Always on My Mind

by Carys Green

You can hear his every thought. But he can hear yours too...

When Elijah suggests going to OneMind to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, Anna is dubious about getting the revolutionary implant that will allow them to hear each other’s thoughts. However, she’s also eager to please him, and to make up for the fact she can’t give him what he really wants, so she agrees to take this step towards the ultimate intimacy.

And at first things are great. Anna feels closer to her husband than she ever has, and the novelty of communicating mind to mind is a thrill. But then she develops a strange side effect and begins having dreams that aren’t dreams, but memories. Memories that aren’t hers. And if Anna is now experiencing Elijah’s memories, what if he can access hers? And what if he learns the terrible secret she has managed to keep from him all these years?

Desperate to keep the truth from her husband, Anna's mind becomes a prison she can't escape. How long can she keep the traitorous thoughts at bay before she drives herself mad?

A clever exploration of toxic relationships, power imbalances, and privacy from an exciting new voice in the high-concept thriller space.

Genres: Thriller, Science Fiction, Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Published February 27, 2025

Reviews

[Heather Coffee_Kindle · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars rounded up

YOU CAN HEAR HIS EVERY THOUGHT... BUT HE CAN HEAR YOURS TOO.

Never again wonder where they are
Never again doubt their feelings for you
Know your partner intimately
OneMind: for the ultimate closeness

In a modern tech advanced world, Anna is a traditional girl, who doesn't understand tech, whereas her husband Elijah always has to have the latest gadget before getting bored of it. So when Elijah announces that he wants them to get a Unity, OneMind chip, Anna is reluctant to say the least.

A chip in which you can hear each others thoughts! What could possibly go wrong? What secrets will be unearthed?

I don't want to give too much away, but safe to say we all have parts of us we don't fully share with others and thoughts we wouldn't want others to hear, but when you are hiding secrets this is amplified.

This book is so well written and really delves into the idea of sharing all your private thoughts every waking moment with your partner. The characters are believable, in their flaws and thinking, touching on controlling behaviours, obsession and idolisation.

This is such a compelling read I was hooked and didn't want to put it down. Such a great concept for a book and really well executed.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

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[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would you want your partner to hear your every thought? god no!! It would be incredibly intrusive but in the world of this book, that is exactly what happens.

Anna and Elijah have been married for 10 years and on the outside they look happy and loved up. Elijah is obsessed with new tech and gifts Anna the new chip that is inserted into your body that allows you and your partner to hear each other waking thoughts. Anna is against it but feels she has no other choice, will this bring them closer together or tear them apart?

Now it wouldn’t be a good story if these people didn’t have any deep dark secrets that they were hiding from each other would it! This was a fun, page turner that really made me glad that this is. It a possibility in today’s world. Grab this book and just go with it.

Thanks to Random House UK Vintage on NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on February 27th, 2025.

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna, Elijah, Gavin, Oscar and Helen meet in their first year at university and become friends immediately. Although they must have done something useful at university, we only learn that all they do is drink, drink, drink. I’m astonished about the amounts of alcohol they consume daily and sometimes they themselves think so too. That is, if they even can remember what how much they drank.

Ten years later Anna married Elijah and Gavin married Helen. What became of Oscar plays a major role in this extremely captivating book. Besides the fact that Elijah and Gavin are now in business, working at the same firm, and Helen also has a high-demanding job somewhere, nothing much has changed. Anna became an artist but she is still struggling and drinking too much. There is a lot of grief in hers and Elijah’s life although she will tell everyone they’re very happy. We, however, read about Elijah being very controlling; Anna is not supposed to turn her telephone off when she’s out, and the whole house is controlled by an app on Elijah’s phone – including the many camera’s with which he can follow her every movement.
The story is set in a future not too far away; all cars and public transportation are electric, nobody smokes but they vape (apparently they are not aware that vaping is more dangerous than smoking, there is not an ounce of meat to be found in their meals – but people are still fond of alcohol and consume this whenever they can.

When Elijah surprises Anna with the latest, a chip in their brains so they can hear each other’s thoughts, Anna immediately has reservations but she just cannot say no to Elijah. And then the troubles begin. The past is creeping up with them but is it the chip? Or just coincidence?
From the first chapter on the tension is building up, and as more and more secrets are revealed, it’s not easy to say which way this will end. Sadly the characters are not very nice people and they keep making the wrong decisions so at the end, which holds a nice little twist, I could not say I was happy for either of them.

I really loved the book, also because it made me think about the books by John Marrs who also writes very suspenseful and surprising books with themes such as this.

Many thanks to Random House and Netgalley for this review copy.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This thriller with futuristic sci-fi was a thought-provoking (pun intended), gripping read, delving into the aspects of power dynamics, technological issues, morality and the consequences of concealed truths. Love or hate this, you will absolutely not want to put this down!

Elijah had built an entire world for her; all he was asking was for her to share it with him. To let him in. My every thought. My every worry. My every reaction. My every regret.

[ Contains some spoilers ]

PLOT SUMMARY
Set in the near future, Anna Weston is a painter struggling to make sales. She is celebrating her 10-year anniversary with her husband, high-demand businessman Elijah “Eli”. They met in university and have been inseparable ever since. Through thick and thin they have stood by each other, particularly through Anna’s several miscarriages. She is hoping he is going to surprise her with a delightful holiday, somewhere they can relax and spend quality time together. Elijah has other plans.

Eli has booked for them to get the latest technological craze: Unity by the company OneMind, a microchip installed in the brain enabling them to share their thoughts with one another, and be closer than ever before. Anna is skeptical, unsure why what they have at the moment isn’t enough, but reluctantly agrees to it.

