A review by kbailarina
Alone by Barbara De Smedt

4.0

My first spooky read of 2023! I am such a nerd for crime /thriller fiction, the fact that this was laced with pyschological motives but the cherry on top.

This book follows Julie Meskins and her boyfriend Tom (or love interest.. the juries still out), as they deal with trying to build a ,sometimes what feels, forced life together all the while juggling the pyschological threats of a stalker. This book was exceptionally written in different years , interchanging between characters and even times, starting from nearly a decade apart until eventually all meet in the same time, same place at the end. The chapters were short and snippy and you were given information bites of different events that all consolidated into a major twist at the end.

There are a few storylines that start throughout the story that I feel will be explored in future books, I have so many questions and already cannot wait to read the next one! Thank you Barbara for having this excellent novel translated to English so we can all enjoy the story! I'd also like to mention the mental health theme throughout the book as I feel you addressed multiple pyschological issues in the one book, which highlights these very real life topics that should absolutely be highlighted. Well done!