This book was so slow to start. It wasn’t until 60% in that I even knew what this was about or where it was going. But it was enough to make me want to find out. The only thing I found odd, was why the main character didn’t leave when everything was going on… or no conversation was had with coworker at all.. saw the twist coming at the end, but was still good.

A perfect fall setting - as Radley Asher accepts a job at the Clark’s family apple farm in Maine. But I knew, having read Ellen Won Steil’s work before, that although this may seem like a look into a picture-perfect family, something sinister was brewing below the surface.

This is a twisty, psychological thriller that delves into obsessions, family dynamics, motherhood, and the weight of dark secrets. Focusing on the characters, the author did a great job of setting the stage for the mystery; there is a constant sense of unease and mistrust. The story could have gone down many different paths, therefore leaving you questioning every turn and everyone’s actions.

The tension in the story builds until the explosive end. It's a heartbreaking yet insightful exploration of motherhood and the often unrealistic expectations for perfection.



🎧I loved sharing my time between the physical book and the audiobook, narrated by Michelle H. Lee. Lee did a great job bringing these characters to life as well as setting the tone and the emotion of the book. I could feel the uneasiness and the uncertainty that the characters all carried in their voices.

Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours and @ellensteil for the #gifted book.
Thank you @brilliancepublishing for the gifted audiobook via #NetGalley.

This was a slow-burn until about 75%. I was not sure where the story was going and the pacing felt off during the first three quarters. There were many hints that something big was going to happen, but it took a long time for that thing to occur. After that, a lot happened and it became interesting with the drama and secrets. Some of the twists I predicted, while others caught me off guard. I never fully connected with any of the characters, some of which I thought were annoying, which is a shame. I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator.

New England fall vibes are the perfect setting for this psychological thriller!

This one had me hooked from the beginning! I was trying to figure out what was going on with our main character…then what was going on with the family she was staying with/helping. There were times I wasn’t sure who I should be more anxious for!!

I was really invested in the story and enjoyed the parallels to our society today: the pressure to present a ‘perfect’ family, while dealing with family problems and trauma. Definitely check triggers to motherhood/children if you have any!

A special thanks to Brilliance Publishing and Netgalley for an early copy of this audiobook to review!

CWs: childhood illness, sibling loss, child loss

I felt like the pacing was just too slow to get invested in. I couldn’t get lost in the story partially because the FMC just didn’t direct us through the story.

I was interested in the directions the kids were going - the adults were not plotted enough to make me feel connected or invested. I didn’t feel the thriller genre - there were a couple of mid-stakes scenes, but not enough to justify the genre label.

An advanced listener copy was obtained from Brilliance Publishing via the NetGalley platform.

This was a solid 3.5. I struggled to decide whether to round up or down. Ultimately, the pacing caused me to round down. The beginning 40-50% felt very slow. As others have said, you don't really know where the book is going to go when you get into it. It seems like a general fiction at first, with a hint at romance or friendship, then starts to feel more like a mystery, which I loved. It was refreshing to read something that didn't perfectly fit into one genre. The author's writing style flows well & keeps your interest, even when the story itself feels slow.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but there were a few things that kept it from being a great read for me, with the pacing being #1. I also did not connect with Beau & Livia AT ALL. Their personalities & whole family dynamic irritated the shit out of me. The kids seemed often unsupervised, once even going the MC's guest house uninvited, which was treated like no big deal....like what?? You know those people who automatically assume that every other person should LOVE kids & therefore they see no issue with their kids going up to everyone & pestering them or invading their space? That's Beau & Livia. Also, the "surprise" at the end was pretty obvious early on.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Michelle H. Lee does a great job narrating this story and makes it come to life!

Radley leaves her busy life in Seoul behind and moves to Maine for a less hectic life. She is working for a family on their apple orchard. As the story unfolds, we see the unravelling of the life and secrets of the family through Radley's shrewd eyes.

This is a fast paced, psychological thriller that I found hard to put down. Its very well written and the domestic drama is well done. I very much enjoyed it!

You know I love a good psychological thriller, and this one delivered so much more. A slow burn filled with intrigue, twists, and suspense, it also dives deep into the complexities of family bonds and motherhood.
A compelling mix of thriller and family drama that keeps the pages turning.

📚 Book Title: The Lives of Others
👩🏾‍💻 Author: Ellen Won Steil
🎧 Format: Audio
🗣️ Narrator: Michelle H. Lee
⏱️ Length: 8h 23m
📌 Release Date: August 25, 2025

📖 Book Summary: The Lives of Others by Ellen Won Steil follows Radley Asher, who flees her chaotic life in Seoul for a Maine apple farm. Drawn into the seemingly perfect Clark family, her curiosity turns into obsession. Beneath their calm surface lie secrets, tragedies, and a creeping sense of danger that Radley can’t look away from.

😇 Quick Take: I felt the anxiety of the MC through my earbuds! This book had me hooked!

💭 Vibe Check

- 🕵🏾‍♀️ Theme(s): Family dysfunction
- 📌 Trope(s): Domestic Suspense
- 🎯 Read If You Like:
- The Couple Next Door – Shari Lapena
- Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng

🎙️ Audiobook Thoughts

Narration was top tier! the emotions felt throughout this book was phenomenal! I would literally tune out everything around me and just listen. so so good!

Multi-cast? no

Would I re-listen? one time is good enough

⭐ Ratings

- 📖 Plot: 3/5
- 💭 Vibes: 4/5
- 🔪 Chaos: 4/5
- 🌀 Spiral Level: 4/5
- 😇 Overall Rating: 4/5

🏷️

#summerTBR #bookwormlife #summerlistens #psychologicalthriller #beachthriller #dystopianfiction #bookinaday #thrillerbookstagram

Another outstanding book. I loved the fast paced plot, characters and short chapters. I flew right through this one. The twist at the end was the icing on the cake.

Many thanks for my gifted copy.

**3.5 Stars**

✨Audiobook Review✨
📖 The Lives of Others
✍️ Ellen Won Stell
📅 Publication: August 26, 2025
🎤 Michelle H. Lee

𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
After ten hectic years in Seoul, burned-out expat Radley Asher takes a fall job at an apple farm on idyllic Fox Isle, Maine. Hoping for solitude, she is instead embraced by the lively Clark family, whose warmth feels almost disarming.
Beau and Livia seem like perfect parents, and their three children are a joy. Radley tells herself she will stay apart, but the more she observes, the more she cannot look away. Watching the Clarks soon becomes an obsession.
One night the orchard burns and chaos erupts. When one of the children vanishes, the family’s polished image begins to crumble. In the fallout, buried secrets come to light, including Radley’s.

𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The pacing started off really slow, and the characters felt a little one-dimensional at times. For most of the book, I was waiting for things to really kick off, and then suddenly in the last quarter, everything exploded with drama and chaos.
Even so, I ended up enjoying the ending quite a bit. I guessed a few of the twists, but there were definitely some surprises that I did not see coming, which I appreciated. What really stood out for me was the narrator. Her voice was engaging, and I loved how she gave each character their own personality through different tones.
Overall, while the slow start made it harder for me to connect fully, I still found enough here to enjoy and would recommend it to anyone who likes a slow burn that leads to a big finish.
Thank you @Netgalley and @Brilliancepublishing, for allowing me to review this ALC.

I wasn’t sure where this was going, but there was quite a bit to this story.

When it started, I thought, is this Hallmark? Girl moves to an apple orchard, and the farmer she thought was going to be an old man is actually closer to her age and good looking. But wait, there’s more. It’s actually the wife she’s crushing on.

In all seriousness, that isn’t the case here, but it did take me a while to figure out what this book was really about. I had no idea where it was going.

I went into the audiobook after just skimming the description, and even halfway through I still found myself questioning the direction. The narrator did a good job, and I wanted to keep listening.

While parts of the story kept me guessing, the pacing felt uneven. Most of the book moves slowly, with hints of something bigger to come, but then the final quarter it’s packed with chaos and drama. Instead of being shocking, it almost felt overwhelming, and the main twist was the one thing I had suspected from the beginning.

I do think it helps that the description doesn’t reveal much, so you will just have to go in blind and decide for yourself.

Thanks to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing, and Brilliance Audio for the chance to listen early.

It took a bit to get going, but once it did, I was hooked. Wow, this truly had me on the edge of my seat with the twists and making me truly second guess everything up until the final twist. I loved the depth of the main character and the "perfect family". Truly intriguing; Ellen Won Steil has a remarkable way with words! The narrator did a wonderful job, I think listening to her read it made it that much more intense and gripping for me!

I received this ARC audiobook from NetGalley and Brillian Audio to listen and review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully listening to this audiobook.

An intriguing and suspenseful look into the dark side of motherhood. I was hooked from chapter one. Highly recommend this read.

This book is a good reminder that “ If it looks too good to be true it probably is.” This twisty family drama was filled with so many secrets and quite a lot of suspense toward the end. It was filled with unique characters and the character development was superb. Although I liked Radley, she was definitely an enigma for me and I was eager to learn her back story. This one grabbed me right out of the gate and kept me fully immersed until the very end. Michelle Lee was a fantastic narrator.