Twists. Tensions. Ticking time bombs.

I inhaled this novel. The past versus present alternating chapters were fluid and crucial.

Kept asking myself how...... what is the connection here?! Then BAM that twist like what?!

Kent gets you to feel for main character Camille. Very different character type than I am used to!

The perfect dose of a psychological thriller in a suburban setting!

After surviving a brutal childhood, Camille has spent her own years as a mother being better, vowing that her own children will never have less than her absolute best. She guards her secrets carefully, never letting the details of her previous life slip. Then her six-year-old daughter begins sharing songs and pictures from her new friend at school, frightening evidence that "Imaginary" knows things no one should. I started this one in the morning and seriously considered rescheduling the rest of my day so that I could just stay home and keep reading. It's thoroughly engrossing and entertaining, but lost a bit of momentum in the final chapters.

Okay, this one was a lot of fun.

Although I confess to being a tad bit irked by a few things in Camille’s marriage. First, she unnecessarily kept some key secrets she her husband. If you want to be an adult, then you need to open up to your spouse. With him, I didn’t care for how he constantly minimized her concerns. He pretty much told her how to do things, which bordered on controlling.

Kent always writes imperfect characters in an addictive storyline, where there are elements that seem so fishy and you’re just aching to figure out the whole story. This was a super quick read that keeps you reading with the drama.

I absolutely loved this new thriller by Minka Kent. When Camille senses her troubled past is a threat to her happy family, she will do anything to protect them. The rich characters and twists of this book make for an unable to be put down read.

I became a fan of Minka Kent after just one book. This one?? She has solidified my love of her writing.
4 stars only because I found myself questioning sooo many of the decisions that she was making regarding “Imaginary”
I love the psychological aspects of Minka’s books because they’re so well written. I can not wait to read along with more of Camille and her family!

⭐️3.5
A mask of normalcy-in this upscale neighborhood, this type of mom is going to look the part, and Camille is an expert.

This one immediately drew me in as the author takes us back into Camille’s childhood, one of severe abuse, that hints of long lasting effects.

This was fast paced in the beginning, but lost me in the middle when Camille was obsessively following an employee at her daughter’s school. At this point, it fell flat for me. Fortunately, the ending redeemed the book and surprise, there’s a part two.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6251016482

Huge thank you to NetGalley for this early copy in exchange for my review.

Pub date: July 23, 2024

I was so excited to receive an ARC of “Imaginary Strangers” by Minka Kent! I read my first book by her a couple years ago (Unmissing) and I knew I’d have to read them all!

If you’re looking for a suspenseful, psychological thriller this is IT friends. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time and couldn’t tear myself away from what I was reading. I absolutely LOVED the insight in the main characters therapy sessions (I’d have loved to be a fly on the wall during those). I thought I had an idea of where things were going but when the big reveal came, I was completely surprised. I also feel that this opens up the doors to a sequel 😏

Minka Kent’s novels never fail to shock me (in the best way), cause me to stay up past my bedtime to read and to realize I’ll never figure out where things are going 😂 A must read!

Minka Kent didn’t disappoint with this book! What a twisty ride!
This is a fast paced, engaging thriller that keeps you guesting until the end. When you think you have it figured out…boom goes the twist that you totally didn’t expect. I love these types of books!
Great ending and I hope a book number two is already in the making. Please!

Thank you Thomas & Mercer for a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley for the arc of this book! This is the third I've read of Minka's, and I'm sorry to report not my favorite. The twist wasn't much of a shocker for me. I felt a little let down with it, and just wanted more I guess? I'd give it a rough 2.5/5

This was a gripping, intense thriller that kept me reading to find out what the heck was going on! And I had no clue until the big twist was revealed. A very satisfying story, indeed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This has such a good premise, the idea of a child knowing things they shouldn’t know just creeps me out and the author portrayed it in a way that was unsettling and addictive. Camille had such a horrific childhood, the bits and pieces that are shared about her past are chilling and haunting, I so felt for her. She’s resilient and has worked very hard to move on from her past and watching her beautifully crafted life unravel was so sad. But it also made me wonder if she was just being paranoid or overprotective, I mean who could blame her if she was? It made for a fun guessing game and I really didn’t predict at all how things would turn out. I don’t want to say much more about the plot but if you like dark and fast paced thrillers this was excellent and I cannot wait for the next book!

