Parade’s “10 Books Written by Women We Can’t Wait to Read in 2019” | She Reads’ “Most Anticipated Thillers of Summer 2019” | Pure Wow’s “The Best Beach Reads of Summer 2019” | CrimeReads’ “The Most Anticipated Crime Books of Summer”From bestselling author Michele Campbell comes A Stranger on the Beach, an edge-of-your seat story of passion and intrigue that will keep you guessing until the very … and intrigue that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Caroline Stark’s beach house was supposed to be her crowning achievement: a lavish, expensive space to showcase what she thought was her perfect family. But after a very public fight with her husband, she realizes things may not be as perfect as they seem: her husband is lying to her, the money is disappearing, and there’s a stranger on the beach outside her house.
As Caroline’s marriage and her carefully constructed lifestyle begin to collapse around her, she turns to Aidan, the stranger, for comfort…and revenge. After a brief and desperate fling that means nothing to Caroline and everything to him, Aidan’s infatuation with Caroline, her family, and her house becomes more and more destructive. But who is manipulating whom in this deadly game of obsession and control? Who will take the blame when someone ends up dead…and what is Caroline hiding?
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I loved this book! Through the first part of it, the author did an outstanding job of planting seeds that made me doubt who was telling the truth and who was lying. At any given moment, I could swing my “allegiance to the truth” between Aidan and Caroline. By Chapter 26, I was convinced that Aidan was a creepy stalker. By Chapter 42, my notes read, “Wth is going on?” and “What’s real and what isn’t?” And by 52, my notes were nothing but “Omg, no way!” (and variations thereof). I cannot stress what a fantastic book this was. It is an absolute page-turner and a perfect “end of summer” novel. I cannot recommend it enough. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for a complimentary, pre-release digital ARC.
Great psychological thriller told from two different points of view. This was my first book by Michele Campbell but won’t be my last! Read full review on KaitsBookshelf.com/ blog
Wow! This was one of the edge-of-your-seat psychological thrillers. I kept flipping through the pages and wondering who was telling the truth and who was completely off their rocker. The story being told from the viewpoint of two different characters…Caroline and Aidan. They are as opposite as you can imagine and I found myself leaning toward believing one person over the other based on the quality of their character. But was that a wise decision?
The author does a great job of holding your attention and having you guessing until the very end.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book had my head spinning. The story is told from two character’s points of view and throughout most of the book the recollections of their interactions were so different, I wondered if they even experienced the same events.
Obviously one of them is not a nice person but I had a really hard time determining which one it was. This book was a definite page-turner as the drama and action escalated with each chapter. A Stranger on the Beach is one book you will want to add to your summer beach read list, for sure.
Caroline sees a man staring at her house from the beach. She instantly thinks he’s casing the house out, and why not, it’s a brand new, multi-million dollar house. That’s not their only meeting, and the story revolves around the two of them.
A Stranger on the Beach was told in alternating viewpoints between our main character Caroline, and the stranger Aidan. They were very unreliable narrators and Campbell made that work well to keep the element of surprise, until about halfway through when things became obvious. Though I have read other reviews where people were completely surprised, so it might be different for each person.
While the book is centered around this stranger, Aidan, The relationship with Caroline and Jason wasn’t built solidly enough for me to warrant the big to do. The stalker aspect of Aidan, how unstable he was, added a good creepy element to the story because Caroline starts off by telling us just that vibe she got from him from their first meeting. But I couldn’t relate to Caroline and her poor choices, so I wasn’t hit in the gut with that vibe she got, which might have made the story creepier and more engaging for me. But this was a quick and easy read, a fun thriller with a mixed bag of likable and unlikable elements.
A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell was spellbinding and captivating right from the start. A psychological thriller full of surprises and unexpected twists and turns! A woman who thought she had it all. Caroline has the husband and lifestyle she always dreamed off, but things are not always what they seem. When everything begins to collapse around her, she turns to Aiden for one night. It means nothing…to her and everything to him. Suddenly more than her dreams are at stake.
A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell had me engrossed from start to finish. Told mainly in dual point-of-view, how will it all end?
Happy reading!
Michele Campbell does a great job of setting a dark, intense thriller. A Stranger On The Beach kept me on the edge on my seat, I could not turn the pages fast enough. Trying to figure out the scenario was insane, so many twist and turns making the readers tension escalate, which leads to the WTF ending. This was a well written story, the perfect beach read.
This was one fast paced thrill ride. It hooked me right from the start and didn’t let go or disappoint.
Michele Campbell did an excellent job of putting together a story that held my interest and kept me turning the pages. I was on the edge so much and had a hard time figuring out who was doing what. I usually figure out who is guilty and what happens and I admit I did in this book too. But it was in the last 10-20% of the story that it hit me what was going on. Well done. Truly well done.
