This is my second B.A. Paris book and I enjoyed it so much that I read it in one day. I do wish that the ending had wrapped up slightly differently but it kept me interested until the very end. I cannot wait to recommend it to my friends!

The book shifts back and forth from present day to the past. It was easy to keep up with the different timelines which is not always the case. I really enjoyed Amelie and found myself rooting for her.

The Prisoner is a fast paced thriller . B.A. Paris is becoming one of my new favorite authors .
Amelie falls on hard times and she meets Carolyn who offers her work and a place to live . Amelie eventually gets a job with Carolyn and their other friends working at Exclusives .
Ned the head of Exclusives heard that Carolyn is trying to save money to go to college . He offers her a proposal that will help him out and will pay for her college . After she agrees to marry him she learns of some things he has been accused of.
This is a quick read but keeps you guessing until the very end . Thank you Netgalley and publisher for a copy for my honest opinion.

I'm usually the first in line for any new B.A. Paris book and this one started out with the same sense of excitement and urgency I expect from this author. However, as great as the first section was, the book turned into a far-fetched story which dragged in the middle and then concluded with some coincidences which took away my suspension of belief. The very beginning of the book starts out with a woman who is being kidnapped. I could almost feel the sensation of the duct tape put across her mouth, could almost smell the scent of the rough hood put over her head and could feel her sense of utter terror. Amelie was only sixteen when her only relative, her father died. She did not want to be put into the foster system so she ran away to London in the hopes of getting a job. Homeless and jobless, she sat in a cafe wondering where her life would go when she meet Carolyn, a woman who worked for a pop culture magazine. Carolyn gave her a home and a job as a housekeeper| cook which changed into a job at the magazine when Amelie became close friends with Carolyn's work friends,

Amelie is hoping to save money for law school and when she is offered a chance to earn $100,000 by rich magazine owner Ned Hawthorpe for a brief marriage, she jumps at the chance. Ned needs a marriage so his father who runs an important charity will be happy. At least this is what he tells Amelie but the truth is something more sinister. This part of the book seemed to go too fast as we never really know how she even got the magazine job or what she does. And even though she is quite young, it seemed strange that she would not ask Ned more questions or at least require his promise in writing. Her marriage turns out to be more hell than heaven and before she can even think of a way out, she and Ned are kidnapped. The part where she is held kidnapped was the longest section of the book and I think the best part of story. I liked the way she got used to her environment and made rational plans to try to escape.

Once the kidnapping ends Amelie has to figure out where to go with her life and this is where a number of poor decisions and far fetched happenings made the story less enjoyable. There are a number of dead bodies but we don't get to know anyone in detail except for Amelie so it was difficult to care about the others. At the end we get a long winded explanation about everything that happened and a very improbable romance and I was left unsatisfied after the great beginning. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for a honest review.

B.A Paris is always winning. Fast-paced and action-packed from the very first page guarantees another bestseller. Loved every minute of this crazy story of love, betrayal, revenge and the need to get to the truth.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc

B.A. Paris books are a reliable amount of camp that I have come to know, love and trust every year, I always know exactly what I will get and I always look forward to it. This was certainly no exception.

I could NOT put this down. I had read mixed reviews on it, so I was hesitant to start this one, but man, I’m glad I did! I was hooked for the start, and I loved the past and present timelines showing how everything ended up the way it end. And hello, short chapters! 👏🏻👏🏻 I may like this one better than “Behind Closed Doors” 😱 I said what I said! Make sure you pick this book up when it’s released in November!

B.A. Paris writes a great story and I’d already read a few of her books before this one, with The Dilemma being the most recent. I have to say, The Prisoner is by far one of my favorite reads by her and may be one of my favorite thrillers to date.

Dual timelines in the past and the present usually leaves me wanting to know more of one timeline over the other but both had me questioning “what’s next?” each time they switched. There are two solid twists in this book that I did not see coming and loved that it ends with you wanting more of this story. While all your questions end up being answered, you become so attached to the main character, Amelie, that you’ll want follow her along to her next journey. Whatever it may be.

I really enjoyed reading this thriller! The chapters were quick and I can honestly say I had no idea where the book was leading until much closer to the end. It had me guessing so much, I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you so much for the ARC! Tempe beginning half of the book is so good it made me not put my book down for a while or unless I had to! The characters were very well written and I highly enjoyed the story. As we get more towards the middle/ end of the book I feel like it starts to loose some of its book character. I think it could have been a stronger ending. Non the less the book was a good read and would recommend to others!

Thank you St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The first half of this book had me hooked from the very first page! The dual timelines made things much more interesting. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see how we got to the kidnapping and what would come of it! The twists were captivating and I wasn’t sure how things would play out.

The second half of the book fell a little short for me. I found it to be much less exciting and sort of dragged out. The ending felt quick and I have unanswered questions.

Overall this read was easy, interesting and easily kept my attention! A solid four star rating for me!

Title: The Prisoner
Author: B.A. Paris
Rating: ★ ★ ★
Read type: ARC
Pub Date: 01 Nov 2022


Review: I was really excited to read B.A. Paris' next book. I've read 3 of her previous novels and really enjoyed them.
The Prisoner started really really well but unfortunately it went downhill, I found it repetitive and the decisions of the main character were driving me crazy.
But the short chapters made it an easy read and the two timelines did keep me intrigued.

However, I was questioning some things like in Chapter 34, I thought it would have been real easy to end it right there during the press conference where there were a lot of other people around. Amilie could have spoken, said that the marriage to Ned was an arrangement, this was her way out but instead she ran back inside to her bedroom window hoping to catch her friend Carolyn in the crowd and shout to her from the window?? Why? she could have gotten her attention during the press conference.
And in Chapter 42 it seems so odd to me that someone of Ned Hawthornes stature didn't calculate the double daily amount. Just seems downright crazy.
I also thought that Amilie's father's lawyer couldn't have been too smart to report her as missing, it's not like Amilie changed her name, he's a lawyer for goodness sake, I'm sure he could have found her.
The ending was really dragged out as well, too much clarification happening, as if trying to make the book longer.

I still rated this book 3 stars, the beginning of part 2 of the book was good, like the beginning of part 1, I liked how it started and brought everything together even though the ending was dragged out.
B.A. Paris is a great author and I hope to read more of her work in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The first half of this book was just as suspenseful as I 've come to expect from a B.A Paris book. Amelie was a FMC I was rooting for since she had a not so great life. However, when her life falls into place it did seem pretty coincidental that it was just so perfectly falling in place.

The pacing of this book was well done - with suspenseful and quick chapters that made me want more. But then when we got more, it didn't live up to what I expected at all. I felt like the book fell apart a lot in the second half because when we did get answers not much made sense, or the parts that did make sense didn't matter to the important pieces we were left wondering about.
Just aggressively fine.

The reviews for this book seem to be on both ends of the spectrum. I've seen several reviews that seem to go over the details in the book and feel that it seems to be slightly repetitive as the description of the book on Goodreads describes the book well. I didn't want to add yet another synopsis to the many that are already out there. Instead, my review is the response to some of the most common themes I've read in regards to The Prisoner.. The following are the pov's that I've seen followed by my own thoughts.

1. POV: "The first half of the book is better than the second." and " The second half is a slow burn".
The book itself alternates from present to past. The first and second half of the book doesn't necessarily take place in the same time frame. The second portion of the book is the conclusion of the entire story and the resolution to the events in the book. It is my opinion that comparing the two and giving a review that states the first half is better is misleading as the events of the prisoner being held captive naturally make for a climactic portion of the story. The story would naturally be suspenseful when learning of the time in captivity as we don't know the full story quite yet.
2.. "The second half is a slow burn and predictable"
The second half of the book reveals details surrounding the prisoner and captivity. I wouldn't say this is necessarily a slow burn, it actually felt quite the opposite for me. The story seemed to move faster at the end. I may be one of the few that actually couldn't quite figure this book out and the details surrounding the events until the very end when they are revealed. I have a tendency to speculate on multiple scenarios during a read and couldn't quite figure this one out.
3. Lack of character development.
While I agree we know very little about the characters, I also believe this adds to the suspense. I read the beginning of the story with slight skepticism about the relationship between the women. I don't know if this is my tendency to hesitate to trust people but I don't know of many people ( especially in current times) who would not only offer a job to a complete stranger but allow them to move into their home. This seemed a slight stretch. I think the author could have possibly added character development but I don't think the lack of it necessarily took away from the story.
4. The plot is messy and bad.
I'm not understanding this one. The details come together at the end and the events of the story are explained. The story does alternate time frames so this might possibly be why some feel the plot is messy as it sometimes feels like the chapter ends and alternates before a understanding is grasped of what is occurring.

As a whole, I enjoyed this read. My rating is a 4.5 rounded up to 5. Reading through the parts of the captivity especially became suspenseful and frustrating ( in a good way) because I just couldn't seem to figure out who the possible suspects were. I didn't really ever get the sense that Amelie was ever in any real danger. This wasn't for lack of intensity or threat by her captors

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

All the characters were well written, the first half the plot was tight and worked well and over all I enjoyed it, but the back half and in particular the last 1/4 was a little wacky. and it was a quick read, but the second half was pretty all over the place. I'm still not sure I really fully understand what was going on with the kidnappers.

What a roller coaster!

A daughter - wholeheartedly and completely loved - went from being orphaned too soon and living in the streets, to being taken in by the kindest stranger, given a job and then married a billionaire. She was then kidnapped, and then she solved a crime?!? WHAT?!?

I could not stop reading.

Although…Hunter. I’m still a little confused about how I feel about him…

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story!

I loved it.

is it just me or did this book feel literally half-written?

like, the last page of the book ends in the middle of a conversation … I’m so confused at why this was an artistic choice…

ANYWAY

I’m literally so angry at this book!!! ba paris is a hit or miss author for me, and unfortunately, this one was a big ol miss 🫠

this book takes place between two different timelines of a girl down on her luck after her father passes away and desperate to start a new life. the pacing was excellent, and the ability to switch back and forth between those two timelines at the ideal moment was a great choice by the author!!

the plot itself, on the other hand, just didn’t make any sense. it seemed very all over the place and rushed - and, without giving any spoilers, it was truly a dumpster fire of every terrible plot in the book thrown in one. I couldn’t believe this was the same author who wrote THE THERAPIST and BEHIND CLOSED DOORS! 😭

the MC was a naive human being who found herself in terrible situations, but when she pursued figuring out the people behind it all, she left everything wide open. she found out a few answers, and then was like okay I’m good bye. and then the book just ended?

I’m just so confused at what this book tried to be because I’m not sure if it was a closed door mystery, locked room mystery, domestic thriller, or a revenge plot. I think it tried to be them all ☠️

I would really not recommend this book, and it really breaks my heart to be writing this review because this one was one of my most anticipated books this year!!

will I still read another ba paris though? of course 😅

thank you to netgalley and st. martin’s press for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review! this one’s out in november.

rating: 1.5 stars
wine pairing: new zealand sauvignon blanc

After loving B.A. Paris’s Behind Closed Doors and reading the synopsis of her newest release, I was super excited. The Prisoner is very reminiscent of Behind Closed Doors. But it also has an added layer of “whodunit,” which is something i really enjoyed. I wish the characters were fleshed out a little more, as they felt a little one-dimensional. And I think the story had potential to go even darker to add an extra element of fear.

But overall, it’s the perfect beach-read thriller. And it had enough intrigue to keep the pages turning.

3.6 ⭐️ (rounded up to 4)

Nothing by Paris has ever quite lived up to her debut, BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, for me, but THE PRISONER might have come close. Right away we meet Amelie, who is kidnapped and held captive in a dark room shortly after marrying billionare Ned Hawthorne, who just happens to be her employer. We're left wondering who kidnapped Amelie and Ned and what secrets the couple is hiding.

Told in short chapters, which I love, the story flew by; I found myself reading half of the book in one sitting. The story is told in two parts – in part one, there are alternating timelines between the (not so distant) past and the present day which helps move the story along quickly. I found part two, all told in present day, to be a much slower pace.

The ending felt abrupt and while Paris tried to tie up all the loose ends, not everything was explained to my liking (and some things felt over-explained). Many of the secondary characters are very surface level and it was difficult to keep track of who was who because they didn’t have many distinguishing characteristics.

Overall, THE PRISONER had a good storyline but the ending kept this from being a four-star read for me. 3.5 stars, rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book gave me a lot of Behind Closed Doors vibes. I was liking it and curious where it was going but then some where towards the end it just fizzled out. I felt like it wasn’t totally surprising and just felt like, why?

I felt like the end of over explained things too. It just lost momentum

The Prisoner by BA Paris

~ 3.5, rounded up

Wow, what a ride!

So I want to start out with how excellent the beginning was and how it went right into it. I love when books do that and begin with the action!
This was such a fast paced thriller from beginning to middle! Starts off with a bang! If only it would of stayed that way all the way through.. once it hit the halfway mark I started getting bored and guessed what happened. I’m not totally disappointed or anything, I was just a little bored. It was a good thriller, just somewhat forgettable. Thank you so much NetGalley, B.A. Paris & your publisher for letting me read an arc copy in return for my honest review!
Publishing date is November 1st.