Rating 8: With intriguing characters and some pretty well laid out surprises, “Before She Knew Him” is another fun and twisty thriller from Peter Swanson. I think I’m definitely in the minority with my opinion. Lloyd was a total gaslighting, cheating asshole and there was nothing within his interactions with Hen that explained why she would have ever married him in the first place. Review: Before She Knew Him. ⭐⭐⭐- The most okayest BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM | Peter Swanson 03.05.2019 | William Morrow Rating: 4/5 stars Hen and her husband Lloyd have recently bought a new home in a quiet suburban town on the outskirts of Boston. Story Lover. Can I ask what your opinion is on Mira’s knowledge of Richard? In the same vein, Matthew isn’t exactly a Madonna/Whore savior complex killer either. That’s a really good question. Momish. But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. I’m usually loathe to buy books given that I work at a library and use its services exhaustively, but with authors I love I’m willing to make exceptions, and so I went out and purchased “Before She Knew Him”. What I can’t stand, is that Hen is set up as mentally unwell and suicidal in order to justify her role as the unreliable narrator. Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson. . ⭐- Dumpster fire I don’t know how many times Lloyd asked Hen, “are you manic right now?” whenever she expressed, mostly calmly, that she’d witnessed something of concern. Review. . Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Into a house that looks pretty much like all the others on the street. Review: GodDAMN do I look forward to any and every Peter Swanson book. Despite the characters being dull as hell, the plot was completely engrossing and the twists, duelling narrations and dark Strangers on a Train-like premise kicked me right in the crotch. Before She Knew Him is a wicked thriller that does not disappoint. This is made quite clear very early on. LOL. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM – Peter Swanson (out now!) Unfortunately for me, Before She Knew Him didn’t turn out to be at all what I was expecting. I ended up liking it so much that I ordered a hardcopy from Book of the Month when they debuted it in March.. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. I, however, can’t really say it’s anything other than just okay, chock-full of standard “twists” that have lost their lustre. Thanks to William Morrow and TLC Book Tours for the free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Hen… I’m at the point where I think I might have to give up on Swanson because the hype was high with this one among my reader friends, and for me, it’s totally unwarranted. BUT NO ONE BELIEVES HER dun dun dunnnnn…. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape. . BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM is an A-list domestic thriller set in a small neighborhood in West Dartford, a comfortable bedroom community outside of Boston. About Before She Knew Him • Hardcover: 320 pages • Publisher: William Morrow (March 5, 2019) Catching a killer is dangerous—especially if he lives next door From the hugely talented author of The Kind Worth Killing comes an exquisitely chilling tale of a young suburban wife with a history of psychological instability whose fears about her new neighbor could lead… Before She Knew Him has serious Rear Window vibes when Hen and her douchebag husband, Lloyd, move to a small town outside of Boston so that Hen can find some peace and quiet while attempting to get the symptoms of her bipolar disorder under control. Wifey. ( Log Out /  30-Something. Stoner. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Book. . He doesn’t seem to be able to write characters that are engaging to me. Book: "Before She Knew Him" by Peter Swanson Publishing Info: William Morrow, March 2019 Where Did I Get This Book: I own it. . The synopsis was written well and definitely intrigued me enough to read this book. is a twisty, fast-paced tale that depicts picket-fence suburbia's seamy, murderous underside. All that being said, I kind of guessed one of the reveals a bit early on. I haven’t thought of him in years.” Making Richard sound like a real person. It was ok but nothing special and I agree that his characters are supremely boring (I mean in Her Every Fear the girl has a pretty crazy past but I just couldn’t give a shit about her because the plot was bland and the flashbacks were not thrilling). However, rude, hateful, insulting or purely antagonistic comments will  not be approved by the admin (that’s me!) Opening Hook: No one cares about your sports trophies in real life. A fun, chilling read. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Finally, she’s found some stability and peace. Main Character: Catching a killer has never been so boring. Swanson doesn’t make him totally evil, but he certainly isn’t totally good either. He targets men that he sees as predatory, his ethos being that if they hurt women, be it through mental abuse, cheating, sexual assault, what have you, they don’t deserve to live. Hen and her husband, Lloyd, are finally settling into a routine in their quiet-ish lives. These I won’t address, because that would be a true crime to spoil things. About Before She Knew Him • Paperback: 320 pages • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (February 25, 2020) Catching a killer is dangerous—especially if he lives next door. Before She Knew Him is my second book by Peter Swanson after the The Kind Worth Killing (if you haven’t read the book, read it NOW). The plot, too was incredibly satisfying, with other mysteries sprinkled in along the way. There’s a neat twist at the end, but the real surprise is the way characters are allowed to grieve their losses, a luxury not always allowed in stories of this type. I’m wondering if she knew that he had an alter, but thought that Richard had either been controlled or phased out… -k. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. With Hen I felt like while her struggles with mental illness do play a large role in the story, she never seemed to be stigmatized by them in the reader’s eyes. The first book my book club read in 2018 was The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson and I was floored! Our main two perspectives are that of Hen, an artist who has struggled with bipolar disorder in the past, and Matthew, Hen’s neighbor whom she is convinced is a murderer. Plot Twisty-ness: Over-the-top, yet done to death. Swanson also does a great job with Hen and her characterization. I’ve read and enjoyed two of Peter Swanson’s previous novels, so I was really excited to get my hands on a review copy of his latest novel. I.Could. Spring Giveaway: “Heroine” by Mindy McGinnis, View thelibraryladies’s profile on Facebook, View @LibraryLadiesMN’s profile on Twitter, View thelibraryladies’s profile on Instagram, View UCxD9rnvQKPh0zi3NIm4ftcQ’s profile on YouTube, “The Girl Who Didn’t See Her Husband’s Wife When She Disappeared Twice from the Train”, 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway! I think if the plot were total fire then the characters wouldn’t matter as much – like in The Kind Worth Killing. Unfortunately, I missed the library hold boat on this one, as by the time I realized it was happening both systems I use had long hold lists on them. Click to read the full review of Before She Knew Him: A Novel in New York Journal of Books. If you haven’t gotten on the Peter Swanson train yet, do yourself a favor and check him out. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder—an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either. If anything when people would throw them back at her, particularly her husband Lloyd, you didn’t question her, you sympathized with her. (The Girl on the Train, I’m looking at you). Civil discussion and opinions are welcome. Hen and her husband Lloyd have recently moved into a lovely house in a small town not far from Boston. Homebody. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Book Review: Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson Here’s my first May read. I almost always enjoy my TLC picks. Fantastic review.. Boring characters and lazy writing.. But when the plot is just ho-hum, the characters bring everything down a notch to a pace that is sometimes sluggish and overall not captivating. I’ve only read one book by Peter Swanson but why the hype?? What a great week! Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Potty Mouth. As for the first part, however, that does muddy the waters. A BOOK BLOG FOR ALL MY DARK & TWISTY READS. Hen was annoying and lifeless. The Third Annual Book Blogger Awards: I Was Fucking Nominated! April 22, 2019 January 27, 2021 the literary brat Leave a comment “I had two lives before I met Henrietta Mazur, both of them simple, with their own comforts and rewards. Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? “Before She Knew Him” is included on the Goodreads lists “The Girl Who Didn’t See Her Husband’s Wife When She Disappeared Twice from the Train”, and “Mystery and Thriller 2019”. This is a book that will keep you up at night and haunt your thoughts. Before She Knew Him discussion 183 views. In most cases, the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. Optimistic Realist and Grown-Ass Woman. The first book I ever read by Peter Swanson was The Kind Worth Killing and it totally impressed me enough to grab a four-star rating from my crabby, judgmental ass. Then one night, when she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes that he knows she’s been watching him, that she’s really on to him. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. #reviewsareforreaders #negativereviewsaregoodreviews, Annual Book Blogger Award WINNER for “Best Mystery/Thriller Blog” (2019). And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape. Matthew is indeed a killer, but he is incredibly compelling in his motivations. Again, I liked this because it was subtle and rang true. Hen (short for Henrietta) and Lloyd have moved to the suburbs outside Boston. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Before She Knew Him is Peter Swanson’s fifth novel, and it is deliciously good – dry, intelligent, perfectly paced, there is more than a touch of the Barbara Vines about the delicately played out, delectably dark relationship that develops between Hen and Matthew. This has got to be so amazing for him, today is Before She Knew Him‘s paperback release and next week is his new thriller Eight Perfect Murders official pub day. It frames the mental illness as an inherently untrustworthy characteristic in a person. before she knew him Peter Swanson (Faber, £12.99) A desperate woman, in mortal danger, who is the only person to know the truth about a murder but can’t make anyone believe her. This information about Before She Knew Him shown above was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. I think he’s perfect for casual thriller readers but why the hell do some authors get all the hype when their books are mediocre??? Review: Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson, Follow Here's the Fucking Twist on WordPress.com, Mini-Review Roundup: A Good Marriage, When No One is Watching, Rewind and Come Closer, Review: You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle. – The Library Ladies, Serena’s Review: “The Shadow in the Glass”, Follow The Library Ladies on WordPress.com. In Before She Knew Him we know who the killer is early on, but it’s done SO WELL that I loved it. I’ve read a … Title: Before She Knew Him Author: Peter Swanson Pub. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Review: Lost Girls – An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape. So quarantine means some easy reads so I downloaded a Peter Swanson book from my Libby app. SO, that means. Before She Knew Him is the story of two couples, Hen and Lloyd in one house, and next door to them, Mira and Matthew. ( Log Out /  ), This, like a lot of Swanson’s work, seems to borrow heavy inspiration from Hitchcock, but just isn’t doing it as well as the original or adding anything new to the template. Let’s hope that May continues to be a productive reading month. I would like if we could find a new way to frame unreliable narrators, especially of the female variety, that doesn’t require them to be struggling with mental illness. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS!! The Rest of It: I don't know where I've been or why I haven't read Peter Swanson before but I am so very glad that Before She Knew Him … From Publisher: an exquisitely chilling tale of a young suburban wife with a history of psychological instability whose fears about her new neighbor could lead them both to murder . before she knew him by Peter Swanson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2019 The latest thriller from Swanson ( All the Beautiful Lies , 2018, etc.) I received a free digital copy of Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson from Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review. This is a book that will keep you up at night and haunt your thoughts. Find “Before She Knew Him” at your library using WorldCat! “Before She Knew Him” was a fun and satisfying read. I have the book… Now it goes way down. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Before She Knew Him: Library Edition at Amazon.com. Writer. Matthew also says at one point in the book, “Mira and Richard used to be able to be in the same room together, but that time is long gone.” Like other good Peter Swanson books, “Before She Knew Him” sucked me in with it’s fascinating characters, and legitimately surprising twists and turns. ⭐⭐ – Barely readable But those are my overly judgmental criticisms, and I can completely see how a nicer reviewer or more casual reader of thrillers would find this interesting and twisted. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson Published March 5, 2019 by William Morrow 320 Pages. The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he’s planning something truly terrifying. 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