samantha bailey did a great job with this book! took me a bit to finish but once i did, i liked this thriller quite a bit

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚

A Friend in the Dark
By Samantha Bailey
Available to Purchase Now!!

📚MY RATING:

⭐⭐✨

📚THE SYNOPSIS:

Eden Miller’s world is crumbling. Her husband blindsided her with divorce, and her daughter barely speaks to her. In an impulsive decision to escape her present and revisit the past, she sends a friend request to her college crush, Justin Ward.

One night twenty-three years ago changed the course of her life. It closed the door on Justin and opened the door to her husband, Dave. But what if Eden could have a do-over?

Eden begins an online relationship with Justin that awakens her in ways she never thought possible, and his voice and words make her take bold risks. But something’s off. He knows too much about her and her family…he’s been following her.

Eden is forced to awaken from her fantasy and look for answers—who really is the man on the other line? The truth about Justin—and about what happened that fateful night two decades ago—puts her and her family in a fight for their lives.

📚MY REVIEW:

What I loved about this book was that it was set in Michigan, where I've lived my entire life. It was fun reading about locations in Ann Arbor and on the east side of the state, both places with which I'm familiar, because I felt connected to it.

This book is described as a "sensual domestic thriller," which I think it was. But...eh. Maybe that specific genre just doesn't do it for me? I don't know. Overall, it was a good read. There was just a lot going on with varying subplots throughout the book: a pending divorce, a teenager going off to college, a reconnecting to an old flame through Facebook, a new friend, college memories, a realtor business, teenage college drama, domestic violence...There was SO MUCH packed into this book, it felt disjointed at times. And I found myself having to suspend my disbelief far too often - I literally yelled "what?!" several times because I just didn't buy what was happening. It was a quick read and kept my attention, but...I guess it just wasn't for me. 🤷

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this copy in exchange for my honest review!

#AFriendintheDark #netgalley #bookreviews

This being the second book that I have read by the author, I was very excited to receive it. finished this entire book in a matter of hours and would’ve done so in one sitting if life had allowed.

It started off strong but it faltered in places but I couldn’t stop reading.

However, for me personally, this book fell short in character development in relation to the story, that was unfolding. I could not follow the motivations of each character and was left with way too many unanswered questions.

I give this book 3 stars because I couldn’t put it once I started and any book that does that is a great read!

I enjoyed this book. It has enough family drama and suspense rolled into it. I wanted to finish it in one sitting. I like thrillers but also like family drama and a little romance, and this book had a little of each. I would have liked to have Ava’s ( the daughter) personality explored a little, but that does leave room for a follow up book about Ava if the author decided to go that route in a sequel.

I recommend this.

Gripping psychological thriller that I couldn’t put down! Eden is a mid fourties’ woman whose husband has asked for a divorce right after dropping their daughter off at college. Trying to find herself, Eden reconnects with an old college flame on social media. The online chatting quickly becomes intense, and Eden begins to see herself in a new light - a woman desired. Her college flame may have other reasons for reconnecting with her, and Eden soon finds out that you don’t know the secrets people keep behind closed doors.

The authors writing style had me hooked from page one! Great afternoon read that left me guessing until the very end.

Well, this was interesting! I don’t quite know how to describe this true thriller! There are several twists and a great finale! I read this quickly because I simply couldn’t put it down! If you like thrillers, I think you’ll love this one!

Eden Miller and her husband Dave are dropping their daughter, Ava, at the University of Michigan for her first semester. They will be empty nesters for the first time. Dave surprises Eden by telling her he wants a divorce. Out of the blue, with no warning at all. Eden is devastated, angry, and hurt. She can't understand why Dave wants a divorce and why now? When Ava finds out she spirals out of control. She wants her parents together and will find reasons to get them together. Dave has packed a bag and rented an apartment. He drops Eden at home and goes on to his new life. This isn't at all the evening that Eden thought she'd be having. What is she going to do now?

