I recently had the pleasure of delving into this book, and I am beyond impressed with the mesmerizing world that the author has crafted. From start to finish, the intricate plot weaves a tapestry of suspense, emotion, and unexpected twists that kept me eagerly turning the pages.

One of the standout features of this book is undoubtedly its characters. Each one is meticulously developed, breathing life into the narrative with their unique personalities, motivations, and flaws. The protagonists are not just names on paper; they are relatable, complex individuals with whom readers can form a genuine connection. The antagonist, too, is not a mere foil but a multi-dimensional force that adds depth to the story. The author's ability to create such well-rounded characters is a testament to their storytelling prowess.

The plot unfolds seamlessly, drawing the reader into a richly layered narrative that expertly balances tension, drama, and moments of poignant reflection. The pacing is impeccable, maintaining a perfect rhythm that keeps the reader engaged without sacrificing the depth of the story. The author skillfully navigates through various plot arcs, interweaving them with finesse to create a cohesive and satisfying whole.

What sets this book apart is its ability to tackle profound themes while maintaining an accessible and engaging narrative. The book seamlessly combines suspense and emotional depth, making it a truly immersive experience. The author's prose is both elegant and evocative, painting vivid imagery that lingers in the reader's mind long after the final page is turned.

As I reached the conclusion, I found myself yearning for more from this talented author. Their ability to craft a gripping plot and bring characters to life is truly commendable. I eagerly anticipate future works and would wholeheartedly recommend this book to any reader who appreciates a masterfully told tale. If you're searching for a book that seamlessly blends captivating characters with a compelling plot, this is a shining example. I can't wait to explore more literary worlds crafted by this exceptional storyteller.

‘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.’

For some reason, this one felt familiar to me. Like I’ve read it before. Or something similar. Lineage of sociopathy with no shortage of deceit, misdirection, untrustworthy characters, paranoia….overprotective, overbearing & unhinged mothers….🥴

A quick & easy read. The pages basically flip themselves. But I was still left slightly wanting…

Still, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this arc and I’m always going to read what Kent puts out. An easy go-to for me💯

So big thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer!

Pub date: 7.23.24

3 stars ⭐️

Camille's tough childhood molded her into a sociopath, and now as a mother, she wears a mask of “normalcy”.

Despite her inability to experience emotions like others, Camille navigates motherhood with a careful balance of manipulation and protection. When her daughter begins to display concerning behaviors, Camille is left questioning whether it's inherited or a deliberate setup. As the story unfolds, I was captivated by Camille’s complex character and how she manages her protective instincts.

“Psychopaths are born, sociopaths are made.” This line struck a chord with me and shed light on Camille's character. Initially, I thought I had a tiny grasp of the story's direction, but in the end I had no clue (in a good way). The book was fast-paced and kept me hooked from start to finish. I definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

The author did a great job of showcasing the good, the bad, and the ugly of that specific mental health condition. This was an entertaining read, though I loved the suspenseful and mysterious journey more than the end.

Camille has a secret, and she will do anything to keep that secret, until her daughter comes home from kindergarten with stories about her past that no one else should know. As Camille says: they may not be the perfect family, but they are frighteningly close. And now someone is coming in to their lives to ruin all of her hard work.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It was billed as a fast-paced thriller, although it did feel a little slow at times. The ending was happened rapidly and was wrapped up in a nice little bow that felt a little too neat. I feel like I am left with more questions than answers. I can only hope that it is setting up a sequel, and based on the epilogue, it most likely is.

This book gave me the creepy-crawlies and my mama bear claws were out and ready to inflict major damage! Minka Kent has an extreme talent for diving deep into the dark psyches of mental illness allowing her to create such beautifully conflicted characters in her stories. Camille was portrayed so perfectly that I found myself questioning my own sanity at times. I felt every feeling of her intense fear and dread like it was my own. "Psychopaths are born, sociopaths are made." This has to be my favorite line of the book as well as the most endearing statement to Camille's character. I thought I had a 50/50 shot of figuring out where the story was heading, but nope! I couldn't have been more wrong. It was a fast-paced, enjoyable read that I definitely recommend!

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

Despite her secret diagnosis as a sociopath, Camille is determined to give her children the family that she never had. And the family that she has married into, with her supportive in-laws and her kind husband, are a big part of that support structure.

