Rachel is a middle aged GP, complete with all the middle aged trappings of a long marriage/empty nest. Her life changes when she is asked to speak to a young man at her surgery who is struggling mentally. They meet again a while later, and the story really takes off from this point.
Jane’s books have me gripped and this was no exception. Even when I thought I had some plot twist sussed, I had to think again.
Thank you NetGalley for my copy.

A breach of trust ★★★☆☆

When doctor Rachel Goodchild begins a passionate affair with one time patient Luc little does she know that she will be drawn into a dangerous web of lies. It begins by somebody following her, and then there is a murder…

Rachel’s conviction that she is being stalked – a fear which nobody believes – and the knowledge that she is recounting the story from prison builds suspense as the deadly events gradually unfold.

The characters around her – dismissive husband Nathan, estranged daughter Lizzie, Luc’s glacial wife Ophelia and her charming brother Blake, and troubled Luc himself – all have their own secrets to keep.

The motivation for the murder is not fully gelled into the plot, nor is Lizzie’s secret or Oscar’s illness. However the exposure of the true murderer and the ways in which Rachel has been deceived is clever and multifaceted.

A twisting story of manipulation and greed.

The Patient is a novel that started off as a slow burn but really came into its own about halfway through. Tension built on each page which made me eager to continue reading as often as I could manage.
Rachel a Gp and her husband Nathan live a seemingly normal life apart from an estranged relationship with their only daughter Lizzie. Rachel meets Luc, a man who presented at the surgery whilst having a psychotic episode, giving him the time needed to talk. This is great therapy for Luc but having met him her life and that of her familys are changed forever.
There are lots of complex characters in this intriguing story but I particularly warmed to Victoria who is not only a close neighbour and friend but also a great support to Rachel throughout this thriller novel.
My thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins for the digital ARC.

An affair. A doctor. A bit of Games of Thrones. a thriller centred round the close. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Loved this book. Just couldn’t put it down. It really keeps you guessing. I don’t want to say to much as it would be very easy to give details away. A must read.

Omg! What an amazing book.
It's full of twists and turns. You think you know what the plot is then it turns another direction. Definitely keeps you hooked on the line.
This is one of my best reads of 2021.
6 stars from me
Thanks to#NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review

The Patient by Jane Schemilt is a journey of love, madness (is one not the other?), murder, art, stalkers and Paris.

Rachel is the older woman, unappreciated by her husband and out of touch with her daughter. Luc is the younger man, with the beautiful wife and brother / best friend who’s an integral part of the family.

I really enjoyed the artistic storyline and I thought the premise was cleverly thought out. It’s not a fast-paced thriller, it’s more of a beautiful meander with beautiful discoveries along the way.

The character development was intriguing, especially with regards to Luc and Rachel and I felt compelled to keep reading to see where their journey was headed.

The twists were unexpected (even if a little stretched), and I ultimately enjoyed the book. This is the first book by the author I have read and I liked it enough to start reading her other books.

#netgalley #thepatient #janeschemilt #harpercollins

I enjoyed this. Good paced and well written although sometimes a bit far fetched. Good characters and scenery. An enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

The Patient tells the story of a Salisbury GP and her relationships with her husband and grown up daughter. Rachel is hard working, committed to her patients and her practice, and wondering where she is amongst the endless consultations, lonely patients and demanding colleagues, Her husband is a busy teacher and her daughter is back in her home town but resentful of her mother's dedication to her work. At the end of one characteristically busy day Luc comes in to the surgery. He is desperate and Rachel provides him with care. So begins a twisty, turbulent and riveting tale of murder, madness, lust and love. I could not put it down,

Many thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC.

Lots of twists on this story! Feelings and actions acted upon but should they be! A good read and enjoyed the story with it.

This is a gripper from the start to the end a different storyline than I've read for a while if ever, some twists but above all a thriller that grips and never let's go. And I loved every page.

So Rachel is the Doctor and Luc the younger patient who quite by chance is in the surgery struggling in a after hours slot when Rachel just happens to pop in to drop some records of (of Patients she visited). Just as well really if it may have been a very short book, So to help her pregnant colleague out she steps in and because it's after hours she has time to listen, unlike a normal slot in the middle of a surgery. A while later the mysterious Luc turns out to be the new neighbour with a stunningly beautiful wife. So the biggest shock for Rachel is what follows and the thriller that thrills. She has a unhappy daughter lizzie a disinterested husband Nathan but a fine house in the shadow of Salisbury Cathedral (it may not actually be in it shadow but its close to the Cathedral and her Doctors Surgery where she works.

There is a secret or two that twists the plot there are out right lies that sent me the wrong way and a lot of tension that makes this completely awesome. Its a gem of a read that I'm happy to brag I've read sorry book clubs but the truth is out there and it doesn't need aliens. Spoiler alert ⚠️ there are no Aliens in this Thriller but a couple of characters that may be of of their minds I guess.

So characters are fascinating some to challenge some to distract you but all add to the atmosphere and edge. For me this is a obvious 5 stars 🌟 🌟 🌟🌟🌟 I hope you get it and enjoy it as much as I have.

I've got mixed feelings about this book, initially I was quite gripped by it, but it got a bit far fetched at times for me, and although I read it to the end, and the twists were clever, it didn't really pull me in, like I was hoping it would. It was an enjoyable read, just not an amazing one.

