The description of this book caught my interest instantly. I thought the tension and suspense that arouse throughout the book was great and you could really feel it yourself, however, I did find some parts of this story were far too drawn out, which in turn affected the overall pace and flow of the book.

Grace is a newly divorced mother of two children. She is told by one neighbor that her next door neighbor is a suspect of a missing 5 year old girl. Having just moved in to the new house she starts to become overly curious about the neighbor and the family of the missing little girl. Grace tries to uncover quite badly what happened and investigate the "suspect". There is a strange encounter with a group of bats, helping her delusion of possible rabies. She is sleep deprived, hallucinating, dreaming things that make her think they really happened and over reacting in general. Things escalate to a head for her and she worries about the outcome. Quite honestly I actually thought she was crazy. I mean there is a huge difference between being nosy and insinuating yourself into a missing child investigation.  All the strange things that were going on and her over active imagination were a little over the top for me.

The premise of the story was great. I liked the claustrophobic feel of Grace's fears when she moved in next door to a suspect in a missing child case with her daughter. I could understand her apprehension and worry. I loved how the author stayed true to the emotions a mother would have. 

The story started fine, but some sections droned on a bit too much, and I didn't need such a descriptive prose. The suspense felt to be bang-on in certain areas, but the writing was disjointed in some others. 

Overall, I would say it was a different read. Maybe the next book from the author would be rocking.

One of my favorite thrillers of 2020! My one complaint with thrillers is generally the length, but if anything... this one left me wanting more. It flew by, and I can't wait to pick up more books by the author!

I think the best review for any book is saying: Get this book now!!! We  are introduced to Grace, who is slipping slowly but is able to continue to work. You will find yourself drawn into her world, and will question what is real and what is in Grace's mind. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

This was one of the best thrillers I read in a long time. This story was beyond so good. I wish it would’ve been a little longer

A roller-coaster of a ride. I didn't agree with all the main character did (going jogging in the dead of night when there might be a murderer next door leaving your young kids asleep in the house isn't something I could ever imagine myself doing) but her slow unravelling was like watching a car crash happening. It kept my interest from start to finish.

This was such a great read, enjoyed it thoroughly, i was hooked from the first page, great storyline and loads of twists and turns , highly recommend this book x

Losing a child is every parent's worst nightmare, keeping them safe is the number one priority. 
"She Lies Close" is a perfect example of the lengths a mother will go to, to keep her children out of harms way. 
Beautifully written and so easy to empathise with Grace, you'll be clutching your chest at times and exhaling with relief every few chapters.

I can't wait to see what Sharon Doering writes next!

This is my first time reading the author. Titan Books are one of my favourite publishers and I had faith they would come up with something excellent. They did. This is a domestic thriller and a bit different from the stuff I usually read. Change can be a good thing. The characters are well written and really come alive. I disliked creepy Leland from the start and shared Grace’s distrust of the unpleasant man. Grace is a very anxious person and easy to relate to. She wants to protect her children, and something seems off about Leland. The book is unsettling and uncomfortable to read but totally engrossing.

This was so good! Great writing, full of twists and turns and so much fun! I could not put it down until the very end! Can't wait to read more, thank you so much!

A suspenseful domestic thriller by debut novelist, Sharon Doering. How far would you go to protect your kids, if you suspected your neighbor abducted and possibly killed a child their age? Sleep deprived, recently separated, possibly rabid, and medicated what might one suspect they’ve already done when that neighbor turns up dead? Quirky at times and a page-turner throughout, She Lies Close is a debut that holds the reader captive.

Thanks to Titan Books & NetGalley for the advanced copy of SHE LIES CLOSE in exchange for this review.

Behold we have my favorite thriller so far of 2020!
This book knocked it out of the park, I could not put it down and I'm sad it's finished.

Ava Boone is missing and Grace just moved next door to the creepiest man she's ever encountered. Grace quickly spirals as she tries to figure out where Ava is or who killed Ava. Twists are on every page- bat bites, a down and out tired mother, an ex husband that suddenly wants her back and a hot detective!
Soon Grace doesn't know if she is living in reality or if she is hallucinating.
This book was explosive and dark and I craved every single word!

If you love Thrillers, add this to your October 2020 TBR!!!

As a debut novel, props to Sharon Doering for an interesting premise here.  Grace moves next door to a person suspected in a case of a missing child and becomes convinced this person is responsible.  Grace is a worrier, anxious about her entire existence, and much of the book spends too much time on her internal ramblings during sleepless nights. The focus is actually more on Grace and her descent into a type of conspiracy madness rather than the actual case of the missing girl.  Difficult to connect to Grace,  therefore too hard for me to be really invested.

