This was such good, fast read with so many unexpected twist and turns.
I enjoyed it! The way all the characters came together and intertwined and connected was so brilliant!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

I enjoyed this story line and I did not find it to be predictable. Ending was a bit rushed but I give it a 3.5.

A gripping read, kept me hooked to the end. Loved the dual timeline and took me a while to figure out James chapters were in the past! I liked how all the characters had secrets and different sides to them. Had me guessing to the end on who the killer was

A captivating, puzzling read that's hard to put down! I picked this up on a whim and finished it in a single night, only taking breaks to stare at the wall and try to figure out what on earth was going on.

The main narrator is a woman with a secret who is married to a wealthy, busy man with skeletons of his own. They're moving from New York to Montana to start a family and save their marriage from the distance growing between them. Upon arriving in Montana and awaiting renovations to be done on their new family home, a secret sister is waiting, along with a melange of confusion, betrayal, and unreliable narrators with secrets and agendas all their own.

The pacing of this book was exactly what I love in a mystery, although it did breadcrumb for longer than expected, which at times could be frustrating. It was worth the read, although with the similarity in names, I was pretty confused after the first twist in separating who actually did what, and how that reflects on how we look at each character. I kept having to reflect and mentally correct what I actually knew of each character so far, which I could see some readers struggling with.

By what seemed to be the initial conclusion, the author did leave some gaps in logic, especially how a would-be rescuer showed up to a remote cabin in the nick of time, and why the whole story wasn't told in truth to the authorities. It didn't take away from the overall story, but did feel rushed and patchworked into a convenient bow. Then the final conclusion hit, which had me dropping my jaw and absolutely bumping this book from 3 to almost 4 stars.

I truly enjoyed the book. I was happily lost in figuring out the puzzle, and how each small interactions layered into others. In the end I was stuck pondering the book well after I'd finished, and honestly look forward to reading more from this author!

I appreciated the short chapters and in the first half of the book I was a little confused! But the ending had me gasping and kicking my feet!!

This was a good psychological thriller!! I enjoyed this fast paced read, but it got repetitive, I thought for sure it was another twist coming but the same plot happening multiple times? A bit lazy in my opinion. The parts that needed more work were: making the characters more likeable so we can root for one of them at least, and the plot was all over the place and very confusing right off the bat. That should have been more tuned in.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

This was an entertaining thriller with a pretty decent twist. There were some spots in the book that I felt like the plot kept repeating itself but the climax didn't disappoint.

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of twists and turns and it’s very well written. Just when you think you have figured it out…boom! Think Again!! Storyline was great. Thank you Matt McGregor and NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

🍓🎀 𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝐸𝒱𝐼𝐸𝒲 🎀🍓

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“An old house. A new marriage. A deadly obsession.”

This is the first book I’ve read of Matt McGregor’s & I was pleasantly surprised.

I was initially drawn in by the cover art and then the blurb. An easy read, with a twist that had me so confused as first, but then it all fell into place. Just went you think all is said and done, the final chapter left me saying, “not again!”

I would recommend to those looking for a fast paced psychological thriller with a twist that I personally didn’t see coming. Perfect for fans of Daniel Hurst, Kiersten Modglin, John Marrs.

Thank you @netgalley & @inkubatorbooks for providing The Make Over for honest review.

#netgalley #TheMakeover

I feel as though this was a good idea for a novel, but the plot was so all over the place and just did not work for me. I do wish the story came across less confusing. And the characters were more likeable.

Confusing yet ultimately very readable. This book has lots of plot twists including a time shift that threw me for a moment! Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Virginia is trying to start life over with her husband in a new place. James is obsessed with his bosses’ wife. Their paths and lives filled with deceit will collide in unexpected ways. But when will the truth come out and what will it be?

The description actually felt a little deceptive for this book, but in spite of this I enjoyed the read. I binged this book in one night, and I felt like it was worth it. I do think some adjustment to the description would make the plot clearer to readers.

The novel is comprised of not only multiple points of views but also multiple points in time. The additional point in time isn’t obvious at first though, and once I realized that tidbit I was really drawn into intersection of the primary characters and how it would play out in the plot!

