An interesting premise drew me to this book - someone given a life sentence for a crime they didn't commit, and, as it turns out, didn't even happen. What happened to appeals? But that's what stories are all about. Having found Kabler's earlier book The Vanishing of Class 3B an intriguing read, I expected something similar.

However, from the start everything is rather unrealistic. A woman has her bag stolen and arranges a friendly meet-up in a coffee shop with the thief, the conversations between friends and strangers are long and I often forgot what the point of the talk was about. Plus the life sentence is for something that is not quite murder. And every man is absolutely gorgeous, even the nasty ones.

​Despite some of the incredulous aspects this is a readable tale. A breezy narrative from two first-person perspectives, and further into the book a third-person point of view from the antagonist. It is an engaging read (will she get caught rooting around someone else's house?) with a kind of P.D. James style ending. Great beach read.

This plot was original and thats what attracted me to the book in the first place. Loved the characters in this one. Told by 3 POV's , it was the characters who made the book for me.

This was a great find. My first book by Kabler and I really enjoyed the cat and mouse game!
It was a gripping crime thriller that kept me on the edge throughout the book.

The narrative begins with a strong statement of innocence from one of the protagonists, Amber Ryan, who finds herself imprisoned for a crime that never took place. This assertion sets the stage for a compelling exploration of justice and the lengths to which one will go to prove their innocence.

As the story unfolds, the reader is drawn into a world of twists and turns, unsure of whom to trust and where the truth lies.

Like a puzzle with missing pieces, the story kept me engaged, eager to unravel the mystery alongside the characters. While I kind of hoped for a grand reveal that would shock and surprise me, the straightforward nature of the thriller did not diminish my enjoyment of the plot.

The looming threat of danger is what kept me on the edge of my seat until the final climax.

Definitely an author I’ll be looking out for in the future.

Heather has her dream job. She works in a bookshop & attends book launches as well as creating book posts for Instagram. Growing up she was great friends with Amber but they drifted apart. When she is approached by a young woman who begs for her help. Amber is in prison serving a life sentence for an attempted murder- she claims she not only innocent but it is an attack that never happened. The victim was Amber's boyfriend, someone Heather knew too well having also been involved with. Jack is rich & charming but there was a good reason Heather had bowed out. She agrees to try & clear Amber's name- even though that means renewing their relationship.

There were a couple of reasons why I didn't really love this book. Firstly, the defence team seemed to have been pretty useless for Amber to have got such a sentence even though the 'victim' was alive & kicking. Secondly, the whole living by night struck me as far fetched but I suppose if you're richer than god... Thirdly, I got extremely fed up with the sexual antics of Heather!

Overall it struck me as being pretty far fetched & although fiction is all about suspending belief this was a bit of a stretch. However, I did finish it! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

There's potential, there's a good story even about a judicial error but I couldn't care for the characters and the story tell flat
Not my cup of tea
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and Jackie Kabler for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Life Sentence. It was a tense and twisty read, full of suspense and drama.
I was immediately drawn in, and I couldn't put it down.

Heather and Jack were great characters. They were interesting and complex.
The storyline was compelling and unique.

This is the first book I've read from Jackie Kabler, but it definitely won't be the last. I love her writing style, so I'll be looking up her previous books after I leave this review.

I highly recommend. 4 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Amber Ryan is in prison for a crime she didnt actually commit. But her friend has not been dragged into it and she is going to find out what exactly happened. But that might end very badly for everyone included.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was filled with lots of twist and turn. I wasnt expecting much with this book just because I thought it would be like every other mystery thrillers but it was far from it! The characters were interesting while also a few giving me the creeps. I would read again and recommend.

When Heather goes to see an author at a book-store. She doesn’t expect her bag to be taken and with a note asking for her to call to get her bag back….

Things only take a turn from there, she meets Felicity Dixon who tells her, that her old best friend “Amanda” is in prison for a crime she didn’t commit!

Heather and Amanda, old school pals, fell out when Amanda was dating Heathers physco ex! Amanda, assuming Heather was jealous, ignored Heathers warning and fell out with her friend.

Months later Amber is arrested for attempted murder on said ex! Heather happy enough to be away from the drama doesn’t give them a second glance until Felicty Dixon shows up in Heathers life!

Felicity says Amanda is innocent and her and her brother can do prove it. If Heather gets back with her physco ex!

Will Heather be able to go through with the plan?
What are Felicity Dixon and her brothers motives ? What are they hiding?

A gripping thriller, with twists and turns. You can’t stop reading but you don’t want it to end. A must read!

Copy received from Publisher and Rachel's Random Resources.
I loved this one!
I loved Jackie Kabler's previous book, The Vanishing of Class 2B, and when I saw the title of this, I knew it would be right up my street too, and it was!
It was compulsive, consuming and so addictive.
The sense of tension and danger was so high through the entire book, and I couldn't wait to read more every day until I had finished.
It was well thought and wonderfully paced. I kept reading late into the night, and my attention never wavered once. That is no mean feat when it comes to my attention span lately!
Thoroughly enjoyed it, and I highly recommend it.

