User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Aye aye aye I’m going off the rails on a crazy train! I started my review with the lyrics of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” song because this book is literally heart throbbing, thrilling ride!
Well, I have to admit three things: This evil genius duo can write a hell of an incredible book and know how to play twisty, dark, edgy mind games with you.
Second thing: I had to check several times and made sure that book is not Harley Quinn and gang members’ adventures because we have a team of badass, vindictive, dangerous women out there acting like vigilantes and bringing the justice.
And the last thing: I read this brilliant duo’s three books and I honestly tell you this book is my favorite one. Their extra ordinary performances exceeded my expectations.
Without spilling too much spoilers which is really hard thing for me as a person who gives her friends Agatha Christie books as gifts and writes the killers’ names at the middle of those books. So here we go:
Shay Miller has a crash on a charming roommate recently found a possessive girlfriend who gives her fake smiles but probably fantasizes how to get away from her at the second Shay turns her back. Poor Shay has a little estranged relationship with her mother because of her assholish new husband and she is also about to lose her job, slowly drifting apart with her bestie who recently had a baby.
And I have to mention the most important thing about Shay: She is obsessed with statics, mathematical charts about awkward things like the percentage of women commit suicide by jumping subway tracks. Or statics about panic attacks and loneliness percentages of Americans because she believes that the numbers are pure and true. They never lie.
She also put those facts into her journal instead of writing: “Dear journal, I’m having a shitty day because I saw a woman jumping the tracks and killing herself at the subway. I thought this was like beginning of “Woman’s Edge” novel but thankfully the woman didn’t give me her baby because she doesn’t have one so it seems like I’m a part of another terrifying thriller story. I think I’ll visit dead woman’s a.k.a. Amanda’s apartment and leave some flowers.”
She didn’t write those words but she went to Amanda’s place and left the flowers and unfortunately she made another mistake by joining her memorial event. And yes, now she is a shiny, glamorous target on her forehead because she already got Siamese not evil twins but just ominous sisters Jane and Cassandra and their vigilante fight club’s attention.
Those sisters approach her with friendly intentions and lonely Shay slowly starts to break her walls, earning her own self confidence with their support but you may see those sisters had hidden agenda to destroy this naïve, shy, geek lady.
What I liked so so so much about this book:
Fast pacing, intriguing, short chapters ending with mysterious finals like binge-watching series make you addictive and make you want more!
Sucker punches, surprises the author gave us!
The parts making you question everything you read: I changed several times to decide who the evil person of this book was because nothing as it seems and you change your mind about the characters several times. And interesting fact that I have to admit, at some parts I hate JODY more than the vigilante team members or femme fatale sisters. ( I think Margot Robbie and Jen Lawrence would be great duo to play their roles!)
Final expected twist! I loved the ending!
The things I didn’t like so much and make me give four stars instead of five:
I still have hard times why Shay didn’t question sisters’ motives so much because she’s so rational person with strong left brain skills and her fast emotional attachment was so instant.
And there were so much POV including Amanda’s last months and vigilante club members’ back stories. So I went back and forth to make sure I’m reading the right characters’ POV. It was a little confusing because most of them not the main characters of this story.
Overall: It was smart, exciting, riveting, entertaining page-turner. I had a great time and highly recommend this to the die-hard thriller and mystery fans.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing me this powerful thriller’s ARC COPY in exchange my honest review. I truly enjoyed it so much.
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Rating: really liked it
You are Not Alone is a psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. It only took 22 seconds to dramatically alter Shay Miller’s life. While she is book smart (and continuously records statistics and data), she is not people smart which leads her to be easily manipulated and taken advantage of.
Coincidence after coincidence after coincidence after coincidence occurs (eye roll, please) which coupled with stupid people, puts Shay’s life in danger. Perhaps her obsessions with statistics and data will save her?
The premise is intriguing but the execution falls flat.Told in three parts, Shay is the primary narrator. However, the reader does get the opportunity to read various perspectives of the group. All of the various perspectives and characters kind of meshed together, and I couldn’t keep track of who was who, outside of Shay and eventually, another character.