I did not like any of the characters but, because I love a good mystery, I was eager to know what was going to happen to them and what the connections were. At one point early on I wondered if Virginia was just losing her mind or if her husband was gaslighting her. About 3/4 of the way through the novel I had a good prediction of the connections though, which proved to be correct. But what happened with those connections at the end I did not see coming.

I think the plot was well done, a good slow unfolding of the characters, their secrets and connections. The description being not as accurate as it could be feels problematic to me. I had some points I was a little confused about the characters and the timing, but I can spin that for good and felt it can add to the mystery of what is happening and why. But I objectively know that may throw some readers off.

If you are someone who wants fast paced constant action, this would not be the book for you. But lovers of a good mystery will enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC read!

I'll start by saying this book has short chapters and I appreciate that. It is however a slow burn so if you're not into that then this book isn't for you. I was confused as to what was going on at first but later in the story it all comes together and had me gasping!!! 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it.

Overall, I think this was a good book. I was engaged the whole time, wondering what Virginia’s secret was and the story behind James. I feel like Virginia backstory was a bit underdeveloped and made her a secret all the less interesting. She was also frustrating as a character, very determined in her beliefs which were always predictably wrong. The ending was good, very action packed and quick paced. It took me a bit to wrap my head around the Eastman family tree, I almost felt I needed to draw it out to understand it. I love a good back-and-forth flashback sequence and I appreciated the parallels between the two times. I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and kept me interested.

I found this novel to be very confusing. The situations and characters are not totally believable. There are several mysteries that kept me interested to find out what was happening — was the husband having an affair? Was the apprentice truly an innocent youth? What were the circumstances surrounding the ex boyfriend? Was the sister involved in any of what happened? As a dog lover, I liked the dog more than its owner. I am glad I read the book but unsure as to whether or not I would recommend it to others.

The Makeover
A captivating, yet shocking, thriller about an obsession turned deadly and gruesome secrets, too hard to cover. 4 stars

This was an interesting slow-burn psychological thriller following an apprentice that goes from infatuation to obsession. The writing/plot was a little bit erratic at best but the point still got across. It was okay, but not my favorite thriller by any means.

The Makeover is a psychological thriller revolving around the protagonist, James Devery, a builder’s apprentice with many many secrets, including but not limited to a growing obsession with Mrs Eastman.

Who is Mrs Eastman? His boss's wife. What begins as mere infatuation escalates into a toxic obsession as James notices the "cracks" in Mrs. Eastman’s seemingly perfect marriage. James convinces himself that like anyother protagonist he must be the one to "rescue" her. What follows is a harrowing tale of obssesive stalking and dangerous plans being made as we watch James spiral into madness, dragging all three characters into a web of lust, betrayal, and fatal consequences.

This story fits perfectly in the domestic thriller genre, but with the added layers of class divide and manipulation. James's increasingly erratic behavior, coupled with the toxic dynamic between Mr. and Mrs. Eastman, makes for a slow-burn thriller.

Pros:

Interesting Plot: The forbidden romance angle, between a married woman and her husbands employee, combined with a working-class protagonist versus a wealthy power couple, adds depth to the psychological tension. The fact that the story is written from the perspective of the stalker who is aware of the difference between him and his "love interest" make it very interesting to watch as he tries to justify his obsession.

Well-Paced Suspense: The pacing slowly builds, creating a sense of unease as James becomes more unhinged. It effectively mirrors his mental state, making the reader feel the mounting pressure as he begins as a seeming normal person we might see everyday and devolves into raging madness.

Character Depth: As previously mentioned, the fact that the novel is from James's perspective is a huge plus poin as we watch his internal dialogue and walk the path to madness and delusion along with him. One might even consider him an unreliable narrator.

Cons:

Predictability in Some Areas: While the novel does have surprises, certain elements, such as the crumbling marriage and James’s obsession, feel familiar within the genre and may be predictable for seasoned thriller readers. After all, the domestic thriller genre has no derth of obsessive stalkers and cheating wives.

One-Dimensional Side Characters: Some secondary characters, including Mr. Eastman, could have been developed more. He comes off as a generic antagonist without much exploration of his personality.

