A dark thriller that is well written but I did think parts were dragged out too long. There is no doubt that Miranda can write a great thriller though.

Some Days Are Dark by Miranda Smith opens with a line that is deliciously ominous, whetting the appetite for what is to come . For me, however, the chapters that follow fail to further ignite the initial spark of excitement. From the very outset, I struggled to connect with Olivia, and I did not feel fully engaged or invested in her struggles as the plot progressed.

When Olivia leaves her husband Frank to take up with Dane Miller, she does so knowing that she will have less time with her young son, Jake. When Dane is murdered, Olivia becomes the prime suspect and, fearing the gossip surrounding the crime, becomes almost a recluse, and increasingly more dependent on the pills which have become a part of her daily routine.

This is a well-paced and thoughtfully conceived thriller that does manage to surprise. I am sure that this one will hit the spot for many but, unfortunately for me, it fell a bit flat.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for the arc in exchange for my review.

Everyone is talking about the first line in this book and I totally get why.
Olivia has been married twice and her second husband is killed in their home. Olivia was "happy her husband died but she couldn't admit it". Of course as in most situations, she is the number one suspect until someone else confesses. But did this guy really kill him?

Not going to lie, I couldn't stand Olivia which is weird considering how much I liked the book. Its rare to like a book but not really like its main character. I felt bad for her but just can't bring myself to say I liked her.
The story is told in two time periods, before the murder and after the murder. As with most thrillers, there are some great twist and turns in it and I couldn't put it down!

Olivia starts her narration by saying her husband is dead, and she is pleased

Quite a way to start a book but also it kinda peaks there as well, oh the rest of the story is acceptable thriller but never really ‘gets you’ like that first line does

The book takes you on a journey past and present into Olivia’s life and loves and focuses on the man who has admitted to her hubby ( Dane’s) murder and how is he proven NOT to be the killer and as eyes focus back on Olivia for the murder how she then copes with this and with the help of ‘Brock’ a kinda podcast crime investigator looks to ‘solve, who did it’

Olivia Isn’t likeable in the slightest and nor are any of the characters to be honest, there is repetition and the book could have done with 50 or so less pages but there is a viable story and an almost WOW factor ending when the killer and accomplice of sorts is unmasked

Yes I guess you would say it was a good read, just

6/10
3 Stars

Thank You to Netgalley, Author Miranda Smith, and Bookouture for my advanced copy of Some Days Are Dark , for my review!

Some Days Are Dark - has a dynamic opening line that will get your attention immediately

" I was happy my husband died, but I couldn’t admit it, otherwise people might think I killed him."

A well written and clever Mystery Thriller., with a good ending!

On a recent vacation I had some beautiful beach reading time. This book was perfect for the occasion. Enough suspense, drama, intrigue and shady characters to keep me reading. One of the characters has troubles with substance abuse, and though it's not something I struggle with, I still felt like I could relate to her. I found elements of the character that I connected to (even though I felt like I wasn't on paper anything like the main character....) I loved the intrigue of trying to figure to "who-dun-it", and felt like the pace of the book was just right to enjoy while lounging on the beach.

(I receive an Advanced Readers Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of the book)

This book is very well-written - it took me only a long train ride to finish it. On the other hand, I found it too predictable for my taste and to be honest, I didn't like the main character, Olivia, very much, except for what she does in the last chapter.
I must admit that I've already forgotten parts of the plot - so apparently it was not an unforgettable experience for me.
This is not to say it is was not a pleasure to read. I liked the style and therefore I hope to read another book by Miranda Smith soon.

Thanks to Netgally and Boukoture for this digital ARC.

Ooo I just loved this one! I had a feeling I would just by looking at the cover and title of the novel. Such an excellent read!!

This was a fabulous read. I absolutely loved it. Great storylines, characters, and a few twists. Great ending.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc and thank you Miranda Smith for that great ending.

I have mentioned before that fiction based in the USA is not my go-to option but Miranda Smith has impressed me with her writing so much that the setting was not an issue for me.

The story is told from Olivia's point of view and relates how she should be happy and settled in her marriage but has become restless and feels unfulfilled with her life. Husband Frank works hard to provide all they could possibly want in life albeit in modest ways. But Olivia's head is turned by Frank's employee Dane and it's not long before the cracks in her marriage are sufficient to break it apart.

Olivia moves in with Dane and it's not long before he proposes and Olivia certainly gets the exciting lifestyle she has been craving. Dane certainly mixes in different social circles to those Frank did, but Olivia soon realises that she should have been careful what she wished for. While Olivia and Dane have been partying hard and their house guests have been pushing the boundaries of social acceptability, Frank has met and married Julie a dedicated nurse who has taken on Olivia and Frank's son as her own. Their life together is a picture of respectability, in stark contrast to Olivia's.


Dane is murdered one night when Olivia is allegedly out of the house and the local police are quick to suspect her. Dane has few close friends and Olivia struggles to name any of the people who frequented their regular house parties which makes the police suspicious but suddenly a local homeless man has been arrested and charged with murder. None of this makes sense to Olivia but the investigating officers are not confident with her alibi.

The book follows the people involved in the murder investigation and Olivia's reaction to the information she discovers along the way. The officers aren't keen to share much information with her as she is still a possible suspect in their eyes but fortunately for her there is someone working on her behalf in the background to discover the truth. Can they prove her innocence in time or will they tread on the wrong toes in their quest to bring the right person to justice?

An interesting insight into how as a society we judge people on first impressions and preconceived ideas when sometimes it's those who appear to have their ducks in a row who are the most messed up.