Eden chats with her two best friends online and tells them about her day. They are as shocked as Eden is. They all drink too much wine and when Eden gets off of FaceTime she decides to look up her college crush. Justin Ward was gorgeous in college and every girl wanted him. Eden was his tutor to help him pass his classes. Justin was a drummer in a band and played almost every night. Eden wanted him and decided to go to a frat party that he had invited her to. She got very sick at the party and that was the last time she saw Justin. She finds him on Facebook and decides to send him a friend request. Almost immediately, her phone pings, and the friend request has been accepted.

Eden begins chatting online with Justin and he gives her everything she needs. She's even sexting for the first time in her life and she's never felt more desirable and alive. Why is it when Eden visits him at one of his construction sites that he seems so angry to see her? Why does Eden feel like someone is watching her? Is she imagining it or is there a silver car following her? What happened to the spare key that is hidden under the porch swing? Why does it feel like someone has been in the house? Is Eden imagining things or is she being stalked? When things start happening and her family is in danger who can she turn to?

A Friend in the Dark is an unsettling thriller that makes you question who's really on the other side of your online chats? Be careful what you wish for! I rate A Friend in the Dark 4 stars and recommend it to anyone that likes a good thriller. There are some twists along the way that will keep you flipping the pages way too fast. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of A Friend in the Dark in exchange for a fair review. #AFriendInTheDark #bookreview

This was an interesting, intriguing fast read. I would recommend this book for psychological thriller fans and will definitely read more from this author.

I loved the pace and build up of suspense in this book, darkness stemming from a simple friend request! I loved it overall.

#AFriendInTheDark #NetGalley
Eden Miller’s world is crumbling. Her husband blindsided her with divorce, and her daughter barely speaks to her. In an impulsive decision to escape her present and revisit the past, she sends a friend request to her college crush, Justin Ward.
One night twenty-three years ago changed the course of her life. It closed the door on Justin and opened the door to her husband, Dave. But what if Eden could have a do-over? Eden begins an online relationship with Justin that awakens her in ways she never thought possible, and his voice and words make her take bold risks. But something’s off. He knows too much about her and her family…he’s been following her.
Eden is forced to awaken from her fantasy and look for answers—who really is the man on the other line? The truth about Justin—and about what happened that fateful night two decades ago—puts her and her family in a fight for their lives.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me an advance copy.

Samantha Bailey truly knows what she is doing when writing a suspenseful book. I initially was a bit frustrated with Eden... for being of a mature age, she was so naive, woes me, and easily manipulated. But as the story continued, she grew on me because let's be real, this could happen to anyone.

When Eden rekindles a relationship with Justin (a college fling from over 20 years ago) after separating from her long-time husband I was sad for her while captivated at the same time. Her desperation to feel desired and important was relatable despite all of the red flags Justin was putting off. As soon as Justin entertained the idea, Eden was hooked and doing more and more things unlike her responsible self. Red flag after red flag Eden didn't bat an eye. At one point I said at loud, "GIRL OPEN YOUR EYES", but it was still fun to watch the drama unfold.

There were many pieces that left me guessing. Is Eden being watched/followed? Was somebody besides Eden in the house? I thought I knew what was happening and then we ventured down the mystery of the BDSM. At that point I just didn't know what to think or even know who to trust. Some of the story felt so predictable and like many of the thrillers I have already read but I was still left intrigued and waiting to see how all the turmoil unfolded. This book was easily binged in 2 todays and I enjoyed every moment of it. Once I got started, I truly did not want to put the book down. I would most definitely recommend this book to others and totally recommend binging it like I did if you can.

What harm can a drunk friend request do? That is the start of this stalker thriller. After divorcing her husband and dropping her daughter off at college Eden is feeling defeated and alone. On her birthday after a little too much wine she decides to send her crush from college a friend request because what harm could it do. She feels like a new woman when Justin starts paying attention to her after accepting her friend request straight away. After she weeks in a full speed online relationship she notices that Justin may know a little too much about her......is it possible he has been following her?

This is a super fast paced thriller that is both dark and twisty. The duel POV really gives the book a unique and interesting twist that keeps you guessing throughout the whole book. There were so many motivations of the characters and they ranged from naively innocent to deeply disturbed. The plot really allowed the characters to shine and it was interesting to see a book that takes place with middle-aged characters as opposed to the younger characters I typically read about.

