I was loving A Familiar Stranger until the 60% mark. It had Gone Girl-esque vibes and an unreliable narrator. Unfortunately, the story takes a turn for the worse then doubles down until the end.

A Familiar Stranger follows Lillian as she meets David and starts an affair that unravels her life.

Lillian is a difficult character to like at times. She’s inconsistent and flighty, but she’s also weighed down by her marriage making her feel desperate to break out. All of these traits lead her to read as unreliable as the perspective she paints isn’t always fully truthful.

Lillian’s husband has a few chapters that make it clear Lillian isn’t married to who she thinks she is married to, making readers question whether their initial impression of Lillian.

At the 60% mark something happens that changes the course of the novel for what would seem like for the better, but Torre’s choices for the final 40% are the reason I rated the novel three stars instead of four.

I’m going to be as vague as possible, so if this doesn’t make sense, bear with me. The final 40% introduces multiple perspectives that didn’t need to be included considering another choice Torre made regarding the narrative. The reveals around Lillian’s husband were just plain stupid.

However, I did enjoy the final reveal even if it didn’t feel fully earned.

Overall, A Familiar Stranger started out well but faltered in its conclusion.I wish Torre would have made different choices after the 60% mark because I probably would have ended up rating this five stars.

4.5 out of 5

This book had me turning pages quickly. We know there is a death, just not sure who. Once you hit 50%, all bets are off and the book takes so many twist you’ll need to hold on. I really can’t say I had it figured out, expected some, shocked by others. Some left me with questions and scratching my head, rereading to see if I missed it. Fast paced domestic thriller. Another win for this author. I look forward to the her next book!

Lillian has a unique job — writing obituaries. But she is at a crossroads; unhappy with work, unsatisfied in her marriage and an overly solemn son. She meets a handsome stranger in a coffee shop, comes up with an alias and starts an illicit affair. An unfulfilled life, trying to bring some much needed affection into it. Lillian has so many vices. Then we have her controlling husband, Mike. He has no redeeming qualities and you can so figure out where some of Lillian’s issues stem from. This guy has more secrets than any character should! Characters are sad, mostly unlikeable. Definitely not an uplifting character in the story. Although, I had a soft spot for the cop turned cemetery caretaker Lenny!

Thanks to AR Torre, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Huge amount of thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!
At first glance Lillian is an ordinary wife and mother. Gone are the days of being a celebrity obituary writer with a blog. Now she’s lucky to be writing for the local paper. She meets David and they begin an affair. What she doesn’t tell David is that she isn’t who she presents herself to be with him. She invents a fake persona to make herself more interesting and desirable.
As all things secret tend to do, Lillian’s facade comes crashing down when her affair is discovered and exposed on her son’s social media account. As things intensify, Lillian discovers that she isn’t the only one leading a double life.
Really, really enjoyed this one! Publication day is coming up, September 27 so put it on your list!

I love A.R. Torre’s books, but this one just wasn’t for me. While it was a well-paced and quick read, it wasn’t as enjoyable as I’d hoped it would be. I found it a bit anti-climactic (even the scenes that should have been climactic), and the characters weren’t memorable or even likable for that matter. They all had flaws but no redeeming qualities, except maybe Lillian to a degree.

Now the second half of the book felt like a completely different story. I was surprised by some of the revelations, including who Mike had the affair with and who the murderer was, but I found this portion of the book even less engaging than the first half. While I personally would not recommend this book, I do still look forward to reading more from A.R. Torre.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing a copy of this book to review.*

Almost Two Semi-Tightly Coupled Novellas. This book is a strange one in that it is almost two separate novellas that are somewhat tightly coupled (with the second one using the same characters and playing off the events in the first one), but which are otherwise fairly distinct in both style and tone. In the first half of this book, it is more of a domestic suspense where we get a countdown every so often of how long is left until someone dies. Then, suddenly, a random perspective we've yet encountered... and this person discovers a body. This is effectively the prologue of the second novella, and from here we get more of a crime thriller where the reader is trying to figure out who the killer actually is even as various people reveal themselves to be on one side of the law or another and the two sides eventually converge with interesting and explosive results. Overall, the complete tale works, almost in a Without Remorse (the original Clancy, not the bastardized movie form) manner where you need the first half to make any real sense of the second half. An interesting tale and told using some rare mechanics. Very much recommended.

Secrets. lies,. and bad decisions propel this thriller where someone dies - but who? Lillian thinks it's harmless to reinvent herself when she meets David in a coffee shop but then they have an affair. And then there's a tik Tok video. No spoilers from me but this is twisty and entertaining. Thanks to Netgalley foe the ARC. A page turner.

I am struggling with my thoughts on this one.

On one hand, I loved this book.

On the other, there were some aspects about the book that just didn't click with me.

