ARC REVIEW: I Know You – by Erik Therme

Title: I Know You
Author: Erik Therme
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: April 12th 2019
Publisher: Bookouture
Finished reading: March 23rd 2019
Pages: 217

“Whatever happened next was out of Bree’s hands… and that was the most terrifying thought of all.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I do love my psychological thrillers, and there was just something about I Know You that sparked my interest when I was invited to read it. While I found myself flying through this story, I do have to confess I ended up having mixed thoughts about it. There is no doubt that I Know You has a fast pace and lots of twists that make the plot keep moving. I managed to finish it in less than a day, which is always a good sign for me with books under 350 pages… The premise of the story is very interesting as well, and I like how this isn’t just another kidnapping case, but also a story about family bonds, flawed characters and mistakes. I can’t put my finger exactly on the why, but the execution didn’t manage to convince me completely though. Part of this feeling might have had to do with the plot, which I didn’t find all that credible as a whole and the story didn’t seem to flow all that naturally. What do I mean with this? Basically, I didn’t feel the different scenes were connected in a way that felt credible and the plot twists didn’t manage to convince me completely. I was surprised to find myself not all that invested in the story and characters, and I had a hard time staying focused at times. Which is strange in a way, because there is a lot happening to the Walker family and they sure have a heavy dose of hardship handed out to them. I think this feeling might be explained by the fact that I wasn’t able to connect to the characters as much as I hoped, and I would have liked to see them more developed beyond their visible and most pressing flaws. I Know You is by no means a bad read and it has some interesting elements, but overall I ended up having mixed thoughts about it. That doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it if you like a good mix of family drama and a kidnapping story though!

Bree Walker has always been looking out for her little sister Alissa, their absent parents forcing the role of her caretaker on Bree. Then Bree discovers sixteen-year-old Alissa isn’t spending time at her best friend’s place like Bree thought she was… And it turns out she has been missing for the last two days. To make things worse, Bree finds Alissa’s backpack abandoned on the steps of their trailer… And a chilling text confirms that something bad happened to her sister. How can Bree get her back?

I Know You is a story with an interesting premise and mix of different elements. I liked how the focus of this story wasn’t just on the kidnapping case, but also on the family drama and flawed characters in general. It is without doubt a superfast read perfect for when you need a little break from life and forget about your own problems. I personally ended up having mixed thoughts, mostly related to the credibility and lack of dept in and connection to the characters… But there is no doubt the story was still entertaining enough.