I always love a good thriller, and I’m always excited to find a good thriller author – especially when they have a backlog of books I didn’t know existed!
About the Book
Title: The Missing Boyfriend
Author: Alex Stone
Genre: Psychological Thriller | Thriller
Pages: 345
Publisher: Boldwood Books | @TheMurderList
Format: @Netgalley eBook
Blurb
He said he loved her.
He said he’d never leave.
He lied.
When Olivia Reed comes home to find her boyfriend Callum gone — not just missing, but vanished without a trace — her life begins to unravel. His clothes, his photos, every sign he ever existed… wiped clean. It’s as if Callum was never real at all.
But Olivia remembers. She remembers his touch, his voice, the way he made her feel safe. So why can’t anyone else remember him the same way? And why do the fragments of his past seem to crumble under scrutiny?
As Olivia digs deeper, determined to uncover the truth, the lines between memory and her own past begin to blur. And what she finds isn’t just about Callum — it’s about her. About the secrets she’s buried. The things she’s tried to forget.
Because the most dangerous lies are the ones we tell ourselves.
And some love stories were never meant to have a happy ending…
My Thoughts
Alex Stone kept me on the edge of my seat, drip dropping hints and nuggets of information like I was drinking from a hamster water feeder from page one! The little hints were absolute torture, and I loved every minute! If you do not enjoy the torture of getting little tiny clues and foreshadowing and hints from the characters that you know mean something, but that you can’t quite piece together until that last huge clue, then this isn’t the book for you. But I call that a wonderful time. And I know I’m not alone!!
I’m not a universal thriller reader – some subgenres I can usually pass on – but this kind, I guess we’re going to say psychological thrillers, are my go-to these days. Which, considering the state of the world, is a little weird, I’ll admit, but I think it’s because they’re absolute page turners! I could not put this book down, and I didn’t want to. This is the type of book that you cannot read while you are busy, because whatever else you have going on is not getting done. You will need to devote the weekend to it, because you will need to know what is going on!
I don’t know if I so much liked Olivia, our FMC, as much as I felt sorry for her. I did adore her best friend, Lucy, and I really liked the pictures we got of her missing boyfriend – Callum – which just made me feel for Olivia all the more! But, Olivia, as you’ll see, was dealt some really awful cards in life. And, I really feel like she was an amazingly strong FMC and exhibited great character growth, which is something I really like to see in any kind of book.
I’m so grateful to the author, publisher, and LBT for being on this tour, and I’ll definitely be reading more by this author!
Content Warnings: This book contains topics that may disturb some readers, including, but not limited to, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Murder/Death, Fire, Child Abandonment, Marriage Problems, Dysfunctional Parents, Suicide, and Possibly More.
About the Author
Alex Stone, originally an accountant from the West Midlands, is now a psychological suspense writer based in Dorset. This beautiful and dramatic coastline is the inspiration and setting for her novels. She was awarded the Katie Fforde Bursary in 2019.
Links
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Boyfriend-Alex-Stone-ebook/dp/B0F12QG98V/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Missing-Boyfriend-Alex-Stone-ebook/dp/B0F12QG98V/
Bookshop US: https://bookshop.org/a/25511/9781806560264
Bookshop UK: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/brand-new-from-alex-stone-alex-stone/de9d970f88a4d655?ean=9781805498933&next=t
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/229050847-the-missing-boyfriend
Author’s Website: https://alexstoneauthor.com/
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Published by Amorina Carlton. Award-winning American author, Amorina Carlton, is currently working on her first novel. You can find more about her published work and works in progress on the home page. She also serves as the PR/Marketing Lead for Ravens and Roses Publishing, and reviews books, mostly by other indie authors, here and on Bookstagram.