Conclusion

The Makeover offers an absorbing psychological thriller with compelling characters and representation of toxic relationships. Its blend of suspense, manipulation, and moral ambiguity makes it perfect for fans of domestic thrillers. Despite some predictable elements, the novel's sharp twists keep the reader hooked till the very end.

Recommended for readers who enjoy dark, character-driven psychological thrillers that explore the destructive power of desire and obsession.

I feel as though this was a solid idea, but the plot was so all over the place that it made it hard to muddle though, much less care about any of the characters or what happened to them. There were also a few discrepancies that I found, but as I read an advanced copy of this book, I am hoping they will be corrected before going to print, but even so, I will point them out in my review as well so the author can take note if they have not done so already. In a better effort to break down my thoughts, I'm going to do them in sections. My thoughts on the main plot, my thoughts after the first twist, my thoughts on the second twist, and then my overall thoughts on the story.

The main plot - Got old quickly. We have four main characters. Richard, his wife Virginia, his sister Gillian, and then the mysterious James. Then we have a couple of background characters (namely PJ & Simone). And absolutely NONE of these characters are likeable in the slightest.

Gillian seems to do little else than lay on the couch and make trouble for everyone (and she is the cause of two of the discrepancies I mentioned earlier). First we are told that she is eighteen years old, then later on it is said that she is seventeen. Either way, she was not a child, and the fact that Richard continued to refer to her as such was annoying. She was more than capable of doing what Virginia accused her of doing, and I hated how she was constantly painted as this traumatized child who didn't know right from wrong. She also in one chapter says she will be eating the chicken dinner Virginia was preparing, but then says later on (conveniently after the entire freezer of meat has been defrosted and ruined) that it couldn't possibly be her because she's a vegan.

Richard is a self-centered arrogant jerk, and I hated the way he constantly spoke down to Virginia, especially when some of the things he said made no sense. For example, she tries to tell Richard who she thinks is behind the vandalization and suggests that they set up cameras around their property to catch the person in the act, and he tells her that having camera on his property are a "non-starter". Why? What is he afraid they are going to catch?

Virginia, has issues. I get it. But she needed to grow a backbone and stand up to her husband instead of hoping the issues would clear up on their own (especially when she finds out he has not deposited money in her account since before they moved and she couldn't afford her medication).

As for the background characters, they go out of their way to make her feel unwelcome and as though she doesn't belong there. And while I get their motivations (to an extent), they were still the hired help and I found it absurd that not only did they act that way towards her, but she did nothing but take it from them.

To be honest, I found James to be the most interesting character of them all. It was easy to see how he was taken in by V, and how she was using him to forget about her troubles at home.

And then we got to the first twist - and wow. That was something that I did not see coming at all. And I will admit that I had things wrong, even though I was certain I had it figured out. In fact, I was preparing to give this book a three star rating just for that alone. And I probably would have, had the book not taken on that second twist, but I'll get to that one in a minute.

Once everything is out in the open, I fear the book became a bit predicable, slipping into the preposterous category more than once (for example, Richard and Virginia took a helicopter during a blizzard to reach their destination, however someone else arrives shortly after they do by vehicle). This was also where I noticed another discrepancy (again involving Gillian), Virginia says when Gillian storms out of the house, that she took Virginia's car keys, yet when she sees her car parked outside the cabin she thinks to herself that Gillian must have stolen her keys.

Some other things happen inside of said cabin that I wish I could talk about without giving too much away, although I can say that I have no idea why a certain lie was told in the end, because it was clearly a case of self-defense.

Now, in regards to the second twist, it was just so out of this realm unbelievable that I was immediately disgusted. Unfortunately, once again, I cannot go into detail without giving away spoilers, but it just felt like shoddy writing on the author's part after the triumph of the first twist.

Overall, I believe this author has a solid writing style, they just need to tone down on things a bit to make their stories more believable. I would give this author another read in the future.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

This was a decent book. It was a slow burn for most of the story, but the ending really picked up with lots of twists and turns. It was an interesting book, enough to keep me reading, but didn't grip me the way I had hoped. The ending did help make it enjoyable, though!