I think I was expecting more of the Deanna Madden series vibe with this book. It definitely didn't have that vibe for me. This one was too quick, I think. I almost wanted a little more an areas. I wouldn't even have been disappointed if it had be a duet to give me more of the thriller feel.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. The ending wasn't really my liking, but it is what the author wanted it to be. I definitely saw the who coming from a mile away. I don't think many will though. I think my brain works in some of the same ways as the author's does though. This one is definitely worth reading!

A Familiar Stranger
A R Torre
Thomas and Mercer
September 27, 2022

Lillian Smith is a wife (Mike) and mother (Jacob) and writes obituaries for a living. Mike is deceptive and feels and acts as though he is the smartest in the family.

Lillian’s obituary work included writing a young girl’s obituary. She is dying and Marcella is writing her obituary. She befriends the father, Lenny, a retired cop. When Marcella dies, Lenny takes a job at the graveyard to be near his daughter. Lillian visits the grave with Lenny and they often drink together in the graveyard.

Lillian’s uncomplicated life becomes complicated when she meets a man (David Laurent) in a coffee shop. They talk a few times but Lillian presents herself as a woman named Taylor. She makes up lies about Taylor’s life and soon she and David meet regularly. Their relationship is like a dream, expensive dinners, gifts, and champagne on his yacht.

That is all I can say about the book without ruining your reading (and you should definitely read it), but all the characters have secrets and they are revealed in a wonderful twisty way. Congratulations to A. R. Torre on her ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ thriller!

The best way I can describe this book, is that you're reading along, and you think you know what's going on (you don't), then the book takes a sharp left turn and the rest is just a wild ride of surprises!

(I did predict one of the surprises, but it didn't ruin the story at all for me really.)

4.5⭐

Lillian is a daughter, wife and mother. She's also an obituary writer for the LA Times. Who believes her husband Mike is cheating on her, and after purchasing a book about how to discover if your spouse is cheating and uncovering some recent lies. She's prepared to confront him. She's also meeting with a stranger, and it's fair to say her life is a mess.

Then it happens.

But who is this stranger? What has Mike really been up to? And who if anyone can Lillian actually trust?

These are the questions that I couldn't wait to be answered as I rushed through this gripping tale.

And with multiple points of view, absorbing and ruthless characters and twists that kept on coming. This genuinely was a story I couldn't put down and one I would definitely recommend to others.

Lillian Smith is a mess. She’s a demoted LA Times obituary writer who once covered the rich and famous, but is now barely holding onto her job. She struggles with alcohol and mood swings. She’s booze buddies with a cemetery caretaker who lost his young daughter. Her bestie, Sam, a real estate developer, has to help her pick up the pieces every time her life spirals, and she’s found evidence that her husband of almost 20 years is cheating on her. On top of it all, she’s concluded one thing about herself … that she’s boring.

When she has a chance coffee shop encounter with David Laurent, a man with an enticing French accent and a clear interest in her, she not only takes his business card, but she lets her better judgment take a back seat. After all, if her husband, Mike, can have secrets, why can’t she?

Lies tend to snowball, and this is no exception, with Mike and Lillian apparently trying to outdo each other on who has the bigger secrets. Eventually, though, everything hidden comes to light. From the countdown chapter structure, we know that someone in the story dies … but who? And why? About halfway in, you’ll find out, and then things take a REALLY unexpected direction!

A.R. Torre never fails to deliver a juicy thriller with complicated characters, intriguing motives and a compelling plot, which makes her a go-to author for me every time she has a new release! I read the majority of this in one day and was, once again, pulled into the story, trying to untangle all the threads and figure out what I was seeing.

My one downside? I don’t know if others will find one of the big reveals as predictable as I did, but my guess did turn out to be correct, which took some shine out of the ending for me.

Overall, it was a well-written, nicely plotted story that kept me eagerly turning pages, and I would definitely recommend it!

★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, NetGalley and author A.R. Torres for the opportunity to review this ARC honestly. It’s due to be published September 27th, 2022.

This was my first A.R. Torre book. It's about Lillian who is an obituary writer. She has an unhappy marriage and typical teenage son. She meets a stranger in a coffee shop one day. The relationship turns into an affair and her life flips upside down as a video of her and her lover ends up on social media and her son is tagged in the video. This is one of the books where literally every character has secrets and is an unreliable narrator. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but then things happen and the story takes a turn that I didn't really enjoy making this just another average thriller. Perhaps if you don't read a lot of thrillers, the twists might blow your mind, but I found it kind of predictable and not really surprising overall.

WOW! WOW! Please give me a moment to collect my thoughts...

I just finished A Familiar Stranger, an edge of your seat, can't put it down book filled with "where the heck did THAT come from?!?", actual gasps out loud, and several "Oh no!"s. Torre had me so fully immersed in the story, that it felt like a door slammed when the story ended and I was ejected back into my normal life.

