Thank you so much to the publisher and the author for this wonderful arc. What is so wonderfully jarring about this cover is that it captures the essence of the book and the twist that is within this book so beautifully. Camille has a perfect life, a wonderful husband, two healthy and perfect children, and one secret that starts to haunt her the moment her daughter comes up with the knowledge that she has a new friend named "Imaginary". Though it would be mostly harmless for a child her age, this "friend" seems to have sayings that align with Camille's mother, Lucinda, a figure she hasn't seen in quite some time and is trying to keep buried in the past. The descension down from grace as she tries to unravel just how Lucinda is orchestrating her way back is deliciously taunting and when the twist finally comes in? I couldn't believe it and desperately need more. For lovers of thrillers and high intensity lifetime movies, this book is definitely for you.

The first chapter of Imaginary Strangers was absolutely mind blowing. This story was intriguing from just the description of a mother with a haunted and terrible past trying to figure out why her daughter is saying things from her childhood that were traumatic. I felt the first half of the book was really good as you are trying to figure out if this little girl is a psychopath or is someone setting the mother up or is the mother even crazy? About halfway I felt it wasn’t as intriguing and got a bit repetitive and I just wanted to finish. The ending was a bit unbelievable as the whole book you are thinking that it is a certain someone and it flips and it’s not who you think it is. But it also sets up for another book. I have to admit I was hoping for a showdown. I guess that should be happening in Book 2. All in all I was invested in the story and even though the ending was a bit not what I wanted it to be I still liked how it wrapped up. This mother is really struggling and it also has some mental health issues that I don’t think is talked about enough.

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Every Minka Kent book continues to get better and better. This book was a page turner from the first page until the end. I was loving every character and how the storyline played out. A must read for any book lover.

Camille left her emotionally abusive mother, Lucinda, at age seventeen and never looked back. She now lives with her husband and two children, doing her best to be nothing like her mother. She’s worried about her daughter Georgie when she begins talking to imaginary friends. Georgie starts saying and acting in ways that only Lucinda would know about. She discovers this imaginary “friend” works at the school and is convinced her mother has returned to harm her and her family.

Talk about psychological thrillers cause WHEW! I would’ve lost my mind if I was in Camille’s shoes. This was emotional warfare. I did have a few theories, despite trying to just enjoy the ride, and I can honestly say I had no idea what the twist was. You got me, Minka! Finally a thriller that stumped me; it’s been a minute. And finding out this will have a sequel? 😙🤌🏼 count me in.

Camille has a great life and has put her traumatic childhood behind her. When her six year old makes a new friend at school, she begins repeating odd things; things from Camille’s childhood that no one should know.

I loved this one! It reminded me of a Frieda McFadden read; totally bingeable with a fast paced, exciting story. This is the perfect beach read when you want a fast page turner with exciting suspense. I did figure out one of the twists early on, but it did not do anything to diminish my enjoyment. I loved the main character and how the author wrote her with her disorder. While it had a definitive ending, it left space for a sequel!

“They say the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. I used to agree. Now I’m not so sure.”

Imaginary Strangers comes out 7/23.

When I tell you I loved this book, I aint lying! Imaginary Strangers is the perfect example of psychological thriller. Our main character Camille is incredibly complicated. She is delicately balancing motherhood, being a doting wife, hiding from her past and hiding from her husband that she’s been diagnosed as a sociopath who can feel no love, empathy, sympathy, etc. Her daughter comes home from school, saying things that only one person in the world could possibly know, someone she has traveled across the country to get away from. Camille completely spirals, and I found myself wondering is she paranoid and unhinged or does she have a real reason to be scared and protective of her children? I loved the end twist, and did not see that coming. I did notice that this is listed as #1 in a series, so I am super excited to see what’s next. This was my first read by Minka Kent, but obviously its not my last. Thanks to Thomas and Mercer for my eARC. Imaginary Strangers will be published 7/23.

Don’t you just love a book where the line between reality and fantasy is so blurry that you can hardly see it. In IMAGINARY STRANGERS Minka Kent takes paranoia to new levels. Or does she?

Camille Prescott is living the dream life. Married to a doting doctor, mom to two perfect children, living in a beautiful home - she seems to have it all. But what happens when the dream becomes a nightmare she can’t outrun?

I was hooked from the very first page. Ms. Kent gives us a book that made me question everything I thought I knew and reminds us that sometimes the biggest threat is closer than you think. You’ll want to sink your teeth into this taut psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Camille is a fantastic mom- or at least she’s trying not to be the mom her mom was. The opening chapter lays it all out, pulling you in immediately. Then her daughter comes home from school to talk about her new friend “imaginary” which has the intent to bring Camille’s whole world down and her past back to the present.

