I'm always a big fan of Minka Kent's psychological thrillers. They're multilayered, smart, and always leave me guessing. Imaginary Strangers was no exception.

Camille is a sociopath. She's living what looks like a perfect life with an attractive doctor husband, two beautiful children, in a rich neighborhood in San Diego. No one in her life knows she's a sociopath, except for the therapist she saw years ago in Chicago to help her deal with her childhood trauma and her condition. Why, then, do things keep happening with her daughter that make Camille believe someone with intimate knowledge of her childhood is infiltrating their family?

One of my favorite things to consider in this genre of novel is whether the narrator is unreliable. It adds an element to the story that makes the twist often harder to figure out. That was definitely the case here -- I wasn't sure where the plot was going until I got there. The ending was also ambiguous, making me hope for a second installment about Camille but also again calling into question her reliability as a narrator.

This was a great thriller that left me guessing. It was also one that left me thinking about mental health in a new way, which added to my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. Wow, I couldn’t put this book down once I started reading it. I didn’t see some of the twists either.

Camille Prescott seems to have it all - two beautiful children, a loving husband, living in a sort-after neighborhood of San Diego. No one knows she fights a demon on a daily basis inside her head. Her traumatic past seems to have caught up with her and is overtaking her carefully crafted present and it's all she can do not to succumb to the insanity she knows lives in her head.

This is a definite mind-bender, something that really makes you think - not only about the characters in the book, but also about those around you in your every day. I really liked the delving into the mind of a diagnosed sociopath and watching Camille's struggle with her past and her present.

It was my first book written by this author and i was certainly not disappointed. It was everything a psychological thriller is about. A real page turner with believable characters, most of which you don’t know who to trust. As the story developed i really couldn’t see the twist at the end coming. A mother’s love isn’t always as it seems. A very exciting and chilling read. I loved it, definitely want to read more by Minka Kent!!

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer for this advanced readers copy of Imaginary Strangers. I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced, twisty thriller from Minka Kent. This story follows Camille Prescot who seemingly has it all until her daughter begins talking about an imaginary friend that Camille believes is more real than imaginary and very dangerous. Camille begins a relentless mission to prove that someone from her past is back to dismantle the perfectly curated life Camille has created for herself and her family. Kent does an excellent job of planting clues without being obvious and tying the past to the present. I had a hard time putting this one down because I was so eager to find out what happened next. Looking forward to reading more from Minka Kent.

I love Minka Kent! And this book did not disappoint. Camille was such an interesting character. Fast paced, engaging, suspenseful. This book had it all! And it looks like it’s going to be a series. I can’t wait for the next one!!

3.5 ⭐️ (rounded up to 4). Where to start with this one? Ok, in all honestly this was a 4-5 star right from the start. It was hard to put done. Camille (the main character), I surprisingly liked even though her character was diagnosed early on as a sociopath. The story line was disturbing but written in such a way that you just wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. “Bestie” and “Imaginary” added a creepy factor to the book, although I will say that Bestie kinda just disappeared randomly so not quite sure that she even needed to be in the book.

So why would I drop to 3.5 if I said it was 4-5 throughout….well, it was the ending. It was kind of predictable and even though it ended okay, I just kept waiting for a huge “wow” moment and I don’t feel like I ever got it. The epilogue was worth rounding it back up to the 4 stars because it ended with the possibility of a sequel. Sequels are a hit or miss for me but I would absolutely check it out if there ever is one because I’d be curious to see what else is in store for these characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

To see other reviews I’ve left, please check out my Instagram and Goodreads pages:
*Instagram - bookworm_traveler808
*Goodreads - Cherihy808

An absolutely captivating story that keeps you engaged and waiting for the next twist! Minka Kent does a wonderful job keeping you in suspense, waiting to see what Camille will do next when she finds her family at risk of coming close to the past she's kept hidden, for very valid reasons. Give this book a go if you adore thrillers or are wanting something a bit different from your usual genre, like I did.

Love this authors writing. This story was wild, loved not really knowing what was going to happen till it actually duid and took me by surprise. Definitely a twist!!!
Kinda sad this is over love reading about sociopaths and this was right up KY alley..
More I want more from thus author.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an early release of this book.

I’m speechless! Imaginary Strangers is a twisted thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

About: Camille Prescott seemingly has it all. A loving husband, two children, & a beautiful home. But Camille has a vault of secrets. Raised by a psychotic woman, she has gone to great lengths to bury her past and for good reason: if her mother ever finds her, she will kill her.

As the family’s stability cracks, so does Camille’s facade, because the past isn’t just coming for her and everyone she loves—it’s already here.

*This book will release on July 23. Thank you to Minka Kent & Thomas & Mercer for this ARC opportunity!

I LOVED THIS.

This was so fantastic and I was hooked into the story from the very first page. I absolutely loved the build up and how tense and unpredictable the story line was, I never knew what was going to happen next.

I genuinely had to put this down when the big reveal happened because I was actually in complete shock and didn't see it coming at all. I think it's safe to say that Minka Kent is going to be an author that I devour their entire works. The way I was sitting on the edge of my seat, not knowing who to trust, throughout this entire book cemented that for me.

