Debut published book for this author and I will start by saying I look forward to more of his work….
This book was incredible, and the fact it has a little bit for everyone and every genre in it makes it all the better. It was captivating, heart-felt, cute all put together in a bow before a gut wrenching twist.

I was surprised to see that this is Eliot Stevens first novel. It read like it was written by a well seasoned author. I was hooked from the very beginning - this novel was clever!

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This is a book I started last year (August 2022) and I thought I will eventually dnf it but since I'm into mystery thrillers recently I decided to continue reading this one and managed to actually finished it.

This is the story of Mark and how he unfortunately disappointed his wife Cecilia. I will try not to spoil anything while sharing my thoughts for this book.

The plot kept me reading. I like that I am able to distinguish each characters, even the secondary ones. The writing was good (for me) because it made me read non-stop. I was able to visualize what's happening.

The mystery is there within the pages, the scenarios and the dialogues. I thought of a lot of possible twist and I was not able to accurately guess the 'twist' and ending of this story. It was fun guessing what could happen next, a bit thrilling and made me enjoy reading this book.

Mark, whose POV we are generally following, kept on assuming stuff. At one point I actually thought he was hallucinating. He has a lot of issues that would have been solved if he voiced it out or actually confirmed them. I don't know if he deserves such an ending but he somehow brought it on himself.

It was a good read and enjoyable albeit a bit absurd at some parts.

*Thanks to the publisher for making this book available for review via Netgalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest thoughts and opinions of the book.*

3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 💫

Mark has found the perfect woman. The only problem? It isn’t his wife. On the outside, Mark and Cecilia’s marriage is perfect. They’ve got looks, money, and they love each other dearly. But on the inside, the marriage is full of cracks, broken by the loss of a pregnancy. So when Mark meets
Alice, he’s very easily tempted into an affair. Alice is offering Mark everything he’s ever dreamed of, but he can’t leave his wife. Cecilia knows a dark secret from Mark’s past that would ruin him if it ever got out. So naturally, Mark and Alice hatch a plan to murder Cecilia. What could go wrong?

I liked this book. But let’s get this straight: Mark is a terrible person. Happy and eager to cheat on his wife. Cecilia? Also not my favorite. The story is told from one POV (idiot Mark’s) until the very end when you hear from someone else (interesting to read). It was a bit of a slow burn but it picks up. The ending twist was good.

Put this one on your TBR list!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Mark and Cecilia seem to have the perfect life, but their life behind closed doors is much different. They live in silent resentment of each other due to the loss of the child they both wanted so much. A woman named Alice enters Mark's life and he sees her as the perfect woman for him. The only catch is: he already has a wife. He can't leave her because she knows a terrible secret from his past that would ruin him if it got out. Mark and Alice hatch a plan that would allow them to have their life together, but at what cost?
This book was definitely full of twists, and just when you think you know what will happen next, you are surprised by another twist. This was definitely a great read and I highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

What a engrossing creepy vibes thriller. I adored this book and I had chills on my arms. Definitely dark and disturbing.

In the preview of the book they said you'd would be great for fans of Daniel Hurst and KL Slater, and they're not wrong!

It took me a couple chapters to get into this one. I really liked the preview, so wanted to keep going. Anyone who loves a great thriller with suspense, and fans of the other authors will love this one.

Can't wait to see what else Eliot Stevens writes.

This was just not the book for me. I hate the main character. The plot was hard to connect with. I was just left disappointment. I don’t think I’ll pick up any future books by this author.

I had a difficult time getting into this book. The story telling was a stream of consciousness of the main character which is not my favorite method of story telling. Also, the main character has an extramarital affair. I cannot abide cheaters. While there is a murder and the plotting of one, I found the story pacing so slow, I lost interest in finding out the conclusion.

Thank you Inkubator Books and Eliot Stevens for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I immediately hated the main character, Mark. He is content cheating on his wife, who recently lost their baby. He fantasizes about a new life without his wife. It was hard for me to get into this book, just because I hated Mark so much. I did enjoy the twist at the end - although I started suspecting it when I was getting closer to the end.

The reason for my rating is that I found this book quite slow and not much of a thriller. At least the first half of the book was filled with a lot of unnecessary details. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen. It could have been a lot more concise and had more twists and turns.

This book has a lot going on, you’ll want to keep turning the pages to unravel the mystery!
The storyline is cleverly written to describe the emotions of the characters, the loss, hope and the complexities of life.
Mark’s relationship with his wife Cecilia is strained, the distance between them widens, overwhelmed with grief. Mark grasps onto possibilities with another woman, she shows him attention and he believes in more.
Alice goes on to meet Mark on a bench, they leave each other notes and go on to plan a future!
Mark’s sure that Cecilia doesn’t want their marriage to work, Alice seems interested in a relationship!
Mark tries to sort out his emotions, he’s trapped in his own thoughts, is there more to this drama or will there be a happy ever after!
A thriller that won’t disappoint.

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own..

Men are so dumb...

Yes, I said it. The way that they believe they can get away with something deceitful. We, as women are much more intelligent than we are given credit for.

Also, there is nothing more dangerous than a woman scorned.

The Woman on the Bench, checks off every box for a blockbuster thriller. There are secrets, lies, deceit, and of course, my favorite... revenge.

This is an action packed novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat begging for more. I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting without even one bathroom break.

This was my first book by Elliot Stevens but it is unlikely to be my last.

