A Familiar Stranger – ARC Book Review

Such a quiet and ordinary wife and mother. Who will even notice what she’s done?

Lillian Smith leads an unexceptional life, writing obituaries and killing time with her inattentive husband and disconnected son. Then she meets David, a handsome stranger, in a coffee shop. Lured into an affair, she invents a new persona, one without strings, deadlines, or brooding husbands.

Lillian has never felt so reckless, unpredictable, or wanted. But as her affair with David intensifies, she withdraws from everything that’s real, even her closest friend. When evidence of her life as a secret lover finds its way onto her son’s social media, she risks ruining much more than her marriage or reputation.

As lies beget lies, Lillian’s two worlds spiral dangerously out of control. And betrayals run deeper than she imagines. Because Lillian isn’t the only one leading a double life

This is such a gripping psychological thriller that I nearly stayed up all ngiht finishing this book! And still my mind is reeling on what I have just read!

This is the second book I have read from this author. The story starts with Lillian Smith who writes obituaries and killing time by posting murder trivia on the Twitter. She is having an inattentive husband Mike and a son Jacob who seems disconnected to her. Then she meets handsome man named David and begins a love affair with him. But soon, with the affair, Lillian’s life soon spiral out of control.

The story was told from Lillian’s and Mike’s perspectives and both the characters are kind of unreliable. The first part of the story was a few weeks before the “DEATH” of someone–we do not know who is going to die but we do know that it has to be one of the characters. Then when you reach the middle of the book, you soon find out who has died and that’s when the story starts getting interesting. There are so much twists and turns and I feel like I was watching a very interesting criminal show that is putting me on the edge of my seat! So much of unexpected moments something that I did not expect showed up in the book, including the fact that Mike too had flaws and had an affair with someone. The ending was what completely blew me away when the killer was finally revaled.

So if you are looking for a nail biting thriller that will put you on the edge with twists and turns, then this book is one for you–worth 4.5 stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.