A woman suspects her husband is having an affair and decides to get her own back with unfortunate repercussions, not only for herself but for her whole family. An intriguing storyline with interesting characters.
Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy of this book.

Well this book was the surprise i didnt see coming. It is actually brilliant. So i will try my best to review it without giving too much away because you dont want to know too much.

Caroline has it all - the beach front property, a rich husband and now she is throwing an extravagant party. However - when the party takes a turn for the worse, she seeks solace in vodka at the local bar and comfort from the local bar tender Aiden.



Aiden has fallen head over heels for Caroline and all he wants to do is support her as her marriage falls apart. However - when her husband goes missing and with murder chargers hanging over her - what is going to happen?



This book like i said at the beginning of this review was brilliant. Told from Caroline and Aidens perspective - its great to see the same situations told from how they each perceive them. The characters were great, they were so unique, flawed and at the best of times slightly unrealiable. I didnt see any of it coming at all and even though it could of gone off into the unbelievable department because it was written so well it never did. Instead what you get as a reader is a shocking outcome and a range of conflicting emotions as you have been taken in by this all.

I really enjoyed this book so much. It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book.

I was looking forward to reading this after reading the blurb on the book, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations unfortunately. Caroline and Jason Stark have been married for 20 years, they have a teenage daughter, Hannah, money, and Caroline thinks their marriage is perfect. They have a beautiful new house on the beach, for parties and for a holiday home.

But then everything changes, Jason brings another woman, a Russian, Galena, Caroline thinks he is having an affair with this woman, then she finds out all the money has gone, she is left with nothing. She sees a man looking at the house from the beach, later she goes to a local bar and has several drinks, she meets Aidan Callaghan, and ends up flirting with him, things go further when he goes home with her, after more alcohol they end up having sex, Caroline sees it as revenge on her husband, but Aidan tells her he loves her. The following morning Caroline regrets what happened between them.

The story is told from two different points of view Caroline’s in the first person narrative, and Aidans in third person. But as each tells the story there are differences. Who is telling the truth? Where is Jason? What has happened to him?

Caroline claims she didn’t know Aidans shady bad boy past, she tells her sister that he is stalking her and is obsessed with her. Aidan has said he would deal with Jason, but what does he mean from that?

The latter part of the book is like a police procedural as Caroline finds herself accused of killing her husband. What is Aidans connection to the land where her house has been built? There are lots of twists and turns in the story, but I guessed the ending before I reached it. My problem was I just didn’t like any of the characters, I really hoped I could but there was just nothing about them that was likeable for me.

The writing is good, with some good prose, I just found the story unbelievable at times. Rich woman, poor boy.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #HQ for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Michele Campbell writes a great, fast paced, addictive, and neat mystery in this gripping tale of fear and tension.

A Stranger on the Beach is told from two perspectives - those of Caroline Stark and Aidan Callaghan - but each of them has a completely different and contradictory version of the same events.

For over twenty years Caroline has been married to Jason Stark. The comfortably-off couple have recently built a lavish beach house overlooking the sea miles outside the city. Their daughter, Hannah, has just gone away to college and it's time for the couple to enjoy the fruits of their labour. But things go awry on the night of their housewarming party. Caroline's husband is unexpectedly absent, until he turns up late with a woman in tow. As the guests enjoy the drama, Caroline is humiliated. When confronted, Jason leaves and Caroline can't get in touch with him. Convinced that her husband is having an affair, she bumps into Aidan, a stranger on the beach.

Michele Campbell delivers this impressive, clever, complex, and well-written psychological tale with style and aplomb. Well-plotted, and multi-layered, I loved the manipulative and obsessive nature of both of the main characters. I totally relished trying to figure out who the unreliable character was here, if either.

A Stranger on the Beach is a cracking story and a book that I revelled in all the way through. It brought no disappointments including the fabulous finale. I'm very happy to recommend this book to those who love a family drama-style psychological thriller.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from HQ via NetGalley at my request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

If you are looking for a psychological thriller with the emphasis on psychological then this is the book for you !!

