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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, B.A. Paris, andM<a Millman Audio for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
After reading the dust jacket blurb for this piece I was eager to get my hands on B.A. Paris’ latest novel. Full of some chilling psychological twists, Paris provides the reader with an addictive thriller that is sure to keep them up well into the night. Paris builds her story effectively and provides a clear path towards the unknown. Well-paced and surely something for fans of this genre!
Amelie is a woman with a great deal of resolve, having faced adversity from a young age. She’s lost both her parents while living in Paris and has now made a life in London, hoping for something fresh. Slowly creating a life for herself, Amelie gets caught up in a posh lifestyle and catches the eye of Jed Hawthorne, a man who has significant money in family wealth.
When Amelie wakes up in a dark room, she tries to piece together what’s happened to her. It takes a while, weaseling information out of her captors, but Amelie discovers that both she and Ned are being held prisoner. While Ned feel certain that Amelie is dead, he makes choices that prove that she is but a pawn to him. This leaves Amelie to wonder whether she has anyone backing her, or if she is left to her own devices. As the days advance, Amelie learns more about her supposed husband and his family, though it is anything but exhilarating. A chilling story that proves Paris has what it takes.
While this may be the first of B.A. Paris’ novels I have read, it will likely not be the last. Paris constructs a great piece, full of psychological thrills that are sure to impress the dedicated reader. Slow at times, the story has many ups and downs, but ends up working well, with a great ending that will keep the reader gasping late into the night.
Paris uses a great narrative to develop the story, keeping the pace throughout while leading the reader down many a rabbit hole. With chilling twists, the story evolves and turns into somethingthe reader will likely remember for a long time. Great characters and a setting that adds needed flavouring, the story is able to grow through these pathways. While I struggled with some slow parts, the overall experience was redeemed by the end and left me wanting to try more of Paris’ work. This audio version of the book allows the reader to use their imagination to picture what’s taking place, as the narrator weaves the layers of the story together for an impactful conclusion
Kudos, Madam Paris, for a great piece that is sure to impress many.
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The plot is simple. Our main character and her rich billionaire husband are kidnapped (kept in separate rooms) and held for ransom…but nothing is as it seems. Our MC is a FIGHTER, she’s street smart and brilliant and you will love her. You will also hate her rich billionaire husband, but it’s fine because everyone hates him. This book unfolded like a true crime podcast, in the best way possible.
I was shocked that I enjoyed this book so much and here’s why: It is non-linear, which usually I loathe because I’m easily confused and I just hate jumping back and fourth from past to present. But the way B.A. Paris wrote this was genius, it made this book so unique. It was non-linear, and perfectly linear at the same time. Every “past” chapter tied perfectly into the “present” chapter that followed. Every “past” chapter answered questions about the “present” chapter that followed, but it also posed new questions every time. Do you know what that equates to? A PAGE TURNING NOVEL FOLKS!! Again, it happened in a smooth, linear way, as in it wasn’t all jumbled where you’re left with puzzle pieces to put together, she puts them together for you and it’s shockingly satisfying to read.
You know what also happened at the end for me that doesn’t happen often in this genre? I was DYING FOR A SEQUEL!!
Such an amazing read and will absolutely be picking up more of her work.
I was shocked that I enjoyed this book so much and here’s why: It is non-linear, which usually I loathe because I’m easily confused and I just hate jumping back and fourth from past to present. But the way B.A. Paris wrote this was genius, it made this book so unique. It was non-linear, and perfectly linear at the same time. Every “past” chapter tied perfectly into the “present” chapter that followed. Every “past” chapter answered questions about the “present” chapter that followed, but it also posed new questions every time. Do you know what that equates to? A PAGE TURNING NOVEL FOLKS!! Again, it happened in a smooth, linear way, as in it wasn’t all jumbled where you’re left with puzzle pieces to put together, she puts them together for you and it’s shockingly satisfying to read.
You know what also happened at the end for me that doesn’t happen often in this genre? I was DYING FOR A SEQUEL!!
