Freya and Phil have been married two years. What started as a fairy-tale marriage has turned into something quite different. Phil definitely needs anger management .... he has emotionally and physically abused Freya. And she has done the last thing she'd ever thought she would ... her bags are packed and in the car.

She's interrupted when police show at her door. Seems like Phil's been involved in a terrible auto accident and is in a coma in the hospital. She stays by his side until he wakes from his coma ... he remembers nothing after the honeymoon.

Freya knows giving him another chance could be dangerous. But now he’s the one who needs her, it’s a chance to turn the tables, and to change the outcome of their relationship once and for all. After all, he will only know what she chooses to tell him…

What really happened during those two years of marriage? Who's lying .. who's telling the truth? Who's safe ... and who isn't? And who is leaving Phil threatening notes?

This is a well written look at domestic abuse and the challenges of making the right decisions at the right time. I have to confess ... I did not like Phil one iota. I felt sympathy for Freya who's torn between trying to save her marriage and running like crazy and getting away as fast as she can. Twists and turns make this a real page-turner. Suspense starts on the very first page and only increases until the unexpected, surprising conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Karen King for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very quick read and I enjoyed reading this book, I felt like it was gripping enough and kept me engaged in the story. I think it would have been a nice thing to add a trigger warning at the start since the book contains domestic abuse.
The story is told in the third person but from various angles including Freya, Phil, her sister Daisy and a mystery person in the first person. It doesn't get confusing at all.
Even though I enjoyed the book, I felt like something was missing. It didn't WOW me.. It wasn’t the worst thriller, but definitely not the best either.

This book has all of the hallmarks of a good psych thriller.
Opening scene that grabs the reader? Check.
Cool plot point that sets the scene and tone? Check.
Unreliable narrators who throw the reader off balance? Check.
Chapters with a mystery character who could be anybody? Check.
And don’t forget a few red herrings thrown in the mix.
I was never quite sure where this one was going. There were definitely times where I thought the author was throwing a curve ball (sometimes I was right, sometimes I was wrong).
I liked how the plot unfolded and thought the conceit (Phil losing his memory of two years) worked well for being able to question what was real and what wasn’t. I also thought the character relationships were realistic.
I thought the author did a decent job of creating doubt as to whose story was more accurate. There were a few times that I found myself doubting Freya because there was just enough uncertainty in her perspective to make Phil’s concerns legitimate.
As the truth starts to come out, however, it becomes apparent as to why those doubts are given any attention at all. I don’t want to give away a major plot point (you can find those spoilers elsewhere).
But I do think that once the reality of the entire situation comes to light, there are a few lapses in logic that were hard to overlook.
Without giving too much information, I found it difficult to believe that Freya would even consider giving Phil another chance. I mean, those memories she had were real regardless of whatever else happened.
In that regard, Freya’s characteristic was the most real because she was the stereotypical person in that situation, always making excuses, thinking that the next time will be different.
Again, don’t want to say more – but as you can see from other reviews, there may be some triggering events in this story.
I thought that the author handled it well, but it made me question how strong Freya really was.
Ultimately, I did get that answer. I also guessed a few other “twists” but they were still good. I would recommend this book. I understand this is the author’s first psych thriller and I think it’s a good start. I hope to see more.

A great read with many twists and turns. The characters were well crafted and believable and I felt a great affinity with Freya. A definite thumbs-up from me.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to give my unbiased opinion. Also, thank you to Karen King.

Firstly a big thank you to Bookouture for my copy to review on netgalley. I dont think ive actually disliked a book of theirs ive read.

I raced through this heart pounding, nerve wracking and addictive read. Who is telling the truth? And who was leaving who on that eventual night?

Written in alternate narratives this keeps the readers attention and the plot fresh and fast.

Unpredictable and a twisty thriller.

I have been in Freyas shoes so i resonated a lot with her storyline. Karen has written around this subject sensitivity and brilliantly.

A fantastic book and i cant wait to read more from her.

Published 20th November

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Karen King for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

To me this book was more of a domestic drama than a psychological thriller. It didn't really quite have the "edge of your seat" jumpy factor, but it still managed to be gripping and full of suspense.

It's hard to say too much about the story without giving anything away, as the plot is quite tightly knit.

I found this story easy to read, easy to follow, not too taxing but enjoyable.

Great read! Really enjoyed this one. I’ll definitely be looking out for other books by this author. I did however find it a bit slow at the beginning but I’m glad it picked up and started to get more twisty.

TRIGGER WARNING: this book contains domestic abuse
Freya and her husband Phil have a blazing row and he storms out of the house. Minutes later, he crashes his car and when he wakes from the coma he has lost all memory of the last two years and their whole turbulent marriage. Freya hopes he has changed but his behaviour becomes increasingly worrying. Meanwhile the couple discover that someone tampered with the brakes but which one of them was the intended victim...?
The Stranger In My Bed had me gripped the whole way through. We witness the argument between Phil and Freya and over the course of the book see other incidents that chart the disintegration of the whirlwind romance that brought them together in the first place.
The narrative is told in the third person but from various angles including Freya, Phil, her sister Daisy and a mystery person in the first person. This allows us to see their perspectives on events and the actions of the other characters.
Karen King has done a spectacular job of dealing with the intricacies of domestic abuse. The negotiations and compromises that need to take place for a successful relationship are missing from Phil and Freya's marriage. Both stand up for themselves and this leads to conflict.
Freya is desperately hoping that Phil has changed as a result of the accident and they have a chance at a fresh start. Phil does not recognise the person that Freya alludes to and when she challenges him he fears that she may have been the abuser.
The Stranger In My Bed is a fantastic psychological thriller. There were plenty of twists in the plot that had me reading even more voraciously. I thought the conclusion was excellent and the final page did make me gasp a little...

