This is a good read.
Alice is a journalist and is struggling to cope with a baby who is not sleeping well at night.
Her husband Tom is trying to support her but is also suffering from lack of sleep.
Alice gets inside information on some murders that have been committed and ensures she’s first to release the story.
The killer doesn’t like the articles and writes letters to Alice directly, warning her to stop writing or they will harm her and her family.
I did guess the identity of the killer mainly due to the back story that was written in between present day chapters.
I really enjoyed seeing how it all unfolded though.
Thanks to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm a big fan of Alex Lake and have loved all their books, this was no exception!
I love that this author is not afraid to be hard hitting, and their books are often shocking and gritty, I found this book grabbed me from the first page and I was completely invested.
The harsh and shocking thoughts towards Jo are shocking but after a few thoughtful evenings
I did guess quite early what might be going on, but no matter, the book was excellent and the epilogue made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!
Another great read by a superb author.

Alice is a journalist who seemingly had it all. The perfect marriage, a beautiful new baby, a lovely new home and the career she’d always dreamed of. That is until she is asked to write a column on an active serial killer detailing everything that is known of them. This worries her husband Tim and the couple begin having arguments. It’s soon clear though that Tim was right to worry as not long after Alice publishes her column she receives a letter from the serial killer, but how much danger are they really in?

I have to say I found this book to be extremely immersive! The author wastes no time in throwing us into the action and the pace just seemed to grow and grow with unexpected twists and turns throughout! Alex Lake is a fantastic author and I look forward to his next book!

Alice and Tom Sark seem to have it all - a wonderful marriage, a gorgeous new baby, a beautiful new home. And now Alice, a journalist, starts investigating a story could make her career - a serial killer in their town. Very quickly the murder case takes it's toll. Alice and Tom begin fighting all the time. Their baby daughter won't stop crying. And sometimes it feels like they are being followed. The clock is ticking for Alice and Tom to stop their worlds being destroyed forever.

Alice and Tim are happily married and they have a baby called Jo. Jo doesn't sleep well and has her parents up most of the night. But things take a turn for the worst when Alice investigates the case of a serial killer and the couple start arguing. Alice writes a column about the information she has on the serial killer who then ends a letter to Alice. Tom worries about their safety but he does not realise how much danger they are in.

What a fast paced read with plenty of twits this was. This is a gripping, well written. page turner. The tension builds with each page turn. The characters are well developed and believable. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #HarprFiction and the author #AlexLake for my ARC of #ReadyOrNot in exchange for an honest review

Had a few guesses as to “ who did it” but a few too many red herrings along the way. This was an easy read once I could stop wondering why the author was constantly using old fashioned names for all the young characters. Not important though just interesting.

Oh this was fantastic.

The plot was full of twists and turns to keep the pages turning and me reading late into the night. I was hooked from the first page.

It was dark and gruesome and totally gripping.

This is the first book I've read by this wonderful author but it certainly won't be the last.

Easy 5 stars and I won't hesitate to recommend this book to everyone.

Just an ok read for me. I guessed who the perpetrator was and the reason fairly early on which was a disappointment but that said it had reasonable storyline with a few twists along the way. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I loved it! The book has everything I love: Characters you grow to care for, multiple POVs, flashbacks and just a cracking storyline!

I was pulled in to the plot immediately, I love a serial killer story and the book set off at a great pace as we were thrown into the action straight away. I loved the flashbacks we got from the main characters and found the past sections just as interesting as the present day ones. I did guess the major twist quite early on but it didn't matter because it is revealed about two thirds of the way in anyway and from that point I had no idea how things would pan out. I was so invested by the end that I raced through the pages to find out what would happen.

One thing that bothered me slightly was that a lot of the characters in their late teens/early twenties had middle-aged person names (Stan, Janice, Diane etc) but I haven't marked the book down for it at all. It didn't spoil my enjoyment, I just thought it odd.

I would thoroughly recommend this book as it was hard to put down and I really enjoyed reading it.

Immersive Psychological Suspense…
Not all is as it seems in this immersive psychological suspense. The perfect family unit, Alice and Tom along with their baby, seem to have everything that they could wish for. The cracks begin to show, however, when journalist Alice begins an investigation into a serial killer. With twists and turns aplenty, this will hook from the off until the very last page. Edge of seat, one sit suspense.

A serial killer is on the loose but who is it and why are they sending messages to a local reporter?
Interesting characters and storyline

Journalist Alice is so excited to cover a story investigating the new serial killer in town, it could be the making of her career! but it soon goes wrong when she starts receiving letters at home threatening that her and her family will be the next target if she didn’t stop.

This book had me hooked! If I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it! I was constantly wondering who the killer would be and what would happen next, I didn’t want to put it down and I could of easily read it in one sitting if I had time!
Although I had a suspicion with not trusting one of the characters, I was slightly right but there was still twists which surprised me,

I’ll definitely be checking out more by this author!

