When Manhattanite Sarah Rock meets a mysterious and handsome stranger in the park, she is drawn to him. Sarah wants to get away from her daily routine, her cheating husband and his crazy mistress, her frequent sessions with her heartless therapist, and her moody children.
But nothing is as it seems. Her life begins to unravel when a woman from the park goes missing and Sarah becomes the prime … becomes the prime suspect in the woman’s disappearance. Her lover is nowhere to be found, her husband is suspicious of her, and her therapist is talking to the police.
With no one to trust, Sarah must face her inner demons and uncover the truth to prove her innocence.
A thriller that questions what is real-with its shocking twists, secrets, and lies—The Woman in the Park will leave readers breathless.
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This was a compelling, roller-coaster book that not only told a good story, but wrapped me up in the character’s confusion so thoroughly that I didn’t know who to trust or how it would turn out. It provided the rare experience where the reader feels the character’s point of view so keenly as to feel that they are living it right along with them. Well done!
The woman in the park..
Sarah Rock.
Believes that her husband is having an affair on her with Juliette..
When in fact things can’t be different than what she believes. Juliette meets a handsome man in the park named Lawrence..
An affair begins.. that she’ll never forget and her doctor is…. well let’s just say that’s a twisted story.. this book was definitely intriguing.. one that you want to pick up. check out see what all the fuss is about… the last few chapters had me and I couldn’t stop reading but that was pretty much the whole book I wanted to figure out what is going on.. truly a good book I enjoyed the story.
An astonishing book that I read feverishly in one sitting. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and all views expressed are only my honest opinion.
Hold on to your seats and get ready for a suspense filled thrill ride that you don’t want to get off.
I was pulled in from the very beginning to the very last page and never could I have guessed what would happen. The mind is a miraculous wonder but with mental illness; can also be the worst nightmare for those who suffer from it.
Sarah & Eric Rock are married and have two children and tragedy from the past has left Sarah with unrelenting anguish over her husband’s supposed affair with someone he works with. He vehemently denies it and it’s beginning to take its toll on her marriage in more ways than one.
Sarah meets temptation of her own in the park on the way to see her therapist to address all that is going on in her head.
There are secrets kept that you will never guess until the Authors’ decide to reveal them to you, until that time you are brought down twisty turns, dark roads and to the edge with all the different backstories going on.
Then Sarah’s lovers wife goes missing and the cops show up at Sarah’s door questioning her about the wife of a man whom she barely even knows. How and why did she get implicated into this? Was she the suspect? Did she really do something but not remember because of her mental illness getting substantially worse?
You will have to fall into this wonderfully written book as I did and find out for yourself. The character depth and connection with Sarah was so deep, I feel as if I personally knew her and wanted to be in her corner come good or bad. Glad I finished my year in closing with this fantastic psychological thriller. A definite favorite of mine and a MUST READ of yours!
This is the perfect psychological thriller.
Tight, fast, fraught with tension, this one is consuming and short. I always felt like I knew which breadcrumb trail I was on and I was always wrong.
Up is down, down is up.
Help, I smell blue…
You’ll want to add this one to your August TBR list. Obsession and Loneliness intersect with explosive results in this thrilling story of a woman whose life is a total mystery — even to herself. Tense, cinematic, and relentlessly suspenseful. The Woman in the Park will have you addicted, consuming one chapter after another until you reach its chilling conclusion.
This book is one crazy ride! From start to finish it was a whirlwind of twists, deception, and secrets! Sarah was a compelling and sympathetic character—I was immediately in her corner, watching her world unravel before my eyes! The last few chapters of the book really had my heart racing!
Gripping, intense, and full of intrigue! The Woman In The Park will catch you completely off guard in the best way! Sarah has a traumatic past, an absent husband, and two kids away at boarding school. Her visits in the park are supposed to be her solace until a mysterious handsome stranger adds the excitement and escape Sarah has been longing for. Her life is thrilling and risky until someone turns up missing…. just when you think you have it all figured out… plot twist!! This is a fantastic fast paced psychological thriller by Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist – exactly what fans of Chevy Stevens and Sandie Jones will love! This is a debut novel you won’t want to miss and leaves you waiting for their next!