The supporting characters are supposed to be strong, vicious women who will stop at nothing to get revenge on those who wronged them. What I read did not match. They were flat, one-dimensional and indistinguishable from one another. I wanted more from these characters! I wanted to read more about them and get a better feel for their motivations, but their character development was lacking and made the narrative unbalanced.
I wish I could have just got sucked in for entertainment value alone, but the lack of emotions and nonchalant tone left me not caring.
The plot relies too much on coincidences and twists. There are some interesting revelations, but by the time they were revealed I just didn’t care. As much as I liked Shay’s character, I got tired of her constantly spewing data, and her final sentence elicited an eye roll.
Sadly, You are Not Alone didn’t do it for me.I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
"Numbers never lie. Statistics, charts, percentages-they don't contain hidden agendas or shades of gray. They're pure and true. It isn't until people start meddling with them, spinning and shaping them, that they become dishonest."Oof, this is a tough one to review, because there is such a small amount of content I can discuss here without taking away from your reading experience. I'm going to tiptoe around the spoiler mines planted throughout, and my goal is to leave you wanting to read the book without ruining a single detail along the way. Obviously if you've enjoyed the author duos' previous two novels, you'll most likely enjoy this one as well, because the mode of storytelling is similar to The Wife Between Us and An Anonymous Girl.
Sarah Pekkanen and Greer Hendricks are masters of the art of deception, and consistently throw twists and turns our way via half truths and omissive text. To readers of mysteries and thrillers, this is one of the highest forms of flattery, because it is reminiscent of the traditional form of storytelling that Dame Agatha Christie used in some of her most popular works. Even the first chapter, where the details aren't vital to the endgame of the plot, contains crafty word play that places the reader on high alert, which is one of the major reasons that I love S & G's books. Between this writing style and the ever changing POVs to tell the story in a deliciously chaotic format, I was hooked immediately by
You Are Not Alone.
As two of today's most prolific domestic drama writers, I don't think I'll have to do much convincing for you to add this to your TBR, but on the off chance that you're new to these authors, this is a wonderful place to jump in. If you're anxiously awaiting the release of
You Are Not Alone, there's always time to back track and read their previous two novels! Highly recommended!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
Rating: really liked it
**3.5-stars**Shay Miller, a 30-something data researcher living in New York City, is a bit of a loner.
Estranged from her family, with no real close friends, Shay spends a good portion of her time on her own.
Sharing an apartment with a cute guy, who she happens to have an unrequited crush on, is the current highlight of her existence.
That is until he gets a new girlfriend, Jody, who slowly begins pushing Shay out.
Knowing her days in the apartment are numbered, as are her numerous temp jobs, Shay becomes desperate to find a more stable living situation.
As her life seemingly drifts out of her control, Shay witnesses a horrific event on a subway platform that unknowingly sets her life onto a new course.
After witnessing a young woman's suicide, Shay is understandably shaken. She feels like she could have done something to prevent it.
Compelled to learn more about this tragic girl, Shay discovers her name, Amanda Evinger, and curiously enough ends up attending her memorial service.
Once there, surrounded by Amanda's friends and loved ones, Shay tries to blend in, inventing a loose acquaintance to Amanda for her cover story.
Everyone is so nice to her there, including the glamorous Moore sisters, Cassandra and Jane. Despite herself, Shay gets caught up in the warmth of the service and begins to let her guard down.
After the Moore sisters come into her orbit, things begin to fall into place for Shay. She suddenly finds herself with an alternative living arrangement, a better job, and a potential love life.
When things seem too good too be true, however, they often are.
What happens next is a wild, and often unbelievable, ride through the streets of New York City, as Shay slowly pieces together the truth behind the Moore sisters.
Who is friend? Who is foe? If you don't read this book, you may never know!
Much like previous works by Hendricks and Pekkanen,
You Are Not Alone successfully builds suspense throughout.
