I was excited to read this one because I've enjoyed the other books that I've read by this author. While I didn't like this one as much as her others it still was a fun read! I love when a book surprises me and there was a big twist near the end that did just that. I did feel that once that twist was revealed everything felt a little rushed and the ending felt unfinished.

Overall, I recommend this one if you like psychological thrillers. I also highly recommend A. R. Torre's book, The Ghostwriter.

Thank you @netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the gifted e-arc of this book.

Great overall read..the beginning started out fantastic then kind of lost steam for me in the second half of the book. Still well worth reading.

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

My head is spinning and I’m still sitting with everything I just read. Whew! A.R Torre is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite authors! It seems with each book she keeps up the surprises and suspense like it’s her first time.

In this book we meet Lillian, she is housewife who doesn’t seem happy with her job or her life. Her son Jacob seems distant and her husband Mike is hyper focused on work. Lillian’s only friends are Sam, her gay best friend who she grabs drinks with and an acquaintance named Lenny who works at the cemetery she visits. One day Lillian meets David, a handsome younger man who pays attention to her in ways her husband hasn’t in years. To keep from spoiling the book, I’ll just say there are twists behind every person in this book. Things I saw coming and things I didn’t. But every step of the way, I didn’t want to put this book down! What an enjoyable, shocking, twisted, crazy thriller this was! Very much recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley & Thomas & Percer for this arc of A Familiar Stranger by AR Torre!

I have loved everything I have read by this author so I was anxiously waiting to see what the new one was all about. I knew it was bound to happen eventually, the thing where you have a very least favorite book by a loved author and sadly, that is what happened w/ A Familiar Stranger for me.

It took me up until past the 50% mark to even feel like I didn't want to put this down. But even after that I still felt like a lot of it just didn't really make sense and I just wanted it all to be over and didn't care what the resolution was. The only thing that surprised me was the death (who it was), because I did not expect that. But everything else up until then and then after was very predictable.

Still looking forward to the next one, just sadly this one was not for me.

4 Seriously Twisted Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
When Alessandra Torre writes under A.R. Torre, I know to pay attention and be prepared for whatever twists and turns she has ready to spring on her reader.

This book falls into that category of Torre having a blast presenting us with a woman going through way too much, and giving her an excuse to pretend to be someone else for a change.

That deception though is just a tease of all the switches, unexpected internal thoughts, and actions. Each participant thinks they have a handle on what they are doing, playing the puppetmaster when in fact, this is not the case.

Buckle up, this ride is something else.

A familiar stranger is a dark a little strange story. Lillian writes obituaries and has a weird life. Her husband Mike is controlling. There were some plot twists that I didn’t see coming and and ending that was crazy (in a good way)

I had such a great time reading this book! We knew there were secrets, but both Lillian and I the reader made assumptions, and boy, did it not go in that direction. Or at least, it was not just that. And I loved it, and it was a twisty read!

We were mainly in Lillian's head, as her marriage spiralled, as her husband cheated, and she in turn cheated. Of a video of her cheating went up on the internet. Just over half of this book was setting things up before they snowballed out of control, and that was great!

We knew that there was going to be a death, there was a running countdown. But who it was? Yeah, I wasn't expecting them to die. And the rest of the book was the fall out of that, and of the secrets that were being revealed. And oh, what they were hiding! Almost all of our viewpoint characters held something close to the chest!

I felt badly for Lillian, almost all of the people who surround her, either don't like her, or don't support her. She's dealt with a lot, from miscarriages, mental health issues, and alcoholism. Just because it's harder, doesn't mean she should've been treated like that, so I really enjoyed how things play out. Though I do have a random theory, that she wasn't the one to key her boss's car. It's head canon that she's not the one who did it, that the murderer did, to cause chaos in her life.

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by A.R. Torre!

This book started out strong, and had me at the edge of my seat. Unfortunately the ending truly ruined it for me, and I had to only give it 3 stars. This book follows Lillian Smith who used to be a celebrity obituary writer- after a huge mistake her career came crumbling, and she is not just a regular obituary writer. Her home life is not much better, she has a husband who she barely talks to and a son who has his own problems and she feels like they both hate her. So one day she meets David at a coffee shop, and reinvents herself to him, You hit a point where you are just waiting for someone to die- you have known about it this entire time.. the writing was so well done and truly made it so you could not stop reading. Overall, this was an amazing thriller! Just wish the ending had happened differently.

What a bumpy twisty ride! I really enjoyed uncovering all the bits and secrets to this book. A few were predictable but loved it all!!