I loved this psychological thriller and the only thing I would ask is that it had been longer!! The writing is so captivating & it grabs you from the first page! Loved the many twists & turns of this fast suspense novella & would highly recommend it to anyone! A wonderful debut! Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours, @teresasorkin & @tullanh for this great reading opportunity!
I cannot believe this is s debut! I started this book in the afternoon and had it finished by the evening after dinner! I seriously was sucked in and I had to know what the heck was going on! Sarah is wealthy and lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children. Her children are sent to boarding school during the week and come home on the weekends. Her husband is never home he’s works ridiculous hours so she’s left trying to fill her days. Sarah attends therapy attends yoga and reads at the park. Sarah is certain her husband is cheating on her with a younger woman that works with him, she obsessed about it to the point of searching his clothing and following the woman she assumes he’s cheating with. When a handsome man approaches her at the park while she’s reading she’s instantly attracted to him. They meet at the park talk and soon start a secret relationship. When the police knock at her door one morning asking lots of questions about a woman’s disappearance and she’s the lead suspect she’s confused what does she have to do with a strangers disappearance? When her handsome mysterious new friend disappears as well she’s starts to question her own sanity, soon she’s on the run trying to figure what is real and what is in her head! I give this four stars I was hooked and shocked I didn’t not see or even figure out the crazy twisted ending!!
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Woman in the Park” by Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist, Beaufort Books for @Suzy Approved Book Tours
Teres Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist, Authors of “The Woman in the Park” have written an edgy, twisted, dark, horrific, suspenseful, intense novel. The Genres for this novel are Psychological Thriller and Mystery. The authors describe their dramatic characters as complex, complicated, quirky, suspect and dysfunctional.
This novel has the slight flavor of a satire with dark humor, and almost a para-normal feel like in “The Sixth Sense”. Mostly the author describes the setting as one of a “Gaslight” feel as in movies such as “Gaslight” and “What Lies Beneath” with Michelle Pfeiffer.
Sarah Rock meets a quirky stranger in the park as she waits to see her Therapist. Sarah appears to be wealthy and lives in a building in the city with a doorman. Sarah is seeking something unknown to her. She fears her husband is cheating, and she is ambivalent about her children going to boarding school. This is a story in what appears to be may not really be. What is real? What is a delusion or an illusion? It is almost like Sarah is looking through a large glass window.
A woman that Sarah met in the Park has disappeared, and it looks like Sarah might be a suspect, or not. I would recommend this dark scary novel for those readers who enjoy psychological thrillers.
This is how I like my thrillers! The action starts at the prologue and never stops! The Woman in the Park will have you questioning who to believe and what to trust. I had to remind myself not to make hasty assumptions, oh, and to breathe!
Sarah Rock has been seeing a therapist for months now, but life is getting harder with her husband always traveling – probably hooking up with his mistress, and her kids away at boarding school.
One day in the park, Sarah is approached by a handsome stranger. He shows interest in the book she is reading, but it’s her he desires. Sarah doesn’t resist; she longs for this excitement. But soon Sarah finds herself in a web of chaos and confusion, as well as a prime suspect for murder.
This story takes on the gravity of mental illnesses, but due to that, it allows for twists and turns that keep you on edge. My heart went out to Sarah on many different levels, which demonstrates excellent writing on Sorkin and Holmqvist’s part.
This is one of those books that you will continue to think about for awhile after you read it . It started off at a normal pace, but quickly spun into a wild, “what in the world is happening?!” thriller. There were so many twists and turns that threw me for a loop when when the real situation revealed itself. Fantastic job on this one!
Trigger warning: It did involve mental health that was a specific trigger for me
Thank you for my copy in exchange for an honest review
WOW WOW WOW!! Don’t you just love reading a quick thriller that blow your mind away? I certainly do!
