She

On the rebound after being dumped by his long-term girlfriend Charlotte, Ben can’t believe it when the beautiful Bella enters his life. But it soon becomes evident that Bella is not all she seems, and Ben’s dream life with her quickly turns into a nightmare.

The first half follows the fairly standard psychological thriller format. The main character is vulnerable and alone, and then meets their dream partner. After a whirlwind romance she finds herself married, with a spouse who starts cutting her off from their friends and family, until both find themselves trapped in a nightmare relationship. There is an interesting twist in this novel in that the main viewpoint character is male – generally in books following this format, the main character is female.

Then the narrative is told from Ben’s point of view, and that’s where things really get interesting. You turn the book over (literally) and start reading the same story again, from Bella’s point of view, and all of a sudden, things become clear.

Some of the twists presented by Bella you may have already figured out, as I did, but there will be others that come as a surprise in this compelling novel.

I have never encountered a book in this format before, and am full of admiration for the author for pulling it off so successfully. The writing style is clear and straightforward, and although much of the dialogue in the scenes in the first half of the book are repeated in the second half, it doesn’t come across as repetitive because of the change in viewpoint.

It's hard to elaborate further, without giving away spoilers, and you really need to read it cold, to get the full impact. It is an outstanding and skillfully-written story that is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers.