I liked the premise of this book, but for some reason the storytelling never quite engaged me, although I did enjoy it more as it went on. Amber's in prison for a crime she says she didn't commit; her ex-friend Heather is approached (in what seems like an unnecessarily cloak-and-dagger way) by a mysterious woman with a remarkable story to tell about Heather's ex-boyfriend Jack and the real reason Amber's in prison. Before she knows it, bookshop worker Heather is up to her neck in danger.

Not everything rings true - I'm not at all convinced Amber would have been given a life sentence for the crime of which she was convicted. That really doesn't seem likely and it undermines the believability of the whole thing. And I felt the whole time I was waiting for a twist that never really came. Jack is certainly a weird character but I never totally felt like I got a grip on why he was the way he was. Nevertheless, it was a reasonably entertaining read.

We hear from both Heather and Amber, but Amber's sections are really just mostly "I hope I get out of prison" and seem a bit pointless, as nothing whatsoever happens to her other than sitting in prison wishing she was out.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

The Life Sentence
This novel felt like a life sentence to read. If my purse is stolen with my keys, credit cards, and driver's license, I am not going to the local coffee shop to meet the thief. I'm not going to order a latte and hear what they have to say. On top of that, why am I helping the long-lost friend serving a life sentence? If she's innocent hire a lawyer or non-profit. I couldn't get my head around the characters or the reason why it was much trouble to bring a con artist to justice.
Not on my list of recommendations this month!

*spoilers ahead* I really enjoyed The Life Sentence for the first 3 chapters and I was intent on making predictions on what was going on - who is Heather and how is she involved? What crime did Amber commit? Who can we really trust in this story?

As the story went on however, I became confused by the “explanations” as to what was going on in the story and the reasoning behind the strange behavior and decisions characters were making.

I ultimately DNF’d the book when I still had no idea what crime was but “wasn’t” committed after reading for almost 7 chapters. This book just wasn’t fast paced enough for me and let the unknown plot linger too long for me to be invested in what was going to happen.

Story by Jackie Kabler ⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you are looking for a good read with lots of twist and turns definitely do yourself and favour and grab yourself a copy of this book. It will be a binge read.

This is my first time trying this author and I would gladly buy more of her books.

This was a really good read with plenty of twists and turns throughout with a great ending. The characters were intriguing, the story itself was enjoyable with enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat and the style of writing was perfect. I have read other books by this author and gav enjoyed them all, I would recommend this to anyone who likes reading psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

This is an awesome book that kept me enthralled the entire way through! Heather is a bookseller when Felicity "steals" her purse but really just wants to engage with her to ask for help. Heather's friend, Amber is in prison for murdering Jack Shannon, and as Heather used to date him, she hasn't spoken to Amber since she was arrested. But now after meeting Felicity and her brother Nathan, there is more to the story that's even more heinous than one could imagine. Apparently Jack "punished" his women and when Heather agrees to meet with Amber in prison, she gets an earful of information she wasn't aware of and finds herself willing to help as even Jack's death is called into question. Lots of action, red herrings, and false claims litter this novel that kept me gasping until the end!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

The Life Sentence is a psychologist thriller with an intriguing premise that draws you slowly in.

Heather sets out to try and prove her friend Amber's innocence who is currently serving time for a crime she vehemently states never did occur.

Heather gets back with Jack in order to find proof that Amber really did not try and murder Jack.

Jack kept things interesting though at times I was scratching my head and I wasn't sure who to trust.

Having said that, I still wanted to keep reading and following the twists and turns.

The Life Sentence is certainly worth picking up and reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK One More Chapter for the opportunity to read and review .

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for an early copy of The Life Sentence. Jacks lifestyle was sooooooooo weird, how did the author think of something like that? I was soooooo confused why Nathan and Felicity were soooo interested in what happened and why they wanted to help but it all made sense. There were many heart pounding parts but also much time was spent on Heather trying to find what she needed to find. That took away from the plot a little bit. All in All a FANTASTIC READ, UNBELIEVABLE STORY!!!! Another Great book from Jackie Kabler.

Wow what a book , It’s definitely my book of the year so far . Absolutely loved the story and the characters. It was full of tension trying to get the evidence against the narcissist boyfriend and that twist at the end I so wasn’t expecting . I love all of this authors books and this latest does not disappoint. I would definitely recommend this book . 5 stars from me

Jackie Kabler has done it once again with The Life Sentence. I have yet to be let down by this author, and her latest is an absolute must read.

Heather enjoys her quiet life, working in a bookshop and having all the time in the world to indulge in her passion for reading. But her life will change course forever when a strange woman switches her handbag with Heather's in a deliberate attempt to pull her into a mission that will send her straight back into a period from her past that she would much rather forget. When a friend's life hangs in the balance, how far would you go to make things right, even if it means putting yourself directly into harm's way?

This is a pacey, brilliant plot that had me tearing through the pages at warp speed. Add this one to your TBR pronto.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for an ARC.

Amber is serving time but she is adamant she didn’t commit this crime. Enter Heather, an old friend of Amber’s who gets tangled into helping Amber, under duress, into proving she is innocent. How far will she go to prove Amber’s innocence?
As always this was a fantastic read from Jackie. I adore her books and they are always solid reads. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Another brilliant book from this author who I always enjoy. The storyline was great.with twists and turns galore and well described characters.

What can I say about the ending! everything brought together with a satisfactory conclusion. Then just when you thought that was it, wham another surprise, absolutely brilliant

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins OMC for this ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

The pages just flipped themselves on this newest original thriller by Jackie Kabler! I have read a couple books by this author and her stories are unique and fresh and binge worthy. In this one, Amber has been sentenced to prison for a crime she did NOT commit. In fact, the alleged crime never even happened! How is this even possible? Terrifying! Her friend, Heather, comes back into her life and makes the big decision to put herself in harm’s way to try and prove Amber’s innocence. But the tasks and obstacles in front of Heather are not only dangerous they seem impossible. Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on May 9, 2024

Having already read two previous books by Jackie Kabler I was very grateful to be accepted to read her latest book The Life Sentence. It did not disappoint I thought it was excellent. Thoroughly enjoyed all the characters,good and bad and loved all the twists and turns.
This book had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breath,towards the end I was trying to read as fast as I could as I just had to know how it was going to end.
Looking forward to more books by Jackie especially if there as good as this one. I don't want to give any spoilers away but can't recommend this book highly enough.

Thanks to net galley for all of me the chance to review.

Amber Ryan has been imprisoned for a crime, she says she never committed. Is she trying to save her own skin, or has someone very clever and devious framed her?

We are then introduced to Heather, who quietly works in a bookshop. Heather and Amber used to be friends, but even before Amber’s incarceration, their friendship was dwindling. Heather was not there for Amber in her time of need. Heather is contacted by a woman called Felicity and her brother Nathan, regarding the imprisonment of Amber. Amber was convicted of seriously assaulting her boyfriend, Jack. He also happened to be Heather’s ex-boyfriend and he left Heather for Amber.
Heather and Nathan believe that it is Jack who has framed Amber for the whole alleged assault. They convince Heather to assist them to prove this, by getting back with Jack romantically in some sort of honey trap. This is so she can get the necessary evidence of what Jack did. The question lies in that if Heather and Nathan are to be believed, Heather could be putting herself in extreme danger, in order to exonerate her former friend.
Firstly, the good points. The author writes really good escapist thrillers and this definitely fits the bill.
There is, however, no real twist at the end, though the ending is ok. At first, you think Jack is going to be horribly abusive, then he turns out not to be, which makes you question his actions. What really drags the book down is the questionable legal judgments especially concerning the ‘sentence’ in the title. I would have liked them to be a little more realistic and less fanciful.
So an ok read, but not a great one.
My sincere thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and Jackie Kabler for the ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I haven't read this author before but the write up was intriguing

I absolutely loved this
Pacy, well written and lots of twists and turns

Highly recommended

I flew through this. The writing made this a quick and easy read.
However while I flew through this I did think this was a little underwhelming in parts. The reason Amber got a life sentence and the ending just didn't hit for me.
But I did spend the book trying to figure everything out. I was suspicious of characters.

Amber Ryan is incarcerated in prison for a crime she vehemently denies she committed, as far as she can remember anyway, but is she guilty or has someone else been very clever in trapping her in this ongoing nightmare she finds herself in.

Then we meet Heather, she works in a book shop, loves her job and the enjoys meeting like minded people on a daily basis. The story is from the perspective of both Amber and Heather, with Heather featured more heavily in its delivery.

Amber and Heather used to be good friends but over the last few years this friendship has tapered off and Heather was not there when Amber needed her most. After being contacted by a woman named Felicity and her brother Nathan, Heather is convinced into assisting them find a way to have Amber exonerated for her crimes, but this will by no means be easy to do. Heather is actually going to have to put herself in danger to achieve the desired outcome.

I found myself doubtful regarding Felicity and Nathan’s intentions and hoped that Heather was not placing herself in an environment that would destroy her, but sometimes in life we need to take a chance and a stand and do just this.
At times the book for me moved a little slowly but overall, the story did take me in, and I finished it in a few hours.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

I think the plot included a lot of unique ideas, but the writing fell short. The pacing felt off and the "twist" was a little predictable. I do read a lot of suspense and thriller novels, but I felt like things were pretty obvious from early on in the storyline. The character interactions and events also felt a little far-fetched, making it a little more distracting than exciting. I'd try something else from this author, but this book wasn't for me.

For me this book was wholly predictable. It didn’t have any elements where I felt shocked by events or twists.
I think I would have preferred more chapters in the point of view of Jack to understand his mindset.
The reasoning for his fear of daylight wasn’t very strong or discussed much and the ‘crime’ wasn’t very original or clever.
It’s a pretty basic psychological thriller, I would recommend for new readers of this genre or those getting back into reading but for seasoned readers, I’m not sure it would be anything you haven’t read before.

Thank you to Net galley for the ARC