Things start to look up – until they don’t. A fault in Anna’s chip not only gives her headaches but she is able to see her husband’s dark and mysterious memories concerning his friends, something which should not be possible. And Anna herself is harbouring a secret so deadly it will ruin everything she has ever known. How long can she keep it before Elijah finds out?

This is told from the past-tense third-person POV of Anna.

OVERALL OPINIONS
Ironically, I am giving my thoughts on a book about reading them haha. So this is the first thriller I have read this year, for the first time in about a decade. I devoured this in the one sitting, which is when you know it’s good!

Through the ingenious use of dual timeline, shifting between the Then (life in university with her friend Helen, and meeting Gavin, Elijah and Oscar) and Now (10-year anniversary), we learn more about Anna’s backstory and fill in blanks as the tale progresses. Quite early on I had the gist of the upcoming plot twists.

The vibes of this book remind me of Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson with a small touch of the tv show Sex/Life. I say this because Before I Go to Sleep has a husband having more to him than meets the eye, and the Sex/Life has both the dual timeline storytelling, and the main female character choosing a life of money and security over the man she actually would be happier with.

This whole thing just proves to show, ladies: never ever settle because the man you picked might be a psychopath and a murderer! And always, always pick someone who brings out the best side of you.

(Please appreciate my punny subheadings below haha, I beg of you!)

ㅤ🧠💾 implanted symbolism and foreshadowing 💭
The title of the book crops up twice within the text, one of the times being Elijah singing the song Always on My Mind to himself in his mind. This has been recorded over 300 times by various artists, the most famous version by Elvis Presley in 1972. The lyrics could be argued as rather fitting considering both Elijah and Anna could treat each other far better:

Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind

Indeed, the songs (rather nursery rhymes that Anna uses to shut Elijah out from her thoughts), to be found within are quite appropriate. For example, when Anna is scared and waiting for Elijah to return home she starts going over Jack and Jill went up the hill – considering the lines include Jack fell down and broke his crown, this is very symbolic as Elijah does end up falling.

There is some very eerie foreshadowing when Elijah is sitting with Anna when they are younger and he says:

‘I imagine it’s a mad house in there [Oscar’s mind]. Not like in your mind.’ He moved to kiss her lips. ‘I’d spend all day in your head if I could.’

ㅤ🧠💾 wired humanity and its history 💭
Around 2018, thousands of microchips were implanted into people’s hands in Sweden, used as means of storing e-tickets, facilitating gym access, and enabling payment transactions. In January 2024, the company Neurolink reported that they have successfully implanted the first microchip into a human brain, designed to assist neurological conditions.

It is fascinating that we have got to this point where technology will (hopefully) change lives for the better. Though some people understandably distrust the idea.

This story is set some time in the upcoming future where normal people are getting microchips installed to be closer to their partner. A very intriguing and unique concept! This sparks an interesting debate about whether or not it would be useful to hear the thoughts of your significant other . It also questions morality having your privacy invaded in that way, as it could, as we see here, be used in the wrong hands like narcissists who already emotionally manipulate victims.

ㅤ🧠💾 control+alt+delete of freedom (narcicissts and technology) 💭
There is a fascinating look into the difficulty of living with a narcissist and abuser when they have access to so much technology at their fingertips. I feel this book really does raise awareness to this issue, and this aspect was done very well.

The reader can tell Elijah Weston will be the antagonist from the very beginning, wanting to know where Anna is at all times by tracking her location via her phonedesiring to know her thoughts too by getting the microchip. He has all these technological gadgets within the house, which he has linked up to an app on his phone, all of which he controls. Big stalker, and bigger red flags. I do like the way this is all introduced as this comes into play later on: he is always watching her via cameras, he uses the gadgets against her.

He has so much of a hold over her. The thoughts she hears from Elijah are in bold and hers are italicised, which is incredibly symbolic of their relationship dynamic: he is the bold one, dominant, in control; she is subservient, normal, follows the flow.

It is so blatantly clear that he is not good for her, is complete red flags but Anna seems to either not notice or stay silent. He is too one-track minded. He buys her a whole bunch of roses when he messes up and thinks that solves the whole thing, victim-blames and gaslights her, telling her she is overreacting. He tries to isolate Anna from Mandie, saying that her friend is a bad influence. If someone treated me the way, I would get out of there – although after being with a narcissist myself, I understand that it is difficult to see the warning signs and it is easy to feel like you are indebted to them. Again, raises a great awareness to this behaviour and hopefully encourages people in similar situations to try and leave.

ㅤ🧠💾 a thriller with all the right chips? 💭
As far as a thriller was concerned, this was alright. It completely ticks the high stakes box as Anna needs to face all the consequences for her actions years ago. There were quite a few cliffhangers near the end which made me like “oh yikes, what is she going to do?”.

The suspense itself was lacking because I had worked it all out, but I did still want to read and find out how the story would be resolved (if it ever). The one thing I didn’t expect was the fall down the stairs and the coma, I thought he would get bumped off and then she would be free.

The character development in this book is poor, Anna’s development is particularly squandered. Anna remains trapped in a cycle of anxious secrecy, a pattern that persists until the eleventh hour (“He mustn’t know. Does he know? Oh he knows”). Though she occasionally displays a flicker of independent thought, often questioning Elijah’s actions, these moments fail to translate into meaningful growth. She only really becomes independent of him on the last few pages.