The last thing Camille wants is to revisit memories of her traumatic childhood with her abusive, narcissistic mother, from whom she fled many years ago as a teenager. But when her daughter comes home from kindergarten talking about an imaginary friend who has told her "jokes" about details that match unpleasant aspects of Camille's childhood, she is terrified that her mother has finally tracked her down.

When you come from a troubled background and apparently achieve all the accoutrements of the perfect life - beautiful home, privileged lifestyle, doctor husband, and delightful kids - you have more to lose than most people...

This is Minka Kent delivering as always, a reliably entertaining story. The foreshadowing was laid on a little thick, so that I did figure out what was happening, though the how took longer. An enjoyable read. It gets 3.5 stars.

Every single book Minka Kent writes is perfection! I don't know how she does it but from the very first pages she reels you in for an exciting thriller! The book is about Camille and her quest to make sure she has the perfect family but has her mother ,her past come back to hunt her? There is a shocking ending to this book. Who doesn't love a good twist! This book didn't disappoint! If your looking for an excellent thriller by an author who's books are excellent then read it!!

Love everything from minka Kent and this one didn’t disappoint. Love the plot and at times had me guessing who was behind the whole thing but I still ended up surprised. The main character isn’t my favorite but I still enjoyed the story. Super quick read. Thank you NetGalley for this arc

I’m a big fan of this author, but I couldn’t quite connect with this story. Camille thought she left her nightmare of a childhood behind when she fled her home and abusive mother as a teenager. She’s now across the country with a lovely home, husband, and daughter. One day, her daughter, Georgie, is so excited to tell her about her new imaginary friend. It doesn’t surprise Camille, as Georgie has been having trouble making friends, and plenty of young kids invent one. But this friend seems to know things from Camille’s childhood that she never told anyone. Very particular secrets that cannot be a coincidence. So what is going on?

She soon becomes obsessed with Georgie’s ‘friend,’ determined to figure out if this is a real person and who she could possibly be. Meanwhile, her husband and mother-in-law grow increasingly worried about Camille’s state of mind. For some reason, Camille never told either of them just how bad it was for her growing up, so they don’t understand why she’s so worried about this friend. And she doesn’t tell them that Georgie’s hearing specific anecdotes from Camille’s childhood.

It makes no sense - they’re her only family now, she already told them she suffered as a child, so there’s no reason she would hold any of it back. It’s really just a reason for her to look like she’s breaking down mentally and for her character to keep talking about ‘being a worse person than they know’ and ‘protecting her family.’ But she’d be able to protect them better if she just told them why she’s so upset!

I can’t tell if there’s a sequel, but the book ends without much of an explanation of the how and why these events are occurring. And we only partially get the who, and the justice is quickly summarized at the end in an unsatisfying way. If there’s another book coming that continues the story, I would rate it four stars because it’s fast-paced and engaging, and I want to see what’s next. But if the book is a one-and-done, then I’d have to rate it less. So here’s hoping!

After reading Imaginary Strangers by Minka Kent, I think she will be an auto-buy author for me. This was an excellent psychological thriller and it had me wanting more.
Camille Prescott lives the ideal life. With a perfect husband, adoring children, and an ideal neighborhood to reside in, is Camille’s life really as amazing as it seems?
Once Camille’s daughter starts exhibiting strange behaviors, including the introduction of her new best friend “Imaginary”, Camille is reminded of a traumatic childhood with her psychotic mother Lucinda. Camille’s daughter Georgie is saying disturbing things, disturbing and very familiar to her experiences with Lucinda. Could Camille’s mother be back influencing Georgie? Or is something much more sinister going on?
I think my favorite aspect of this novel is the fact that Camille is a diagnosed sociopath. Minka Kent did a wonderful job of explaining the inner workings of the mind of a sociopath. I really appreciated and looked forward to the chapters with the therapy sessions Camille had because we were able to get a better understanding of her. My favorite line in this book is definitely “psychopaths are born, sociopaths are made”.
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the Arc!

Camille Prescott has many secrets and keeps her past right where it belongs - in the past. Despite her best efforts, her past seems to have found her.



Minka Kent has done it again! A solid FIVE star read!
I was transfixed while reading this, and felt Camille's fear that her mother had found her and would destroy Camille's perfect life.

I seriously could not put this book down, it was dark, threatening and creepy. I loved every page of it.

When this book is published, RUN, don't walk, to get your hands on it. You will not be disappointed!


Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this book.