I almost didn't read this book. Almost... I'm so glad that I did. It's a true twisty, topsy turvy, intense, thriller that will keep you turning the pages. It does not disappoint.

This book starts out strong and keeps delivering all the way through. There are five characters that you get to know quite a bit about. Lillian, the obit writer.The wife. The mother. The one with all the problems. Mike, the husband. The dad. The jerk. The liar. The cheater. The money maker. Sam, the gay best friend. Ha. The one who is always there for Lillian. The one who tells her to leave Mike. Lillian's confidante. Daniel, the other man. Who is he exactly? He makes Lillian finally feel alive. Feel like she is worthy. But who is he really? Lenny, the grave keeper. The friend. The one who lost his child. Lost his job as a cop. The drunk. Loyal to the end to Lillian though. These five and the son Jacob will have you scratching your head. Yelling at them. One of them will not make it. One of them causes it all. Or maybe more than one. This is a very thrilling book that has so many surprises.

I was reading along and wham something happened to make me gasp. Then again. I was shocked at a few things that happened in this book. Totally shocked. I did however after reading part figure out who did it. It came as no surprise at all to me. It also did not take away from this story in any way. The surprises were great. I do think this should be listed as a bit paranormal though. It's very good. It's very edge of your seat. It's a true deep down thriller. Not a mystery but a deep thriller. It will keep you going all the way to justice. All the way to the very last page. I loved that ending too. It was so well done. Made me laugh out loud...

Thank you #NetGalley, #ARTorre, #Thomas&Mercer for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book..

5 huge stars. It's excellent. I highly recommend and I will be reading more from this author.

Lillian and Mike have the appearance of an average family that has hit a bit of a plateau. However, a possible affair is suspected and then everything seems to spiral out of control. But Mike is always in control so we don’t know if this is his doing, or his undoing.
This is a complex book with many interesting characters and so many plot twists. The execution of the story was smooth and flawless and I was kept on my toes. Very enjoyable book! Audible narration uses multiple narrators that add so much to the plot.

I’m struggling to find the words to accurately convey my feelings for this book. That’s because I’m not completely sure what I just read.

The story starts from the perspective of housewife and obituary writer, Lillian Smith. Her life is lackluster both professionally and personally. She’s also skirting mental health issues that are never fully addressed. Then a series of events unfolds which leaves her both unemployed and uncertain of where she stands in her marriage.

In the midst of this she meets David, a handsome stranger. His doting doesn’t go unnoticed and before long, Lilian finds herself leading a double life. Each day she remains the dutiful housewife and mother, but she’s also secretly working on the docks and canoodling with David on the side.

The one day, Lilian’s affair is exposed on social media, upending her family. Her husband seems concerned by the reveal, but not in the way you’d expect. Soon it becomes clear he has secrets of his own. A mysterious best friend and an alcoholic grave digger round out this cast of characters with revolving perspectives, each more outlandish and far fetched than the last.

I know you have to suspend rational thought when reading a gripping thriller. That being said, I still felt like too many subplots were introduced in this one, never coming completely together in the way only a well written thrill ride can do. As a result, The Familiar Stranger, although somewhat captivating, was more strange than anything else.

A Familiar Stranger is a series of unexpected actions! I did not expect a few of the plot twists & was pleasantly surprised when the least expected person made the decision to stand up for Lillian.

As always, I love Alessandra’s attention to detail and her ability to keep me guessing!

Fave quotes:
Lenny. My alcoholic knight in shining cemetery garb.—-love it! You never know who your true friends are.


MAY YOUR LAUGHTER AND SMILE CARRY YOU INTO HEAVEN.—-this is a keeper🥲

A Familiar Stranger by A.R. Torre is a character-driven suspense novel that grabbed me from the first page—“Everything I told David on the day that I met him was a lie”—and kept me reading until the final unexpected twist!
The protagonist Lillian is an insecure obituary writer for the L. A. Times who is married to an OCD controlling husband Mike. While her uncertainty about herself and her marriage lead her to make some poor choices and engage in far-fetched activities, she is a somewhat sympathetic character and it is entertaining to follow her adventures. The plot deepens when a death occurs!
Told in multiple first person POVs, the story is particularly enjoyable as we get into the heads of the characters, especially Mike, and an ex-cop caretaker at the cemetery, Lenny. He is probably the most likeable character, as he feels very real and damaged by his experiences as a cop and his personal tragedies. His friendship with Lil shows a sensitive side in both of them. Lil’s best friend Sam, a real estate wheeler dealer, is also an intriguing entity.
The plotting deviously, relentlessly hurtles to the conclusion, with a final twist for an OMG ending!
I enthusiastically recommend this novel to readers who like a fast-paced domestic suspense story with strong characters and a good dose of humanity

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my unbiased opinion.