Sarah Rock is going through a loss and is seeing a therapist to help her through her depression. Reeling from her obsession that her husband Eric is cheating on her with a younger and prettier colleague, and her children recently enrolled in a boarding school, Sarah finds ways to pass her time by going to the park and reading her favorite book, Therese Raquin by Emile Zola. There she meets a handsome stranger who gives her attention and the time of day.
The story opens with NYC detectives investigating the death of a woman whom Sarah have seen in the park with her children. The story starts to unravel and now of course nothing is as it seems. I love how the story is set in different realities as opposed to the different time frames that we are used to reading. Loved the little clues left and will make you go back and reread some passages.
All in all, I love a great read that grabs the reader from the first page and will keep your focus. It is a quick read and will get you over any reading slump you have.
I really enjoyed this one for the amazing writing of these two debut authors and their brilliant imagination in this wonderful psychological thriller.
A married woman, a mysterious stranger, a murder… Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist wrote a slam-dunk five-star thriller that kept my mind spinning to the very last delightfully twisted page. Once you pick up The Woman in the Park, you won’t be able to put it down!
About the Book
Manhattanite Sarah Rock is going through a tough time. She is certain her husband Eric is having an affair with his younger coworker Juliette. Her kids are away from home at boarding school. She’s so lonely. To fill her time in between preparing for her weekends with the kids, events with her husband, and appointments with her therapist, Sarah sometimes takes a book to Central Park to read.
One day, Sarah is reading in the park when she is approached by a handsome and mysterious stranger named Lawrence. He strikes up a conversation about her book, Thérèse Raquin, which he has read before. After the most authentic and intriguing adult conversation Sarah has had in ages, she finds herself think about Lawrence more and more. Running into eachother again in the park, it begins to become a regular thing, and before long the two strike up a steamy affair.
But when the police show up at Sarah’s door a few weeks later investigating the murder of a woman whom Sarah saw in the park, things begin to unravel. The woman is somehow connected to Lawrence. Sarah hasn’t heard from Lawrence in a while, and now she starts to wonder if there is more to this affair than she realized.
As Sarah finds herself accused of this serious crime, her view of what is true and what are lies becomes distorted. Sarah needs to find out what is going on, if she can keep it together long enough…
Reflection
Coming in at 250 pages, the authors don’t waste a paragraph of this book on a throwaway moment. Every single sentence kept me glued to the pages. Truly, this is one of my favorite books of 2019! Twisted, dark, and disorienting in the most delightful and salacious way.
There’s no omniscient narrator in this book, which meant that I was never totally certain what to believe and what was happening. The writing is brilliant! How two authors collaborated in such a tightly woven story and kept the writing so flawless, I’ll never know! I wish I could ask them how they did it, because this is one of the most seamless dual-authored novels I’ve ever read.
The psychologist in me was obsessed with Sarah as the main character. Sarah isn’t unreliable in the way of lying to the reader, but she is unreliable in the sense that she is struggling a bit with her mental health, and so I found myself never really trusting her reporting of the events. Sarah is paranoid, she has gaps in time, and she’s a bit erratic. But there is something so pure and vulnerable about Sarah, that I felt my heart wanting to reach into the book and protect her.
But from who??
That’s the key to this book! What exactly is going on? Obviously, I’m not going to tell you, but I want to say this: I read a LOT of thrillers and I have seen a lot of twists, and I didn’t even come close to guessing what was happening in this book. Masterful! I thought I had it all figured out, and then suddenly everything turned over and then twisted again. The entire last third of the book is impossible to put down for even a moment!
A truly twisted ride that left me so satisfied, and simultaneously wanting more from these authors! I am blown away!!!
Thank you to the authors and to Suzy Approved Book Tours for my copy. Opinions are my own.
Slow and boring read with a plot so far-fetched it’s almost laughable.
The Woman in the Park is an insanely smart, dark trickster of a thriller. Go ahead, scan the horizon for clues. Become obsessed. Read it twice. (I did).