#ReadyOrNot #NetGalley
A must read thriller by Alex Lake
Alice and Tom Sark seem to have it all – a wonderful marriage, a gorgeous baby, a beautiful home. And now Alice, a journalist, starts investigating a story which could make her career – a serial killer in their town.A murderer lurking in the shadows… Very quickly though, the murder case takes its toll. Alice and Tom begin fighting all the time. Their baby daughter just won’t stop crying. And sometimes it feels almost as if they’re being followed… Not everyone will live to tell the tale… The killer has found a new family to target. And the clock is ticking for Alice and Tom to stop their worlds being destroyed forever.
I loved this author's The Choice and I loved this one too. It's more twisty than the previous one. I think everyone should read it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy of this book.

Alex Lake is a hit and miss author for me and I am happy to say this one was a hit. Alice is a journalist who is investigating a serial killer where she lives. While doing so she catches the killers attention and that is where our story truly begins. I love thrillers that involve investigative journalism! I really liked the multiple points of view of this one and the dual timelines. This book sucked me in and didn't let me go...I love when that happens. The writing style really helped move the story along and the plot kept getting more intense the further I read. There are plenty of twists (and turns) to surprise the reader along the way and nothing is what it seems.

Brilliant!! Alex lake has done it again. She is a queen of psychological thrillers.

I whizzed through this book in a day, I could not put it down.

I love the characters and how the plot developed. I thought I had figured out who was who fairly early on but it did not spoil the story and I had not figured everything out.

A fast paced, thriller that keeps the pages turning.

This is a hard one to review. On the one hand it is well written and it definitely kept me turning the pages. On the other I figured out who was the 'baddie' right away so that spoiled it for me. There were too many clues as to what was going on and as the book progressed I just wanted someone to get a grip and sort it out!
I was interested to find out the motivations behind the killings but we didn't really get one - but maybe that is real life - they do it because they want to and are driven to. I have read a few from this author and enjoyed them all. I did like hearing the back stories of the characters and their family lives. There was a point near the end where I thought no you wouldn't do that surely! But maybe a psychopath would!

This book really caught my attention and I struggles to put it down, very interesting story with lots of twists that keep you wondering what’s going on. I think I suspected almost everyone at one point or another. The two time lines kept the story fresh and interesting and I loved the way the author seamlessly switched POV’s!!

All in all really loved this one and will definitely be seeking more out by Alex Lake to read.

Reviewed for Natgalley 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

i received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

It was ok. It wasn’t great. It wasn’t atrocious. It was just meh. Found myself more interested in getting to the end than the characters or the narrative

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This story centres around Alice and Tom Sark. They’re married with a young baby, called Jo. Jo is a terrible sleeper, and this puts a bit of pressure on the relationship between Alice and Tom. Alice is also a journalist, and is dealing with a big story, as it seems a serial killer is at large. Alice reports on the story, much to Tom’s annoyance, he would prefer to distance them self than get in any way involved. On top of this, Tom’s brother has recently come back on the scene as a recovering drug addict, and Tom doesn’t quite trust him as much as he once did. This also puts a strain on life, especially when Jo has mysterious bruises.

I really enjoyed this book. I love the way the author never fails to write a page turner. We read predominantly in two timelines, back in 2013 and the current day, which provides a really good back story. The characters were ok, and not really relatable, but this also made the book more enjoyable. Along side the main storyline, there were also side stories, and this really helped set the scenes for further situations. The writing was great, and flowed really well, making this a complete page turner. I’ve yet to read a book from this author that I haven’t liked. I look forward to the next one.

I was waiting for a new Alex Lake book to come out soon as I really enjoyed his previous ones and was so curious where is he taking us now with his stories.
And this one hasn’t disappoint at all! I got so engrossed in the game and time lines and different characters voices between now and then, the past and all the secrets they tried to hide for far too long.
Once Alice starts to investigate the murders that hit too close to home, everything changes and nothing is what it seems anymore.
Ready or not, this gripping story is a must read for any thriller lovers.
Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

Alex Lake books are one of the highlights of my year and I eagerly awaited the most recent. I thought the book was a little slow to start and was surprised when I guessed a large part of the plot relatively early on. Neither of these things impacted on my overall view though and my heart was still racing for most of the latter part of the book.

Alice and Tom are new parents to baby Jo. Like many new parents, they are finding it hard to adapt especially since Jo won’t settle at night and likes to keep her parents awake. Alice is a freelance journalist and works from home while Tom is office based. They decide on split shifts through the night so they can both at least try to function on an ongoing basis.

After a few similar murders in the area it seems likely that there is a serial killer at large. Alice manages to get some inside information from a friend who is working on the case and writes an article on it. This generates a lot of interest, mainly from national newspapers but also from the killer them self who sends a letter to Alice. Tom is undeniably worried about the safety of his family but he doesn’t know just how much danger they are in.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.