Overall I enjoyed this thriller, considering that I don't read a ton of thrillers! The story goes in a lot of unexpected places, and I finished the book within 24 hours! I also thought the two main characters do a good job of talking about issues of mental health, being mothers, feeling lost in their lives. I also kept thinking, why doesn't the main character trust her instincts more! ahaha. Why is she talking to this stranger? (but isn't that the plot of a lot of thrillers lol). I was shouting out plot points to my partner bc I was getting into the plot.

I wished that there was more information about the main character's background (mixed Native Hawaiian and Taiwanese/Chinese), but the story focused a lot more on the Taiwanese aspect. [So, why even bother including the Native Hawaiian part?] And, as someone who is very conscientious of settler colonial issues, I also felt like the book could've been located somewhere else. I'm not a fan of Asian American authors reinforcing settler colonialism without at least some minimal information about the context of Kauai. There are several mentions of being in "paradise," which is problematic. It looks like the author did live in Kauai for 2 months during the pandemic, but definitely wish she had some awareness of Native Hawaiian struggles... otherwise, the book could've literally been located in any other city.--it wasn't essential to the plot, even with the random references to some restaurants or Native Hawaiian foods. This is something that would likely not bother most readers but it did stick out to me, esp when the main characters are from privileged backgrounds.

Otherwise, if you enjoy thrillers about female relationships, I didn't see some of the twists and turns and enjoyed it.

This one had me HOOKED. There were some parts of the plot that were such obvious warnings to the MC and were overlooked. I think part of the challenge with a plot like this is creating characters who will overlook any red flags, even though they're apparent to the reader. I think the author did a great job of this.

Overall, the plot is a bit predictable and the twists are hinted at, but it's executed about as well as it can be and you'll always be guessing what might happen next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eARC. I like the book at the very beginning but when the part of the book started to reveal the synopsis of parallel. identity, I was just beside myself. It was set up way too perfectly and I just did not want to read anymore. The main character just was way too naive and it just made the book too convenient. I really did not lile how this went.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book immediately pulled me in, but failed to keep my attention. A stranger shows up at Annie Lin's door, in the middle of a terrible storm, claiming to have a broken down car. We soon begin to realize that these women are connected and the rest of their story is slowly (oh so very slowly) revealed throughout the book.

I wish there had been more action earlier on in the book to keep my interest. There was a lot of repetition with the writing and it felt like the story stalled somewhere in the middle. It would have been nice to have some more flashback scenes with detail, rather than the narrator just telling us what what happening.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler is a gripping domestic thriller that you won't be able to put down. The story revolves around Annie, who lives in Hawaii with her husband and son. Her life is perfect. But one day, during a thunderstorm, a strange woman named Serena appears and asked for help. The pair become fast friends. But why does Annie feel like Serena is hiding something?

Here is a humorous excerpt from Chapter 2:

"The moment Annie Lin opened the door of the ohana, she wanted to slam it shut again. Their neighbor Kalani Pang waved at her from across the street with as much enthusiasm as a teenage cheerleader.
“Annie! Aloha!” Kalani’s booming voice wafted across the warm air toward Annie, along with the fragrance of the plumeria flowers that dotted Annie’s father’s property. He’d been letting Annie and her family stay in the guest cottage behind the main house since they’d moved to Kauai from New York after the new year.
Annie closed her eyes briefly, taking a breath to brace herself. It wasn’t even ten in the morning yet, and she was still groggy from a restless night. She opened her eyes and turned to run back inside (manners be damned), only to slam into her son and husband on their way out."

Overall, Someone Else's Life is a domestic thriller that would make the perfect vacation read. One highlight of this book is how it is set in Hawaii. I wish more domestic thrillers were set in tropical locations. Another highlight of this book is the Asian representation. One final highlight of this book is how this book kept me reading and wanting to know what would happen next. I couldn't wait to find out who Serena was and how she was connected to Annie. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of domestic thrillers in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in February!

This thriller was extremely predictable and the foreshadowing was too heavy handed. I think the author was trying to make the reader question whether something else was a possibility but it was too obvious. This was fast paced and easy to get through quickly, I was interested enough to finish it, but I wouldn’t say I recommend it.

Lyn Liao Butler has written a page-turner of a thriller in Someone Else's Life. Dark and suspenseful, this book is impossible to put down. Highly recommend.

Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler is an absolute page turner!

Annie Lin is trying to rebuild her fractured life, surrounded by family in Hawaii. She's got the perfect husband, an adorable son, and a sweet rescue puppy but paradise is never what it seems. When she opens her door to a stranger in need during a raging storm, bit by bit the already fraying threads of her fragile state begin to unravel. To survive, Annie has to figure out what - and who - to cling to.

I was looking forward to reading this book. However I just didn't connect with the characters, and found myself struggling to read it .Sorry ,hope others like it more.

A great investigation into the idea of self and what defines us, at our core, and whether or not that is mutable. Enjoyed it!

I requested this on a whim because the premise of the story seemed interesting to me but the ending was very lackluster,

I flew through this and was so intrigued to put all the pieces together. However, once I hit the 70% mark, my interest quickly deteriorated. I liked the twist and felt the “thrill” during the action packed pages, but felt like they dragged on and could have been wrapped up a bit quicker. The closer I got to the end, the faster I wanted it to be over.

All that said, I did enjoy it! An easy read that keeps you needing to turn the pages and figure out what happens next

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for the copy of this book!

Someone Else’s Life is a twisty thriller with an unknown visitor who seems familiar, a tropical storm, and family drama. While this was fast-paced at the end, the conversation was a little dragged out in the beginning in the middle - it was pretty repetitive. I liked the journal entry element and how that was used toward the plot of the whole story, and I thought the ending was good in general. While this was twisty and I wasn’t sure what was going on at first, there were lots of red flags, and eventually what I felt like were some pretty major clues to figure out the plot twists. Overall, this was a quick read and the idea was really great, but the execution maybe needed a little more editing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
This was a bit confusing but still a good read.
Author did a good job and I enjoyed the book.

This is the first by this author and I have to say I was surprised. I mean I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. What a thrill this book was. Although, I wouldn’t buy my own copy of this book, I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and easy read

Unfortunately I really struggled with this book, mostly because I really disliked Annie as a character. I think she was really gullible and naive, and I found myself getting annoyed at her and I didn’t really care about what happened to her. It took quite a while for anything to happen, and I just didn’t care enough about the storyline. Unfortunately this just wasn’t the right book for me.

Annie's life is in turmoil, she loses her dance studio, an accident leaves her son traumatized, her mother passes and so does her dog. She moves with her family to an island hoping for a fresh beginning. Soon, strange occurrences start to happen. She finds a dog collar and a bracelet that she thought was lost forever reappears, and she feels that she is being watched. Her anxiety reaches a high level, she becomes paranoid, and she starts having panic attacks. A storm is hitting the island and a woman appears at their door asking for shelter from the storm. Annie welcomes her into their home, and she feels like this stranger is a nice distraction from everything that is happening. As time passes, Annie feels like that stranger seems very familiar to her. Annie's life just started to get complicated again. A stirring psychological thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the very end.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC, I received an advance copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Someone Else's Life, by Lyn Liao Butler, is a psychological thriller that pulls you right in and holds you all the way through to the end. While the book drops hints, in a way that makes you feel like part of the story, you don't know exactly what's coming. You know something is but it all just keeps building until the plot twist at the very end. And what a plot twist it is!
Annie Lin’s had her share of struggles over the last few years. She and her husband decide that a change would do her and their family, good. Where better than their favorite place on earth, Kauai, where her extended family lives.
Once there, Annie is dismayed to realize that she's not feeling as relaxed as she'd hoped she would. They're living on the same property as her family, so why is she still so anxious. Maybe it's because the same type of unexplainable things that were happening, before they moved, are still happening.
When one of the worst storms that Kauai has ever had starts brewing, Annie starts to panic. Things go from bad to worse when a stranger appears at her door and wants more than she can give.

Butler's debut thriller builds on the same foundation as her women's fic - excellent family drama. I loved how most of this story took place in one location, in one night (and during a storm). It really amped up the tension as clue by clue was woven into the dialogue! I couldn't stop turning the pages to see how this was going to end!

What a bone chilling psychological thriller! Someone Else’s Life  reveals the dark side of paradise and the parallel lives of two different women. Some surprising twists and turns in this one! Enjoyable read.3.5 out of 5 ⭐️