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A story which has received a number of wonderful reviews, this book ended up not totally hitting the mark for this reader (who may be in the minority here).

Julia, the main protagonist and third person POV narrator, begins our tale as a psychologist, working as an executive for an IT company run by a magnetic CEO, Bob. Julia is married to James, with two young boys Ollie and Milo, and a life that is filled with stress and busy-ness, as any working mother can relate to.

When an opportunity arises, consisting of a dream job for James and a new life for the entire family, Julia agrees to a relocation to an exotic unnamed location, which will require a (temporary) career lull for herself. And that’s where the trouble begins.

The plot now unfolds into a far-away paradise of incredible splendor in a high-end gated and extremely remote community. With what feels quickly like sci-fi vibes of control and technological wizardry, the author does a great job creating a drool-worthy lifestyle that is immediately riddled with the dark and ominous. The development of this part of the story was intriguing and clearly the best part of the book.

No spoilers here, but needless to say, as the story moves on, Julia is in for some major trouble. The choices she makes, the women she befriends, and how (and if) she will manage to emerge intact (with her family) is the premise the rest of this novel will address.

An interesting mashup of mad-scientist vibe with more than a hint of “Desperate Housewives”, this book, unfortunately, ended up requiring a little too much suspension of disbelief for this reader, as it features a formerly professional heroine (who is also a well-trained psychologist) who falls far too quickly into completely unrelatable behavior.

A great big thank you to #Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts created are my own.