If you’re interested in exploring the inner workings of peoples minds and complex relationships/manipulations this book is for you. It was a quick read as well.
*Thank you @netgalley and @inkubatorbooks for the opportunity to review this book

THE WOMAN ON THE BENCH By Eliot Stevens

Mark and Cecilia have it all, they are like a perfect couple. But what seems to be perfect on the outside is not at all perfect inside. At a common friend's party Mark bumps into a woman named Alice.

😊What i liked -

✔ Suspense Thriller.
✔ The whole book is in a single POV, except in the end we see a different POV. This made the book quite interesting.
✔ I liked the storyline and the story buildup.
✔ I liked a few of the twists that came about as the story progressed.
✔ I was way off from what I envisioned the end to be. The end did throw me off a little.
✔ All in all it was an easy book to read.

🤔What could have been better -

✔ There were a few instances that made me raise my eyebrows, it was a little difficult to swallow.
✔ I found the book a little slow paced, i like to be kept on the edge.

📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
👮Thriller Lovers
🕵Suspense Thriller Lovers


📈My Rating : 3.5/5


Thank you Eliot Stevens, NetGalley and Inkubator Books for a copy.

The Woman On The Bench by Eliot Stevens

Be prepared to ignore everything for a while because you cannot do a thing until you get to the end of this book……..absolutely all consuming.
Mark and Cecelia, a former perfect couple, now find their relationship is in tatters due to the loss of their child during pregnancy. It has devastated them.
It’s been a while since the tragedy and Mark wants to move on and seems to work very hard at trying to make their once idyllic relationship what it was. Unsuccessfully.
So when a beautiful woman chats him up while he was sneaking a cigarette in an alley he is quickly smitten. But who is this woman? When a note is left at his office for a meeting with her, he is out the door in a heartbeat.
This woman, Alice, is all that he has been missing these months……..beauty, sexy, illusive……what a ride for him. And now as you follow his trysts you see how he is justifying this relationship…….he’s a good man…..he keeps telling himself….. he deserves this love and attention. They should run away together! But he does have a BIG secret that his wife knows about and he is afraid it would destroy him if she revealed it.
This thriller is so complex with a group of characters unknowingly all caught up in the big scheme that plays out in a spectacular finale.

I've read enough psychological thrillers now to sort of pick up on some of the turning points and I have to say this one fell a little flat on keeping me guessing.

Today’s book is The Woman on the Bench by Eliot Stevens. Published by Inkubator Books in 2022, today’s book is all about infidelity, grief and murder

Mark is having a sneaky cigarette at a party when he meets a beautiful and mysterious woman. They share a smoke and he doesn’t even learn her name before she disappears, then he returns to his friends and his wife, but he doesn’t forget her.
Mark’s marriage is rocky. A few months earlier his wife Cecilia lost their son at six months. Naturally, Cecilia is grieving and Mark is too, but in their own ways and the distance between them is growing by the day.
At work on Monday, Mark receives an unexpected note. The woman from the party has tracked him down. Her name is Alice and she wants to meet. Mark cancels his meetings to see her and they begin to covertly meet on a bench by the Thames, leaving each other secret notes taped to the bottom of the seat.
Meanwhile Mark’s marriage to Cecilia becomes more frosty and he becomes increasingly obsessed with the mysterious Alice. He and Alice arrange a dirty weekend at Mark and Cecilia’s holiday house, and together they hatch a plan for a way for them to be together forever.
But can Mark go through with it? And who will he choose? Cecilia or Alice? Because Cecilia also knows Mark’s darkest secret. Something no one else knows. Something which could ruin everything.

The Woman on the Bench is an absorbing psychological thriller about infidelity and grief.
It has to be said that the main character Mark is a bit of a selfish arsehole. His wife is grieving from the loss of her child and rather than try to help her through her pain to start another chapter of their lives together, he looks for comfort in another woman’s arms. But then again, is Cecilia having an affair of her own? Or is Mark just trying to justify his own actions to himself?
He is also mean to his own friends and is willing to toss everything and everyone aside for the chance of a life with Alice. But then again, is this Mark’s way of coping with his own grief? Rather than facing it head on, he looks for distractions from the pain of not becoming a father like he’d hoped.
And yet despite all Mark’s flaws, I was completely engrossed from the first page, as Mark goes deeper into his obsession with Alice and gets caught deeper into her web. The plot twists and turns as the reader begins to see that Mark in his foolishness might be falling into some kind of trap. And all the characters are vivid and believable, with their own faults and idiosyncrasies, from the obsessive parents to the pretentious artist and the poor loyal friend left behind.
And of course, there is an unexpected but perfectly executed ending which doesn’t disappoint.

So if you like complex characters, pain, broken marriages, affairs and murder plots, you might like The Woman on the Bench by Eliot Stevens.

A good read, kept me hooked. The naivety of the main character is pretty annoying. I didn't expect the twist as such, though it was obvious that in some way things were going down that kind of route. I'd say more of a fun read, than a serious thriller.

Don’t you love it when you meet the perfect person for you… but you’re already married? This is the story of Mark. This was such a fun thriller. He was such a fool, and enter Alice but who is she really? And what is Mark hiding? These are the questions that were running amuck in my mind as I read this book. This was well written with great character development. I had a lot of fun reading it and seeing the story unfold. You’re in for a few surprises with this one! Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC!