By: Rea Frey
ISBN: 9781250166449
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 08/6/2019
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 5 Stars Q&A with the Author
Top Books of 2019 An “insidious, suspenseful tale” (J.T. Ellison) with a “shocker of an ending you won’t see coming” (Michele Campbell), Because You're Mine by Rea Frey, the author who “brings to mind Jodi Picoult” (Booklist) and “will appeal to readers of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen” (Sally Hepworth) is a novel about how the truth will set you free. Single mother Lee has the daily routine down to a science: shower in six minutes. Cut food into perfect squares. Never leave her autistic son Mason in someone else’s care. She’ll do anything—anything—to keep his carefully constructed world from falling apart. Do anything to keep him safe. But when her best friend Grace convinces her she needs a small break from motherhood to recharge her batteries, Lee gives in to a weekend trip. Surely forty-eight hours away from home won’t hurt?
Noah, Mason’s handsome, bright, charismatic tutor—the first man in ages Lee’s even noticed—is more than happy to stay with him.
Forty-eight hours later, someone is dead.
But not all is as it seems. Noah may be more than who he claims to be. Grace has a secret—one that will destroy Lee. Lee has secrets of her own that she will do anything to keep hidden.
As the dominoes begin to fall and the past comes to light, perhaps it's no mystery someone is gone after all…
Because You're Mine is a breathtaking novel of domestic drama and suspense.
Prepare to stay up all night.
Q&A With The Author
Praise
"Heartbreaking and unexpected...impossible to put down."
—Publisher's Weekly
"An insidious, suspenseful tale full of lies and twists, Frey is a great new talent to watch."
—J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of Tear Me Apart
"[A] tautly suspenseful and wickedly twisty thriller that will have the reader guessing until the very last pages."
—-David Bell, USA Today bestselling author of Layover
“Lulls you into a false sense of security and then pulls the rug out from under you―more than once...will appeal to readers of Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.”
— Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Mother-in-Law and The Family Next Door
“Dark, intense and gripping, full of secrets and lies, with a shocker of an ending you won’t see coming.”
― Michele Campbell, author of It’s Always the Husband and She Was the Quiet One
"An edge-of-your-seat voyage.”
–Catherine McKenzie, Bestselling author of The Good Liar and I’ll Never Tell
"Riveting, utterly unsettling [...] you'll think you know who masterminded the ultimate revenge plot. But you'll be wrong.” – Emily Carpenter, Bestselling author of Until the Day I Die and Burying the Honeysuckle Girls
My Review
HOLY MOLY!!! Shut the front door! "Smart and taut..” BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE is a twisted deliciously evil game of REVENGE. Top Books of 2019
After NOT HER DAUGHTER (a hit debut), a movie deal, and this? Rea Frey is setting the domestic suspense genre on FIRE! I loved every page. The diary notations were "knock-out."
Rea Frey "wowed" us with her award-winning smashing debut, NOT HER DAUGHTER, soon to be a major motion picture 🎬 Top Books of 2018. The author returns with another "knock-out" thriller which will blow you away —BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE.
Highly creative, unpredictable, intense, and brilliantly crafted— a "thrill ride" cat-and-mouse game that will keep you guessing until the final explosive page. Cannot wait for you to meet Lee, Grace, Mason (love this boy) and Noah.
I can handle the truth. It’s the lies that kill me.”
BECAUSE YOU’RE MINE is both plot-driven as well as character-driven. Fast-paced nerve-racking suspense.
Unpredictable. Taut. Wicked. Twisty. Emotionally-Charged!
Expect the unexpected. Watch your back. You will be blindsided. Jaw-dropping. Friends are not always friends. You will question every person and their motives. TRUST NO ONE! Lies on top of lies. WARNING: when you start reading—block out the time.
