This is the 3rd book I’ve read by this author. There was one I really enjoyed, one that was hard to enjoy, so I thought this one would be the tiebreaker. That was far from the case. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it, so I gave it 3 stars.

The writing wasn’t the issue. I would have to say that it just wasn’t a very compelling plot. However, it was a quick, easy read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an ARC of The Prisoner in exchange for an honest review. B.A. Paris is one of my favorite authors. She writes thrillers that are quick reads and are hard to put down. That format is true of The Prisoner also. Amelie has been kidnapped. How and why she was kidnapped is the premise of this book. The story goes back and forth between Amelie being held captive and the time leading up to when she was kidnapped. While this was a good thriller, it was not an edge of your seat thriller like previous books by B.A. Paris.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for accepting my request to read and review The Prisoner.

Author: B.A. Paris
Published: 11/01/22
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Page one, I was all-in. Immediately I sensed I would be entertained. Then, oh yes, then the dual timelines began: present/past. I would be moving along, baited breath and the timeline flipped. This was notable every time, however, noticeable many times. It was really frustrating.

This is a kidnapping story that I enjoyed. I had to accept the dual timelines. If this were a TV movie, midway, I would wonder why it wasn't at theaters. The story was unique. I liked it. The actions and dialogue of the characters made sense.

Then, at 80% or so, disappointment set in. This I notice a lot in books. The ending is rushed. It was as if the author had a list that needed to be addressed, and just started writing sentences not paragraphs. I was disappointed. Seriously, I didn't buy the ending. In a few days, I'm going to reread the last 100 pages and see if I change my mind. I was on a high until 80%.

I would recommend this if you don't mind dual timelines.

4.5 rounded to 5. I LOVE BA Paris. Her thrillers always have me guessing till the very end. It wasn't my favourite of hers but it was still face paced nerve wracking.

What is going on with Amelie. What is her story ? How did she end up being kidnapped ? Why is she there! You'll never guess the ending. I know I didn't. I was hoping she would escape from Ned. Although she is safer with her kidnappers o think.

Will anyone save Ned ? I hope not! His father shouldn't bother paying the ransom.

I really enjoyed the jumping back and forward in Time.

A great read by Paris. Thanks to netgalley and st martins press for this ARc

rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

HUGE thank you to B.A. Paris, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book!

in this book, we are following Amelie who lost her parents as a child, yet still managed move from Paris to London and makes ends meet all on her own. a once-in-a-lifetime encounter in Paris leads to a new job and a new place to live, giving Amelie another chance at life.

things are looking up until she gets tricked into a marriage and everything starts going downhill from there. one day she wakes up in a dark room with nothing but the clothes on her back, and a mattress... she doesn't know how she got there or why SHE was taken.

I really enjoyed this book!!! there are dual timelines (which I LOVE) and the chapters were really short so I felt like I flew through it! I couldn't wait to see how it all was going to play out, and I was definitely caught off guard by some of the twists.

I've only read one other B.A. Paris book (The Therapist), but I cannot wait to read more!!

make sure to check this one out on November 1st!!! thank you again for the ARC!

Read this is you like:

Short Chapters
Alternating Timeliness
Mystery and Suspense
Intriguing Premise
Math and Numbers

B A Paris books always leave me with many feelings. Mostly I feel annoyed that I didn’t like it more. I want so badly to love one of her books as much as I loved Behind Closed Doors. There was some similar themes in the two but this one fell flat for me once again.

I had a few issues with this book.
First the characters, I found them all extremely undeveloped, I didn’t connect with anyone. I didn’t really care what happened to them and I wasn’t even affected of the villains.

I found this book very repetitive, especially the first half and once we got to the second half I felt like we had nothing else to be excited for. There was no major twist or story arc that I was waiting for.

Then that ending 😐… I literally thought my arc was missing a chapter, it was that abrupt.

I did read this book very fast and I love my books with short chapters! I just wish this book gave us more as it did have a lot of potential! Yes I will continue on the BA Paris Journey.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

B.A.Paris has become one of those automatic read authors for me. I honestly don’t even read the synopsis anymore - I just add to cart. I was so excited to get to read this novel. I felt like it was a little different than previous novels but had an intriguing and “who done it” theme throughout. If you like twisty, psychological thrillers then this is for you.

Big thank you to @Netgalley & @stmartinspress for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Behind Closed Doors by this author is one of my all time favorite thrillers (I always feel weird saying that because it is a very messed up book lol).

This book has similar vibes to BCD, but it didn’t captivate me quite like that one did. It does have some good plot twists that leave you guessing and I do think it’s worth the read; my constant comparing to Behind Closed Doors is what I think ruined it for me a little bit.

