As I was reading this I was really hoping that it wasn't going to take the direction that I felt it was going in, but sadly it did. 
The premise is fantastic and drew me in straight away, but the execution and twists just fell flat and seemed a tad unoriginal. Unfortunately, the genre has become so diluted with books that are based around this concept - so I think it's time to either freshen things up or maybe leave it alone for a bit. I found the twists with the friends who were in the coffee shop and police to be pointless, and a little unbelievable too!

I think that if you aren't very well acquainted with psychological thrillers then this could be quite an enjoyable read, but it just didn't work for me. The cover is absolutely stunning though - very eye-catching!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

An average suspenseful thriller, however the ending wasn't a surprise which I usually look out for in a thriller novel. I felt like hints were dropped to obviously throughout the book so it was a pretty easy guess to solve the whole mystery.

I'm sorry to say I really didn't enjoy this book. I found the flashbacks confusing and thought that Danielle spent too much time soul searching. I would have preferred to see more time devoted to the police and read more about the actual murders. I don't think I will be seeking out this author in the future.

"It's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then."

2.5 stars rounded down.

The Patient is a decent story, but it's so utterly obvious, practically from page 1, where the story is going...and what the twist actually is... that I truly can't imagine anybody reading this book and not figuring it out very early on. Because the entire story line relies so heavily on the reader being surprised at the end, it's a bit of a fail in that respect.

I wholeheartedly admit this would be a tough book to write, but like most stories I've read lately, it's been done before...and more successfully. Regardless, this novel is still an improvement over the first Steena Holmes book I read, Saving Abby. I can't recommend that one...it was a poorly researched clunker. Okay, if I'm being terribly honest here (and when am I not?), this book didn't appear to be overly well-researched either. There were several times during my readings when I'd whisper to myself, "That's not correct." However, in this story, the mistakes can be explained away, so I tried to overlook the blatant errors.

The cover is quite pretty though.

Bottom line: If you're a psychological suspense novice, you may enjoy this. Otherwise, I'd recommend spending your time reading something more worthy.

**Thanks to the publisher for providing my ARC, in exchange for my candid review.

Isn't it ironical that a thriller is not thrilling to read? The Patient by Steena Holmes is a psychological thriller but it is not thrilling to read. The protagonist is obsessed with Alice in the Wonderland and lives in a place that reminds her of those characters. She even reads that book to her patients as a part of therapy. It is kind of irritating to read after a few minutes. Where is the plot? And where is the plot twist? The plot twist is not a twist if the reader figures out at the start. But even then I kept reading page after page. I would say that is the plus of this book. Though it's not that thrilling, I would recommend it to thriller fans.

I quite enjoyed this book and I felt that it was a well written psychological thriller.  Although I predicted the outcome, I still liked Dani.. I enjoyed the twists and turns that were in this book and I hope that there is a follow-up of this book. And a thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

A psychological thriller? YES! Those are my faves. 
This book had so much promise……
Plot is good. The characters were well written. At times the story seemed to stumble but it ended up finding its way. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more had I not figured it out so soon. There are some good twists and the ending was pretty good. I did love the Alice and Wonderland woven into the story. The Patient is a pretty good read. I will check out more from this author as I did like her writing style. I give this 3 stars.

This book ended well. It started off slow and took me a couple of attempts to read. It did improve and did twist and turn.

The story is really really good.
I loved every minute of this story. It will definitely draw the reader in with all the drama swirling around everywhere.
The Patient is a must-read and one that I highly recommend if you love really good thrillers that will have you guessing until the very end.

If your favoured reading material is a compelling tale with a good sprinkling of suspense, drama, heartbreak, therapy and mystery, then The Patient by Steena Holmes is a must-read for you!
 
From the get-go there was so much happening in this wonderful psychological thriller! Danielle Rycroft was an interesting, troubled character and it was a journey to get to know her. I got to see that sometimes life got overwhelming for her. There was lovely depth and poignancy to Steena Holmes’ writing which kept me hooked throughout. The author really worked wonders with most of the characters in this fabulous story and even the less personable ones still had very good parts to play and did not dampen my enthusiasm for this fascinating tale.

