Member Reviews
Thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartinspress for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @macmillian.audio for a free download of the audiobook.
B. A. Paris is an auto-read for me. She does a great job writing domestic suspense books that leave you just a bit uncomfortable. In this book Amelie and her husband have been kidnapped, though they are being kept apart. The twists and turns on the reason for their captivity and the ultimate outcome left my head spinning. The quick chapters mean I couldn’t stop turning pages to find out what happens next! The dual timelines also helped create a great back story in order to cheer on the main character.
4 stars
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The Prisoner pulled me in and had me listening late into the night. It unfolds slowly at first, but then the action really picks up (so stick with it for the second half!). I did not love the ending, but you'll have to read and decide for yourself.
This was so good at first! I was all in! With short chapters, alternating between the past and the present, I was hooked. Amelie's story was intriguing and I couldn't help but gasp a few times at what was happening.
As I got further in, however, the story started to get a little outlandish, and disbelief set in. You all know I'm not good at suspending disbelief, lol, and well, that was that. Then when I got to the end.
Solid audio book and solid thriller. A little predictable and overall likeable. With an eerie premise promised to chill bones.
I'm usually a huge B.A. Paris fan but this book was okay. Some of the storylines felt far fetched that it wasn't believable to me.
I loved this audiobook! The narrator sounded perfect. Honestly the main character just resonated so perfectly (sadly) with many women today. I would recommend this audiobook to everyone! It’s a little bit of a mind teasing trying to figure out who do it! However, the ending felt more like the end of a chapter, not the end of the entire book. I feel like an extra chapter or even a few extra sentences would have tied this book all together. However, I’m a sucker for the “*insert time frame here* later….” B.A Paris is an amazing author is this is just another example of the amazing work they do!!
(3.5)
This was such a quick bingeable read. I liked the back and forth timelines and how the story evolved. The difference in our two main characters was intriguing and I was kept guessing for the majority of the story! I do think it lost some of its shock appeal with the pacing but still enjoyed it.
I will be reviewing a physical copy of this book I bought on my social media platforms but thank you agin to Macmillan audio for the digital arc
This was an interesting read - and despite the fact that I see quite a few negative reviews, I actually enjoyed this one. Are some of the situations a bit far-fetched? Sure. But overall I enjoyed this story of a young woman who's found herself stuck in a marriage of convenience to the heir of a billionaire - a husband who's turned out to be much more of a bad boy than the nice guy (and boss) she'd thought him to be. And difficult as it seemed to be a prisoner in that marriage, life becomes significantly more difficult when she and her husband become actual prisoners of mysterious captors. Clues and red herrings abound, and it takes a good while for the dual time lines (Amelie's past that led to her marriage and imprisonment, along with the present and her trying to piece together what's happening) to play out. I found it interesting and entertaining, and found the audiobook to be very well narrated.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
B.A. Paris is one of those authors that I’ve come to expect fun, twisty, psychological thrillers from and The Prisoner definitely delivered that for me!
The Prisoner is a lighter thriller that will be good for anyone looking to dip their toes into the genre. The plot is captivating as it moves through past and present storylines to reveal the truth behind Amelie’s current situation and what brought her here. The book is also incredibly easy to read and digest. There is nothing complicated about understanding the twists and turns, but the storyline is quite unique, which for me added to my intrigue and desire to continue reading.
I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews on Goodreads for this book, which surprised me. I will say, I opted with the audiobook because my reading time has been limited, so my experience might be completely different from those reading the physical copy of the book. I highly recommend the audio if you’re interested!
A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press for my gifted copy and audio via Netgalley.
*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was actually pretty good and had me going until the very end, couldn't put it down!
A very unique thriller. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, it goes to a different direction. Narrator did a good job with the dialogue
The Prisoner is a psychological thriller that kept me guessing. Amelie Lamont has always been a survivor. When her parents died, her grandfather took her in and raised her. Unfortunately, he died when she was only 16, so she moved to London to get a job and save money for school. Living from pay cheque to pay cheque she is close to being on the street, when she meets Carolyn Blakely. Carolyn sees something in the young woman and hires her to be a live-in companion, someone to cook, clean and keep her home organized. Amelie blossoms and with 2 other women in their building, they form a small, close knit group. Through these friends who are all in their 30's and work at the exclusive magazine, Exclusives, she gets a job there and meets owner and millionaire, Ned Hawthorpe. Ned is not who he appears and when he needs to get married, he offers Amelie a marriage proposal that Amelie can't turn down. Now married and shut off from her friends, Amelie wants out, but before she can do that, she finds herself locked in a dark room, kidnapped along with her husband.
