was unable to predict what happened in the shocking ending!

In this thriller, the Wainwright family is speading the summer at Cliff Island. Tragedy has hit the family and they are trying to escape the media and get their lives back together. Mrs. Wainswright has just survived a horrible wreck where she lost a child. A nurse has moved in to help take care of her as she recovers mentally and physically. The father has hired an au pair to help supervise the other children due to traveling for his job. Suddenly, Lizzie, another child in the family, disappears. The drama starts as the police and family members try to find the missing child.

As the plots unfolds, nothing is as it seems. This thriller is truly mind-blowing. All the pieces came together at the end of the book which left me truly speechless. I highly recommend this thriller by Richmonde. You will not be disappointed.

A thriller told in multiple pov's. Celeste is suffering from a temporary memory loss after her accident. The Au pair she has hired has secrets. The nurse looking after Celeste is too bossy. The husband is too caring, her therapist seems too eager.
The story is well paced, though there a few red herrings.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story alternates between the perspective of the wife, the nanny, the therapist, the nurse and the detective. The supposed truth was the wife had a psychotic break and attempted suicide with the daughter in the car, now she's recovering at home, and never has the energy to do anything. Now, with a death of the youngest baby, and the daughter ended up missing, what is the truth?

I was lukewarm on the book, as I thought the story was disoriented switching between so many POVS.

This book was RIVETING and kept me on the edge of my seat as I tried to figure out what was coming next. The characters were complex and interesting and captivating, and the plot full of twists and turns. I loved every bit of it! Highly recommend!

I was super excited to get my hands on a copy of this, however, I was very quickly let down. Unlike Richmonde's other works, this was so slow and bogged down by points and passages that did not forward the plot. I found myself bored and skimming multiple times I also couldn't connect with the characters and therefore didn't much care what happened to them.