<< Positives >>
🠚 The whole concept of this book is original and very intriguing.
🠚 Makes excellent use of the dual timeline to reveal everything.
🠚 The mystery was well done.
🠚 I like the pattern that there are reviews about Unity throughout, mostly served as irony for the current situation the main character is in.
🠚 I love the fact that Anna really is no better than Elijah, ironically, they are better suited for each other than you initially expect. This is because they don’t bring out each other’s good side.
🠚 Shows the disadvantages of the microchip implants, for example Anna having a conversation with Mandie IRL, and Eli in her head at the same time. She also sometimes muddles what she is saying to what she is thinking (giving Mandie an answer actually intended for Eli).
🠚 A lot of love-hate relationships for characters.
🠚 The exploration of grief and loss of loved ones is done exceptionally well in this book. Especially loved ones we never knew (miscarriages).
🠚 Created a complex antagonist in Elijah, you want to hate him, then you like him.

<< Negatives >>
🠚 Predictable plot.
🠚 Fairly unsatisfactory ending. I wanted Anna to outsmart him so badly in the house at the end rather than just shove him. Or she could’ve used the oven or something. And get that holiday she wanted. With Gavin. But nope.
🠚 Also, Anna has three people telling her to get the heck out of that place, and what does she do? Runs and hides in the bedroom, boxed in!
🠚 Anna never bothers learning the technology. There is a moment where Anna says to herself she should install the app where she can control everything in the house. I thought this may open up a plot twist. That never happens.
🠚 Anna doesn’t appear to get anything for Elijah for the anniversary. Why? Again, it could have added to the dynamic: he could have semi-dismissed his gift because he wants to push for Unity.
🠚 The concept in this book of hearing thoughts could be considered unrealistic. Some people have many thoughts in a day, whereas others like Anna don’t. I do like that she voices some of her thoughts out loud for fear of sharing it.
🠚 Unrealistic to want to talk to Elijah after everything he has done and tried to do.
🠚 We never find out if Anna succeeds with her art.
🠚 “I can’t let him know about–” in chapter 3 – this feels so early to be dropping hints that she has a secret, that something is wrong.
🠚 I don’t think we ever find out why Elijah wants to do Unity. I assume he was the one messing around with the gadgets to scare her but he never says he does. I think that could have added more to his controlling side: “You need me, Anna. You need me to solve all these problems.” I think a scene at the end would have been nice.
🠚 A few characters are only at the start and I thought they would have made more of an appearance or had more of an impact on the plot. Marcus’ art shop could have added more to the plot. Perhaps Eli could have stopped by looking for Anna because she could have lied and said she was there when she wasn’t? She could have tried to head there to wait for Mandie to pick her up, even if she hadn’t succeeded. And I thought Eli’s secretary Celine may have come more into the picture as the story went on. A seed of doubt, the irony of her being jealous for him potentially cheating on her.
🠚 I thought we would have a scene where Anna discovers Elijah has looked at her painting of the beach where Oscar vanished (she could’ve realised her easel had moved). Like whyyy paint the beach and then panic and just… not do anything to change the painting and turn the easel round hoping he won’t notice?

CHARACTERS
-ˋˏ ꒰ Anna꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ I didn’t find Anna very likeable. If she had just told people the truth to begin with, none of this would’ve happened: Oscar’s death, the broken friendships, who she is married to.
🠚 Also, I refuse to believe that she is what 30? And doesn’t touch a single app on her phone. And that she has been with this man for 10 years and doesn’t think “hmm maybe he isn’t the right guy for me, he seems very controlling”.
🠚 I do like that she doesn’t like all the tech in the house because same haha. And I admire her bravery of breaking the toxic cycle and deciding to raise her child where no one can harm them.
🠚 I love her review of Unity at the end, the great double meaning to it.

I’ll always be forever grateful to Unity for what it gave me – a fresh start. A life I didn’t dare believe I could have. Unity showed me who I really was, who my husband was. Unity set me free.

-ˋˏ ꒰ Elijah꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ A stalker, a competitive man who always has to outdo everyone, a man with a dangerous violent temper. A perfect antagonist.
🠚 He is such a walking contradiction, there are times you like him but then immediately don’t. Take this example, he wanted to be there for Anna when she had been at her lowest and shut him out, there seems to be a genuine concern and wish to be close so he can look after her – but then on the next page he says ‘Can you do this for me? After everything I’ve done for you?’.
🠚 He is also rather dumb though: I mean ‘See how good this is? Usually you’d have had to stop working and trek all the way back into the house to have this conversation’ – did you… did you forget phones exist, my man?
-ˋˏ ꒰ Other characters꒱ ˎˊ-
↳ Mandie is the most relatable and likeable character here. Thank goodness for her, taking a lot of sense! She had the most real quote in the book:

‘No matter how much we think we know someone, we never truly do.’

