Book: The Homemaker
Author: Shari J. Ryan
Publication date: June 12th 2023
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY SHARI!!!
About the Book:
I pull back the blanket to take another peek at my beautiful baby boy. My heart flatlines. He isn’t there. “Where is he?” I cry, my whole body trembling. But my husband just shakes his head. “Darling… we don’t have a baby.”
What is he talking about? Stumbling to my feet, I look frantically at the highchair, the playmat in the corner, the sofa. I need to find my little boy.
Limbs like ice, I rush toward the stairs, shouting my son’s name. But my husband grabs my arms and gently reminds me there is no baby here.
I can’t listen. I don’t understand how our child isn’t in our home. I don’t know who could have taken him.
I just know I have to find him.Climbing the stairs two at a time, my hand is already stretching toward the nursery door, but my husband overtakes, blocking my way.
He forces me to face him. I think I can hear the baby mobile over the crib. I can practically smell the newborn smell. But my husband sighs and shakes his head.
He says it again, firmly this time, as a tear tracks down my cheek: “We don’t have a baby.
”I blink rapidly, my breathing ragged. I think he expects me to agree. But I know that my son is real. I can feel his weight in my arms. And I will stop at nothing to get him back…
An absolutely gripping psychological thriller that will have your heart racing.
Prepare yourself for jaw-dropping, mind-blowing twists! Perfect for fans of addictive page-turners like The Housemaid, The Family Across the Street and The Family Upstairs.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Homemaker'' by Shari J Ryan.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Shari J Ryan, Bookouture publishers, Bookouture Audio and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 12th June 2023.
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY!!!
This is the third book I have read by this author. I have also read 'The Girl With The Diary' and 'The Stolen Twins' which I would also highly recommend!!
I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is "An absolutely gripping psychological thriller that will have your heart racing. Prepare yourself for jaw-dropping, mind-blowing twists! Perfect for fans of addictive page-turners like The Housemaid, The Family Across the Street and The Family Upstairs'. I am a huge fan of all of these amazing books so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a HUGE fan of Shari after reading her gorgeous books 'The Girl With The Diary' and 'The Stolen Twins' and if this book is even half as good as they are was it is guaranteed to be a page turner! I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a preface, prologue and 52 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. The fact that this book is based in England is even better as I have visited and holidayed in England in many times so may even recognise some places Shane has set the book around.
This book is written in first person perspective with the main protagonists being Jenna Milligan and Ginger. The benefits of books written in first person perspective with multiple protagonists are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. When there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on.
'The Homemaker' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book SJ Ryan discusses/includes miscarriage and stillbirth.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVED IT!! Well I must say Shari you are very talented woman!!! What another absolutely addictive read!! I am already eagerly awaiting your next book regardless of the genre!! You are a woman of many talents!!
This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that places you write in the heart of the storyline and leaves you feeling your heart race. The title, cover and synopsis work perfectly with the storyline.
This is the third book I have read by SJ Ryan and he is one of those rare authors who books are fantastic and yet also keep getting better and better. The previous books I have read by her were both set around Auschwitz. They were heartbreaking and I shed many tears but they were fantastic books. Shari has now stepped out of her comfort zone and crept into the psychological thriller genre and OMG I am so glad that she did!!!! This storyline is definitely unique which I loved. I'm a big fan of crime but it can be tedious reading similar storylines so this one was a nice refreshing change. This book is told not only with multiple protagonists but over multiple timelines which gives the reader an in depth view into what is going on but not too much to give anything away. I was absolutely hooked throughout and was playing this book anywhere and everywhere from dentist appointments to school runs and constantly in the car until I completely devoured it in one 'standing'. I absolutely love that Shari has done this as now I can look forward to her historical novels as well as her psychological Thrillers, all guaranteed to be epic page turners!!! Jenna and her husband Oliver have recently moved into what seems to be a tight knit community with their neighbour being Ginger. Jenna is determined to discover the history of the home and the previous owners. Jenna gives birth to River but when she wakes up in hospital nobody will bring her baby to her. What isn't she being told? Why has she been on hospital so long? Why can't she remember things? Well, I would tel you but that would be spoiling the story so you'll just have to grab your copy to find out yourselves!!! This book is an absolute rollercoaster ride of twists, turns, emotions, suspense and shockers that had me hooked throughout. I had no idea who to trust and what was going on until the explosive ending!!! I have read hundreds of psychological thrillers and it is not easy to shock me but you absolutely smashed it Shari so a MASSIVE WELL DONE!!! I was constantly trying to work out who the "good" and "bad" characters were and my mind kept flipping from one to the other throughout as each secret was revealed. Every single chapter ended on a point where I just had to know what happened next and I just could not put it down which ended up with me devouring it in one sitting!! I absolutely love the multiple points of views as it gives us so much insight into who was doing what and what they were thinking it brings the whole story to life leaving you feeling like you are sitting in front of each of them while they tell you their story. There were so many twists and turns throughout leading you to one red herring and then another whilst constantly questioning yourself who is actually behind everything all along and if you can trust any of the protagonists. I really couldn't recommend this book to anyone and everyone more and I would absolutely love to see this made into a movie!
