Started out better than it ended.

***SPOILERS***

Lina, a paramedic, and her husband Cain, a returned Afghanistan soldier-turned personal trainer, have been struggling with money due to Cain's ongoing issues with gambling. They own a lake house which was left to Lina by her grandparents, so they decide to rent it out on WeStay (Airbnb type thing).
Meanwhile, Lina has met a man on a dating app (unbeknownst to Cain) with whom she is planning on having a one night stand and getting pregnant. This, because of Cain's infertility and her desperate need to have a child.
Meanwhile (again), it turns out a there is a ring of creepers online who install cameras in WeStay properties and watch the people staying there. Lina is filmed having sex with the man, then spends the rest of the book freaking out about it and hiding it, EVEN WHEN THERE IS AN ATTEMPTED MURDER AT THEIR LAKEHOUSE AND HER INFORMATION COULD ASSIST POLICE.
Anyway, it turns out Cain knew about the cheating the whole time and was actually involved in the attempted murder that ended in Lina killing an innocent man. Lina forgives him anyway because "I guess we both have secrets"

THIS. WAS. ONE. FREAKY. BOOK.

Warning: do not read if you are alone in a house at night!

Cain, an army vet, is able to convince his wife, Lina, a paramedic, to put the house on Lake Tarawera she inherited from her grandparents on an Airbnb side called WeStay. In their 20s, Cain and Lina are having difficulty balancing careers, finances, trauma, a social life and future dreams. On top of these stresses, the newlyweds are keeping secrets from each other. Renting out the lakehouse on the weekends seems like a great way to solve cashflow problems. Unfortunately, what seems like a great idea becomes a nightmare.

Right from the first page I was pulled onto a rollercoaster ride I didn’t think I wanted to go on! It was disturbing, yet compelling. I couldn’t stop reading. Who was installing miniature cameras? What’s going on here? It definitely incited chills and left me wondering about every single hotel room I’ve ever stayed in!!! The voyeuristic overtones were creepy, but the peephole chapters were downright freaky! J.P. Pomare has played into our fear of someone watching us and created an edgy thriller that readers just can’t tear themselves away from reading. The shady, untrustworthy, and aloof characters added to the uneasy feeling. It’s sharp, fast paced storytelling that will tie a cold knot in the pit of your stomach and give you that claustrophobic sense that some thing is going to happen … and it will probably freak you out.

Pomare highlights privacy issues, the effects of poor choices, the treatment of war vets and our obsession with technology. He crafts an edgy thriller that leaves readers with an uneasy feeling.

If you like a voyeuristic thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this one’s for you!

Publishes August 31, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by JP Pomare, Mulholland Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Loved this book! It was an edge of your seat kind of thriller - because it felt like it could actually happen to me!! Thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next J.P. Pomare book

Didn't finish it. Didn't like the premise from the start.

It was a nice easy to read book with a fantasyic who done it feel. I enjoyed reading it and then unfortunately it flopped at the end. What could have been a twist on the book to make it amazing, was a let down and definitely disappointed the story.

3.8 Stars. Nothing particularly interesting with the writing but I was intrigued by the storyline and wanted to know the reveal.

Please note: Do not read late at night or while staying at a holiday home!!

This book was creepy! It's the only word to describe it. I am currently laying in bed feeling like everyone is watching me. I may never go on holiday again.

This was a very clever concept, with themes of voyeurism, PTSD, and the scary place that is the dark web.

You're left guessing who is involved right to the very end, but there's plenty of twists and questions to keep the pages turning while you get there.

I did feel that the ending could have gone on a little longer, giving a more satisfactory conclusion to some questions and reveals. It felt rushed compared to the rest of the story.

Ultimately I rate my books on the writing and this is a great story with interesting plot and character development. The fact I may never sleep again and I am definitely more paranoid than when I started this book was not taken into consideration when deciding the rating.