I loved how the book weaved in the flashbacks of Camille's sessions with her therapist, I felt like it was the perfect way to explain more about her as a character without having to push us through the actual events ourselves.

Imaginary Strangers was such a great read and I can't wait to read more from this author soon.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Another great book by Minka! Looking forward to book #2 in this series. Can’t wait to see what happens with the characters.

Imaginary Strangers was a great read! It goes to show that you can never truly know someone as there may be a completely different person lying underneath, such as with Camille. The imaginary friend aspect had me on the edge of my seat as I flew through this book! Great thriller!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of Imaginary Strangers!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
♥️ would do anything for your children
👻 have had imaginary friends
🤪 ever felt like you were going crazy
🫣 are hiding from a sordid past

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Camille Prescott has it all. A doting husband, two children, a charming home in a seaside enclave, and a beautiful, fixed smile that exudes normalcy. But behind her polished mask lurks a much different Camille—one with a padlocked vault of secrets. Raised by a vindictive and psychotic woman, Camille has gone to great lengths to bury her past and for good reason: if her mother ever finds her, she will kill her.

But nothing can prepare Camille for the day her six-year-old daughter, Georgie, starts showing signs of unsettlingly familiar behavior, including an imaginary new friend who casts a disturbing influence on everything the little girl says and does. Worse than that, Georgie’s imaginary friend knows things about Camille’s childhood, things Camille has never told a soul. Is it a coincidence or is Georgie’s imaginary friend not so fictional after all?

As the family’s stability cracks, so does Camille’s facade, because the past isn’t just coming for her and everyone she loves—it’s already here.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This just might be my new favorite Minka Kent! I had no idea where the story was taking me. Camille was an interesting character who “loves” her children as much as a sociopath can be expected to, but she’d really do anything and everything to keep them safe. I wasn’t sure if I could fully trust her character to be telling us the truth, and as we got closer and closer to the end, I was taken aback by that ending! It felt completely out of left field, in a good way! I don’t want to give any spoilers, but this one is a goodie!

4 ⭐️. I was sucked into the storyline from the very beginning but Minka has a unique way of always doing that. I love how interesting this was from the jump, and I couldn’t wait to see who was up to no good. Unfortunately as the book went on it got less and less interesting - I guessed the who at 56% of the way through, but there weren’t the usual gaping thriller plot holes that exist in this genre. Even though the ending, for me, lacked excitement, everything was wrapped up and I was satisfied. It was a solid read and I enjoyed it.

A woman must keep her family—and her terrifying secrets—safe in a twisting thriller by Washington Post and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Minka Kent.

Camille Prescott has it all. A doting husband, two children, a charming home in a seaside enclave, and a beautiful, fixed smile that exudes normalcy. But behind her polished mask lurks a much different Camille—one with a padlocked vault of secrets. Raised by a vindictive and psychotic woman, Camille has gone to great lengths to bury her past and for good reason: if her mother ever finds her, she will kill her.

"The idea of taking a life--especially that of my own mother--is strangely exhilarating . . . there's only one thing in this world that has ever truly scared me: my mother."

Minka Kent is one of my favorite authors, so whenever she has a new book out, I automatically grab it. This is my all-time favorite book of hers.

I was immediately invested in this story, in Camille, because it all hits eerily close for me. The stories she tells her therapist sent all-too-familiar shivers through me. And then BOOM! My worst nightmare was written out when Georgiana says her new best friend eats meat jelly sandwiches. I could have vomited from the fear. I would not be able to put the book down, desperate to find out if Camille would react the way I've always imagined I would in the same situation.

Kent clearly knows what she wrote about in this riveting novel. Everything was spot on--reactions, emotions, psychology, back stories, etc. So many times I felt I was reading about myself, which was absolutely terrifying considering. This was so well written and wickedly twisted.

A mother's love can never be denied or challenged. She will protect using whatever means she feels necessary. Camille may not have been raised knowing what a mother's love looked like, but she did it her way regardless of her "questionable" diagnosis.
This thriller really took you through the motions and keep you wanting to know just where things would lead, who was causing the chaos and how far they were willing to go. I kept thinking I knew who the culprit was, and I was correct to an extent. When the truth came out, I couldn't believe they would involve children in the schemes...Diabolical. But still proving how far some will actually go. Can't wait to read the conclusion!

Overall I liked this book. I liked the female main character. I was under the impression she was going to have these big secrets but she just had this horrible past and tried to kill her mom. I expected more. The stuff with the daughter started out like maybe she was a sociopath and then her story went to being obsessed with the imaginary friend. It just felt a little off. I really did enjoy this book. The ending was shocking but it felt a little unbelievable that the husband would just be fine with everything right away.

I will say I was surprised by the ending of this book. I didn’t see the twist of who the main culprit was in the book coming. Mainly because it he book directs you in believing someone else is to blame. Solid read I would however check trigger warnings with this one, because there is many scene that deal with child abuse.


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc for my honest review.