FAV QUOTES
• The sounds of the city came screaming back to her. Like a serpent at the door, always waiting. The hustle. The grind. Anna feared there was no way to truly escape it.
• Punctual, reliable, envied by others, it was like being married to a Rolex watch.
• Her friend’s bluntness was something she loved a little less than her vibrancy.
• *How can you grieve for something you never had?* And yet you could. With a pain so raw, so isolating, that some days it had the power to take your breath away.
• ‘I don’t need some piece- of- shit microchip to know what you’re thinking,’ Mandie continued with a delicate smile. ‘We’re best friends. It comes with the territory that I know what’s going on in that head of yours.’
• Saying it out loud – her dreams, her aspirations – it made them feel more real, less like a castle in the sky.
• Oscar, who seemed not just drawn to the edge but desperate to vault it. He moved like his past was snapping at his heels and he poured every ounce of his energy into trying to outrun it.
• ‘They’ll just never get this back. This time. Life is so fucking, brutally short. Before they know it they’ll have ties around their necks like nooses: mortgages, kids. It all falls apart after uni.’
• When night fell it was thick and velvety. The stars shone brighter than they did in the city, not having to fight with all the streetlights for dominance.
• ‘You and me, Anna. Always you and me. We made that decision together; we’ll handle the consequences together. You’re not alone in this, baby. We’re in this together. I love you.’
• You’re a typical English rose. Dark eyes, pale cheeks, pink lips. If you were a flower, that’s what you’d be. | Even with the thorns? | Most definitely with the thorns.
• Being around Mandie was like being around the sun; she warmed her.
• ‘I love Elijah.’ | ‘No you don’t,’ Gavin declared forcefully. ‘You’re just saying that because you should love him. Because he’s the easy option, the safe one.’
• It’s just a scratch. | And her thoughts strayed to the hours she’d spent, happily, watching Romeo and Juliet for her English studies. Mercutio upon the beach: ‘Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch; marry, ’tis enough.’ And then, moments later, ‘Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.’
• She imagined that seeing someone once the life had left them was truly distressing. That losing a friend was something you never got over. But was it different when you were the hand that pushed them? Had she mistaken fear for grief?
• Here at Unity we promise a level of togetherness that has been previously unimaginable. To be within your partner’s mind is so intimate, so bonding, that all our chips come with a ten- year guarantee. That’s how satisfied we know you will be. All of our customers report on how their relationships have been vastly improved thanks to the Unity experience.
• Perhaps if she attempted to claw back this tiny part of herself, the rest would return in time. If she found her love of creating, she might then find her love of eating. Be able to sleep again. The image of the beach, she could return to it. There was something there, within it, she knew it.
• Whatever you do, wherever you go, I’ll be there. | Anna cradled her head in her hands. So very exhausted. So very weary. | Until death do us part, right, sweetheart?

══════════ ⋆★⋆ ══════════

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Carys Green, Random House UK Vintage, and NetGalley for the opportunity. This has not affected my opinion in any way.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

I loved the premise of this book, it was something really different - a thriller meets sci-fi! But I think I got a bit too much in my head (no pun intended!) around how this world would really work and things not adding up. So it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

So, the story! In a not-too-distant future, where everything is controlled by apps and microchips, Anna’s whole home is digitised and her whereabouts are tracked by husband Elijah at all times. She’s not as into all the techy stuff as him so doesn’t have the apps on her phone (seriously Anna? Not even the one that can open and lock your front door?) Now there is a new techy thing - Unity. And Elijah gets them microchipped for their anniversary so now they can be closer than ever by being able to hear each other’s thoughts.

But Anna has a mega secret she would never want Elijah to know. So why are we doing the bloody Unity thing then Anna?!

What I didn’t get was - you share all your thoughts with Unity, so wouldn’t it just be an absolute cacophony in there? But Anna and Elijah only ever seemed to get the thoughts intended for each other, or when they were really angry. And nursery rhymes. What about the constant chatter going on in there? Or is that just my brain? It would be such a nightmare. And I couldn’t accept that Anna would even be married to Elijah - she seemed a very strong independent woman when she meets him at university and the red flags for controlling behaviour are very much there from the offset. I would think at least her mate Mandie would have said at some point “mate, he’s a wrong un.”

And I won’t spoil but I had a bit of an issue with the ending and whether it worked with what we know about the technology.

However, all that aside, it was a cool concept and I was intrigued by the storyline and felt there were loads of potential ways it could have gone - but I didn’t guess how it did go! I just really hated Elijah and could not fathom why Anna was with him, even before getting inside his head!

[Chloe - maggie_books92 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley & Random House UK, Vintage for the opportunity to read Always on My Mind in exchange for honest feedback.

Looking at other reviews, I'm definitely in the minority here but, I'm so sorry, I really didn't enjoy this book. I forced myself to keep reading, thinking it would get better, but I ended up skimming a large chunk of the book.

Up until about 80% the story was just Anna asking Elijah if his chip was on mute, Anna speaking to Mandie (who loves to say 'hon') about her chip & concerns, Elijah asking where Anna was & whether she was okay and Anna singing nursery rhymes. The end was a bit more intense but, again, it flopped for me.

The reviews for Unity in some chapters were a bit random with no pre-face to show 'Customer Review'. They just blended in to the rest of the chapter and it took a second to realise they were a Review and not just part of Anna & Elijah's story.

We think everything we say so I thought the partner would hear absolutely everything - in my head, it would be like white noise it'd be so noisy!

Nothing surprised me in this book - it was predictable with nothing that gripped me. I also didn't click with the characters which probably didn't help.

I feel bad writing negative reviews but, unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Rainbow Goth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely wild!

The premise is not only fantastic but also intriguingly complex, weaving together elements of thriller, drama, and a hint of futuristic sci-fi that kept me on the edge of my seat. It's fascinating to think about how such a concept could manifest in reality, and I can almost envision the particular types of individuals who might execute something like this in the real world.

Anna is a perplexing character to me. She harbors a deep, desperate secret that she is hell-bent on keeping. However, as the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that her controlling husband begins to wear her down. Ultimately, she succumbs to his pressure and allows him unrestricted access to her mind, which is something I truly struggle to comprehend. The psychological dynamics at play are deeply unsettling; her husband presents himself as a loving partner, yet he constantly gaslights her, manipulating her at every turn and dictating her every movement. Given this oppressive situation, it baffles me that she willingly permits him entry into her thoughts even though she detests the extent of his control already on her through tech and apps.

I can’t imagine anyone actually wanting full access to my thoughts—honestly, I often find myself wishing I could escape from my own mind! 🤣 And I certainly wouldn't want to inflict it on my husband!

