Not sure I buy that Cass wouldn’t call the police immediately when she discovered what was going on. By handling it herself, she was putting herself in big-time danger and she knew it. But then on the other hand, she wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box. The next morning, Cass discovers that this woman was murdered that evening, on that dark wooded road. For fear of being judged, Cass told no one that she saw this young woman, not even her husband Matthew. This woman’s name was Jane, and it turns out that Cass knew her. And that triggers a chain of events, leading Cass to fear for her own life. She becomes scared, forgetful, paranoid and begins to show signs of early onset dementia, which what her mother passed away from. Okay, while I found this story to be really fun and exciting for the most part I must say that I did find some of it to be a little predictable and tedious in parts but it sure made up for it though with its heavy buildup of anticipation, the thrilling climax, and the unexpected and surprising conclusion to make this an extremely good read.

O.M.G!! WOW!! My head is spinning from Arianne Richmonde’s latest 5 star psychological thriller The Breakdown!! If you have not read any of Arianne’s books you don’t know what you are missing!! This was my ultimate favorite she has ever written! I was just blown away by her fast paced, mind boggling, twisted and intense writing style! This is a book that is so captivating and addictive you won’t want to put it down!! The Breakdown you must add to the top of your must read pile!! It is SOOO good!! The film is fully financed by Executive Producer Ron Cundy and Kompros Films with Executive Producer Phil Hunt of HeadGear and Executive Producer Norman Merry of LipSync.This is the kind of read that once I started reading, despite getting frustrated cause I wanted to get to the point, I got so caught up in the story, I couldn’t put it down. Her mind feels like it's going to break....everything is spiraling out of control. She's in a constant state of anxiety. The phone calls are amplifying all of her fears. Plus all of the things she's forgetting makes things worse. With everything going on Cass is desperate to know.... A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.

As a fierce storm rages, Cass fights to maintain control of her car as she makes her way home on a dark and winding road. Straining to see through the pounding rain, she passes a car pulled over to the side, and catches sight of a woman's face. Desperate to get home and out of the storm, Cass drives on, vowing to call the police to alert them of a possible breakdown of a vehicle by the side of the road. Upon arriving home, Cass fails to make that call. She forgets. Next day, the news is full of the murder of the woman in her car.Vira bruscamente no sentido do atalho, e... após uns quantos percalços mais ou menos aterradores, eis que Cass chega a casa sem mazelas! THE BREAKDOWN epitomizes “summer reading.” This psychological thriller begs to be read by the pool on summer vacation. There’s just something about B.A. Paris’ writing that is fun—it’s not too serious, not too stuffy, and boy, does it move. I read this book in two sittings, I just couldn’t put it down. B.A. Paris has crafted a wholly entertaining story that hinges on the main characters’ deteriorating memory: I was totally absorbed as I watched Cass’ mental state fall apart. Paris ratchets up the tension bit by bit, bringing readers along as Cass goes from confused to alarmed to downright hysterical—a structure that kept me itching to see what she would do - and what would happen to her -next. First, I want to thank Arianne Richmonde, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review. It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture. The lies we tell to get what we want, what we need is closely examined. I enjoyed how current world events were incorporated into the plot line adding to the frustration and how things don’t move at the pace you want them to.

Debut-novelist Paris adroitly toggles between the recent past and the present in building the suspense of Grace’s increasingly unbearable situation, as time becomes critical and her possible solutions narrow. This is one readers won’t be able to put down.” — Booklist (starred review) A story with a ratcheting sense of unease — a tale of friendship and love, sanity and the terrible unravelling of it.” — USA Today Unsure of her own sanity, Cass begins a slow downward spiral, fighting her losing battle with memory loss, but determined to avenge the death of the woman whose life she feels responsible for. No matter how cliched that sounds, nothing sets the atmosphere and tone quite like a stormy night on dark and desolate highway.

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To say I was excited for this novel is an understatement. I loved Behind Closed Doors so I couldn't wait to see what B.A Paris had in store for me this time. The Breakdown was a little bit slow at first, I'd say 20% in, but then after that, it was absolute craziness. I enjoyed how the chapters alternated between different characters POVs. My mind was reeling trying to figure out what was happening between all of the characters. Every character was hiding a secret. I was even questioning my own sanity while reading the chapters from Celeste's POV. I couldn't decipher if she really had a traumatic head injury or if she was just faking it. I thought I had everything figured out, but I was totally wrong. This book contained some crazy secrets, a ridiculous amount of lies, and so much suspense! I loved it all! The ending was mind-blowing...I was beyond surprised! One of the best twisted books I've read by Arianne Richmonde. Can't wait to read more from her! Cass is stressed, she is worried she is losing her memory, and when she takes a shortcut one night during an awful storm her life changes forever. She passes another woman who appears to have broken down in her car, rather than stop to help Cass drives on. The next day it is discovered that the woman was murdered. Making her smash debut, Paris [keeps] the suspense level high. In the same vein as Gone Girl or Girl on the Train, this is a can’t-put-down psychological thriller.”— Library Journal (starred review) This book grabs you at the start. Is there anyone who hasn't been deathly afraid driving through a pounding rainstorm, hands gripping the wheel? And it's totally understandable that Cass doesn't stop when she comes across a car stopped along the side of the road, given the location, worries that it could be trap and the miserable weather. But the guilt compounds the next morning when she learns the woman in the car was later murdered. She keeps quiet, not telling either her husband or friends about what she did (or rather didn't do) for various reasons. And on top of the guilt is the worry about her faltering memory. Her mom died of early onset Alzheimer's at an age just 10 years above Cass’s own.

There are bends coming up ahead so I shift forward in my seat and grip the wheel tightly. The road is deserted and, as I negotiate one bend, and then the next, I pray I’ll see some taillights in front of me so that I can follow them the rest of the way through the woods. I want to phone Matthew, just to hear his voice, just to know I’m not the only one left in the world, because that’s how it feels. But I don’t want to wake him, not when he has a migraine. Besides, he would be furious if he knew where I was. B.A. Paris does it again with The Breakdown. If you read, Behind Closed Doors, you know that Paris has both hands tightly on the wheel taking you on some mighty slippery slopes. This one proves, in another go-round, that she has an uncanny knowledge of what makes those marbles roll and spin in staccato motion. As the character of Cass becomes unglued, you feel the trigger of instability happening a bit too close. Stop over-explaining. Show me, don’t tell me. I thought the author broke that rule at the end. It’s like she was afraid maybe we wouldn’t understand it all. We did. For one, I thought it was unnecessary for Cass to read all the texts and then to go to places and people to confirm what she had read. Genres covered include Psychological thriller, Mystery, Psychological Fiction, Thriller and Suspense.

Customer reviews

If you love a story featuring an unreliable narrator, you will find plenty of material to enjoy in THE BREAKDOWN. Cass is the ultimate unreliable narrator, unable to trust even her own understanding of the events unfolding around her—and B.A. Paris does a great job crafting a believable explanation for Cass' memory loss, making her predicament feel authentic and sympathetic to the reader.