She Lies Close is an unsettling and uncomfortable read. I really warmed to the narrator and her attitude towards her everyday life. It was very interesting to read from her perspective as she justified her behaviour.

I think I had quite high expectations for the ending. The book was a little slow paced, which I wrongly assumed would lead to an explosive ending. Instead, the ending felt a little flat and I felt like it came out of nowhere, after not really seeing much of a build up.

Overall decent thriller, disappointing ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

She Lies Close, was a book that really appealed to me as I love psychological thrillers, but I am sad to say that I could not connect with the story and unfortunately this one was unable to hold my attention

As I don't believe in publishing negative reviews, this will not be added to my blog or retail sites..

Thank you to Sharon Doering, Titan Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of She Lies Close, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Most modern domestic thrillers follow a similar trajectory and tone: Frazzled mother, something small happens, something bigger happens, then something happens to the child. The screws tighten predictably as the tension builds until the final climax of the book. The villain is revealed to be the heroine’s best friend/husband/next-door neighbor. It’s a good, satisfying structure that works. But sometimes it makes things a little too neat. Sometimes a reader wants to get outside the box just a little.

Read the complete review by following the link below.

It is hard to believe that this is a debut from this author!  The twists and turns in this thriller kept coming in a way that only an exceptional writer could lay out!  I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future!

Y'aaaaall.

I've read plenty of books with unsympathetic narrators but this is one of the perishing few where I could sympathize with our protagonist even as I lacked any empathy for her. Grace Wright is, in temperament, my exact opposite. She has a fixed idea of how things should be, and reacts poorly when things go wrong. She'd rather take medication than undergo therapy, and is an enthusiastic helicopter parent who resents her kids, especially since divorcing the husband who cheated on her. She's overwhelmed even before she discovers that her neighbor is a suspect in the disappearance of five year-old Ava Boone. Sleep-deprived and constantly scouring the Internet on a quest for how to fix everything in her life, she's a mess. And then she thinks she sees Ava in the window of the house next door.

What follows is a hallucinatory descent into, if not quite the madness, then the definite temporary psychosis of a modern woman trying to keep it all together, to be the woman she thinks she's "supposed" to be even as her mental and emotional health degrade, in no large part due to her own reactionary choices. Grace has little impulse control and cannot stop from making bad decisions, spurred on by a social milieu that tells her she <i>shouldn't</i> compromise, that she only needs to <i>lean in</i>, to <i>try</i> harder while depriving her of the supportive framework to do that. Confused and anxious, she chooses paranoia at every turn. Frankly, she's a QAnon cultist waiting to happen -- certain passages, particularly the ones about falling down Internet rabbit holes and being obsessed with protecting children from strangers, remind me of profiles I've read of true believers.

And yet, I couldn't write her off, because she reminds me of real, vulnerable people I know and love: funny, intelligent people intent on ruining their own lives and stubbornly insistent on being right to do so. Sharon Doering has written a remarkably lived-in tale of a woman who would be a terrific sleuth if she weren't <!--more-->almost completely out of her mind. I kept wanting to tell Grace that she needs a) sleep, and b) therapy (including couples counseling because it didn't seem like she and her ex-husband even tried to repair their marriage before splitting up,) but she's the kind of person who only seeks out positive reinforcement for her self-destructive behavior. And maybe more than self-destructive, as she keeps inserting herself into the case of the disappearance of Ava Boone, even after a brutalized body is found.

This is not the book for people who need to like their protagonists. Grace suuuuuucks and I would make about 5% of her choices, but Ms Doering writes her so well, laying down her fevered thinking and raw emotions bare on the page, that it's hard to look away. If I had to tag myself in the book, I'd definitely be a Jason, who hopes she gets better. That Grace is also the narrator of not one but two tricky murder mysteries renders this a virtuoso performance of a novel that's meant to be uncomfortable for people like myself, but also perhaps relatable for people who might need the help and, as a result of seeing themselves in this book, seek it out.

We were lucky enough to be able to interview Ms Doering for her insightful and often charming thoughts on motherhood, time management and persistence. Click <a href="http://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2020/10/08/an-interview-with-sharon-doering-author-of-she-lies-close/"> here to read the interview.</a>

She Lies Close by Sharon Doering was published in the US today, November 10th, 2020, and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781789094190">Bookshop!</a>

Want it now? For the Kindle version, <a href="https://amzn.to/3o5VqQW">click here</a>.

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books UK for the arc of this book by Sharon Doering.

I found this book VERY hard to get into, and I was just not enjoying it at all. I almost DNF it. This was one I had hopes for, but fell WAY short for me. Sorry to say I did not enjoy this one. The writing was well done, but it was all just a little stupid honestly.