The alternating perspectives help to amp up the sense of dread as you rush towards the final conclusion. It definitely made me anxious.
Although far-fetched, it was also tense, which is one of the main elements I am looking for in a Thriller. I enjoyed Shay as a protagonist and was feeling everything she was feeling.
At first, I had no clue what was happening and as it was revealed, I thought it clever.
Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I appreciate the opportunity and will continue to read anything this dynamic duo writes!
Rating: really liked it
This writing duo’s third release proved to be my least favorite of the bunch. Absent this time around was the compulsive page-turning quality of Hendricks and Pekkanen’s first two novels. Unlike its predecessors,
You Are Not Alone is hum-drum, tedious even. Some might say, the epitome of predictable. The kiss of death in this genre, if ever there was one.
While told from multiple perspectives,
You Are Not Alone centers around Shay, a book-smart statistician living in the heart of New York City. Single, jobless, and tortured by the reality that her roommate/crush continues to get cozier with his girlfriend, Shay is the definition of lonely.
Mere coincidence lands Shay on a subway platform the moment a woman chooses to leap to her death. Naturally, haunted by what she’s witnessed and unable to let go of the woman's empty eyes, Shay finds herself at the memorial service. And unbeknownst to her, directly in the crosshairs of two conniving sisters, Cassandra and Jane.
Hendricks and Pekkanen attempt to sell Shay as a woman that lets loneliness override rationality or even common sense. Given her analytical mind allows her to evaluate the statistics of any scenario, I wasn’t buying it. Yet, readers are expected to contend with a hefty dose of naivety on Shay’s part and the plethora of coincidences that take shape when the sisters step onto the scene.
Another aspect that knocked this one down a peg was the so-called twist. Or more fitting, the revelation. One that makes itself known pretty late in the game, failing in many respects to enhance the story in any capacity. Reeking more of a last-ditch effort to inject shock and awe into what feels like a lifeless experience.
Overarching my discontent with the storyline, and the lackluster revelation, was my inability to succumb to the words. To find that level of reading nirvana where the words drift way, allowing the story to take over. The culprit, the complete lack of nuance. Repetitive transitions and uninspiring sentence structures bogged down by useless minutia made this a snoozefest. Literally. The flat tone proving to be a saving grace while battling my pregnancy insomnia at 2 am.
This entire experience is one I'd mark as a throwaway. A book that offers little in terms of surprise, storyline arc, or even writing. Leading me to contemplate a step back from this genre and the overhyped releases that taunt me at every turn.
*Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Rating: really liked it
Huge fan of these authors! I held off reading reviews until I finished this one and I would recommend doing the same (mixed reviews from my goodreads friends).
I really enjoyed it from the start. The way the authors left the clues along the path was brilliant! I like to put the puzzle together as I'm reading.
Shay Miller has a thing for data (she even collects it in a special book). I found these excerpts fascinating.....
"Some studies show that eating alone is more strongly associated with unhappiness than any other factor...." I found Shay to be a sympathetic character and I was pulling for her all the way. She seemed lonely and vulnerable.
I felt uneasy when she began "hanging out" with the beautiful Moore sisters, who turned heads and lived a glam life.
Could their be room for Shay in the Moore sisters world? Or perhaps she should just
run?I enjoyed it and predicted some, but not all of the turns that came rumbling in with just the right amount of tension.
Thanks to NG/ ST. Martin's Press for my copy!
OUT March 2020
Rating: really liked it
The authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have established themselves as writers of the most twisted and tense of psychological thrillers and they do not disappoint with their latest offering set in New York. Shay lives a humdrum life, she shares a small apartment with Sean, a friend who is now in a serious relationship with his girlfriend, Jody, and as the dynamics between them change, she feels shut out. She is working temp jobs, feeling unsatisfied career wise, plagued by financial worries, filling her notebook with a range of statistics and an odd collection of disparate data. She is desperately lonely, unfulfilled, facing a emotional desert when it comes to a personal life, simply craving to belong and connect with others.
