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The Girl from the Sea by Shalini Boland

I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As usual, this book was advertised as being along the same vein as Gone Girl and Girl on the Train; the former I loved and the latter I thought was just meh. Whenever I get these kinds of comparisons, I like to read the book and make my own judgement. So thank you to the publisher, author, and to NetGalley… and here is my review:

She finds herself on the beach, completely soaked and unaware of the circumstances that brought her here. She can’t remember her name, or who she is. A stranger rescues her and gets her to the hospital. Upon waking up, she is told that she has retrograde amnesia and that her memories will come back with time. Fortunately, her boyfriend has identified her and will be coming to get her soon. It turns out that she has a perfect life – she is rich, and has a wonderful boyfriend and family that are eager to help refresh her memory. But soon, she begins to see through them and discover the lies. What is it that they don’t want her to remember? Who can she really trust?

I was quite surprised by this novel. At first, I enjoyed reading it and moving along the predictable path that had been set out. I was perfectly ready to give this novel a solid 3/5 for being well-written but not exceptional. AND THEN THE ENDING HAPPENED. It took a completely different turn than what I was expecting. In a way, it was a tad bit too abrupt. But as I continued, I was just so shocked and so intrigued that I started to enjoy it. When I read the last sentence, I put the book down and was just in awe. I usually am not easy to surprise, especially when it comes to the thriller genre; after reading so many books in this genre, I am pretty familiar with the various plot twists that are used. But this one took me by surprise. That automatically raises it up for me and makes it a worthwhile thriller to endorse. It was a quick, well-written, intriguing read with a crazy ending that I never expected. I definitely liked it better than Girl on the Train and I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a good thriller fix!

Happy reading ~