This is a tricky review to right as I think this is a book best to read without knowing to much. Caroline seems to have it all - a lovely home, a husband that adores her, a lovely daughter and a business she is just starting to get off the ground but then everything changes. On evening Caroline’s world comes crashing down around her and she turns to Aiden, a local Batman, for comfort.

The book is written in the POV of Caroline and Aiden and it soon becomes clear that their version of events is not exactly the same. Who is telling the truth and why is one of them lying ?

A great book with a definite psychological slant. This will have you hooked from the beginning and you will have plenty of theories as to what is going on, but will you be right ? A psychological thriller definitely worth a read and one to add to the top of your pile !!

Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I listened to this on audiobook.

So having read and enjoyed this authors previous books I was pretty excited to listen to her latest book and boy what a story it was or should I say rollercoaster ride as it was certainly that. It was an amazing storyline with lots of twists and turns, and I was left thinking quite a lot as to who to trust in the story, Caroline or Aiden, as both of their stories were well told and believable. The story certainly did have me guessing throughout, however come a third of the way through, I did figure out what the twist would be before it happened, not that that ruined my enjoyment of this story.

So all in all brilliant story, well thought out characters and above all very well written, prepare to be sitting on the edge of your seat, that’s all I can say, as your in for an entertaining and gripping story.

WOW! This was so intriguing. From the description, I imagined it to be a bit meh. Woman meets stranger, has affair etc. But it was so much more. It's gripping, frustrating (in a good way) and overall my favourite read of 2019. Fantastic.

What do you do when you make a mistake that could cost you your marriage, or your family... or even your life? Caroline was just looking for a fling after her marriage suddenly fell apart, but young lover Aiden seems to have other ideas. As her dream life slowly descends into a nightmare, Caroline must face the frightening reality that Aiden is obsessed with her, and he'll do anything to keep her...

Ok, first things first - I will not be talking about the plot at all. There's too many twists and turns and I'm too wary of accidentally revealing a spoiler. All I will say is that the comparisons to Fatal Attraction are warranted - this has the same sort of vibe for most of the story, just with a male perpetrator, which is a flip on the classic trope that I really enjoyed.

'A Stranger on the Beach' is told from various POVs, alternative between Caroline and Aiden for the bulk of the novel before switching it up and including another perspective at the end (I won't say any more about that for fear of spoilers!). I sometimes find the use of multiple narrators in thrillers a bit of a cheap trick, as I find it's rarely done well enough and normally feels like a lazy way of building tension. But not in this case. Seriously, this is one of those where once you're into it, you're into it, and the tension just builds and builds in a completely natural way. The contrast between the tone of Aiden and Caroline's perspectives was a brilliant way to make the reader question what exactly is going on.

As for the twist... I saw it coming. Partially, at least. But I read a hell of a lot of thrillers, and so having a truly unpredictable twist is virtually impossible, simply by virtue that someone else has probably had a similar enough idea that you can guess where it goes. I will say though, being able to have an idea of what was coming didn't actually affect my enjoyment at all - partly became I wasn't 100% sure I was right, and that doubt meant the tension was still enjoyable, and even once I knew I was right, seeing how it all panned out, and how the various threads fit together still made for a great ending.

All in all, I'm impressed. It's rare for me to give a thriller above 3 stars, simply because I find a lot of modern thrillers quite dull and overdone. This one really stands out - it is unique, well-written, and very well plotted. I would definitely recommend it, and I can't wait to read her other work.

