This book founds its way to me via an ARC program, and I was interested in it because of the rare “cross-breed” genre of being both a women’s fiction and a thriller. I am so glad I took a chance on this book.

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The Premise

Sophie is struggling with anxiety and survivor’s guilt years after the loss of her husband and son in a car accident, and finds solace in an affair with her boss Bastian. Madelyn-May is at the helm of a picture-perfect mommy-blogger empire, Love Mommy, despite the irony that her family thinks she is a horrible mother to her 12-year-old twins Harlow and Harry, and a terrible wife to her long-suffering husband Bastian.

When Bastian gives Sophie a manuscript to edit, it triggers memories of the past, her ailing mother and a decision she once made in a desperate moment. Now, armed with crippling grief and loss at the turn of the five-year anniversary of her family’s demise, her heart tugs her to make a decision that may change her life. Meanwhile, Madelyn-May is being targeted by a ghost of her past threatening to destroy everything she has built. The two women’s stories interlock, and as the story develops this is revealed to the reader with the past history interlaced with the present.

The Pros

This novel was expertly crafted and thrilling from beginning to end. As we enter Sophie and Madelyn-May’s lives, we feel the rawest emotions: grief, pain, love, sacrifice, regret, and so much more. The story unwinds with an interesting way of revealing itself, by giving us both the past and the present for each woman to explain how they each got to where they are in their personal lives.

I really loved the fact that these two main characters were flawed, but each had redeeming qualities that made you feel their pain and hope for their triumph, despite the terrible things they had done. Also, a “women’s fiction thriller” is a rare crossbreed of a genre, and yet this author manages it magnificently. There were the moments that evoked high drama and crushing emotion that we expect from a women’s fiction, and still there was the undercurrent of “the chase” with the antagonist on the peripheries waiting to pounce and pull Madelyn-May’s life to shreds. The imagery was so beautifully evocative when at the novel’s explosive finale, everything came full circle. The ending was a juicy thrill that left me wanting more, so much more.

The Cons

There are very few cons I can pull out with a 5-star read, but I admit I wanted to see a bit more of the earlier part of Bastian and Sophie’s relationship — how did she overcome her grief and fear of the world to open herself to someone (far less a married man), and what pivotal moment caused him to break his vows, for these two to end up entangled? I was also surprised that Madelyn-May had such a public and visible job, given her past; it seemed to make her an easy target for not just the actual antagonist but anyone from her past life. But though these things made me wonder, I soon let them go as the novel took its control over me.

Conclusion

This was an excellent novel, and I indulged in every emotion it brought out in me. I chuckled when the writer slipped in a reference to Jodi Picoult, one of my own favourite writers, because I could see the ways she strived to achieve Picoult’s style in her own novel — still, it was not derivative, but a nod of respect. Despite my burning questions about the plot that left me wanting, the story had a life of its own and sits in a rare niche genre that is often managed poorly — thankfully, here the writer wrangles it together with amazing literary skill to craft a story that will always stay with me. I recommend this book to anyone who can handle tough, raw, trigger issues — it is not for the faint of heart, but if you can manage to, it is worth every bit of the thrill ride.

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