On a subway platform, she witnesses the disturbing suicide of a young woman who jumps in front of a fast moving train. She begins to obsess with the victim, haunted by the tragedy, as she begins to delve into her life, wondering what on earth made her want to take her own life. This leads Shay into attending the memorial service where she meets two strong sisters in their 30s, Cassandra and Jane Moore, a meeting that is to trigger the downward spiral of her life into a hellish nightmare. The beautiful and successful Moore sisters pull Shay into their carefully chosen and tested close inner circle of friends. As far as Shay is concerned, they are everything she wants to be, as she is drawn like a moth to a flame, particularly as her life begins to improve beyond recognition, but can she trust the new paths that have opened up to her?
This is a complex, chaotic, dark and entertaining read as we follow the sinister and menacing turns that Shay's life takes upon meeting the charismatic Moore sisters. A compulsive novel that I recommend to readers who enjoy their twisty and unsettling psychological thrillers. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.
Rating: really liked it
Woo hoo they did it again!!! Fabulous book. Brilliant audio. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen have written an addictive and compelling story. Barrie Kreinik and Dylan Moore brought the captivating tale to life with their exceptional audio narration. Just like the previous two books from this dynamic writing dual this book was twisted and filled with complex characters. It’s like putting together a giant puzzle when you’re not certain you have all the pieces. Their stories really dive deep into their character’s brains their psyches. Twists, turns, misdirections, lies.
Shay is in need of a new job, a new love, and a new place to live. One Sunday morning she is heading off to work to escape her lovey-dovey roommate and his new girlfriend. When waiting for the subway she witnesses a woman jump onto the tracks to her death. Shay is shook and a little obsessed with what made this woman jump. In trying to understand Amanda‘s (the girl who jumped) motivations she runs across sisters Cassondra and Jane Moore. What follows is a crazy, captivating, and disturbing story that asks a lot of questions, and gives few answers. A riveting story with a startling ending. This is probably not my favorite from this author team, but it was definitely entertaining, engaging, and left me wanting more.
This book in emojis. 🚇🚕🗽🏙🎒📓🖊
*** Big thank you to St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and libro.fm for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
Rating: really liked it
New Yorker, Shay, has always been obsessed with statistics and she's made them her career. Having lost her last full time job due to harassment, and her live-in boyfriend because he found someone else, Shay is now living with a male friend and working as a temp, while she looks for a new full time job. Shay is lonely and feels like a third wheel, as her roommate and his girlfriend clearly need more alone time, in their tiny apartment. Then Shay watches a woman commit suicide by jumping in front of a speeding train. Shay is horrified and also transfixed by this event and the life of this woman, who looked so kind, like she could be a friend to Shay. If only Shay could have reached out sooner, shouted out sooner, maybe she could have saved this desperate woman.
In Shay's obsessive search for more information (data!) about this woman, she comes into contact with this woman's tight group of six friends. Shay would love to have friends like these women and once the ringleaders of the group meet and embrace Shay, for the first time she feels like she could belong. Good things start happening for Shay, after meeting sisters, Cassandra and Jane, and Shay begins feeling confident and strong, with their embrace of friendship.
For me, this group of women was where the books gets way too bogged down and confusing. There is a lot time spent on the backgrounds of the women and their present activities but really, the only women I could truly keep straight in my mind, were Cassandra and Jane. After I was too far in the book, I was wishing I had been keeping a book of data (just like Shay), from the beginning, because I felt swamped under useless and too much information.
By the end of this book, what I wished for was that we could have seen this story from the perspective of Shay and the two, barely seen, woman police officers. I know that might make this more a police procedural than what the story actually was but I would have liked to have been in the heads of these two police women rather than seeing this story from the perspective of Cassandra, Jane, and the other women. I just felt so confused when usually I'm pretty good at keeping a story straight.
