A short fiction book that I read in two sittings. In the plus I loved the way this author describes the environment. Putting you right in the centre with the ability to visualise exactly how the world is deemed. The characters had great context but not in a man-splainly way. The plot is certainly different and I enjoyed the storytelling.
On the negative, there were a few red herrings thrown in, but you found out who the lover was too soon. From there it went a bit downhill for me. Very linear and sometimes not at all plausible how I would see a real life version of this playing out.
All in all, I did really enjoy this authors writing style and would certainly read another of her books.

This is another well written, terrific book by Miranda Rijks. I enjoyed every minute of it, and never saw the ending twists coming!
The story centers around Eva, a wife and mother of two pre teen kids. When her husband doesn’t come home, but sends a text saying he doesn’t love her anymore, Eva goes into a tailspin. How can this be true? She leans heavily on her brother and friends for support.
Her worst fears are confirmed that her husband has been kidnapped when weird demands are texted to her, in order to save her husband’s life. The texts disappear, and she has no proof for the police to see.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. The twists kept on coming right up to the end!

Thanks to Booksprouts and Inkubator books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
My opinions are unbiased.
5 stars!

Well done! My jaw literally dropped. And the way the twist was presented..(chef's kiss).

The only reason that this is not a 5 star is I feel that this could have been a little longer to really delve into how Samuel was found. It goes from her dialing the police to Samuel is in the hospital. Since there was a build up of her brother being a kidnapper or crazy stalker, I really think that was an important piece if the author was ending it with Samuel and Stephen being in love. The whole time it was seemed that Stephen, with cooking the food, Samuel not seeming that interested in him, and the constant sleeping, that there would have been more of an explanation there. I also would have liked to see that it was an affair that got out of hand and Stephen really was crazy. Stephen did not seem to love his niece and nephew, but wanted to be their "mother". Samuel had bought the anniversary gift.

Overall, this was well done.


Thank you NetGalley, Miranda Rijks, and Inkubator Books for allowing me to review.

I have also shared on Insta at _RayLayneBooks_ and tagged NetGalley.

This book was absolutely fantastic! Right when your just picking your jaw up off the floor thinking ...wait...what ...??? Another big twist comes definitely not a predictable book because you won't ever see these twists coming!!!! Definitely a page turner and kept me at the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next! You thriller lovers won't want to miss this one!

Wow, I wasn’t sure what to think of the book at first, but it got good!!! Essentially it’s about Eva & Samuels marriage. One evening, Samuel leaves for a guys night out, but doesn’t come home. Thinking that he’s sleeping it off somewhere, Eva goes about her day … but then, she starts to worry. She calls with no answer, texts with no “read” notification, where is Samuel? The threatening texts start to arrive & that’s where the story really begins. I liked that the chapters are written from 2 POV, that of the wife (Eva) and the other of the lover … gives you a little insight as to the mental state and thinking of each person. Eva is asked to do some odd things, a “bucket list” as it’s said, in order to keep the kidnapper from hurting her husband. Our 1st twist comes at HOLY CHAPTER 18 (do to skip ahead and spoil it) … then around the end again … whiplash! Another twist to send you reeling. What a good book!
The cons? Well our MC Eva just seems dumb, I’ve never been in this situation (thank goodness) but I think she does some pretty careless things that halt the progress of finding her husband. I also felt it shouldn’t have been called a “bucket list” as that made no sense with the things she was being asked to do.

I found this an easy to read, thriller/drama about a couple, who seem very happy and settled with their 2 kids. Then, the wife returns from a girls trip to find her husband missing and she starts to receive bizarre text messages.

It’s a unique storyline with a twist I didn’t expect and a perfect beach read. For me, a solid, Good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator books for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review.

What a fantastic book this is. I read it in two days and found it hard to put down. It's a story of the worst betrayal that can happen. A husband disappears with no warning and all their friends try to help Eva figure out where he could be. Then Eva gets a text that says he's leaving her and not coming back. Then another text pings and it mentions a bucket list of things she must do, and each one is worse than the last. The disembodied voice is on snapchat and is disguised, and it warns Eva not to go to the police or her husband will die. Then her children are threatened but Eva does as she's told. The story is intense and full of twists. I thought it was brilliant. Thanks, Miranda, you never disappoint.

Well so this book literally had my jaw drop open multiple times. It was a quick read and had me hooked from the beginning. As I’m trying to write this review it’s difficult to explain without spoiling it so I will leave it to you to read and be as shocked and surprised by it as I was! Definitely recommend and will be reading more of Miranda Rijks’ books!

When this story started I honestly had no idea where this was going to go but I was enjoying the ride! This story was a crazy rollercoaster that was all over the place! But when the twists finally started to come undone I was shocked!!! This was a great read and I would recommend everyone to read it!

I really felt for Eva when her husband went missing and she wanted to protect her kids. But when the bucket list of things she had to accomplish started to be demanded I was so angry for her! Then the kidnapper kept telling her she couldn’t go to the police?! But I was never prepared for the ending, I had it in the back of my mind as a possibility but I never thought that’s the way it would end up!! A definite read for me!!

Every Breath You Take
by Miranda Rijks
Pub Date: Jul 14 2024

EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE is a fantastic read! It was full of so many twists and turns, It had me guessing until the very ending of the book! I was hooked from the beginning until the ending. A great thriller! The first, but not the last book I have read by author Miranda Rijks.

Synopsis:
Has her husband really left her? Or is someone playing a deadly game? When Eva’s husband Samuel doesn’t come home from a boys’ night out, she thinks he’s sleeping off his hangover at a friend’s house. So she waits. And waits...

Many thanks to #NetGalley #EveryBreathYouTake & Inkubator books for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

Eva receives word from her husband, Samuel, that he is stopping for drinks after work with friends and may be home late. But he doesn’t show up. She calls his phone numerous times and gets no answer. When she calls the police to report him missing, they tell her that she doesn’t have anything to prove that he may have come to harm and refuse to help look for him.

Eva then receives a picture of Samuel with someone holding a knife to his neck and telling her that she must follow their instructions or they will kill him. Messages come on Snapchat which means they are immediately deleted so Eva has no proof. Eva is told she must fulfill a bucket list of things she must do or Samuel will be killed. The demands become more and more bizarre. She knows she cannot tell anyone what is happening for without proof they wouldn’t believe her. As it is, her friends think she may be having a mental breakdown.

As this story races towards its conclusion, the ending is really bizarre and shocking. I never expected this so I must say I am quite impressed with this book. I know readers will like it. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoy reading books by this author but for some reason I just could not get into Every Breath You Take. I really didn't like the characters in the story which made it difficult for me to really care what happened.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I actually got to 50 percent of the book and stopped when I got to the reveal of who the lover actually was. Really? It has to be ruined by the main character's (Eva) brother being gay and in love with her kidnapped husband, Ridiculous

What did I just read?! This was a great book. It is told in dual POVs—the wife, Evie, and then her husband's kidnapper. Some twists were shocking, while others were unbelievable. Either way, I enjoyed reading this book.

The kidnapper's identity was revealed too soon—still jaw-dropping, but too early in the book.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Eva and Samuel have the perfect family life with their two children or do they? When Samuel fails to come home after a night out with the boys, Eva is devastated and what follows leaves her confused to say the least. Snapchat messages appear with the most bizarre requests that Eva must follow if she wants her husband to stay alive.
This story is packed with mystery and suspense and it kept me guessing for ages as to whom the kidnapper was. I liked the way the story was told with two characters, the wife and the lover.
My thanks to Net Galley and publishers for the advanced digital copy of this psychological thriller.

A brilliant book by Miranda Rijks, I was hooked from the beginning- although I felt like I had read something similar before, this book was completely different in its own rights.

Eva and Samuel have been married for 15 happy years or so she thought, they have a house, steady jobs and two beautiful children, Riley and Alfie. One night Eva gets worried when Samuel doesn’t return from a night out, she calls the police who aren’t unperturbed by this and when Eva gets a text from Samuel stating that he’s left her, their suspicions are made clear.

Eva finds this hard to accept, one reason is because Samuel hasn’t taken his stuff and another reason is because he wouldn’t just walk out on the children or her without saying a word. Convinced something is wrong and her worries are confirmed when she receives messages on Snapchat by a kidnapper with a photo of a knife by Samuel’s neck and a list of tasks that Eva must complete or the children and Samuel die.

While completing this absurd tasks, she tries to find out who is behind the kidnapping- could it be someone close to her and her family?

I am enjoying all of the books that Miranda Rijks writes, and each one gets better! I think she’s written something like 23 books- you can’t go wrong with any of them. One of my favorites is Make Her Pay, it's available now and if you like suspense, you'll like it as I did!

Her novels keep you reading quickly like this one, Every Breath You Take. You never know what is going to happen next, and I appreciate a solid story with shocking twists and turns. I try to figure everything out while reading so I am always happy if an author can surprise me!

When Eva’s husband Samuel doesn’t come home from a boys’ night out, she thinks he’s sleeping off his hangover at a friend’s house. So she waits. And waits…

Eventually, he sends her a text — he’s met someone else and needs a few days to get his head together. Eva is devastated. How could he do this? How could he do it to their children? She’d thought her marriage was rock solid.

