I heard a lot about this title, so expected a lot, but was disappointed. I read about 2/3 of the book in anticipation but ended up skimming the last third to find out what happened to the unlikable characters.

Compulsively readable. Smartly written. Expertly woven. Slowly revealing plot lines that crash together and then get ripped apart again. The writing appeared effortless and smooth. Spot on dialog and great characterizations. Very well done all around. 4.5 Stars

Sarah Pinborough is fast becoming a must-read author for me, with her works like the Dr. Thomas Bond duology and The Language of Dying ranking among some of my favorite books and they also show off her incredible writing talent and versatility. Needless to say, my anticipation for her new mystery suspense novel Behind Her Eyes was tremendous, especially with the #WTFThatEnding social media campaign that has been working in overdrive throughout the months leading up to release.

The story opens with an introduction to Louise, a divorced single mom who works as an administrative assistant at a doctor’s office. Having watched her ex-husband move on with a new girlfriend and a baby on the way, she’s understandably feeling a bit down and lonely, which is why her spirits are lifted when she meets a handsome man at a bar one weekend and the night ends with a clandestine kiss between them. The rush quickly fades when she arrives back at work on Monday, only to find that the firm’s new psychiatrist is none other than the man from the bar. His name is David Martin, her new boss. And he is also very much married.

The two of them decide to put the night behind them and promise to never speak of it again. But then by chance, Louise runs into Adele Martin, David’s chic, sophisticated and beautiful wife. Try as she might to stay away, Louise can’t help but be drawn to the other woman. Adele may seem perfect on the surface, but Louise senses a timid and broken soul beneath. The two of them quick strike up a close friendship, keeping their interaction from David, who seems to make Adele nervous and afraid. The secrecy is just as well for Louise, since despite her earlier promise, she and David have become involved in a passionate affair. Louise isn’t proud of what she’s doing, but she also can’t deny that she’s falling for David. And yet, she also cares very much for Adele, a woman who appears in desperate need of someone to listen to her and be her friend. Something awful is going on in the Martins’ marriage, and even though Louise is smitten, she also has concerns about David’s angry, controlling streak and wants to know why Adele is so frightened of her husband.

Before one gets drawn into the sense that this is nothing but your usual mystery thriller about a love triangle from hell, I have to warn that trusting anybody in this book would be a huge mistake. There’s nothing ordinary about this novel, and I mean that on so many levels. Sarah Pinborough is not only an amazing storyteller, she’s also a master of pulling the strings and keeping you guessing. Like a lot of her books, there’s always an element of something beyond the realm of the mundane, and that is all I’ll say to hint at the underlying riddle at the heart of this story.

Here’s also where I’ll be getting a little vague in my review, since I doubt any possible way to discuss plot details without spoiling, so I’m limiting my descriptions to emotions. First, I was intrigued. Most of the story is told through Louise’s perspective, and the author has created a very well-rounded character in her. It’s true that I hated her for her duplicity in carrying on with a married man while being friends with his wife, but at the same time there’s an authenticity to her that made it easier to understand why she couldn’t extract herself from that situation. I felt something similar for Adele, the other major point-of-view character. Her sections were both strange and disturbing. Clearly she’s a damaged woman, and flashbacks to the past reveal tragedy and pain. The scenes she shares with her husband also indicate something very wrong in their marriage. The truth is a mystery, with subtle clues doled out along the way, adding to the growing feelings of unease. These days it might seem like a cop-out to compare any kind of dramatic suspense-thriller novel to Gone Girl, but no joke, I got those same vibes with this one. Tensions reach a peak as we close in on the finale, where Pinborough drops the major bombshell.

Which brings us to the ending. What can I say, other than it certainly delivered on the marketing campaign’s promise of WTFuckery. Still, there’s a part of me that wishes they hadn’t hyped the hashtag all over twitter, not only because it raises readers’ expectations but also because everyone knows that surprises always work best when you don’t know they’re coming. Granted it was still a shocking ending, but I think it would have been even better if I hadn’t known ahead of time to prepare for something big. That said, if it drives people to be curious and pick up this amazing book, I can’t complain; just know that this story so much bigger than #WTFThatEnding because it is the twisted, complex and clever build-up which makes the conclusion such a powerful whack on the head.

If you’re fan of psychological thrillers, you need to do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Behind Her Eyes because I really can’t recommend enough. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride!