This review will be posted as part of the blog tour in March

Well, golleee! This one sucked me in at the start and didn't let go till the end. What's not to like about a story that begins with a wife who found her husband murdered saying she's glad someone did him in? So what if the wife is somewhat of a sorry example of a human being, and so what if I guessed the whodunit about two-thirds of the way in - none of that mattered a whit. This is a totally engrossing story I really, really didn't want to put down.

Once married to steady-as-a-rock Frank, the restless and unfulfilled Olivia leaves him for adventure-loving Dane, who used to be Frank's employee. She and Frank share custody of their young son, Jake, at least until Dane is murdered and Olivia - who's overly fond of illegal drugs and alcohol, the former provided mostly by her new husband - is believed by most to be his killer. Even when someone else is convicted of Dane's murder, she's cut no slack; her friends abandoned her, her photography business is in shambles and a local cop won't stop harassing her because he's convinced of her guilt. Even Frank, with whom she shares custody of their child, has replaced her with a new, beautiful wife.

Even in her mostly drugged-out state, though, she knows she didn't do it; but she's not convinced the guy who confessed did it, either. As the story evolves, readers get behind-the-scenes looks at Olivia's life before Dane's murder as well as what's happening to her in the present. Toward the end, her current and former life start to merge amid a flurry of exciting twists and surprises. Definitely a winner - many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

When the opening line is like this one, you know you are going to be super hooked. I am absolutely delighted to say that I honestly didn't expect to like this book as much as I did.
Miranda Smith is a superb author and this has been an impossible read to put down. This is not only a thrilling read, but an addictive one, guaranteed to keep you guessing throughout.
I honestly cannot believe that this is a debut novel, I cannot wait to see what Miranda Smith has in store for us after this enthralling five star read.
Smith has pulled me in from the very first page and not let me go until I read the very last page. This has been an utter delight to read and review. I am excited for the next book from this author.

Some Days Are Dark....Miranda Smith

Addicted to pills after an auto accident Olivia spirals out of control. Married with a young son, having an affair with Dane because he provided her more pills and falling in love, she leaves Frank and her upper middle class life. But Dane is not a nice guy and ends up dead. Now living with being a suspect and still addicted to pills, she must find out who really killed Dane.

I’m not a fan of books being told in the past and the present....although I’m getting used to it as more and more books are being wrote this way.....but this book flowed really well and I really enjoyed the author’s writing style.

I love domestic thrillers the best and this one did not disappoint. I found that I liked the past chapters better than the present because of the buildup . Not a huge twisty book but the killer did surprise me and an added extra twist at the very end made me give this 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 ! Well done!

The opening line of this book will suck you in " I was happy my husband died but I couldn't admit it" What??! Also the cover of this book is amazing! The story was good, but for me it dragged in places and felt a bit too long.

Olivia's second husband Dane is murdered in their home - and she is the prime suspect. That is until a man confesses to the crime. We learn about Olivia and her first husband, and how that marriage broke down. How she meets and marries Dane and their life together. And then we learn about Olivia after the murder. Did she kill her husband? She is not a likeable character and has made a lot of very bad choices. I struggled to feel anything for her.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

Whoooooooooaaaa!!! 😱😱😱

Miranda Smith just knocked my socks off with this bad boy!

With an opening line of “I was happy my husband died, but I couldn’t admit it, otherwise people might resume saying I killed him”, is quite an attention grabber. Luckily, the rest of the story does not disappoint.

This story is broken up into two alternating perspectives of before and after, keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!!!!

Thank you to Miranda Smith, Bookouture, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I really really enjoyed this book and the ending still has me reeling. Shocker! Can't say more because it'll be a spoiler, but I highly recommend this book. I loved it and think anyine who is a fan of mystery and suspense will as well. Definitely five stars!

I wish this had a different title - something that would give some more insight into the great writing and well-plotted story inside! I was drawn into the family relationships and pulled into the before/after storyline. I'll certainly look for more by Miranda Smith.

Miranda Smith has done the impossible with this one: She created a character that I spent a large chunk of this book wanting to hit in the face with my Kindle and made me care about her experiences.

Liking a main character, especially a narrator isn’t a necessity for me, but I do need to empathize with him/her, at least a little. That was hard to do in the beginning. If I had a list of unforgivable sins for a character to commit in a book, this chick was checking them all off like it was her job.

The Basics:
Olivia wrecks pretty much everything in her life, and then her husband is murdered. Of course, suspicion falls on her until the real perp is caught. But then...in a shocking turn of events, that suspect has an alibi, and Olivia is back under the microscope (or should I say magnifying glass?). She’s shunned by all, except for one person who wants to help her find out what really happened to her husband.

In case I haven’t sold you yet, here’s the opening line: “I was happy my husband died, but I couldn’t admit it, otherwise people might resume saying I killed him”

WHAT??????

From that first glimpse into her psyche, I didn’t know what to make of Olivia. By the halfway point, I was having a blast trying to psychoanalyze her.

This book is insane! It’s quite the wild ride through some twisty, turny “slippery when wet” roads. The mystery is solid, and the hits keep on coming.

Enjoy!

I enjoyed this one; true crime junkie that I am; however, I did feel the book was a bit long. Might've had a more powerful ending if it wasn't drawn out.

I would still recommend this one to others!

I thought that Some Days Are Dark was good however I felt the book was overly long and lacked pace. It was written in a ‘Before’ and ‘After’ manner which worked to a degree but I just felt the book took too long to reach any kind of conclusion. Sorry but his book wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.