4.5 ☆

I LOVE Keri's books, and this one did not disappoint! I was lucky to get a Netgalley copy of this and am writing the review for all of you here!

This book had me literally taking sick time off work! I was hooked and didn't want to stop reading! I could tune out anything whenever I had this book in my hands!

In typical Keri fashion.... you will think you have it figured out, BUT you don't! I found myself talking myself out of the "truth" almost as often as I felt confident in knowing the ending. I was completely wrong! This book does wrap up all loose ends nicely, which is appreciated for my anxious mind that "just needs to know."

I wish the ending had slowed a little bit with more depth, which is why I felt 4.5 out of 5 was a must. These were just so many complexities and layers that I felt like the end just arrived and settled.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book and I hope everyone gives it a shot! Amazing job!!!

Keri Beevis knows how to grab the reader and immerse them in the story. You find yourself out of breath or holding your breath until the very end. This is not a book you will be able to put down!!

Fun! Suspenseful and twisted! I enjoyed this story and was genuinely surprised by the end. I wasn't sure where it was going until I was there.

Harper Reed is a recently widowed author looking for love on a few dating apps. Trying to move on from her husband's death was difficult, made even harder by the fact that he was found deceased with her best friend in the car, carrying out what she assumed was an affair.

What is really going on here? There were definitely some dark moments in this book. 100% recommend! For fans of Freida McFadden and Kiersten Modglin will love this title! Especially if you're looking for something a tad darker.

I don’t think it’s possible for Keri Beevis to write a novel I won’t immediately consume and love!

This one instantly hooked me and kept me glued to the book until the very last word.

I feel this one has a very unique storyline, unlike her other works, showing Beevis’ desire to evolve and grow as a writer.

This was darkly atmospheric, enthralling, and creepy! I was so thankful my husband was reading in bed at the same time I was when I got to the doorbell scene - so delightfully creepy!

Anyone who enjoys thrillers needs to check this out! And if you haven’t already binged ALL books from Keri Beevis as I have, I recommend you do so immediately!

3.5 stars

The Cottage By The Sea by Keri Beevis is a mystery about a woman who loses her husband in a car accident, and tries to move on using a dating app.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Boldwood Books and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
It's been two years since Harper's husband Charlie and her best friend Ashley were both killed in a car accident.  Since then, Harper has been struggling to move on, her grief overwhelming, and her bitterness toward Ashley's relationship with her husband traumatizing.

When a friend insists it is time to move on, Harper joins a dating app.  She has a lot to learn, and quickly meets some strange and dangerous characters.  She also meets Luke, although not through the app, who she thinks may be "the one".  However. when strange things start happening, her paranoia doesn't allow her to trust anyone.

Her paranoia may be well-founded.  She has been finding out a whole lot more about her deceased husband than she ever knew....and none of it good!


My Opinions:
I was actually pleasantly surprised by the book.  When I realized it was about a dating app (ie romance), I was not looking forward to it.  However, it turned out to be more mystery than romance.  A little more suspense would have been nice.

I didn't particularly like Harper, as I felt she made some really stupid decisions, and everyone kept secrets.  It was annoying.  Apparently she had no "survival" instincts, because she was so paranoid.  However, the actual plot was very good, and there were enough suspects to keep me guessing.  The story is told from both Harper's perspective, and that of the stalker/sadist.

My main issue with this book was the pace.  It moved really, really, really slow!  I felt like I was reading for weeks, and it definitely took away from the plot/suspense.  However, it did pick up eventually (maybe the last 25%).

Anyway, it wasn't a bad book, but it could have been better.

The first thing I thought while reading this was, wow the main character truly has terrible luck with men. Some of their behavior was so shocking. This was an easy-to-read thriller that truly had so many twists and turns, at times I felt it was slightly unrealistic. Towards the end, the author did a great job tying things together. I loved the addition of her rescue dog, Bailey, and I was so thankful she was unharmed during the entire book.