"It is unputdownable!" THAT ENDING. 😜
SECRET: “Done, made, or conducted without the knowledge of others. “
Meet the Characters: • LEE, a single mom of Mason with SPD. She is highly protective and never leaves him with anyone except a select few. She is aware she must keep his life on schedule with no changes. • GRACE is her best friend with a son, which always lends a helping hand who wants her to get away for a much-needed break. • NOAH, the caring, handsome, bright, charismatic tutor which adores Mason.
Lee is a dedicated helicopter single mom, and rightly so with her son’s condition, but she borders on obsessive. She never takes time away from him. She has a secret crush on Noah but not sure he feels the same.
Noah is tormented by his past and a reason why he chose this profession. Lee seems like the perfect friend always there to help out, and she seems to love Mason.
Grace seems much stronger than Lee, who appears plagued by constant fear. Fear of making the wrong choice and constant worrying about her son.
Lee and Noah encourage her to go away on a fun girl’s weekend trip to the mountains. Four girls and no children. It sounds like heaven to Lee. Mason loves Noah, and he will take care of him.
Only two days. Can leave Mason? She has never left him overnight. She is a single mom. She is his world. However, when it is time to go, she begins to worry and second-guess herself. Will she change her mind?
Trouble is ahead, and someone will wind up dead on this little girls getaway. Forty-eight hours later, someone is dead.
Who will get away with murder? What is the motive?
Each character has dark hidden secrets from the past. No one shares this with the other. The tension builds to a crescendo. A revenge plot like no other. Not sure which character has the dirtiest secret.
From past to present, told from one week before the fall to the fall. We receive chilling diary entries and thoughts, but whose are they? Someone is struggling with reality, loyalty, guilt, devotion, sacrifice.
Rea opens the book with a special note to readers. It is personal, intimate, and emotional. There are many highly-charged topics and themes explored in the novel, aside from the major ones of sexual abuse, alcoholism, and suicide. There is motherhood, friendship, siblings, and plenty of lies, secrets, guilt, love, anger, hate, obsession, revenge, murder, and betrayal.
An array of unreliable narrators, your loyalties will change through the book to the explosive ending.
LESSON: Watch your back!
“I lie to protect myself. I lie to protect the people I love. I lie because I’m biding my time. I lie, so you have no idea what’s coming next.”
Wow! you never know who you can trust in this fake world we live in, as we see here in the fictional account. Fingers crossed for another 🎬 movie or TV series.
A great job with the research and Sensory processing disorder (SPD). The dialogue was spot-on. I also enjoyed the scenic Black Mountain/Asheville, NC setting. Been there many times and it is beautiful.
A perfect choice for book clubs and further discussions. For fans of family drama: Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, Liane Moriarty, Sally Hepworth, Mary Kubica, Kimberly Belle, and Paula Treick Deboard.
A huge fan of the author, look for my upcoming Q&A with Rea in August! EXCITED. Meet the powerhouse and learn more about the inspiration behind the book plus more!
Highly Recommend. A spellbinding "must-read" domestic suspense, for this summer.
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press, the author, and NetGalley for digital and print ARC.
About the Author
REA FREY is an award-winning author of four nonfiction books. She lives in Nashville with her husband and daughter. Her debut novel, NOT HER DAUGHTER, was released August 21, 2018, has been optioned for film. Her new novel, BECAUSE YOU'RE MINE, will be published August 6, 2019.
BRING YOUR IDEAS TO LIFE With a degree in creative writing from Columbia and six traditionally published books under her belt, Rea has helped hundreds of clients refine, hone, and craft their own ideas into full-fledged books. Whether it’s working on a book proposal to sell to a publisher, ghostwriting a memoir, or consulting on a great idea, Rea’s fifteen years in the publishing industry will clarify the message, mission, audience, and ultimately help find a home for a client’s work. When she’s not promoting her novels, NOT HER DAUGHTER, and her upcoming release, BECAUSE YOU’RE MINE, you can find her creating writing workshops, ogling her sexy husband, homeschooling her incredible daughter, or plotting her next great adventure. Read More
Not Her Daughter