When your life is on the line what will you do to live? Who can you turn to when no one believes you and it looks like the end for you? Caroline, Aiden and Jason are the three main characters in this story. They all have secrets and things that they don’t want anyone, each other included to know. Aiden has been in serious trouble before. Tommy, Aiden’s brother who was the police chief and has a secret of his own. Caroline is a rich, spoiled, use to getting her way woman that I didn’t like from the start. Jason is Caroline’s husband and one I didn’t like either. Though the husband and wife are both good characters in this book, you will learn to dislike and like all the characters. Even Caroline’s sister, brother in law and I even had some dislike for Hannah, Caroline/Jason’s daughter.
This is a very intense thriller that will make you second guess what you think throughout the book. It changes from each characters story. It’s told from Caroline and Aiden’s points and they are definitely different. One is telling the honest truth as they see it and the other is out for themself and no one else. To find out who it being honest you have got to read this book.
I felt sorry for some of the characters in this book at times. It even brought me to tears in one major scene. The love was so strong between the two characters and what was happening was so touching and honest. The characters are truly good at their part. Richly developed. You will love to hate some and hate to love some and love some without recourse. At least I did.
While the ending was one that I did figure out it took me a while. It didn’t jump out at me at all as lots of stories do. This one has enough twists to keep you guessing and possible never figuring out on your own. So well written in my opinion. A true psychological thriller. Just the kind I love to read.
Thank you to #NetGalley, #St Martine’s Press for the ARC of this book. This is my review.
A big 5 stars and a high recommendation.
I received an advanced copy of this book. This one will keep you guessing from start to finish! I highly enjoyed this book and had a VERY hard time putting it down! In this book, Caroline and Aiden have a chance meeting at local bar after she has a disaster of a party at her beach house. Things get very mixed up and confusing from there. This is a very good book and has an ending that I didn’t see coming! I LOVED this book and didn’t want it to end!
If you like psychological thrillers you don’t want to miss this book! Just when you think you might have somethings figured out, WHAM! another monkey wrench is thrown into the mix. This story is very compelling and pulls you right in until you can’t stand anymore. Excellent job! I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from Net Galley.
Yikes! This psychological thriller had me all turned around. Switching between the viewpoints of each of the main characters, this one will keep you guessing until the very end. Who is telling the truth? Who should you believe?
I am not going to say much because it is definitely one that is more fun to walk into blindly. Buckle up, because it will be quite a ride! Make sure you have time to read this one, you won’t be able to put it down.
Michele Campbell is a new author to me. In this novel, she has created a story and characters that are so intricately woven together, that I am anxious to read more of her work.
#MicheleCampbell #AStrangerontheBeach #StMartinsPress
The this is the first book I’ve read by this author and WOW!! It was really interesting told by different b. You had to pay attention because you weren’t sure who was telling the real story and who was imagining things. It kept me guessing until the end because everybody seems a little cuckoo. LOL!! Absolutely will be reading more by Ms. Campbell.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.
This book was EXCELLENT. I was hooked from the very first line and I could not stop reading. Fun, fast-paced, and completely intriguing – Michele Campbell has done it again!
There is a stranger outside Caroline’s house.
Or is he?
This story was so well-written. It’s told from two perspectives: Aiden’s and Caroline’s. Neither is a particularly reliable narrator, and you will find yourself questioning SO MANY THINGS. There were quite a few scenes which seemed to happen one way when Caroline was narrating, but then seemed to happen a completely different way when Aiden was narrating. Who’s telling the truth? What actually happened? How do Caroline’s husband, Jason, or her sister, Lynn, figure in to the story? Discovering all of this is half the fun, and I’m being very mindful of spoilers so as not to take that fun away from prospective readers!
A Stranger on the Beach is a twisted (and twisty), gripping, page-turner releasing July 23rd – just in time to take it to the beach. Add it to your TBR list now!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to preview this title early in exchange for an honest review.
Michele Campbell is a new author to me but I’m sure I will be reading more of her books. This one is a page turner for sure. Trying to figure out who was doing just what to whom in this book is definitely a challenge! Thank you so very much for the challenge!
After awarding Michele Campbell’s “She was the Quiet One” five well deserved stars, I couldn’t wait to read her latest novel “A Stranger on the Beach”.
Sadly, I was initially very disappointed, the writing style and the unnecessary smutty scenes – which in my opinion lowered the tone of what could have been a cleverly plotted and intelligently written book.
