It was the ending that really elevated this book for me. Up until this point, the premise and story were very similar to other books I've read (person finds that a mysterious stranger is messing with her life, taking away her home, getting her fired, etc.). However, while we know the who for most of the book, the why is far more interesting - and comes with a few surprising twists of its own.

Even though it seemed familiar for a lot of the book, there was something about it that made me want to keep reading and I ended up finishing it in an afternoon feeling very happy that I had stuck with it. It's a fun thriller with enough innovation to make it fresh and appealing to fans of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

(It should be a 4* because it's not the most original of ideas, but it gets the fifth star because it was just so enjoyable to read.)

A well-written mystery with a difficult-to-like protagonist

Kimber Hannon comes home from a weekend away to find a stranger living inside her house. Naturally, she calls the police, only to discover that the man, Lance Wilson, has paperwork to prove he is living their legally and she is stunned to find herself refused re-entry. To make things worse, when Kimber confronts him, Lance gets close enough to reveal that he saw the terrible thing Kimber did years ago and that he knows her deepest darkest secret. Unsure of whom she can trust, Kimber must find out who the imposter in her house is and how much he knows about her past. As she delves into the mystery, the people around her start to get hurt, and she realises that the stranger in her home may be more dangerous than she ever suspected.

This was an interesting and fast-moving mystery story that started off strong with its excellent opening. The idea of a stranger living in your house, sleeping in your bed and touching and using all your possessions is a universally unnerving one, and Kimber's helplessness when she is denied entry into her own home really catches the reader's attention and gets you wondering what you would do in that awful situation. While the gripping nature of the opening did falter a bit towards the end of the first half, the story quickly picks up pace again in the second act, and the twists and shocks keep coming. Eventually, it builds up to an exciting and unexpected climax that felt satisfying and tied together most of the loose ends of the story nicely.

Unfortunately, I found Kimber a very selfish and unsympathetic character, and this really impacted my enjoyment of the story. While the author tries to present her as a flawed but ultimately good young woman, she came across as a vindictive person who uses those around her to her own advantage, and the justifications for her behaviour from her past (such as her absent father) felt quite weak. Additionally, there were some aspects of the plot that felt a little far-fetched to me, and several characters that Kimber interacts with seemed to completely change their personalities in the second half of the book, with no explanation other than seemingly to advance the storyline.

In conclusion, this was an enjoyable book and definitely worth a read for fans of psychological thrillers or mystery stories. The main character is not sympathetic, but the plot is engaging, and the author is clearly a talented writer.

Daenerys

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

This was an interesting storyline—I eagerly awaited to find out what happened! I thought the premise was fascinating, although there were some moments where the story did drag on a bit. Overall, I enjoyed this book!

Very intriguing premise supported by the narrative switching between the past and present in a very compelling way. While there were a number of aspects about the book that didn't quite click for me, there was more than enough going on in the novel for me to continue until the end.

Would pick up another book by the author on the back of it.

With thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I was really excited by the premise and plot of this book but for me, it was let down quite a bit by the characters. I didn't find them very well developed or all that believable. It was also lacking in a bit of tension too and I didn't get as involved as I thought I would. I did enjoy the narrative switch between past and present. I would read more from the author but I'll be hoping for a bit more tension next time around (if it's another psychological thriller, that is!).

I was looking forward to reading this based on the synopsis and it started great. It was better than some psychological thrillers in that the guy in the house is identified early in rather than being part of the ‘twist’. The main character isn’t very likeable from the offset and I’m not sure what that adds to the story. It becomes quite predictable in the last half.

Loved this book! It had all the elements I love in a psychological thriller and I couldn’t wait to see how it all worked out! Will read more by this author.

I had really high hopes for this book I was really interested in the premise and felt gripped immediately but as the story progressed and I learnt more about the main character the more I didn’t want to pick this book up, the main character was really unrelatable and I couldn’t care for her in the slightest some of the things she did actually angered me I went about two weeks without picking this up and thought about leaving it but ended up picking it back up and finishing it it wasn’t awful the premise was good and it had some good twists and features of it

Hmm - not a bad book but definitely not one of my favourites. I found that the story dragged a bit and I didn't like Kimber at all - I could feel no sympathy for her, even though terrible things happened to her and those she supposedly cared about. It' was okay and I finished it - but it wasn't really what I was expecting and I was disappointed in that.

Kimber Hannon comes to find the locks on her doors have been changed. A stranger has moved into her house, claiming he lawfully lives there. Except, the house belongs to Kimber and she most certainly did not give him permission to move in. From here, Kimber’s life spirals into a mystery as her past and present collide, and her paranoia makes her question almost everything and everyone around her. Why does someone want to ruin Kimber’s life?

There was a lot going on in this story. Two time period narrations, a handful of characters, and a number of events that kept this book pulpy, twist and juicy. The book really hit the ground running - it was tense, gripping. Really, there's so much happening in this book, it made it a real page-turner; some bits were made obvious to the reader, but that only made me need to know how it plays out. This burning need to know what was happening continued throughout reading the book, but admittedly, the pace did slow down after that hard-hitting beginning.

The strengths and weaknesses of this story lies with its characters. The sense of injustice of what happened to Kimber made me automatically take her side. It was easy to empathise with her, because the situation she found herself in, would be a living nightmare. I actually asked my friends "hey, what would you do if you came home one night, and some creep changed the locks to your property, and claimed he lived there, lawfully?". However, as the story progressed, I really began to dislike Kimber. Whether that's what I was meant to feel, I don't know. But sadly, it sort of made my interest in the story wither a little, and I wasn't really as engaged as I had been, due to my growing dislike of Kimber. Toward the end of the story, there was an attempt to try and bring the reader round to like Kimber again, but the damage was done. I'd spent the novel progressively disliking her over hundreds of pages, so the closing pages were not going to repair the negative view of the character that was drawn. It was hard to empathise with any of the characters in the end, but whether this is the outcome the story intended, I’m not sure.

Regarding the other characters, something I liked was Kimber more or less began to suspect everybody in her life when paranoia took hold, and it seemed like they all had legitimate motives. And some motives were interconnected, which is all I can say without giving spoilers. It was impressive how intricate some parts of the mystery were. At times it became rather overwhelming and puzzling, so much so it affected my enjoyment of the story because the creation of some characters was writing overkill. I’m talking about you Don, and Mr. Tuttle.

Overall, The Stranger Inside was enjoyable. It was crazy, at times a bit much, but it was a tense and wild mystery that is easily devoured. I read the book over two days, and have decided to rate it 3 stars. This novel is for anyone that loves a tense mystery with an abundance of characters, and can get through a fluctuating pace. It really was a fun read.
Thank you kindly to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc, in exchange for this honest review.

If you ever feel that you are cursed and bad things are just around the corner, then this will make you feel lucky.

Having just returned from a weekend break, Kimber returns to find the locks have been changed and someone has moved into her home. He claims to have rented the house from her and a neighbour claims she saw her let him in. This is just the latest in a line of disasters in Kimbers life.

When she was younger her father abandoned them when her sister died. Her solicitor is her ex, Gabriel, who tried to kill himself after they broke up. There is something going on at work, she’s just not sure what. Through all of this she goes to stay with a friend, Diana, which is not a success (spoilers if I tell you why).

Her life gradually spirals out of control with incidents and unexplained accidents. Who is the man in her house and why does he seem to know her? Who is trying to take away everything from her?

This is an extremely well written psychological thriller. The flashbacks are so well woven into the narrative as to feel natural and unobtrusive.

One to add to your reading list of thrillers with a difference this year.

Wow, just amazing story...I did find it to be some what far fetched, but it is a novel after all, and so it can be what the author chooses. It is tense in places, and definatly a page turner.

More chick lit than a mystery or thriller, I couldn't continue to the end it was too ridiculous. The blurb makes it sound a lot better than it actually is.

This was so unbelievable that it actually worked as a story. You could not imagine someone getting into your home while you are away for a couple of days, they then change the locks and produce a lease agreement that supposedly has your signature on it. Who is this person and what do they want? Will you ever get your house back and if you do what state will it be in. Are your friends loyal and who do you trust, so many strands to this to keep you guessing the truth. I really liked this as it was a bit different.

I found this book difficult to read at first because the storyline was so unreal. As I was committed to writing a reveiw I continued to read it and was glad that I had. I predicted what was happening after reading about half of the book and would recommend this book to others.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have to admit that it wasn't really for me and struggled to connect with the main character. Although I quite enjoy a book with an unlikable protagonist I don't think that this was the author's intention and found that I didn't really care about what happened or what the resolution was.

This was a great read. Full of twists, so just as I thought I’d got it all worked out, something happened to change everything!
Kimber arrives home from a few days away to find a stranger in her house - he’s changed the locks and convinced everyone that he signed a lease and is the rightful tenant.
Slowly Kimber’s world unravelled and she doesn’t know who she can trust. Is the man in he house a true stranger?
At the root of everything is the secret that Kimber has been keeping for years.
This is the first I’ve read by this author but I’ll definitely look out for more.

A good premise but a little too drawn out in parts. Did not really like Kimber but what happened to her was terrible. Plenty of twists to keep me interested in the main but a bit of a struggle to keep me enthralled in the parts which kept cropping up over and over again. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

I'm sorry but this book didn't resonate with me. There were some ludicrous happenings and I didn't care much for Kimber - she wasn't a charmer so I couldn't root for her. I really enjoyed the first half of the book. It seemed full of promise and just my kind of story and then things shifted and I kept losing concentration, lost interest and finally gave up on it.

With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton got this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Career girl Kimber Hannon arrived home after a weekend away. She tried to enter her house to find the locks had been changed. She found out a stranger called Lance Wilson had rented the property for six months. He showed the police a rental agreement with Kimber`s forged signature. When the police were out of earshot he whispered I was there. I saw what you did.

When Kimber was a teenager her older sister Michelle died when she fell off a cliff. The accident still haunted Kimber and her Mum Claudia. Angry she called her ex boyfriend Gabriel who was an lawyer to advise her.

The story is told from the POV of Kimber in the present and Michelle from the nineties.

From the blurb I thought The Stranger inside would be the sort of book I enjoy. Unfortunately it was a disappointment, the plot just did not grab me and I really had to force myself to continue reading.

The Lance Wilson storyline didn't particularly interest me. Although Kimber was a nasty piece of work I did enjoy reading about her misdeeds.

My favourite characters was Kimber `s ex husband Shaun and his partner Troy.

I have already read some brilliant thrillers in 2019! To me The Stranger inside was just meh.