Shari Lapena is upping her game with each book she writes, and She Didn't See It Coming is indeed her best book to date. Although there are many characters in this story, I had no problem keeping each storyline straight while reading. She does an excellent job of keeping the reader on their toes, not giving away too much as far as who did it, until the very end. Two of the characters may not have been needed in the story, however, I felt she included them to throw the reader off, if anything. I appreciate the short chapters, as i tend to read for a longer length of time when this occurs. I am curious to see if she will write a novel with one of the female characters in it, given the conclusion of the book. Great read, a definitive order for the library, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

I love this author! She writes so well and keeps you interested throughout the entire book. The twist at the end always has me guessing how it happened, but it is well done and is obvious. I have recommended this author to so many readers and everyone has loved her.

A wife and young mother fails to pick up her child from daycare and has seemingly disappeared. Several suspects are interviewed, each with dark secrets. More secrets come out as the story unfolds. This is a page-turner and will keep readers guessing to the end.

I appreciate the ARC, our library will be purchasing this title

Given that this book was written by Shari Lapena, I was super excited to get early access. The story takes off, and the twists and turns never stop. Everyone is a suspect in the disappearance of Bryden and keeps you guessing what's going on. I couldn't put this book down and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a thriller/mystery.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for giving me early access to this book.

Bryden and Sam have a happy marriage, thriving careers, a sweet three-year-old daughter, and a luxurious apartment. One day Bryden suddenly disappears without a trace. As an investigation ensues the dark secrets come to light. It seems everyone has their own dirty little secret. These perfect lives begin to unravel and fast. There are so many suspects, so much that I had trouble remember who was who. I think some more character development would have helped distinguish the characters. Since everyone seems to be hiding something, more than one person might have wanted Bryden wiped out of the picture.

This was a book I had trouble leaving alone. I couldn’t for the life of me decide who killed this young mama. Not until the big reveal at the end! Shari Lapena's writing is sharp and does not add a bunch of fluff to extend the story. It’s quite straightforward. making it a book easy to fly through.

She reveals the story from multiple points of view offering intimate glimpses into each person's life and inner thoughts.

I highly recommend this book! It's an easy five-star read!

Another winner from Lapena - a young WFH mom neglects to pick her child up from daycare, and suddenly there are many possible suspects for her disappearance. Will highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of She Didn't See it Coming.

I used to read the author's books regularly but stopped when the narratives became predictable and difficult to suspend disbelief in.

But I liked the premise and was pleased my request was approved.

There are many tropes you can shake a stick at including:

1. Everyone is attractive and handsome; the victim and her husband's attractiveness is often mentioned over and over

2. Plenty of red herrings with potential shady characters and relatives

3. Too many POVs which only served to add confusion and as filler to up the word count. I soon forgot who was who and what their relationship to the victim was

4. The writing style was dry, like a textbook style.

5. No character development so readers have no idea what type of marriage the main characters have, why they got married, where they met, etc.

6. Lots of bad men and women doing bad things; no one is likable but at the same time you don't know enough about the victim to care about her

7. The identity of the perp is anti-climatic partly because the reason for the murder is another cliche.

8. Lack of suspense and drama partly due to the style of writing and how many suspects there are and the secrets they're all hiding.

I'm glad I gave the author another chance. At least I can say I did that.

She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena feels more like a true crime–style police procedural than her earlier domestic thrillers—and I mean that in a good way. The story pulls you into the investigation from both the detectives’ perspective and the world of amateur sleuths, while keeping you guessing with believable red herrings and a few characters you just want to see locked up whether they did it or not.

I was especially intrigued by how Lapena wove in the true crime ecosystem—neighbors posting in Facebook groups, family members hooked on crime podcasts. Bryden’s sister, Lizzie, is a true crime addict who inserts herself into the search, raising an uncomfortable question: do amateur sleuths actually help an investigation, or do they only spread speculation that leads investigators off track?

The only downside for me? The main character’s name, Bryden, was distracting and confusing. But aside from that, it’s a compelling read with unsettling themes about how dangerous it is to be a woman in a world full of hidden predators.

Read my full review here: https://writeontheworld.wordpress.com/2025/08/27/when-a-mother-disappears-everyones-a-suspect-she-didnt-see-it-coming-by-shari-lapena/.

Very quick read that kept me turning the pages. Good story with lots of questionable characters. Based on the title, I would've expected more about the victim and her mindset. I like Shari Lapena and enjoyed this book.