She tries to go on with her life as best she can. But then things take a truly bizarre turn…

She receives a terrifying photo of Samuel with a knife to his neck, and a demand: do everything on my bucket list or he will die.

As Eva completes the increasingly crazy demands on the kidnapper’s bucket list, every aspect of her life begins to unravel: her children are struggling, she’s not paying attention at work, and her friends and family fear for her mental health. All the while, the threats are mounting. Samuel will die. Unless…

Can Eva save her husband and children or will she lose everything that’s dear to her?

Miranda Rijks (favorite author) returns following THE GODCHILD with her latest wild ride thriller, EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE —when a husband goes missing, and a wife receives a threatening bucket list of outrageous and deadly demands in this twisty, riveting domestic suspense!

The Wife? The Lover?
Who will win this deadly, wild, twisted game of cat-and-mouse?

About...

As the book opens, we meet Eva as a teen of thirteen during one summer and an encounter with her older brother Stephen and his friends. She almost drowned. Then someone saved her.

We then jump to the present, where Eva is married and has two children. Eva is concerned that her husband did not come home from a guy's night out. She is worried, and then she receives a mysterious text.

He has met someone else and needs a few days to get it together. What the heck is going on? Is this for real?

Eva is devastated. How could Samuel do this to her and the children? The family? She thought they were on solid ground. She tries to make sense of things. Why can't they talk things out like normal couples? Why is he hiding? He says to tell the kids he is abroad for business.

Samuel has made a mistake. Something must have confused him. Perhaps he has had a head injury or something. She tries calling and goes straight to voice mail. If he were having an affair and has left her why didn't he take any of his belongings with him?

Shortly thereafter, shockingly, she then receives a horrifying photo of Samuel with a knife to his neck.

Then begins a series of questionable sinister demands, a bucket list. Threats. If Eva does not comply, her husband will DIE.

Each one is more serious, far-fetched, and bizarre than the previous one. The first one is: "SHE CANNOT CALL THE COPS." Who has Samuel's phone? Why is this happening?

She has no choice but to follow each demand, from posting false things on social media to pretending she is dating someone. However, when she gets to the last one, it is so mind-blowing that she knows something is seriously wrong!

Who is the kidnapper, and why are she and her husband targeted? What kind of sick game are they playing?

Eva's life is unraveling while trying to handle this on her own, having issues with work, and her children are struggling, wondering what is going on with their dad. She cannot tell anyone about the demands and everyone is worried about her mental health.

Who will win this twisted deadly game? How far will this sinister plan go?

My thoughts...

EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE is bold, edgy, twisty, and mind-blowing! A fun, diabolical, entertaining popcorn thriller.

A smart, wickedly plotted psychological thriller brimming with dark surprises and classic Rijks.

Told from the POVs of the wife and the lover, the author cleverly keeps you in suspense with this deliciously wicked game of cat-and-mouse before unraveling the twisted web of deceit, secrets, betrayal, and lies.

The lover's voice is a deliciously creepy perspective, crazy and spine-chilling! The demands are insane. You will be shocked at the lover's identity and how it all turns out and connects with the past. Things become INTENSE and deadly in the showdown—a clever well-plotted, unexpected twist with dark humor. Eva is smarter than the kidnappers give her credit.

As always, Miranda entertains, and I enjoyed her author's note. It's so wild that the author, at age eight, wrote a story about her ideal home and job, which became a reality with the chalet in the mountains and becoming a writer—I love the twist with the bucket list turned into a list of demands.

Recs...

For fans of the author those who enjoy a little wild and crazy, and those who enjoy authors, Daniel Hurst, Kaira Rouda, Jenova Rose, and Freida McFadden.

Thanks to Inkubator for a digital review copy via NetGalley for an honest review.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: July 14, 2024
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Thanks to #NetGalley and #InkubatorBooks for the book #EveryBreathYouTake by #MirandaRijks. This is crazy read about a husband that sends his wife a text saying he is leaving her for another woman and then disappears. Shortly after, she starts getting demanding texts about cutting her hair off and killing herself. As she follows most of the demands, she starts digging into who is behind this. What she finds is absolutely horrifying.

The story is beautiful although the characters are extremely frustrating and cruelly lacking in common sense or reflex; I particularly appreciated Eva's friends who despite everything proved to her that no matter what happened, they were there for her.

I did not particularly appreciate the sequence of events and revelations at the end because some details were not consistent with the actions that arrived at the beginning of the story. And also the fact that Riley, an 11-year-old girl, behaved as if she were 16.