Throughout the book, certain elements stretch the limits of believability, but despite that, I found it to be a thoroughly captivating read. I was completely engrossed in the storyline, even though both Anna and Eli emerged as unlikable characters. It’s hard to find redeeming qualities in either of them. Furthermore, I didn’t connect with Helen and Gavin either. It seemed that all four of them were entangled in a web of mutual betrayal, and I couldn't fathom why they continued to maintain contact after their university days. The only character I truly resonated with was Mandie. She stood out as a genuine friend, consistently looking out for Anna’s best interests. I genuinely wish Anna had heeded Mandie's advice more often.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the unique premise and compelling storyline. While a few elements tested my suspension of disbelief, I can certainly see how this type of technology could be misused in various ways. I'm eager to explore more works by this author in the future.

I'd like to extend my gratitude to the author, the publishers, and Netgalley for providing the ARC of this book. This review reflects my honest opinion.

[Emandherbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the premise of this book really captivating and original, which initially drew me in. However, as the story progressed, I felt that certain aspects of the execution fell short of my expectations. While the overall plot was intriguing, some parts of the narrative and character choices felt unrealistic or overly simplified. I was left wishing that these areas had been developed with more depth or a touch more realism.

I’ve gone for a generous 3/5 for this one.

[Stacey Crampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for this ARC. The views outlined are my own.

Plot

When Elijah suggests going to OneMind to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, Anna is dubious about getting the implant that enables partners to hear each other’s thoughts. However, she’s eager to please him, and to make up for the fact she can’t give him what he really wants, she agrees to take this step towards the ultimate intimacy.
What starts out great, ends up escalating as Anna tries to keep old thoughts and memories at bay. Anna's mind becomes a prison she can't escape. How long can she keep the traitorous thoughts at bay before she drives herself mad?

Review
I can see from the available reviews that everyone’s perception is vastly different. The unique plot is what struck me to want to read this book, and I felt it didn’t disappoint. My only criticism would have been that I’d liked to have seen a neater ending, but that’s me being quite petty.
I thought the pacing was excellent, the plot was exciting and the characters were intriguing. I’d definitely recommend this story and I’ll be on the lookout for more books by this author.

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chilling story, with elements of science fiction, psychological thriller and domestic suspense.

What could possibly go wrong with OneMind, an implant that permanently connects your mind to your partner.

‘Never again wonder where they are
Never again doubt their feelings for you
Know your partner intimately
OneMind: for the ultimate closeness’

[Hannah Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sugar-sweet cover for what actually ended up being a very stressful read for me!

The story centers on Anna and Elijah, a couple approaching their ten-year anniversary. The story is told to us from Anna's perspective with a dual timeline letting us see the journey of their relationship, from meeting in the heady days of drinking in student bars, through their struggles with fertility, to the present day, when, to commemorate their milestone, Elijah proposes they undergo a procedure offered by OneMind, a company that implants a chip enabling partners to hear each other's thoughts. Despite her reservations, Anna agrees, hoping to strengthen their bond.

Initially the implant brings them closer, allowing them to speak constantly throughout the day without the use of phones, but soon Anna begins to experience worrying side effects, not just physical pain, but she begins to access visions that feel more like her husband's memories.

When I tell you, this was one of the most stressful thrillers I have ever read, but not for the plot... I had guessed 90% of it within a few chapters and saw the one remaining twist a MILE off, but because of the idea of someone being able to hear all of my thoughts.

My brain is literally NEVER quiet, so the fact that Anna is casually going about her day as though there are no thoughts in her head at all, consciously communicating with Eli via thought felt so unbelievable to me! Honestly my other half would literally rip the implant out of his skull if he had to listen to my inner monologue 24 hours a day.

I have seen research that suggests that around 70% of people don't have a talkative brain and it may be that a person who doesn't have that internal monologue may get something totally different from this book. I just couldn't get my head around how this technology would actually work in reality and this distracted me from making any real connection with the characters or story itself.

It was thought-provoking in terms of the questions of personal privacy and trust within a relationship and how much of yourself you should expect to give to your partner, but in terms of a thrilling plot, I wasn't blown away.

I'd love to hear from someone without a talkative brain though, how did you guys find it?!

[Girija Bhonsle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna & Elijah are celebrating their 10 year anniversary with a CREEPY implant that lets them hear each other's thoughts. Elijah has an obsessive need to keep track of Anna, by tracking her phone, using their home's security system to know when she arrives or leaves, and now with Unity, he can even be inside her mind and track her thoughts. There is a huge moral to this story--do not let your husband/wife/partner into your mind if you have huge white hot burning secrets that might kill you if they got out. But Anna's entire life is controlled by Elijah and she knows Unity is a bad idea because she does have one of those secrets, but Elijah is a real piece of work and connives her into doing it anyway.