Ιмagιnary Ѕтrangerѕ
(𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙆 #1 of the 𝘿𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙍𝙊𝙐𝙎 𝙎𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝙎𝙀𝙍𝙄𝙀𝙎)
By Minka Kent
Release Date 07/23/2024


Camille is a married mom of 2 with a great husband who’s a doctor. She’s a SAHM who does it all. But she has many secrets from her past and a condition she's long hidden from everyone. Which, for me, made her so intriguing. The therapy sessions …. loved them.
This book is full of twists that will keep you guessing.
Since the book is five months from release, I’ll leave my review short for now. I recommend this book to all those who love psychological thrillers!!!

4.5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟S̤̈T̤̈Ä̤R̤̈S̤̈

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Wow, great book! Interesting and suspenseful… I definitely recommend. Actually, I recommend all of Minka Kent’s novels, definitely an auto read author for me.

A fast and engaging read, Minka Kent does not disappoint with Imaginary Strangers.

Camille lives a quintessential life. Her husband Will is a surgeon and she has two adoring children. From the outside looking in, others may say they have a perfect life. But, we all know nothing is ever perfect.

Camille had a traumatic childhood, raised by a mother who hated her, abused her and did horrific things to her. Camille does not share these details with her husband and claims she has no family. One person who does know about her past is her therapist. The sessions with her therapist are detailed in the book and it as the reader, I was so angry to think anyone could be so cruel to a child. We learn early on in the book (not a spoiler) Camille is a sociopath, unable to feel the emotions most people can.

When Camille's daughter, Georgiana starts coming home from school with stories, songs and phrases from Camille's past no one could know about, Camille begins to panic. Has her mother come looking for her? How could she have found her? Camille calls upon Will's mother to come visit so she can help with the children while she searches to find out answers.

Overall, a gripping well written story. Camille may be a sociopath but I could not help but root for her and feel emotion towards her character and what she was going through. The ending I did not necessarily see coming but I found the ending happened so fast and wrapped up even faster.

The epilogue left the door open to follow up with a book two and if it happens, I am there for it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced digital copy to read and review!

Holy Mother Of Pearl , this book was fast and twisted and kept me guessing ! I loved it so much ! I’ve yet to read a Minka Kent book I’m not in love with ! Alllll the stars !

Another excellent thriller by Minka Kent! It's not often you root for a sociopath, but Camille was a great character and I liked her a lot. The chapters detailing her therapy sessions were interesting even though it was heartbreaking what her mother did to her. The main story was more of a slow burn than usual for a Minka Kent book. A lot of the middle was just Camille worrying about the safety of her children. It seemed like there could have been more action to go along with it. However, it really picked up towards the end and the twist was completely unexpected. The ending was satisfying, and it seems as though Camille's story might continue as part of the Dangerous Strangers series. Hopefully it does because I'd love to see what happens next. 4.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

Imaginary Strangers is a fast-paced, if somewhat formulaic read. I don't want to spoil any plot details, but aside from a twist early on, the story felt a bit repetitive. I would have loved for there to be more conflict to supplement Camille's inner monologue. That said, I still found Camille to be an interesting, nuanced protagonist.

Minka Kent is an automatic read for me, but I’m sad to say I didn’t enjoy Imaginary Strangers as much as I’d hoped. It’s a fast paced, easy read with a flawed and complex main character, but some of it just felt flat to me.

Camille leads a privileged life. Her husband is thoughtful and their two young children. Georgina and Jack live in a gorgeous house in a fantastic school district. But Camille is hiding quite a few things. She grew up with an abusive mother, and Camille is a sociopath. She wants the best for her family, but the face she wears is mostly a disguise. She just does not feel things the way other people do. But it’s a small price to pay for living this life. One that is 180° different than her childhood.
Until Georgina makes a new friend at school. She calls her Imaginary, and at first Georgina thinks that’s what she is, just an imaginary friend. Soon though the things Georgina shares with her throw Camille into full-blown panic mode. They are things only two people know, and besides Camille the other person is her mother. Has she found the daughter she swore she would kill if she ever saw her again? How can Camille keep her family safe without exposing her past. A past that her husband knows nothing about.
Mostly told in the present by Camille, we also have chapters from her past detailing her horrendous childhood. Trying to figure out if Lucinda, (Camille’s mother) had found her or if Camille has just becoming completely unhinged kept me page flipping. Did I enjoy how it wrapped up? Yes, and no. The who was sort of a surprise, especially for the reasons why. However, the ending made me go, “what”.
I have nothing to make me believe this, but this seems like the kind of book that might lead to a sequel.