Many thanks to Net Galley for this stunner. Wow! I loved this and devoured it. Great characters, great plot line. Highly recommend!

The storyline is good, and mostly well executed. This was a really gripping book for me, although quite predictable.

The only thing that didn't really work in my opinion was the dual timeline. It was hard to keep track with the 'months earlier' and 'now' aspects of this. However, I did like the added timeline from their time in Sri Lanka as that added a lot of insight and emotion into the story.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This was full of mystery and intrigue and kept me guessing until the end. A powerful thriller with an interesting plot line

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. This was an interesting book. A murder mystery type book. So if you like that type you might want to try this one out.

This was great it's also known as the The Good Daughter which is a little confusing on good reads but I figured it out....

A decent thriller, though not standout given how many books in this genre I read per year. The plot center on Natalie, an Australian sex worker whose parents are from originally from Sri Lanka. Natalie struggles to open up emotionally, probably due to her parents who have told her basically nothing about their past in Sri Lanka and their limited connection. When Natalie finally meets a man who she feels she can open up to, he turns out to be the main suspect in her best friends’ murder, which Natalie ends up investigating due to her frustration with the police. There was definitely twists, some of which I didn’t see coming, but the timeline was a bit hard to follow at points. I enjoyed the unexpected social commentary on sex workers and racism and would recommend this book. Thank you to he author and Net Galley for this ARC.

Ruined starts off with a murder and I did not guess the killer until I was supposed to. Ruined kept me absorbed until the very end.

Ruined isn't just a mystery, but an education on people who immigrated from Sri-Lanka and the vibrating ripples into next generations. Ruined is about family. The family you have. The life you create from that life. And what happens when you have another life in your hands.

The story talks heavily about abortoin as Natalie, a sexx worker, tries to figure out what to do with a leftover present from a one-night stand. It then gets complicated when she meets up with the one-nighter, Griffin. Is he a good guy? Safe guy?? Just who is he?

Then the question becomes: is he killing her friends?

I found the intricacies that S.A. McEwen weaves through the story to be excellent. Every detail makes everything sharper, more confusing, and leads to astounding events for Natalie.

Ruined is a solid mystery that makes you think on more than one level. McEwen has written a good mystery that might ruin your plans for the weekend because the mystery is that good.

I received a free copy of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

The name captured me first, and I began reading. It was a bit slow at first, but after some chapters i got the hang of it. i love the setting, the plot and the best of them all, the characters. So precise, and intriguing

A violent murder, a family secret and a boyfriend who isn’t who he says he is?

When her best friend is murdered she vows to find out who the killer is, as the police don’t seem to care. When all of the clues start to point to her boyfriend, Natalie may find too many answers to her questions.

This book was ok ✅

Thank you, author, publisher, and Netgalley for the copy.

This book covers a lot of important topics like the life of a sex worker, dysfunctional families, racial prejudices and that was impressive. But I wasn't a fan of the story and the main character. The suspense was good and it was a unique thriller nevertheless.

First off I'd like to thank Netgalley, Kaleido Text Media and the author S.A. McEwen for the e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a woman named Natalie who has issues with herself that stem from her lack of relationship with her parents. Her parents were immigrants from Sri Lanka who moved to Australia during a civil war and they were not open with her about their struggles. She usually keeps everyone at arms length until she meets a man she feels like she can connect with. However, she starts to suspect him in the murder of her best friend.

I really enjoy dual perspectives like this book has where it's told by Natalie but also the unknown killer. However, there were a lot of really hard hitting topics that didn't quite all connect by the end of the book. I did like the author did a lot of research into the social issues discussed in the book. Overall, it was an enjoyable quick paced read.

I wanted to love the book, but I didn't. I thought the main character was tough to connect too. I thought it had some suspense, but overall when the story was resolved at least one main clue was never spoken of again or resolved. Additionally, the ending fit together too nicely. The angst of race and prejudice was a prevalent theme that I didn't expect based on the book description and although I didn't mind that element and understood why it was included, it wasn't the story I anticipated and made for a different underlying theme for a thriller.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3979109721

Natalie is a second generation Sri Lankan living in Australia who struggles to connect emotionally with her parents, friends, and especially lovers. Natalie and one of her only true friends, Letitia, are both high end sex workers. When Letitia is found murdered Natalie’s world is turned upside down. It only gets worse when clues point towards Natalie’s new love interest being involved. Is the man she thinks she might finally be starting to have feelings for really who he says he is?

