This was a decent read, but it didn't draw me in as I had hoped. I am so so tired of the amnesia trope. I speed skimmed my way through it, honestly. It was too predictable.

Me costó un poco leer este libro, había muchas cosas que no me hacían mucho sentido y es que no entendía porque aún con todo ella seguía en esa relación y el final realmente no me sorprendió demasiado;.

"The Stranger in My Bed" by Karen King is a gripping and intense thriller that takes you on a roller-coaster ride through the complexities of love, trust, and deceit. The story introduces us to Freya, who initially believed she was living the perfect love story with Phil, a man who seemed like the ideal partner. However, as time goes by, their marriage unravels into a nightmare of violence and fear.

The plot takes an unexpected turn when Phil is involved in a horrific car crash, losing all memory of their turbulent years together and reverting to a time when their relationship was idyllic. Freya is faced with a life-altering decision: should she seize this opportunity to reshape their marriage or continue on a path of escape?

As the narrative unfolds, King keeps readers on the edge of their seats, delving into the mystery of what truly transpired during those two tumultuous years of marriage. Freya grapples with the power dynamic now shifted in her favor, but the shadow of the past looms large, and the consequences of her choices are far-reaching.

The book masterfully explores themes of memory, manipulation, and the fine line between victim and villain. Karen King's writing is evocative, drawing readers into the psychological turmoil of her characters. "The Stranger in My Bed" is an electrifying thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end, making it a must-read for fans of suspenseful, psychological dramas.

Girl meets boy. Boy woos girl and seems to be too good to be true. Girl marries boy. Boy proves to be an absolute trash human being.... an all too realistic storyline. This is a story of domestic abuse and the challenges that come with living and leaving. Because of the content of this book, it may be triggering to some, so please be mindful.

When Freya met Phil, she was instantly awe struck. She thought she had met the man of her dreams. But over their two year marriage, the dream devulges into her worst nightmare. Finally, Freya has decided enough is enough. Her bags are packed, and she is prepared to leave. Until a surprise visit changes everything.....

"We have a patient who has been involved in a serious accident. We believe he’s your husband."

Phil was in a horrific car accident and has no recollection of the last two years. Is this a chance for a fresh start? Is the danger worth it? Freya rationalizes that Phil only ever has to know what she wants him to know. Can this alter the course of their relationship entirely?

What if I told you there's more to the story? That maybe someone isn't being truthful. What really happened during their last two years of marriage? Whose life is truly in danger?

"The stranger in my head" is a fabulously twisty read bound to leave your head spinning. Full of suspense and dread that builds and builds until the final shocking revelation. It's definitely worth reading!


As always thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review

I feel like this is similar to something I have read before but I think this one had the edge, it was full of suspense and intrigue and kept my attention from start to finish

My first Karen King read and it was in between for me. It starts out with a typical dream like relationship all "perfect" relationships are made of with the "honeymoon" phase in full effect. Freya and Phil are the picture perfect couple and Phil showers her in love and affection until he doesn't and then the monster is unmasked. When dreams turn to nightmares this is where you will find Freya and Phil. Just when Freya decides to make the decision to get out and run Phil loses his memory after a bad accident and it's like someone hit the rewind button and now Freya has a husband who doesn't even remember the vile things he did to her, so should she stay or go?! This story touches on abuse which can bring many emotions for some who read it. I found a decently steady pace to the book although much was predictable but overall not disappointing. It is one of those types where you can easily get mad at the characters for their decision making or maybe lack of sound decision making. While not as suspenseful and exhilarating as I like my psychological reads, it did have a level of interest so that I did see it through to the end. Thank you NetGalley for the copy to read and review.

Full of susspense and the tension of a thriller, THE STRANGER IN MY BED might not be for everyone but WOW it was a really good story line that morphed part way through into something you'd never believe. I kept turning back pages looking for the clues I might have missed. Let's just say....there are two sides to every story.

Such a brilliant, twisty read and totally gripping. Keeps you guessing all the way through. Looking forward to reading more from the author.

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this!

I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis of this book. This book instantly drew me in. I love a good Mystery/Thriller. I got to explore through the eyes of our main character and this is always my favorite way to discover these details of the story and, it was done very well in this book. I really enjoyed this book and the plot. This author did amazing. I loved the writing style.

