The Clinic is an utterly wild rollercoaster of a thriller that does not ever, for a second, let up on the drama.

@carareinard has created the most perfect popcorn thriller with this book. This is a plot that is serving the most fantastically insane level of drama that is completely addictive to read. I was genuinely, full on shocked more than once by some of the twists in this book and I really, really love when that happens.

Take a lead character with Emily, who is an embryologist whose career has been her life, and who hadn’t thought about having children, until her ex Ben steps into her office for IVF treatment with his new wife Ally. Cue. The. Soap. Opera. Drama.

No spoilers (this book deserves starting it totally blind to expectations, I promise it’s more fun that way), but this book is chaotic and nuts and absolutely fabulous fun to read. A perfect escapism pick for when you need to shut off the world and dive into something that will keep you hooked through the very last pages.

Many thanks to @bookouture for inviting me on the tour! And @carareinard - I cannot wait to see that you cook up next.

Having toured with The Wife at the Window I had a good idea of what to expect from Reinard and her writing. She didn't disappoint.

It's a fast paced thriller set in the world of the fertility clinic where couples come for IVF and the dreams of making their family complete. However, as you'd expect with this being a thriller, not everything is as plain sailing as it looks.

The characters are morally grey and I found I couldn't take to any of them. But, this didn't distract whatsoever from my enjoyment of the book.

If you can suspend disbelief and just go with the flow, The Clinic is a dark and enjoyable thriller and I wouldn't hesitate in recommending both book and author.

This novel is very dark, tence and twisted. I never knew what was coming next and the ending was interesting. 🤔 I really enjoyed reading this book. However, I felt like some parts of the story dragged a little to much. At the end I wanted more of the story.
Overall, I give this book 3.5 rounded up to a 4
Big thanks to Netgalley, Cara Reinard and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy for review.

This book held my attention well. It was an interesting tale of working in a clinic for IVF treatments. Emily is living a decent life, knowing that someday she will create her own baby using the frozen embryo's that she had removed before she underwent cancer several years ago. All was well that is until her ex boyfriend and his wife show up in her folder box in the clinic. That sends Emily into a tail spin, and the things that she does in the following months is crazy. The ending was a little shocking to me, but the book was great.

If you have any work to do please do not start this book. It had me riveted to my seat the whole time. Looking forward to the next book by Cara Reinard.

First, I want to thank Cara Reinard, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

WOW!! The Clinic was an incredibly fascinating read as Cara Reinard took us behind the scenes of a couple going through an IVF Journey. She did an amazing job educating us by detailing everything that was happening. Not to mention pulling out the emotions of the characters as well. This was a good read and needs to be put on your TBR List.

I loved how this book was set in Pittsburgh as I am a huge fan of the area as my Sister and her family live there. I had to smile every time she mentioned the Steelers or Cranberry.

Cara mentions the Lifetime Movie Switched at Birth in the book and I remembered that movie fondly as that was one of my fave’s.

Oh I wouldn’t have wanted to be Emily when I found out my next IVF couple was my ex and his new wife!! How awkward that would.

The Clinic is fast paced, addictive, has a lot of twists and turns, etc.

I haven’t disliked a main character like Emily for a long time.
Emily has a savior complex and that’s just one of her flaws. She also needs serious help!
I knew what she was going to do long before she did it.
It was very unethical to treat her ex’s wife but that’s just the beginning.
The ending left me hanging because I wanted to know what harkened with Ally and Ben!!!

Emily works as an embryologist working in a fertility clinic. Emily herself has suffered cancer in the past, and at that time had had her eggs frozen. She is single, but had hoped one day in the future to use her eggs, and have a child.
She is at work the day that her ex boyfriend, Ben, comes in with his wife, Ally, to discuss IVF treatment for them. The thought that Ben and Ally may have a child before Emily herself does, causes her biological clock to speed up, and she decides she wants to start treatment herself.
I found the story to be a little far fetched in places, but as a psychological thriller, it did bring out the desires and emotions of Emily, Ben, and Ally, and I thought it was an enjoyable read. I haven't read any other books by this author before, but will look for them in the future.

What a twisted plot! This was a quick read, and hard to put down. I was thoroughly engaged waiting to see what would happen next, was the truth going to come out? Emily’s choices sometimes frustrated me, I wasn’t sure where the story was going to end up, and I have to say I was surprised by the ending! Really well written, I look forward to reading more from this author.