I really enjoyed the premise of the book and I understand how the author wrote it to try to create a sense of suspense and dread, however, I did not like the execution.

We are meant to believe that Freya is the beaten wife about to leave her husband before he gets in an accident erasing his memory and leaving him back to when the first fell in love and things are good between them. I never got the master manipulator or the feel of Freya being in a toxic relationship. It’s like the author googled “toxic relationship” and just used what google said the signs were. It felt forced and insincere.

The book was a super predictable, a really quick read with short chapters.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this book Netgalley It was extremely well written & had credible & strong characters. The twists & turns are really good in this excellent thriller.

A very well written domestic thriller. The storyline is good and the characters very believable. A few twists along the way to keep you guessing .

A controlling husband is put in the hospital after someone tampers with the brakes on his car. Who wants him dead? As he gains consciousness, everyone soon realizes he last lost memory of the last two years of his life. He cannot remember anything about his marriage or what the marriage was like. As you get further into the story, you discover what a jerk he truly is and why he has made several enemies. What I really liked was I was not able to completely figure out the whole ending on my own. Who doesn't like a surprise? Thank you NetGalley, this was a very intriguing read for thriller/suspense readers like me.

The stranger in my bed is told from multiple point of views. Freya married Phil after 6 months they know each other. After 2 years, Freya decided to leave her abusive and manipulative husband but suddenly he got into a car accident. She can't leave him when he got amnesia and kinda fragile so she decided to give him a second chance tskkk

I like the ending. Serve him right duh but goshh I hate Freya's sister!! How can she backstabbed her own sister? Like wtf ?? Ohhh I don't like her mother too!! Seems like she don't even care bout her own daughter goshh

Thank you Netgalley, publisher and author for this ARC!

🌟🌟🌟.5

The first time I read a book by Karen King, and I enjoyed it. The Stranger in My Bed is a psychological thriller which is more of a suspense thriller. When Freya and Phil met she thought he was the man she would spend the rest of her life with. But that quickly changed into a nightmare. Freya trying to rid of this abusive marriage decides to leave which as she is getting ready to the police come to her door saying that Phil was in a horrible accident. He has no memory of the past two years and Freya decides to try to fix their marriage, will it be a huge mistake??
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

A Stranger in My Bed was my first read for December. Penned as a "gripping psychological thriller" I was really excited to dive in. I would say this one is more of a domestic thriller but 🤷

Freya and her husband Phil have been married for 2 years. When an argument pushes them apart Freya is ready to leave Phil for good. Until the police arrive at her door with the news that Phil has been in a terrible accident. In the hospital, they find out Phil has extreme amnesia and cannot remember the past 2 years of their marriage. Leaving a lot of secrets to be uncovered.

I found the characters to be likeable but I figured out pretty much every "twist" and even though I like being right I do enjoy the mind-blowing feeling of being wrong. I also felt that so much of the dialogue was redundant. To the point that I was like OKAY, WE GET IT! MOVE ON!

I am interested to read others from this author I just think this one missed the mark for me.
3.5/5 stars

The Stranger in My Bed is the first book I have read by Karen King, but I also understand this is her first foray out of romance. This book is billed a thriller with a twist, but I say it is more of a domestic suspense or psychological suspense. I was hooked from the opening and enjoyed this well written book, but there wasn't much of a twist. Phil Keegan falls for Freya Swinton the first time her sees her. He sweeps her off her feet during a whirlwind courtship and they quickly get married. It takes only six months after their wedding for Freya to see the real Phil and for his violent, narcissistic personality to come out. She is ready to leave him, when she gets a knock on the door. Phil has been in an accident and is in the hospital. He isn't seriously injured but has lost his memory of the last two years of his life. Not only that, but it appears someone tampered with his brakes and tried to kill him, or perhaps it was Freya they were after. Freya decides to give him another chance, that perhaps she can get him to change, but can anyone change someone's true nature?

As I was reading this, I kept going back and forth trying to figure out who was telling the truth. Were they all unreliable narrators. The secrets are doled out as Phil recovers and regains his memory. There is also a third POV, from someone who hates Phil and is sneaking around, even being the person who tampered with his brakes. This is a realistic and devastating look at the chaos and trauma that abuse can wreak on those subjected to it. I really felt for Freya and her dire situation. She was a likeable character, rushing to be by Phil's bedside even after making the decision to leave him because of the abuse he subjected her to.

As the story unfolds we learn that Phil really is not a very nice person, and I wanted to know who else wanted to make him pay. The ending was a bit rushed, but overall, it was a satisfying way to end this story. This was an emotional story and I was involved right up until the end. I was gifted a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

The Stranger in my Bed is a quick read with twists throughout. Although very predictable, I was interested in finding out how events would come to fruition. It wasn’t the worst thriller, but definitely not the best either. I’m not closing the door on reading future books from Karen King, This book had its thrilling moments, but few and far between. 2.5 stars rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it! My brain was racing ahead of eyes dying to know what would happen next. A dramatic tale of love,marriage,and secrets. This will draw you in and keep you there until the last page. Wonderful stuff!

Brilliant. This book had me hooked from the beginning. An edge of your seat, page turner that you really can't guess. Freya seems to have it all from the outside, married to a successful man, with a loving family around her. One day her husband is seriously injured ina car accident and it appears it might not have been accidental, someone might have tampered with the brakes. And now he can't remember the last 2 years of their marriage. As we go further into the story we learn that their marriage hasn't been fully happy. So who might want to hurt him, what secrets are there to be discovered and will the truth make them all happier or more miserable.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It drew me in from the start and there were so many times that I thought I had it all worked out only to find I was wrong. I would definitely recommend this book.