A slow build that culminates in a crescendo of tragedy. Karen Perry has a wonderful ability to write about ordinary people in ordinary situations but due to a decision, a word or an action catastrophic events can occur. Like a domino effect this book careers out control. Difficult to read or comprehend at times especially when teenagers make misguided choices that they firmly believe are acceptable at the time. The characters all have flaws, some more than others but secrets and lies become a timebomb threatening to explode and destroy the lives of all those around them. Very clever writing that left me quite bereft by the final page.

I quite enjoyed this book but it was a bit slow in the middle. I enjoyed the ending and it was well written.. There was just something missing for me hence the 4 stars. Worth a read though

Apart from being a bit hit and miss with pacing throughout, it piqued my interest from the first page and sucked me in with some rather interesting intrigue - how did we get to this point ?
It centres around Corinne, a young French exchange student that comes to stay with the Holland's. Specifically with their youngest daughter Beth. A good thing really as, after a incident, Beth had really turned in on herself. Despite not being around as much as her husband Mark, mother Abi starts to notice Beth being influenced by Corinne, and not in a good way. But the rest of the visit rubs along and it isn't until tragedy strikes when both families get together in France that Corinne's true nature starts to really come to a head. And, to be honest, that's really all I can say here without possibly giving stuff away... Less is more going in... Although I do have to add that it is very slow in places, and not always in a good way and I did struggle a bit at times but that beginning is so explosive that I really wanted to see how we got to that point. And when we eventually got there, it was worth it.
It helped also that the characters were on the whole able to hold the story up in the places it needed it! It's not necessarily what I would call a wholly character driven book but nearly. And I did feel for the characters as the author had put them through quite a lot before the book even begins and then heaps the pain on as the book progresses.
All in all, not the strongest book I have read by this writing duo but a decent enough read in itself if you can read through the slow bits. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Abi Holland considers herself lucky. She's happily married, and her oldest daughter, Eva, is all set for a place at a top university. She just can't help but worry about Beth.

So when foreign exchange student Corinne comes to stay, it's a relief her lonely younger daughter finally has someone to talk to. It's only when Beth starts to misbehave, that Abi begins to wonder how much they really know about their guest.

Because the Holland family have lots of secrets, and Corinne is quietly listening to them all.

This is a complex thriller, excellent beginning and an explosive ending, however, I'm going to have to admit that it is a slow burner, but I ploughed on. Sure enough, all the background started to make sense. The story becomes progressively darker and somewhat harrowing as the seemingly unconnected strands of the plot meld together to reveal a terrible family secret.

Absolutely brilliant. Well-written, with great characters and multi-layered situations relating to various members of the cast of characters. Fascinating but oh so chilling, you can feel the drama developing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review.

This psychological thriller tells the tale of an introverted teenager who has a French girl come to stay as part of a school exchange. It would make a good holiday read.

A slow start to an incredible thriller about how one family can have more secrets than each other can know.

Abi Holland is a mother and wife, who finds herself lucky yet worried about her introverted daughter. Her other daughter is thriving and has secured a place at a prestigious university but Beth isn’t thriving. A foreign exchange student seems a wonderful idea to give Beth someone to talk to and confide in and hopefully bring her out of her shell in order to help her to show her true potential. Does it work? You’d have to read it.

Complex, engaging and satisfying as a read.

Abi worries about her daughter Beth. Her older daughter Eva is off to university and Abi has a good job and a husband who looks after the girls.
The school has arranged a foreign exchange visit and Beth is looking forward to welcoming Corrinne to her family. Hopefully she will be someone she can be a friend to.
But is Corinne all she seems to be? Is she really good for Beth or is she secretly listening to all their secrets - and they each have secrets.

Abi Holland considers herself lucky: she's happily married, her oldest daughter, Eva, is all set for a place at a top university. She can't help but worry about Beth. So when foreign exchange student Corinne comes to stay, it's a relief for her lonely daughter to have someone to talk to. It's only when Beth starts to misbehave, that Abi begins to wonder how much they really know about their guest.

Although this could be a bit slow and drawn out in places, It's still an interesting read. It's also a bit eerie and it has quite a lot of bad language. You know at the beginning that something awful has happened, but we are slowly given snippets of what had occurred. This still didn't make it any less shocking to find out. We find out more about the characters as the story progresses. The fantastic ending to this well written book was worth waiting for.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #PenguinMichaelJosephUK and the author #KarenPerry for my ARC of #Stranger in exchange for an honest review.

Abi Holland has a high flying and demanding career, a stay at home husband Mark and 2 teenage daughters - outgoing and model-child Eva who is about to begin University and quiet, introverted Beth who is 14 and troubled, struggling to make friendships among her peers.
Despite misgivings Abi and Mark agree to Beth's pleas to allow a young French girl Corrine to join their household as part of a school-sponsored foreign exchange programme and it is not long before Corrine is influencing the impressionable and lonely Beth culminating in a tragic series of events.
I very much enjoyed this book and the twists and turns of which there were many - and a few I did not see coming!
I enjoyed - if not liked - some of the characters and found myself feeling increasingly sad for the troubled Beth as the writer gradually uncovered the reasons behind Beth's distress and behaviour.
4 stars and an author I would certainly look out for in future.

