I'll start off by saying that Minka Kent books are nice, easy reads that always leave me with a good twist in the end.

Although I ended up figuring out what was going on mid way through the book, it was still a good story. Camille and Will leave Chicago to move to San Diego to escape her past that she doesn't want her husband to find out about.

She had a horrible upbringing, in which she tries to give her children the complete opposite. When she finds out that someone is becoming best friends with her daughter at school, and divulging details that only someone from her past would know, that's when things get crazy.

Overall, a nice weekend read that I was able to finish over a day or two.

Thank you to #netgalley for this #arc

𝑨 𝑽𝒆𝒏𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒚𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒑, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒚 𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕--𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒘...𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒏.

I'm a huge fan of this author, but I wasn't prepared for how utterly perfect and mind-blowing this book would be. When I sit in silence for a good ten minutes after I've finished, that's your cue to rush to request it.

I absolutely love anything to do with psychopaths and sociopaths. As a matter of fact, that is a trope I've discussed for the last 24 years in my high school English classroom while reading 𝑲𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒓. 𝑮𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒏 by Lois Duncan. The discussions and research are fascinating, but it seems to boil down to this--psychopaths are born, but sociopaths are made.

Camille has had a horrifying, bleak, traumatic childhood. The psychological abuse that her mother put her through was unlike anything I've ever read, and the abject cruelty chilled me to my core. This mostly came out in her therapy sessions, but the prologue was crafted around a disturbing scene from her past in which her mother swore if she saw her again, she would kill her. Now she is married to the perfect man and is the mother of two children, but with no normally functioning mother to model herself after, she worries that she isn't connecting with her kids.

When her young daughter starts receiving gifts and attention from 'Imaginary', a lady at her school, Camille is stunned by the specificity of the gifts and phrases that her daughter is uttering. After all these years, has her mother found her and is now using her daughter to make good on her threat to kill her? I think my blood pressure was up the entire time I was reading, and the ending was SO satisfying, I wanted to scream (ok, I did; I was alone in the house) and to see there is going to be another installment has me SO impatient to see what's going to happen! So many thanks to the author for the gifted copy. This stunner will publish July 23, 2024.

Not my favorite. This has a strong beginning. I was intrigued learning about Camille's childhood and the trauma that she had associated with her mother but that isn't actually the story we got. I hated the twist ending in this and feel like we veered so far off course from what the synopsis promised. Don't get me wrong, the angle with Camille and her diagnosis as well as her therapy sessions was so fascinating to me, but I hated the whole gaslight-y, betrayal ending that we got. Especially the very last chapter. That felt like the author's last ditch attempt to bring the book back to what was promised in the very last page and it was just too little too late. Also, there was no imaginary friend story line in this? Bestie is mentioned briefly a few times and then promptly dropped from the narrative. Poor Bestie.

Content Warnings: sociopathy, kidnapping, stalking, gaslighting, ptsd, child abuse, gun violence

Camille appears to be a typical SAHM with 2 kids, but when her daughter starts sharing some disturbing phrases, her carefully crafted image come tumbling down. She doesn't know who or what to trust, other than herself.

This books was well paced, twisty, and I didn't predict the ending. The characters were well developed and I could understand the choices they made.

Instead of commas there were double spaces. After a while my brain got used to it, but I hope there will be commas in the future.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to others who enjoy psychological and domestic thrillers.

I love Minka Kent! I also love psychologically mind bending stories and Minka is perfect at this! Camille is a sociopath but highly motivated to keep her family safe and her personality disorder has provided her with the talents to do so. I knew a little about the intricacies of sociopathy but it’s amazing what I learn from Minka’s books! Absolutely 5 stars for this book! Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

I recently discovered Minka Kent and have loved everything I’ve read of hers…Imaginary Strangers was no different!

Imaginary Strangers follows Camille Prescott who has the life - an amazing husband, two perfect kids..and she’s also a diagnosed sociopath with a dark past. When her daughter, Georgie, starts talking about an imaginary friend who happens to know some of Camille’s dark secrets, things spiral out of control.

I truly couldn’t put this book down once I started it. I finished it within a few hours and loved every second of it. There’s such a dark eerie feeling throughout the book and I absolutely did not see the twist coming.

I do feel like the twist was wrapped up a little too quickly in the end. I love how the book ends with the opening for a sequel. I will definitely be reading that when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC!

This is the second book I’ve read by Minka Kent and I really enjoy her style of writing. Imaginary Stranger was a quick read, mainly because I didn’t want to put the book down!

Camille, mother of 2 with the perfect husband seems to have it all but deep down she struggles with sociopathy and reminders of her abusive mother, Lucinda. The last time Camille saw her mother, Lucinda swore she would kill her if she ever saw her again. Since that day, Camille has gone through extensive therapy to cope with the trauma.

