Talk about having your socks knocked off! J.M. Dalgliesh shocked me with this gripping and tension-filled psychological thriller. I thought I had this entire book figured out. I thought it was so obvious! I was so wrong!!!!!

Married couple, Sophie and Scott both have successful careers. They also have two children and onlookers would assume that they have the perfect life. After their twelve-year-old daughter gets into trouble at school, they hire Deanna to tutor her.

Soon Sophie begins to feel as if she made the wrong choice. Deanna seems to be a little too comfortable in her home. She seems to be dazzling everyone except Sophie!


I enjoyed how the book progressed and showed how Sophie began to doubt, become suspicious, and alarmed. I had my own doubts and suspicions along with her. When strange things begin to happen, questions about mental health come into play. I was certain that I knew where this book was going, and I was wrong, wrong, wrong! I love it when that happens. This book also has a nice number of twists, tension, suspicion, and reveals along the way.

J. M. Dalgliesh expertly pulled off a shocking reveal at the end that I never saw coming. Whew! Well done!

I had both the book and audiobook versions of Homewrecker which made for a fully enjoyable reading experience. I that the narration of the audiobook was fantastic! ,This was my first book by J. M. Dalgliesh, and I look forward to reading more of his books.

Well written, well thought out, tense and shocking!

This was a new to me authors and I very much enjoyed this audiobook!

I loved the characters and how relatable they were. The story was unpredictable and loved the twist at the end! I was also pleased that there was only mild language and no sexual content to speak of in this listen. I will be looking for more from this author. Thank you NetGalley and the author for the opportunity.

This hooked me from the very beginning - abundant foreshadowing immediately set me on edge over Sophie’s unsteady state in life: a complicated relationship with her daughter, a haunted past, memory lapses, criticism at work, and nostalgia for what her marriage once was.
And that’s before you add in a sly new tutor worming her way into the heart of Sophie’s family right before her eyes…

I was floored over where the plot ended up compared to how it started, truly a great case of “things are not what they seem”. 👀
Despite a harrowing last few chapters, the ending was surprisingly uplifting?! 😅
If you’re a Freida McFadden fan, you should definitely check this one out.

Thank you NetGalley for access to this ARC!

If you like Frieda McFadden books, this book is for you! This is my first audiobook that I was sucked into. It felt like I was watching a series on Netflix or something. The author built each character so well, that I could feel the emotions of everyone. Just when I thought I knew what was coming next, a plot twist came and kept me on my toes. I was hooked from the beginning till the end. I would definitely read more books from this author.

This audiobook started a bit slow for me and I had a hard time staying focused to the story. However, I really liked the twist at the end of the book and didn’t see it coming! I couldn’t help but feel a sense of despair and an “am I going crazy?!” for the main female character. The dual narration was well executed, but i wish they would have said the name of the character who was "speaking" at the beginning of each chapter. I did feel that some parts of the book regarding the younger child weren’t quite believable, but understand those parts may have been needed for the book to make sense.

This didn't go at all in the direction I thought it was heading, which means it was a great thriller! I don't want to even hint at what was going on so I'll avoid talking about the main storyline. I had a hard time listening to the chapters when one character was going through some psychosis, it was stressful! I feel for anyone who is dealing with those kind of thoughts, mental health is NO joke. But back to the book, this was twisty and crazy and the kind of thriller I enjoy. I'm definitely going to check out other titles by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for this honest review.

Homewrecker
J.M. Dalgliesh
Narrated by Alison Campbell and Tamsin Dennard.
This is a psychological thriller with an surprise twist.
This tale begins with a mother very concerned over the behavior of her daughter. Sophie is a successful newscaster. She and Scott have what appears to be successful careers, a loving family and a happy marriage. Their daughter Katie has become hostile, she has been expelled from school. The only way she could continue her education was by homeschooling. Scott and Sophie decide to hire a nanny; the agency sent Deanna to apply for the position. She charms Katie, her brother Chase, and Scott. Sophie wants to like her, but something seems off. In a very short while Sophie comes to suspect Deanna of making a play for Scott. She see’s her touching Scotts arm, she finds her in his study going through old photographs.
Something is off with Sophie too. She is told she has said things and done things that she can’t remember doing. Could she be having a breakdown of some sort. Scott was behaving as the perfect husband. He was worried about his wife but was at his wits end. How could he protect his children.
This tale had a slow beginning. The suspense is so strong you can cut it with a knife. The main character is interesting and strong. All of the female characters were strong. The secondary characters were well fleshed out and added much to the plot. I thought I had this one all figured out until I didn’t. Author J.M. Dalgliesh threw in a twist I didn’t see coming. WOW! What a twist! I had to suspend some logic to accept the ending. But I am not always the most logical person so I’m ok with this.
This is a great thriller.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a review copyl

DNF at 40%
Thanks Netgalley and Bookoutoure for this audio arc. I’m kinda not too happy with the narration and right away the siblings Katie and her brother Chaz are just so annoying. Katie just constantly gives spoiled brat. With Katie’s behaviour with school her mom is forced to hire a tutor for her named Deanna. You can tell Scott is hiding and being secretive but ever since I started this, it dragged for me. Usually Bookoutoure really sucks me in with fast paced dramatic stuff but nothing really happened for me until halfway maybe.. I really wanted more from this.

This is an excellent psychological thriller and had many turn of events through out. I especially liked the narrator thought she did a really good narration. I was surprised with the big twist towards the end and would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a thriller. I went with 4 stars for this one purely because some of this was a bit slow in parts but the characters were well written.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this audio arc.

4.5 rounded up - a seatgripper of a thriller with a fun cast of characters and two (delicious) points of view!

Premise : a successful media journalist married to an even more powerful man welcomes a tutor into her home to help her troubled daughter, Katie. The tutor seems like the perfect help, but it doesn’t take too long before Sophie starts to wonder if Deanna might be too perfect…

Dalgliesh keeps the twists coming in this one! I was on vacation when I listened to it, but it made me not want to miss a single morning run - I had to know what happened next! The voice/style is perfect for a thriller. If you like Frieda McFadden, Daniel Hurst, Gemma Rogers, etc. give this one a whirl!

Narrated by Alison Campbell and Tamsin Kennard (who always delivers!) the audiobook is a real treat and the perfect accompaniment for a workout (those twists will have you breaking PRs on sprints from all the adrenaline!) or errands. They’re so talented at the voices that it sounds like way more than two readers! And they’re both just so lovely to listen to

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Homewrecker is a psychological mindf&ck thriller following Sophie who has the perfect family. A successful husband and two perfect kids. But behind closed doors the family are trying to deal with their 12-year-old daughter Katie who is rebelling dangerously and they are concerned about her future. Luckily Deanna a tutor swoops in to help Katie better herself but is that all Deanna is trying to do? Sophie does not trust her and will do everything it takes to stop this homewrecker from trying to break her family apart.
If you are a lover of slow burns, then this book is right up your alley. For me the first quarter of the book was cementing and fleshing out the characters. We get overly familiarized with each family member and get an idea of how cracks are forming in the home.
Our main character Sophie had me stressed out! I kept shouting for her to ‘do this or do that’ and as much as I was rooting for her she at times grated on my last nerves. But I cant be too mad at her because babygirl was being GASLIGHTED like no other!
Just as I was trying to digest one information… BOOM a whiplash twist came out of nowhere! I was being bamboozled left right and centre. I did not predict the ending and I love that, but I am also slightly peeved because it was extremely far fetched and ludicrous that it kind of ruined the semi ‘realistic’ aspect I had originally felt from the book.
Minus the implausible ending I really enjoyed the flow of this book and it was so hard to put down. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book had me seesawing between 3 & 4 stars. Overall, it was good, and the twist at the end was surprising, but it never had me truly pulled in. The beginning was slow. The characters felt flat & unrealistic. The pace picked up around 40% & I became more interested. From 40%-75%, I was entertained, but something was still off. I kept thinking, "Would any real person do this?" or "We're really going to forget that happened & not question further?" The video call incident & how it was handled - or not handled - irritated me the most.

The ending, while surprising, was absurd. I rolled my eyes several times with a sarcastic "Okay, suuuure." My last paragraph, past the spoiler warnings below, will obviously contain spoilers. Before I get to that, let me first say that, because I really had no idea how this would end, and the majority of it was entertaining, I would read another book by this author. This one just wasn't for me. Now, SPOILERS TO FOLLOW...

SPOILERS COMING
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DO NOT READ PAST THIS IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS!

What absolutely killed me about this ending was how the children were involved. It was already hard to believe Sophie was so unaware of the fact she was being drugged, that the "dead" women, along with one's sister (so she never met Scott & he didn't see a pic of her or even hear her name mentioned when he and Cecilia were married??), came up with this idea for revenge, after waiting YEARS without their own children.