The Clinic by Cara Reinard is another fast-paced, and well plotted story with some shocking twists. It was hard to put down and easy to devour.
The characters are well drawn, and the story is well structured.
The author has done a good job in creating the mystery and thrilling aspects of the story.

Interesting twist on a story with a fascinating thread. Emily is an embryologist who cannot have children and her ex-husband and his new wife show up to her clinic for services. What could go wrong? As it turns out, plenty!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Emily works at a fertility clinic and it is there that her ex and his new wife turn up, as they want to go through IVF. The only problem is Emily wants her own baby, so will she be able to go through with helping them?

I won’t say too much about this one so that it doesn’t spoil the story. I was really drawn into the premise of this and thought it sounded like it would be a compelling read. While the story started as a generic thriller, it went in some dark and crazy directions and there were some serious topics explored.

The characters were written well, however I didn’t feel an immediate connection with them. I also found the ending to be very sudden. Although I felt there was something missing, this was an entertaining story overall. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

This was definitely a quick read and was hard to put down. I was thoroughly engaged waiting to see what would happen next in this psychological thriller. Emily was definitely aggravating with some of her choices and I have to say I was surprised by the ending. I should have guessed but somehow I didn't.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Bookouture for this advance copy!

In this compelling novel, Emily, a skilled yet emotionally conflicted embryologist, is unexpectedly forced to confront her own lingering feelings when her former lover, Ben, walks into her clinic with his wife, Allyson, to start IVF. Emily’s complex feelings blur the line between her professional obligations and personal desires, leading her to take steps that challenge both her ethical boundaries and her own understanding of motherhood. But what begins as an emotionally tense reunion quickly spirals as the fragile dynamics within Ben and Allyson’s marriage come to light, revealing secrets, insecurities, and unexpected betrayals.

What makes this story so absorbing is the author’s choice to alternate between Emily and Allyson’s perspectives, highlighting the stark contrast between the lives they project to the world and the internal battles they wage in private. Both characters are deeply flawed, each wrestling with personal insecurities and misconceptions about motherhood, family, and fulfillment. This layered narrative adds an intriguing depth, drawing readers into a rare exploration of ambition, desire, and the often-unseen emotional complexities of fertility treatments.

A refreshingly unique topic for this genre, this novel will leave readers questioning their own notions of love, loyalty, and the lengths people go to fulfill their dreams.

Emily has been told she can't have children after undergoing treatment for breast cancer. The irony of the matter is that she is a leading embryologist where her job day in day out is helping other families conceive.

Emily is kicking herself for not having children with her ex Ben over a decade previously before she got sick. Ben then got married and dropped off the radar. Emily is out for dinner with her best friend when she drops a bomb by confirming that Ben has returned to town with his wife and taken up a new job.

We also follows Ally's story. Ally is Ben's wife and they've moved across the country at Ben's request and started IVF even though Ally has strong opinions against using IVF due to her religious beliefs. Their relationship appears quite fractured and I couldn't help but wonder that perhaps this couple weren't in the best place to be starting a family.

What was difficult for me with this book is that the two main protagonists, Emily and Ally, are both not particularly likeable. They are not characters I felt I could relate to in any way and they are very flawed. I did feel for their desperation though and found myself rooting for them to try and get some kind of a happy resolution towards the end.

The story seems quite far fetched, but it is very entertaining. It is definitely a bit of a twisted story, and I found myself multiple times saying to myself 'no surely not, that surely can't happen'. I didn't really know where the story was heading and it ended a bit abruptly. I feel like there are quite a few unanswered questions so perhaps a sequel is on the cards? Overall though an entertaining read with an interesting plot and some characters to dislike along the way!

This was an intense and compelling story full of twists and turns. My only complaint was I really didn’t like the main protagonist, Emily, but the author did do a good job at portraying her desperation. Not my favourite, but still a decent enough read.

3.75 rounded up. This book enticed me as I have read a few thrillers in the past that revolve around IVF. This book hooked me from the beginning and I found it very hard to put down. Overall this book was very fast paced for me, and I would recommended this if you want a fun fast read. I also enjoyed trying to figure out all the different twists.

Thank you NetGalley, Cara Reinard, and Bookoture for this ARC.

As a career-driven embryologist in one of the country's most successful IVF clinics, Emily has always seen a family in her distant future, but when her ex-boyfriend comes back to town with his wife and the two of them show up at Emily's clinic, she feels some pressure to move her timeline up a bit and make her dreams a reality a lot sooner.

