I found this almost unbearably poorly-written and would have given up within the first few pages if I hadn’t felt obliged to write a review in return for the ARC.
After the fourth grammatical error (not typos which can be fixed in editing but misuse of words and phrases) in 3 pages, I admit I sort of lost confidence that this was going to be able to keep me reading. I persisted for awhile, but eventually I was unable to continue. I’m not sure what made me requested in the first place because it seems like an incredibly unlikely premise. Would anyone in the world choose to have their partner ‘hear’ their innermost thoughts? Especially a partner in a 10 year marriage which is already showing obvious signs of controlled coercion?

I wish I had the time to have read this in one sitting. It was sooooooo good. Having a chip to hear your significant others thoughts!? I would never but Anna would do anything for Eli right? I actually felt real sorry for her even though she obviously made the wrong choice in her past. The ending had me stood up reading at 2am.

Thank you to Vintage & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy!

Always on My Mind is about Elijah, a tech enthusiast who has to have every new gadget as soon as it hits the market, and his wife Anna, who isn’t really into all that tech stuff and doesn’t get the appeal. So, Elijah suggests they get the OneMind chip, which lets couples hear each other's thoughts all the time. As you can imagine, Anna is pretty reluctant about it.
I could definitely relate to Anna in this one. I’m not the first person to jump on new tech either, and the idea of having a chip that connects with my brain so I can hear someone else’s thoughts all the time? No thanks. It sounds overwhelming to me, and I kept thinking, when does your brain ever get a break?
From the start, I wasn’t a fan of Elijah. He raised some red flags for me with how controlling he was—tracking Anna’s movements and her phone because he “worried” about her. It just didn’t sit right, and I kept questioning his motives.
That being said, the story itself was really well written. I was hooked and loved the concept. The dual timeline (Now and Then, which is about 10 years ago) kept things interesting, although I did predict a couple of twists, which took some of the surprise away. But even with that, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment. The concept of a chip that lets you hear someone else’s thoughts is so unique and thought-provoking, and I enjoyed how the story explored the potential consequences of that.

ALWAYS ON MY MIND

The concept for Always On My Mind was great. And the prologue fantastic, immediately drawing you into the narrative.

This family drama, Thriller meets Sci-Fi novel, is totally original and the descriptive pros were sensational from the start. Really helping the reader in negotiating the cross over into the Sci-Fi element of this story.

I thought the author did a marvellous job at making this brilliant plot stand out.

All in all a captivating must read !!

With thanks to #Netgalley the publishers #RandomHouseUK and of course the sensational author #CarysGreen for the opportunity to read #AlwaysOnMyMind in exchange for my honest review.

#AlwaysOnMyMind #author #CarysGreen #thriller #scifi #psychological #familydrama #domesticthriller #marrige #family #dream #suspense

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for this eCopy to review

Reading Always on My Mind was like stepping into a technological and psychological labyrinth I couldn’t escape from—and honestly, I didn’t want to. This book had me hooked with its premise alone. The idea of a OneMind chip, a device meant to connect couples by allowing them to hear each other’s thoughts, felt so futuristic yet terrifyingly plausible. It was the kind of concept that begged the question: How well do we really want to know those we love?

The story follows Anna and Elijah as they embark on this bold experiment to strengthen their relationship during their ten-year anniversary. At first, the chip feels like a miracle. Through it, Anna feels closer to Elijah than ever, as if they’re speaking a language that only they can understand. But the honeymoon phase doesn't last long. Things take a sharp, dark turn when Anna begins experiencing strange side effects. She starts seeing memories that don’t belong to her—visions that are far too real. It dawns on her that she’s accessing Elijah’s memories. What should have been an intimate connection turns into a high-stakes nightmare as Anna becomes haunted by secrets she can no longer keep hidden.

What I found most intriguing—and unsettling—was the way the book peeled back the layers of trust and privacy in relationships. Green masterfully balances the thrilling tension of Anna's unravelling with deeper questions about intimacy and autonomy. As Anna fights to protect her thoughts while uncovering Elijah's own secrets, the book becomes a psychological chess match.

