08 October 2026

What could be worse than discovering that the man you share your life with is a monster? That is exactly what happens to Becky, and things become even worse when she reports him, only to find herself the one who loses her job.

This was a quick and entertaining read. I have only read one other book by Alice Hunter, but I am beginning to notice a theme in her stories. She seems to focus on women whose lives become entangled with monsters — whether that is a serial killer’s wife, a serial killer’s daughter, or, in this case, a woman who discovers that the man she trusted is not who she thought he was. It makes for some seriously unsettling situations.

The pacing was a little slow for me at times, particularly as Becky found herself trying to fight the system almost completely on her own. It was frustrating watching her struggle to get anyone to listen while her own life was falling apart around her.

I also found Becky a little difficult to connect with. She was just a bit too frantic for me at times, although I did admire her determination to help women who were in trouble, even when she was dealing with so much of her own. And I absolutely loved the addition of the neighbour’s cat. Taking the cat in was such a lovely touch and added another layer to Becky’s kind-hearted nature.

I did battle to wrap my head around John’s influence over Becky and how he had managed to get away with some of the things he did. There were times when I found myself questioning how he could possibly have that much control over her life. Thankfully, the conclusion brought everything together and answered the questions I had been carrying throughout the book.

Overall, this was an entertaining read with an unsettling storyline, a difficult situation and a satisfying conclusion. While Becky wasn’t always an easy character for me to connect with and the pacing was a little slow at times, I was still invested enough to want to see how everything would play out.