This is the first Mary Kubica book I've read and I really thought it was going to tick all my reader boxes but it kind of... didn't. While I did feel regularly provoked to pick up the book to find out a little bit more about what was going to happen, to whom, and why, I also kept feeling like a lot of stuff about the plot didn't really make sense. Or maybe not so much the plot, but some of the character motivations. It wasn't always clear why some people were acting a certain way - like there wasn't enough believability in their actions - and there is a HUGE plot point in particular that I just could not get on board with. I have tried to reason with myself that sometimes "unreliable narrators" and morally grey characters do things that make you shudder even though they may be the protagonist/hero - but this big plot point rang quite hollow for me. It just didn't make sense. A weaved-in subplot also didn't seem to fit in with the story (except for being a creep factor in the background), which also felt a little bit forced with a rush ending (which also didn't make much sense). If I thought too hard about it, there were a lot of little holes in the plot about who knew certain things when and why, etc. The timeline layout of chapters also felt a little confusing to me - but I did read this at ARC stage and it may have been corrected pre-publication by the addition of some chapter date/timestamps. I'm sorry not to provide a more positive view, but this book just didn't really hang together for me personally. Thank you to HQ Stories and Netgalley for the review copy.

2.5 stars

I liked the main twist and how readable this thriller was, but this one also had way too many things going on and the latest one was completely unnecessary, in my opinion, which made the ending feel kind of ridiculous.

The first half was slow (I know MK tends to do that so that the second half is more action-packed once the character-driven part is done), but that didn't bother me as much as the multiple plotlines introduced in just a few chapters. From the premise it seems like the main character's patient is the thing the book is focusing on but that's not actually true, at least not until halfway through. Instead you're stuck with Meghan, her mundane life, her job, her divorce and issues with her daughter, her friend from high school. As a nurse I loved that her job was a big part of the book, also because it was a pretty accurate representation, but after a while it became repetitive. Nothing was really happening + I was rolling my eyes the umpteenth time she mentioned that the ICU rooms have glass walls, that insulin pens should be personal, that Caitlin has bruises and her head covered with gauze.

I really loved the main twist though (and how the book picked up pace after that), I just wish the book had followed that route instead of going directly into cliche territory.

What a read ! There are three mysteries to solve are they connected ? Fast paced with some good characters this is one of those books that is very hard to put down .Gripping physiological thriller .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC

A dark psychological thriller with secrets and lies and twists you won’t see coming. This is a thrilling story, I found it shocking, chilling, and unputdownable definitely not one to be missed.

Megan Micheals is an ICU nurse and mum to a teenage daughter. Recently divorced she tries to keep her work and home life separate.
However, she has recently been assigned a patient, who is being treated after a fall from a bridge. She is in a serious condition. This patient draws memories of Megan’s younger sister who died when she was a teenager. She finds herself becoming drawn to this patient and her family.
During this there are several attacks on women happening around the area she lives. These attacks are escalating and Megan worries about her daughter home alone while she is working long shifts.

Megan then meets an old friend Natalie, who she not seen since High school years. It seems the friend is in trouble and has no one she can turn to for help. Megan tries to help her the best way she can.

Things then start to take a turn for the worse. Megan receives a phone call from someone claiming to have her daughter. Is this revenge for helping Natalie or is this something connected to the patient she is working with?

I enjoyed this book, found it a little frustrating and confusing at times as the story unfolds I couldn’t quite work out the timings. I also couldn’t believe Megan would behave the way she was with everything going on.

I've read and enjoyed other books by this author so was delighted to be approved to read this one. I found She's Not Sorry a bit mixed - the first half is very slow and quite repetitive but the second half moves along at breakneck speed. It took me a moment to adjust. The way the twist played out was really interesting and I like how the author kept me guessing about how far-reaching it potentially was. Some of the story didn't make a lot of sense also. On the whole I did enjoy this one and I'm glad I read it.

In She’s not Sorry, Mary Kubica presents recent divorcee, Meghan Michaels shares custody of her daughter, Sienna, with ex-husband Ben. He got the condo, and his daughter every other weekend. She got a shoebox apartment in need of repairs and literally built on a train line that it rattled every few minutes as the commuter vehicle passed by, but what’s a nurse to do in Chicago?
The prologue throws the reader into the heart of a kidnapping. We live Meghan’s ordeal as she is subjected to the muffled cries of her daughter fading into the background. Just when we reach a climactic moment, we are hit with Chapter One. Meghan arrives at hospital with the atmosphere alive and buzzing with gossip as colleagues speculate over an attempted suicide. The next few chapters alternate in time, throwing the reader into a haze because Sienna is going about her usual life, painting these even-numbered chapters in the past until the two timelines eventually converge. By the time this happened, I was so enthralled in the story that the loss of the flashback scenes was imperceptible.

The story juggles the reemergence of an old school friend with a series of troubled relationships, a predator on the loose, and family relationships; subjects so different from one another yet somehow woven into a can’t-put-down novel. Kubica plays with pacing, which in turn plays with our logic as we try to figure out how the elements of the story are all connected. Just when your mind goes into overdrive, Kubica slows things down and spends time forming intimate connections between the reader and the characters. Nothing short of a con artist, Kubica has you liking, empathizing, and/or relating to each character despite us knowing that this is a thriller, and someone has to be the villain in all this.