Imaginary Strangers by Minka Kent is a twisty thriller about a woman keeping her secrets from her family. When her daughter starts talking about things that happened in Camille's past, things that she's never talked about, Camille knows something is wrong. But is it the ghost of her mother, or is it something more real? This was a quick thriller that I enjoyed even though it was a little frustrating at times. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: July 23, 2024
A thrilling novel about familial sociopathy? Could Minka Kent actually be writing a novel just for me? Well, of course not, but “Imaginary Strangers” is a knock-me-down, blow-me-away, five-star page-turner and I couldn’t get enough.
Camille Prescott was diagnosed as a sociopath as a young child and after spending her formative years under the unloving and malicious care of her biological mother, Camille has severed all ties and is now living a full life of her own, as a wife and mother. Although she thought she put the past behind her, Camille’s daughter, Georgie, comes home from kindergarten telling stories and singing songs from Camille’s childhood, things that no one else knew except Camille and her mother. Then, Georgie starts talking about her new “friend” and Camille’s worst fear comes to life- has her biological mother returned and is she set on destroying Camille’s happiness once and for all?
The first section of the novel is a prologue, describing the formative event in Camille’s childhood that led her to leave her mother behind once and for all. From there, we get hints of Camille’s childhood through her chats with her psychologist and, occasionally, Camille’s own memories. Kent slowly teases readers by revealing one small detail at a time, and I was instantly hooked.
Could it be Camille’s mother, back to cause harm? Could it be something entirely innocuous? Could it be someone else, working for Camille’s mother? The possibilities for this novel were vast, but Kent seems to hone in on just the right plot points at just the right time, creating a taut, action-packed, well-flowing story. The ending made so much sense that it seemed to be the only way that Kent possibly would’ve went and, even though I did not figure it out as easily as I expected to, I was so excited when I discovered that this novel was the beginning in a series. More Camille? Um, yes please, where do I sign up?
Broken homes, mental illness, addiction, sociopathy, even Venus fly traps, “Imaginary Strangers” has all of this and more. This is a novel I plowed through in one day, because I just could not stop. I am anxiously awaiting more from Kent, and more from Camille! Bring on the second novel!

Camille Prescott has a wonderful husband, two children, and a beautiful home in San Diego. However, behind her smiling façade, Camille has secrets. She has worked hard to bury her past, including her malicious, abusive mother because if her mother finds her it will be the end of Camille. One day, Camille’s six-year-old daughter, Georgie, tells her about her new imaginary friend. The friend knows things about Camille’s childhood, disturbing things, that Camille has kept secret for years. Is Georgie’s friend imaginary or real? Camille will stop at nothing to find out and protect her family.

Wow! Minka Kent has done it again. She has another delivered a twisty, unputdownable thriller! I enjoyed the character of Camille and the unique ability to sit in on Camille’s therapy sessions as the story unfolded. The tie-in with the cover and the title is just perfect. I was on the edge of my seat the entire book. I could not put this book down! I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys thrillers! I cannot wait for the sequel! I give this one 4.5/5 stars.

Wow. Still processing this page turner. As a parent, this book was so hard to read in spots but it was so wonderfully written.
Camille is a sociopath who's mastered the art of appearing empathetic and stops at nothing to protect her children.
Is the ghost of her mother haunting them, or is it something more sinister?
The twists were twisting and the characters are perfection. The dual POV had me rushing through each chapter for more.
Imaginary Strangers may very well be my favorite book by Minka Kent. Absolutely devoured this one and can't wait for the next.

Imaginary Strangers is a slow burn thriller about a sociopath mother who is trying to keep her daughter safe from her traumatic childhood. I liked learning about her sociopathic behavior but it got a little repetitive. Although I did not see the end coming, I thought it all happened really fast. The ending was surprising but it wasn’t fulfilling.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6569237571

Now that I read the book, I love the cover even more! I really enjoyed the sociopathy diagnosis of the character, it was different/refreshing. I love the irony of the ending...the mother-child bond is very interesting when you have 3 mothers and they all act so different to each other.

Thanks NetGalley, Minka kent, and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the copy of Imaginary Strangers by Minka Kent. This would be such a great beach read - fast, engrossing, well-written, and a shocker of a reveal. You might not like Camille, but you will still sympathize with her upbringing and appreciate her efforts to protect her children and her secrets. She was a great main character and I love that she is a sociopath, with all the challenges that entails.

I'm a big Minka Kent fan and I think Imaginary Strangers might just be my favourite book yet!

Camille's therapy sessions are interesting and a great way to give the reader access to her secrets. Camille is a fascinating lead character - even at her most unlikable, I was always on her side. Though I would not want to have her as an enemy…

Minka Kent has outdone herself with the plot twists in Imaginary Strangers. I love when a clever twists takes me by surprise and I had a few OMG moments while reading the book. What sets Kent apart is that she writes twists that shock you while still feeling natural to the story - not an easy task!

Highly recommend Imaginary Strangers to any thriller fan and I can’t wait for more in the series!

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the e-arc to read and review.

This was fast-paced, but nothing really happened for the first 80-90% of the book. It's basically a very long setup for a sequel, which is frustrating considering how much could've been cut and the plot of the next book reworked into this one. Like how many scenes of Cam driving around, going to therapy, running errands, and cooking dinner did we need? There just wasn't enough resolution to any of the mysteries here.