Strangers:ARC review

Title: Strangers

Author: C L. Taylor

Genre: Psychological thriller

# of pages: 400

Date of publication: 2^nd April 2020

My ratings: 4.5 stars

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Alice, a 46-year-old woman and works as a clothing store. Life has taken drastic turns for her. And with unsure steps, she is trying to move on in life. Right then she has a sense of being watched. She is feeling she’s losing her sanity.

Ursula used to be a primary school teacher until the tragedy struck her. She lost her love of life and life as she knew it. Now she is a courier and feels guilty.

Gareth, a security guard in the mall. He is a carer for his mom. But things change when he receives a mysterious postcard at home.

As the situations turn around and these unrelated people unintentionally come together because of a stranger.

These are the three main characters and each narrates their story. I admired Ursula and Gareth. Both have difficult circumstances, yet they are fighters. They are fighting their internal and external demons but can manage and help people around them.

Ursula is instinctive and dares to take a stand against injustice. Gareth sacrificed his dreams and his love to take care of his mother.

Alice has an interesting backstory with elements of stalking. There’s an air of mystery around her. The author did a fantastic job in portraying the insecurities of Alice.

This is my first book by the author, and I am wondering why I haven’t read her books earlier. I was super excited when I received this ARC, and I was not disappointed. The book is an absolute thriller right from the get-go. You are hooked to each page and engrossed; you keep turning the pages.  There are subplots in the story. The author has inserted the subplot in the form of twitter posts. They weren’t a part direct part of the story, yet was an interesting and unforeseen twist to the story.

The central theme of the book is our society and how detached we are from the surrounding people. Even though we live in a society that should help us grow as a human, share our emotions, but in this century, we are more disconnected than ever.

I had huge expectation from the book in terms of the story and the mystery. The make or break for me, the ending, characters or how the mystery shapes up at the end. Strangers ticks all the boxes. With the mystery and the subplot merging at the end, the book has given its reader a spectacular ending.

I loved the book, and I have already added two of her books in my TBR.

Thank you, Netgalley and Avon Books UK, for the copy of ARC in exchange for my honest review.