Amber Ryan has been sent to prison for a crime she didn't do. She says she has been framed by an ex-boyfriend Jack, and the only person who can help her prove her innocence is her ex-best friend, Heather. Heather and Jack also used to be a couple, and she knows what he is capable of, so she agrees to get back together with him to see if she can find proof of what he has done.

This is the first book I've read by this author for some time. I enjoyed it although it was a little far fetched for me in parts. I liked Heather's character and felt a bit sorry for her initially, having to go back with Jack to help save her friend. As her story moved on it did feel like she enjoyed some parts of their relationship a little too much though! Jack was a very odd character - he didn't like going out in the daylight so did all his business during the night and slept during the daylight hours. He very much like a vampire and I half expected him to turn out to be one!

The storyline was good, although it was a little slow in parts. Heather had to keep Jack on her good side so she could get any evidence against him and when she was in Jack's house, whilst it was very nice and modern, it was filled with cameras watching every move she made, which did make me feel uncomfortable! Poor Amber in prison was a strange storyline though! It was a bit of an extreme sentence of life imprisonment for what she had done, so I did in a way feel sorry for her!

I did enjoy the book, it had some good tense moments and left you wondering where it was going. There were a lot of strange parts though which I wasn't quite sure of. I would recommend it though as it did hold my interest.

The life sentence by Jackie Caidler in the summary it says it is about Amber Ryan but it is mainly focused on Heather and her relationship with Jack. He is a billionaire who never goes out during the day and stays up all night and expects her to do the same despite she has a full-time job. They once dated but she left him and he was also the reason her and Amber stop being friends because she started dating him and the next thing Heather knew Amber was arrested for attempted murder Jack head injuries from an attack and Amber was sentenced to life in prison despite the fact she couldn’t remember hardly anything about the event.
Not wanting to give anything away I will just say Heather starts dating him again with an aim to helping out her friend Amber in that first it goes according to plan but then it doesn’t and when it doesn’t more people will die but will Jack ever get his comeuppance? There is so much I am leaving out so as not to give spoilers but just know this book is way more good than it is not good. I really enjoyed this Book. I thought the ending having to do with Jack ended very abrupt but as I said it is still a good book in one I definitely recommend it is tension filled stress inducing well written in a great thriller. I have read books by Jackie Kadler before and thought I would love this one as much as I did those and not that I didn’t enjoy reading the book I just liked her other books better… I think? Not to take anything away from The Life Sentence I just really loved Class 3B it was so good! I want to thank Harper Collins UK for my free art copy via NetGalley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

My first venture in to the world of Ms Kabler and what a lovely, surprising trip it was.

A really tense psychological thriller with characters who delighted and yet were unusual and slightly devious. At times it was also 'come on girl, you are being played' as the twisty tory developed.

The book had chapters from the POV of Jack, Heather & Amber, but far be it from me to say who was the hero or villain. Suffice it to say Amber was Heather’s best friend., but was in prison. But was Amber guilty?

Well written, easy to read, building up nicely to an excellent finish. Hopefully, Amazon has plenty of her other books to delve in to.

Thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins UK One More Chapter for the chance to read and review.

Heather Harris works in a bookshop, a job that brings her a lot of joy. One day, she attends a book event where a strange, nervous-looking woman sits next to her.

When the event finishes, Heather realises that her handbag was swapped, and inside she finds a note with a phone number, urging her to call.

Desperate to get her belongings back, Heather does that, and she recognises the culprit – it’s the woman from the book event. She tells Heather that her name is Felicity and that she needs her help to clear Amber Ryan’s name.

Amber used to be best friends with Heather, until she started dating her ex-boyfriend, Jack Shannon. Heather tried to warn Amber off him, as she felt there was something off about him, but Amber wouldn’t listen.

Now, Amber is serving a life sentence for a crime that didn’t even happen. Felicity is adamant that Jack Shannon framed Amber and that he’s a very dangerous man.

Heather needs to rekindle her flame with Jack and collect the evidence. Can she do it?

How I loved this psychological thriller from start to finish!

I adore Jackie Kabler; her books are always full of suspense, and you can expect a twist or two to pop up along the way.

This book certainly didn’t disappoint.

I liked how it was written from the points of view of different people. Jack was such a strange character; there was definitely an element of a psychopath in him. I didn’t understand how someone could have a nocturnal lifestyle like he did; he was almost like a vampire, although I’m sure that vampires are nicer than him!

I know that some people felt that the plot was a bit far-fetched, but I paid no mind to that. I enjoyed it, and it offered me a bit of escapism when I needed it the most.

Thanks to One More Chapter for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this title.

My thanks to Harper Collins Uk and NetGalley for a copy of “ The Life Sentence “ for an honest review.

I’ve read , and really enjoyed, several psychological thrillers by Jackie Kabler and this one didn’t disappoint!
I liked the way the story progresses through different points of view , and this raised the suspense levels At times , because of Jack’s strange behaviour , I was reminded of “ Christian Grey” and I think the characters were really well written
.I thought the storyline was going in several different directions , but I was proved wrong with all of them !
Thoroughly enjoyable

I was drawn to The Life Sentence by the premise. Being framed for not only a crime you didn’t commit, but a crime that wasn’t committed.