The Woman in the Park is a spine-tingling read that makes you question all your assumptions from one page to the next. Imagine if The Girl on the Train and The Hours had a baby, it would be The Woman in the Park. Part thriller, part literary homage. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Special thanks to Teresa Sorkin, Tullan Holmqvist and Suzy at Suzy Approved Book Tours for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Woman in the Park synopsis says it will leave you breathless. And breathless it did. The Woman In The Park is a debut novel that had me captivated at the start. The Prologue drew me in so effortlessly.
In the beginning, I felt a little sorry and sad for Sarah. She believes her husband is having an affair. Her kids are in boarding school. She religiously goes to therapy (nothing wrong with that). And she has A LOT of time on her hands. Life is going on without her and you feel it too.
When Sarah meets Lawrence, I was a bit surprised she begins an affair with the ever-so mysterious man (even though the synopsis clearly states she has a lover). I didn’t think Sarah really had it in her to cheat on her husband. She just seems like a fragile bird.
However, when the facts and the details of this thriller began to NOT add up (when as a reader you get this sense that something is just not right), I teetered between feeling a bit sad for Sarah who is going thru what appears to be a midlife crisis to being a bit weary and cautious as she doesn’t seem to be all there mentally. And I LOVE it. I love how I was forced to think of Sarah as both the victim and the potential perpetrator.
Another aspect that I LOVE is that not only does the reader get front row, live seats into Sarah’s therapy session with Dr. Robin, the reader ALSO gets to read the therapist’s note from the sessions. Teresa and Tullan brilliantly allow you to see both sides which adds an entirely new element to the story and presents clues to what the H is actually going on.
Like any good thriller, The Woman in the Park has a lot of twists and turns (NO Spoilers). As soon as you think you have it figured out, the story changes. I found the ending to be exciting, entertaining and satisfying.
The Woman in the Park
4.5 stars
This book is INSANE. Truly, just insane. My head still hurts after trying to figure out the culprit. And after finishing, all my theories were completely wrong. I am either losing my touch or these authors are just really good.
Sarah Rock’s life is crumbling around her. her husband is gone all the time and she just knows he is having an affair. Her children are off at boarding school and are distant when they come home to visit on the weekends, and her appointments with her therapist do not seem to be very therapeutic.
As Sarah sits in the park in her favorite spot reading, she meets a mysterious man and is immediately enchanted by him, allowing herself to become more intimate with him than she expected.
When a woman from the park near where Sarah frequently sits goes missing and Sarah becomes the main suspect, things go from bad to worse. Sarah’s husband is suspicious, her new lover is nowhere to be found and now her therapist is working with the police in the case against her. Nobody believes what Sarah is telling them and at this point she thinks she is losing her mind. Sarah has to go out on a limb alone to try to prove her innocence and uncover what really is happening, and why there are so many different fragmented memories bouncing around in her head.
This is an amazingly short and quick read (it can be done in one sitting). It is a fascinating debut psychological thriller written by Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist. I was completely baffled the entire time I was reading, not sure if Sarah was the “victim or villain” or both. I wanted to like her, I wanted to hate her, she put me on such a rollercoaster of emotions in one sitting that I think I either needed a Dramamine or my own therapist when I was finished. I have strong feelings about the ending. I both liked and hated it, giving me that amazing “woah, that was crazy!” feeling as well as the “woah could I be crazy?” feeling. Don’t you hate the books that make you question your own sanity? (Any more comments from me and I will start divulging spoiling information, so I really have to stop at this point, because I don’t do spoilers. But boy I could really go on about this one!)
Sorkin and Holmqvist did an amazing job with this one, I highly recommend picking it up when it comes out August 26, 2019. I had the pleasure of meeting them both at BookExpo this year and they are just the most wonderful and outgoing ladies you would ever meet.
I’d like to thank both the authors as well as Beaufort Books for the copy of The Woman in the Park and the opportunity to read and give my unbiased review of the book as well as @suzyapprovedbooktours for having me on the tour.