#WTFthatending has never been a more appropriate hashtag for a book, and I LOVE it! I was so hooked in Behind Her Eyes that I struggled between not being able to read fast enough, and not wanting it to end!

Behind Her Eyes starts off Louise having a one night stand at a bar. The next day she shows up to work and her one night stand turns out to be her new boss David, (totally reminded me of Grey's Anatomy!) and to top it off, he's married. They agree to never talk about it again and to keep things professional. Shortly after that, she bumps into a woman on the street and they grab coffee together and start up a friendship. Turns out, the woman is actually David's wife Adele. The novel bounces perspectives between Louise, Adele's present, and Adele's past after her parents shortly died in a fire. In her friendship with Adele and her affair with David, she can tell that something is really off about Adele and David's marriage, but neither of them will tell her what it is, and she can't figure it out. Little does she know, it's putting her in danger.

So let me just say that I loved this book! I feel like this review might be on the shorter side, because I don't want to say anything that would spoil the book or give anything away! It's a good idea to go into this one without reading too much about it. The one thing I will say is that I can see this sort of branching outside of it's genre and not being relegated to being just a thriller book. There are a few things I could see being classified as something else, but I don't want to say WHAT because it will ruin the book. I know, I know, how frustrating of me!

All of that said, this book did a great job with it's twists and turns, and I was constantly trying to guess at what was happening and figure it all out, and I had so many predictions and thoughts, but ALL of them were wrong until the very end. I LOVED that. I read a lot of thrillers, so there comes a point where it gets easy to guess the twists that will happen, but I love it when I can't get anywhere close to the twist.

All in all, I loved Behind Her Eyes and would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a fast paced thriller! Behind Her Eyes will be released on January 31, 2017 and I'd like to thank Netgalley, Flatiron Books, and Sarah Pinborough for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Behind Her Eyes is a suspenseful and twisty novel that kept me off balance trying to come to grips with the characters.

Louise, David, and Adele form a strange triangle that works in different ways. Louise, a single mom, has an almost fling with a man she meets in a bar. The next day, she discovers that the man in the bar is her new boss. David is married to Adele and the marriage is complicated to say the least. (A whole lot of controlling goin' on.) Adele and Louise bump into each other on the street and form a friendship. Oops.

A triangle of dumb, and dumber, and wicked. Difficult to tell at times who is dumb and who is wicked as the perspectives change from chapter to chapter. What a stew of dangerous emotions.

It's one of those novels that is hard to put down, that keeps moving from one pov to another and from past to present, with a some "OMG-- you are so dense!" moments, a bit of astral projection, and a twist that you are only gradually prepared for at the end.

So...few people will be able to put it down because the need to know is so strong. Some will be pleased with the twist at the end, admiring the author's manipulation of the narrative to keep the reader curious and uncertain. Unsympathetic characters; twisted relationships; a necessary supernatural element to make the novel work. Shades of Edgar Cayce.

NetGalley/Flatiron Books

Mystery/Psychological? Jan. 31, 2017. Print length: 320 pages.

*Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book!*
Spoilers!

I'm still not really sure whether I liked this book or not. I was worried it was going the unreliable narrator path, and it didn't, however, no-one was telling the whole truth.
I enjoyed the read. The basis of the story was interesting and disturbing. Which character to believe? However, I didn't like the astral projection bit. And Adele's ability to just teach it to Louise just like that? The book started to lose something for me. Louise's gullibility and complete faith in Adele seemed too much of a stretch, especially considering her feelings for David.
However, I did enjoy the book, it was a thriller, as long as I was able to set my irritations aside. However, I did not like the end. It was completely unbelievable to me, and was not just a plot-twist or wtf ending, but came out of nowhere, and made no sense.
But I seem to be in the minority in looking at other reviews, and I do think most readers will really love the twists and turns.

A supernatural thriller, not that it starts out that way. Louise, a sad, lonely divorcee meets a handsome man in a bar, they share a very steamy kiss. David ignites feelings in her that she thought were lost forever, until she reports to her new office job and finds out he is her very married boss. David's wife befriends Louise, the plot thickens, she has grown to have strong feelings for both. One is truthful about their marriage, the other is not.
The dream sequences were a bit much for me, but I remained compelled to finish the book as soon as I could.;.