Unfortunately, I think this novel was marketed wrong. I went into this story thinking it was a thriller and, in reality, Wednesdays at One is a literary fiction title that focuses on forgiveness. It was extremely slow-paced, had religious undertones that I did not enjoy, and was just not what I thought I was getting into based on the blurb.

This book was marketed as a thriller and it is not, so I was a bit disappointed about that. I wasn't thrilled with the premise of the book so I struggled with it. The end didn't help because I saw it coming. This one was just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Zibby Books for the e-ARC.

A shrink with a secret of his own starts seeing a mysterious woman in his office and begins talking to her as if she if the therapist. Things in his life start to unravel as he becomes more obsessed with his Wednesday 1:00 appointment. As his life is crashing down around him, only the truth can set him free, or can it? How far would you go to protect your future from your past? A mind-bending story that will have you questioning where things are going til the end.

What would you do if someone showed up who knew the one secret from your past that you've never shared? And you're attracted to her? And she's a client? Welcome to Wednesdays at One.

Dr. Webber appears to have the perfect life-marriage, kids, and success. But things aren't always what they seem on the outside, so he goes down a path that may risk it all.

This was an entertaining read.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it.

I'm a sucker for a good book about a therapist and this one was just okay to me. I enjoyed the storyline up until a certain part (I don’t want to spoil anything), but the direction the plot went near the end kind of lost my interest. It didn’t match my expectations, but I thought it was an interesting read nonetheless!

{I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.}

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a good book but some things were a bit predictable. I did enjoy it however.

Gregory Weber is a respected psychologist, husband, and father in his Boston suburb. Despite a pleasant and put-together image, most people, including those closest to Dr. Weber, don’t know he holds a deep secret — One that has haunted him for years.

When an unscheduled patient begins to show up for weekly appointments on Wednesdays at 1 and command control during their sessions, Gregory becomes infatuated with her. What does she know about him and why does he feel so drawn to her? As Gregory tries to uncover this connection, his family grows concerned by his aloof and unusual behavior.

Wednesdays at One does have an element of suspense but it’s worth noting this book is not a thriller and it is a slow burn. I had a heads up on this before reading it, and was able to manage my expectations, so I’m sharing the PSA here for other readers. I enjoyed this story for the most part and was curious to see how things would play out — 3.5 stars

Long-buried secrets and shame have the power to shatter a seemingly perfect life.

Dr. Gregory Weber is a Boston-based therapist with a thriving career and beautiful family. But he’s haunted by an event from his past that no one else knows about. Then an unscheduled patient, Mira, begins showing up in his office each Wednesday at 1 p.m. setting his life on a crash course for answers. Desperate to uncover his connection to Mira, Gregory just may risk losing everything that matters to him.

This character-driven, domestic suspense debut novel from Sandra A. Miller was beautifully written and had me intrigued from the first pages. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sandra Miller and Zibby Books for an early copy of this book for an honest review.

stamperlady50's profile picture
Wednesdays at One
By: Sandra A. Miller
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dr. Gregory Weber has a wonderful family, job and life. One day a lady Mira shows up at his practice. She did not had an appointment.

Something about their connection links to something in their past, even though Gregory does not realize it. As a teen he was traumatized by an accident and Mira brings out those memories and their connection becomes undeniable.

Will they each be able to heal without destroying each other or their lives or will they have to answer for their past.

Thank you Zibby Books for this memorable novel

I really enjoyed this novel.

I'm a fan of ghost books, so I somewhat figured out that Mira wasn't a real person early in the book.

Interesting characters. The ending with everyone's connection to each was a nice twist,

I thought this was going to be a thriller based on the synopsis. After reading part of it and then diving into reviews, I saw that isn’t the case. This wasn’t working for me but may be due to coming in with the wrong expectations. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley and Libro.fm for the free advance reading and listening copies.