The husband was genuinely horrible in Stranger in my Bed. It was a real anger that I felt upon reading every page. Despite the fact it was quite shocking, the story kept me turning the pages. Imagining your abusive blowhard husband, who suffers from severe anger issues, nearly dying in a car accident, after which he does not recall two years of his life, and thus does not remember what a horrible man he was. As a result, the heroine of this story risked her life by staying with this man.
It was a well-written story full of description. With tons of emotion. In addition to her sister. A lousy excuse of a sister, just wow! I did not like any of these characters. It was a interesting read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture for this ARC. This was a honest review.

This was a thrilling read by an author I haven't read much of before. The book was well written, and though it deals with a subject that might be upsetting to some readers, it was worth the effort and kept me glued until the end. Recommended.

I would rate this book 3.25 out of 5 stars.

I really enjoyed the twist on the typical amnesia thriller plot in that we are not following the person with amnesia but rather their partner.

I liked the story well enough but I really found that it failed to build any real tension or suspense for me. I also found it quite predictable (although this doesn't always make me enjoy a story less).

I also wish that the portrayal of an abusive relationship had given the reader a little more to chew on, it felt a little surface level to me (please keep in mind I am not an own voices review on this point).

If you are looking for an interesting take on your 'typical' thriller plot then give this one a go.

Thank you so much Karen for allowing me to read this book! When Freya first meets Phil, she believes he is the man of her dreams. After their honeymoon Phil’s true colors start to show and they are dark. He abuses Freya. Just as she is building up the courage to leave him, Phil is in a terrible accident. When he wakes up he has no idea who his wife is. Freya wants to give him another chance, but is it safe to do so?

I must admit parts of this book were hard to read. I’m wondering if choosing domestic violence was the best idea when for so many women this is a reality? Thank you for sharing this with me.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.
I was intrigued and blurb more than anything on this one and was glad I got a copy.
A good idea for a store and to me a little creepy! Very well written though, if a little slow for me at times, but once it got going there was no stopping. . I definitely want to read more by Karen King.so please keep writing.

This book was a bit of a slow burner . It started to pick up about 60% of the way through. It was very predictable unfortunately.

Thank you for the early copy of this book. This one was a slow burn but still interesting. It made you keep wondering who was lying and who is being honest in this story. Not bad for this one but wasnt the best.

This was an intense read. But very fast paced. Going into this I didn't really know what it was about. But I was gripped from the very beginning to the very end. The writing made me question things. I just felt some twist was coming making me side eye everything I found out. I will admit the actual twist/reveal I didn't see coming. But looking back the signs were all there. Especially knowing how much of a liar Phil was.

I did wonder if Phil was lying about the amnesia. It would just fit his character to have lied. Freya staying made me think she was stupid at first. But this happens in real life so often, people staying or going back for many different reasons. None of those people are stupid either. I just felt for her. She wanted to believe he could be different this time.

The ending felt rushed. It all wrapped up in what felt like maybe 10 pages. Which for this time of story I felt it needed more resolution. The last couple of sentences of the epilogue raised some eyebrows. I saw it coming. It happens so often in thrillers. Was it needed here? No I don't think so. I don't think it actually added anything.

WOW what a great idea for a gripping story! Absolutely brilliantly written and captivating. I was invested in the characters and desperate to find out what would happen as the tale was told. I will be looking into more by Karen King.

I am also a little skeptical with domestic abuse thrillers and whilst I found this a little cliched and very frustrating at times overall I think the author has done a pretty good job. The idea IS to hate the philandering narcissi tic gaslighting asshole of a husband (which we do) and feel sympathy for Freya with the situation she finds herself in (which we do) and although you are screaming - GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN, leave his sorry behind in the hospital and don't look back it does pose some great moral dilemma questions with, well what would you do...??

It isn't as twisty or suspenseful as one might expect for this genre but it is page turning and very compelling and although the author is well known for her romance novels as a debut into domestic/psych thrillers I think she does a great job, The language is sophisticated and the story moves along at a decent pace so its a solid 3 from me and I'll definitely look out for more thrillers in the future.