Review | You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (ARC)

Shay is a lonely woman who one night witnesses the suicide of a stranger. She is drawn into the dead woman’s former life and meets mysterious, glamorous women with their own agenda. Soon, she realises her life may be in danger.

One second she existed, and the next, she’d been erased. I stagger over to a bench by the wall and collapse.

You Are Not Alone starts out with a really intriguing opening. Shay witnesses a woman who jumped in front of a train, leaving a necklace behind. Feeling shocked and guilty, she can’t help but get invested in the woman’s life. I was really invested in the death of the woman and her secrets. Shay is a protagonist searching for a purpose and belonging, which makes her the perfect target for Cassandra and Jane Moore. The Moore sisters and a group of women provide a place for Shay, even though they have ulterior motives. I liked the portrayal of Shay’s paranoia as she tries to figure out what’s happening and the sense that she cannot trust anyone.

However, I found the plotline unconvincing and a little all over the place. Other than Shay, the characters are blandly interchangeable. There are some dark themes of social justice and sexual harassment but I felt it wasn’t handled as adeptly as it could have been. There was potential to tackle the ideas of vigilantism and revenge but it wasn’t fully fleshed out. I really wished the story had gone into different, deeper directions.

Overall, You Are Not Alone has some interesting ideas but didn’t fully deliver on its execution. Read this if you’re looking for a breezy, escapist thriller.

CW: suicide, sexual assault

I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for review purposes. You Are Not Alone is out on 5 March!

About the authors: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Photo by Becca Tapert