Behind Closed Doors

One of the blurb on the back cover of this book says it's the 2016 answer to Gone Girl. Now that's very high praise considering GG was a well written psychological thriller about two protagonists that I hated. The premise of this book suggested it was about the truth behind a seemingly perfect marriage, so I had to give it a try.

The story is told in two timelines, the past and the present - the past detailing how Jack and Grace fell in love and their early days of marriage; the present occurs an year later, Grace having left her job to be the perfect housewife and hostess. They are also waiting for Millie, Grace's sister with Down Syndrome to join them permanently once she turns eighteen. The imperfections of the marriage and the true nature of Jack are revealed early on in the book, so this is not a traditional suspense novel. It's more of the anticipation of the horrors that are going to occur as we proceed through the book. We know what's coming, we know Grace can't stop it but we hope she manages to escapes in time.

The characters seem a little unrealistic - a strong independent working woman just believes everything a man says whom she has met a few months ago because she loves him and sacrifices everything that she has built for herself. I don't know much about psychopaths and I don't know if people like Jack exist in the real world who revel in the fears of others, but I certainly hope they don't. The one character I enjoyed was Millie, who seemed quite intelligent, independent and courageous in spite of her disability. The unconditional love the sisters have for each other was truly endearing; that's what made me want to complete the book, to hope for a good ending for them. On the whole, this book is quite thrilling in parts with a satisfying ending but please beware of some very very emotionally disturbing elements.

I excitedly picked this up at my local used book shop as it's been hyped up recently on TikTok's book community as a thriller they couldn't put down. I think I must be jaded from reading too many thrillers because I don't get the hype.

Plot holes abound, the characters are almost totally unbelievable, and the writing style is, frankly, childish. The dialogue ... I'm at a loss for words. I'm truly stunned at the amount of hype this book has gotten lately. Here's the thing, if you don't read many thrillers, maybe this will be your cup of tea. If you don't care whether it's realistic or not, sure. But don't go in thinking this is the new Gone Girl. I assure you, it's not. However, it IS a quick read. I finished it in a weekend of very casual reading. Fast paced, keeps you entertained, kind of like a Lifetime movie in novel form. Yeah, that about sums it up.

3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
I've heard really great things about this book for years. I was excited to finally crack it open and see what everyone was talking about. It wasn't a bad thriller at all.
I just felt it to be slower paced, repetitive and because of that, a little bit predictable.
I did love the relationship that Grace and Millie had.
The ending picked up just a bit and the very last chapter had my heart pounding.
Overall, I wasn't super shocked or surprised and I could do with it being a little faster, but it was still entertaining enough for me to enjoy.

Wow, this book was pretty intense. I couldn't stop reading it! I was dreading every single chapter and description but still couldn't put it down. I liked that it jumped from the past to the present, it gave you all of the details that you wanted to know, all of the questions answered, except for maybe “why?” but we really don't need to know the reason.

Very well written thriller.

Wow...this book was such a great read! At first I wasn't sure if this was going to be an exciting book. As I read more I learned the secret that the couple was hiding and couldn't put the book down.

The book starts off talking about Grace and Jack. It goes back and forth between when they met and the present day. To everyone they meet Grace and Jack seem like the perfect newlywed couple. But what they don't know is what really goes on inside the house when nobody is there. Grace had no idea about Jack's secrets when they first met. She was just so in love and do excited to have her downs syndrome sister Ellie come live with them in a few months. Not long after they are married Grace learns of Jack's secrets. They do their best to hide what really goes on in their home from their friends and family.

I couldn't put this book down... desperate to find out more about Jack. I kept wondering how Grace would manage and get herself out of the situation she was in. There were lots of twists and turns in the story that kept me on the edge of my sest the entire time i was reading. I didn't expect it to end the way it did but it was still a great way to end this book. I can't wait to see what else this fabulous debut author has planned for us in her next book!

This is the first book being compared to Gone Girl that has lived up to the hype – not because they were anything alike in terms of writing style, plot, or book construction, but because it was the first book since Gone Girl that I couldn't put down. I sat down one evening and read the first half, only stopping because it was time for bed, and then I waited grumpily all day until I could sit down again and finish it. It was incredibly fast paced and, as fast a reader as I am, I was still irritated that I couldn't read it faster. That earns it the comparison, in my opinion.

This debut novel presents the perfect couple, Jack and Grace. They met one day in the park when Grace's younger sister Millie was dancing by herself and Jack stepped in to be her partner. After a whirlwind romance they were married and rushed off to an exotic honeymoon in Thailand. Upon their return Grace loses touch with her friends and quits her job, seemingly content to stay at home in the beautiful mansion that Jack bought for them and decorate, garden, and enjoy her new wonderful life. Soon, their friends notice that Grace and Jack are inseparable and Grace is now unavailable for lunch dates alone.