Wow! I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t this! A Familiar Stranger has all the elements a good psychological thriller should, and the plus side is, it’s a fast paced and bingable read.

Such a quiet and ordinary wife and mother. Who will even notice what she’s done?

Lillian Smith leads an unexceptional life, writing obituaries and killing time with her inattentive husband and disconnected son. Then she meets David, a handsome stranger, in a coffee shop. Lured into an affair, she invents a new persona, one without strings, deadlines, or brooding husbands.

I found this quite clever. I also have to say I’ve not read this author's previous works, hence why I was so pleasantly surprised. The premise, on the outset, is pretty simple. Husband lies and cheats, so wifey returns the favour. Lo and behold, they’re both cheating and lying to each other. Perfectly acceptable behaviour, right?

Ta da! Now this is where the narrative and plot take a clever and macabre twist and I have to admit, did not foresee. I think it fair to say, that at this point all the snarky lies and deception begin to snowball … and snowball fast, taking the direction of the story into a totally different but equally compelling direction.

A highly entertaining read.

This was soooooo good!! If you want something different that will leave you with your jaw on the floor, this is for you!!! Twists and turn galore. Kudos to the author for putting a different twist on this who-done it.

Great read. Suspenseful and kept me turning the pages late into the night. . Secrets, lies, and secret lives.

WOW!

I absolutely dod not see this coming!
The author completely pulls you in and you are sunk!
The characters seem mundane and boring, and suddenly a change. Lillian begins to become more, more attractive, much happier, fuller of personality and joy. We know why reading, but suffice it to say, something happened, and then the author's sequence of events keep going and going.
Now you're at 70% of the book read and feel like you're watching a train wreck you simply cannot stop.
Friends who are "true" friends? Acquaintances who prove to be real friends. Then of course the perfect family...

Amazing! You had this reader blown away, no , I did not see what was coming!

Karen

This was such a quick and totally bingeable read that I couldn’t put down! I was instantly consumed and I needed to finish it, which I did, in practically one sitting!!

I just love Torre’s writing style and always find it intriguingly twisty and incredibly engrossing!

I loved the formatting of knowing the “what” a someone was going to die and we were counting down to it while we continue reading and trying to uncover the “who” and the “why.” I relish in unpredictable domestic thrillers and Torre served just that!

Although I was left wanting a bit more from the David storyline, I did absolutely love the cemetery sidekick in Lenny!

Told from multiple POVs, this is certainly a psychological thriller that o recommend checking out!

Trust Alessandra Torre to write some twisted shizz. I think she must take pleasure in messing with our heads and taking us on a ride--things she definitely does in A Familiar Stranger. If you're a reader of her romances, then this may not be your read because even though there is definitely plot points that involve Lillian and relationships; this is more a story of deception and loneliness and boredom and anger and how all of those things result in some very interesting (poor) choices.



So as the blurb explains, Lillian leads a fairly boring life. She's bored and frustrated and generally dissatisfied with everything. For fun she creates murder scenarios on Twitter and sometimes likes to imagine herself as someone living a more exciting life, like those of the people she sometimes writes obituaries for. This is exactly what she does when she encounters a man, David, in a coffee shop. She takes on the persona of Taylor and decides that to him she'll be a more carefree, well traveled, fun version of herself. What starts out as a friendly flirtation turns into an affair that fills her days with a freedom she's longed for for quite a while. The trouble with all of this, of course, is that she's married with a teenage son. Sounds pretty despicable, right? It totally is. But as you'll learn there are really only two characters who aren't terrible human beings in this novel. I won't reveal who they are but seriously, I detested almost everyone in this novel for most of the novel. Lillian's husband was a controlling jerk who did his own damage to their marriage and the other characters we meet each have their own issues as well.



If you've seen other reviews for this novel you'll see that there are some readers who didn't care for the twist that we encounter about halfway through. I am not one of those. The twist didn't turn me off or disappoint me; I actually thought it was an interesting way to explore the rest of the story. The 'death' wasn't the mystery, you only have to pay attention to the table of contents to know that someone dies. It's the how and the why that is the fun part and while I had an idea of who was involved and why before everything was revealed, I nevertheless enjoyed it and found it a fun read.



A Familiar Stranger is a fun read, with twists and turns, characters you're going to enjoy disliking, and an ending that will tie up all the loose ends. It's a great weekend escape-give it a try.