What I did like was Shay and her story, her love of statistics, her attempt to keep her head above water when life was going so wrong. And I also loved the use of statistics at the beginning of many chapters, relating to things in the book. Those stats put us in the mind of data obsessed Shay and were a great way to help me feel like I knew her.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
Rating: really liked it
NO SPOILERS....(rather, thoughts, feelings, tidbits and teasers)
“An orbit is a regular, repeating path that one object in space takes another one”. [this quote is not from this book...but it relates]...
This is the 3rd psychological thriller I’ve read by the power-team co-authors: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.
Greer and Sarah have matching T-shirts that say....”Better Together”. ( cute)...
Their philosophy about ‘togetherness-power’, in You Are Not Alone”, comes through loud and clear....yet along the same thoughts of food combining: some combinations make for a delicious satisfying meal; if too many ingredients are added, it can be havoc on our digestive systems.
The writing succeeded at keeping me suspense-fully engaged to the end...but there ‘were’ unnecessary ingredients. Some scenes were a stretch to seem remotely possible. And a few characters were presented like a garnish....( a little parsley on the side).
I read much of this book like a gatherer. Instead of racing through it - ( yet, I read at a steady stream) - I was aware of gathering my marbles....polishing them....arranging them....separating them...and playing with them. Lots of names and details I wanted to keep straight. It wasn’t hard to do ( credit to the power-authors)...but just in case....haha....I was covering my tracks and being careful not to forget anything. I wanted to figure out the ending before I got to it. I didn’t. ( credit the authors again).
There are a lot of characters in this book. I didn’t want to miss one iota of a clue....or forget one name.
I involved myself with the authors game as much as possible. There are many puzzle pieces to put together. Some pieces went together faster then others. Blindsiding storytelling aspects are stronger than the plot. Which was fine with me once I realized the name of the game....”You Are Not Alone”....
And....I’m ALWAYS HAPPY that the Greer/Sarah ladies never exploit graphic violence in their novels.
I had a clue about the ‘woman’s group’ and their purpose together early on ... but I was still missing pieces. The ending added an interesting element - but when I looked at the ‘entire’ book....not every loose end was tied perfectly together.
Flaws and all....I’m glad I read it. I don’t think it’s the authors strongest of their three books... but its definitely engaging. 4- 4.5 rating - a little less than 5 stars ( as their past two books were).
Yet...my thoughts are still growing.
I’m left thinking about consequences to consequential and inconsequential actions.
Also at times... it felt like ants were crawling all over my skin....
A friend sent me a “what ya doing”, text right in the middle of my trying to tie strings together in this story: ... during a part I felt was CUCKOO CRAZY...( coincidences galore & gullible silliness)....
I said...”go away”....I’m busy rolling my eyes - and walking on nails.
My friend wouldn’t go away until I shared some juicy details. I realized it was fun discussing the shenanigans — so our early discussion became part of my reading enjoyment.
At first glance it looks like the powerful Moore sisters: Casandra and Jane - ( 2 years apart in age - in their 30’s), have built their life around their selected friends....preserving and demanding sacredness and loyalty.
“I get a good vibe from Amanda, Valerie had said to the rest of the women—Casandra, Jane, Beth, Stacey, and Daphne— during their next meeting. You’ve all spent a little time with her by now. I think she’s one of us”.
ONE OF WHAT?????.....I WONDERED.
The girls took a vote by raising their hands. It was unanimous but the vote didn’t mean Amanda would be invited in the group. It merely meant that the six women had decided to test her.
TEST WHAT??? WHAT TYPE OF GROUP WAS THIS?
A little about the character *Shay*:
Shay had a great friendship with her ‘guy-apartment-mate’: Sean. But once Sean became a serious couple with Jody...Shay felt like a third wheel to ‘Sean & Jody’s’ cuddling on the couch, cooking together, and their giggly ‘togetherness’.
Shay was a statistician type girl. She kept a data notebook....on thought-provoking probabilities.
Examples of her data book entries:
....”I once read a horrifying statistic that I’ve never been able to get out of my mind: cutting boards contain 200 percent more fecal bacteria than a toilet seat”.
....”Forty-three percent of American’s feel isolated...”
....”In a study of people who had witnessed suicide...”