Heather Harris has her dream job, working in a book shop, happily attending author talks for pleasure. Many readers, including myself, would envy her this; but what happens to her next, nobody would covet.
A strange encounter draws her in to a clandestine plan to clear Amber, her childhood friend, who is currently serving a life sentence. As much as Heather wants to help her friend, she is concerned about revisiting a chapter of her life she had hoped was firmly closed.

I’m afraid I struggled with elements of the book. In my mind, a life sentence being given for this crime didn’t sit well with me. It also seemed to stretch plausibility for Heather to believe and trust two complete strangers, who manufactured such a bizarre encounter. While I appreciate I am reading fiction, I do need a book to feel credible.

I felt the book was paced too slowly, there was too much build up, and quite a lot of repetitious behaviour from the characters. I understand this was written to build tension, but I’m afraid it didn’t have that effect on me. I needed something to happen. I struggled to keep my attention focused in the pages.

It’s just 3.5⭐️ from me, though I know many other readers have thoroughly enjoyed the book.

‘The Life Sentence’ is a fast-paced psychological thriller that is a real page-turner! This is the second stand-alone thriller of the authors that I have read and I flew through it in one day. Do you have to suspend disbelief at times, maybe? You do end up screaming at some of the characters ‘why’ at the top of your internal voice but it's an entertaining read packed full of interesting characters and fast-paced right up to the end!

Heather works as a bookseller in London and is approached by a young woman at a book launch one afternoon. The woman, Felicity, claims that Heather’s ex-best friend, Amber, has been framed for a crime, a crime that didn't even take place. Amber is currently in prison and Felicity is claiming that Heather’s ex, Jack is the mastermind behind it all. Amber was dating Jack at the time it all happened. The only way to prove that Jack is the bad guy is for Heather to pretend to be interested in Jack again and find the evidence to get Amber out of jail!

This is a psychological thriller that examines the effects of emotional manipulation in a relationship and how dangerous they can end up being. There were times though that there were flashes of empathy towards Jack, with his phobia of not being able to tolerate the daylight. Glimpses, though, as he still is the bad guy!

Overall, this was an entertaining read, let me know if you pick it up!

Imagine be in by in prison for a crime you didn’t commit, no imagine being in there for a crime that never actually happened in the first place! Amber finds her self in this exact situation after being charged and imprisoned for robbery and grievous bodily harm, yet she is adamant she didn’t not only do it but that the whole thing didn’t actually happen in the first place and she needs the help of her old friend.

Heather and Amber used to be the best of friends but it turned a bit sour when Amber started dating John, Heather’s ex, whom she tried to warn her of what he is really like. Obviously this didn’t go down well and resulted in them falling out, fast forward a few years and Amber is behind bars and Heather gets roped into proving Ambers innocence with help of Felicity and her brother Nathan. This means that she as to get involved with John once again!

I enjoyed the idea of the story, though the life sentence that Amber gets for her crime didn't quite sit well with me, it seemed excessive at best. There were a few pretty far fetched moments and some long winded dialog but it held my attention.

Heather is approached by two strangers to help a former friend who is in prison unjustly.

You will have to be able to suspend belief to really enjoy this one. Although not realistic is spots it is a great read. I don't mind unrealistic as long as it is written well. This one is.

The characters were well portrayed. Some I had sympathy for, some I liked and one made my skin crawl.

Dripping with tension through most of the book. I couldn't read fast enough.

The little tidbit at the end is perfect.

Thanks to netgalley and One More Chapter for the arc.

Interesting plot, but the pacing and writing of this book were a bit stale. Overall enjoyable, but wish some of the twists were more unpredictable.

Heather's former friend has been convicted and imprisoned for attempted muder and is serving a life sentence. The victim was also Heather's ex and she is persuaded that her friend is innocent so needs to get close to Jack to prove he framed an innocent woman...
The Life Sentence is a psychological and crime thriller about a possible miscarriage of justice.
Heather is contacted by a random stranger who believes that Amber was framed for stabbing her lover. The details of the crime are a little foggy and I found I had to suspend my disbelief. The evidence against Amber's conviction is minimal and I saw no reason for Heather to act as she does, especially at the behest of strangers.
The book is written mainly from Heather's first person perspective as we see her try to prove Amber's innocence. She bravely rekindles her relationship with the despicable Jack in order to search his house and find evidence of his lies. There are other chapters that show Amber in jail and some that show Jack's perspective. I found Jack's chapters sinister and increased the tension as he reveals his suspicions about Heather and forces her to prove herself.
The plot was entertaining and I enjoyed the drama and danger that Heather faces. It was perhaps a little repetitive as she searches every room, covering cameras etc. This slowed down the pace a bit. The tension was maintained until the final chapter and the ending had a surprise twist.
The Life Sentence is an entertaining and dramatic book.