My friend had given me a Samantha M. Bailey book a while back and I absolutely loved it. "A Friend in the Dark" is a great, quick, thrilling read.

A friend in the dark by Samantha M Bailey.

The perfect thriller.

The protagonist, 45 year old Eden whos husband of 2 decades has just told her he is leaving her whilst dropping their daughter off at University for the first time. This leads Eden to send a friend request to an old school flame that she will forever regret!

This thriller is fast paced and every page leads you into the unknown. It is a rollercoaster of a novel that is very well written and easy to read. The character development of all characters is fantastic. It is written from both Eden and Justin’s wife Olivia’s perspectives.

Olivia was clearly experiencing severe mental health issues throughout. Her marriage was basically a prison sentence however did she get what she deserved due to her dark secrets being revealed??? This is left to interpretation.

The strength of the family unit for Eden is a really strong storyline and ended just how I wanted it to.

Over all a 5* read!! I will look forward to reading more by Samantha!

Fast paced popcorn thriller that can be read in a day this will grab you and keep you ripping through pages. Yes you have to suspend belief to go along with the storyline, but isn’t that the whole point of fiction?
Eden’s husband of twenty years left her as soon as they took their daughter to college. No explanation or apologies-just out the door. Now, it’s Eden’s birthday and she’s feeling sorry for herself so she decides to reach out to her first love on Facebook, Justin. He responds immediately. Is fate giving her and Justin a second chance? Eden is hesitant though because of how things were left with Justin all those years ago, but at the same time, as soon as they connect, the sparks are immediately there again so she turns a blind eye to the red flags.
Then we have a POV change to Justin’s current wife, Olivia, who is unhappy in her marriage, and the whole narrative changes and becomes majorly unhinged in a whole other way. And the truth about Justin and about the night that they met puts her and her family in a whole new light and in the fight for their lives.
If you’re looking for something to binge, this is the book for you. This is a Lifetime movie in book form and I am here for it!
Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

"A Friend in the Dark" by Samantha M. Bailey is a gripping domestic thriller that will leave readers breathless. Bailey's expert storytelling shines in this tale of digital romance turned deadly.

Eden Miller finds herself at a crossroads after her husband blindsides her with divorce and her relationship with her daughter fractures. In a desperate bid to reclaim her past, she reconnects with her college crush, Justin Ward, through social media. What starts as a harmless online flirtation quickly escalates into a dangerous game as Justin's knowledge of Eden's life becomes eerily intimate.

Bailey skillfully navigates the complexities of online relationships and the blurred lines between fantasy and reality. As Eden delves deeper into her connection with Justin, she uncovers unsettling truths about the man she thought she knew and the events that shaped her life twenty-three years ago.

"A Friend in the Dark" is a pulse-pounding thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. Bailey's compelling narrative and intricate plot twists make this a must-read for fans of the genre. With its sensual undertones and spine-tingling suspense, "A Friend in the Dark" is sure to captivate readers from start to finish.

3.5 stars

The book was a standard thriller book and it wasn't bad, but nothing about it made it stick out from any other thriller book.

I really didn't like Eden as a main character - I thought she was obnoxious. Obviously she didn't deserve what happened to her, but I didn't find myself rooting for her life to get fixed. I mean the "relationship" she had with Justin in college was all in her head - he was just a player that flirted with her, but they didn't have a relationship. And then I was annoyed when she kept saying she had a "sexual relationship" with Justin in the present day because they had phone sex one time. I don't think that constitutes a sexual relationship.

I also didn't find myself rooting for Ava - she just seemed really bratty. I understand it's difficult when your parents go through a separation/divorce but she really took it way too far to get them back together.

My favorite was Olivia and I thought she deserved better. Yeah she did some horrendous things but she really experienced endless trauma from her childhood to present day. I don't think Eden has to forgive her or have any contact with her, but Olivia deserves friends and people who care about her.

A friend in the dark follows Eden, a recently separated 40 something year old who is going through the blows of her marriage (and only relationship) blowing up, as well as losing her teenager daughter to the throws of university and teen attitudes.

This book has a lot of contemplation from the FMC as she looks back on her life and events leading up to the present to try to figure out how she got here and where she wants to go next. I personally enjoyed diving into the mind of Eden, seeing things from her stand point and relating to certain insecurities and fears of hers. Even though she was a little lost in life and needed a good reality check, I couldn’t help finding her endearing.