....”If you’re going to tell a premeditated lie, here’s how to do it...”
....”About one-third of all injuries occur at home, and one of the most dangerous areas is the kitchen...”
....”Nurses have access to fentanyl, OxyContin, Valium, Percocet, Vicodin...”
....etc....
We know a lot about Shay right away... Her temp job. Her insecurities...her financial concerns...her desire to belong, connect, to have good friends, her loneliness, her values and routines....and the repercussions from witnessing a tragic symbolic-hornet’s nest.
“I’ve felt many things in the city I’ve lived in for nearly a decade: (NYC)...hopeful, despondent, joyful, irritated, and deeply lonely.
But I’ve never felt the gut-wrenching primal sense of fear I experienced just now when I......” 😉... no spoilers, remember?
You’ll meet many characters... and learn their back stories:
Cassandra, Jane, Valerie, Amanda, Beth, Daphne, Stacey, Kit, Sean, Jodi, James, Oliver, Detective Santiago, Detective Williams, etc.
Other tidbits:
Enjoy Moscow Mules, Bakery Sweets, Banana smoothies, secrets, lies, conniving schemes, a little absurdity, a pok-a-dot- dress, a sunshine necklace, a memorial service, DATAGIRL, land mines, smooth shiny hair, stilettos, motherhood, a frying pan memory, ....and the mystery of a women’s tight nit group.
In “You Are Not Alone”, characters find ways to navigate a road they never tended to travel...but sometimes a girl needs to do what a girl needs to do!
Complicated...twisty...messy......enjoyable!
Thank You St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and Sarah Pekkhanen, and Greer Hendricks
Rating: really liked it
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
I am a huge fan of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I loved their previous novels
An Anonymous Girl and The Wife Between Us. So of course, this novel was immediately added to my “to be read ASAP” list.
Thirty-one-year-old,
Shay Miller is a market researcher. From a very young age, Shay realized that numbers affected the way people saw each other. She then started keeping track of stats in data books (her version of a diary). Shay is very aware of her personal stats. She is thirty-one, single, and was recently let go from her job. Her first priority is finding a new job. She has an interview the next day.
Later that day, Shay is waiting for her train when she witnesses something horrific. She’s unable to get what happened out of her head, The next day her interview doesn’t go so well. She arrives late and flashbacks leave her unable to concentrate properly.
Things can’t possibly get any worse….
All Shay has ever wanted is to be loved and accepted. Then Shay meets the Moore sisters. Cassandra and Jane Moore see that Shay is struggling and they seem to want to help.
Suddenly Shay doesn’t feel so alone.
Cassandra and Jane Moore founded their own PR Firm in their mid-twenties. They are successful, confident, and glamorous, everything Shay wants to be. They are so kind and they make Shay feel like she belongs. Now Shay has a social life and a new job on the horizon.
Things are FINALLY looking up.
However, Shay is completely unaware that someone out there is following her, delving into her background, and trying to find out everything they can about her.
Why are they doing this? Is she in danger? Soon nothing feels safe and Shay doesn’t know where to turn.
This was an intriguing and twisted tale that reminds us to be careful what we wish for. Quite a bit of the story is told from Shay’s point of view. There are also chapters from the Moore sisters as well as a few other characters. Although some chapters take place in the past, I didn’t have trouble keeping everything and everyone straight. However, I did find that the story got a little slow at times. I also got a bit frustrated with some of the character's actions but overall, I thought it was a pretty entertaining and engrossing read.
I really liked how Shay’s data book information was shared at the beginning of her chapters. I found a lot of the data and facts very interesting. While it may not be my favorite by the duo, I still really enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to see what they write next!
I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
The beginning of this book was boring and a little bit hard to follow. The middle of the book is very fast moving and inserting. The ending I guess some of the twisted and some I did not guess, but I enjoyed it. Overall I really like this book.
This was an add to my March Book of the Month box ( https://www.mybotm.com/zr12wnytgc8?sh... )
Rating: really liked it
You Are Not Alone is an enthralling psychological thriller with an incredible storyline and some well-crafted characters. It’s a complex and emotional tale of friendship, manipulation, betrayal, and revenge.
With a dead-end job and an increasingly lonely life, Shay Miller is unhappy. But things become much worse for her as she watches a stranger (Amanda) commit suicide by throwing herself off in front of a moving train. Emotionally distressed Shay, who becomes fixated on Amanda, tracks down the young woman’s address and shows up at her memorial service. Shay’s presence attracts the attention of glamorous sisters Jane and Cassandra Moore, whose inner circle of women included Amanda. Soon, they invite Shay into their circle, everything seems to get better. Things keep going well for Shay and her new friends until things take a sharp turn for the worst.
Amidst the several domestic suspense stories (husband-wife-ex-wife-ex lover), this book was like a breath of fresh air. Not only was the plot unique but the characters were distinctive too. The story is narrated by different characters but Shay is the primary character. The reader gets the perspectives of various characters and their motivations of the group, which fills gaps in the story nicely. The story sets up the third act which is dramatically different from the rest of the story. The characters of Shay, Cassandra and Jane were excellently crafted and given the story revolves mostly around them, it worked nicely. The writing was excellent and the short chapters kept the plot moving along at a rapid pace.
Having said that, the story gets a little slow at times. The supporting characters apart from Cassandra and Jane rest felt one dimensional. After investing in each character’s own chapter POVs through different timelines, some of these characters are rarely used which was a bit of a disappointment. The cast of characters were also hard to keep track of at times and that made the book difficult to keep up with. The plot overall was good but the final reveal and the events leading to it feel a bit unrealistic.
Having said that, the story was really entertaining. I really enjoyed the first half of this book when the mystery was being set up and the backstories on some characters. Only the third act and the ending was a bit of a letdown.
Overall,
You Are Not Alone is an entertaining and engaging thriller. If you like dark and suspenseful reads with some unique twists, you will enjoy this one.
Three and a half stars Many thanks to the publishers St. Martin's Press and Edelweiss for the ARC.
Rating: really liked it
Shay Miller’s life is exceptionally ordinary. That is until the day she witnesses a woman throwing herself into an oncoming subway. And of course, she struggles mightily to believe what she’s just seen. Who wouldn’t?
But for Shay it goes much deeper. She feels a sense of guilt…perhaps more precisely, a connection to this poor woman.
Suddenly Shay finds herself swept up in the woman’s past life. Even receiving help from the mystery ladys’ best friends, the highly popular and glamorous Moore sisters. Maybe something good and positive can come out of this tragedy after all. It’s starting to look as though Shay has a chance of living a life she never dreamed of.
This was a finely-crafted thriller with some ingenious twists along the way, so brace yourself!
True to form, if you’re a fan of this brilliant pairing of authors, then you’ll certainly love this one! Don’t miss out!
A buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC to read and review.
Rating: really liked it
I really enjoyed the first two books by the writing team of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. In both cases, the books grabbed me, twisted me around and kept me turning pages as fast as I could. So, I was anxious to see what they would dream up this time.
Shay Miller doesn’t have much going on in her life - she’s recently lost her job and is temping, her male roommate, who was her best friend, now has a girlfriend. Then, she witnesses a woman committing suicide by jumping in front of a subway train. The suicide does her in. But when she makes the decision to go to the woman’s memorial service, she is taken in by the woman’s friends.
The chapters alternate between Shay and the other members of the group. Shay is a market researcher and I liked how the authors punctuate her chapters with data. She’s a weird bird but I felt sorry for her.
As the title would suggest, the book tackles loneliness and what it opens us up to.
The story isn’t believable, but it’s a juicy, fun, fast read. I had my suspicions about the group of friends. The authors dole out hints in small increments about what they’re doing, although it’s pretty obvious early on. Even once you know for sure, the question is how it will all play out.
I can’t say I loved this much as much as The Anonymous Girl. I’m rating this 3.5 stars, rounded up.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.
