BOOK REVIEW // THE PRISONER

2.5/5

Amelie has always been a survivor. From losing her parents at a young age, she builds a glamorous life for herself in London. Part of that lavish lifestyle is because she married a handsome millionaire named Ned Hawthrone.

But then Amelie wakes up in a pitch black room- having no idea where she is. Who took her? Why was she taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does Amelie suspect it might be Ned.
____

And another book lands in the “it’s a no from me, dawg” pile…

This is fourth book I’ve read from this author – and I’m beginning to notice a trend in how she writes her female main characters: all of them are weak and are very much the “damsel in distress” in every story. And it bothers me! The “woe is me” façade is getting old, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the questionable things Amelie was doing.

I had ZERO emotional investment in ANY of the characters….they were SO surface level.

The beginning of this book was promising, and Ned gave Jack from Behind Closed Door vibes – but then the story got so repetitive and for half the book NOTHING was going on – and there was absolutely NOTHING “thrilling” about this book

While the premise did sound interesting (and had potential) it was not executed in a cohesive way – the ending felt like it need AT LEAST 10 more pages to tie everything up in a pretty bow. There was also A LOT of characters to keep track of too….and I got VERY confused

This book made no sense to me, and to be 100% honest not my cup of tea AT ALL. This may be the last BA Paris book I read…

SIMONE SAYS READ THIS IF YOU LIKE

Short chapters
Quick reads
Past/present timeline
Porridge
Doing math on walls

This story pulled me in from the beginning…I was intrigued by the plot, loved the short chapters and that I was getting some of the backstory with the flip/flop between the past and present.
It was a pretty fast paced read with good flow in the first half (second half, not so much)…

But things went downhill…as I read on, it started feeling super repetitive and I felt like I was reading in circles.

Overall the book was very surface level and I felt like I had to read a lot to get just a tiny bit of any new information.

There was so much random information thrown in I could have done without and it just confused me.

What was really missing was the lack of character development (and that’s so important!)- there were so many characters but I had no connection to any of them and really didn’t know who was who.
I also didn’t really feel like they had strong connections to each other…I questioned why certain characters were even introduced quite a bit.

Ok and now the ending…I actually thought I was missing a chapter. I’m not sure what happened at the end- it was random and so abrupt and I really could have used a couple more chapters. I have so many questions and the whole wrap up was super underwhelming. I didn’t think there was a big twist or reveal, and that’s really what I need in a good book.

I didn’t really have any emotion while reading it and was never on the edge of my seat or surprised- since I didn’t really know enough about the characters there was no shock value when the bad guy was revealed…and again, so many unanswered questions.

2.75 stars, rounded up to 3

The Prisoner is split into two parts: the first offers alternating timelines between the past and the actual kidnapping event while the second follows Amelie after she is released and discovers what actually happened.

The book starts out with a bang, as Amelie and her husband Ned are kidnapped. One thing I did like from the beginning was that the descriptions were very vivid to the point that I could really envision what was going on, making the story a bit more compelling. I also liked how Amelie's character was described, showcasing her as imaginative and strong as she tried to find clever ways out of her situation and piecing together the various parts of the story. However, I was a bit let down by the details of her abduction; although I felt like some scenes were purposely repetitive, they sometimes got a bit tedious over time.

As the book continued and moved into the second part, I did end up getting more invested in the story. While I am new to the thriller genre, I thought it was kind of weird though how the reader is spoon-fed some of the information towards the end. I would have liked some more "show-not-tell" throughout, helping me make my own conclusions, instead of explaining it all in the last chapter. I wish I could have been able to try and figure it out myself more instead of being told what happened.

Overall, I did think this was an interesting read and I was definitely invested in finding out what was going on by the end, but ultimately some parts of the book just didn't work for me. However, if you enjoy psychological thrillers, particularly ones revolving around abductions and kidnappings, this might be for you, especially due to the fast-paced nature of the short chapters.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve only read one other book by this author but I was excited to dive into this one! I thought I could see exactly where it was going within the first few chapters but I was proved wrong, which I love! BA Paris is amazing when it comes to writing evil, easy to hate, male characters and this book was no exception! If you’re into psychological/domestic thrillers I would say look no further! I look forward to see whatever twisted book she releases next!

I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller. I was very excited to read it after having read and loved Behind Closed Doors from B.A. Paris. It was a true page turner with short chapters keeping the reader engaged throughout. I enjoyed the past and present timelines allowing for the story to flow well. The locked room premise was interesting combining the notoriety of Jed and the mystery of Amelie to create a very complex situation. The last quarter of the book was a bit long-winded, but overall it was a great thriller.

