Hannah sits at Heathrow airport ready to greet her husband of eight months, realising he is not on the flight she expected she waits for the next one to arrive from JFK. In the early hours of the morning she returns home worried and alone. Instantly I was able to imagine myself in a similar situation and measure Hannah’s behaviour to how I believe I would behave, in short sympathise with her. When she finally receives word from Mark, it is to tell her that he will be away for the weekend without a phone. At this point Hannah begins to question her marriage and how much she actually knows about Mark.
Hannah is not a particular complex character but she has a dread of turning into her mother; a wife who drove her husband mad with her constant snooping and accusations of adultery until he left. Her brother Tom is a good secondary character with a much more balanced view of life.
I enjoyed this read, travelling in Hannah’s footsteps as she turns up clue after clue, desperately wanting to believe that she is being paranoid, just like her mother was. With the tension heightened, as mad as an angry fishwife I was as keen as Hannah to hear Mark’s explanation. Unfortunately for Hannah her mind is not put completely at ease and she continues to question her marriage.
As this book hurtles towards its denouement you could be forgiven that you have finished by reading a different type of book than the one you started as things take a turn of the thriller variety. For once I had worked out the twist before it happened which is highly unusual but instead of disappointing me I gave myself a pat on the back!
A well-paced plot and although I was left feeling that there were some unanswered questions it was an enjoyable read and one that I would recommend to other lovers of psychological thrillers.
Due to be published on 6 January 2014, by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. who gave me a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
We have quite a few books in common…I loved The Bookstore…I think I will be a new follower of your blog!
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Thank you for the follow, I do hope you’ll find lots more that you will enjoy – The Bookstore was an outstanding read!
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I enjoyed reading your review. Even thought you anticipated the ending, it sounds like an enjoyable read.
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It is a good read which picks up pace dramatically towards the end! Thank you for your comment 🙂
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Timing is everything! This book came to my notice this morning and I read a review and dismissed the idea of purchasing; however, your post has changed my mind. I will shortly be off to Amazon to press the ‘buy’ button. Love your blog – love to discuss books!
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Welcome Kate and thank you! Glad I got the timing right for you, it is well worth a read. Many thanks for your kind comments! 🙂
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I love books that start out with an ordinary event (seemingly) that turn into thrillers. I can already imagine some of the scenarios playing out, so I must read this one!
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It is a really good device for getting to know a character and then judging how you would behave in the same situation. I actually quite liked Hannah and the way she behaved was pretty much as I would have done. I recommend this one!
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This sounds quite intriguing. I don’t usually guess twists either, so if I do, it doesn’t tend to ruin the book for me unless it’s super obvious or something! I’m starting to really get into psychological thrillers though!
Lauren from http://www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com
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I enjoyed it and I don’t think it was obvious I was just cleverer than normal 🙂 There are some great psychological thrillers about and I love them!
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Wow, the premise is really interesting! It sounds like Before We Met has a lot of good things going for it aside from the plot, including a relatable protagonist and strong secondary characters. I haven’t read many psychological thrillers, but your review definitely makes me want to look into the genre more. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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This is a good one. I prefer them when you get under the character’s skin before it all goes wrong and it was a setting I could relate to! Thanks for stopping by Sophie. 🙂
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Sounds like a good thriller!
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It was a great read thank you. That was spooky I’ve just been reading (and commenting on your reads for the week)
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Ooh I quite like the sound of this. I love psychological thrillers, and, like you, I could instantly put myself in the protagonist’s place which is a great start. Thanks for the recommendation!
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You are welcome Claire, definitely one of the better ones for a quick connection with the protagonist!
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I have read all of Lucy whitehouse books and enjoyed them all., But I did not know she had Before We Met out but thanks to you I do now. Another book to add to my list. from ireadnovels.wordpress.com.
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Oh you’ll enjoy this one, I haven’t read her previous ones but the reviews I’ve read say this is better!
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Great review. Another blogger is sharing this one with me and now I can’t wait to get a copy!
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Lucky you – I think you’ll enjoy this one 🙂
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I think I will too!
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Great review. A book I hope to read!
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