One day her 6 year old daughter Georgina comes home with an imaginary friend singing song nursery rhymes and saying phrases only Lucinda would know. Camille sets out to find out who this imaginary friend that could very possibly be her mother.

My first Minka Kent book but definitely not my last! Fast paced thriller! A mother, even a sociopath, will do anything to protect her family.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Imaginary Strangers
Dangerous Strangers Thrillers
By Minka Kent

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.
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.

I give this book 5 stars. It was a quick read and kept me on the edge the entire time. Absolutely loved this book. I have to say that Minka Kent has become one of my favorite authors. I cant wait to read the next book in this series.

I received this ebook arc free from NetGalley and am voluntarily writing this review. #NetGalley #ImaginaryStrangers

I read this book in seven hours!!

Okay, I have not read a story so twisty and compelling in SUCH a long time. I was riveted from the first page, and all day I have been reading this book at any opportunity that came my way.

Imaginary Strangers is a twisty, mysterious, psychological thriller centered on Camille Prescott and her picture perfect family. She lives in a wealthy neighborhood in San Diego, her kids go to the best school, she has an amazingly perfect husband, oh and she is a diagnosed sociopath.

Camille has curated the perfect facade to keep anyone and everyone from looking too closely at her life and her upbringing. The book time jumps between Camille in the present and Camille in therapy a few years prior. Current day Camille has graduated from therapy and is enjoying sunny California when her young daughter starts playing with an imaginary friend who turns out to be not so imaginary. As Camille's past threatens to implode her present, she must come to terms with what it means to be a mother hell bent on protecting her children, and also a sociopath.

I LOVED this book, probably because as a therapist it is not often that I read very accurate descriptions of therapy/therapists. I thought her flashbacks to her time in therapy were so well written and portrayed accurately. There is a line where she wonders if therapists take so long getting to their point because they spend so much time not being able to talk. That made me laugh out loud (it's true). I also so deeply appreciate how Minka explores what sociopathy means and how our perceptions of people with sociopathy are grossly lacking. Minka flawlessly explores how the circumstances of our life do not have to dictate the rest of our future, even when we are handed difficult diagnoses.

This is book one in a series, and I hope to god I am able to get an ARC of the next book because I don't want to wait a second longer than I have to.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an early copy of the book!

Most of the time, the book dives deep into Camille's past and what sets off her PTSD. This is mainly done by the prologue and the therapist chapters. Sometimes, it felt like there was just too much detail, and I found myself skipping over those parts.

But Camille was a fascinating character to follow. Unlike how sociopaths are usually shown in movies as killers, she was actually really protective of the people she cared about.

The ending caught me off guard, but when I thought about it more, it all made sense. The last part of the book was the most exciting to read, especially when everything came together. It was a great twist that showed not everyone is what they seem.

You know an author spins a great tale when you find yourself rooting for the sociopath! Camille is a complex, interesting character and I could gardly wait to find out what was going to gapoen. Minka Kent knows how to wrap up a great story and this was no exception. The door us also left wide open for a sequel, which is very exciting news!

Camille has been to therapy. She knows the torture she endured as a child at the hand of her mother was horrendous and had lasting effects. She knows her diagnosis of a sociopath and PTSD. And she also knows while she may not be able to truly feel love, she will do absolutely anything to protect her children and the life she has created. So when Lucinda seems to be lurking around every corner, she knows she must turn on her mama bear mode even if she looks insane to everyone around her.

So many twists! So much unknown and questioning. I couldn’t figure out who was lying, who was crazy, who was even real throughout this book. Very engaging and addicting. I was so anxious to get to the end to figure out all the confusion! I also love the connection the author purposefully makes to Venus flytraps, quite brilliant! Also love the viewpoint from a sociopath and all the research and facts that were mingled in through the story. I have personally learned and used some of the skills Camille’s therapist taught her! Very good read and can’t wait for the sequel that the author eluded to in the authors note!

*CRACK* That is the sound of Minka Kent hitting it out of the ballpark with Imaginary Strangers!!! This book was shocking, brilliant and amazing! I did not want to put this instantly addictive book down. I was glued to the pages wanting more of this riveting, twist filled, book!!

WOWZA!

Camille Prescott appears to have it all. She is happily married to a handsome, supportive, and loving husband. She has 2 adorable children. She also has a secret. It's a whopper of a secret, one that Camille has no intention of ever divulging. One of those secrets relates to her childhood and upbringing. She lives in fear that one day she will be found. Her fear intensifies when her six-year-old daughter, Georgie, has an imaginary friend who knows things about Camille's childhood. Things that Camille has never shared except in her therapy sessions.