Full of twists and turns and an unexpected ending this inventive thriller challenges the boundaries of love and the terrifying possibilities of technology. If you’re a fan of stories that explore the darker sides of human connection, this one’s a must-read.

I was intrigued by the concept of this story where couples can get chips implanted into their heads which allow them to hear their partner’s thoughts. This gives the book sci-fi elements as well as being within the thriller genre. It is such a creepy idea and I know I would definitely not want one of these chips!

There are lots of secrets kept by the characters which builds the tension throughout. When there are secrets and the characters can hear each other’s thoughts, you just know something bad is going to happen!

There is a fair bit of repetition with Anna’s side effects and I did skim over her nursery rhyme thoughts which interrupted the flow for me a little. The book really picked up for me in the final quarter and had me on the edge of my seat as the story came to its conclusion and I really enjoyed the ending.

The characters in this story, however, are very unlikeable and there is so much controlling behaviour which makes an uncomfortable read.

Overall, this was an interesting and compelling book with a tense ending.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars.

Always on my mind by Carys Green is a very disturbing psychological drama about a chip that can be installed in people’s brains and only the other person’s partner/ husband/ wife can hear their thoughts.
Is it the ultimate control for those of a controlling behaviour or is it the best thing that ever happened to two people in love with each other?
A deeply disturbing storyline. Highly recommended

Wow! What a book I was hooked from the start and couldn't put it down. Would you allow your partner to hear your every thought? Would you want to hear there's? This gave lots to think about and made the story feel claustrophobic at times. The characters were very well written. Thank you netgalley.

I seem to be in the minority here but, although I was intrigued by the concept, I struggled to get into this book and didn't enjoy it.

Always on My Mind is an interesting concept for a novel. Futuristic in content, but traditional in romantic (or not?) story telling.

Always on My Mind is a story centered around an implant for couples. Each one of the wearing a high tech implant behind their ear so that they are able to hear each others thoughts.

What could possibly go wrong?

When Anna’s husband first suggests getting them, she thinks that it is another of his tech fads, that they’ll do it, it’ll be great for 6 months and then they’ll move on to something else. She agrees to it based on that assumption.

But both Anna and Elijah have secrets from their University days that they don’t want the other to know about, secrets that must remain hidden or everything they have built together will be destroyed.

When Anna starts getting side effects from her implant being installed too deeply, she begins to see her husbands dreams, and is terrified that he’ll be able to see hers.

Can Anna persuade Elijah to ditch the implants before it all goes wrong, or is she already too late?

Anna’s husband Elijah loves her so much that for their tenth wedding anniversary he buys each of them a chip that when installed inside their heads would enable to listen to each others thoughts…. Anna starts worrying when she starts sharing memories as well. What happened that she doesn’t want him to know?

Always on My Mind is an intriguing thriller which explores the impact of technology with a wild but entertaining premise: what if humans could get a 'UNITY' chip embedded in their head which meant they and their partner could hear each other's thoughts?

That's the conundrum facing Anna, whose husband Elijah wants them to get chips installed 'to help them feel closer'. I can't think of anything worse, but Anna agrees, after some heavy persuasion from Elijah. And we soon realise that Anna has got a secret to hide...

This book manages to be both infuriating - WHY would you agree to that Anna? - and fun to read.

I wondered how they weren't hearing each other's thoughts far more 'thoughts' than they actually did. The book explained this to some extent by saying users could learn to control their thoughts, but I still thought there must be more chatter in people's heads than what seems to be shared. Elijah was a character I loved to hate, but - although she could be frustrating at times - I liked Anna and her friend Mandie, though I wondered why Mandie didn't realise how Elijah was treating Anna - or anyone else who knew Anna and Elijah? There were some elements of the book, like this, which felt underdeveloped or over-simplified.

However, I really enjoyed this different, fun thriller and would recommend it.

Would you really agree to have a microchip embedded in your body giving complete access to your every waking thought? I know what my answer to that would be, but here we have Anna being asked by her Elijah, her husband of 20 years, to do just that. He, too will be chipped so that she can hear his thoughts. Ugh, what a horrible thought! I've been married to my husband for 49 years and the last thing I want is to hear what's going on in his head.

So anyway, that's the premise if this book, and it did intrigue me. The writing and the construction of the book, however, did not.