Sandra A Miller’s debut novel is a fabulous entry into domestic suspense! I was unsure I’d love this as the main character, while not necessarily an unreliable narrator, was so obviously flawed that I found myself getting annoyed with his decision-making straightaway. That said, the author has such an engaging writing style, I felt drawn in to read the entire novel in just a few settings. There were so many layers to the central mystery and the complexity of familial relationships, the perception of truth, how we show up for others and ourselves and so much more. I particularly appreciated the way she was able to deliver the expected twist and then surprise me completely with another I absolutely did not see coming! If you’re a fan of multi-layered, well-drawn and realistic characters as well as being kept guessing until the final pages, this is a suspense novel you need to add to the top of your list. I cannot wait for Sandra’s next book!!

Wednesdays at one

Wow, where did this author come from? I had not heard of her before, but this atmospheric novel of guilt and redemption blew me away; although my standard fare is classic police procedurals and psychological thrillers, this is neither. I would have to say this novel is in a class (and a genre) by itself.

Stay with this story, it is far more than it initially appears to be.

Note: The person I felt most sorry for in this novel was the psychologist's wife - after a relationship of 22 years she is left thinking her husband is having an affair, when the truth is so much deeper (and darker) than that. Unfortunately, by keeping the truth from her, her husband isn't protecting her, he is protecting himself, and exposing her to excessive emotional pain.

Read this unique novel, it is written by a talented author and I found it to be uniquely engaging. I will definitely be waiting for more offerings from this talented writer. .

Wednesdays at One
Author Sandra A. Miller
Available now!

Thank you, @zibbybooks and @sandraamiller, for my #giftedarc and for this beautiful @ashandrose candle topped with locally grown marigold petals! It smells so good, I don't even want to light it!

Wednesdays at One had so much of what I love about reading - psychological drama, family messiness and the challenge of balancing it all, a page- turning mystery with plenty of plots twists that you don't see coming, and an intriguing dive into the past and how it leads the reader to where we are and how we move forward. Not to mention a brilliant, full- circle, emotional, and satisfying ending.

I also haven't read a novel from a male's perspective in a few weeks, so Dr. Gregory Weber, clinical psychologist, trustworthy friend, and ultimate family man, was a welcomed and unique read. But things aren't always as they appear, and "if you don't confront your past... it might confront you first."

On Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m., Gregory has an opening in his weekly schedule until Mira, an unscheduled client, begins to show up weekly and challenge his position as well as hint that she may know more about him that she should. It's confusing and alarming, and it absolutely consumes Gregory. So much so that his life begins to unravel, and he can't figure out how to slow his trajectory before he loses it all - his wife, his family, his livelihood, and his sanity.

Absolutely gripping, complex, layered, and I can't stop thinking about it!
4.5 stars!

Sandra A. Miller’s literary suspense, Wednesdays at One is a true page turner. Set in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this novel rich with developed characters speaks to how one event can change your entire life. The reader ponders, who is Mira? Why does she know such private details? Remorse, honesty, forgiveness and love provide the framework for a title that is hard to put down from the very start.

Secrets and Regrets

This is a book that will leave your jaw on the floor and questioning "what did I just read" . Quite frankly, I am speechless.

From the first page, I knew I was going to get lost in time. This book starts out by pulling you right in to the deep secret Gregory is holding onto. However, this secret is not revealed until the mind blowing conclusion.

I felt the angst and suspense of the secret the entire book. I couldn't zip through the pages fast enough but it was killing me that I didn't know what It was that Gregory was trying to withhold.

I used to have this awful habit of getting consumed with the suspense of a book that I had to jump to the end and read the last chapter just so I could calm my nerves. Luckily, I did not do this as I would have missed all of the build up.

Sandra A. Miller, did an incredible job weaving together a great mystery that dropped little crumbs along the way until the end to keep you guessing. I was quite impressed with Miller's style and I am eager to see what she will publish next.

Teaser. :

If you don’t confront your past…it might confront you first.