I have always enjoyed Keri Beevis books, and while this one was not my favorite, it definitely had a great creepy factor that is consistent throughout all of her work.
 
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own

Review posted on Goodreads

Wow! Gripping, fast paced nail biter! Once again Keri Beevis has knocked it out of the park! This book was about a woman whose husband and best friend was killed in a car crash TOGETHER. She is ready to get out into the dating world and now......strange things start happening to her. Nothing is ever what it seems......and what happens in the dark is now out in the light. Hold on tight this one will leave you hanging on to every page!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Keri Beevis for allowing me an ARC of The Cottage by the Sea. I have always been a huge fan of Keri Beevis work. I have read and loved six of her other books. This one was no different. This book had me on my toes the entire book. I always thought I would know how it ended, but twists just kept coming! The nature of the book was super frightening! Overall, I gave this book 5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller read!

I loved this story and right up to the end I was on the edge of my seat! This was my kind of book with nonstop action. There was so much going on and I loved every second of it. If you like a twisty, psychological thriller, this one is for you.
Many thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Nothing is what it seems. A good psychological thriller. Although Harper's character annoyed me at times for her weakness and constant self-doubt, I was just waiting for realization to hit her. She doubted everything and everyone around her. She was also quick to jump to conclusions about people. I could relate to her experiences with online dating. I've found far more toads than princes. This is one of those books that makes several people look like the killer, until they are eliminated down to the real one. Goes to show you never really know someone. Keeps you on edge trying to figure things out.

What a thriller!!

There’s lots going on in this book. Lots of different male characters to remember but it all gels in the latter quarter of the book.

I could actually see this book becoming a movie.

Thank you for this ARC!!

3.5 Stars!!

The Cottage by the Sea was a rollercoaster of emotions. Harper lost her husband and best friend to a car accident two years ago. They had been together in the car, and she didn't question it much. However, once she starts dating again, secrets regarding her husband start to come forward. She thinks that they may have been having an affair. While she wants to uncover all of the secrets, she ends up learning more than what she bargained for. The secrets are what kept me hooked. She was so sure that she knew her husband, but we start to realize that she didn't know him as well as she thought.

What didn't work for me was how slow the beginning felt. Once I hit the halfway mark, It was a turn of events that kept me hooked. I think the beginning was drawn out too long before we reached a turning point. Also, I guessed who the man was before we were told. I love to be shocked, and it takes away the suspense a bit when I'm not.

Overall, this was an eerie psychological thriller that I'm sure others will enjoy!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for the book #TheCottageByTheSea by #KeriBeeves. Harper is still dealing with her husband’s death after two years. He, Charlie, and her best friend, Alicia, were in a car wreck together. She is convinced they were having an affair. Harper is finally ready to start dating and joins a dating website. Everyone she tries to date turns into a disaster. She is about to give up when she meets a new man, but is he all that he is cracked up to be?

I do love a good psychological thriller and Keri Beevis always writes great ones! I think this is the fourth or fifth book of hers I’ve read.
This one is set in Norfolk and our main character is Harper Reed, who is 37, a widow, and an author of romantic novels. She lives alone in a big house with her cocker spaniel Bailey. After a traumatic two years trying to deal with her husband’s death, she is learning to leave the house again, now she has a dog. Persuaded by her best friend Megan, who lives in London, she joins an online dating site.
As she begins dating, strange things start happening, as if there has been someone in her garden. She has a couple of bad experiences dating, but eventually finds someone who seems lovely.
Her husband Charlie died in a car crash with her best friend Alicia and as she finally sorts out his rooms, she realises he has been keeping secrets from her.
Well, I can’t really tell you much else, you just have to read it yourself! So much happens, you are constantly trying to work out who in Harper’s life is actually genuine and trustworthy. It’s such an intriguing story and very easy to get into, as straight away, you want to find out more.
I tried online dating myself a few years back and I thought I’d had some bad experiences, but this book just reminded me that things could have been a lot worse!
The Cottage by the Sea – despite its idyllic sounding title – is very unnerving and a real twisty-turny thriller which will have you guessing and second guessing all the time. It’s exciting, fast-paced, and a wonderful page turner. Highly recommended.