Such an amazing read and will absolutely be picking up more of her work.
After the death of her father, Amelie is determined to make it on her own. She was doing a pretty good job until she was kidnapped and wakes up in a pitch black room with no idea where she is or who brought her here.
I love me some BA Paris, so I was super excited for this book! Honestly, it was a good read, but nothing that stood out to me like many of her books have in the past.I didn’t hate it, I just also didn’t love it like I wanted to. I enjoyed the dual timeline, and seeing how things got to where they are now, but it felt a little bit predictable. I would have been interested in learning just a little bit more about the characters, they fell a bit flat for me. Overall, this was enjoyable but not what I have come to expect from Paris.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3-3.5 stars
OK.
This started with a BANG, then was slow burn until about 40%. Then THE RECKONING happened and you have to just completely suspend all believe to get through the rest of the book. I wish this would have remained more believable because his had the makings of a 5 star book. The 2nd half really is where it went off the rails and lost me.
I liked it, but it could have been SO much better!
OK.
This started with a BANG, then was slow burn until about 40%. Then THE RECKONING happened and you have to just completely suspend all believe to get through the rest of the book. I wish this would have remained more believable because his had the makings of a 5 star book. The 2nd half really is where it went off the rails and lost me.
I liked it, but it could have been SO much better!
I am a huge fan of B.A. Paris. I have read all of her books and she is one of my top suspense authors. This book however, wasn't my favorite.
The book starts off strong. Amelie wakes up and finds herself trapped in darkness. She doesn't know where she is, who kidnapped her, or why. The story switches between the past and the present giving us insight into Amelie's life. The chapters are short, quick and full of tension.
I figured out midway where the story was going but I still kept reading to see how it would play out. It started to drag a little for me in the middle. The ending was so abrupt that I had to make sure I didn't skip anything. Even though things were overly explained, I still had questions.
I would still recommend that you try this one out. You may have a different experience. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC
The book starts off strong. Amelie wakes up and finds herself trapped in darkness. She doesn't know where she is, who kidnapped her, or why. The story switches between the past and the present giving us insight into Amelie's life. The chapters are short, quick and full of tension.
I figured out midway where the story was going but I still kept reading to see how it would play out. It started to drag a little for me in the middle. The ending was so abrupt that I had to make sure I didn't skip anything. Even though things were overly explained, I still had questions.
I would still recommend that you try this one out. You may have a different experience. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A psychological thriller from a popular author. I loved the audiobook version of behind closed doors, so was intrigued to read this.
It starts with a fab hook. Amelie and her new husband Ned have been kidnapped. They are separated and she finds herself in a dark room.
It has a past and present timeline. From the past we find out what has led to Amelie being in this situation.
I surprised myself by liking this book, I’m normally very pedantic about scenarios being plausible and believable. There were several here that weren’t at all, so you have to be able to go with the flow.
There’s plenty going on throughout with lots of interest and a decent pace. It’s an easy entertaining read, it’s quite dark in
places which I enjoyed but there’s no graphic descriptions.
I quite liked Amelie so was rooting for her. Ned was obnoxious, I wanted some serious karma for him!
I loved the premise of the story, if it could have been more believable in its execution it could easily have been a 5⭐️
A young woman, left alone after her father dies starts making a good life for herself in London. She gets tricked into a marriage with a wealthy man and then gets kidnapped because of him. As a prisoner in a dark room alone, she tries to figure out an escape plan and we also learn of how she came to be in this position. Is being their prisoner worse than the prison of her marriage. And who is behind all this? Interesting, quick read. A heroine worth rooting for
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was completely enraptured in this book from the start. I did spend the first 70% of the book following the story but also not know what was going on. I really wanted to sus out what was going on and guess who was behind the kidnapping! It wasn’t until the last 20% that everything started to make sense and the story started to unravel.
It’s a fairly short book, less than 300 pages, but it really does pack a lot into it. However, I’m not satisfied with that ending - I need to know what happens next, it just ends too abruptly!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated