This story had an interesting (and truth be told with all the tech we use daily - terrifying!) premise, but the execution was an action-packed mess. For how smart these characters are, they acted rather recklessly even downloading the app to begin with. 🤔

Overall… Excessive amount of smut. Gruesome & gory murder. Wayyyy too drawn out.

⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I enjoyed this thriller immensely and was set to give it a four star rating, but I was really disappointed to see the PR scandal surrounding the promotion of this book. So although I will post an honest review here, I will be considering whether or not to share it with my followers online.

I absolutely loved the concept of this book - and how much AI knows about us and is always watching, especially in a country where our capital city has the highest number of cctv cameras per citizen.

I felt the writing and twists in the novel really kept me going to see what happened and if the main characters would escape the game. I loved the ending also.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC

I don't think I can put into words how good this book is. I'm not at all surprised it's being made into a film, it has plenty of contents to be a trilogy.
Like the blurb says its has notes of 50 shades but so much better, with such a thriller twist. I can hand on heart say it's the best thriller I can ever remember reading.
I hadn't realised until the end that the author J. D. Barker had previously wrote with James Patterson but it explained alot as it was James Pattersons books that started my love affair with thrillers many years ago.
Thank you #NetGalley for the copy of #BehindAClosedDoor this author is going straight to the top of my favourite list

First of all, I read the book and prepared my review notes before the scandal broke. It hasn’t impacted my rating but I’m undecided whether I’ll share my review on my blog.

I haven’t read J.D. Barker before, I know everyone rave about the 4MK series so I read this book to get a feel for his writing.

Behind A Closed Door is a concept thriller based around a latest app craze. Sugar & Spice is an app for couples to spice up their love lives with a series of daring prompts to encourage them to experiment.

Concept thrillers are always hit or miss for me, I love a few but most don’t really work for me. I found the concept interesting and it got off to a promising start. I didn’t really gel with the writing style which I found on the overly dramatic style. I could see where things were going. I also found some of the characters rather stereotypical.

I’ll be honest, it was a bit of a struggle for me to get through, bored and mildly irritated would be my lasting impression.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hampton Creak Press

Barker kept me on my toes with this unique and tech filled dark drama.

When a married couple seek counselling, their therapist suggests they download a new app: Sugar & Spice. Promising to encourage open communication and rekindle lost romance, they go ahead and sign themselves up. What starts out as a series of innocuous conversation prompts quickly turns into something more sinister. As the app infiltrates their lives and sends them down increasingly dangerous roads the couple find themselves as the key players in an online man hunt.

This story really hits home just how much we have let technology take over. How we install apps and allow permissions to our personal information, rarely stopping to read the terms and conditions we’re actually signing up to. It was an interesting concept which made me think of that bigger picture when I wasn’t able to read, but I also enjoyed the story itself when I was reading.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on May 13, 2024.

Behind A Closed Door is about Abby and Brendan, who like any other couples, go through some rough patch here and there. They met a therapist hoping to fix their marital problems. The first session turned out well. She asked them to download an app called Sugar & Spice, in simple terms, Truth or Dare. It is believed to bring back the ‘spice’ in the relationship. The first few challenges were simple and cute, until the next prompts started getting weird and strange. It was made to manipulate you, will make you do stuff to get you to a higher level even if it means turning on each other.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The concept was unique, it’s like The One by John Marrs but different. It’s packed with lots of twists, action, mystery and suspense which makes it hard to put down. It gave me a realization how we can all become slaves of technology and money. It’s scary. Who amongst us still read the T&C when downloading an app? I don’t want to make you paranoid, but read the fine print. Lol. This is my first 5 star read this month, or maybe the only one.

Thank you Netgalley and Hampton Creek Press for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.
The book comes out on May 13, 2024.

I really enjoyed JD Barker’s 4MK series, so I was excited to read his new standalone Behind A Closed Door. However, I may be in the minority on this one; this book just didn’t work for me. The beginning was very drawn out and I felt the concept was very far fetched. Lots of action, so I can see why some people will like it, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to Hampton Creek Press & NetGalley for the ARC!

4.5 what a wild damn ride.

Thank you NetGalley for having this for me to read! It was so fun. It comes out in May and is definitely worth your time. This story was go, go, go from the beginning and never lulled. It was such an interesting premise and was completely unhinged. I got 50% and there were some twists already that I wasn’t expecting. Would’ve been a complete 5 stars but I had to knock off half a star because there was something that did not work out how I thought it should. I don’t want to spoil what it was because it’s a huge plot line but it shouldn’t have happened.

In his latest book, J.D. Barker takes an ordinary suburban couple, Brendan and Abby Hollander, who are busy dealing with the usual work-life balance and suspicions of cheating, and thrusts them headfirst into a high stakes game.

Their troubles begin with the downloading of a sexy-game application to their cellphones called Sugar and Spice, sort of the adult version of Truth or Dare, and one thing leads to another and their lives spin out of control as they realize they have granted permissions for the app to fully access everything from bank accounts to photos and that there are others playing the game, trying to earn their way up the ladder to gold or platinum status. Points are awarded for completing tasks and the tasks are far more risque than one might imagine, leaving one open for blackmail and embarrassment and social media shame. But that’s only the beginning of the challenge which takes the young couple far out of their comfort zone and into a game where they are blackmailed and manipulated. Soon, they're falling deeper and deeper into a pitfall they'll find almost impossible to escape.

This book has more layers than I expected. As all the pieces fall into place, revelations abound and I can't help but salute Barker's astuteness and strategy. The story becomes a complex and compelling puzzle, with suspense, intensity and an abundance of twists and turns. Each chapter keeps us firmly hooked on the wreck of Brendan and Abby's lives. The plot is meticulously constructed, tighter than in Barker's previous works. The tension builds inexorably, making the work action-packed and undeniably entertaining.

This is one of those novels that you can't put down and the pages turns by themselves. And I read that there will a movie based on this book.

This was a great read, as always with JD Barker books!

Great characters and storyline. Lots of twists that I didn't see coming so hard to put down.

my first by this author, a different type of thriller than i usually read and it was a bit too much romance/sex for me at first and got a bit weird/confusing at the end but was overall an interesting ride.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

Well I am a bit lost for words! This book has everything - excitement - relationships. - topical complex plot. I really loved a few of the threads - like the way an app could take over people and their lives. A prediction of our future? I liked the haunting degree of suspense throughout. Encouraged page turning!

Unfortunately it also had more than a little silliness and nonsense! The antics of the character Romeo was often verging on being totally silly! So disappointing!

I reckon this book is not my cup of tea and would probably rate it as a two. However I feel that would be very unfair to the creative and inventive author. So the book gets a three rating from me. Many people will love the book, I am sure - views expressed are just my honest opinion.

Another great read from a great mind. Behind A Closed Door is twisty and thrilly and so addicting! You definitely do not want to miss this one!!

Another fantastic read by the author that bout us the 4MK series. I loved every character even the nasty ones. I loved the spicy theme and the subtle sprinkle of sugar. You come to expect the unexpected from J.D Barker and it didn't disappoint. Thank you Netgalley for my ARC copy.

I was immediately engaged in this book for the first half even though I felt the characters were either desperately reckless or really naive in continuing as far as they did with the app. I continued with it just to see how it all ended. I will read other books by this author because I did like his writing style. I am just not the target reader for this book as many others have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley for a chance to read and review Behind a Closed Door by J.D. Barker.

Behind A Closed Door is about couple Abby and Brendan whose marriage has gotten a little stale. They heard about an app called Sugar and Spice that will help elevate their relationship. The app has a series of prompts similar to truth or dare.

The app starts out with some sweet prompts and they start to get closer to each other. All seems great but the prompts start to get strange a little bit dangerous. Before they know it they are getting in too deep and it turns into a dangerous game!! It's hard to get into without spoiling but if this premise sounds interesting, go pick up this book!! This is a wild ride and I couldn't put it down. It is fast paced and very thrilling! My first from this author and won't be the last.

4 out of 5 stars
Expected publication May 13, 2024

Clever and dark - and unexpected. Slow to start but pulls you in further and further as the game progresses. Evil blending with reality - and maybe those computer games aren't so harmless after all ...

I received this book as an ARC on Net Galley. I have read this author before and had high hopes, however this book was an action packed mess for almost the beginning of the book. The plot is not realistic, starting with the fact that the characters acted so recklessly with proceeding with the app in their first interaction with it. For two people that are supposed to be smart that was stupid. And it just got more and more stupid as time went on.

I gave this 2 stars instead of one because it was action packed, so it tried to keep your interest. However, the story was so crazy that there were times where I audibly said, "this is so dumb" and stopped reading. I continued to read in order to see how all the dumbness would end. Otherwise, I would have stopped 40% of the way through.