The story is told with a couple of different timelines: past situations with her mother Lucinda, conversations with a psychologist, and present time. The author creates empathy from the reader in her flashbacks. But I kept waiting to see what was so bad that Camille did to be so terrified of her secrets coming out. In her flashbacks with the therapist, we find her being diagnosed with being a sociopath and how it affects her present day. The way this played out, was a lot more telling than showing and I think I would have preferred it the
opposite. I did like the character of Camille, her journey and background when we could get past some of the repeating patterns.

Some of my Camille’s reactions felt contradicting, like people judging their parenting style if they put their daughter in therapy, when she herself had been in therapy. And wouldn’t it be the opposite? The therapy flashbacks grew pretty tiresome and repetitive to the point of being able to skim them and still get the gist of them.

Not a bad tale, I just can’t fully decide if the ending was worth the journey. And not to give the ending away, but the whole thing panned out pretty ridiculously.

I absolutely loved this book.

Camille escaped an abusive mother and left home at 17. Now, a mother herself, her past has come back to haunt her in the form of a friend that her daughter calls "imaginary." Camille was diagnosed as a sociopath but has learned to fake her feelings and present in a completely normal way.

What drew me into this book first and foremost was the creepy child aspect. It opens with Camille's daughter having an imaginary friend she calls "bestie" and moves on to the girl making a new friend she calls "imaginary." But imaginary seems to know things about Camille's past that no one else does. Camille discovers that "imaginary" is really a teacher's aide at the school named Imogen and is determined to get to the bottom of Imogen poisoning her daughter's mind.

The other thing I loved about this book was that you really couldn't tell until the end whether Camille was a reliable narrator or not. Her diagnosis made you question it initially, but her behavior became more and more unhinged as the book went on. She became obsessed with stalking Imogen to get to the bottom of what was going on. She was convinced someone was trying to make her feel crazy. The reader really didn't know how much, if any was all in Camille's head.

Overall, I loved this book and can't wait to read more from this author.

I'm a fan of Minka Kent, so I was thrilled when I got an ARC of this one to review. I loved the dual timelines featuring the main character, Camille. Her backstory is so dark and intricately woven into present events for maximum impact as the events of the story unravel. I was so gripped by the storyline that I read this in a single sitting. I can't recommend this book enough to fans of psychological and domestic thrillers.

Did you have an imaginary friend when you were growing up?

Camille’s daughter, Georgie, has two. Bestie isn’t too much of an issue. Her other one, Imaginary? Now, that one’s an issue, because it quickly becomes clear that Imaginary isn’t an imagined friend at all, but rather a teacher’s aide at Georgie’s school who somehow knows things about Camille’s past that she’s never told anyone involved in her life about and has taught them to her daughter. Camille has kept her past buried for a reason, and now she’s afraid it’s caught up to her.

The first and third acts of this book are fast-paced and smartly-written. The beginning of the book really hooks you, with an attention-grabbing opening sequence before slinging you into the present day and the frightening start of the main story. The third act is well-written as well, with an even faster pace than the first act as it careens to a really engaging and captivating ending.

It’s the second act where this book suffers a little. It’s not much, mind you. It’s just the pacing that suffers from some stuttering and a little meandering that feels like it could’ve been tightened up a little.

The timeline on this book is non-linear as it switches between the present and back to Camille’s therapy sessions a few years prior to the events of the book. Normally this might feel like a manner of expositional dump and I’d deride it as such, but in this case it really mutually informs and is informed by the plot, so it fits perfectly without feeling plopped so Kent doesn’t have to explain things.

Kent apparently got the idea for this book after reading something about how 1 in 25 people are sociopaths, and that might be true, but it’s important to remember sociopathy is a spectrum of antisocial behaviors and disorders. Camille is a made sociopath, and that’s part of the reason why she resonated with me so much as a character and why this book works so well. Camille still remembers a time when she wasn’t a sociopath. There is an echo of those years in her, a memory of those days and what she wanted and what she went through. She remembers what it was like to want to be loved and seen. This book works because she doesn’t want that life for her kids and will do anything to protect them from it. She’s beyond a mama bear: she’s a mama bear without restraints.

The ending of this book is fantastic, with a great twist. I saw it coming but not until late in the book. I thought I had the whodunit called two other times before I finally called it correct. I always like when I can be surprised by a book these days. I enjoyed it a good deal.

I was provided a copy of this title by Netgalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Book Series/Kidnapping/Psychological Fiction/Psychological Thriller/Suspense Thriller/Women’s Fiction

Another great twisty read from Minka Kent!! 🙌 I found myself trying to figure out whether I should believe our sociopathic FMC or not!! Is she right in her assumptions? Or is she just becoming more and more unhinged? 👀 And I did not see the big twist coming!! 🫨

Excellent twisty read for thriller lovers!! 👏👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Minka Kent for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

Thank you @minkakentauthor @amazonpublishing #partner for the gifted copy of this eARC!