It's easy to capture my attention when book sections are named "Two Months Before the Death", "Six Weeks Before the Death", "One Month Before the Death", "Two Weeks Before the Death", "One Week Before the Death", and "Now". The countdown made my heart race! I also enjoyed the multiple POVs employed to give disclosure to the events from several sides. This book is gripping in every way.

Lillian Smith is an obituary writer. She used to be called upon to write obits for celebrities, but her status has slipped a bit, and now she writes them for regular people. Appreciated less and less at her job, and feeling unseen at home as well, she starts flirting with another man, pretending to be someone else to bring some adventure into her life. It goes further than she planned, but who's going to find out her secret after all? Ever heard of social media?? Yep! Good old Lillian found some adventure all right!

And she's not the only one in her inner circle who is lying, cheating, and betraying ones they love. Call me naive, but I never realized how many people lead double lives! How can they keep track of everything? Oh, but that's another twist, someone messes up on that with HUGE implications!!

This is an excellent and immensely enjoyable read. I highly recommend it!

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer for allowing me to read an ARC of the novel via NetGalley. Publication is set for 9/27/22. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

I normally love A. R. Torre books but this one fell way short for me. I didn't like any of the characters at all and just couldn't make myself continue reading. I stopped about halfway through. I didn't find the story interesting and found excuses not to read. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

I had really high hopes for this book but unfortunately it just didn't connect to me as much as I thought it would. The characters were bland and I just couldn't stay for that ending.

Interesting mystery that is a fast read with very short chapters. There are actually a few POV but there is only one, really, to start. Lillian is a quirky and interesting MC. I liked her unique job that gave her some interesting friends. There's a countdown a kept guessing about and was shocked when it finally clocked to zero. Although I liked this one and it was entertaining to read, I don't know if it's a stand out in its genre.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Lillian Smith has a most unusual job of writing obituaries for the LA Times. She's married to Mike and mother to teenage Jacob. She meets David Laurent in a coffee shop and on a whim pretends she is Taylor, a recently-deceased calendar buyer for whom she wrote an obituary. Personally I think obituary writer trumps calendar buyer as an interesting occupation but Lillian decides otherwise and starts to lead a totally different life. The book is written as a countdown to a death but whose?

I think this is the fourth of A.R. Torre's books that I've read and I found this one to be entertaining but not as enjoyable as some of her others. I was disappointed by the turn that the book took after about 60% but that's my personal taste. Still, it was a page-turner and I never considered giving up on it.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: September 27, 2022

Holy wow, A.R. Torre has done it again!! I've highly enjoyed her thrillers in the past... There is something strangely addictive about her writing style, and she somehow manages to make me forget about certain bookish pet peeves and blow me away with her stories. The truth is that I was a tad worried about A Familiar Stranger, because I'm never a fan of a cheating angle (and less if it's actively happening on the page). I couldn't resist the temptation to spend more time with her writing though, and I'm glad I didn't because I ended up having an absolute blast with this story.

I still can't believe I actually enjoyed a story where there was so much cheating going on, but A.R. Torre sure knows how to convince me. I think this has a lot to do with the way she writes her stories; almost as soon as I started reading, I knew this was most likely going to be another winner for me. Her writing style is extremely engaging and highly addictive, and it made me turn page after page without wanting to stop. The plot development itself is also so cleverly done! Not just the different POVs, but having the events lead up to the mysterious death and you constantly wondering who that death is referring to... I take my hat off for such a clever twist; I never saw any of it coming!

The main character Lillian has a bit of an unreliable narrator feel and she does come over as a bit unstable. I'm not sure up to what point she was actually likeable, but she does make for a fascinating character and you will root for her as she finally starts standing up for herself (even though I don't fully agree with how she does it). Her husband is despicable, and that feeling only grew over time... But he does play his role very well. And those plot twists! I have to say that once the previously mentioned mysterious death happens, things go a bit wild. And then I mean rollercoaster ride, mouth wide open, flabbergasted kind of wild. Holy guacamole, what a way to turn up the intensity dial to full blast as one twist after the other is revealed!

There were so many things I never saw coming in A Familiar Stranger, and especially the twist involving Lillian was extremely cleverly done. I did guess the identity of the killer right, but I honestly didn't care too much about that as I was too busy turning those pages to discover what was going to happen next. The ending was very satisfying as well! All in all A Familiar Stranger turned out to be a highly addictive, suspenseful and cleverly plotted thriller I cannot recommend enough.

I think this is the first book by this author that I really enjoyed. I thought the story was so well done and really mysterious. It literally took me less than a day to read. So good.

Wow. I loved Every Last Secret so I had high hopes for this one. It did not disappoint. What a crazy, twisty, leave you asking, “What did I just read?” kind of book. I read it in one sitting and Icould not put it down. It will keep you guessing until the last pages. #netgalley #AFamiliarStranger