This book provides a disturbing look into sex work, racial tension, and physical and mental family abuse. I’m not sure what I was expecting but this took me by surprise. It’s a mystery that hooked me in from the beginning. Although I had guessed the direction where the end of the book was going, I still enjoyed reading it and seeing how the author was able to tie the story together. Overall, I enjoyed this fast paced story.

Thank you Net Galley for the digital ARC.

The story is told from two perspectives, Natalie a second generation immigrant from Sri Lanka and the unidentified "Killer" and loved this unique storytelling perspective - it certainly worked really well in keeping the suspense and thrill aspect of the book high.

However I feel like we are bashed from all sides in the first few chapters as the author rushes to spell out all of Natalie's problems and issues in the world (Natalie is a sex worker, Natalie is getting an abortion, Natalie and her family suffer from systemic racism, Natalie doesn't have a great relationship with her parents, Natalie's brother has a mental illness and the BAM her best friend is murdered and the police don't care.)

The book was short succinct and action packed and I did enjoy the POV it was told from however there was just too much going on for me and I couldn't say I would rush to recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me curious from the beginning. Great thriller read! This story follows Natalie a sex worker and her struggles with her parents relationship. After dating a guy thinking he is a serial killer, you can’t help but wonder how this book ends. To find out who is the killer of her best friend and whether her parents relationship will continue to suffer. Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this electronic copy.

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A well written fast paced thriller is very rare to find these days. All the famous thrillers are not that fast from first page itself but this one was. From first page I was hooked.
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It's a story of a girl who never had any emotional relationship with parents. Her parents were immigrants from Sri Lanka who immigrated to Australia during their civil war and they didn't share anything with her as a result of which she stayed away from real-life adult relationships. But when she finally finds someone with whom she can connect with, that guy turns out to be suspect in the death of her best friend.
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There are so many topics discussed in this one from racism to the lives of Sex workers and life of migrants.
I read this in one go and it is pretty good read.
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In few places I thought that there were too much thoughts of the protagonist on display. Which according to me were a bit more than required. Her emotions and all.
Otherwise I liked this one.
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Small and fast read. Can read it in one go.
Good if you are looking for Short Thriller..

I found this book to be ok. It was a Romantic thriller based on a family and a lot of secrets. Sex, Natalie had not had an easy life but she had managed to become a lawyer. When a friend of hers turns up dead. Natalie discovers the police are really into solving this case since there have been many other similar murders.she becomes more involved. There is a lot of graphic sex and sex workers. Not really my kind book. It was difficult for me to finish.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ACR for my honest review

Natalie has some inner issues with herself that stem from her lack of a relationship with her parents, an understanding of where her family is from and their background. Her family never spoke of their struggles and challenges of immigrating from Sri Lanka to Australia during their civil war. This has caused Natalie to keep people at arms-length and to have issues with creating close relationships. When she finds a man that she feels close to, she starts to struggle even more with herself and everything she thought she wanted is now put into question.
Then, her best friend is murdered, one in a few similar murders. Now she is unsure about her new boyfriend, the way they met and why they met, and starts to suspect him.

This was a nice quick book. I was definitely interested and the writing was intriguing. There were two perspectives, one from Natalie and one of the killer, except we don't know who the killer is. I thought that was pretty ingenious as it makes you think you know who the killer is except that you don't. The ending was also very satisfying, I wasn’t quite sure I was expecting how it would end.

I felt that there were a lot of topics and social issues in this book, and it was a little overwhelming in the first 30 pages of the book. In those first few pages, we learn that Natalie is a sex worker, is getting an abortion, racism is a problem for her and her family, her brother has a mental illness, and the murder hadn't even happened! By the end of the book I do feel like all those issues were connected in one way or the other, except the abortion. I am not sure why that was in the book, other than the fact it was the first indication that maybe Natalie didn’t really know herself afterall.

I also liked the author note that states the author's research on many of the social issues discussed in the book. I appreciate that the author took the time to really understand some of the cultural social issues included in the book before writing about them.

I do feel like a few other plot points were not explained or were unfinished. For example, Natalie's client that painted her. I'm not sure what his role was in the storyline. I feel like there was a lot going on that some things didn’t get as well developed as it should/could have been.

Overall, an enjoyable quick read - Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this electronic review copy!

A black and white world of deception, love, hate and family. Without prejudice, it would have been a better, safer life for the main character, who uses her talents to live a life of luxury until the past catches up with her. I loved this book from the first to the last page. I had a strong sense of empathy for many of the characters; I felt loathing towards others.