Everything starts to go wrong when she drunkenly reaches out to her old college crush who seems to take an instant interest in her. She begins to lose her inhibitions and finds herself spiralling into a world of chaos, and soon wondering if this person is in fact toxic for her, or if her seemingly stalker is somebody else entirely.

I enjoyed the twist in this book and the switch of POVs. Although I felt bad for Eden, I also think she had opportunity for a lot of character growth which left her in a better place than when she started, despite all the bad things that happen.

This was an enjoyable read for me, I read it in one day and stayed up late to see how it ended which is always a sign of a good book!

Thank you to Samantha Bailey, Thomas and Mercer & NetGalley for the ARC!
Pub date: March 1 (available now)

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. A March 2024 BOTM pick, and rightly so! I've been waiting for this one and it did not disappoint! I love a good, saucy story like this that feeds my inner nosey nellie. This had me gripped like it was something happening down the street. Such a good one!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read. I appreciate it very much, but unfortunately this is not for me.

This book was a fast paced, quick read with an interesting plot. But the second half of the book it falls apart and instead becomes an unrealistic, far fetched story with a group of characters that gives you no one to root for and it’s all wrapped up in a neat little bow packaged perfectly somehow.

This story had potential, but fell flat.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this ARC. Boy, am I glad I did! This story kept me engaged from start to finish. At first the premise seemed reminiscent of several other books I have read in the past so I wasn’t sure I would like it, but the ending hooked me in so well and my jaw dropped at one point - lots of surprises and small twists. Definitely give this one a read!

Got this as an Amazon First Read book and I am so glad I did! I had no idea what to expect from this book but it had me hooked from the beginning! There were so many twists and turns in this and every time I thought I knew what was coming I was fooled again.

Eden Miller is blindsided by a divorce from her husband while dropping their daughter off for college. A daughter who barely speaks to her and blames her for the divorce. So Eden decides to friend request an old love interest from college, hoping to find herself again after her marriage. But she gets so much more than a new romance.

I read this book in one day, I couldn’t put it down! I just had to know what was going to happen next. Samantha Bailey does a great job of making you second guess everyone in this story. This is a new to me author and she has won my reader heart!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book!

Four stars

I have a thing for characters I love to hate, so Eden being the most frustrating person and making horrible decisions didn't turn me off of this the way it did for some.

this was an easy read and very fast paced as long as you roll your eyes at Eden in the beginning and don't let it deter you from the rest.

Why in the heck has this book not been more recognized?! It was absolutely freaking phenomenal! I thought I had the story all figured out. Some pieces, yes, but that ending HOLY COW! I was not ready for that! Highly recommend this!

A woman recently separated from her husband and whose daughter just started college begins an online, sexual relationship with a mysterious man from her past. Exploring her own identity throughout this, her life starts unraveling before her eyes, making her question if it is self-sabotage or someone out to get her.

This was one of those addicting, page-turning, fun mysteries that can easily be devoured in one sitting. I didn't exactly relate to, nor care deeply for any of the characters here, but it was still really enjoyable and highly entertaining even when the protagonist made some questionable decisions. The different perspectives were inserted seamlessly and worked perfectly for this this one. If you are looking for a good beach read or just need something that won't make you think too hard while still being good, give this one a try. Three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netalley and Thomas and Mercer, for a copy of "A Friend In The Dark."

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing this book, with my honest review below.

A Friend in the Dark was an enjoyable thriller, quickly dropping the reader into the thick of the mystery, which was fairly standard in premise, if you read many thrillers, but certainly with a unique twist that keeps the reader glued.

Eden is newly separated (soon to be divorced) from her husband Dave, with their daughter Ava freshly out of the house attending college. This stirs Eden’s memories of her own college life experience and her almost was with bad boy Justin. And while it was clear to me that he was a classic ‘f**k boy’, to quote the current jargon, what wasn’t clear were why so many bad things kept happening to Eden after she got reacquainted with Justin.

This isn’t going to be a genre changer for thriller lovers, but it’s a great way to pass the time. For those wanting to dip their toes in the thriller waters I think this would also be enjoyed (maybe especially by those reminiscing ‘what if’ as they get older. This should stop any regrets).

This is a story that has elements which will be familiar to most of us: a midlife crisis of sorts, an impending divorce, a long-lost crush from college, and the road not taken.

The difference here is that nothing is quite as it seems with Eden's past history with Justin or her husband Dave - any more than it is with her present relationships with either of the men.

But ignoring all red flags (perhaps understandable, giving the distress she is experiencing over Dave's rejection after decades of an apparently happy marriage), Eden goes ahead with reintroducing Justin into her life. With consequences both expected and unexpected...