B.A. Paris has a knack for writing descriptive details that had me visualizing that room, every creak, voice and taste of tasteless food. I could feel the tension and fear that Amelie was feeling. I felt terrible for her to have been caught up in Ned's issues. She is a sympathetic character, young and a bit foolish and as the story progresses, determined to learn the truth. Ned is a creep. He is a rich guy, who thinks he can buy his way out of everything, but he lies and cheats, and even resorts to murder (not him, but he hires someone). Ned's father doesn't think much of him, so when he refuses to pay a ransom, things get a bit dicey and both Ned and Amelie are threatened. As the story unravels, I was invested until about 80% in. I would have been happy if it had ended there, but it didn't and the final part of the story didn't do anything for me. I did like the final twist, but the ending left me scratching my head. All in all, I enjoyed most of the book, but it was not one of Paris' best in my opinion. The narration by Georgia Maguire was well done and probably is what kept me listening after I had lost interest.
The first few minutes of this book draw you in like you would not believe. I was grabbed and held onto for about a third of this book. But then......sigh.....it dragged and dragged and dragged. I held on and kept telling myself that the end would be worth it. And to be honest, it just wasn't. The end was predictable and most of the bulk of this book was odd. The characters acted in ways that I consider unrealistic and unbelievable. I am not one to need a likable main character, but in this case, I think there just wasn't a character anywhere that we could hold onto as a touchstone. I was disappointed overall. This will be my last adventure with this author. I gave it my best attempt, but their books aren't for me. The narrator for this audiobook was...fine. There were more than a few times when things crept into monotone territory.
Thank you to the Publishers and NetGalley for the Audiobook ARC! This was definitely one of my favorite reads this year! It was was well written and the plot unraveled at a great pace!! Kept me guessing most of the book and I was so anxious to see how it was going to play out!!! I will be looking for more for the author!
this one was trippy. once I thought it was over it just kept going. I really loved all of the aspects of this book. all of my questions were answered by the end and I really loved the twisty plot. I highly recommend if you loved the silent patient.
I always enjoy a B. A. Paris book for their wild plots. This one was no exception. Told in alternating past and present sections, there were some interesting reveals and tense moments. However, the action kind of screeched to a halt about two thirds of the way through. All of the big plot points I had expected to happen towards the end were much resolved much earlier. There were still more answers that needed to be given, but the heart pounding action was pretty much over. Some parts were a bit unbelievable, but I don’t mind it very much if it’s at least partially explained in a good way. Georgia Maguire did an excellent job narrating. I enjoyed her performance in Behind Closed Closed doors as well as this one.
Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me access to review this eaudiobook.
I like how Amelie was portrayed as a survivor throughout the novel. It really added to the novel and then Ned who was cunning and was behind the mischievous plans. I think both these characters were molded well and brought a lot to the plot of the story. Additionally, I enjoyed how they fell into their respective roles.
Overall, the novel was a good read and enjoyable. It had me guessing until the end and I love how B.A. Paris takes the time to tie up the loose ends, but also leaves a little to the imagination.
I am absolutely in love with this ! B.A Paris as a writer is beyond incredible! Her description and how she sets a tone is amazing! Lots of twists through had me guessing and then surprised by the shocking ending ! A must read for any thriller fan.
This book hooked me right from the beginning! It's a sad state of affairs when someone feels safer after being kidnapped than before! Man Jed Hawthorne was a grade-A misogynistic sadistic asshole and totally got what was coming to him. I loved how smart, resilient, and determined to not only LIVE but to thrive Amelie was. This story was so well put together and mysterious that I still have some questions left unanswered. The power of big money can make a lot of things, good and bad, happen.
#NetGalley