The Prisoner is a psychological thriller that put the woman front and center.

Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamorous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire Jed Hawthorne. But then, Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Jed?

Unlike some of B. A. Paris's other books, I saw the ending clearly. There was no surprise when it is revealed and it took longer than I would have liked. The book was far too long and maybe that made us feel like Amelie that the events would drag on forever. If so, kudos to the author.

There were details that were missed. Never once does Amelie have the eye adjustment normal people would get after 30 minutes. There are other things that are “hidden” and don't show up until the end even if it doesn't make sense. The ending was abrupt. This one had a good premise but wasn't working out detail-wise.

Regardless this was enjoyable though not the strongest addition to Paris's library.

My first impression was that I would enjoy it since it alternated between the past and the present with shorter chapters and I liked Behind Closed Doors by Paris. But, after the first few chapters, I found myself having a hard time getting into the book. We had a main character called Amelie, but I didn't find her memorable. This story had a predictable plot and was written in a way that just didn't appeal to me. As the end approached, I felt that everything had to come together very quickly.

As well, I would have liked to have seen more about Amelie and Hunter - but that might just be the romance lover in me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I enjoyed Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris so I was a tad disappointed that I struggled with this one like I did. The book does have mixed reviews on GoodReads, so I recommend reading it yourself if you think you'd like it.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martins Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Prisoner tells the story of Amelie, a survivor who is trying her best to get back on her feet after her father's death. Instead she finds herself mixed up in something terrible.

This book was fine. The overall story was interesting enough in concept but the execution was lackluster. I didn't feel invested in any of the characters. They all seemed half formed. The writing felt lazy and not particularly compelling. Everything was a bit too convenient and the end was ridiculous. I'd give this a pass.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

3.75 stars

I know based on other reviews people aren't loving The Prisoner but I actually enjoyed it. I finished this book in 1.5 days and found myself engaged the whole time. The pace was quick, there was enough action to keep me engaged and I really like the main character, Amelie. If you are looking for a thriller that has just the right amount of fear with it, I would pick this book up!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

I was fortunate to receive an advanced readers copy of The Prisoner by B. A. Paris for my honest opinion. B. A. Paris is a hit or miss author with me. I loved Behind Closed Doors and The Therapist. However, The Prisoner was a miss. I enjoyed the first section of the book when Amelie and her husband Ned were kidnapped but were being held in different locations. I enjoyed reading Amelie’s backstory and how her and Ned got to this place. During the first section, I could not put the book down. In my opinion, the book went down hill after the first section. I just found the remaining sections to be somewhat implausible. There were really no twists. The ending was extremely anti-climatic.

Amelie finds herself kidnapped and must try to escape before it's too late. The book flashes from present with her captivity back to past leading up to how she got there. I was really intrigued by this premise and when it first started, I was like ooh ok. But then something about the writing just wasn't for me. I think knowing early that the flashbacks are Amelie (after the first one seemed anonymous) took away some of the suspense.

!!!REVIEW!!!
TITLE: THE PRISONER
AUTHOR: B. A. PARIS
PUBLISHER: ST. MARTIN’S PRESS
PUBLICATION DATE: NOVEMBER 1ST, 2022
RATING: 4 / 5 STARS

I can see from looking at other’s reviews that a lot of my fellow reader/reviewers didn’t like this book very much, but I got to say that I actually really liked it! Was it the pinnacle of all thrillers? No, but it was intriguing, compelling, entertaining, and a total page-turner. Most of all? I was never bored. Thank goodness for that because I’m so sick and tired of books that are supposed to be thrillers being absolutely boring.

The book is divided into two sections, each one set up a little differently: in the first section, the story is divided between the past and the present, both narrated in first-person from our protagonist’s POV. The second section is also narrated in first-person by the protagonist, but is told solely in the present. I thought this was a great way of denoting the change both in scenery and circumstance for the protagonist and also a good way of giving us readers a break from having to read an entire book of dual timeline narrative. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good dual timeline narrative plot structure, but it simply wouldn’t have worked well for the entire book. Plus, the change up came at a great time in the book to bring something fresh to the story as a whole: it was like a change in structure mixed with a turn. I thought it was well done.

