Wow this book has just totally had me spun upside down. I spent the whole book feeling one way about the characters and then the author pulled the rug out from my feet and left me opened mouthed. What a book and what a great thriller of an audio.

I literally couldn’t put this book down from the moment I picked it up. A woman washes up on a beach with no memory of her past. She has a loving family, fiancé, and what looks like a beautiful life. But is everything truly as it seems? . And the truth is more astonishing than I ever imagined. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved this story. You're on the her side the whole way until the memories are restored. We find out we liked her better when she didn't remember anything.

I love myself an unreliable narrator, and this tale of a woman with amnesia doesn’t disappoint. The slow burn catches the reader and keeps hold until the blaze at the end. Great audio narration made listening engaging.

She woke up on the beach with water splashing about. She also woke up with no memory. She is told her name is Mia James. She soon finds she has a boyfriend. A mother and sister. Friends. More than that she finds she owns a home in Christchurch. But nothing is familiar. Not a bit. No job per se, but millions of pounds in the bank. Who is she? As the days pass and her boyfriend Piers pressing her about her relationship, Mia remains lost.

One thing comes clear rather quickly for Mia, she realizes that she’s not really all that fond of Piers. No connection. No spark. This begs the question whether or not there are other things about her life that aren’t as they seem. Then there is the fact that she is said to belong to a rowing club, so she wonders if that has anything to do with how she ended up in the water.

While striving to get things back to normal, Mia continually questions herself and her relationships. In fact, this is when this book takes on a dark edge. Shalini Boland always captures my attention and with The Girl From the Sea, I was riveted from the start all the way to the shocking ending. With the excellent narration by Katie Villa, this thrilling book was even more exciting.

Many thanks to Bookouture Audio and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please also enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/-fTs14eLKEs

Mia James wakes is in hospital after washing up on a beach. She has retrograde amnesia and doesn’t even know who she is herself, let alone her boyfriend, Piers, or mother and sister.

At first, the police suspect an accident, but as Mia starts to get glimpses of a memory, she starts to wonder if what happened to her was deliberate, if someone tried to kill her. She doesn’t know who to trust, but instinctively relies on Jack, who she knew her from before the incident. He helps try to piece together what happened and he’s the only person who seems to actually like her.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator, Katie Villa, has done a brilliant job. This book has a great premise and suspenseful opening chapters. It’s a little repetitive in the middle before the pace picks up again towards the end.

Shalin1 Boland writes great psychological thrillers and this one was no exception. It was an easy listen which intrigued me from the start. I had so much sympathy for Mia as we learned more about her life before she was found and I had to keep litening to know what had happened to her. Then the ending totally floored me! I would never ever have guessed that!

The narration by Katie Villa was great.

Another fantastic book by Shalini Boland! I was very invested in discovering--along with the main character, Mia-- what happened to her, what kind of person she was in the time before her near drowning, whom she can trust, etc. I wasn't entirely surprised by the first twist, although I quite liked the way it was revealed, but I really didn't see the second twist coming. Very well done! Definitely a book I was always anxious to get back to. I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook and thought the narrator, Kate Villa, was absolutely excellent. Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for an advance audio ARC of this book.

Slightly predictable but overall a good read. I enjoyed the narrator and the story but it was definately easy to figure out and sounded like a story we've all heard before

Oh my goodness, Mia Mia Mia...what are you up to? What a rollicking good read, as always, Shalini Boland didn't disappoint with The Girl from the Sea. I had the suspect pegged from about halfway through, but then another shocker came along, which I did not see coming. I especially enjoyed Gemma Dawson's narration.

4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, Shalini Boland and Adrenalin Publishers for my ARC.

A intriguing and haunting story about a woman who washes up from the sea, still alive. When she discovers who she is (she has complete memory loss) and heads back home, nothing is quite as it seems. Great narration and keep my interest throughout! I look forward to more of Shalini Boland's books!

The Girl From the Sea is a fast paced thriller that is full of unexpected twists and turns. A woman is found washed up on the beach with no recollection of how she got there or why. Amnesia and an underlying sense of danger are woven together creating a compelling mystery that is unpredictable and entertaining. The audiobook’s narration adds an extra layer of intrigue and suspense as the twisty plot reaches the surprising conclusion. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook.

I enjoyed this psychological thriller, which is about Mia, who is washed up on the beach and suffering from amnesia. Her boyfriend comes to the hospital and takes her to her home, where she is reintroduced back into her life and to her family and friends. When she meets up with her friend Jack, she feels a connection to him, and she wants to explore this. However, is he who he claims to be and does he have her best interests at heart?