I devoured this book! I loved being able to sit in on Camille's therapy sessions. I loved knowing some of Camille's secrets that she had kept in the vault and never shared with her husband. I loved being a silent observer as things began to become uncomfortable for Camille. Speaking of Camille, she is such an interesting character. Very interesting, indeed.

There are a nice number of twists and turns in this book. Holy Moly, I did not see a major twist/reveal coming at all! I was left with my mouth hanging open, thinking "did that just happen?" and "shut the front door!" Seriously, Minka Kent, I salute you. This is how you write a gripping and shocking psychological thriller!!! I'll also never think of Venus flytraps the same way again.

I loved, loved, loved the suspense, the tension, and the plot of this book. I never knew when the other shoe was going to drop. I loved that I was not able to figure this book out. Minka Kent kept me on my toes, fully invested, and turning the pages of this book. Whew!

I can't wait to read what comes next for Camille and her family!!!! Bring it on, Kent, bring it on! I'm looking forward to it!

Camille was diagnosed as a sociopath after dealing with extreme childhood abuse by her mom. As an adult, she marries Will, a handsome surgeon, and has two children. As her oldest daughter comes home from school with an Imaginary friend, Camille begins to wonder if the friend is really someone from Camille’s past. I didn’t read the blurb, just went in blind, which made this book even better. My favorite book of 2024 so far.

Imaginary Strangers was my first read where you meet a likable sociopath. While I like the overall concept and am pulling for Camille throughout the book, overall, I wanted more from this story. The ending caught me by surprise, which is always a win when reading a thriller; however, it felt rushed. I am invested in the Camille-Will-Lucinda saga and am excited to see if the sequel can give me the more I desire.

Book: Imaginary Strangers
Author: Minka Kent
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: July 23, 2024

Man oh man what a story! And why am I not reading more Minka Kent? It says this is Book 1 of 1 in Dangerous Strangers Thrillers series. I never could find if this is going to be a series about Camille or just different books based on the dangerous strangers theme. Either way I am intrigued. Camille is such a strong woman. I found her easily relatable. She was trying so hard to maintain her life and to be the best mom and best version of herself. And Jacqueline - that was mother-in-law relationship goals right there. And Will was great! He was supportive even though Camille gave him tons of reasons not to trust her. There was good character development and I liked these people. A good twist at the end…just a good book. Give me more Minka.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is July 23, 2024.

Camille is married to a doctor and they have 2 kids. Everyone and every thing seems to be perfect. But Camille is hiding something from her past from everyone, including her husband and this was full of twists and turns you do not see coming. I loved the therapy sessions she had with her therapist. I was NOT expecting the ending at all!! I loved this and I especially loved the reason behind the venus flytraps on the cover. I highly recommend this book and I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this early release. To be published July 2024.

Camille Prescott appears as a beautiful, smart, family-loving woman who is in the upper-income group with a devoted doctor husband and two children, whose life looks like an "American dream".
But underneath all this shiny look, there is a real truth about Camille that no one knows. This fact is both the creator of the perfect mother and wife image embodied in Camille, and a fact that she has to prevent from being revealed in order not to lose everything she has: Camille is a sociopath.
Camille is a highly functioning sociopath who is aware that she is a sociopath and also had been in therapy for a long time. If you have ever met a sociopath in your life, you will be amazed at the effort Camille makes to hide herself and keep everything perfect and on track, in a situation where even her doctor husband has not notice her sociopathy yet.

It was enough to read the first pages of the novel to get an idea of why Camille is a sociopath: After attempting to drown her mother in the bathtub, Camille leaves the house where she lives with her mother at the age of 17, after her mother threatens to kill her if she meets her again.

But something happens in her life one day: Camille, who strives to prevent her children from experiencing anything she has experienced, senses a danger to the family she first established with an imaginary friend her little daughter made in kindergarten. Then, the details in her memories about the biggest criminal who ruined her life begin to reach Camille through another "silver haired friend" her daughter made at school. From this point on, we read Camille as a guided missile aimed at finding and destroying the danger. We read about Camille's search for this mysterious new friend and the secret behind it, and even her tracking -which will turn almost into an obsession.

Although Imaginary Strangers stands out with a "sociopath mother", it actually ends with a picture that shows that nothing can be completely black or completely white. On the one hand, a sociopathic Camille who is ready to do anything to not be a bad mother, and on the other hand, Camille's mother Lucinda, a terrible mother, is with us throughout the novel as a "fact". However, in the finale pages of the book, we also see another side of being a mother, the side that Camille cannot feel. Is the threat to Camille and her family shaped by a mother's love or
hatred?

I liked the book, and you should read if you like thrillers, psychological thrillers, mystery ones...

Thanks for Netgalley and publishers for the ARC.

Really good book! Author laid out the story line and kept you intrigued, then wrapped it up very nicely! Kept me guessing. Probably one of her best books.