The author does an excellent job of showing the way a controlling dynamic can often be ignored or dismissed as concern or love in a marriage or romantic relationship, because Elijah is so often saying, "I just want you to be safe" or "I'm worried" while also sucking Anna's freedom away one app at a time. So this is a book I had to put down and walk away from otherwise I was screaming "HE IS SUCH A PIECE OF TRASH" out loud. So make sure you have a safe space to do that :)

My favorite part of the book was how much it reminded me of one of my favorite authors, John Marrs, with the domestic thriller/tech thriller combo. So I definitely think I rated it higher for those reasons as well. But give it a read if you enjoy domestic thrillers with a twist of technology. 4 stars.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book choice for 2025 certainly had an interesting premise. Imagine having a chip implanted in your head that enabled you to hear your partner's thoughts, and further imagine that your partner also had a chip implanted so that they could hear yours. It would feel kind of intrusive, wouldn't it? Especially if you've been keeping secrets from your partner.
Such is the premise of Always On My Mind. I've shared as much of the plot as I'm willing to. Suffice to say this is quite a chilling, psychological thriller. The male protagonist, Elijah, gives off stalker vibes from the very first chapter.
He loves his technology, and the house he and Anna live in has all the latest gadgets, giving the story a sci-fi feel. Anna however, has an almost luddite attitude towards the tech.
Sadly, none of the characters are likeable. I struggled to find a single redeeming feature in any of them. That said, I enjoyed Always On My Mind. It made for a good start to the year.
Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Justin Sarginson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm grateful to the publisher for allowing me to read this book early, especially as it was such a pleasure to read. Far more than just being about coercive control, it also touches technology and privacy also, with a deft and skillful touch.
As a debut novel, it shows much promise for what can come, as the book is strong, measured and very enjoyable to read. I loved reading about the dynamics about the relationship and the secrets that we all have that should never be shared.

[Adele Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this more than five stars then I would. It was fantastic.

Although the book is fiction it still makes you think, could this possibly happen in the future? I doesn’t bare thinking about really. Someone, in your head 24/7. Knowing your thoughts. How it could be used as a form of mental abuse.

Best book of the year so far for me. I can’t recommend it enough.

[Kirstie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping and fast paced.

From the first page, it was clear something sinister was on the horizon. Following the events from Anna's point of view, was chaotic and so oddly fun!

I loved this, and if you love the Technology based books by John Marrs or Upload on Prime.. you'd love this!

[Jess Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a really great read

[Jo McEldowney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy to review.

I really wasn’t sure about the plot of this book as I’m not usually keen on speculative fiction but after reading a John Marrs recently and loving it I thought I’d give it a go, and I’m so glad I did.

First of all, having experienced loss and failure in a similar way to the main character I felt the author described her feelings and her anxiety about the situation perfectly, for me I understood her driving emotions and therefore I was invested in the story.

The overall plot unravels at a great pace with lots of twists to keep you engaged as your waiting for the secrets to emerge. I didn’t overthink the future of the technology or look for mistakes in the idea of unity.


I really thoroughly enjoyed this book and it kept me reading into the early hours to get to the end and it was a great ending!

A very well deserved 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and only the third I’ve given on NetGalley a very nice surprise!!

Thank you Cary’s Green

[Keels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every now and again a book will come along that has a more unique plot to it that sets it apart from all the other thrillers out there which follow the same plots and tropes. This one sounded really intriguing but unfortunately it dragged on just a little too much. The vast majority of the book was padded with mundane conversations between Anna and Elijah with not much happening. The last quarter of the book did pick up a bit but was all very predictable. In general it was interesting enough for me to rate it what I would class as ‘good’.
I really struggled with most of the characters as they were all pretty unlikeable. The only exception to that for me was Mandie.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

[Papergirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for Carys Green, Random House UK – Vintage, Harvill Secker, and Netgalley for the Advanced reader Copy of this title. Potential readers, here is my opinion on the novel.

If I could sum the book up in a song, this would be it: https://open.spotify.com/track/1itU3z...

If you want to know what happens when you give a controlling, possessive partner control, look no further. Carys Green presents an idea that is so satisfyingly eerie and has the reader trying to emulate Unity’s OneMind in order to will themselves into Anna Weston’s head. What was she thinking?

Anna Weston has been married to Elijah, the man she met on her first night at the Student Union bar. The book opens on their tenth anniversary with a panicked Anna running late for a dinner Elijah is cooking. Elijah does all the cooking, earns the money, and has the home kitted out in the latest tech, freeing Anna up to pursue her love of art in her home studio. That does not stop Elijah wanting to know Anna’s every making move. Presenting her with his latest gift, he offers Anna the opportunity to hear his every waking thought, the only catch is…he will hear her every conscious thought too. With a couple this close, who had known each other their whole adult lives, what could possibly go wrong?

Like so many readers and reviewers have said before me, there is a large chunk of repetition in this book where Anna frequently asks about a specific feature of the chip that are a main feature of this book, and although Elijah answers each time, it is still a main topic of conversation between the couple. This feature of the book can be a bit grating at times. However, I did not allow this to deter my reading. Instead, it helped build a better sense of both Elijah and Anna’s characters.

The premise behind the book was a novel idea for me. I loved the drama, the touch of sci-fi, and the not-so-distant feal of the novel. It felt fresh and unique. I also loved the way the novel was told in alternating past and present tense, connecting the then and now, whilst posing questions that helped spur the reader and keep the page turning. It gave the reader a clear picture of the two main couples in the book, how they came to be, and exactly what their foundations were made of. That said, the backstory also makes you wonder how the couples have successfully stayed together until present day. The women are a far cry to their earlier selves.

Although I had a range of ideas in my head about how the story would end, I have to admit, I was caught off-guard. I did not see what was coming until it sucked me into the action as it unfolded. Suspense was a constant ally throughout this book’s journey and an enjoyable read. Jumping from person, thought to thought, to spoken language took a little getting used to so the visual cues using bold, italics, and speech marks is helpful. I am not sure if the book would be easy to listen to if the narrator were not altering their voice to get into each character.

As a trigger warning, there are a few mentions of abortion and miscarriages to be aware of. If you are not put off by what you have read so far, then this book is for lovers of modern-day thrillers who love the latest technology. There is frequent use of the ‘f-bomb’ to signal fear, or an error but otherwise, the book would probably be considered tame in content, and typical of a thriller genre novel. I highly recommend this book and give it a 4 out of 5 stars, with the only letdown being the repetition that makes Anna a little annoying.