 The plot was great and moved along at a really comfortable pace and I was very happy with the author’s general writing-style. The main focus of family and relationships brought a wonderful touch to this mystery, which tugged at my heartstrings, before hurtling towards the surprising denouement.

I thoroughly enjoyed this exciting story and I will be checking out this author's back catalogue as well as checking out her next novel. All in all, this is cracking read for anyone who has a preference for a brilliant psychological thriller that has a flavour of a gruesome crime, without the detail of the guts and gore. 

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

This one was a little slow starting, but it ended up being a pretty good read. I'm glad I was able to grab this one!

Another amazing read by author, Steena Holmes! This book was a twist a minute. Danielle suspects that one of her three therapy patients is a serial killer. Cleverly placed clues had me wondering which patient it could be, or could it be someone else entirely? Well-developed unreliable characters made this a highly entertaining read!

The Patient, by Steena Holmes, is an intense thriller that captured me in the first chapter and kept me captive until I finished it, approximately 10 hours later!  It is extremely well-written with nuanced characters that will make you cringe at the pain people inflict on one another and the emotional trauma that others endure.  Although I suspected the outcome as one plausible alternative, Holmes provided enough plot twists so that I was never absolutely sure until the last few chapters.  Her writing is fluid and sure with enough bucolic, small-town details that provide sharp contrast to the spiraling plot.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Steena Holmes for allowing me to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.  It was a thoroughly engrossing read!

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books that really keeps you guessing. I kept thinking I had the story figured out and it would immediately change directions. It ended so differently than I had anticipated. This story will really mess with your head. 
I found it very hard to put this book down. The story stays with you even after you finish it. I kept thinking about it for days once I had finished. I was halfway through another story and I was still coming back to this book. 

I love the different viewpoints, it took me for a ride. It took me so long to figure this story out. I usually play a good detective in what I am reading but not with The Patient. This is a super bingey read. I finished it in a couple of hours and honestly, I wasn’t ready for it to be over. 

I really loved this author’s writing style and I cannot wait to read more of her work. She really could write anything and make it compelling. There was a real alice in wonderland feel to this story. 

It was a very fast paced read. I felt immediately drawn into the story as soon as I started reading. The author has a very unique way of weaving an unbelievable plot and making it completely believable. 

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.

This book ended up being very predictable. I guessed the entire plot from chapter 1. Sometimes I do not mind if I can correctly guess where a story is going, but with this one it just didn't work for me. I think people who did not read that many psychological thrillers would enjoy the story more.

Surprising twist that I didn't see coming. Though I found the book a bit confusing at times, this becomes apparent why near the end, I enjoyed it very much and it made a story from a different perspective

This is a psychological thriller will a great plot. Danielle Rycroft is a therapist with three clients (yes, I don't know how she actually makes a living!) each with troubled backgrounds and suspect current issues. When murders start happening in town she believes she knows the killer, but who is It? Told from multiple points of view the story moves quite quickly, with the history of all the characters also being told. I guessed the major plot twist quite early on but there is plenty of drama for that not to ruin it.  Occasionally a little slow but worth holding on for the end.

Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Steena Holmes.
This was my first read from this author and absolutely loved this book.
Fast paced, well written, edge of your seat, can’t put book book.
Highly recommend.
5 stars 🌟

This was a departure from previous books I have read from Steena Holmes. The author leads the reader on a confusing trail of clues in this psychological thriller as she tells the story of a serial murderer in the alternating voices of the therapist and her three patients as well as the murderer. It takes place in the small community of Cheshire where everyone seems to be obsessed with the childhood favorite Alice in Wonderland. The murderer chooses his or her victims by observing children who need protection from their parents. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy to read and review.

I've read several of this author's books in the past and this one is definitely in a different direction.  I really enjoyed this book.  I thought the premise was great, the character development and pacing were good also.  There were twists that I wasn't expecting and others that I saw before they happened. I liked the short chapters as I always want to read one more before I go to sleep. 

All in all I thought this was a great read, fast paced as I wanted to know what was going to happen.