This was a good read, with plenty of twists. Although it was at times hard to fathom why Eden was so determined to ignore all the things around her that weren't quite adding up. Overall, worth checking out for those who love psychological thrillers.

As I began reading this I quickly felt like I had read the story before… that happens to me from
time to time. I turned the pages swiftly wanting more and to figure out what was going to happen between the two main characters. I figured out a lot of thingsbefore they were unveiled. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is an absolute page-turner that will keep you hooked from the very first chapter. The author's writing style is both captivating and atmospheric, making it easy to get lost in the story. I absolutely loved Eden from the start, she became my favourite very very quickly.

The plot is filled with suspense and mystery, and the author does a fantastic job of building tension throughout the book. With unexpected twists and turns, you'll find yourself constantly second-guessing and trying to piece together the puzzle. The characters are well-developed and relatable, each with their own secrets and motives that add to the intrigue. Throughout the whole book you think one thing, only for it to be completely different to what you thought by the end, it’s truly incredible.

What I particularly enjoyed about this book is the way it explores the complexities of friendships and the dark secrets that can lie beneath the surface. The author delves into the psychology of the characters, making them feel real and multidimensional. It's a thrilling and chilling exploration of trust, betrayal, and the lengths people will go to protect themselves. I love psychological thrillers and this was definitely a good one, it’s so intense and some parts are literally jaw dropping!

The pacing of the story is spot-on, with just the right balance of action and quiet moments to keep you engaged and thinking, leaving you space to try and figure things out and to try and guess what’s going to happen. It's the kind of book that you won't be able to put down until you reach the shocking conclusion, which is why I read it all in a few hours.

Overall, A Friend in the Dark is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that will leave you breathless. If you're a fan of psychological suspense with well-developed characters and a twisty plot, then this book is definitely for you. I highly recommend it!

Ah, the dangers of ignoring every red flag...

Eden Morris is at a crossroads. Her only daughter Ava just went to college and their relationship is strained, due in part to fact that her loving husband Dave of twenty years asked her for a divorce the day they moved their daughter into school --completely blindsiding her. She doesn't know who she is without the comfort of titles "wife" and "mom" -- which makes her vulnerable to a message from her old college crush and resident bad boy, Justin.

Eden is quick to fall into a steamy online relationship with Justin --- despite several unexplained and weird occurrences that start up at the same time -- like a missing spare key, a strangely personal surprise gift, and a house fire she didn't start.

This book was interesting but ultimately didn't score higher for me because none of the motivations of the characters really made sense and because the events happened on such a shortened timeline. I get that Eden was lonely and looking for a little external validation (aren't we all?) but to fall head over heels for a version of guy you barely knew 20 years ago over the course of twelve hours? Not buying it. To divorce your wife over something after two decades of a picture perfect marriage and not even provide an explanation? Not buying it. And no spoilers, but the motivations of the other characters in this book didn't line up for me either.

But a good reminder to never take a drink you're served at a frat party and never trust anyone you're talking to exclusively online!!

Book review 📖

📜A Friend In The Dark
✍️Samantha M. Bailey
📠Thomas & Mercer
📚Mystery/Thriller, Fiction
🗓️Pub date: March 1, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨Thank you @NetGalley and #thomasandmercer for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to @sbaileybooks for keeping me on the edge of my seat!

✨Eden’s life takes a tumultous turn as her husband, Dave, leaves her and wants a divorce, and her daughter is barely speaking to her.

✨Eden always wondered what if. What if, on a night 23 years ago and when she had the opportunity, she ended up with Justin. Justin, her college crush, was just that—a crush.

✨Friending Justin on social media is a shot in the dark, something to pique her curiosity, where her life could have taken her had she made different decisions back then.

✨But after beginning an online relationship with Justin and he seems to know too much already about Eden’s life and family, things start to take a dangerous turn. What if becomes what now and obsession turns to death.

✨This was an unputdownable creepy and thrilling rollercoaster! Anyone who’s ever tried online dating can relate to the feeling of the unknown and the danger lurking behind the screen. Such a quick and pulse-pounding read!! Read this now🤩📱👥

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This was a quick page turner, easy to read thriller. The plot was interesting and engaging, but very predictable. There was not a lot of development with the characters or the story, making it all very surface level. The first part of the book follows Eden, who made so many bad decisions throughout the book I just wanted to yell at her.
I didn't love it, didn't hate it, just nothing really stuck out for me and none of the characters were developed enough to really get attached to them.
Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.