O.M.G!! WOW!! My head is spinning … I was just blown away … So captivating and addictive… Had me on the edge of my seat … Just incredible!!

A missing husband...and a deadly list of dares...

Miranda Rijks has long time been a go-to author for me and the premise for this latest thriller (my 13th by her) drew me right in. I was intrigued as to what was really at play here. When the first big reveal came just halfway through, which I had funnily enough already theorised (so I was surprised to find I was right), I knew that there had to be a bigger better twist to come. But what that was, I had no idea. So when it came I was shocked by the twisted deviousness in her plotting! I certainly didn't see that coming.

Eva has just returned from a weekend in Amsterdam with her three besties - Angela, Kalah and Nicolette - to celebrate their collective fortieth birthdays. Straight into the haphazardness of mum life as she picks her two children Riley (11) and Alfie (9) from school and they return home full of the day's adventures. After packing them off to bed, a quick glance at the time tells Eva that it's gone 9pm and Samuel should have been home long before now. When he hadn't arrived home by the time she drifted off to sleep, she just assumed he had crashed at one of his mates' place after a drink or two at the pub.

But by morning, Samuel still hadn't arrived home and Eva began to worry. She rang his best mate Hunter who said he'd left the pub early the night before to return home and see her after her weekend away. After ringing a few people and his work, Eva calls the police to report him missing. But they aren't too concerned, citing most people return after a few hours, at the most a day or two.

And then Eva's phone beeps with a message. From Samuel. Finally! But nothing prepares her for what he discloses.

He has met someone, they are in love and he is leaving her to be with them.

What the...? Who ends a fifteen year marriage via text? Eva is both angry and upset in equal measure. But hold on, it doesn't end there. She receives another text with one word "Snapchat". She downloads the app and before long she receives a message to say that Samuel has been kidnapped and if she wants to see him alive again, she must follow the strict instructions completing a bucket list set out to her one by one by the kidnapper. If she goes to the police, Samuel dies. If she tells anyone, Samuel dies. If she fails to comply, Samuel dies.

What ensues are a list of rudimentary and ridiculous requests that she begins to follow until they start to become insane. From changing her Facebook status to single to signing up to a dating app and going on three dates to cutting off her gorgeous hair to barely an inch...and all of this must be captured on her social media. But when the requests border on insane, Eva knows she can no longer comply and must seek the police for help. But her every move is counteracted and stopped. Which leads Eva to wonder if she is being watched or tracked somehow...thus leading her to an old friend to turn for help.

For all intents and purposes, Eva looks as if she is spiralling out of control so is it no wonder no one believes her ludicrous allegations? She doesn't even have the proof to back up her claims because snapchats disappear as soon as you read them. Even when she tried screenshotting the threats, her tormenter knew and demanded she delete it or...face the consequences. If not Samuel's death, then her children's.

This is a fast paced entertaining thriller that does require you to suspend belief somewhat, but none of that matters if it is entertaining, which it is. I knew I didn't have it all figured out because who discloses their big reveal just halfway through a story knowing there's still a long way to go till the end. I knew Ms Rijks had something else up her sleeve but just what that was I had no idea. I was just prepared for something BIG...and it was. So big it blindsided me that I didn't see it coming. And I was expecting it! Hahaha.

I love the alternating chapters between "the wife" and "the lover" which will keep you guessing until she slips in her reveal that will leave you going, wait...what? The writing is addictive and plot is just crazy but like a car crash, you can't look away. My only complaint is how quick her friends and everyone else were quick to gather round and offer support when they had spent the entire book dismissing her theories and allegations as insane, citing she must be having a mental health breakdown. How quick the turnaround was after all was revealed. I would have thought - "sorry, but in times of adversity you find out who your true friends are" and they didn't seem to have her back at all.

Overall, a fast paced thrill ride that kept me engaged from start to finish, devouring it in just under 5 hours. A quick fast paced read that won't disappoint psychological thriller fans.