This book was interesting for me because there were absolutely zero likable characters. Everyone in this book is extremely self-centered or just morally bankrupt and it made for kind of a weird story because you can't root for anyone- or at least I couldn't. That being said, I think the story had an interesting concept as far as a scientist fighting her conscious concerning an issue as serious as infertility. I definitely thought this book was going a certain way but it ended up being completely different. The middle dragged a bit for me but the end was full of twists and turns and wrapped it up nicely, definitely set itself for a sequel. I would probably read a sequel to this book but would really want a likable character or at least to be given some reason to root for someone.

Overall, not my favorite book from this author, but a fun quick read for sure. I think this one would hit well with people who enjoys the big twists of Freida McFadden books.

This was my first book by Cara Reinard and I shall definitely be looking out for more books by her, what a crazy, unpredictable ride this was, so enjoyable!

Emily is extremely good at her job as an Embryologist, so much so that she is employed at one of the most successful fertility clinics in the country. However, she has sacrificed a lot to get where she is in her career, one huge sacrifice was breaking up with her college boyfriend, Ben, so she could move countries to be a graduate intern for Sir Robert Edward, a world renown embryo fertility specialist. She now feels this was a huge mistake as she is still alone, and she is very aware of her own biological clock ticking. She has also battled breast cancer in her late twenties and, as a result, had to freeze her eggs to preserve her dream of someday becoming a mother herself. Without warning Ben shows up at her clinic with his wife, Ally, after moving into the area. Ally and Ben have been trying to start a family without success after Ally has suffered 4 miscarriages and they both are just desperate for a healthy pregnancy to make them a little family, and so decide to begin IVF. This suddenly makes Emily want to start her own IVF treatment as quickly as possible as, as petty as it sounds, she wants to be pregnant before Ally is. Thus, the two women both begin IVF treatment to become mothers, Ally with Ben and Emily going through it alone albeit with a sperm donor. Will both Ally and Ben and Emily manage to achieve their dreams of starting a family or will one or both be left with negative pregnancy test results and their dreams in shatters?! Or will the conflict of interest cause problems for both patients?!

Well, this was a fun, albeit pretty messed up, story that definitely kept me intrigued! I was hooked very early on in the story and actually found the story very informative considering that my husband and I are due to start on a fertility journey of our own soon. I will just add that I am fully aware that this was fiction and not necessarily 100% clinically correct (as per the authors note at the end) but I still found it interesting and helpful for what we shall be shortly going through especially the embryology side of things. I didn’t really warm to any of the main characters, but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story at all. There were secrets and lies everywhere and I had no idea how the story would end however I did like the ending, even though it was a little chilling.

Ultimately a good read from Cara Reinard and I shall be looking out for her books in the future, I already have another one of her books on my TBR list. I would definitely recommend this for any fans of psychological thrillers. A well deserved 4 star rating.

Thank you to NetGalley, Cara Reinard and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out 8th November 2024.

3.5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Cara Reinard, and the publishers at Bookouture for this ARC 💖

This story was chaotic, but in a good way. It was easy to read, but a lot of the background story seemed far fetched. Still, it was entertaining.

I liked Emily’s background in genetics and her being an embryologist was pretty interesting. Her past relationship with Ben and her intrusive thoughts about him were a little annoying. I did like the introduction of Jasper, but wanted more in terms of his relationship with Emily.

Then there’s Ally and her getting caught up in her fantasies of Sebastian. I get things were difficult with Ben, and she hated living in Pittsburgh, but was that really enough reason? I feel like I was missing the resolution between her and Ben when she returned back home. But we pretty much know that she made a pact with Emily that Ben would never find out about Sebastian, and that no one would know about Emily’s affair with a married man.

The story didn’t pick up until about 70ish percent in. That’s when most of the action started happening. I was invested when Ally went missing. Was in a constant state of, “was it Ben and foul play?” or “did she finally make it to Sebastian and live happily ever after?”

The story resolved pretty quickly, but only left me with more questions once we got to the ending with Emily and her mom. Almost made me think that she had done something like this in the past. But what??

Overall, I would say that if you like psychological thrillers similar to Frieda McFadden, definitely give this one a shot. It didn’t have as many plot twists as I was expecting, and it felt like there were some gaps here and there, but otherwise still an entertaining read!