#BookReview: Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

This book was so good I didn't want it to end.

Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
Thriller
Released January 2017
Amazon ♦ Goodreads

Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks fly. Though he leaves after they kiss, she’s thrilled she finally connected with someone.

When Louise arrives at work on Monday, she meets her new boss, David. The man from the bar. The very married man from the bar…who says the kiss was a terrible mistake but who still can’t keep his eyes off Louise.

And then Louise bumps into Adele, who’s new to town and in need of a friend, but she also just happens to be married to David. David and Adele look like the picture-perfect husband and wife, but then why is David so controlling, and why is Adele so scared of him?

As Louise is drawn into David and Adele’s orbit, she uncovers more puzzling questions than answers. The only thing that is crystal clear is that something in this marriage is very, very wrong, but Louise can’t guess how wrong―and how far a person might go to protect their marriage’s secrets.

My Thoughts:

If you want to read Behind Her Eyes I recommend you avoid reading the reviews. This is one of those books that can be easily ruined for you if someone gives too much away and several reviewers have already done so. I had one of the reveals ruined for me this way and I’m still pissed at myself for being nosy and checking out that review. I don’t know why people feel the need to do that without marking things as a spoiler because it’s not that hard!

There will be no spoilers here and I will be annoyingly vague as hell.

Trust me, it’s for your own good.

This story revolves around three people. Louise is a single mom struggling with insecurities since her ex announced he’s having a baby with his newest lover. She works as a secretary at a doctor’s office. One night she meets a charming man named David at a bar. They share a drunken kiss but Louise is scared off when she realizes he’s married. Who needs that mess, right? Well, what seems like the very next day, she arrives at work to discover David is the newest doctor in the practice and she is now his secretary. She is embarrassed and a little tingly. He is so very handsome, after all. Surely he wouldn’t want her anyway, she thinks, after seeing his perfect wife. Speaking of his wife, her name is Adele and one morning Louise accidentally bumps into her so hard, the fragile beauty falls to the ground. Adele is kind and friendly and in desperate need of a friend and Louise is drawn to her and enjoys her company. But Adele’s friendship comes with a condition. Louise must never tell David about their friendship.

Why you ask? Well I am not going to tell you. This is only the very beginning of one of the most messed up love triangles I’ve ever encountered. It is glorious and it must not be spoiled.

I’m going to warn you that these people are not very likable. They’re pretty horrible actually and I loved every minute of their two-timing, backstabbing, secretive, lying, selfish selves. They are all up to no good, almost all the time and it never got tiresome. I was riveted, fascinated and whatever other adjective you can think of that means this book was one I did not want to ever stop reading. That rarely happens and when it does I’m giving that book five stars.

This is not your typical “girl on all the books” thriller and for that I am very thankful. I like some of those books but the world has its fill of them right now. This one is different. You’ll either love it for that reason or despise it. I believe Pinborough was a horror writer for the majority of her writing career (yep, confirmed it as I have several Leisure titles in my tbr bins) and it works to her advantage in this book. She knows how to craft a creepy story that is deliciously evil and unflinchingly dark through and through. If you enjoy reading about devious, screwed up people I think you will enjoy this. Many hate it for its ending but for me that ending tied it all in perfectly.