I am going to be in the minority here with my rating because honestly? I don't see it as exceptional as most other people have. And they are like raving about how "freaking awesome" it is. Maybe I missed something because it didn't speak volumes to me at all. In fact, while I did enjoy it, it was still just an average read for me to be honest. And the reference to "The Silent Patient" just falls flat with me as I've never read that book so cannot compare it at all.

OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES...where do I start? It's such a difficult book to review without giving too much away...particularly a major plotline reveal running throughout that has readers believing one thing and it actually turns out to be another! In fact, I suspected this facet of the story early on when certain aspects seemed suspect in the narrative. That's all I can say without giving anything away.

What I can say is this...

She lost her husband. Now is she losing her mind?

Sophie Portman is a thirtysomething teacher seeking psychiatric help because she believes she is being watched/followed/stalked. She reported her fears to the police but without any tangible proof to back up her claim there was little they could do. So she seeks help from psychiatrist Dr Thacker hoping he might have some answers and help her move on.

Seven months ago, Sophie lost her husband Jack who had been on a geological expedition to the Arctic. And as she continues to struggle with the loss she begins to wonder if she is losing her mind. Cue in Dr Thacker. Throughout her sessions, Sophie continues to maintain her feeling of being watched. But is her perception real, paranoia or delusional?

It takes time for Sophie to open up to her psychiatrist and even then, she isn't being completely honest...only telling him pieces of truth. But one thing is clear - she is haunted by whatever happened prior to his disappearance. So what happened to Jack? Is he dead? Is he alive? Or has he left his marriage and abandoned the expedition he worked so hard to win?

Listen carefully. Watch closely. Trust nobody. Nothing is as it seems.

Although it is an exceptionally quick read, OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES is a book you need to pay close attention to as nothing is really as it seems. Having said that, how I interpreted the ending didn't hit me like a bolt of lightning as it appears to have done so with others. Which makes me wonder if I somehow missed something...but I don't think I did. I see what she did. I see what he did. I see what they did. I see how it played out. And I see each of the characters in their completely deluded worlds. And yeah? So...?

So yeah, I was pretty much underwhelmed. Although I did enjoy it, I just wasn't WOWed by it. I especially like the letter form that portrayed Sophie's narrative - it was done very cleverly...as was the interweaving of each of the narratives. Again...watch closely and listen very carefully.

I can't say I liked any of the characters and for a quick read it was incredibly slow to take off. Still, I finished it within four hours but it's not be a memorable read for me unfortunately.

A very clever concept and equally ingenious plotline, OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES is an entertaining psychological thriller that is a quick read to while away a couple of hours. But that's it.

I would like to thank #JERowney, #BooksGoSocial and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #OtherPeoplesLives in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Full of twists! I read a sentence, went “ huh?!” then had to go back a few pages to see who said that. Even more twists!

Was puzzled about the psychiatrist’s two female employees in the front office. What do they do all day? And the distraction alluded to … would have liked more explanations.

Many thanks to Netgalley and BooksgoSocial for this amazing short book.

Wow this was a ride! Loved how fast paced this one was and it really kept me guessing until the very last moment and it still wasn’t what I expected. I really enjoyed it as someone who loves thrillers. On the surface this seems like your average thriller but honestly I was completely surprised with how different the ending was. Very good!

"Sophie Portman has lost her husband, and she thinks she may be losing her mind. She seems the help of a psychiatrist but as she starts to open up, the truth begins to unravel and nothing is quite as it seems "
This us a difficult book to write a review about without giving away any spoilers. It was a fairly shirt book but was still a great read and didn't lack anything. The chapters are short and the book instantly drew me in. Thexsusiense built up through the chapters and as you would expect a few twists along the way. I certainly didn't pre guess the ending and would definatley recommend this book to others.
Thanks to netgalley for this advance read.

all i’ve seen is amazing reviews for this book! i came in with very high standards. it was well written & those twists… phew. the downside is, i was actually pretty bored til about 75% in and it was very repetitive.

good story though.

Sophie is seeing a psychiatrist after the disappearance of her geologist husband. She keeps feeling like she's being watched. But of course it becomes apparent that she isn't being completely honest in her therapy sessions, and we learn there is much more to the story.