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture
This is one of the few books that I have listened 100% on Audiobook. If I listen to a book on audiobook I usually also read the physical book between but for the second time I listened to the whole book and I was impressed! I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Stephanie Cannon who did an absolutely amazing job bringing this story and the characters to life. I have previously listened to 'The Marriage Counsellor' by Dea Poirer, 'My Big Fake Wedding' by Jessica Hatch, 'The Ex Wives' by Jenna Kernan as well as 'The Child Of Ukraine' by Tatyana Denfordto on audiobook that are all also narrated by Stephanie Cannon and I would highly recommend listening to or reading them all as they are both fantastic page turners from another four great authors!! I would listen to it and this book in the car and while walking at any opportunity. I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Shari but also to listening to more books narrated by Stephanie!
Clear your schedules before even turning a page in this book as it is utterly addictive and you will not be able to put it down!!
Each of the main characters were strong, realistic and their own unique personalities and I was intrigued by each one of them. The storyline is very character focused and it drip feeds you just enough information for you to try and work out what each of them is up to without giving too much away. I went from feeling sorry for some of them to being disgusted a few pages later then to annoyed and so forth. There were several times where I felt positive towards one character and completely disliking another just for the feelings to be flipped a few chapters later. I wish I could go into more details about how I felt about them but now that I know who was doing what and why I would be too worried about letting anything out and spoiling things for future readers so I will have to leave it there and leave you grab your copy now!!!
Congratulations Shari, a lady of many talents, on yet another absolutely fantastic explosive page turner!! This is why you are my favourite male author!! Here is to yet another success 🍻!!!
Overall an absolutely addictive, unique and unputdownable psychological thriller that you will devour in one sitting!!
Genres covered in this book include Women's Psychological Fiction, Murder Thriller, Mystery, Thriller, Women's Literary Fiction, Women's Crime Fiction, Suspense, Women's Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime, Thriller & Mystery Adventures, Psychological Fiction, Crime Fiction and Psychological Thriller amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'Gone Girl', 'Behind Closed Doors', 'The Housemaid', 'The Night She Disappeared', 'The Perfect Couple', 'The Family Across The Street ', 'The Family Upstairs', Shari Lapena, Karin Slaughter, Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot, Lisa Regan, Paula Hawkins, Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn, Freida McFadden, Rachel Abbot and anyone who loves an explosive ending!!!
344 pages/9 hours 12 minutes
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited, £8.99 for the paperback and £16 on Audible via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Shari J. Ryan is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Women’s Fiction, WWII Fiction, and 20th Century Historical Fiction with a focus on the Holocaust and Pearl Harbor.
Shortly after graduation from Johnson & Wales with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Shari began her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer. She then found her passion for writing books in 2012 after her second son was born. Shari has been slaying words ever since.
With two Rone Awards and over 125k books sold, Shari has hit the USA Today Bestseller List, the Amazon's Top 100, Barnes & Noble's Top Ten, and iBooks at number one. Some of Shari’s bestselling books include Last Words, The Other Blue Sky, Unspoken Words and A Heart of Time.
Shari, a lifelong Boston girl, is happily married to her personal hero and US Marine and they have two wonderful little boys. For more details about her books, visit: www.sharijryan.com
Social Media
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