I love that Kerry Wilkinson has the skill and ability to keep pumping out 5-star thrillers! I’m grateful for the opportunity to read and review such phenomenal books.

I personally think this was one of Kerry Wilkinson’s best twisted reads! It’s written to really mess with our heads. Wilkinson’s commitment to exploring the dark recesses of our minds is very clear in this one, as is his laser-focused expertise in maintaining his readers’ interest. I really loved focusing on Jodie’s psychological factors and internal flaws that she needed to overcome. The protagonist, Jodie, is psychologically stressed out even before the funeral, yet she remains driven to understand her past. There are too many things that don’t add up and she’s determined to get to the bottom of them before she moves on with her life. A discovery in the attic of her dad’s home sets her off on a perplexing mystery - how well did she really know her Dad? Her husband? Her brother? Her mother?

As the narrative progresses, Wilkinson leads us towards clues that help Jodie unlock her fears, secrets and impulses that she’s hidden in the darkest corners of her mind. He also helps us untangle the lies that Jodie is wrapped up in; most come as a shock, even to her. Like Jodie, I really didn’t know who to trust and second-guessed each character’s intent and actions. By placing Jodie in a familiar setting (home where she grew up), with family issues such as struggling to parent a wayward teen, sibling rivalry and dealing with divorce, Wilkinson appeals to what we as readers know. He takes everyday situations and frames them so that readers ask themselves what they’d do in this situation. In doing so, he makes it relatable and easier for us to identify with the characters. Jodie’s angst at dealing with both internal doubt and external issues fuels the plot. Yes, it has a dark atmosphere and a mind-bending plot (and some subplots), but it’s the jaw-dropping twists that made me love it even more. I felt like Hansel and Gretel following the crumbs, so painstakingly stretched out (loved that part!) as I followed the mystery of the attic find and the mysteries in Jodie’s past.

I really appreciated Wilkinson’s creative mind and deft ability in creating a truly thrilling psychological thriller.

I was gifted this advance copy by Kerry Wilkinson, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

While Jodie is going through her father’s things after he passed away, she is shocked to discover a T-shirt that belonged to her boyfriend Ben of twenty years ago. Their last parting is forever imprinted on her brain which makes it easy for her to recognize that T-shirt. But, as Ben was tragically murdered, Jodie can’t help but wonder why her father had that T-shirt.

Her father was every man to every person. Beloved and respected. Now Jodie has to wonder about him so she looks for answers. Meanwhile, Jodie is dealing with another conflict. Her father left everything to her, but nothing to her brother. Then, there is someone following Jodie about town. Could the person charged with Ben’s murder be innocent, and was her father involved in any way? While looking for answers, Jodie is also struggling with the tentative relationship she has with her son Owen. With these things doing on, will Jodie be able to find the answers she seeks?

In this character-driven story, readers are given privy to Jodie - her feelings, her concerns, and her motives. The Boyfriend is a compelling story, with shocking twists and a heartbreaking ending. Kerry Wilkinson has written another stellar book for his fans to devour.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please also enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/ECm9KMBznE4

Thank you @NetGalley and Kerry Wilkinson for an ARC of this book in an exchange for an honest review.

WHAT I LIKED:
This book held a lot of secrets and a lot of drama, which caused you to question every character you met. Each character was defined with their own personality really well also.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
I did not enjoy the way this was written. I found there were a lot of loose ends, such as her Sister in Law starting drama (that type of drama just doesn't go away). I also didn't like how the main character was written as a mom, like she could clearly care less about what her kid does and only wanted to drink wine with her friend.. This kind of irritated me and made me not like the main character as much. The ending, and finding out who her boyfriends killer was (two different scenarios btw, no spoilers), was horrible. The build up to the discovery wasn't big enough and just flatlined when the other scenario then took precedence.

OVERALL / RECOMMENDATION:
This was not a book I particularly enjoyed. I will never tell readers not to read a book, as everyone has different tastes and different opinions. This, however, was not for me. If someone is interested in reading this book, I will suggest it to readers who enjoy a twisted thriller.

Was it all her fault that her boyfriend disappeared?

Jodie is devastated by the loss of her father. He leaves everything to her, which hurts her brother and enrages her brother's wife. She hopes to clear out her childhood home as quickly as possible, so she can sell it and move on. Between her sister-in-law's threats of a lawsuit and her moody teenage son, she has enough on her plate as it is. While cleaning out the attic, an icy finger of dread runs up Jodie's spine as she uncovers a horrible secret. Packed away in a box is the shirt that her high school boyfriend was wearing on the night he disappeared, two decades ago. Why would her father have Ben's shirt? Her father was the gentlest and most caring man she had ever known, but could that have been an act? As Jodie begins to uncover more secrets about the people closest to her, and strange events begin to follow her, who can she turn to? Could Jodie and her son be in danger?
This novel started out strong, and I was excited to keep reading and find out more. Many of the side characters were interesting and I would read more about them if given the chance. As the story progressed, I found it was going around in circles. This story was very repetitive at times and I guessed the twist long before the end of the novel. The end of the story felt rushed and seemed completely out of place with the rest of the book. I enjoyed parts of this novel but I would consider it more dramatic fiction than a psychological thriller. I look forward to giving Kerry Wilkinson's writing another try as I have enjoyed his work in the past.

Thank you @NetGalley and Kerry Wilkinson for an ARC of this book in an exchange for an honest review.