I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #Netgalley and #InkubatorBooks for an ARC of #EveryBreathYouTake in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

2024 has been an extraordinary year in which I have found some literary gems, but also some blunders and disappointments (literary ones, by the way).
I would like to say that Every Breath You Take belongs to the first group, but no: it is firmly planted among the literary failures.
With an interesting plot and a good start: a happily married woman returns from celebrating her birthday with her lifelong friends, but when she returns home her husband has disappeared and her kidnapper sends the wife text messages with tasks that she must complete if she wants to see her husband alive again...
This is where the book begins to lose my interest: the wife is so stupid that it does not occur to her to keep a copy of the kidnapper's demands, she begins to suspect everyone around her so that she seems to be going through a breakdown... anyway, I tried to ignore the protagonist's faults, but when I got to the end I felt that I seriously wasted several valuable hours of my life that, unfortunately, I will not be able to recover.
I have to admit that the author knows how to keep the curiosity alive, but I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.
The opinion I have expressed above is based solely on what I think and feel about this book

This story is told from the perspectives of ‘the wife’ and ‘the lover’, with most of the chapters from the wife’s perspective. I love a multiple POV, so I enjoyed this aspect of the story.

I have read loads of Miranda Rijks’s books, and I love her characters and plot lines because they’re intense, twisty and intelligent. I would go as far as to say she is a favorite author.

Would really highly recommend this book as a must read. It was such a fantastic psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns and such good mystery read with such a great story and so well written that I could not leave it down. It had very interesting characters and so well written.

This book was so well written! The author did a fantastic job of creating a story that kept the reader hooked and guessing until the end. There were many intense twists that I wasn’t expecting! If you’re looking for a good mystery and thriller, I would 100% recommend picking up this novel by Miranda Rijks.

Once again, Miranda Rijks has adapted herself as a queen of addictive thriller. From the moment I picked this one up, I struggled to put it down.

I loved the dual narrative of the wife and lover. I loved the mystery around Samuel's disappearance. I loved the suspense around water and loved knowing this would be important to the narrative, without knowing how.

I gobbled up this one quickly because I really had to know the outcome. The author threw up a lot of questions about Eva's friends, family and mental health which added to the drama and suspense of the story.

However, I felt the identity of the mystery lover was revealed a little early. Having said that, this does help build up to a different kind of climax which I loved.

The twists and turns that this novel took were great! I always love a dual POV, and this was no exception with the take of the wife and the lover. I did not see the ending coming, which I love! Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator for the chance to read and review this!

Every Breath You Take drew me in immediately. It was an adrenaline packed, fast paced read.

I loved Eva, she was determined and charismatic, a great main character.
The storyline was compelling and unique, with twists I genuinely didn't see coming.

The only downside was that the story turned a bit outlandish nearer the end. The reasons the villains had for their actions, they didn't really make sense to me.
Other than that, it was a tense but enjoyable quick read.

3.5 stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley, Inkubator Books and Miranda Rijks for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Every Breath You Take by Miranda Rijks follows the story of Eva and her children as she navigates her husband going missing after a night out with friends. When he doesn't come home she is surprised to receive a text telling her that he has met someone else. Although Eva is devastated about losing her husband she begins to suspect everyone, including her friends of being the new person. Eventually she gets a list of demands - a bucket list - from someone who kidnapped her husband. With all of this going on, the people in Eva's life begin to think she has lost her mind because she is doing things that she wouldn't otherwise do, thanks to this bucket list.

Once again, Rijks does not disappoint with this fast-paced narrative full of twists and turns. By the time I got to the end, I would have never guessed who the kidnapper really was. If you're looking for a suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller then you definitely want to pick this one up!

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance review copy.

This is not the first of Miranda's books I have read and it most definitely will not be the last. I adored this one so much and found myself not wanting to put it down.

Imagine this: When Eva's devoted husband does not return from a night out, red flags and worry fills her brain. She turns to his best friend to clarify his whereabouts, and when he states he took a cab home, she realises something isn't adding up. A week or so later, she receives a text from her missing beau stating that he has ran off with someone he has been having an affair with. The puzzle pieces still aren't connecting for Eva, so she investigates.

This book packed a punch. I felt so many feelings delving into Eva's messy scenario and even more stress and shock when the big twist was revealed. It had me in the biggest state of WTF!

Every breath you take was my first book by the author. Honestly this book had potential, which I personally feel is wasted. The language is just plain, dull and simple that it makes reading a quite painful experience. The conversations between characters are poor and wouldn't make sense or feel realistic. Like if you are angry with your best friend, won't you be telling them to their face or atleast there will be that repressed anger conveyed. But here the characters behave like they are acquaintances or strangers. That's not how family or friends behave.

The main protagonist is the most annoying character. All the characters are one dimensional, the poor writing doesn't give any depth to the drama that unfolds. The plot is intriguing which kept me going otherwise I would have left the book in the starting few pages itself. But the plot too had so many loopholes that it made it impossible not to roll my eyes at the absurdity of the situation.