Examples:

“...Anna had lay drunkenly beside Helen...” Ouch” This really grates on me.

“ He span back to the bar...” will someone tell the author that a “span” is used in the construction of bridges and similar.

“She winced within the bed.” Pardon?

These are just a few and I'm not even a third of the way in.

The construction employs the time-honoured back and forth flip which is fine, but doesn't work so well in this novel. In the here and now, we are given Anna's and Elijah's thoughts - one uses italics, the other uses the same font as the narrative, so I felt wrong-footed much of the time.

It's such a pity that what seemed a good idea has been so badly, or poorly, executed. I have given up almost a third of the way and so this is sent to the “Delete from Kindle” list.

Always on My Mind by Carys Green was a book that had me hooked from the beginning and I ended up reading it all day until I finished especially as it had me sitting on the edge of my seat, I loved it. Superb book.

"WoW. To have the ability to read minds is something we all think about But what if you could?
To have an implant fitted which will enable you to hear each others thoughts and more importantly they could hear yours! Life would be so different!

But, would you have it done?

As I look at my Husband! - Na, , , , , , ,"

Elijah suggests going to OneMind to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, Anna is dubious about getting the revolutionary implant that will allow them to hear each other’s thoughts. However, she’s also eager to please him, and to make up for the fact she can’t give him what he really wants, so she agrees to take this step towards the ultimate intimacy.

And at first things are were great. Anna feels closer to her husband than she ever has, and the novelty of communicating mind to mind is a thrill. But then she develops a strange side effect and begins having dreams that aren’t dreams, but memories. Memories that aren’t hers.

Anna is now experiencing Elijah’s memories, what if he can access hers?

What if he learns the terrible secret she has managed to keep from him all these years?

Desperate to keep the truth from her husband, Anna's mind becomes a prison she can't escape.

How long can she keep the traitorous thoughts at bay before she drives herself mad?

WoW. . . . . . . I highly recommend this book. Hold on to your seats, its a rocky ride from start to finish. I loved it.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage for my ARC.

If I could give this more than five stars then I would. It was fantastic.

Although the book is fiction it still makes you think, could this possibly happen in the future? I doesn’t bare thinking about really. Someone, in your head 24/7. Knowing your thoughts. How it could be used as a form of mental abuse.

Best book of the year so far for me. I can’t recommend it enough.

This book was good. I liked the concept of it as well. I thought it was well written and really drew me into the story.

This was incredible! What a fantastic plotline, I couldn't put it down and I loved every bit of it. I was on edge all the way through.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Such a compelling read, it had me completely gripped. It had me on edge and I loved the twists overall.

What a completely different thriller! Captivating and a real page turner and such an unexpected ending!

This story follows Anna and Elijah on their journey receiving a Unity package. This consists of a chip behind the ear that allows you to hear your significant other’s thoughts and communicate with each other too. Never truly alone again!

Everything takes a turn when past secrets come back to haunt both Anna and Elijah and they desperately try to make sure the other doesn’t find them out!

This view of the future completely and utterly leaves you thinking about who you really would let inside your mind. I could not put it down and I felt this need to find out how things were going to play out.

Some aspects of the book proved a little predictable, however, it in no way made the book any less enjoyable. The ending was unexpected and completely brilliant!

With technology advancing so quickly, Always On My Mind has the ability to make you question whether something like this will become possible in the future. I for one, will not be enrolling to read my partners mind anytime soon!

So, this was a solid read but at the same time I just wished for a little bit more.
I enjoyed the premise and getting to know all the characters. Finding out more information as it flipped between then and now was also really interesting as things came together.
However, I feel the medium pace was just not quick enough for the thriller and I was always hoping that it would up the ante. The ending felt a bit more of a faster paced which was a nice finale but alongside that I was also hoping for a bit more high stakes and a bit more drama.
I like my psychological thrillers to keep me suspended and on the edge through most the book and this one just didn't do that for me.
Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the book and everything flowed well it just felt, to me, that it was more or a good read rather than a great one.
Favourite Quote - Punctual, reliable, envied by others, it was like being married to a Rolex watch.
Favourite Character - Maddie