Stranger is a disturbing insight into mental health in teenagers, even though it covers this issue it’s also a good storyline that is at times chilling.
Abi Holland is married to Mark and they have two children Eva who is seventeen and is itching to start university and Beth who is thirteen and after “an incident” at school last year has become withdrawn. Marks sister has just died and has left her house to Beth and neither parent can fathom this out. Beth has an exchange student from France come and live with them and the families life starts to change and not for the better.
The book opens up on a scene where something awful has happened and although the first part of the book is slow it is merely setting the scene for later so you start to build a good background picture into this families life and become a part of it. I enjoyed this twisty read and thought it was all pretty believable and shows how quickly things can escalate.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Totally addicitive. A family with more secrets than any of them know about is effectively infiltrated by an exchange student who slowly but surely brings down each member of the family. Totally draws in the reader as you too battle to try and work out the various truths.

This was my second Karen Perry novel and I enjoyed this one as much as the first.

Stranger tells the story of the Holland family and what happens when their younger daughter has an exchange student to stay. It’s a little slow to start, but as the pace builds it becomes a tense and unpredictable psychological thriller full of twists and turns and family secrets.

This is not a book for anyone who is offended by bad language. But otherwise it’s a good read and I would recommend it.

I have read and enjoyed previous books by Karen Perry but unfortunately Stranger was not for me. I struggled with the slow beginning (after the opening chapter which really peaked my interest) and the cast of unlikeable characters. In saying that I will read Karen Perry books again, I seem to be in the minority with my thoughts.

thanks to the publisher and netgalley for my advanced copy to read.

Like many mysteries, this book opens at the scene of something horrific. Most books then map out the path to discovering who did it. And, well this book leaves you asking that too. But this book also leaves you asking what they did, and to whom. Which may be overselling the complexity of the puzzle a little, it's not like a huge number of possibilities - there are just enough things to make you uncertain of your hunch at various times, but it definitely remains a mystery right up until the end. Which is also the start because most of the book is the build-up to the opening.

Are you still with me? Good. Because although that sounds odd and convoluted, it works. It works well. This is a much less dark mystery than I tend to relish, but it kept me engaged the whole way through. It has a lighter, summery air. It's all very... normal, and it all clicks together.

It's a book that excels at understatement. None of the characters are too far-fetched. The twists and turns of the plot aren't outlandish. It's a confidently written work that doesn't search for a crutch to prop anything up because each piece gives just what it needs to hold your attention. And yes, if you pick it up and randomly read a page you'll probably be somewhat underwhelmed because it's not begging for your attention. It doesn't need to, because it's a book that repays your time - the more you read the more you appreciate the experience.

A disturbingly chilling read covering a lot of mental issues surrounding teenagers which all seemed to be loaded on one character. A psychological thriller with many twists and turns. There was a fairly unexpected ending, however due to the first few pages where it alluded to the fact that blood had been shed, just not whose, It was a little overlong having lost it's fast paced beginning but gathered momentum again towards the end. Good depiction of characters although I didn't really identify or take to any of them as they all seem to have rather a dark side apart from the parents who were too inward looking and weak.

Clearly there is something not quite right about Beth. Her family can see it, and so does her one and only friend, Lisa. They used to be so close, inseparable, until something happened and now, Lisa won’t even look at her. Beth’s family are unaware of what happened as Beth refuses to talk about it and they have watched her withdraw in to herself. So when it is time for the student exchange girls to arrive from France, Abi and Mark are hoping their student, Corinne, will be good for Beth. To help bring Beth out of her melancholy and make her smile again.

The night before the girls arrive Abi receives a call from Corinne’s mother fretting about letting Corinne go, but Abi reassures her that everything will be fine. They will look after her. Corinne arrives and Beth is elated. They chat animatedly and laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. Corinne is the opposite of Beth, full of life and confidence and Abi and Mark, once again hope this will be good for Beth.

But there is still something there, not quite right, and it’s clawing at Abi who does her best to ignore it and remain optimistic, as whenever she broaches the subject with Mark he tells her she’s being too hard on Beth and to just leave her be. Perhaps he’s right, or perhaps he has his head buried in the sand too.

I found Stranger to be quite slow going at first and struggled thinking it wasn’t for me. You’re given a lot of information but it feels like the plot doesn’t back it up. However I persevered and found the book did improve and the story started to weave together. It’s a tale of secrets and lies and I found the last third to be quite gripping. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Michael Joseph and the author for the chance to review.

Thanks Netgalley d the Publisher. I really enjoyed this book, had a great storyline and good characters. Well worth a read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - many different strands to the story, all of which I felt were interesting and well-written. I really felt for the characters (well, most of them) - they were going through a lot! The last few chapters were fantastic - I would highly recommend this story.

A family with two daughters who both have issues. Pregnancy, self-harm, low self esteem. Corinne, a French exchange student arrives in their home. She veers from charming, single-minded and independent to vicious and evil during the course of this book. It leads to tragedy for everybody concerned. Gripping and enjoyable.