The thing about a book like this is I can’t break down the book and tell you what I liked and didn’t like specifically about it because of spoilers. I can tell you I liked the first half better than the second half and I loved the last few pages a lot. I can tell you I have mixed feelings about most of the second half, but not enough to say I disliked it. The theme of being a prisoner in one way or another runs deep and wide throughout this novel, and it brings an emotional depth and sense of chilling psychological distress to the book I really enjoyed.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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File Under: Crime Thriller/Suspense Thriller/Suspense Mystery/Psychological Thriller

happy #pubday to @baparisauthor & her latest book! 🎉 I’m a huge fan of her writing, so I was super excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of this!

the story begins with Amelie being blindfolded & taken out of her house mid-sleep alongside her husband, Jed. the couple is transported to an unknown location, where they are locked into separate, pitch black rooms with only the basic necessities needed to survive.

as Amelie grows increasingly terrified for the outcome of her kidnapping, readers are provided with flashbacks from Amelie’s past perspective, gaining insight to her life both before & during her marriage to Jed, the son of a billionaire philanthropist.

while Amelie tries to work out her kidnappers’ intentions, she demonstrates the same resilience & fervor to survive that was developed from a young age after being on her own; & realizes that she may be safer as a hostage than she is in her own home.

initial thoughts about this book were all positive! the beginning sucked me in right away, & I continued to breeze through its entirety because I thought the plot was super engaging & wanted to see what would happen. that being said, it was pretty obvious where the book was heading, & I found myself reading quickly not to necessarily find something new out, but to see if my predictions were correct.

while some of the events were perhaps a tad unrealistic, I also imagine that having all the money in the world comes with a lot of power, & that so many things happen undercover that we never know about because people are just THAT good at covering their tracks. this book really made me reflect on the reality of that. 🫣

overall, i thought this was a good, thrilling read. ‘Behind Closed Doors’ was my first B.A. Paris book, & I’ve been chasing that high to find a book so intensely chilling and infuriating ever since. it’s difficult when the first book you read by an author is an absolute masterpiece, bc you’re forever hoping their other books compare. while this was no Behind Closed Doors for me, i still enjoyed it & truly don’t think you can go wrong with any of her books!

thank you @netgalley & @stmartinspress for my #ARC!

Ooh, boy. I loved Behind Closed Doors so I was so excited to get approved for this NetGalley copy. There are some parallels to this book and BCD, such as triggers and the dual-timeline with flashbacks, but I very much enjoyed that this was its own book and not a ctrl+c ctrl+v of Paris's last novel.

This story follows Amelie as she is kidnapped and we see flashbacks to her past that help us understand how she arrived in her current situation. The chapters and flashbacks are short and quick, which makes this book fly by and make it really difficult to put down. A great book for those who like B.A. Paris and are always looking for a twist! This one was definitely twisty, but wrapped up very nicely. Minus one star for Amelie's character development and the storylines of a few main characters from the beginning of the book, which I thought were a bit lacking and rushed.

Synopsis:
Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a life for herself, she is swept up into a glamorous lifestyle where she married the handsome billionaire Jed Hawthorne.

But then, Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Jed?

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and B.A. Paris for an ARC of this book!**

How would you feel if you were trapped in a cardboard box? (Kept PRISONER, if you will)

Frustrated? Uncomfortable? Claustrophobic? Confused as to WHY and HOW you ended up trapped in said box?

After sighing, grumbling, and eye-rolling my way through most of The Prisoner...those feelings were a LITTLE too close to home.

Amelie is locked in a pitch black room, being held captive...but she's not sure why. She can hear husband Ned, but she isn't sure if he's free...and frankly, she hopes HE is next on the perp's 'to harm' list.

...But how exactly did she get here?

It all started with the loss of her parents: her mother at a young age, and Papa more recently, to a terrible illness. After moving from Paris to London, Amelie tries to forge ahead with her adult life and process her grief...until she happens to meet a woman named Carolyn (quite randomly) who THEN gets her somehow entangled with playboy billionaire Ned Hawthorne, whose father has a well-known foundation. When Ned presents her with an interesting proposition that will end in marriage, it seems like all of Amelie's dreams are coming true at once and a new and exciting life is just around the corner...so why now does her imprisonment seem like her ONLY hope for escape?

I had trouble even writing that synopsis, to be honest.

WHY, you ask?

I thought Paris' book the Dilemma was implausible...and it is. However, this one took the word 'implausible' to a whole new level. This is the sort of book that not only requires a suspension of disbelief, but a complete willingness to forego logic ENTIRELY...and a willingness to be okay with the fact that about 75% of it doesn't really make any sense.

Characters flit from place to place to serve the plot. Conversational exchanges happen that would NEVER happen in real life. Though the chapters are short and I was still able to blow through this in a few days, it was somewhat of a torturous experience. I kept wanting there to be emotional depth, surprising reveals, ANYTHING to make it make sense and make it seem like the plot was truly going somewhere interesting....but that never happened.

