I might be the outlier here. I saw some 5 star reviews for this and saw it was a pretty short book and available to read now so I grabbed it. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed.

Sophie Portman is struggling with her mental health. She is a teacher but has been on leave for months. Her husband is a geologist and is always travelling the globe for his research. When he tells Sophie he got a 6 week placement he was really keen on - in Arkhangelesk in the Arctic Circle in Russia she is devastated. She really wants him to stay with her. But now 6 months have gone by and there is no Jack. She starts to see a therapist, Dr Thacker, she thinks someone has been watching, maybe following her. Or is it all in her head. Dr Thacker is instantly smitten with Sophie. This is not good.

After a few sessions though the good doctor feels that Sophie is not being fully truthful with him - understatement, much. He has another patient that we focus on, Jonah Washington, and he drops a bombshell in his last session with the doctor. This is the set up for the big reveal. Only, I didn’t think it was much of a reveal. I thought the twists were mostly contrived and a result people using false names. The whole stalker thing has been done to death. Could Rupert Murdoch please post a full page ad in all his papers telling potential stalkers that creepy behaviour does not make people fall in love with you no matter how much you want it!

I didn’t even like any of the characters. Sophie was, well actually quite deluded. Dr Thacker should have referred her to a colleague then he would have been able to socialise with her. Serena - words fail me. And the Jonah character - again words just fail me. All in all, the book failed me. Many thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

I loved this book! Maybe I can finally think about something else now that I’ve finished it. Geez. My whole life was wrapped up in this book for the past few days. Every spare second I had was spent reading this.

Sophie’s husband, Jack, has been missing since he left for a trip to Russia. And now, since Jack’s disappearance, somebody is following Sophie….maybe. Is it her missing husband? Is it a stalker? She thinks she’s going crazy and finally decides to visit a psychiatrist. But Dr. Thacker has a few issues of his own and doesn’t appear to be of much help to her.

Sophie writes Jack letters to help her sort through her feelings, however, she never sends them. She puts them in a drawer thinking she’ll give them to Jack when and if he returns. She feels closer to him when writing her thoughts out and it gives us readers a glimpse into their life prior to Jack leaving.

The back and forth narrative in this book works perfectly to weave this psychological thriller into a perfect story of suspense. I was kept guessing until the very end. I was blissfully confused and entertained throughout. I happily give this 5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

I am editing my original review thanks to my pal Pink that so kindly clarified my confusion and in doing so I am adding a star to this! Thanks, Pink! 😘

A short, fast paced, twisty little thriller.

Sophie's husband Jack has gone missing during an expedition in the Artic. Now she finds herself seeking therapy from Dr. Thacker because she feels she is being followed everywhere she goes. Is she still wallowing in her grief or is there are real threat to be faced?

Dr. Thacker is a psychiatrist that seems to need a lot of therapy himself. He's become obsessed with Sophie and would like to become more than just her therapist.

Jonah Washington is another patient of Dr. Thacker with his OCD and binge eating he bores him to tears but this is his job and he'll do it to the best of his ability.

This book was moving right along at a quick clip and I was 100% invested in the outcome of this novel and that's where this one let me down because I was left with more questions than answers. Even after reading the last few chapters again I still can't make any sense of it. But, but, but....

The truth is the author played me like a fiddle which I didn't realize was happening. Now isn't that a sign of good writing and clever wordplay? Yes, it is! Pink so kindly enlightened me on what happened and it all makes so much more sense now.


If you like twists, turns, and tricksy writing then grab a copy and enjoy this topsy-turvy ride! 4 stars!

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for my complimentary copy.</i>

I will never in my life understand why an author would set up a whole plot predicated around multiple people being interested/invested in someone who is about as appealing as sodden cardboard.

Underlying Menace…
Is Sophie Portman losing her mind? She’s lost her husband. So, it’s entirely possible she thinks. Seeking the help of psychiatrist Andrew Thacker feels like the right thing to do. Isn’t it? The trouble is that when things begin to emerge, there’s no stopping them and nothing is quite as it seems. A slow burn suspense racked with tension, told effectively with the use of multiple narratives and with an always underlying sense of menace. Credible and tense.

