I read this thriller in a day, and now I'm dying to visit Kauai to have a mai tai at Duke's.

Pick this one up if you love a:
🌴Tropical setting
🚪Locked room mystery
🔥Slow burn
🧠Psychological thriller
🤯Surprising twist

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the copy to review.

After a traumatic experience in New York, Annie starts a new life in the paradise of Kauai with her family to try to heal and move forward. A major storm hits the island and Annie is stuck in her house when a stranger shows up and turns her world upside down. This was a slow burn thriller with a long build up. I loved the fact it mostly took place in one day during a crazy storm. The connections and parallelism between the two women’s lives were chilling. While I figured out what the main twist was, there were a few unexpected twists in the end that I didn’t see coming. This was a good and quick read if you love thrillers.

Annie’s life has fallen apart after losing her mother, her beloved dog, and her business. Then an incident with her son makes her husband decide it’s time to and move their family from New York to Kauai, Hawaii to be near her father and sisters in hopes this will help with her depression. When a major storm hits Kauai, Annie opens her door and home to a stranded stranger, Serena, but is she actually a stranger?

This book was definitely a page turner. I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what would happen. It was a bit of a slow burn building up to why Serena really showed up at Annie’s door, but at about the 60% mark the action picks up.

I loved the setting of Hawaii. The author transported me to Kauai, making me want to go there to enjoy the beaches, food, and of course, the mai tais! The rainstorm was a great way to add tension to this locked room mystery. The author made me feel trapped in the ohana with Annie and Serena while reading.

There were times that I found the book repetitive and predictable. I wanted to yell at Annie while reading. Who lets a stranger in their house and shares all their personal information like that? Plus, some parts just weren’t believable, but there was a twist I didn’t see coming at the end which I appreciated.

Overall, this was a fast-paced psychological thriller filled with suspense. Read this book if you like tropical settings, locked room mysteries, and some unexpected twists.

I love a good story about obsession. This had that element for sure, but some things just didn't work for me here. This might get a tad spoilery, so if you want to keep the whole thing a surprise, just stop right here.

The tale starts out with this woman letting in a stranger into the house during the storm. She even has the thoughts of "remember the true crime shows, and don't do this" run through her head. Just as I was thinking the same thing. But also, this is Hawaii, and maybe hospitality and being nice to a stranger is different that where I'm from. Plus there's a bad storm. So we'll let that slide.

The two ladies start to chat, and it seems like there's this connection between them. Both, especially our MC starts to share all these deep dark secrets of her own, that she doesn't really share with anyone else. This is where the plot lost me. How and why would you do that? To a complete stranger? Unless this was alcohol induced (loose tongues and all), but it wasn't present as that. Yes, there was wine involved, but it seemed like the MC just wanted to share what has been burdening her all along. I just couldn't believe that. That, and all the bad vibes she was getting, but not really doing anything about it or stopping herself from sharing.

It was interesting enough to keep me reading, it had the suspense that domestic suspense should bring. It moved well, but got repetitive at times with the same thoughts parroted over and over. The twist - well, it wasn't a surprise. You could see where the build up was going towards. I thought overall it was still entertaining, even if unbelievable. One huge plus - so much good food mentioned, I was drooling and craving all of those dishes.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing - Thomas & Mercer for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tense, heart-pounding, and crazy psychological thriller! The suspense does build slowly in this one.
I really enjoyed Annie’s character, the dialogue, and the many plot twists!

Highly recommend reading if you enjoy:
• Slow-burn
• Locked room mystery
• Hawaii setting
• Shocking plot

I went into this book blind, so I had no idea what was going to happen. Annie is our MC, and we learn that she has a tragic past, but we don’t really know what happened. One night, a heavy storm hits and a random woman knocks on Annie’s door. But she might not be so random after all…

I really liked the overall plot and was totally fascinated by Serena (the random woman). It was obvious from the start that something was off about her, but I could not figure out what was going on and I was desperate to get some answers!

This is definitely a slow burn, with the first 60% of the book basically being a conversation between Annie and Serena. There were so many moments where I wanted to yell at Annie because something was clearly wrong. Her thought process bothered me so much. But once the twists started coming and the action picked up, I was captivated. The ending was pretty ominous too, which I liked.

If I learned anything from reading this novel, it’s that I shouldn’t let a strange woman into my home to drink wine and proceed to tell her every personal detail of my life (but didn’t I already know that…?).

Kauai was meant to be a fresh start for Annie but things aren't going as well as she' hoped. And then she opens to the door to Selena, a woman she does not know, in the midddle of a terrible storm. They talk and talk and talk. Honestly, I've been a fan of Butler this didn't grab me. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A miss from me.

The pages flew by in this book. The majority of the story took place within a matter of hours, in one room, with two people. A difficult task, but done successfully.

The book was a little predictable, at time repetitive, and even a bit unbelievable.

However, despite the flaws I did enjoy this story and would pick up another book by Butler

Annie Lin needs a reset on her life. After a tragic incident with her son, she and her husband, Brody, move to Kauai to start again. With her father and her sister living next door, Annie is hoping to pull herself out of her depression and panic attacks. During an epic rainstorm, Annie finds herself alone when a stranger comes to the door, asking for help as her car broke down on the street. Hesitant at first, Annie is unsure, but eventually invites the stranger, Serena, into her home to wait out the storm.

Both women quickly find common ground and start sharing their stories with each other over wine and dinner as the storm rages on outside. But as the storm continues, something about Serena makes Annie uneasy. Why does it seem that Serena knows more about Annie than she's letting on? Can Serena be trusted?

This book was quick and I found myself impatiently turning the pages to find out what happens next. But, I found the book to be a little frustrating. There were SO many red flags that Annie just failed to see. And the text messages between Annie and her husband seemed odd considering there was a strange woman in their home. While the story was great and the psychological thriller aspect of it was enjoyable, there were little things that drove me nuts about Annie and Serena's interactions. Overall, it was a quick fast paced read and a good plot.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing, GetRedPR, Let'sTalkBooksPromo and NetGalley for this early review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I had a hard time getting into this book. I spent most of the first few chapters very confused - which is expected of a thriller/mystery book. However, I was so confused, and felt like I was just being given random information to remind me that I was in a thriller book, that it just wasn't enjoyable.

The main character is pretty unlikeable for a long time, and this book really played into the "woman main character drunk because of past trauma and is therefore unreliable" trope that accompanies so many of these stories. I love an unreliable narrator, but I'm bored with them just being drunk/drinking all the time.

In the end, the twists and turns and drama played out nicely, it was just very difficult to get into the story. I almost DNF'd it at around 15%, but I am glad that I kept going.

I wanted to get into this one, but just couldn’t. There was some suspense there, but I couldn’t get on board with the main character. Thank you for my review copy!

Annie hasn’t been the same since that fateful year she lost her beloved dog and mother as well as her dance studio and career so close together. Years later and she’s still trying to shake off that bad feeling and get her life back on track. She figured moving to Kauai to be near family might do the trick, I mean who can be grumpy in paradise?

However when things she thought she lost from her life in New York randomly start showing up she starts to feel unsettled. Things only get more confusing when during a huge storm, a stranger knocks on her door hoping to seek refuge as the storm passes. As the night goes on Annie begins to realize that this woman is no stranger and wonders how their crossed paths will effect her family and future.

Someone Else’s Life is told in from Annie’s POV with entries from a computer file mixed within. The short chapters and suspenseful setting help make this a fast read.

The story itself was decent, there was a wonderful atmospheric and suspenseful tone set. I did guess the twist pretty early on but I still thought it was a solid idea that I enjoyed seeing play out in the end.

Unfortunately I thought Annie wasn’t a very likable character and she made some frustratingly stupid decisions. The writing was also too repetitive for me (especially in the first half) and the dialogue a bit awkward.

Overall this was a solid thriller with a decent plot and gorgeous cover that just had some letdowns with the characters and dialogue. I would definitely be open to reading more from this author in the future!

Annie has moved to Kauai with her husband and son for a fresh start after a series of stressful events have left her drained and fearing for her sanity. Living in her dad's guest house provides support as she tries to get her life back together. Annie is enjoying some quiet time while her dad and sister watch her young son until a stranger appears on her doorstep looking for help. As an intense storm develops, so does Annie's connection with her new friend. Why does Serena seem so familiar?

Annie is a stressed-out mom with relatable personal setbacks. As her past is revealed through conversations with her unexpected guest, the truth slowly unravels, constantly building tension. The limited characters in this mostly real-time thriller keep the pages turning with a focus on the dynamic between Annie and her guest.

Grab this one for a quick and uniquely styled suspense read. The writing is accessible and uncomplicated while moving the story forward. It's a great escape novel for a Saturday afternoon or a day at the beach.

SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE began with an interesting premise....and ended with an awful execution.

The writing felt very juvenile and was very, very repetitive. I honestly feel like I've read several books with a similar plot points....all done much better than this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for my #arc in exchange for an honest review.

Annie and Brody, her husband, move to Kauai, Hawaii after an incident involving their son, Finn, at their home in New York. To add to that, she has recently lost her mother and also lost her beloved dance studio. Her father and sister are in Kauai and they decide it would be a good move for them all.

A terrible storm hits when Annie is home alone. Having been through a hurricane myself, I felt the author's description of the storm, the rising water, all of it, was so realistic and well done.

During the storm, a woman, Serena, knocks on her door and says her car broke down and she needs selter from the storm. Annie lets her in (I was *SCREAMING* at her not to do it!). She texts her husband a bit and after some conversation, she feels comfortable with Serena staying through the storm with her.

Then as they talk Annie realizes Serena knows things about her that Annie never mentioned and Serena could not know. But she does. Panic sets in. Who is Serena and why is she there?

This book was so twisty and shocking! I had suspected a totally different ending and was shocked!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my gifted ARC.

This one was hard for me to get into and didn’t quite capture my attention like most thrillers do, but I read on and finally finished it. While I enjoyed the far fetched story line and the ending has me wondering what the heck happens to Annie in the end, I just didn’t find it as exciting as I thought it’d be. Serena was a psycho and the fact that she stalked Annie for all those years was crazy, but when you find out why in the end it kind of makes you feel bad for Serena, even though she’s still crazy and deserves to be locked up :P all of it had me saying omg and wtf a lot in my head and now that I’ve finally finished it I feel like I’d totally read the sequel if one was to come out just to find out what happens next!

This atmospheric read had me up past by bedtime racing through twists and turns to the thrilling conclusion! I just had.to.know by the end. The story takes place on the island of Kauai over the span of just a few days with a hurricane unleashing havoc on the island. The main character, Annie, opens her home to a stranger, Serena, whose car broke down in the flooded roads. The two women try to make the most of the storm by sharing wine and stories about their past, quickly revealing many overlapping similarities and past traumas. As the night progresses, and the storm intensifies, Annie realizes Serena knows too much about her life and begin to question her identify and what she wants from her.
This was a 4 star slow burn, page-turner, locked room mystery executed with just enough paranoia and doubt to keep me guessing until the end. I thorough enjoyed it and recommend you add this to your thriller TBR for the year. Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing, the author, and Let’s Talk Books promotion team for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.


@lynliaobutler @amazonpublishing @getredprbooks @letstalkbookspromo
#someoneelseslife #letstalkbookspromo

Wow... just wow! This one was a gripping page turner that I could not put down!

If a hurricane hits your town and a stranger knocks on your door would you let them in? Annie was home alone and let the stranger into her home and begins to befriend the woman who knocked on her door. Annie's life has had some hardships the past 4 years that caused her to move to Hawaii to be closer to her family. But who is the woman who knocked on her door and seems to know so much about her life??

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you @getredpr for a copy of this book. I was intrigued by the premise of the book being set in Kauai during a rainstorm. The story centers on what happens with Annie when a stranger knocks on her door and ask if she can stay to weather the storm.

I wanted to know how Serena and Annie was connected. It took a long time to get to the connection and the story was a bit repetitive. There was a convo that Serena speaks she was an only child and again Annie ask her later in the book if she is an only child. Not sure if they was an edit error or meant to show Annie's state of mind.

The storm made a tense setting. I didn't understand why if Annie opened her house to a stranger to not be with the rest of the family in the main house for safety in numbers. I think this book had potential but needed to be fleshed out a bit more.

I did not particularly care for this book, though I thought it had a great premise. The pacing felt off--slow in places and too quick in other places. Plus, the number of coincidences that piled up became more than seemed plausible. I think this book had such great potential, but fell short in my eyes.