The beginning portion of the book (with Amelie's imprisonment) was supposedly the more fast-paced and interesting part of the story...but I found it mind-numbing and once some reveals occurred, beyond silly. It reminded me of the sort of over-the-top dramatics you see in a bad action movie revolving around a hostage situation, and those are certainly not my cup of tea. The second part of the book was EVEN LONGER and didn't lead me to any sort of interesting takeaway. Amelie is a bit of a naive MC on top of everything else, so not only was it hard to feel sorry for her, but frankly they probably should have just left her in the room from part one. I'm sure she would have figured out what was going on....eventually.

Though Paris is undoubtedly a talented author who has put out thrillers I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed, this one left me wondering if I actually ENJOYED The Dilemma by comparison. And I'm sorry to say it Amelie, but I think the TRUE Prisoner in this scenario was me.'

2.5 stars

After the death of her father, Amelie flees Paris for London. She is fortunate to find herself a strong and diverse group of friends to make her transition easier. Before she knows it, she is swept into a glamorous life and finds herself married to a billionaire. It isn't quite the fairytale it seems and she soon discovers the situation is not what she signed up for. That becomes increasingly clear when she is kidnapped and locked in an empty, pitch-black room. Who are her captors, and what do they want from her?

As a long-time B.A. Paris fan, I was eagerly anticipating this book...and it did not disappoint. I loved it. The level of details it took for me to be able to envision the pitch-black room, down to the size of the nails. Suspenseful? Not really, no. But incredible level of detail in the writing. I also just really enjoyed the premise -- orphaned girl runs away to Paris, has a shotgun Vegas wedding to a rich man who ends up being a lunatic, finds herself kidnapped, and ultimately pieces nearly every detail together. Other pros include how it bounced between past and present, the length of time [it felt] she was help captive, and the ending (which I won't give away here but I just need to say that was the best "Maybe" I've ever read).

I really enjoyed Amelie's character. She was likable, had a tough backstory, makes a life for herself, is willing to admit her mistakes, and is tough as nails. The rest of the characters were so-so for me. The only real con, as far as I am concerned. I don't even remember the names of her three friends because there was little memorable about them. Even Ned, I would have liked to know more about him. He's a terrible person, sure, but why? What's his actual story and how did he end up this way?

Overall, I found this book rather appealing (better than her last two IMO). I know many reviews are more negative, but I will be recommending this one with certainty.

I definitely enjoyed this book. The last 100 pages had my head spinning. Every time I thought I had it figured out… I was wrong, or another twist came out. I would have given 5 stars if the last few pages would have been different. Not what I wanted to end with. Thank you to Netgalley for the early read.

This was an interesting read. Some parts of the book, I didn't see coming. It was an enjoyable book, which I couldn't put down but my only negative was the ending. I felt the ending kind of left me short. But overall a good book.

B.A Paris I still love you, like a lot. You get me in every phycological thriller you write. I’m one to always call what’s going to happen and you end up b**ch slapping me with something else.

Amelie was a teenager when her father passes, and having already lost her mother earlier, she finds herself all alone in Paris. After moving to London she builds a life anyone could dream of. She’s married to a billionaire and loving the life, that is until she wakes in a pitch black room not knowing where she is. Who kidnapped her and why?

The story builds slow and than impact. That’s how B.A. writes. She gets you absorbed into the characters and the settings around them, till it all shatters what you think is real. The story goes back and forth between timelines and builds all the things in Amelie’s life. From her parents to her marriage to as to why she was kidnapped. Who is her husband really because he isn’t who you think (as always they’re the villains), but we don’t know why he is the way he is. But that doesn’t matter because Amelie was enough character for me.

I always love getting lost in B.A stories. Every since I read her first book Behind Closed Doors and have enjoyed every story she’s written. I can’t wait for her next book!

Thank you St. Martins Press for the advanced copy… you get me!

This was my first book by B.A. Paris and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I wanted to like this one & thought that I would since so many others have said "Behind Closed Doors" is one of their favorite thrillers, but this book lacked in a lot of aspects.

Characters: I felt that there was little to no character development involved. I didn't feel connected to a single character and honestly did not care what happened to any of them. The MC was very naive, so much so it felt like NO ONE would make the choices she made. The "villain" was so evil but they WHY he was that way didn't seem justified. Everyone else was forgettable.

Plot: The storyline was all over the place and felt messy, nothing about it was believable to me. There were minimal twists and a lot of the events were repetitive and predictable. I felt like there was a lot of long-winded, "telling what is it" vs "showing" the reader the events that unfolded.

Concept: I admit I did like the “taken" and "kidnapped" trope, so even though the narrative is repetitive, I thought this was a good idea. Unfortunately that's all it seemed like in the end - an idea. The short chapters were probably the only reason I even finished the book.

Unfortunately this was a huge miss for me but I am willing to give another BAP book a try!