Even with those details, it could've worked, but having the mothers involve the kids ruined it for me. I could even SLIGHTLY believe the son being involved, based on his age, but no way would that work with a 12-year-old, especially with her only knowing the 2 parents she's grown up with. She wouldn't be so easily swayed into believing a stranger is her real mother or that her father is not her real father, much less go along with the whole, ridiculous plan. And bludgeoning the man to death, right in front of her?? No fucking way.

Sophie and Scott are living the dream—a beautiful house, successful careers, and two children. But trouble is brewing beneath the surface.

Their daughter Katie hates her mom, their daughter's tutor Deanna has secrets, and Scott isn't as charming as he seems. Sophie is struggling with memory loss and strange sightings, and it's clear that something sinister is at play.

While I was eager to solve the mystery, the middle part was lengthy, and I considered skipping ahead. It was a wild ride! I'm glad I didn't skip any parts. However, I didn't enjoy the ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the free ALC.

A slow burn but I could not put it down. I was not expecting that twist at the end. Not even close to what I thought was going to happen! Fantastic book!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+⭐
Homewrecker by J M Dalgliesh, an audiobook narrated by Alison Campbell and Tamsin Kennard is an absolutely heart-pounding and suspenseful psychological thriller with, for shore, a gasp-out-loud twist! I was not expecting this ending at all! Seriously, I literally stopped what I was doing with a loud "NOOO"! The suspense at the end probably rocketed my blood pressure sky-high!
All the way through I thought I knew where all this was going. I was positive that I saw that twist coming! I was so wrong! I was so, so wrong!
Oh my, oh my, oh my!
This was twisted so nicely, so unexpectedly! Everything finally made sense!

Sophie has a great career as a morning TV presenter, has gorgeous children, twelve-year-old Katie and first-year uni student Chazz, and a successful husband Scott. They live in a perfect house in London and from the outside looks like their life is absolutely perfect. But we know that nothing is perfect!
When Katie gets in trouble in her school, again, no options are left, just homeschooling. Unfortunitelly with both busy careers, this is not an option so they need outside help.
This is where Deanna arrives - young, smart and charismatic. She captures Katie's attention straight away and it's evident that Scott adores her.
Sophie tries to find a replacement but has no success so she must save what's hers no matter what! Unfortunitelly things get complicated when Deanna moves in! Now Sophie is on her own...

I am happy to give 5 stars when I love the book but when I am blown away, this is the time to give 6 stars! And I know it's a made-up thing but it's my thing and if you follow me you know, I am blown away or emotionally destroyed to give out 6 stars!

I am truly grateful to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this book! It made my day!

Just like tornados wreck homes, this home wrecker is a doozy of a 'twister', with a real whirlwind of an ending.

Sophie and Scott have the perfect lifestyle with two attractive children, a beautiful home etc. Perfect, that is, if you leave out possible infidelity, recurrent suspicions, a problematic child who gets suspended from school - and the list goes on.

When they bring Deanna into their home in the hope of finding out what is going on with their daughter Katie, Sophie soon finds that she is instead wondering what is going on with Deanna.

Why is the woman constantly sneaking around, sharing conspiratorial secrets with Katie, and appearing to flirt with Scott? Because if Deanna thinks Sophie's going to roll over and let her take over the life she's worked so hard to build, she has another think coming...

This story uses dual narratives well, but the pacing was a little uneven - some judicious editing was definitely in order. But the writer does do a great job of casting suspicions in all directions and delivering an unexpected ending.

Really great narration, it was like I was listening to a tv show or movie. The story maintained suspense. However I personally found the story to drag on, and be a bit tedious. I don’t think that the parts came together smoothly.

I love the narration with this one. I love the drama. I did not love the characters at all.
I hated Scott and I love books where I hate the husband. Sophie is dealing with issues with her daughter, an absolute mess at work, and this terrible husband, as well as guilt over a secret she is keeping.
Diana's perspectives added another layer of mystery.

I love the dramatic ending.
I especially liked the epilogue.

Well I thought it started quite well. Interesting enough premise and I liked the way it was written but I soon got a little bored.
Not enough was happening over too short of a time and I did not like the ending at all. I know we all stretch reality a bit when reading but none of what happened rang at all true for me in any way (without giving spoilers).