Told from two different perspectives, Caroline in the first person and Aidan in the third person, both are unreliable narrators and you’re unsure of which are to be believed. The premise of the plot involving a marriage breakdown, a one night stand and a murder does sound intriguing but for me the story didn’t get going until ‘after the storm’. This was definitely a book of two halves regarding my enjoyment, as the latter part of the story involving the police investigation did redeem itself in pace and content. I didn’t like Aidan’s lawyer and found her unrealistic and rather silly considering her reputation and the charge she was defending. All the characters were very wooden and could maybe even be described as tacky. Although this book may make a cheesy afternoon TV movie (minus the graphic love scenes), as a book, it just didn’t cut it for me.
As a whole, it was just ok and I did eventually get into it, even if near the end, hence my 3 stars award and not 2. I’ve seen lots of raving reviews from fellow reviewers, maybe it just wasn’t to my taste but I won’t give up on this author yet, as I have enjoyed her work in the past and hope she returns in the future to the writing style I liked.
3 stars
A twisty suspenseful thriller! An older married woman finding a much younger man and seduces him to the point she asks him to kill her husband. Dang! The twists and turns this books took. Is the younger man a stalker? Is the husband a cheater? Does the wife have grounds for a divorce? Where did the money go? What a web this book wove. Then you have a hurricane to throw you off the scent of murder and brothers covering up for each other, when one is the sheriff. This book is a great read for fans who want a thrill. I figured it out before the ending solve was told, so I couldn’t give 5 stars.
What the hell did I just read? I feel like I’ve been reading a lot of books with women having TONS of sex. A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell is what I would call a beach book with little plausibility.
Caroline appears to have a picture perfect life. She has a loving husband of 20 years, a smart daughter, a lavish life in New York City and now she has her dream beach house. While throwing a party at her new beach house, Caroline sees her husband arrive late to their own party and with a new woman. When she confronts her husband Jason, about this he claims the woman is a business associate. But Caroline thinks there is more than meets the eye — his dishonesty and infidelity starts to swirl.
In an attempt to drown her sorrow, Caroline starts to flirt with a sexy bartender at her local bar, Aidan. After a one night stand with Aidan, Caroline realises she’s made a horrible mistake. He isn’t the same guy from the night before and based on the way he’s acting and his dark past, Caroline knows she needs to get away from him. As the story unravels and is told from both Caroline and Aidan’s perspectives, one has to wonder who can be trusted?
I was seriously intrigued by the first half of this story, but then halfway through it I almost threw my Kindle against the wall. I mean, what the f**k Caroline? Could you get any more ridiculous? From her stupidity to her poor choices, I had absolutely no sympathy for this character at all! I couldn’t connect to her or her family and by the end of the book I wanted horrible crap to happen to her because of how naive and simple she was throughout the book.
On a positive note though, this did have it’s fair share of drama and twists. While it is slightly over the top with the plot, it is a rather entertaining book that’s fast-paced. At times it felt like a book you could bring with to the beach, but then throw into the ocean with frustration.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced, entertaining yet implausible beach read for the summer, look no further than A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell. But be prepared to truly be disappointed by the characters, the plot and dubious amounts of sex with strangers…on a beach.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Michele Campbell for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Read my full review here: https://bit.ly/2m11vCP
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of A Stranger on the Beach in exchange for an honest review.
I was very excited to receive this ARC as I have read all of Michele Campbell’s previous books. This one grabs you from the start, but soon you start to think that something is not right. The story is told from 2 perspectives – Caroline’s and Aidan’s. Caroline is a wealthy woman who is stunningly beautiful, and is having marital troubles. She notices Aidan, 15 years her junior on the beach in front of her new home. She picks him up and they have a one-night stand. Then, she tries to push Aidan away, but he is enthralled with Caroline. Everything goes south.
This is a well crafted thriller, but since I read so many, I was pretty sure what was going to happen, and I was right. Since it was so predictable for me, I can only give it 3 stars.
#AStrangerOnTheBeach #MicheleCampbell #NetGalley
A Stranger on the Beach makes some pretty big promises in the blurb. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite deliver, especially on the claim to keep you guessing. I had most of it figured out from very early on, and the rest fell into place shortly after. Predictability aside, the whole story is just a little too far over the top for my tastes. The sheer number of things that would need to line up and fall into place was just too much, and that includes a convenient hurricane. Convenient for these characters at least. In the end, this one amounted to an eye-rollingly predictable story with unlikable characters and some serious lags in the second half of the book. From that point on, it was just too easy to set aside and too hard to pick back up.
This was a fast paced book with lots of twists and turns! One moment I thought I had it all figured out only to find out what I thought was right wasn’t. Didn’t see that ending coming either!!