The reveal was good but then the incidents that happened previously in the book made no sense, they shouldn't have happened or they are just written to make the reveal shocking. It lost the charm. I don't want to give away any spoilers, the end reveal was good too but again same thing. I don't write bad reviews unless and until books are really poor, this book really was bad.

If mystery thriller is the genre you like there are better written books out there. This book just did not work for me.

Thank you Netgally and inkubator books for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This was a fast read. The main character Eva fonds herself in a precarious situation when her husband goes missing. Soon Eva receives a cryptic snap chat showing Samuel in danger. With a list of demands from a kidnapper, Eva sets out to save her husband and protect her family.

There was a decent amount of suspense in this book and the story moved quickly. I thought character development could have been a bit better. I didn't feel invested in some of the main characters and felt like I needed more in that department. I also found this story to be somewhat far fetched and predictable. Still worth a read and it's a quick read. Thank you @netgalley and @inkubatorbooks for a copy of this book. All my opinions are my own.

Thanks netgalley and publisher for a chance to read this book before it was released for free for my honest opinion.

Immediately no, this book wasn’t for me. It took me a long time to get into and I contemplated dnfing it but pushed through and I didn’t suspect that ending. I don’t mind the topic(without giving anything away) but it was so out of left field and unnecessary.

Every Breath You Take by Miranda Rijks was an excellent gripping psychological thriller, that was full of brilliant twists and turns throughout that just kept you gripped from the beginning till the very end. I ended up being stuck to my chair all day (with breaks of course) reading this book on my kindle. I loved it.

I highly recommend it and all of Miranda's book. They are all worth it. Excellent author!

Big Thank you to Netgaalley and Inkubator. books for my advanced copy to read.

I was hooked! I loved that there's a twist early on and from there on in the pace doesn't let up. Its well written and well plotted out with the situation constantly changing. The tension is built throughout and I couldnt read it fast enough tbh. Is it the most believable or logical? Not really.... but.... its a fiction and I still got completely captivated. Not my favourite book by the author but it was still a really decent read

I tried to read it but it just doesn't hold my attention. it's me problem, not the book. I will give her another chance. (3 stars cause i don’t know which it will be when read)

Fan favorite Miranda Rijks is back with another mind bending thriller, Every Breath You Take.

Yikes, bikes

Even the title gives me the chills.

Ive always been a sucker for a domestic thriller and I know what you are going to say, if you read one, you've read them all but I pinky promise that is not the case when it comes to Rijks books!

One word to describe this book.... Captivating.

But also, thrilling, exciting, jawdropping and suspenseful.

Check out this teaser:

Has her husband really left her? Or is someone playing a deadly game?

When Eva’s husband Samuel doesn’t come home from a boys’ night out, she thinks he’s sleeping off his hangover at a friend’s house. So she waits. And waits...

Eventually, he sends her a text – he’s met someone else and needs a few days to get his head together. Eva is devastated. How could he do this? How could he do it to their children? She’d thought her marriage was rock solid.

She tries to go on with her life as best she can. But then things take a truly bizarre turn…

She receives a terrifying photo of Samuel with a knife to his neck, and a demand: do everything on my bucket list or he will die.

As Eva completes the increasingly crazy demands on the kidnapper’s bucket list, every aspect of her life begins to unravel: her children are struggling, she’s not paying attention at work, and her friends and family fear for her mental health. All the while, the threats are mounting. Samuel will die. Unless…

Can Eva save her husband and children or will she lose everything that’s dear to her?

Wow! What a great story I was totally locked in to this super fast and couldn't put it down. I will say this story is like nothing else I have ever read, when I first started it I was oh okay psychological thriller. But thenI got further in it and I was like no really this is a psychological thriller and it has my head spinning. When I tell you that you will not see the ending coming I promise you that you will not and that just shows what a great writer Miranda is. This is the first book I have read but I will definitely be reading any others she has.

Unfortunately, having loved Miranda Rijks’ other novels, this one was a miss for me. There was a good amount of build up and suspense, but the payoff was weak, and there didn’t feel as though there was enough nuance to the characters. The twists weren’t surprising, and the “don’t believe this crazy woman, are you sure you don’t need therapy darling” trope was a little tiring for me. I’d go with the Godchild or the Homemaker before this one - those were excellent! Thanks to Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.