Kimber arrives home from a work course and cant get in her house, the locks are changed and there is a man living there, her nosey neighbour remembers her showing him around!, the Police are called.....he has the correct lease for the property and Kimber has signed it!
A great start to a tale of secrets ( of course ), lies, mistrust and pasts that were not as they seemed
But first Kimber....Kimber, Kimber! Such a complex at odds with herself character, at time unlikeable yet realistic, she really does herself no favours in life yet I found myself veering into her corner and being indignant on her behalf......I loved the parts in the book where she struggled in her mind over her rational response to something and her irrational response, she also did this with some conversations and was very cleverly written as its something we all do ( Isent it?)
Kimber has had affairs, now besties with the wife of one of them and is still friends with her ex hubby who left her for a guy, then theres her latest ex who tried to kill himself when she left him, he too reappears, a very eclectic and interesting posse of characters!!!!
The story itself carries on from the initial exciting start and the pace doesn’t really stop as the book takes you from the present to the past and back again and you slowly unearth the reason for ‘The Stranger Inside’, the ending has all the expected unexpectedness and although ends abruptly it is all neatly explained
I went from despair to chucking about Kimber and I liked that she went from ferocious to vulnerable in half a paragraph
An interesting, viable thriller
8/10 4 Stars

There's a stranger living in Kimber Hannon's house. He tells the police that he has every right to be there, and he has the paperwork to prove it, but Kimber definitely didn't invite this man to move in. He tells her that he knows something about her, and he wants everyone else to know it too.

"I was there. I saw what you did." These words reveal a connection to Kimber's distant past, and dark secrets she'd long ago left buried. This trespasser isn't after anything as simple as her money or her charming Craftsman bungalow. He wants to move into her carefully orchestrated life and destroy it.

Kimber Hannon was an unlikeable character although I could emphasise with her feeling of helplessness when her home was taken by this stranger. This story is told from two different timelines, we discover Kimber has a secret when the story goes back to her childhood In this instance the saying “what goes around comes around” is very true. Kimber is a hard person to like!!

A psychological thriller that has plenty of twists and secrets.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Stoughton Mulholland Books for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review.

Definitely full of twists and turns, though I cannot agree that it had an end I wouldn’t see coming.

Try as I might to engage with this I couldn’t - there are no redeeming characters which led me to feel disengaged from the book. A real shame, as I thought it sounded amazing. Quite an effort to read - not one for me.

Kimber Hannon believes she has complete control over her life is shattered the night that she comes home from a trip to discover her key no longer opens her front door. Now, there is a stranger living in her house. When she confronts the man, he whispers "I was there, I saw what you did!"

The story is told from two different timelines, both having a different point of view. It's full of twists and has a decent set pace. Kimber is not a likeable character and I found it hard to feel any sympathy for her. The thing I struggled with most was the flashbacks which were written in Kimber's sister Michelle's voice. Kimber has lots of secrets, far too many secrets and lies have been told. I found this to be a bit off putting. I think this is the first book that I have actually rooted for the bad guy.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author Laura Benedict for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the first chapter I thought I knew,in which direction this plot was going - WRONG
It is full of secrets, lies, twists and turns
A little slow in parts
But on the whole a good read.

Thank you netgalley, Laura Benedict and Hodder and Stoughton for allowing me read and review this book.

Kimber returns home from a weekend away and there is a stranger in her house. He has made himself at home and changed the locks. she calls the police but he says she has rented it to her and the police believe him.
So begins the nightmare - who is he and what does he know about her? Her life begins to unravel and who can she trust?
This book twists and turns and leaves the best to the end.

Gave up very quickly on this - thoroughly unengaging and unlikeable characters - could not keep my attention long enough to care. Not my thing, sorry.

I’ve read this overnight due to having an awful cough stopping my sleep. It’s brilliant. 5/5 on goodreads. What happens when you come home from a break and someone is living in your house and the neighbour verifies seeing you help him move in? And then that stranger says he knows your darkest secret? Well buy this and you’ll find out. You won’t regret it.

Imagine coming home from a weekend away to find your house occupied by a man you don’t know. He claims he has rented the property legitimately and had the paperwork to back it up. The Stranger Inside tells the story of Kimber and Lance Wilson, the man who is in her house. As Kimber tries to discover what he wants from her, secrets from Kimber’s own past begin to surface. Is there anyone she can trust?
A gripping page turner with lots of twists and turns.

This is a story with many twists and turns. The main character Kimber is not likeable and has done some bad things in the past. Perhaps this is her "just deserts"

Great story though and well worth reading.

For the record I am not related to Mulholland Books.. but appreciate the opportunity to give an honest review through Netgalley.

This book started well then seemed to slow down in the middle. I'm pleased I kept reading as it picked up pace again and ended up as a very good story

I really enjoyed this book, it captured from the first page...the middle was at times a bit dull but I simply inhaled the last few chapters. The characters are well rounded and believable. I can’t wait to read some more from this author.

A squatter seems to have moved into Kimber's house while she was awAy for the weekend. However, it is difficult to feel any empathy for Kimber, as she really isn't a very nice person. I kept reading because I wanted to find out what happens, and what the secrets were from Kimber's past. The book definitely improves for the second half, but there are better books out there in this genre, so i wouldn't really recommend it to any of my friends.

A chilling start ;Michelle Hannon is lying on the ground after falling down a hillside and hitting her head on limestone and is dying.

Kimber returns home from a weekend away to discover her keys do not fit her front door, and that there is a stranger living in her house,saying he has rented it for 6 months. When the police arrive he does have a signed rental agreement and even her elderly neighbour Jenny backs up his side of the story.

We discover Kimber has a secret when the story goes back to her childhood. In this instance the saying “what goes around comes around” is very true. Kimber is a hard person to like!!

A psychological thriller that has plenty of twists and secrets.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.












Review

AMAZING!!!! This book absolutely enraptured me from beginning to end and I couldn't recommend it anymore!

I enjoyed this book. I did not like the main character, Kimber, but felt for her in the circumstances she found herself in. Held my attention and I liked the twist.
Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Very cleverly written book about a woman called Kimber that seems to have a lot of secrets lurking and they slowly become uncovered with the appearance of “the stranger inside”. I didn’t know who to side with or believe however the little twist at the end was not expected. Loved the book and finished in next to no time!

The Stranger Inside is an intriguing thriller: who is the man who changes the locks and moves into Kimber's home while she is away and then threatens her? What does he want and why? This is the premise of the story but Kimber has a secret and the man who has taken her home knows what it is.

Kimber lost her sister when they were both children and her father left shortly afterwards. Her mother is now married to her father's ex boss while Kimber's own ex husband is living with another man. They all play a part in unravelling who the stranger living in her house is and why he is such a threat to her.

Kimber is an unlikeable character and it is difficult to feel sympathy for her as the story develops, which is a shame. After having an affair with a married man she purposely becomes best friends with his wife. I wasn't sure that this element of the plot was needed other than to illustrate Kimber's nasty nature.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder&Stoughton/Mulholland for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The premise of this book caught my attention. What would you do if you came home to find a stranger had moved themselves into your house and changed the locks?
However, although the plot and it's sub-plots were well planned, I didn't find the main character and her actions at times believable and that stopped this book being 4/5 stars.

Not my usual genre but this book had me gripped throughout. Will be looking out for more of the same!