This one was a slow build and I didn't find the story very compelling until about three fourths of the way in when we started learning of the twists. I was a bit confused at first until I worked out what was going on. I really feel like there needed to be more character development, and the ending wasn't entirely satisfying. Overall, this one was just okay for me.

Wow, this book was exactly what it said it would be- Gone Girl meets The Silent Patient. I don't really want to say much because I don't want to give anything away but I was thrown for a LOOP. It actually took me a minute and I had to go back to reread a few pages but after I figured it out, WHOA. The way the author wrote this is truly incredible. After reading a friend's review, I was reallllly trying to figure it out the twist on my own but I did NOT see it coming. If you're looking for a psychological thriller that is well thought out, fast paced, and twisty as hell, then this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Fox Publishing, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date (April 22, 2022!) This in no way affected my review and the opinions are my own.

4.25 ⭐
What a brilliant twist!! Didn't see er coming either! Isn't that so exciting when that happens??

Sophie's husband, Jack, has disappeared and she's finding it hard to get on with her life. She thinks someone is watching her. She barely leaves her house, except to go to see a therapist, Dr. Thacker. Slowly she begins to open up and eventually she has agreed to go back to work as a teacher.

Some chapters are letters Sophie writes to Jack that really put their life together in perspective for us readers. In comes a couple twistaroos and I can't say much more.

This was an obsessively thrilling suspenseful psychological ride. The ending had an interesting and surprising wrap-up.
First time with this author and I'll be looking out for future books.

*Thanks to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and J.E. Rowney for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

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

Other People's Lives by J.E. Rowney is an unputdownable thriller that will appeal to fans of An Anonymous Girl or The Silent Patient. The story revolves around Andrew Thacker, a psychiatrist who is focused on one particular patient. His patient Sophie recently lost her husband and now she thinks someone might be after her. Can Dr. Thacker help her with her delusions?

Here is a gripping excerpt from Chapter 1:

"It was her opening line. The answer to the routine invitation: so, tell me why you are here today. “I think someone’s watching me.” She paused, as if wondering what to say next, while I sat, watching, waiting for her to continue. I wanted the words to come from her mouth without prompting. She must have rehearsed the sentence in her head, built herself up to saying it, because once she had delivered the line, she didn’t seem to know what to say next. She was a woman without a plan."

Overall, Other People's Lives is a psychological thriller that you won't be able to put down. I had to keep reading to find out what happened next, and I ended up finishing in one day. I took off 1 star, because I didn't find the narrator very likable. I would have preferred to have chapters from Sophie's point of view. i took off another star, because I didn't find the twist or ending very satisfying. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of psychological thrillers, you can check out this book when it comes out in April!

Things were going along at a slow, steady pace. I thought I knew what was going on when I got smacked upside the head with a twist. I didn't find the characters to be particularly likeable, but I think they were well written and served their roles well. This is the first book I've ready by J.E. Rowney and I'm looking forward to checking out more!

My thanks to Ms. Rowney and Netgalley for allowing me to read Other People’s Lives.

This was a slow burn and I don’t think that I am the target audience.

For most of the book, the chapters were narrated in turn by Doctor Andrew Thacker, Psychiatrist and Sophie Portman, his client.
The term “ doctor heal thyself” would be very appropriate for Thacker who is struggling to cope with the loss of his cheating girlfriend, Serena. Now he is experiencing a less than professional interest in his client, Sophie.
Sophie is being treated for psychiatric issues following the disappearance of her geologist husband, Jack. She is displaying signs of paranoia, believing that she is being followed.
After 6 months of consultations with Dr. Thacker she starts to reveal new and surprising aspects of their lives. She is definitely not the demure and mild mannered character which she is first presented as.

This was not a fast read for me. I had a hard time getting into the book at the beginning, but it picks up.

The main protagonist, Sophie Portman, whose husband is missing. We get an insight about her from the letters she continues to write to Jack. Sophie sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Thacker because she believes she is being followed.

Dr. Thacker has a creepy attachment to Sophie and is trying to get her to open up about her husband and help her with feeling paranoid. Dr. Thacker looks forward to his weekly sessions with Sophia. Is Sophie paranoid? Sophie was an enigma and I kept guessing.

A mind-blowing fact is dropped and pieces of the puzzle start falling together, but not completely. The ending was a total shock. The ending made the book!