Disclaimer - I was provided with an advance copy of this book by NetGalley for review purposes. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

After awarding Michele Campbell’s “She was the Quiet One” five well deserved stars, I couldn’t wait to read her latest novel “A Stranger on the Beach”.
Sadly, I was initially very disappointed, the writing style and the unnecessary smutty scenes - which in my opinion lowered the tone of what could have been a cleverly plotted and intelligently written book.
Told from two different perspectives, Caroline in the first person and Aidan in the third person, both are unreliable narrators and you’re unsure of which are to be believed. The premise of the plot involving a marriage breakdown, a one night stand and a murder does sound intriguing but for me the story didn’t get going until ‘after the storm’. This was definitely a book of two halves regarding my enjoyment, as the latter part of the story involving the police investigation did redeem itself in pace and content. I didn’t like Aidan’s lawyer and found her unrealistic and rather silly considering her reputation and the charge she was defending. All the characters were very wooden and could maybe even be described as tacky. Although this book may make a cheesy afternoon TV movie (minus the graphic love scenes), as a book, it just didn’t cut it for me.
As a whole, it was just ok and I did eventually get into it, even if near the end, hence my 3 stars award and not 2. I’ve seen lots of raving reviews from fellow reviewers, maybe it just wasn’t to my taste but I won’t give up on this author yet, as I have enjoyed her work in the past and hope she returns in the future to the writing style I liked.
3 stars

After a week or two where every book I read was both disappointing and lacklustre, it seems the worm has turned, and I'm having a week where every novel is a rollicking five-stars. "A Stranger On The Beach" was no exception - I was so annoyed with myself for starting this one on my lunch hour, as I was already heavily invested by the time I had to go back to my desk, and didn't want to put the book down!

We begin with Caroline, married to wealthy financier Jason. Caroline has recently shunned their New York apartment in favour of their lavish, architect designed beach house in the Hamptons. When she sees a young man loitering outside the house, she is initially concerned that he might be a burglar assessing an opportunity. But the young man introduces himself as Aiden, a resident of the town, and bartender at one of the local bars.

When Caroline and Jason have a very public marriage breakdown at the lavish party she has organised, Caroline tumbles headfirst into a drunken one night stand with Aiden, partly for revenge and partly for comfort. But in the cold light of day, Aiden won't accept that a one night stand was all it was. And Caroline is about to enter a living nightmare...

All well and good so far (well, not for Caroline). But it's at that this point that the book begins to get really interesting, with chapters alternately narrated by Caroline and Aiden. Their stories don't just jar, they outright contradict each other. in Caroline's version, Aiden is a stalker, obsessed after a fling, who is violent, threatening, and a danger to her family. In Aiden's version, he and Caroline were lovers, and Caroline has asked him to protect her from her estranged husband. It's clear one of them is lying, but which one?

The author manages a tangled and complex plot brilliantly, with twists and turns aplenty. I loved that I had no idea who was telling the truth, and expected the real story to lie somewhere in the middle of the two differing accounts. I won't say if I was right or not as I don't want to spoil anything, but what I will say is that this is a clever, dark, and deeply satisfying novel that has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. I absolutely loved it, and can't wait to read more from this author - I have already recommended it to my book group ahead of its release, and can't wait to gift this one to my reader friends. A brilliant tense, and engaging read.

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A good read but predictable. This is a well written story told from 2 points of view. I did not particularly like any of the characters but I did get caught up in what was happening.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Two versions of the same events and they are completely different.This makes it a very interesting story Michelle Campbell is a new author for me and I will look out for more of her books

Well, thank you Michele Campbell, for rendering me completely unable to leave my chair until I’d finished this fast paced, intriguing, slick, and well written book!!! This story is told from two perspectives- Caroline Stark and Aidan Callaghan. There’s just one problem and it’s a big one, their version of the same events are totally different and contradictory. Who is telling the truth and who is spinning big, fat lies? Caroline and her wealthy financier husband Jason seem to have it all. Caroline has just finished overseeing the building and decor of a large coastal property (think Sandbanks scale if you’re British) on land that used to belong to Aidan’s grandfather. At the housewarming party Caroline’s life and marriage seem to fall apart when Jason turns up late with a mystery woman in tow. What ensues is chilling as the two disparate worlds of Caroline and Aidan collide.