Do you see where this is going? Don't worry if you don't because Paris shows you before long. By the time that happens you won't care, though, because you'll want to know how the situation is going to resolve itself. The story flips back and forth between two timelines, the first following Grace as she meets Jack, falls in love, and accepts his proposal, and the second as she details what her life is like in the present. This moved the story ahead in a way that highlighted the frantic rush Grace was in. I also genuinely enjoyed the scenes with Millie, too. Her portrayal as a person with Down's Syndrome but still as smart as a whip, fun, and present in her sister's life felt very authentic.

The book was not without flaws. Without giving too much away, it did require a slightly higher-than-normal suspension of disbelief because one of the characters was SO extreme. The circumstances were so perfectly plotted that it seems impossible for anyone to be as well-coordinated as would be necessary to pull off their plans. There are a lot of trigger warnings in this book – nothing graphic but a lot of allusions to things – and they're scattered liberally throughout the book (not problematic but something to keep in mind before deciding to read it).

I recommend it but don't pick it up when you have places to be or things to do. You won't be able to put it down.

(Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

I have a few issues with the beginning (young Grace's tantrum over her parent's high-risk pregnancy) and ending (how was Grace in the dark about every detail when she's the wife?), but overall a fast and terrifying read. I liked the time shifts, which added a little more intrigue and tension to what would've been an otherwise straightforward story. Definitely a psychological thriller ripe for a movie adaptation.

Recensie van audioboek (via Storytel)In vergelijking met [b:Bring Me Back 36448554 Bring Me Back B.A. Paris https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508949859l/36448554.SY75.jpg 57371442] van dezelfde auteur was dit 1000 keer beter. Spannend, emotioneel en moeilijk weg te leggen. Net zoals bij veel thrillers mag je niet te hard nadenken en moet je je ongeloof een beetje aan de kant schuiven, maar het blijft enorm entertainend en meeslepend.

was one of the many people who were extremely disappointed that the realize date of this gripping, amazing novel got pushed back until August. So when I saw it on Netgalley I was beyond thrilled. First off as always thank you to everyone involved of the production of this book for my advanced copy. To the author you have a lifetime fan in me I loved this so much I read it all in one sitting. Now a little bit about the story.
Jack and Grace live in a beautiful home. He makes a lot of money as an attorney and has never lost a case. He's handsome and he's well-mannered. He also takes very good care of his wife. Jack never leaves Grace's side. It isn't possible for anyone to talk to her on her own, because they are inseparable. Are Jack and Grace really such a close couple or is something else going on?

Behind Closed Doors is gripping from the start. Grace thinks she's met the perfect man. Jack is kind, he takes her on fancy dates and he wants to spend time with her sister Millie. He also doesn't mind that Millie will move in with them as soon as she turns eighteen. Millie has Down syndrome. She's very sweet and means the world to Grace. Jack knows that and certainly uses this information to his advantage. It's clear straight away that something is terribly wrong...

Grace is such a likable person which made me care about her story from the start. She's loving, she's gentle and she's fiercely protective of her sister. Millie is such a happy person, I liked her very much. The story worked really well for me and I got so caught up in it that I forgot everything and everyone around me. Behind Closed Doors is creepy and it's fabulously constructed with alternations between the past and the present. As they come closer together the story becomes more and more horrible. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Behind Closed Doors is absolutely awful and suffocating, but it's fascinating as well. I read this book in one sitting, because I couldn't put it down. It's one of those stories that will stay with you for a very long time. If you're looking for a good, captivating read, get this book. I'm sure you're going to love it. A 10 star read all the way yes I said TEN not FIVE.

It has been a LONG time since I've read a book that I absolutely could not put down. I sacrificed sleep and ended up finishing it in two days. :) There was a large portion of the story that made me really uncomfortable to read (no spoilers) but it just lent to the feeling of “I have to know what happens next!” If you are into psychological thrillers I highly recommend this book.

I was excited by the description given of this book pre-release and when it arrived on my Kindle on release say I delved in pretty quickly and somehow in under 24 hours I'd completely devoured this book.

It is a book that starts out innocently, a tale of affluent and seemingly perfect couple Jack and Grace, they host perfect dinner parties for friends, take fabulous holidays abroad and are soon to take over care of Grace's sister who although suffering from Down Syndrome is a huge part of their world.

Their new neighbour senses something is off, the broken lunch dates Grace doesn't attend, her absence of mobile phone or email, the way she seems to have no negative comments about her husband. Even when she calls to drop off a book during the day she finds bars on the Windows and nobody home.

This book was fascinating, it was dark and tense and had a great story. It didn't feel revolutionary or ground breaking but it was gripping and just kept you turning the pages to see how on earth this story would end.

The sheer planning that Jack must have had to undertake to even begin to put together his life is mind boggling. A nastier or more devious character I've had more distaste for I can't think.

I'd recommend this book, it despite it's story contained a lot of touching moments, especially those between Grace and her disabled but hugely endearing sister. It was a light and engaging ready.