This book has me completely submerged into it the entire time. From beginning to end. I am so shocked by the twists, still sitting here thinking about it in awe. I absolutely loved this and all the twists I could've never guessed, especially the twist at the ending. 5 stars! Amazing writing and such an intense build up of suspense as you read the book.

This ARC was given to me from NetGalley and the publishers to read/review plus give my personal opinions on this book. All statements above are my own and based solely on my own opinions after reading the book.

This was a quick, easy read that I couldn't put down. It is well written with a gripping storyline and well developed characters. The narrative is compelling, made even more so by an unreliable narrator and twists and unpredictability that left me on the edge of my seat. I really liked it.

Other People's Lives (J. E. Rowney) gives us a look into (mainly) two lives, the psychiatrist, Thacker and his patient, Sophie. It seems that in some ways the doctor needs a psychiatrist more than the patient does. Does Doctor Thacker have an obsession with Sophie?I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an early copy to review.

Thank you BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. IYKYK, my reviews are always honest.

HOLY F@CK!NG $H!T OAJOFAFLMSMFMFKSSF!!!!!! BANGER ALERT!!!!

Writing: 5 mf stars out of 5 | Plot: 4.5/5 | Endning: 4.5/5

THE PLOT

Sophie is seeing psychiatrist Dr. Thacker to help her cope with the disappearance of her husband and the feeling that someone is watching her. Where is her husband? And is she really being watched? FIND OUT.

MY OPINION

WOOOOOOOOOWWW. I am literally speechless. I don't want to give too much away because it will ruin the book, so JUST FKING READ IT YOURSELF. Maybe I am a BIG dummy, but I did NOT expect that. I actually had to double back and check.... I was like NAH, she didn't... but oh yes she did. BRAVO J.E. Rowney.

Yes, this will give you The Silent Patient vibes... But the twist is JUICY. I'm giving this 5 fat ass stars because the author showed her SKILL. Enough said.

This is a short book and you might find yourself wondering when tf something is gonna pop off. It seems like you're going in circles for awhile. But keep on keeping on, because it is WORTH IT in the end.

That's really all I can say. Maybe you'll clock it earlier than I did because of this review, and if you do, I apologize. I tried to keep this as vague as possible. But I went in Helen Keller blind and this was a BANGER of a reveal. Love the execution.

PROS AND CONS

Pros: absolutely blindsided by the reveal... causing me to go HUH??? and run it back so I could see how she pulled it off

Cons: the rest of the ending was too neatly wrapped up, but I'm still giving 5 stars based on how Rowney executed

This is a book I got via NetGalley. It will be published in April this year. It's Other People's Lives by @jerowneywriter

The book starts with a letter meant for Jack written by Sophie. It's her husband and he is missing. It's been months and she is seeing a therapist because of it. A big part of the book is built up like this: first a letter, from Sophie's perspective and then a chapter from the therapy session from the therapist's perspective. Eventually a few more characters are introduced which leaves you truly questioning whether you missed clues in the first part of the book.

The book has a very interesting base from which the story evolves. The start gives you an insight into the lives of Jack and Sophie and of the therapist. And then it evolves and you really need to pay attention. You are expecting twists of course, but these twists did surprise me! It had Gone Girl vibes, but with a nice twist to it.

Everyone who's into psychological thrillers with a twist will love this.

A fast, thrilling read thst hold you till the very end. Great characters. Kept me guessing wondering if I needed a therapist too. Great twist to the end that kinda heads in that direction but still is such a great thrill ride.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

The writing is all "The Silent Patient" vibes!

Though with a different plot though. An unreliable narrator, a psychiatrist not too sure about their capabilities, a missing husband, hidden affairs and a dirty secret.

So you have to keep guessing. The writing is good. I would say the writing is fun and a much needed entertaining thrilling read. However, the twist did not surprise me much.

If you're someone who would like to read a short, fun psychological thriller you can go for this one.

Thank you, BooksGoSocial, for the advance reading copy.