While I found this book entertaining and enjoyed reading it, it was not at all what I was expecting. There were a lot of subplots that I found slightly disorganized and distracting. I wish one or two plots were more developed, such as the kidnapping and Beatrice's past coming back for her. The side story with Josh was a little underwhelming. I'm not sure "leave the lights on" was the best title, but overall, the book was a fun, quick read.

- missing children
- hidden identities
- antigovernment agenda

This was an extremely unique thriller! I liked the two very different plot lines. Although Beatrice’s current life isn’t gone into in much detail, it took me a while to really become engrossed in the story. In Emma’s storyline I was so intrigued. I had never read anything quite like it. I actually didn’t even realize the mystery we were trying to solve was the children going missing in Beatrice’s story.

The pacing was maybe a little off, and the ending was a bit lacklustre. But overall this was a quick and easy ride!

Woah. Like…holy crap on a cracker batman, this was one wild and crazy ride! I wasn’t expecting a lot of that, and it kept me hooked!

Leave the Lights on is a fast paced thriller with twists and surprises at every turn! I requested this novel after seeing a few posts about it and it was a great book to go into blind. The plot is unique and interesting. The main character, Beatrice is a strong and complex character with sone pretty big secrets to hide. The author reveals her back story a little at a time. This kept me on my toes as I had to keep adjusting my theories as I learned more of story. I never would have guessed the way it would end!

Leave the Lights On is a great fast read for fans of Megan Miranda or Claire Douglas! I listened to this one and enjoyed the narration by Mia Barron!

Leave The Lights On by Liv Andersson
This story set in coastal Maine held my interest from the beginning all the way to the end. The story and the characters were well written and the exploration on the effects of always looking over your shoulder always being on the run was captured in an intriguing way ... which alliances do you forge? Who do you trust? Who do you turn to when things start to crumble? This was intriguing! The audio narration was well done and added to the atmosphere! This book is definitely written for lovers of psychological thrillers. I don‘t want to give to much away so you‘ll have to read and find out !

This book was a bit of a disappointment, I really liked the premise and set up but the execution of it just fell a little flat for me. I ended up becoming uninvested and not super caring by the end.

Very atmospheric. There's a lot going on here. I had a different idea of what book should be based on description. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

2.5 stars...

They say that your past follows you, and in Beatrice's case that is most definitely true. Having successfully hidden her searchers and her secrets for many years, things start happening that lead her to believe she's been found. Children close to her are kidnapped and then returned, she's finding things that only those from her past would have or know about and then her friend disappears too. How does it all fit together and does she need to run again?

I'm going to be completely honest - I didn't love this book. There was a lot going on - a great deal of which, I feel, did not add anything to the plot. There were some plot lines that were more confusing than applicable to the story and some extra characters that really weren't all that necessary. It took me about 40% of the book to finally get into it and then I wanted to know how it would all end. I'm glad I finished it, but if I hadn't started it in the first place, I wouldn't be sad about it.

If you like a little mystery and to be a little confused with what direction a story is going - you'll love this book, it just wasn't a great one for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook version of this book in return for my honest review.

Leave the Lights On by Liv Andersson
(Narrated by Mia Barron)

Slow-burnt but intriguing thriller! I enjoyed the story as it’s with past and present timelines, but yet need to pay attention to it as it might be confusing sometime.

The narrator did well as she let the characters all lively. The twist was great and I look forward to reading more books from Liv Andersson!

I went back and fourth about how to rate this book. feel like the beginning of the book was confusing listening with an audiobook because there was nothing to mark when we were switching from the present to the past and then back to the present, which was a little confusing. I also wasn't a huge fan of the narrator, who I thought was a little monotone at times. However, I really started to enjoy the novel more once it stuck to the "current" timeline. That's when it got engaging, and I also did not see the twist coming at the end! It was a fun thriller, but I would suggest physical copy over audiobook.
Thank you to netgalley and dreamscape for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

Narrated by Mia Barron ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
by Liv Andersson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is told in two parts and it's executed beautifully! Thankyou Liv Andersson for not doing it in the 'Before & Now' format. You have no idea how much I appreciate that.

B's before life gave me serious 'Running on Empty' vibes (great 80s movie) and I really enjoyed learning how that unfolded.

B's now life, what a shit show under the surface and I was so integrated by it

This is my first time trying or hearing of Liv Andersson. After reading this I promptly purchased 'Little Red House' from Audible.