I haven’t read a psychological thriller that literally made my toes curl for a long time; this one had me do it more than once. You have been warned. That being said, it is a belter of a book & went in some directions that I really wasn’t expecting. Yet another stonking standalone from this author.

Harper’s husband died two years ago, as a result of a car crash, her friend was a passenger & died instantly. She has never been certain why they were together & suspected an affair but her best friend, Megan, has convinced her that it is time to move on & persuades her to try online dating. Some comedic moments due to this decision but also some shocking ones, suffice it to say not all the dates were successful.

A gripping read with some fairly graphic, but necessary, descriptions as Harper discovers who her husband really was. The story could have gone so differently but I’m glad it didn’t. I do think I need to read something light & fluffy now. Read it & find out why.

Beevis is to books what Mr Kipling is to cakes and she certainly does know how to write exceedingly good books!

The Cottage by the Sea is an edge of your seat thriller that slowly builds in pace with each turn of the page, building to a crescendo with each revelation. It's narrated from multiple POV, has some fantastic characterisations and suspense in spades.

It's dark, disturbing and decidedly delicious, making it my favourite of the Beev's books to date!

Harper's hidden herself away since the sudden death of her husband and friend in a car accident, and why were they in the same car anyway when he was supposed to be working? Now though, she needs to get herself sorted out, royalties from her previous books aren't going to keep paying the bills, she needs to get back to writing, start going out again and start dating. So she starts to work on her next book, adopts Bailey (an adorable spaniel who if Keri kills off I will find her) and joins the dating site IntoYou - where her friend Megan met her husband. As she starts to get the hang of swiping and hearting profiles, she starts to realise that people can be whoever they want to be online, that maybe she didn't know her husband as well as she thought she did, and maybe there's danger closer to home than she ever thought....

It's creepy. Creepy, sinister, heart-racing, scary, unputdownable and creepy. Did I say creepy? EVERYONE was suspected as being the creepy creep, I'm never doing online dating or just being in my house alone in the dark ever again, and now I trust no one. Especially the genius (creepy) mind that came up with this - still keeping an eye on you Keri. In all seriousness, Harper is a great character, the whole stalkery/paranoia vibes was well written and unsettling, and the absolute unrelentingly thrill-ride of part 3 kept me from my bed longer than it should have. Just buy it. Quick. Go.

Review also posted to Goodreads but unable to link account

Keri Beevis is one of those authors I can depend on to deliver an engaging thriller and The Cottage by the Sea is no exception. I was immediately immersed in the plot of Harper, a widow who found out her husband was cheating on her after a fatal car crash two years ago, has been coerced by her friend into an online dating service. Harper seems very naive and in my mind the stage was set for Keri to take the reins, which she certainly did. Harper made some poor choices early on, again being very naive.
The sinister POV chapters from the stalker definitely had the ultimate sick serial killer vibe. The coming events were very predictable but the identity of the stalker kept me reading just one more chapter until the conclusion. So sad that there truly are sick sadistic predators like this in our world but books like this always serve to open eyes to the dangers inherent in online dating.
Many many thanks to Keri Beevis, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for providing me with the pleasurable opportunity to read an arc of this engaging psychological thriller…four heart stopping stars for this read.

This was a great book with plenty of ups and downs and creepy moments which I enjoyed. A very twisty story and at times I didn't know which way it was going. The ending surprised me and I loved it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I went into this book expecting a cozy mystery, but around 60% in, it took a chilling turn with the introduction of a creepy serial killer. The shift wasn’t just surprising—it was brilliantly executed, with the author delving into the unsettling and twisted psyche of the killer in a way that really heightened the tension. While I loved the intensity once the story got there, I do wish the pacing had picked up a bit earlier on. Overall, the buildup was worth it, and I ended up really enjoying the darker twists!