Orphaned at 16, Amalie runs away to the London in the hopes of starting a new life. When the opportunity to marry an extremely well known, and wealthy man arises, she takes the chance to secure her future.
She wakes up one day in a dark room and realizes she and her husband have been kidnapped. The first half of the story alternates between the past and present of Amalie's life.
I can see why several people didn’t care for the book, but I enjoyed it. The first half was really good, the second half is all about finding answers and felt like a wild goose chase. Although a lot of it was a bit farfetched, it was fast paced and did keep my interest. I found myself unable to put it down. The ending was just ok, but we do get all the answers so I appreciated that. Overall, I think it was a quick and decent read.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Prisoner was 3.25 stars. I have read all of BA Paris’ books, she is an author I will read without having to see what the book is about. This was a unique story which started with so much promise and then the ending was a Lifetime Movie, it just fell short. The ending just didn’t add up, you had to suspend reality to make it work. I still love you, B.A. Paris!

Thank you, Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for inviting me to read The Prisoner!

B. A. Paris is a genius at writing suspenseful thrillers. This one is definitely a must read. Amelie finds herself imprisoned without a clue as to why, but of course this wouldn't be a B.A. Paris novel without shocking twists and turns. It's gripping, nail biting, and keeps you wanting more. I absolutely loved this book. Definitely pick this book up.

This is not your typical psychological thriller! This book is told in dual timelines and in two parts. I enjoyed the author’s twist on creating an atmosphere of suspense and how it kept changing my views on who the captor was and the reason why! Definitely not what I was expecting!

Amelie has been married to billionaire Ned for under three weeks when she wakes up in a dark room and no clue who has abducted her and why. We slowly learn that Ned is not a great guy and that Amelie is hoping to make a mistake and never see Ned again. Ned feels similar and continuously offers up Amelie to save himself.

I love an alternating timeline in books, but in this one I did not feel particularly excited by either. The chapters in captivity got fairly redundant after awhile and the past chapters were a bit too slow to build. Then the last handful of chapters are so packed with excitement it felt too far fetched. I wish the details in the last few chapters were woven throughout the story better so I didn't have to suspend so much disbelief in the end. I have read quite a few books by this author and unfortunately this was my least favorite.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Paris' BEST YET. This kept me on the edge of my seat. Unique. I've already recommended this to friends, and I think it would make a fun winter book club selection!

This is a book that will draw you in and hold you captive. Literally make you feel as if you are captive. Even the scenes that do not take place in the locked room where Amelie is feel confining, closed, suffocating.

Amelie has been taking care of herself for a long time, ever since she lost her parents in Paris. She’s street smart and naïve at the same time. In London she’s finally starting to make progress towards achieving her dream of going to school. She has friends that make her feel loved, cherished and cared for, a job she enjoys, and glamour surrounding her, glamour that calls to her. Maybe a little too much. She thinks she’s in control, what she’s doing may not be 100% ethical but it’s for a good cause, and no one will get hurt. But what she’s really done is make a deal with the devil.

The suspense starts from the reader’s first encounter with Amelie in the locked room and continues full on as the narrative switches between then and now. It’s exciting, thrilling, scary – and a caution about what you agree to. I received a free book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions are my own.

Seems fitting for me to post a thriller for this weekend. I am a big B.A. Paris fan whenever I am in the mood for a quick page turning thriller. The Prisoner fit that mold as it was the story of Amelie, a woman rebuilding her life after a childhood of tragedy, only to be married to a billionaire and end up being kidnapped. The chapters alternate between her present day confinement to how she ended up to be in this situation. There are red herrings, twists and turns, dark and creepy moments and highly icky characters. I always like seeing how the puzzle pieces fit together and the clues that I missed since I almost always guess wrong until the end. This one kept me engaged and I was rooting for Amelie and invested in her story and survival.

I had a hard time getting into this one. The story was ok and flowed well but I just wasn’t connected to the characters or the plot as much as other B.A. Paris books.

This book took awhile to get me hooked, but when it did, it got really good and fast paced! The short chapters and flashbacks between past and present helped keep me interested even before it started to speed up. I think what threw me off is that they started off right in the middle of the action instead of building up to it.

I loved the theme of friendship in the book, and I loved seeing the support network Amelie created after she was orphaned. Watching the antagonist going after her friends did get repetitive, and made the ending kind of bleak.

Overall, good spooky read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC.

I have always loved her book and they have always been 5⭐ to me. While this one was easy and quick to read, it left something to be desired, I guess.

First of all, the book is choppy. It goes back and forth between past and present. That usually doesn't bother me, but it just felt not right to me.

Second, the whole concept of the book, was just unbelievable. I'm not going to spoil it, but if you have read it, you probably know what I mean.

Lastly, the ending was just meh. Usually, she has an exciting ending. This one just was a dud.

Publishes November 1, 2022

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the Kindle Version of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

📚 Happy Reading 🙂📚

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#stmartinspress