The Woman I Befriended

by Sara Kate

As Ellie observes the strange routine and behavior of the woman across the street, her curiosity sets in. Whenever a guy goes into her neighbor’s house, they never leave.

Ellie’s only conclusion: the woman must be a serial killer.

But Ellie has a past of exaggerating, so she has to tread carefully. When she looks into her town’s disappearances, her suspicions deepen. Several men are reported missing, but for a relatively small town, why isn’t anybody talking about it? And why is she noticing connections in the disappearances that are strikingly odd to her neighbor?

Soon, Ellie becomes fully invested in secretly investigating the woman across the street. Even if it means befriending her. And also deceiving her own husband.

Are Ellie’s suspicions right about her neighbor? Or is she imagining it all?

Genres: Mystery Thriller

204 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2023

About the author

Sara Kate (with a K) writes fast-paced psychological and survival thriller books with storm settings. She resides in South Florida where she travels in her RV full-time. Aside from writing, she enjoys rollerblading, photography, painting, and anything thriller/mystery related.

Reviews

[Jessica Huntley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was excited to read this one as I've enjoyed this author's work before. It started off with an awesome first sentence, "I think a serial killer lives in the house across the street from me". After that I was hooked.

The writing style is simple and easy to read. The story is fairly fast-paced (maybe slows down a little after a few chapters) but I read this book quick and struggled to put it down.

At the plot ramped up, I did guess the ending but the final twist did shock me and left me wanting more.

Addictive. A quirky MC who you sort of love to hate. And a surprise ending. I was hoping for more detail on Laura and what happened to her though! I recommend to all thriller fans who fancy a short and snappy read.

[Sam]

I had to DNF this 5% in. I do want to thank Sara Kate for the #giftecopy but I just couldn’t do it. This book could use a heavy amount of editing. Grammar, sentence structure, word choice.. all needs some TLC. Great concept of a book but a copywriter would do wonders.

[Chrissy D (Chrissysliterarybites) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that the book immediately started with a bold statement - “I think a serial killer lives in the house across the street from me.” Ellie is the main character and she works from home- her desk faces outside so she sees everything happening in the neighborhood. She notices her newer neighbor has some odd patterns, leaving late at night, men coming to her house and never leaving, which she finds really odd. Her husband brushes it off and even suggests introducing herself/making a friend, but she is invested in finding out what is going on.

Ellie seems somewhat neurotic and very obsessed with her neighbors and believing they are doing bad things. She also drinks during work which made me question what she was thinking. Ellie’s therapist has even said she lets her imagination run wild and thinks the worst possible scenarios. She does finally meet her neighbor Chloe and Ellie begins to get to know her more while secretly investigating her in her own time. She starts researching missing men in the area and finds some and tries to connect them to dates she saw them go into Chloe’s house. And she finds out they all went missing in or near the same place. Is Chloe a killer?

This was a super quick read I pretty much read it in one setting (it was a shorter book and it kept my interest.) I really wanted to know what happened, I didn’t know if I believed Ellie or not and I was shocked at the end- such a cliffhanger! Wondering if there will be a part two.

[Danielle Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gripped me from the first sentence, literally. What a fantastic opening line to a thriller!
Sara Kate does a beautiful job of keeping the reader invested while also keeping you paranoid and nervous with every page turn.
I’m usually pretty great at calling the twists after reading thrillers and mysteries for almost my entire adult life, but Kate had my jaw on the floor with that epilogue. I was SHOCKED.
I can’t wait to start the second book in the series, and I look forward to catching up on this author’s backlist.

[D.H. Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serial Killer

This book was enjoyable although it could have used a copy edit. There were some awkward sentences early on. I don’t know if it got better or if I noticed it less as the story progressed.

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give this book one star the ending is the best part of the book the beginning is very very slow and needs lots of editing the narration was great the woman did the best she could with the material that was in front of her

[Amy Tackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun thriller! The perfect one to binge when you’re in a slump. This was my first from Sara Kate, but it won’t be the last! The ending had my jaw on the floor, and now I can’t wait to read the sequel.

[Novyl Saeed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished reading this last night.

I must say, I was hooked from the very first line. It's an easy, breezy read. You don't have to think too much and go along for the ride.

Ellie, the MC, has been spying on her neighbor, Chloe, and believes that she is a serial killer. And so, she goes down the rabbit hole of investigating Chloe - with a dash of anxiety and liberal sprinklings of paranoia.

Some other reviewers have mentioned that they found Ellie annoying. And I would agree with them wholeheartedly. She was not very likeable.

Also, why the hell is Ellie drinking WHILE ON THE JOB? XD That made zero sense to me - even if she does work from home. Her job is debt collection and she hates it but as she explains, "I prefer the flexible schedule and the fact that I can drink wine and be home all day".

Smh. Da fuq? Alcoholic much? XD

So Ellie has a shitty job she hates and apparently, no other hobbies, EXCEPT for stalking her neighbors!

Anyho0 - Ellie's best friend, Laura, died two years ago in a car crash and this caused Ellie a lot of emotional stress and pain. Due to that, she had gotten into trouble earlier, by being paranoid about another neighbor, and ended up with Ellie getting therapy. And that, my dear friends, hadn't taught her anything.

So now, she's getting paranoid about Chloe.

After a while, armed with circumstantial evidence at best, she confronts Chloe - in a very overbearing and rude manner. Poor Chloe. If I'd been Chloe, I'd have screamed at Ellie to GTFO of my house and called the police.

But Chloe just went along with Ellie (most likely because Ellie scared the shit out of her??) and was willing to show Ellie the evidence and what not to prove her innocence. I found that odd.

Plus, Chloe has been through trauma of her own - the reactions didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. There was no depth to it. Very shallow.

The twist when it came, was not really a twist at all. It didn't surprise or awe me.

However, the reason this still gets 2.5-3 stars is that at least it kept me engaged and I finished it in one sitting.

The ending - cliffhanger - was a bit abrupt. I'd have preferred it if the killer had been caught for some closure. But I suppose the author maybe planning a sequel. Not sure if I will read it.

This is a light easy beach read if you want kill a couple of hours! XD

[Carla Angora · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Woman I Befriended has its fair share of troubled and slightly unsavoury characters but in a more light-hearted, suburban way that keeps the tension bubbling without plunging into unrelenting darkness. Ellie, a stay-at-home bill collector with too much time on her hands, could be described as nosy, judgmental, and a bit of a wine-guzzling busybody—her favourite hobby is peering out the window at the neighbours, after all. On the other hand, she's bored, isolated in her quiet small town, and genuinely convinced she's spotted something sinister: men going into the house across the street occupied by the enigmatic new neighbour Chloe, but never coming out, especially as reports of missing persons start piling up with eerie connections that no one else seems to notice.At first dismissing her suspicions as paranoia, Ellie soon finds herself obsessed, secretly researching disappearances and deciding the only way to get proof is to befriend Chloe herself—inviting her over, deceiving her supportive but oblivious husband, and inching closer to what she believes is a serial killer's lair. Chloe, meanwhile, comes across as charming yet oddly detached, with a routine that's just off enough to fuel Ellie's theories, drawing her deeper into a dangerous game of amateur sleuthing that risks exposing her own secrets from the past.One of the things I liked best in The Woman I Befriended was the well-crafted narrative structure. Told primarily from Ellie's first-person perspective, it captures her escalating fixation in short, snappy chapters that mirror her frantic thoughts, blending everyday domestic details with mounting suspense and occasional dashes of dark humour. Clues about Chloe's behaviour and the missing men are sprinkled throughout, things that seem innocuous at first but gradually build a picture that has you questioning Ellie's reliability—is she onto something real, or is her isolation twisting ordinary events into something monstrous?More than this, though, the narrative is so well put-together that it doesn't feel contrived despite the wild premise. Rather, the escalating risks Ellie takes lead seamlessly into bigger revelations, with hints about her own history carefully inserted to add layers without overwhelming the main thread. And it did keep me guessing. I kept thinking I'd figured out Chloe's deal or spotted the twist coming, and there were a couple of red herrings I fell for completely. But things only fully fell into place for me at the end.

[La Femme Readers · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Ellie observes the strange routine of the woman across the street, her curiosity sets in. Whenever a guy goes into her neighbor's house, they never leave. Ellie's only conclusion: the woman must be a serial killer. When she looks into her town's disappearances, her suspicions deepen. Several men in her small town are reported missing, but why isn't anybody talking about it? Soon, Ellie becomes fully invested in secretly investigating the woman across the street, even if it means befriending her. Are Ellie's suspicions right about her neighbor? Or is she imagining it all?

THE WOMAN I BEFRIENDED is an addictive, fun-filled thriller about a neighbor's obsession to expose the probable serial killer across the street. Little does Ellie know that her stalking may lead to a dangerous game. Ellie, oh Ellie. What an amusing yet loony woman! Firstly, her husband is a saint. Her outlandish theories would drive me mad. I wouldn't want to live across the street from her. She knows everyone's routine, or should I say pattern? Maybe she's a genius, after all. I couldn't get enough of her investigative nature and unreliable traits. Ellie and her new friend across the street were full of surprises, particularly when Ellie befriended her under the radar with no fear in sight. Now those are some big cojones! I wouldn't be willing to hang out with a potential killer, so I can thank Ellie for making me hold my breath while cackling at the same time.

Even though this novel is shy of 200 pages, it delivered quite an intense punch! The premise kept me on my toes, flipping pages like my life depended on it. I couldn't stop thinking about the disappearances and the person who may be behind them. Once the twist unraveled, I was pleasantly surprised! And for the end...Sara Kate, what are you doing to me? It hit me like a ton of bricks! Like, excuseeee me, this cliffhanger left me staring at the book open-mouthed in disbelief. I need the sequel, STAT! I hope there is a continuation because I'm unresolved and too invested in the characters. Sara Kate's writing talent is out of this world! If you're looking for a wild chase with a hint of humor and a mind-blowing finale, you need THE WOMAN I BEFRIENDED in your life!

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

The Woman I Befriended, by author Sara Kate, is a suspense thriller that keeps you wondering until the end. This is my first book by this author, so I was excited to dive in and see what unfolds.

Elle, the FMC, is a nosey housewife that spends more time drinking wine and observing everything in her neighborhood than doing her at-home bill collection job. She has an active imagination, and it sometimes gets away from her. Elle notices her new neighbor, Chloe, coming and going at all hours of the day and night. She also notices men coming to her house but never leaving.

While investigating, she learns that several men have been reported missing without a trace. Could these men be the ones that Chloe has taken home? Could Chloe be a serial killer? There is only one way to find out, befriend her. Get close and try to find the clues she needs to bring all her evidence to the local police. All while lying to her husband and avoiding getting caught!

I found Elle to be a little annoying, but I enjoyed reading the story through her point of view. I love how obsessive and relentless she was at finding the truth. She threw caution to the wind and just went for it, putting herself at risk constantly. I Enjoyed how the story unfolded, the progression it took to get to the big reveal and the shocking ending.

Thank you to Sara Kate for gifting me an eARC copy of The Woman I Befriended. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to thank Sara and her team for the opportunity to receive this eARC in exchange for my honest review! Swipe to read the synopsis! I was excited to check this out, my first read by this author, because the blurb sounded like it was right up my alley. It gave my The Woman in the Window vibes, but still managed to be its own unique book in several aspects.

This was a very quick read—I managed to finish it in one sitting. This story is told from Ellie’s (the MC) POV. It really felt like you were in her head the whole time and could imagine the events unfolding before me. Some of the writing was a little choppy, informal, and repetitive—but I think this was because of the POV. I liked how the chapters were broken up, and it was helpful having the date on each chapter in order to easily keep track of the timeline.

I didn’t love Ellie’s character. I found her to be immature and it became very had to sympathize with her at various points in the book. She was obsessive and relentless in her pursuit to find out if her neighbor, Chloe, was the serial killer responsible for a string of recent murders. I actually kind of liked Chloe better, and found her to be the most interesting. However overall, the characters weren’t super developed and there was a lot of telling instead of showing. The big twist wasn’t super surprising, but I also just watch a ton of ID and read a lot of books like this. The ending was a little abrupt, but almost it seems open to the possibility of another book.

(3/5 ⭐️)

[Katherine Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This book starts strong, hitting us straight away with Ellie's concerns about her new neighbour, and pulling us into a potential unreliable narration of paranoia and suspicion.

I thought the characterisation of Ellie - our first person narrator - was done very well. She was judgemental, neurotic, and a little annoying, but that made her feel real, and I enjoyed her POV very much. I liked the intrigue brought about by hinting that she'd done something like this before, and her past was teased out slowly as the story progressed.

My main criticism of the book is this - it's a thriller without many thrills. The setup is brilliant and there's a lot of intrigue, and it had me excited for all sorts of twists and turns. Perhaps Ellie would turn out to be the villain, perhaps her getting too involved would lead to disastrous consequences for herself or a loved one, but none of that really came to pass. It was an interesting story, but most of the action happened off-page, which had me missing those tense, stressful moments you expect from a thriller. The ending is unexpected (in a good way), but a little unsatisfying. I'd have preferred to have seen what happened on-page.

Saying that, it's an enjoyable read that you can whizz through pretty quickly, and I'd be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

free ebook (continues after this one)

she works from home and can see out her front window. her husband goes to work and travels sometimes

she sees the new neighbor bring men home, but none leave
she looks up missing people and she thinks the lady is killing the men at her house
she befriends her to figure it out

her husband finds out and wants her to go back to counseling
she tells him she doesnt think it anymore , but she does

she confronts the lady across the street with her evidence and the lady thinks its one of her coworkers. they follow her to her house after she picks up a man and leaves without him. they break into her house and find him bleeding and drugged. they call the police. he lives and the police question the two of them but they are convinced the woman is a serial killer too but she gets away

a year later she gets a message from the woman telling her she killed her friend across the street and shes going to kill her too, thats how it left off

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars – A Twisty, Suspenseful Suburban Mystery

This book is a gripping slow-burn thriller that keeps you guessing. Ellie, a curious and admittedly dramatic woman, becomes convinced that her mysterious neighbor is hiding something sinister—especially when men enter the house and never come out. Her suspicions grow when she starts connecting the dots between a series of local disappearances.

The tension builds steadily as Ellie’s investigation forces her to question everything around her—including her own judgment. The psychological unraveling is well-paced, and the story toys with the line between paranoia and intuition in a way that keeps you flipping pages.

Some parts felt a little far-fetched, and Ellie’s choices sometimes made me want to shake her, but that just made her feel more real. If you enjoy neighborhood thrillers with unreliable narrators and a touch of dark humor, this one’s worth the read.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cliff hanger!

This book sounded just like something up my alley. The title, the cover, the blurb. I just knew I was going to enjoy it, so of course, I read it. And I DID enjoy it! Ellie ‘s theory about her neighbor enticed my interest. Just like Ellie, I wasn’t going to stop until I found out the truth, though unlike Ellie, I probably wouldn’t have slept over at the house of someone I thought was a serial killer.

The book had me hooked until the ending. It kind of fell flat for me. The climax seemed to have happened too soon and the resolution dragged on a little too long. I thought there was room for more tension. However, the author’s style of writing just made it so easy to keep reading and Ellie’s internal monologue was really entertaining.

Though I'm giving this book 3.5 stars, I WOULD read another one of Kate's books.

[Kiersten Pyrtle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blurb: Ellie works from home and casually watches her new neighbor, Chloe, from her desk. She begins to develop a theory about Chloe being a serial killer due to the fact that she sees men enter her house, but never sees them leave. Ellie becomes fixated on this theory and begins to investigate her neighbor on her own. Will she uncover the truth?

Review: The Woman I Befriended started out pretty strong for me—I was hooked immediately! I enjoyed the author’s writing style and I loved both of the main characters. As the story unfolded, I found myself just as invested in the DIY investigation as Ellie. I was certainly not expecting the twist toward the end! The twist was great, but after that I found myself less interested in the remainder of the book. I finished it, but not quite with the same motivation. This was my first book by Sara Kate and I will definitely read more of her work!

[Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Woman I Befriended focuses on Ellie and her neighbor Chloe, who Ellie believes is a serial killer. After all, men come in but never leave, and several have been reported missing. But Ellie is not the most trustworthy individual, so she must do some investigating herself before anyone will listen to her. As she befriends Chloe, Ellie gets sucked in even deeper.

This book reminded me in some ways of Girl on the Train. It has a mystery, an unreliable FMC, and plot twists! It was very fast paced, and overall just a shorter book in general. I'm not the biggest fan of cliffhangers, I really wanted a little more answers with this one. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about that ending!!!

Thank you to Hey! Book Tours and the author for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

[Eric Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dark Little Mystery

Let me start by saying that paranoia is a b!tch! One of my favorite movies growing up was The ‘Burbs with Tom Hanks. A community becomes paranoid about the new neighbors and think they may be serial killers. So they spend the movie trying to find proof. That premise is similar to what we get with this entertaining novel by Sara Kate. The main first person protagonist (Ellie) thinks her new neighbor (Chloe) may be a serial killer, so she befriends her to see if she can find proof. The next thing you know, Ellie has gathered information on a number of missing persons in the area and is emphatically trying to connect them to Chloe. This book is fun and blends elements of dark horror with murder mysteries and even some humor along the way. I’m excited to read the second book in the series.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as part of Sara's ARC team and I was really excited. I love the way she writes and this book is no exception. However, I've given it 3 Stars because I can't give 3.5 and it just didn't have the same hold on me as her books usually do. It was a very easy read but I found it hard to get in to. It had a slower start but after the initial few chapters, I could not put it down! The characters did come into their own and the story was well thought through with a twist I never saw coming. The ending left me with a desire for a sequel because I just need to know what these characters are doing now. The last few chapters just had twist after twist and it kept me on the edge of my seat. It's definitely a book I can see myself rereading.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by this author but was drawn in by the intriguing front cover and blurb.

This was a really easy and quick read and although not super gripping, I really liked the premise of the storyline.

Ellie has been watching her neighbour and is very suspicious when men enter her house but are never seen leaving.
She starts to dig a little into the disappearances in her town and decides that she must befriend the enemy, even if it means deceiving her own husband.

I wasn't overly keen on our main character and the book was written from her pov throughout so we were completely inside her head and as she was so obsessed, I think it sometimes was a bit too much.
Having said that, I think that her personality did match her behaviour and maybe this was working well.

The writing had a great place to it but I felt a little rushed in places - the ending came upon us quite swiftly, but maybe this opens up the option for a sequel?

Overall, an enjoyable read and I'd be interested to see what comes next for this author

[Renee Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie has a reputation for having an over active imagination, like the time she called the police because she thought her neighbor had been kidnapped. But this time is different. True, Ellie is a bored housewife who loves her husband, but he travels a lot, and she has no hobbies…other than watching her neighbor from her window. She becomes convinced that Chloe is a serial killer. Why else who about once a month a man would enter her house but never come out? Ellie has to get proof, or else no one will believe her. Suddenly Ellie has a new best friend, and is collecting evidence, but what she discovers is definitely not what she expected…well, sort of, but not quite. This book took me completely by surprise and kept me completely entertained. I did not see that coming!

[Jodi Langan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book!! It was so fast paced and suspenseful! Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down. I had to keep reading to find out what happened next! The writing was great and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Chloe and Ellie had such a rocky start to their friendship but it really brought them closer. Ellie was such a strong willed character. She was very determined and it brought lots of suspense and mystery into the story. The ending was just amazing; I have so many questions.

Sara Kate is such an amazing author and I have loved both of her books I have read so far! Highly recommend checking this book out!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn to the book by the cover. Then, after reading the first page, I was hooked by the sentence, "I think a serial killer lives in the house across the street from me." Wow, what a beginning. We all can relate to a nosey neighbor, such as Elle. Elle watches her neighbor Chloe that has men coming in and out of her home, and men do not come back out. Elle reads that there are men who have vanished, so she believes her neighbor is a serial killer.
The authors writing style keeps your attention to want to know the plot. A great build-up, well written characters, and twists.
I absolutely loved the book. The book ended on a cliff-hanger hanger, I hope there will be a book 2 .

[Toni Aiy Carlucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Woman I Befriended was an antidote to the usual thriller clutter. Sara Kate plunges you into Ellie's voyeuristic world, working from home and spying on her neighbor Chloe, who's got this eerie habit of luring guys in who never come out, spinning a Hitchkokian vibe with modern serial killer suspicions that build through the story. The tension ramps up as Ellie's obsession blurs lines between paranoia and reality, unpacking trust and isolation in a way that's subtly chilling without the gore overload. Gripping thriller debut. Grab this one if you're into that slow-burn psychological edge that lingers long after the book is back on the shelf.

[Lindzanne1_bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting because once I started it I couldn’t stop! I loved the elements of mystery and suspense throughout. I felt so connected to Ellie since the story is told from her perspective. She is so determined to discover the truth of what’s going on with her neighbor Chloe. I loved following along with her as she does all the research and tries to put the pieces together. It will keep you guessing and the creepy ending was so perfect!

Thank you so much Sara for the gifted copy!

[Georgina Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book despite not liking the main character, Ellie. She is so annoying, overthinking and getting ideas from the smallest thing. In the end, this is a good thing but for most of the story, she gets on my nerves!

The whole story is very well written and unfolds well, Ellie finds a link between 4 missing men in her local town and decides that her neighbour must be responsible so she starts investigating her. I admit she does this really well, having no experience of this type of thing she has a very inquisitive mind and sets about proving her theory.

Everything ends well, it all makes sense too and she does become slightly less annoying too. I hope there is a sequel to this as some things need further answers and investigation….

[Divyanshi Chauhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was too interesting. It kept me on edge. I was thinking of so many crazy possibilities of how things can go. It made me set my expectations too high. I was hoping it'll have a jaw dropping kinda plot. But it was actually kinda bland. I mean things could've been crazier. Also it had an open ending. Which again didn't make me too curious. Like I still am interested in knowing what happens next. But I don't see the craziness that I could see in the first half.
The writing was easy to understand. It was a single POV (from the MC Ellie).

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome! I've been so invested. I genuinely had no idea what would happen. It's overall quite a quick read with lots of action, but also lots of development. I think this was set out really well and pretty realistic with the downward spiral / mess that the main character was getting herself into!

This one is easy to devour. It'd make an excellent movie with some popcorn. If you love thrillers, you absolutely should read this one! This is a book that will play on your mind long after you've read it.

[Emlynn McDermott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Woman I Befriended is an engaging novel by new-to-me Florida author Sara Kate. Of course, I had to take her book to the beach, but I suspect it would be equally enjoyable while relaxing at a campsite, next to the pool, or in a shady spot in your own garden. The story is about Ellie, a young woman who suspects her neighbor is a serial killer. Instead of calling the police, Ellie pretends to be her neighbor’s friend. All she wants to do is uncover the truth and then hand the case over to the cops, but she’s in for a couple of surprises—and so are Kate’s readers. This book is a super speedy read that I could easily envision the author rewriting as the screenplay for a TV mini-series.