This is a really good mystery thriller.
When Sam is told that his wife hasn’t collected their daughter from day care, he is sure she’s just been held up. However, when she doesn’t turn up after a few more hours, they phone the Police.
Two Detectives visit Sam and their close friends and family and try and find out what’s happened to Bryden.
I won’t say much more as I don’t want to spoil it and accidentally reveal a key part of the story.
This is a great read that will certainly keep you guessing.
Thanks to Random House UK for the opportunity to read this book.

Bryden and Sam have it all - thriving careers, a smart apartment in a luxury condo, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple. Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden - working from home that day - has failed to collect their daughter from daycare. Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife's car in the underground garage. Upstairs in the apartment her laptop is open on the table, her phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall. How can she have disappeared from her home?

Detective Jayne Salter is in charge of the case where Bryden seems to have disappeared without a trace from her home. But secrets are being kept and lies are being told. This is a cleverly crafted story.

I did guess, correctly, just over half way through the book who the murderer was. There were plenty of suspects to choose from and it was told from several perspectives.

Published 17th July 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK #TransworldPublishers and the author #ShariLapena for my ARC of #SheDidntSeeItComing in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast paced and twisty thriller with a huge number of intertwining threads and I had no idea who the murderer was. Like the other Shari Lapena books I’ve read, it was really enjoyable but not my favourite of hers.

I did find the book a little slow in the middle - the beginning, up until Bryden goes missing is very quick and as I was reading I was expecting a flashback, or a big twist taking us off somewhere very different, but the bulk of the book is around the aftermath of the disappearance and the investigation.

That aside, great characters, great alibis and great twists!

My thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘She Didn’t See It Coming’ written by Shari Lapena in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Bryden Frost is rushing to collect Clara from day care when she accidentally hits the car in front of hers. Seven weeks later Bryden disappears from the apartment she shares with her husband Sam and three-year-old Clara leaving her phone and keys in their usual places. Detectives Jayne Salter and Tom Kilgour are called out to lead the team searching for Bryden and are mystified that although she can’t be found there’s no sign of her having left the building.

I find it unbelievable that ‘She Didn’t See It Coming’ is the first novel I’ve read by Shari Lapena as it’s one of the most unbelievably gripping thrillers I’ve come across in a long time and I’m really pleased I’ve been given the chance to read it. There are twists and turns from start to finish, suspects who are hiding something, with one in particular who Detective Jayne Salter should be concerned about. The story has been masterfully put together with a strong plot, heart-stopping action, disturbing drama and unexpected shocks that have had me sitting on the edge of my seat and gripping onto my Kindle. What an exciting psychological thriller this has been as it’s kept me so involved I haven’t been able to stop reading, let alone breathe, until I’ve found out what did happen to Bryden Frost and why. It gets five huge well-deserved stars from me!

I usually enjoy Shari Lapena’s thrillers, but She Didn’t See It Coming didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The story was slow to get going, and just when it started to pick up, it felt like everything rushed to a conclusion. I also guessed the twist quite early on, which took away some of the suspense. It’s not a bad read, there are a few tense moments and decent pacing towards the end, but overall, it didn’t feel as sharp or satisfying as some of her earlier work.

She Didn’t See It Coming is a twisty domestic thriller by Shari Lapena that had me hooked from start to finish.

When Bryden, a devoted wife and mother, vanishes without a trace from her upscale condo, her disappearance sends shockwaves through her tight knit community. Her husband Sam is left stunned, her daughter confused, and the police are left scratching their heads. Bryden’s car is in the garage, her phone and keys left in plain sight, and her laptop open as if she simply stepped out but never returned.

Well written novel that keeps you guessing. What appeared to be a perfect marriage is not quite all it seems Lots of secrets and red herrings kept me guessing all the way in this fast paced cleverly written thriller.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me and realise I am in a minority with this,the writing was good good but think have read just too many books recently about missing people and also wasn’t liking the characters much so found it difficult to get into the book
I usually love this authors books and will look forward to the next one

This was okay but I guessed who the murderer was pretty much straight away ☹️ a really easy read but a bit too simple at times

Gosh I love a Shari Lapena thriller. Always fast reads with a cast of unlikeable and interesting characters all of whom may have a hand in what is happening. I always think I am so clever and have it all worked out and then it all goes out the window. So fun to read and try to find clues and play detective.

Bryden and San have the perfect life, or do they? When Bryden disappears without a trace from her apartment, the layers start to melt away to find the truth. Those in her life are the prime suspects and they all had different motives. It is always easy to get lost in the story and not see the red herrings.

Thanks so much to Random House Uk, Transworld Publishing for my advanced reading copy. Publishes on July 17th.

Another really good thriller from Shari Lapena. She writes the best horrible characters! All the characters in this one have their flaws and secrets, and it makes for a very interesting read. I did feel the motive was a bit suspect but I guess crazier things do happen in real life.
I did feel there were a few loose ends to be tied up but it could be I just missed something. Good solid domestic thriller which kept me turning the pages.

Shari's writing just gets better and better.
Sam receives a phone call from the nursery. Bryden hasn't picked up their daughter. No one can get hold of her, and she's not answering her phone. Sam picks Clara up, and when they return home, it's obvious something has happened to her.
Well, this was full of twists and turns. There are plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing.
None of the characters are particularly likeable, but that just adds to the suspense. The neighbour who has been arrested and released for assault. The sister who has a secret obsession. Derek, whose car Bryden ran into a couple of weeks prior to her disappearance and his unstable wife Alice.
I really enjoy Shari's books. She has a way of writing that makes you feel that you are in the investigating team working out the clues. By the way, I didn't have a clue.
Thi is unputdownable. It's addictive. You just want to keep reading.
Loved it. And now I have to wait another year for the next one.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House uk for the ARC in return for an honest review.

She Didn’t See It Coming
Shari Lapena

'Foul play seems likely. I don't need to tell you that time is of the essence. Let's find her.'

This starts off without any preamble and straight to the heart of the matter, what happened to Bryden?

'Everyone is painting a perfect picture here.
But I'm not buying it. A woman is missing, and there's got to be a reason.'

When a beloved wife and mother disappears, a luxurious condo building transforms into a potential crime scene. Can the detectives find her before it’s too late?

‘They are alike. They understand each other. They are a team. Theirs is not a typical relationship, they both know that. They are not typical people; they are not like everybody else.
They are outliers. They both feel so lucky to have found each other.’

There’s your cast of suspects. Somewhat unlikable characters. All heavily flawed with a spade of secrets. And watching the secrets fall is the beauty in this book.

I love a book with a mystery and you’re not sure who to believe. This wasn’t an unreliable narrator, but a story with tales and facts that you place together to create the bigger picture. I love the moment when all the lies and deceptions converge and it’s chaos.

That ending. Ok, you’re in the cross hairs. Love.

“No one does suburban paranoia like Shari Lapena.” Ruth Ware, and I’m with you on that.

(Review posted 1st July 2025).

Shari Lapena has written another fantastic suspense novel. I genuinely couldn’t put this down as I couldn’t wait to find out who had done it.

The story is told from multiple povs and as always we can’t believe a thing they tell us. Every character is harbouring a secret and each one is as bad as the other.

The book starts with Bryden who is rushing to pick her daughter up from daycare when she goes into the back of another car at some traffic lights. A few months later Bryden’s husband Sam receives a call to say that no one has been to pick up their daughter Clara. Just where has Bryden vanished to? More and more secrets of their lives begin to unravel.

This is a great easy read and if you are a fan of Shari Lapena you won’t be disappointed and if this is your first lucky you as you’ve her full back catalogue to enjoy!

A twisty exciting novel. Bryden disappears from her own apartment at around midday. She is not reported missing until she fails to pick her daughter up from day care' Did she leave of her own accord or was she kidnapped. Keeps you guessing until the very end.

Shari Lapena is back with a bang with She Didn't See it Coming! This book was so good! It's one of those reads where none of the characters are particularly likeable but you get fully invested in the mystery of what happened to Bryden - is she dead? If so what happened? I had my suspicions but then it seemed like I was wrong and I got focused elsewhere but nothing quite adds up so you're kept on the edge of your seat throughout. This was such an addictive read, and when the reveal came I was shocked! I love when that happens. So I definitely recommend this book!

Shari Lapena does what she does best in She Didn’t See It Coming by taking a seemingly picture-perfect life and peels back the layers until everything falls apart.

Bryden and Sam have it all: great jobs, a luxury condo, a happy marriage, and a beautiful little girl. But when Bryden vanishes without a trace - phone, keys, and car all left behind - their perfect life starts to crack. And what follows is a slow-burning, twisty ride through secrets, lies, and everything we think we know about the people we love.

If you’re after a gritty domestic thriller that keeps you guessing till the final page, this one’s well worth your time.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I thought this was a pretty good read .It got off to a cracking start and we really got to know everyone with some surprises thrown in .Then for me it got a little slow ,but overall it was an enjoyable read.

A slow burn thriller where you really get to know all the characters and their flaws. It starts as a pacy intriguing story but the ending feels rushed after the long buildup of possible suspects. A good fun read 3.5 stars

Bryden and Sam are the perfect couple. They have a great marriage, good jobs and live in a luxury condo and they have a beautiful three-year-old daughter called Clara.
When Sam gets a call that Bryden has failed to pick up Clara from daycare. He races from his office to go and pick her up.
When they both return home, Bryden is nowhere to be since but her laptop, her phone and her keys are still there. So where is she? At first, he thinks that she has just popped out. But, if she did, she would have taken her phone and keys. Also, her car is still in the garage. Sam waits hopelessly for her to return home. But how later She still hasn’t returned, and even her siblings do not know where she is. He decides to call the Police.
This is another fantastic, cleverly written thriller from the queen of domestic thrillers. The is a slow evolving story of the disappearance of Bryden. As time goes on. We find that the supposedly perfect marriage is not as it seems and all those involved is hiding their own secrets. The thriller will keep you guessing to the very end. I really enjoyed this thriller with this surprising ending. 5 stars from me.

Lapena writes solid bestseller crime novels and her upcoming "She did not see it coming" did not disappoint, i read a netgalley proof. 

When reliable Brydon Frost does not pick up her daughter from daycare or return home later, her husband Sam knows something is very wrong. She has seemingly vanished as all her possessions are at home, her car in the garage.  As the police become involved the apparently perfect family and closest friends are all under scrutiny. 

A pacy psychological thriller  with a tight plot,  really enjoyed it. Great beach read.