The narrator of the book was perfect, and she did a great job in keeping the book rolling along. I enjoyed the story and the narration a lot.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Who is that girl in the mirror? Who am I? Why is this happening to me?

3.5 ⭐

Another entertaining, fast to read thriller that features amnesia trope, that I know many people don't like but I kind of do. Or at least I don't mind it when it's done well.

This one was… ok. Not the best one I've read, but also not the worst. The story had a nice suspenseful edge to it. Unfortunately, it became predictable too fast, but the journey there wasn't all that bad. A bit of escapisms right when I needed it.

The Girl from the Sea didn't really end up being my favorite thriller of all times. But, it was a nice way to kill a slow afternoon. It was fun. It was entertaining. Nothing spectacular, but oh well.

I've finished this book in a day, listening it as an audiobook. The narrator did a good job, I'd definitely recommend the audio version for this one.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of The Girl from the Sea by Shalini Boland in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded to 5!

When Mia washes up, half dead out of the water, she suffers from amnesia and cannot remember what happened to her, or who she even is. Her story unfolds as she meets her boyfriend, her family members and people from her past life. There are several people who are questionable, the reader doesnt know who to trust. And because the story is told from Mia's point of view, we learn about her past life just as she does.

This book solidifies that I will read whatever Shalini Boland writes - she is just a fantastic domestic suspense/thriller writer. Ms. Boland is great at building up suspense and delivering the punch. While some aspects were a little predictable, that was fun with me the way the story is told. I listened to this audiobook in about two days, I was hooked. And the narrator did a fantastic job as well.

If you are looking for your fun vacation read to keep you on the edge of you plane seat, beach chair, boat seat or lounger this summer - look no further.

Special than you to Netgalley and Bookoutre Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I actually rather disliked this book. I found it to be super difficult for me to finish reading as every time I read it I either felt incredibly anxious or just in general not happy.

I hated every single character in this book. They all seemed over the top delusional! They had unrealistic dreams of other people and were whiny. I prefer characters to be stronger and less obnoxiously behaved.

The only decent moment of this book was the plot twist at the end of the story. I had not expected that, but I do suppose she seemed like an unreliable narrator the whole time having lost her memory. But then when she decided to go back to her old whiny and self entitled ways made me feel disgusted!

If this book even had about 3 decent characters in it, maybe I would've liked it more, but unfortunately it didn't.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookature Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was okay. It reminded me a lot of Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney. Readers who enjoy Alice Feeney should enjoy this book. For me, it wasn't relatable enough to absorb myself into the story.

In this book, Mia washes up on shore with no memory of any part of her life. We, the readers, are taken on her journey of discovering who she is and recapturing her memories.

I will start by saying that it was somewhat predictable. I guessed what happened to her and who was responsible early on. However, the real twist was the reason it happened and I did not guess that. That twist blew me away and made the book worth reading. All in all, it was your average mystery. I wouldn't class it as a thriller, per se, because I wasn't at the edge of my seat at all. Very average story. Three stars. Audio was decent.

I must admit that even though I didn't love this story, I was immediately drawn into it due to a promising start.
The plot follows an amnesiac in search of answers, and it was all intriguing at first, but it became a bit slow as it progressed.

For the most part, Mia James, the protagonist, is a mystery. She has no memories after being found barely alive on a beach. Shortly after she is taken to the hospital, an attractive young man claims to be her boyfriend, but she does not like nor trust him. Slowly, she's piecing the puzzle of her life together, and the mystery deepens with every page. Because she's an unreliable narrator, you don't really know who to trust, who's on her side, or even who's good or bad. Many people will probably be surprised by the ending, but I saw it coming about halfway through, and I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or pleased with the direction it took.

Yet overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read. I almost listened to the whole audiobook in one session.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC audiobook.


Description from NetGalley:
When Mia James is washed up on a beautiful, sun-drenched beach she has no idea who she is or what happened to her. She doesn’t even recognise her own face – until a man comes forward claiming to be her boyfriend and providing her with an identity.

As Mia tries to adjust to the perfect life she was living before her accident, she quickly realises that something is wrong. Why is everyone around her lying to her? What don’t they want her to remember?

This was a very fast read/listen for me. It was interesting to have the POV be someone with amnesia as it was kind of like an unreliable narrator. However, I think that the twists were not really twists. Also the ending was kind of bonkers once she remembers what happened. I had an okay time but I don’t think it was a “write home about” kind of thriller.

Overall: 3/5

Great plot that kept me wanting to listen more to the audiobook. I really enjoyed this one. Great twist at the end, though the ending was a bit sudden. The narrator did a great job.