Yeeeeesssss! This is how psychological thrillers are done my friends! When I need to peek in my closet and under my bed for before bed you’ve done well! I am quickly discovering one of my favorite aspects in a thriller that scares the beejezus out of me is creepy children. I don’t know why but I love this! Is it a trope? I don’t know…I want to make it one! I could NOT stop reading this one because I NEEDED to know more about what was happening. I popped some blood pressure meds and anxiously read this one in one sitting. From start to finish I think I was sweating through this brilliantly shocking book. The tension and distressing feeling this book gave me is exactly what I look for in books. (Don’t ask me what’s wrong with me, I don’t know!) 🤣 The only question I had at the end of this one was where has Minka been my whole life?! Absolutely without a doubt you need to read this one if you are a psychological thriller fan!

📖What it’s about:

Camille is a very damaged character who had grown up putting on a brave face she thinks others want her to be. She is actually a sociopath caused by the trauma her terrible sad excuse of a mother has inflicted upon her. 😭 She narrowly escaped and has been in hiding ever since. Happily married, all is well in her world until one day her daughter starts talking about her imaginary friend. Kids sometimes have imaginary friends right? Well hers seems to know a little too much about the past darkness and demon she tried to escape. Only things her mother or her would know. 👀😬

I really liked this!!! Definitely suspenseful and a page turner. Did not know how this was going to resolve and I am not disappointed !!!!

Thank you netgalley for a copy!

Nothing can be so horrifying as seeing beyond the polite societal lies and into the minds of the imaginary. Because is the imaginary just that? Or is something else hidden behind the reality that is shown. For Camille, her perfect life now is not how her past could or should have turned out. And secrets have a way of being exposed.

4.5 Stars

I loved both The Stillwater Girls and When I Was You by this author so it was a no-brainer to request this on NetGalley and am I ever glad I did. This is a well-done psychological thriller. Not a lot happens but Minka Kent's writing style is easy to read and it sucked me in right away. The best part? She totally caught me by surprise and that doesn't happen very often.

Using a two-timeline format (or is it three?) we get Camille in the present raising her two kids in California with her adoring doctor husband. We also get Camille in the past (six years ago), when she lived in Chicago, via therapy sessions and in those sessions she speaks about her past, especially her childhood. This was a hard book to read at times because Camille did not have the best childhood. It was mega disturbing to me and I have a rough background myself.

This book was so intense with short punchy chapters. I held my breath without realizing it and flipped through the pages like a maniac. We readers know all about Camille's secrets as she takes us on a journey of trying to discover who is trying to reveal her past while protecting her family from the perpetrator, in a word...gripping. This one starts out with a bang and never lets up. The super fast pacing and wonderful writing were such a joy to read.

I took half a star off because some of the happenings at the end were a little too convenient for my liking, which is typical of thrillers nowadays. I did love the ambiguous ending though. This one is a part of a series and I didn't know that when I requested it, it happens. I am not a series reader but I cannot wait to see what happens with Camille next.

This is my 3rd book by this author and probably my 2nd fave!

This story follows a sociopath mother who lived a nightmare childhood (that she keeps hidden) and now wants a better childhood for her daughter..

Now her daughter has an imaginary friend… then a second one named “Imaginary” but is Imaginary actually imaginary? The mother wants to find out so she volunteers at the daughter’s school because the daughter is saying things that lead her believe maybe Imaginary is a real person from her past.


Thoughts-
Pretty straightforward plot line, we are essentially told what to believe and not much is left to the imagination. That’s fine, truly. I didn’t dislike or love anything about this book. It was entertaining and engaging but long term it’s one I feel will fade into the background considering I read at least a book a day.

Solid

I always enjoy Minka Kent's books. They are fast paced and have great twist endings!

This book was no different, my only qualm was that the FMC was supposed to be a sociopath but at times it seemed like she wasn't acting how a sociopath would act.

Also (and this is minor, but still), I didn't like how Will (the husband) seemed to have "the final say" about whether their daughter got to take a day off school or not, or how Camille (FMC) had to "explain to him" as if he was her superior, why she pulled her daughter out of school for the afternoon. Like F off, she is the mother, she can decide to pull her kid out of school for the afternoon/day if she wants to - especially if Grandma from out of town is visiting! Ugh!

Anyway! Overall a great read, and there are a lot of interesting discussion topics that could be talked about in book clubs, etc for sure!

This book was definitely interesting. I could not imagine having a childhood or a mother like that. I would have lost my mind if someone was messing with my kids. This book had some good twists. I did not see the ending coming.

This novel was unsettling in the best way.

Camille grew up in a horribly abusive home and thinks she has left behind her trauma (and its danger) for happily ever after until her past comes creeping back. So much suspense and captivating characters with a few twists along the way. I loved the writing style with intermittent flashbacks.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel. I loved it and can't wait to read the next installment of Camille's story. No spoilers, but the end has a nice setup for a sequel.