A young mother and wife fails to pick up her child from daycare and cannot be located. The police interview several suspects, each with deep dark, secrets that make them guilty of something, if not her disappearance. As the story progresses, more and more secrets are revealed. This is a page-turner and will keep readers guessing. The suspense is wickedly palpable. For fans of Lisa Unger and Megan Miranda.

This was a solid, quick thriller. I liked it a lot!

It starts off with a really strong hook—a woman goes missing, and no one knows what happened. Right away, there’s that classic “everyone has something to hide” vibe, which I always enjoy in a mystery. The short chapters and shifting perspectives kept things moving, and I flew through it pretty fast.

That said, it didn’t totally blow me away. Some of the twists were easy to see coming, and the characters felt a little surface-level at times. But I was definitely entertained, and it kept me guessing enough to stay engaged the whole way through.

If you're in the mood for a fast-paced domestic thriller with plenty of secrets and suspicion, this one’s worth picking up. Not my favorite of hers, but still a good read!

Shari Lapena does it again!
I FLEW through this book. Finished it in two sittings, I only put it down to sleep. I love Shari’s writing- it keeps me hooked and engaged. This story is told in third person but through multiple people’s POV. I loved reading about what each character was thinking, why they were doing what they were doing, and that kept me wondering how this would all play out. Some of the things these characters did left me wondering “WHYYY did you do that?” I had many guesses on the ending, one of them did end up being right but that didn’t take away from how much fun this read was. Will absolutely be recommending this book to everyone!

What a fantastic, twisty story this was!! I think this might be my favorite one of Shari's books to date! A domestic thriller that felt, to me, more like a crime thriller... I never had it figured out, which is the mark of a truly well-written thriller.

Typical read-in-a-day thriller from one of the surest things in publishing. I always enjoy a thriller where I don’t correctly guess the twist. The true crime online component of this novel makes it very timely. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Another great book by Shari Lapena! This one kept me guessing who did it right until the end. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

An easy read, an easy to figure out mystery story. No new ground is broken here. It all seems rather mundane although we may see some follow up in the future but I’ll let you be the judge.

Wow!!!!!!!! I did not expect this story when I started this book. All of these characters had some stuff to hide & and boy, was it crazy!!!!!!!! This was a very fast-paced but enjoyable read. It definitely kept you on the edge of your seat going. "Who did it? "???!!!!!

Bryden and Sam seem to be the perfect couple, but when Sam gets a call at work saying his wife didn't pick up their daughter from daycare things quickly take a turn. Bryden is nowhere to be found, but all of her personal belongings are in their home. Right before Bryden disappeared she was in a fender bender with a mysterious stranger, and the detectives begin to think that he might have something to do with Bryden's disappearance. This was not a typical Lapena novel. She has always been a go-to recommendation for our patrons at the library, but I won't be recommending this one. There were several red herrings, and plotlines left dangling with no closure that I was not impressed by. Also, Lapena has always been a pretty "clean" author as far as language goes, which makes her so easy to recommend, but she dropped about five f-bombs in the prologue, so I was very thrown off, and disappointed. The ending was also very rushed, but the twist at the end was good.

Just when I thought that I was over all of the Gone Girl-esque novels that have been published since Gillian Flynn turned the women's suspense genre on its head in 2012, Shari Lapena shows up on the scene with her new domestic thriller, She Didn't See It Coming. The "woman goes missing" storyline is back and more suspenseful than ever, thanks to Lapena's cleverly layered writing with tightly wrought twists that deliver a sucker punch.

Bryden Frost has gone missing. There's no doubt about that. When she doesn't show to pick up her daughter from daycare, everyone who knows her is put on high alert. It appears that Bryden, who was working from home that day, never left her luxury condominium ... so where exactly IS she?

I am sharing no secrets about Lapena's She Didn't See It Coming! Lapena is fantastic at what she does, carefully and selectively doling out juicy morsels throughout a story, not only about her plot, but also about her characters, who are intriguing and multi-dimensional. Lapena hooked me right from the start of this curious mystery, and once the shocking twists and turns started happening, she had me rapidly turning the pages right to the unexpected end.

I've only missed a few of Lapena's gripping suspense thrillers, but I am definitely going to check out the rest of her backlist because her books are just too good to sleep on! Highly recommended to anyone looking for a fresh, compelling take on the "gone girl" genre.

I can always count on Shari Lapena for a fast-paced domestic suspense that hooks me from start to finish and she delivers just that in SHE DIDN’T SEE IT COMING. Full of unreliable characters (which I love) and some surprising twists, this one kept me guessing throughout. Loved it!