I would definitely recommend and buy this book for a friend.

I was super bored by this but don't know if that was a me problem or a book problem. I am willing to give Liv Andersson another shot to find out though!

A good story with many twists and turns. I thought it started out slow and then got better and better.

Narration was good on this one, the story was pretty good--intriguing premise and engaging throughout.

The ending fell a little flat for me though, it wasn't bad it's just that the rest of the story flowed really well and while the ending didn't leave any loose ends it just was. I did enjoy the book once I got into it and I would happily pick up more by this author.

I went back and forth with how to rate this one so please bear with me.

This book is interesting and held my attention all the way through. It was very different than books I would usually choose but I had no issue getting through it. Government conspiracies aren't really for me when it comes to books... HOWEVER I would love to watch a movie about it. Don't ask me to make it make sense because I can't. I received Leave the Lights On as an audiobook ARC and the narrator did a great job telling this story. I was able to imagine the entire book in my head which makes an audiobook all the better. If you are into thrillers with some government conspiracies, you should give this one a read or a listen, you will probably enjoy it!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC and the chance to listen and review Leave the Lights On honestly.

Reading Between the Wines book review #124/115(met goal in Sept!) for 2023:
Rating: 3 ½ 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Leave the Lights On
Author: Liv Andersson
Available Now!!

Sipping thoughts: This was a really cool book that I did not expect. I started reading expecting one storyline and it really took a different turn, a good turn. Morgan is really good at keeping secrets and lying but will all the lies and secrets finally catch up to her? Trigger- missing/kidnapped children

Cheers and thank you to @DreamscapeMedia and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @LeaveTheLightsOn.

#LeaveTheLightsOn #LivAndersson #DreamscapeMedia #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

A twisty domestic thriller about a missing boy and a deceptive husband and the wife who tries to figure out how they might be connected. Good on audio narrated by Mia Barron and perfect for fans of authors like Laure Dave and Liane Moriarty. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Liv Andersson can write.. but she needs better ideas for her stories. The characters were well-defined, and the dialogue seemed natural. None of the characters was particularly likable, however. The main character, Beatrice, is holding secrets she should have told the police to help find the missing toddlers. So, for the plot to continue, she has to be stupid. The plot of this domestic thriller was really too far-fetched.

The setting on the island of the old asylum in disrepair was spooky and creepy.

Despite many red herrings, I knew who the kidnapper was long before the reveal. The end of the book was strange, and the motivation for it was quite confusing.

Mia Barron was the narrator of this audiobook. She did well with the emotions of the characters. I didn't care for her male character voices.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me the audiobook of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

<i> Cape Morgan, Maine, is the utopian ideal for a charmed life, and Beatrice Wicker knows it. The multi-million-dollar house on the sea coast. The joint bank accounts. The safety and security that go along with being married to an esteemed architect and community leader. The scenic coastline, perfect for her ambitious plan to turn an abandoned asylum into an artists’ retreat. So what if her husband sneaks off to see his second family now and again? Beatrice is willing to look the other way. It’s simply the price she must pay to keep their life together.

Josh doesn’t realize that Beatrice knows about his other life. That’s just one of Beatrice’s secrets. And now, that truth—along with a deadly host of other secrets from the past—is about to upend their false paradise.

When there’s an explosion at the local elementary school playground, and a two-year-old boy is abducted, it doesn’t take Beatrice long to make the connection between the missing boy and her husband. It was the son from Josh’s other life who was kidnapped, and Josh can’t do anything about it without revealing the truth.

Helping Josh find his son would destroy the façade of her perfect marriage and could put more children’s’ lives in danger. But that’s not all. It would reveal her deeper secret: Beatrice Wicker is not who she claims to be. </i>

Everything in the above summary? You think it reveals a lot of the plot? Think again. If the goal was to avoid spoilers, well, mission accomplished, because I don’t know what the actual ___ I just read, but it wasn’t that. Everything else managed to be thrown at the wall though, maybe even the proverbial kitchen sink. This was so convoluted, and the main character’s motivations so unfathomably bizarre, that by the end I just wanted it to be over. But I made it!

Mia Barron did a good job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Liv Andersson, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was atmospheric and definitely a book you’d like to read on a chilly, gloomy day with a cup of hot tea. I felt this novel abruptly ended and I expected another chapter or epilogue at least, but alas, there were none.