214 Palmer Street
by Karen McQuestion

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC..
The book was not for me. I finished, but it seemed not believable to me. Just why would move into the house. Anyway, I finished.

Meh this book is fine but pretty predictable and lacked any wow factor for me. I think if you haven’t read many thrillers you’d like this one. I just couldn’t get into it and had a hard time caring about these characters.

Sarah is house sitting but is she? When the neighbor, Maggie spots her and stops by Sarah has a perfectly normal explanation of why she’s there but Maggie isn’t so sure.

I wish publishers wouldn’t keep mentioning the same comparison books over and over, this has gone on for years. Are we never to escape Gone Girl or Girl on a Train, at least The Woman in the Window was more recent and excellent. I saw the film version a while ago.
Now this book is brilliant, what is Sarah doing, living uninvited in a strangers house? All is revealed as we happily read through the excellent storyline. It’s unbelievably clever and mind boggling yet on the other hand the plot is a simple one yet hugely complex. I enjoyed every aspect of this book and couldn’t put it down. Amazing characters, an original and perfect scenario that gripped from the first paragraph to the last. I wish I could give it more than five stars.

If you’re after a psychological thriller then 214 Palmer Street is an enjoyable read that was pacy with plenty of action. Told from different view points and going between past and present this book certainly packs a lot in. Full of secrets and lies it doesn’t disappoint. I would rate it 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Ugh what a snoozer. I was so excited by the premise and got off to a great start. However, I forced myself to keep reading I became bored by this predictable unthrilling thriller. The characters annoyed me and the ending was also predictable.

A nosey neighbor notices a woman standing inside her neighbors house on 214 Palmer Street. That’s weird she thinks. Cady and Josh are supposed to be on vacation. So who is that in their house? Naturally she strolls over and knocks on the door. A young woman named Sarah answers with some explanation of being an old friend of Cady’s who is house sitting while the couple is away. The nosey neighbor is perplexed yet satisfied with the answer and goes home.

Inside 214 Palmer Street Sara is anxious and begins to panic. No one was supposed to see her. What happens next is a course of events which begs the question: do you every really know who you are married to? And can you truly trust them?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this book by the promising blurb unfortunately it failed to materialise into a gripping story.

The plot was pretty much predictable though I found no logic in the actions of any of the characters - Clarice hit Sarah with a rock because the Adens never invited her to their house; Sarah, a usually straightforward woman, decides to stalk the Caldwells online and trespass on their property to find out her husband's secret; And the huge leap to the conclusion that there was a body in the bomb shelter (even though she was right) - it didn't feel right.

Kirk's character arc was also quite confusing - on the one hand, he is shown as a cheating husband who is controlling his wife and isolating her from everyone, on the other hand, he is also shown to be deeply in love with her - I really couldn't figure out which one he was. Also, there was a mention of Kirk suffering from depression, but after that initial mention, this is not addressed further. So what was the whole point of mentioning it in the first place? Clarice's character was not convincing either as there was no motive shown for any of her actions.

The character of Gavin had some thought to it and his ending was also pretty satisfying. I liked Phil too and hoped that he would have a better or stronger role to play, however, his character was barely fleshed out. Infact, Josh and Cady, who have zero presence in the entire story have a better character sketch than Phil, who was an important part of Sarah's plan.

Chapters 44 to 46 seemed entirely unnecessary IMO, and the epilogue was totally overkill what with the mention of Sarah's dream and the elderly gentleman.

Overall, disappointing. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I read the premise for 214 Palmer Street I was desperate to read it, and it did not disappoint! I was completely submerged into this pacy, twisty thriller from chapter one. Highly recommend it, but be prepared not to do much else apart from pour over the pages once you get started, as it really grips you. 5 Stars

I went into this book knowing nothing of the plot or the author, and I think that's the best way to read it.

That said, the plot moves briskly and is an engaging read. I can see why McQuestion has so many fans. I enjoyed this book and will look forward to more from the author. Plenty of twists and turns.

This book has a little bit of a back and forth time jump however the way that the story is laid out I love the fact that the author did this because it gives a background on why things are happening however I found it a bit hard to follow since it is jumps between two very complex storylines. Since our main character Sarah, gets a head injury early on in the story it lets the reader fill in the blanks at the same time that the main character is figuring things out, and give us a bit of an unreliable narrator situation. I really enjoyed that part because
it made the reader feel very involved in the story. The book is all about Sarah returning from her stay in the hospital and trying to figure out what really happened with her head injury. There is also the main character Maggie who is trying to figure out who this mystery woman (Sarah) is and why she is at her neighbour, Cady's house. She says she is the house sitter however things don't seem to be adding up and Maggie is determined to get to the bottom of it. I loved the characters in this book they were very well written and easy to relate. The best part about this book however was Karen McQuest really took you on a roller coaster of a journey. She was able to pull you through the most complex mysteries and I loved the way that her characters were written, even the ones I didn't like morally I loved how she was able to write them so realistically. This book has a little something for everyone, secrets, betrayal, revenge, mystery, I'm so glad that I was able to read this one..

What happened at 214 Palmer Street? Just read this book to find out,. I didn't like the multiple timelines and POV by several people. Too confusing. I put the book down for awhile and had to skim from the beginning again to figure out who was who, etc. Premise of the story was good, I just wasn't thrilled with the writing. The ending was like something from a Lifetime movie. Very disappointing.

This is a fast paced gripping thriller. The story unfolds very nicely and each chapter intertwines and builds on top of the secrets and twists we are learning along the way.

The novel follows a woman named Sarah who suffers a head injury, during recovery she spent some time with her mother in law who showed her some old pictures of her husband. They came across a picture of a group of friends in a bomb shelter and she learns one of them left and never returned home. However, Sarah has a suspicion that there is something more at play, it just doesn’t add up for her and this is when Sarah’s journey really begins and the story starts to elevate. Sarah starts to do her research and learns everything she could about her husband, his group of friends, and the bomb shelter.

214 Palmer Street had me guessing the whole way through! Sometimes I thought I had it figured but the way the end unfolded really blew me away.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

**Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC. I give my honest thoughts voluntarily.**

On occasion, I do like to read murder mysteries, and this book caught my attention with the synopsis of a nosey neighbour and a random woman in the house across the street. Why was she there? Who was she?

Insert Sarah Aden, our main character. You follow her along her journey of back and forth, of having an accident in her backyard, to her questioning her ever-loving, doting, and sometimes too protective husband Kirk,
Why has he lied to her about certain things when she's always been open and honest?

This leads her to 214 Palmer Street, her husband's childhood home. She suspects something horrible happened here twenty years ago, and she vows to get to the bottom of it.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints, between Sarah, Kirk, and his childhood friends.
I have to say, I read this pretty quickly. I was invested and wanted to know the answers to all the questions Sarah held too.
Maybe I've read or seen a lot of mystery books and movies, but I guessed a lot of the happenings before they came to play. Even though I did find this an enjoyable read.

If you're looking for a page turner that grips you from the first chapter this book is for you. This book was very well written with quite a few twists and turns that held my interest, I also really enjoyed that the story wrapped up in a way that didn't feel forced. A special thank you to Karen McQuestion, Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced copy to review.

Synopsis from Amazon
When Maggie sees the beautiful Venetian blinds moving in the Caldwells’ front window, she freezes. Her favorite neighbors Cady and Josh are away, so who is in their house?
The pretty young woman who answers the door tells a convincing story. She’s Sarah. The house-sitter. Just here for a month. An old friend of Cady’s who needed a place to stay. She’s pleasant and warm, and Maggie wanders back to her house thinking she might have made a new friend. Yet she can’t help but wonder why Cady never mentioned Sarah.
What Maggie doesn’t know is that on the other side of the door, Sarah is starting to panic. No one was meant to see her at 214 Palmer Street…

What really happened at 214 Palmer Street? That's what Sarah is on a mission to find out. After pretending to be house-sitting for a couple who currently lives in the home, Sarah is determined to get to the truth about what happened so many years ago and how her husband could be involved. This book is full of betrayal, revenge, and so many secrets! I enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing until the end! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a fantastic read. I really enjoyed this story it was a thrilling read right from the first page loved the characters and the relationships were brilliant ,Sarahs husband Kirk was keeping a secret from her that eventually leads to a discovery that shocks her and leads her into a dangerous situation. Really recommend this book

I was drawn to this book by it's description. Maggie notices someone staying in her neighbor's empty house and confronts the woman... That much is part of the plot, Sarah is staying in the house without permission, but I don't think we ever hear anything else about Maggie or her concerns. Instead we get chapters alternating between past and present. Sarah was attacked in her own backyard and is suffering from a head injury. She left her husband a note and snuck off to stay in a house where she doesn't belong. After putting the book down for a few hours and picking it up again, I found myself losing track of which timeline I was in and which characters were which. There was a bit of genuine suspense in the middle, then the book reached what seemed like the end before it kept going for several more chapters. I didn't care for this one.

Fluffer Nutter Cluster Bar! 😳😯😳🤯

Whoa! This was one suspense after another. The thriller aspect didn't let up once during this novel. I enjoyed the lead up way too much and kept guessing and going back & forth along the journey. There were definitely a few shocks.
Maggie, the next door neighbour to Cady & Josh sees movement in the house that's supposed to be vacated for a month as they're on a trip. When she knocks on the door, Sarah answers saying she's an old friend, & is house sitting for them last minute. Maggie's happy with that answer, but now Sarah knows she needs to take care of Maggie because no one was supposed to know she's here. Sarah has a mission and she needs to get the answers.
Now, as much as I did enjoy this & read it pretty quick, the ending was a bit of a let down for me. I appreciated how it all pieced together but I wish it had had a more thriller or psychological aspect to it. Although the suspense was plentiful. Still a really good novel, nonetheless!

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture for this DARC.
Release Date: April 6, 2022

I give this 3.5 / 5 Bouquets! 💐

Who is staying at the house next door while the Caldwells are away?And why? When neighbor Maggie Cook notices someone at the window of 214 Palmer Street, she goes to investigate. Sarah coolly says that she is housesitting for her friends. Secrets from the long ago past fill this spellbinding new title by consummate storyteller, Karen McQuestion. Fast paced and riveting read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The first half of this book wasn’t bad at all. A bit bland and predictable, but an easy read. Where it fell down for me was the last part of the book, plot twists that were signposted, insignificant characters, unlikely scenarios. Sarah is naive and cutesy, Kirk a complete oddball. The background story of each of the characters was lightweight and the outcome predictable. With restructuring this would be a much better plot. I did finish reading it, but only as it was a relatively short book.

Thank you NetGalley.

Sarah was hit on the head and has been experiencing memory loss and confusion since then. She is convinced that something is up, which is why she ends up at 214 Palmer Street. I don't want to give too much away since it would much more fun for you to discover the details on your own.
The premise was good, and the first third of the book was actually pretty fun with all the secrets and mysteries slowly popping up. However, the characters were a bit bland for me and the ending was very predictable. Still, it was an enjoyable story and would recommend it to people wanting to start getting into mysteries and thrillers.