Through the intricacies of parent-daughter relationships with daughters, Caitlin, and Sienna in parallel positions, and lost and found friends, the novel examines morality, secrets, and lies and their consequences. Other themes include jealousy, deceit, and death. And I was so here for it!

She’s Not Sorry was a much-anticipated novel for me. I was glad to receive the Advanced Reader Copy ahead of the tide and the opportunity to unravel the mysteries it contained for myself…or at least try. Just when I thought I had the plot all figured out, Kubica would loudly shout ‘incoming,’ whilst simultaneously chucking red herrings and curve balls.

This book would appeal to lovers of psychological thrillers who welcome a touch of predictability mixed with a twist or two. It will also be a welcome read for readers who like a medical drama and are interested in family life. For its plot, pace, and storytelling technique, this book is a 5 out of 5 stars.

I’m afraid to say I found this one quite hard going. Certainly the first half of the book could do with a good trimming down and re-organising. I felt like I was ploughing through it!

This was my first time reading this author and I'll absolutely be reading more. I enjoyed the mystery in the story. The characters were well developed and the twists were great.

I really like this author but I seemed to struggle a little with this book, maybe comparing it to the authors
others books?
This is a slower burn that the author usually writes maybe that is another reason I couldn't quite get to grips with it.

**3.5 rounded up**

Meghan is trying to find balance between being a single mom to a teenage daughter and working as a full time nurse. While on duty at the hospital one day, a patient named Caitlin arrives in a coma with a traumatic brain injury, having jumped from a bridge to the train tracks below. Meghan always keeps her distance but this time it seems she has let someone get too close and now what will the consequences be for Meghan and her daughter.

Initially I struggled to get into this book and came close to a DNF but once this got going it had me gripped and I'm so glad I carried on. This book had some great twists that I did not see coming but it was a bit of a chaotic read with a lot going on. I have very mixed feelings. I would say it's definitely worth giving this one a go.

Thank you to Netgalley, H.Q and Mary Kubica for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In this book we meet dedicated ICU nurse, Meghan Michaels, recently divorced from Ben and primary parent for their teenage daughter, Sienna.

It is a slow burn novel, gearing you up by involving you in everything Meghan has going on at home and in work - a 16 year old hormonal daughter taking boys into the apartment, a rapist on the loose in their city and caring for a coma patient who seems to have jumped off a bridge.

Although the ending was predictable, for myself, I enjoyed this book and the build up to part 2!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

She’s not Sorry she read this! But truthfully I was feeling a bit sorry for reading it until it got to the halfway point. The first half was really slow and a little bit boring, once I got about 50% in tho the twists and turns kept coming and I couldn’t put it down. It was definitely a book of two halves and leaves me still on the fence about this author.

I normally love Mary Kubica books but i struggled with this one. It was a good storyline but it just dragged on in the middle. Kept going with it just to find out what happened but forced myself to finish it.

Only my second book by this author, but quite absorbing. With a frightening Prologue, Part 1 sets up the characters of Meghan Michaels and her daughter Sienna. We learn about Meghan's job, her divorce, her daughter, her friends and her loneliness. Then we meet her old school friend Natalie. Meghan is portrayed as a kind and caring divorcee who is obviously lonely.
Caitlin Beckett is admitted to the ICU having been thought to try and commit suicide. Meghan becomes involved with her family as they sit by her side and she is asked to keep secrets. A slow burner.
Then in Part 2 everything is turned on its head and the story picks up its pace and charges ahead.
Cleverly written. Three and half stars.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Mary Kubica/HQ for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A bit too slow to get going for me. Was a bit of a chore to keep on with it. Not a bad story but a bit predictable. Her other nooks are much better

I love Kubica’s previous books but unfortunately this one left me rather disappointed. There was no major twist- it was all predictable.

I usually love this authors books but struggled with this one. I found it to be very slow and it dragged on unnecessarily. Not her best book in my opinion

This is an excellent twisty read that had me hooked from the start. Every time I thought I could relax knowing where the story was headed the author had something up her sleeve to prove me wrong. I am a fan of Mary Kubica’s books and this did not disappoint. Highly recommended

She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica is an absolutely gripping contemporary psychological thriller that had my pulse and heartrate pounding throughout. It was suspense out of the top drawer.
There is the question as to how well do we know anyone? There are secrets within that have been well hidden – unburdening oneself will have far reaching consequences.
We see the loneliness of single parenting. Everyone needs a friend with whom they can share experiences. It makes life less lonely.
There is a realistically portrayed mother-daughter bond. Life is not always rosy with a teen but love is strong.
The action is written in the first person enabling the reader to share the highs and lows of life with the lead character. We ‘experience’ what she experiences which gives us a roller coaster ride of emotions.
Mary Kubica is the master of the suspense novel. She pulls the reader into her world, manipulating our emotional responses to what we witness. As she guides us along the pathways of her novel, we are a passenger in her hands.
She’s Not Sorry is a terrific read. We start the novel at a point in the future, knowing that the action is going to lead up to this point. We are on edge as we read. Our heartrate ramps up as we know where we are going.
I could not get enough of She’s Not Sorry. It was such an exciting, suspenseful read. I always love Mary Kubica’s novels and cannot recommend them highly enough.
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.