[lostcupofstars · Rating 1 out of 5]

The black mirror type concept is what had me interested but this was giving wattpad.

80% of this book is just Elijah having aggressive thoughts at work and Anna thinking about nursery rhymes to try and block him out.

It didn’t feel believable because it’s basically impossible to control your thoughts even just for 10 mins let alone 24/7, yet Anna was somehow doing this by think-singing nursery rhymes while doing other things.
The characters were so poorly developed and the plot so flimsy that it ended up being boring af. I’m actually annoyed at all the build up that lead to nothing.

Him being pushed down the stairs and into a coma was farcical and cemented the fact that reading this was a waste of time.

FULL SPOILERS BELOW FOR ANYONE WHO IS INTRIGUED

Anna’s chip is faulty, it was inserted too deep. He can mute his chip but she doesn’t have the option coz he’s a dick and didn’t pay for hers to have it. The fault with her insertion is causing her to see Elijah’s memories (which is how she finds out he killed his mate Oscar back in the day and his parents covered it up)

He is probably aware of this and maybe sees hers? It’s hinted at but not clarified. Her secret is that she cheated with Elijah’s bestie Gavin back in the day and the baby she aborted was his and not Elijah’s.

This leads to a floppy confrontation where Elijah locks all the doors and windows, slowly makes his way upstairs while confronting her (in thought) until she runs out of her hiding place and pushes him down the stairs. He ends up in a coma but is constantly hurling insults at Anna in thought, which she doesn’t tell anyone. Instead she goes back to Doctor Murray or whatever and begs him to add the mute feature coz she’s worried she’s ’blocking his healing with her constant worrying’ and he obliges. (Removal is not possible at this point bc Elijah is in a coma and they cannot proceed in case it has a permanent effect on either of their brains)

She finds out here that she’s pregnant and think-tells Elijah that she is happy about it and doesn’t need him anymore, but maybe they can talk about it one day when he wakes up. But anyway gonna mute you forever now babe ily xxx

And that’s LITERALLY it. You’re welcome.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounding up to 3 🌟


This was one of those fun reads that I just can't take seriously.
Quick paced and perfect for packing for a day at the beach type books.
From the premise, inserting chips and hearing each others thoughts??? I just knew things were going to go wrong.
I had issues with why you would agree to this if you've got things to hide, but that's where the fun comes in.
I can probably.live without hearing about Anna having a headache ever again, she had too many from various causes, and Elijah and his big meetings seemed to be on repeat too.
Saying that, if all you're after is solid entertainment, this delivers.
It had tension, and towards the end had me smiling as things don't turn out quite how people thought they would.

[Lovetoread2023 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was something different from what I'd normally read, and it sounded like an interesting idea.
A lot of the book was repetitive with Anna spending 3/4 of the book questioning if her partner Elijahs implant is functioning properly and him checking if she is coping OK,and then you have Anna's numerous head pains and Elijahs work thrown into the mix which didnt help me engage with the story,so this wasn't really for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK Vintage for the ARC.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a moral in this story - if you are going to open yourself up to sharing your every thought with your partner, make sure that you don't have any burning secrets that you are trying to hide from them first. Not like what you bought them for Christmas, or how you intend to surprise them with a nice romantic dinner for two kind of secrets, although both of those would be potentially difficult subjects to hide from your partner if, like the protagonist of this story, Anna, you have a defective implant that cannot be switched off. No, we're talking secrets of epic proportions. Ill advised choices made whilst under the influence in the heady days of University. Life changing choices. Future defining secrets ... All the kind that make for a really compelling and intrigue laden read that sucked me right in to the very lat page.

Now, marriage and sharing or otherwise of secrets is not entirely my specialist subject, and some might argue that I am more than open enough in sharing my thoughts, especially when angry, but I cannot think of anything worse than sharing every part of you with another. There are times when you would just want a bit of peace and space, surely? This is how Anna feels about the proposal of her husband Elijah, to have new high-tech implants fitted that will allow them to hear what each other is thinking without having to say a word. Imagine that. Always being there for each other, in good times and bad. Absolutely no boundaries ... Gah. It's an intriguing and somewhat anxiety inducing idea, but one that Carys Green plays out perfectly on the page. The idea of it really doesn't seem that far fetched - we've app'd up pretty much every other stage of our 'smart lives'. Why not out brains? Why not, indeed.

This book had a bit of a strange impact on me. I was completely hooked up in Anna's story, even if, in fairness, she didn't always come across in the most sympathetic of ways. Parts of her story could possibly, have been avoided if she had ever been honest with a) herself or b) with Elijah, That is not to say that what comes to pass is deserved, and it is very easy to feel sympathy for her current lifestyle. In theory she has everything she could ever want, and a husband who is completely devoted and provides for her every need. And controlling. Very controlling, something that comes across loud and clear in the narrative liong before the subject of the Unity implants is raised. The author explores this subject of obsessive control with care, making things explicitly clear and slowly building up the tension that develops as Anna strives to keep a little bit of herself free. It's a smothering, claustrophobic existence, one you'd think Anna would be well shot of, but nothing is ever quite so simple.

There is a twist in this tale, and just as Anna is trying to hide her secrets from Elijah, she is exposed to some of his old memories too, memories that are quite dark and, if revealed, could be explosive. The way in which the author gradually exposes the darker side to Elijah's nature to Anna, and to us readers, is very clever, and will have you questioning just what might be going on in the mind of your own partner when they are under pressure, or angered by something out of their control. Hopefully nothing quite this dark, but can you ever really know someone that deeply?