Dr. Gregory Weber appears to have an enviable life. He's a renowned clinical psychologist residing in an elegant home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife, Liv, and their two kids. But Gregory feels increasingly disconnected. His marriage is strained, his children are distant, and he can’t stop fixating on an unforgivable mistake he made when he was seventeen. Something no one else knows about.

So when an unscheduled client named Mira starts to appear in his office each week with knowledge about his past, Gregory quickly grows obsessed with her. Is she a new patient? A secret referral from a colleague? Someone connected to his teenage transgression?

As his attraction for Mira grows more intense with each session, so does her probing scrutiny of him. Soon Gregory’s professional boundaries begin to dissolve, and he becomes the patient, desperate to uncover his connection to this mysterious woman and find out what she wants from him.

In searching for the answers, Gregory risks losing everything that matters: his career, his family, and his mind.

Thanks to @zibbybooks for a gifted eARC via @NetGalley for an honest review.

Can you bury your darkest secrets and just never touch them again ? Or will a buried secret start to fester and spread kind of like covering a moldy wall with wood paneling - it’ll look good for a time and then the rot will be an even bigger problem …
I loved this psychological exploration of the damage of shame and buried secrets.

Dr. Gregory Weber appears to have it all, the façade is perfect —professionally and personally. He has a beautiful home in Cambridge right on the river, a loving wife, a daughter and son, and a thriving practice as a therapist - even a table at the country club.

However, Gregory has a dark secret dating back to his teens. He never revealed this secret to anyone, save for the friend who was with him that fateful night and he is dead - has been dead for many years. To his mind if this event came out and the part he played, it could shatter his perfect life, family and practice. But after the busy years of establishing his practice and the kids being small have passed. His secret is clawing to the surface, being a trained psychiatrist he knows that he is consciously holding back from all his connections and in turn loosing connections.

Suddenly on a Wednesday At One (his break time) a beautiful woman named Mira appears at his office and seems to know everything about his past. She flips the role on patient and therapist and Greg finds himself answering her questions.

At the same time his family life is heading for troubled times - his wife and children have noticed how withdrawn he is and refuse to engage much longer, his father is dying and his sister wants him to chip in and get over childhood grudges. He has always blamed his strict upbringing for his mistakes … what now ?

This book had me captivated and left me in tears! WEDNESDAYS AT ONE is a character-driven, beautifully written, psychological and domestic suspense - a tale of self-forgiveness and healing.

Wednesdays at One is the rollercoaster of disquieting, unnerving memories of seventeen-year-old Greg, a mistake that changed his life and his lie of omission. The impact of hiding the truth for thirty years is revealed in the shattered lives of Greg, his family, and his friends. The healing powers of acceptance and forgiveness are splayed in gripping dialogue and partial flashbacks; never quite revealing the whole truth until it’s too late. Or is it?
Sandra Miller puts relationships based on fear and lies under the powerful lens of a psychiatrist’s microscope. Through puzzling, unresolved conflicts and therapeutic sessions readers will discover satisfaction like the cool, sheltered sanctuary of Greg and Liv’s weeping willow tree.

Unfortunately, this is not a book I would recommend. I do not like the concept of ghost books overall. I turned the book off as soon as I read Mira calling herself a "spirit." Writing about ghosts is a shortcut to any logical explanation. With a ghost in the story, there will be absolutely no need to explain any plot with logic. Any plot holes could be filled with this ghost that can do absolutely anything, simply because she is a "spirit."

Specific to the book, the whole concept of a ghost coming back to save the exact same person who made her die does not jive with me. Moreover, Gregory, being a psychologist or therapist, made little attempt of exploring what he is experiencing with science. Instead, he went almost all in in agreeing that what he saw is a ghost. And surprise, it IS actually a ghost...

There are a lot of different directions I wished the book had gone, and neither of them involved a ghost. For example, the Mira who visited the office could be a relative of Mira who wanted to revenge for Mira. The two, fake Mira and Greg, eventually come to terms with each other about each others' trauma. There are other plausible scenarios like this one. The story would be much more intellectually satisfying if it were to go a non-ghost direction.