This is a fast paced and bingeable book with interesting characters and a bit more steam then usual in a thriller book.

Eden is celebrating her birthday night alone.. because a couple weeks earlier she and her husband dropped their daughter off at college for her freshman year and her husband told her in the parking lot he wants a divorce. She’s scrolling through social media and decides to friend request the bad boy in a band she was obsessed with in college - the one who left her at a party drunk - and she went home with Dave that night instead. He messages her and they begin a whirlwind of spicy texting that leads to her making decisions that go from bad to worse.

This story is told in 3 parts from 2 POVs which reminded me of gone girl (the book.. not the movie) with the turn of events. The first part gets a little too spicy for my liking for a thriller and I started to think this wasn’t going to be for me but then it cooled off. Part 2 adds another character to the mix.

The ending left you wanting more as it was left with a cliff hanger with more questions then answers - but it also leaves the ending up to your own interpretation.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this read.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately this one was not as good as the premise sounded. Our main character Eden is incredibly frustrating and makes idiotic decisions throughout the book. The ‘twists’ in this were very predictable - maybe I’ve read too many at this point but they seemed to be glaringly obvious from early on. I did finish the book and it was a quick read. Some people seem to be loving this so maybe I’m the outlier on this one. 2 stars.

I found myself entertained. I loved how Bailey has had crafted this with atmosphere full of suspense, building to an unpredictable conclusion. It definitely enhanced my reading experience.

Unfortunately this one missed he mark for me.

Eden’s husband Dave left her six weeks ago after dropping their daughter off at college with little explanation. Now, drunk on her birthday she reconnects on Facebook with the guy before her husband, Justin. Is this fate for her and Justin to have a second chance?

I found part one to be such a quick and easy read, but once we changed perspectives I found the entire book changed for me. I was enjoying the slightly creepy feel of things not adding up, and Eden questioning reality, but the change really took the book way from me and I didn’t enjoy it as much. There was a lot of intermingling and overlap to get to the story we got and I didn’t fully enjoy the way it played out. The characters were all very unlikeable in my opinion, making it hard to connect.

OHHH Ms. Samantha! I was hesitant about this one due to the “romance” aspect, but I sure am glad I gave it a whirl regardless. There were times that I thought I had it ALLLL figured out, just to be proven wrong. It was more sinister than I could have conjured up in my tiny brain.

Eden was a frustrating MC. She made a lot of poor choices, but I am less harsh on judgement when one is grieving and feeling loss so I was empathetic towards her.
Olivia on the other hand… I KNOW she was suffering but she didn’t need to bring EVERYONE down with her. Idk. Maybe as I sit and reflect I will grow a soft spot for her.

This was a complete page turner!

When Eden’s husband asks for a divorce, she’s completely blindsided. She uses it as an opportunity to reconnect with a college crush, Justin. They begin and online relationship that leads her to risky behavior.

This was a twisty thriller that I had no idea where it was going but had to keep reading with every chapter. I like books with an evil character and someone trying to escape, but there was so much more to this than that. The twists and turns just keep coming until the end when it all comes together.

“Their castle was really a prison.”

A Friend in the Dark comes out 3/1.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC copy of A Friend in the Dark.

The premise of this book sounded really promising and I did enjoy the fact that it was a short and face-paced read. I did not enjoy how, frankly, pathetic both female main characters were..their decisions throughout the book were not logical and extremely irritating. My other major complaint is that SO many improbable things happened all at the same time. It ultimately got to the point where it was so unbelievable I could no longer enjoy the story.

This unfortunately was not one I would recommend. 2.5 stars.

I have nothing but high praise for this book! It is a fast-paced thriller about Eden who is separated from her husband. She takes a walk down memory lane and gets more than she bargained for.

Here's why I loved it:
*It is evenly paced with no dull moments
*The characters are interesting. You'll love them or hate them but you won't be bored with them.
*I found the past scenes interesting. The characters are constantly comparing their college selves vs. now and wondering about what would happen if different choices were made. I find that realistic and it made the characters feel authentic.