The storytelling is very good although none of the characters are especially likeable, although Aidan’s loyalty to his brother is laudable. There is a fantastic meteorological background to part of the novel as Hurricane Oswald barrels it’s way up the US east coast which echoes a storm raging at the beach house. There is tension, fear, and some very exciting scenes until the climax of the story. Although I did guess the truth that in no way spoils enjoyment.

Overall, a very good, fast paced, heart racing thriller that I couldn’t put down. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Harper Collins for the ARC.

Rich woman with posh beach house in the Hamptons sees a stranger on the beach. He's later a waiter at her party. Her husband is playing away and she decides to have fun. Did any of them think this was going to end well?

Trouble is Aidan, the stranger on the beach does, well at least to his advantage. He starts to want to go out of his way to persuade the rich woman he slept with that she needs him. And if she thinks she doesn't , she's wrong.

This reads like one of those movies on the Hallmark channel. The characters are all reality TV stars or similar who think about nothing but their own happiness and fun. Can't say I cared for any of them. A house in the hamptons people ? Get rid of the husband and don't sleep with the waiting staff.

A total beach read!

This cover drew me in straightaway as did the story. Another one devoured in just one sitting. Cannot wait to read more from this author.

It was the cover that first attracted me to this book, then when I read what it was about it sounded too good to resist.

I wasn’t disappointed, it was riveting – a real page turner.

I love thrillers but didn’t realise until I was well into the pages that this book could probably come under the genre of crime fiction which isn’t usually my kind of book. I chose it because I thought it sounded like a domestic-noir kind of thriller but it was so much more than that. However don’t forget crime fiction isn’t my usual genre so the more seasoned crime fiction reader might find this book a bit tame but I absolutely loved it.

I’m not going to discuss any of the plot. Reading the blurb carefully now, I’m so glad I only skim read it before I started because I think even that gives a little too much away. It is so twisty, at one point I actually thought the author had made a mistake and had forgotten what she’d previously written. You cannot rely on the characters in the book to give a true picture of what is going on until you get very near to the end.

The story is told from the point of view of the two main characters, Caroline in some chapters, Aidan in others and their stories just never quite match up – they give different versions of events. So confusing to the reader but that’s all part of the thrill and the mystery.

It reaches a nail biting conclusion, maybe the outcome doesn’t come as a complete surprise but nevertheless it is so compelling and all the previous confusing, mixed up bits finally all come together. Just so good.

Firstly let me say I read Stranger on the Beach in one sitting, it’s the type of story that grips you so read when you know you’re going to have no distractions. (You can thank me later!)

Now this is how a book should be. It’s intelligent and full of twists and turns! The tension keeps on rising, the mystery kept getting deeper and I was dying to know how it was going to end. I loved the alternating points of view and the differences from each character. I didn’t connect with the characters since I found them all unlikeable but they’re written perfectly and I liked that I didn’t like them. It added perfectly to the tone set throughout the story.

There’s a brilliant quote not too far into the start of the book that I loved and think sums up a lot of it perfectly.
“A red flag snapped in the wind, signaling dangerous conditions.” Honestly it felt like there was more red flags in Stranger on the Beach than in a communist parade and I loved it!


I’ve been raving about this book for two days now. A little disappointed it’s not being published until January because EVERYONE would be getting a copy for Christmas if it was released earlier. This one is sticking with me and will 100% be making it to my list of top books I’ve read this year!

A Stranger On The Beach by Michelle Campbell 🖤
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This was absolutely amazing. Read over one weekend. A creepy, mystifying tale of unrequited love and obsession. I absolutely loved the author’s writing style, alternating chapters with each character’s view of what happened. I loved it and I really wasn’t sure who to believe. Amazing for fans of Fatal Attraction or You by Caroline Kepnes, a more modern reference 😊. Highly recommended. Love this author 💕
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