First and foremost, at no point while reading this book did I anticipate the absolute betrayal bombshell Minka Kent dropped on us at the end of it.

This book features short chapters, an engaging, suspenseful storyline, and flashbacks to the past to assist in the development of the main character, Camille – a sociopath, which made for an engaging read. When I got to the last page, I was honestly bummed it was over.

Overall, I thought the book was thought-provoking, suspenseful, and entertaining. For all that Camille was incapable of feeling, I felt for her.

Camille, a survivor of a childhood trauma at the hands of her psychotic mother, Lucinda, has worked hard to put her past permanently behind her. After her mother tells her she will kill her, should their paths ever cross again, can you blame her? Camille has since achieved a picture-perfect life with her husband and their two children in a wealthy suburban neighborhood, where their daughter attends the best school they could find, and she now has a loving mother-in-law – worlds different from the life she knew before. Things are progressing smoothly, until Camille’s daughter announces to her that she has made a new imaginary friend, and her imaginary friend begins sharing secrets with her. Secrets which are actually very specific references to the trauma Camille experienced at the hands of her mother growing up. Obviously, the only conclusion Camille could come to is that Lucinda has finally caught up to her, and is coming for her family.

I enjoyed the progression of this book. It was full of twists and turns, and there was a surprise in just about every chapter, making it easy to keep on reading. Some of the events weren’t super realistic, which may be a turn off to some. I personally don’t read fiction books to get a dose of reality, so I enjoyed the somewhat outrageous plot-twists and secrets Camille kept throughout the book. And shall I mention, once again, the ending??? You’ve got to read it. In hindsight, though, Kent did give us a HUGE hint from the get-go.

In terms of character development, Kent lets us in on the secrets of Camille’s past through flashbacks, both to her childhood and other important life events, which I thought was well-done, however in the present-tense it occasionally felt as though Kent suddenly remembered once again the mental health issues Camille struggled from, and needed to remind us, too. Despite this, I believe the goal of bringing awareness to the silent mental health struggles that affect so many of those around us was achieved. I do have some unanswered questions, and the ending seems to leave the possibility for some type of sequel or spin-off open. I look forward to reading that one day!