WHAT I LIKED:
This book held a lot of secrets and a lot of drama, which caused you to question every character you met. Each character was defined with their own personality really well also.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
I did not enjoy the way this was written. I found there were a lot of loose ends, such as her Sister in Law starting drama (that type of drama just doesn't go away). I also didn't like how the main character was written as a mom, like she could clearly care less about what her kid does and only wanted to drink wine with her friend.. This kind of irritated me and made me not like the main character as much. The ending, and finding out who her boyfriends killer was (two different scenarios btw, no spoilers), was horrible. The build up to the discovery wasn't big enough and just flatlined when the other scenario then took precedence.

OVERALL / RECOMMENDATION:
This was not a book I particularly enjoyed. I will never tell readers not to read a book, as everyone has different tastes and different opinions. This, however, was not for me. If someone is interested in reading this book, I will suggest it to readers who enjoy a twisted thriller.

Jodie is clearing out the attic of her father’s house after he has passed away and stumbles across the old T-shirt her boyfriend Ben was wearing the day he disappeared 19 years ago.

Ben went missing when they were just teenagers. His parents still stare out the window desperately waiting for him to come home. So how did the T-shirt he was wearing when Jodie saw him walk away from their last date end up in her father’s attic? How can this be and how will this t-shirt and the events that follow put her own son Owen in danger??

Unpopular Opinion but…..nope…. Big Nope!!

I made it to 24% before this book did me in. The sheer amount of times Jodie’s name is used in the first chapter approx. 50 and 1200+ in this 300 pages book, is utterly ridiculous. It was a play by play of the events going on and there was so much unnecessary detail it became painful.

I did my best and i skimmed through the book and found out the killer and what happened in the end and truly I don’t feel like I missed anything because in the first 6 chapters alone there was enough detail about peoples clothing, squeaking shoes, the mention of ‘My Dad’ and who can forget the name Jodie that I didn't need more.

I want to thank Bookoture, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview this book prior to release for my honest opinion. Unfortunately this was not for me at all and it was an incomplete read for me.

I was really enjoying this book up until the end...which kind of ruined it. I hate when that happens.

This story starts off with Jodie coming back to her childhood home after her father's funeral. She now owns the house and has to figure out what to do with it. She wants to clean it out, but everywhere holds such memories it is difficult. Until she sees the opening for the attic. The place where she was never allowed to go and has never been. A perfect place to start cleaning. Only she finds a shirt in a box in the attic...a shirt that her boyfriend at the time was last seen wearing before he disappeared. The rest of the story deals with Jodie trying to figure out what happened, why her dad would have this shirt, and deal with everything that happens in her life as well. She has some issues with her son, her ex is useless there, and anything else that comes up.

Now as I said I was really enjoying this story until the end. One thing that did bug me was that Jodie never went through everything else in the attic after she found the shirt. If she is looking for clues and trying to figure out what happened why would you not see if there is at least anything else in the boxes? But that needed to happen later for everything to work out so...fine I just went with it. But the ending was...there was so much build-up to who murdered her boyfriend, was her dad involved? Who was involved and...the reveal was underwhelming. Like okay fine. If it would have stopped there this still would have been a pretty good read for me, but there is a bit more and that part was not good. I don't even really understand why it happened. Like why the people involved did the things they did...it didn't make sense. Like they didn't have a stake in things so...If I am missing something please let me know, but it was confusing. I still don't get it. Oh well. Such a shame it ended on such a down note.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book

We follow Jodie as she searches for the truth about her teenage boyfriend's disappearance. Now a grown woman with a teenage son herself, Jodie struggles with bringing up old hurt or keeping on with her normal life. While the plotline is interesting, I think the suspense part fell flat for me. I was not too thrilled or anxious about the twists and surprises. I did not feel too attached to the characters because they were all monotone. I genuinely liked the premise, but it did not connect throughout the story. The most emotion I felt was at the very end. I felt frustrated and wanted to scream at Jodie for her decisions. Without spoilers, it was a tug-of-war with emotions at the conclusion. Overall, this was entertaining but not a favorite of mine.

Was it all her fault that her boyfriend disappeared?

Jodie is devastated by the loss of her father. He leaves everything to her, which hurts her brother and enrages her brother's wife. She hopes to clear out her childhood home as quickly as possible, so she can sell it and move on. Between her sister-in-law's threats of a lawsuit and her moody teenage son, she has enough on her plate as it is. While cleaning out the attic, an icy finger of dread runs up Jodie's spine as she uncovers a horrible secret. Packed away in a box is the shirt that her high school boyfriend was wearing on the night he disappeared, two decades ago. Why would her father have Ben's shirt? Her father was the gentlest and most caring man she had ever known, but could that have been an act? As Jodie begins to uncover more secrets about the people closest to her, and strange events begin to follow her, who can she turn to? Could Jodie and her son be in danger?
This novel started out strong, and I was excited to keep reading and find out more. Many of the side characters were interesting and I would read more about them if given the chance. As the story progressed, I found it was going around in circles. This story was very repetitive at times and I guessed the twist long before the end of the novel. The end of the story felt rushed and seemed completely out of place with the rest of the book. I enjoyed parts of this novel but I would consider it more dramatic fiction than a psychological thriller. I look forward to giving Kerry Wilkinson's writing another try as I have enjoyed his work in the past.

5⭐️

I was blown away with this read!

WOW! This thriller was addictive and kept me turning the page for more!

Jodie is such a relatable character and you really do feel for her as she deals with her difficult teenage son, whilst her life crumbles more and more with each unfolding twist.

Wilkinson has cleverly crafted this read to keep the reader hooked and wanting to know more. I was hooked from the very first chapter in this fast-paced and exciting read.

Just as I thought I had discovered the twist, there was more twists and turns and they were definitely unpredictable.

I highly recommend this read and feel this suspenseful thriller is going to do very well!