I was happy my husband died, but I couldn’t admit it, otherwise people might think I killed him.
Before
Olivia knows she is lucky. She has a loving husband, Frank, an adorable son, Jake, and a beautiful new home. It couldn’t be more different from her childhood on the outskirts of Whitaker, dirt poor and dreaming of getting out. But at the end of long days with no one to talk to, always feeling like she’s not quite good enough, she starts to wonder if there’s a better life waiting…
After
Everyone in Whitaker knows who Olivia is. She’s the woman who left her family for no-good Dane Miller—and the one who most likely shot him. Now, there’s gossip about her everywhere she goes, she’s too scared to leave the house most days, and she barely gets to see her beloved son. How can a perfect life fall apart so quickly? And, when you have nothing to lose, how far will you go to save yourself?
An absolutely gripping, heart-pounding suspense novel about bad choices and second chances. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, Karin Slaughter and Lisa Gray.
Before
Olivia knows she is lucky. She has a loving husband, Frank, an adorable son, Jake, and a beautiful new home. It couldn’t be more different from her childhood on the outskirts of Whitaker, dirt poor and dreaming of getting out. But at the end of long days with no one to talk to, always feeling like she’s not quite good enough, she starts to wonder if there’s a better life waiting…
After
Everyone in Whitaker knows who Olivia is. She’s the woman who left her family for no-good Dane Miller—and the one who most likely shot him. Now, there’s gossip about her everywhere she goes, she’s too scared to leave the house most days, and she barely gets to see her beloved son. How can a perfect life fall apart so quickly? And, when you have nothing to lose, how far will you go to save yourself?
An absolutely gripping, heart-pounding suspense novel about bad choices and second chances. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, Karin Slaughter and Lisa Gray.
Look at that cover, isn't it something else. So - i am sure you can see i have been reading alot of sweet chic lit summer reads and i needed something with meat to dig into and i when i saw this book was recommended for fans of Gone Girl i knew this would be a good place to start.
Olivia has the ideal life, coming from a place of slightly turbulent childhood she finds herself now mixing with those with money. She has a fantastic husband, a house many can only dream of and a wonderful son. She has made herself something she isnt but its the future she wants. So when life takes a turn and she leaves her husband for the no good Dane - turns her family upside down and becomes wild party girl, it still comes as a shock when Dane turns up dead.
Everyone knows Olivia as the one who left her loving husband and is now been questioned for murder bringing alot of drama on her family that she left behind. Yet there is much more to Olivia than that. On the outside that is how she is represented but as a reader we spend alot of time with her and discover her struggles after a horrific accident leaves her in pain and her mental health in tatters. Olivia is struggling day to day in how she feels with herself and her relationship with her husband. Dane offers hope and excitement out of the mundane. However as the case is reopened into the death of Dane we see her become increasingly more fragile and frantic as she battles to find answers.
I felt for Olivia she was written with such depth, she was so multi layered and we discover her before and after the death of her new husband Dane. We also meet Frank - Olivias first husband and Dane her second one over the time frame. Whilst we don't see things from their POV we see how both of them impact Olivia and the person she was and the person she became. Yet i found throughout the whole book the main focus was Olivia.
This book was tense, it was thrilling and very much enjoyable. Whilst i found you really had to work for answers i found it very easy to commit to getting them. The plot was nicely spread with an equal split of before and after as we head towards the conclusion. There was a good amount of twists and turns throughout the narrative which means not everything is clear cut. There was a certain amount of mystery as its essentially a who done it read.
It was a great debut by the author and i really liked her writing style, i felt she handled some of the topics that arose in a nature that i felt (despite not experiencing them myself) was a realistic and honest way. I felt she spent a good time leading the reader towards our answers but keeping the mystery from us. I really am looking forward to her next release in June because i think there is alot still to come from Miranda.
I was gifted an e-arc from netgalley and this does not influence my review.
If you would like your own copy head to amazon here
Miranda Smith writes domestic and psychological suspense. Her debut, SOME DAYS ARE DARK, was released in March 2020. Her second book, GOOD GIRL, will be published in June 2020. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and children.
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