The Patient
I’ve been a huge fan of Jane Shemilt for ages and The Patient did NOT disappoint. Jane’s characters are raw, real and scenarios at times are uncomfortable and true to life.
The Patient is a gripping and intelligent novel, full of twists and turns that I never saw coming.
Packed full of brilliant, well-drawn, intriguing characters.
An easy five stars!

This is a very well contrived story, expertly delivered. Rachel is a doctor in a practice in Salisbury when she has an unexpected session with Luc who has mental health issues. Thus the title. Even though he does not become a regular patient, her subsequent friendship with him breaks the rules. Then there are other concerns that she is being harassed by others. The arrival of Luc’s family leads to social interaction with them too. Rachel allows her life to take unexpected and ill advised twists and turns which becomes the substance of a gripping book. The beauty of Salisbury as a background adds to the allure of this story. As it proceeds, surprises emerge and the story reaches a satisfactory ending. I recommend this book.

Rachel is the GP in this story and one of the most unlikeable characters I've read for a while, I personally found her to be in need of something else, like, maybe this was her mid life crisis or there was a point to her being quite so unlikeable but there isn't that's just the vibe I got from her whilst reading. I'm not sure I know of many professional women who would've conducted themselves quite like Rachel does throughout the book, but then i'm sure there's a few, and there's always a chance I read her 'wrong' I'm just not sure why she did what she did.

This review will be without spoilers because I hate reviews that tell you all about everything, it sort of negates the need to read the book!

Rachel is married to her husband Nathan, who is a teacher and they have a daughter Lizzie, who Rachel doesn't have a great bond with, which she seems to put down to the fact that her job came before her family, which raises the obvious question of why have children if you can't be a parent to them when they need you, those relationships need building and I get we all want it all but I'm sort of old fashioned when it comes to being a parent. Child first, career second!

The author did a fabulous job of setting the atmosphere of this book within the first few pages and I salute her for this because it really did have a moody feel to it. I will say that Rachels life seems very lonely and one night she feels like she is being followed, her husband isn't really that supportive of her worries about this, which in my eyes made him seem like he didn't care for her welfare, he gave off the whole 'her job comes first so what' kinda vibes.

The reason she's home late is because she's stayed back at the surgery one night to see a patient who was in need of help but also wasn't registered to the practise, but its this meeting that changes everything for Rachel. The story is complicated and as I've said I don't want to spoil it but I will say there are lots of flash backs, which for me are usually a nightmare to read, but these I could follow easily so that was a bonus. The story will not be what you expect, its not what you think in the beginning, and it was a twist I didn't see coming.

Rachel is clearly unhappy with her home life, and her life starts to unravel, she's lonely, fed up with life and quiet possibly hormonal, she's cast as a career driven woman, so think ball breaker, but for me she didn't come off that way, she came off as confused, scared, and maybe not wanting to fix her relationship with her husband, and let me say I don't feel like he was the kind of man she would've been with, he was far too passive for her, she need to be challenged, to be surprised and he just didn't bring that vibe to the table. He should've been married to someone less ambitious for no other reason than, Rachel was ambitious but neither of them gelled together, almost wonder if the baby was the thing they stayed together for, in different circumstances would their relationship dissolve through lack of interest and passion?

Don't expect this to be a fast paced book, the devil is in the details with this author you won't get to where your going with any great speed but she's one heck of a picture builder. All in all I'd give this book a solid four out of five stars.

This was an interesting read. The pace was fine. On the whole it was a good book. The premise is something I usually read in romance so it was a nice touch in thriller mode

The Patient - Jane Shemilt

Rachel is a forty-something married GP, Luc is a handsome younger Frenchman who wanders in off the street seeking help for his suicidal thoughts.

The book starts off and feels like a romance, an illicit, passionate affair kind of romance. Not what I was expecting, but very well written, with engaging characters. I was enjoying the 'Will they? Won't they?' and was settling in for a domestic thriller around married life and infidelity.

I thought I knew here it might be heading, then BOOM! A much deeper, darker, twisting true thriller plot bursts out and I was absolutely gripped and compelled to the very end.

Very clever, all the signs were there early on. Hugely entertaining and tightly plotted.

This is the first book I've read by Jane Shemilt but will definitely be reading more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK

I have never heard of this author before but I am so glad that I read this book! It was full of twists and turns and had me guessing until the very end. Absolutely great and will be recommending to everyone I know. I can’t wait to read more books by this author in the future! 10/10.

The blurb for this novel could have been for a completely different book. I spent quite a bit of the book feeling cheated that I wasn't reading what I expected to read. I also found Rachel (the main character) incredibly annoying and found it hard to get past that. Her relationship with her husband felt unbelievable, and she seemed far too dazed and confused to be the successful career woman we were told she was. The plot seemed far-fetched and unrealistic in places. However, Shemilt is a good storyteller and this made for easier reading. I have enjoyed another of her novels, and I think this kept me going to the end of the book.

This story wasn't what I was expecting. Whilst the blurb in no way lies,it's not actually telling you the main focus of the story.
Unexpected or not,I finished this in one sitting,and it twisted and turned in all manner of ways.
One of those totally unbelievable but never the less entertaining stories.
Everything was so tangled up....
It was a fun read. ..