I received an ARC from NetGalley via BooksGoSocial and I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Psychological thrillers are one of my go to genres. I love trying to hypothesize what will happen and to whom. OTHER PEOPLE’S LIVES perplexes me. I was intrigued as I read each chapter learning more about the main character, Sophie, through her therapy sessions and letters.

When I finished, I was confused, I had to go back and read the last few chapters again to see what I missed. There was no dramatic ending, no huge reveal, typical in a psychological thriller. This was not an ending anyone could have seen coming because, well there just wasn’t anything to really see.

I feel as if I was reading one book and then all of a sudden the pages were replaced by another book, but with the same character names.

Six months ago, Sophie’s husband went missing on a work trip to Russia. Now, she’s constantly feeling watched. Enter Dr. Thacker, the psychiatrist Sophie starts seeing to determine if it’s all in her head or if she has a stalker. Who is obsessed with Sophie? Where is her husband? This fast paced thriller will have you on the edge of your seat.

This will be the best thriller you read this year. Prepare to cancel your plans as you reach twist after twist, constantly wondering who you can trust.

Short, totally twisted thriller! Sophie lost her husband more than seven months ago and has started to see a psychiatrist because she feels someone is constantly watching her or she is slowly losing her mind. There is an interesting interplay with the doctor and slowly but surely we get to the big reveal. Stunning!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little Fox Publishing for this ARC!

Other People's Lives

listen carefully

watch closely

trust no one

A mantra to read by.

Sophie Portman is having a hard time coping with the disappearance of her husband, Jack, during a work expedition.

Sophie decides to see a shrink hoping she can deal with the loss of her husband and the paranoia of being watched. As she opens up to her shrink, the layers of her story begin to unravel to an ending, I did not see coming.

A very fast-paced, short but compelling read that kept me wanting to unravel the mystery behind Jack's disappearance, faster than I could swipe the pages.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC.

I've seen some great reviews for this book, so I'm in the minority when I say that I thought it was just okay. It was well written, but I thought that most of the book was slow and repetitive. I also didn't find Sophie to be very likable. The end did have a good twist, even though it was a bit confusing. It was a short book with short chapters so if you like psychological thrillers, you should give this one a try when it comes out!

Thank you to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was absolutely not what I was expecting and my jaw literally hit the floor more than once. It's definitely got the dramatic big reveal!! The rest of the book is really a hit if a slow built upto the grand finale. It does manage to keep up that underlying tension and anxiety and it builds on this til the big reveal. I liked the story being told from the 2 different vantage points and they never became muddled or confusing. Def worth sticking with and a really good way to spend a nice, relaxed say in the sun

Sophie Portman is a teacher and married to Jack, a research geologist. Jack's job takes him away a lot and Sophie keeps in touch by writing letters to him. After Jack goes missing on a research trip, Sophie keeps writing to him.  As Sophie's life moves forward, she finds herself being followed and slowly becoming more and more paranoid, even though she is seeking treatment from a psychiatrist.

Sophie was a great main character! I definitely kept going back and forth....is she crazy or is she not?  The plot was a nice twisty thriller with an unexpected ending. This is a slow burn book with the majority of the thrill happening in the last 50 or so pages of the book.  The ending felt a tiny bit rushed, and a couple of the characters at the end of the book could have been developed a little more.
I love books where I can't see the ending coming. I had some inkling of where this might be heading, but didn't have the whole picture in mind ahead of time.
The book jumps between the points of view of a few different characters.  There were a couple of instances where it was difficult to tell who was speaking.

This is a good book for anyone that likes quick read, slow burn, twisty thrillers. I give this book 3.5 stars.

This is a thriller about unrequited love, loss, and obsession to the brink of madness. I would say this was more of a slow burn, because most of the action and suspense was packed into the last 40% of the book, but I think it was absolutely worth the wait!

There were a lot of elements in this book that I personally really enjoy in a psychological thriller. The dual POVs, letter formatting for Sophie’s chapters, and relatively short chapters in general were all automatic pluses in my book!

I’m still processing the ending and I can promise you that you will NOT see it coming!! I was confused, shocked, impressed, and ultimately really happy with how the end of the book and major twists were pulled off.

This is a solid and quick psychological thriller you will absolutely want to check of yourself!

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for my e-ARC of this book to read and honestly review.