This was a really intriguing premise, speculative fiction that really doesn't feel too far away from being a plausible reality. The fact that anyone could potentially develop such invasive technology is quite disturbing, something that adds a layer of tension and threat to an already worrying storyline. I mean, if you listen to the paranoid and those who are already in possession of aluminium foil hats, it's already here, but that is a science fiction of another kind and, thankfully, not the reality of Anna's story.

This is a glimpse behind the curtain of a seemingly perfect marriage - should such a thing exist. A life in which technology is really in control of one person's life, with potentially devastating consequences. We worry that Alexa is always listening. Would you want your husband/wife/life partner in on the act too? I'm not so sure, but I am interested to see what delights the author cooks up for use next.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Harvill Secker for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

This sounded perfectly thrilling and really unique. I read A LOT of thrillers, it's probably my most read genre, but after a while they do become a bit samey, but this was completely new for me.

What was worrying is how real this book could be. What with more of our lives being online, there's not much privacy anymore, and so our mind and our thoughts are sacred. And with the inventions in technology and AI, it feels like this sci-fi future could very much become fact.

This is freaky and unfair. It doesn't matter how much you love someone, I wouldn't want them reading every single thought, and that's not because I have anything to hide. It's just an invasion of privacy. Whether it's my friend, my partner, or my Mum, my thoughts are mine alone.

It is mostly set in the present time, but every so often there's a flashback to Anna and Elijah's younger years, as well as testimonials from other people who have had the Unity chip added. This helps add context and backstory to the novel.

It's a slow, careful, psychological thriller. It lulls you in, you get to know these characters, how happy they are, and how surely nothing can go wrong. But slowly, you start to read between the lines. And you realise things are just slightly off. Not enough to notice initially. Like, when you walk into a room and immediately notice something has moved but you're not quite sure what, but it's thrown everything off.

A very strong theme in this book is that of coercive control. It's not that physical violence that we all perceive abuse to be, that isolating fear. But Elijah always wants to know where Anna is, who she's with, what she's doing, and it was him who suggested getting the chip. It's seen as a loving, caring way, that he's worried about her. But it's very subtle, as it can be in real life. It's very powerful and very uncomfortable.

We have four main characters I would say:

Anna is our main woman; I flipped and flopped with her. I felt for her as she was clearly struggling in her professional life and personal life. She's quite subdued, controlled (but she doesn't always realise it). She's a bit naïve and clearly hiding something. But in all, I did feel sympathy towards her.

Then Elijah is Anna's husband. He was a charming, slimy little man. He's charismatic, oozes charm, he worms his way in, but has a short fuse and is clearly very controlling.

And then their friends Helen and Gavin. Gavin was unredeemable for me, for reasons I won't spoil. He tried to win me over but I wasn't having any of it. Helen is Anna's friend and she's like the devil's advocate, questioning everything, not always supportive, but I think her heart is always in the right place.

It's not always believable, and if you focus on those elements then you'll drive yourself mad. Some bits worked better than others and in context of what is a fantasy sci-fi thriller, it works. Just don't think about it too much (pun very much intended).

It is paced well. It's slow enough to let you in, get to know the characters, and feel comfortable in their world, but fast enough to be exciting and frantic.

I read some reviews that said they didn't like the ending, and I'm not sure why. I support it does all end rather abruptly but I'm not sure that's a negative, at least it wasn't for me. I felt the plot interested me and carried on this great storytelling right to the end. A very promising debut.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

All my reviews can be found at damppebbles.com

Anna and Elijah met ten years ago at university. Since then, life for the couple has been pretty sweet. Tech-fanatic Elijah has a good job allowing them to live in a luxurious, tech-driven house. Whilst Anna concentrates on making her name as an artist. For their tenth wedding anniversary Elijah surprises Anna with an unexpected gift. ‘Unity’ offers the chance for couples to become even closer by hearing your other half’s most intimate, inner thoughts. No matter how many miles divide you, you’ll always be able to speak to your partner as if they were in the same room as you. To do this both Anna and Elijah must undergo a procedure to have the chips implanted just beneath the skin behind their ears. The chips are synced, and from then on, your every waking thought will be beamed to your spouse’s mind. Making the closest couple even closer. But Anna has secrets of her own. Things she doesn’t want her husband to know. Things which would tear their solid marriage to shreds. When Anna’s chip begins to malfunction, she realises that Elijah may be able to see her memories as well as her thoughts. Does he already know the truth? Can Anna control her thoughts and memories enough so that he never discovers what happened? And in doing so, will Anne drive herself completely mad in the process…?

I was so completely and utterly drawn to this thriller. Such a different premise that I had to see how this crazy tech would affect the couple in the story. I found Always on My Mind utterly engrossing. A domestic tech thriller that had me hanging on every word. Original and thought-provoking. Terrifying and tense.

The characters are well-drawn. I believed in the couple and their relationship. I didn’t particularly like either of them (I expect you won’t like Elijah much either!) but that’s quite normal for me and to be honest, I’m not sure the author was aiming for ‘likeable’ with either of them. I felt quite sorry for Anna at times. Elijah is controlling and manipulative. His constant checks on Anna pre-chip (where are you? What are you doing?) were completely frustrating and infuriating. He uses his status and wealth to control not only his wife but his friends as well. He’s pretty despicable but that only added to the story. It ramps the tension up and puts the reader beautifully on edge throughout.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Always on My Mind is a gripping, compelling thriller that had me in its thrall from the start of the book to the very end. I was able to predict how a couple of things were going to turn out but that didn’t take anything away from the story for me. The supporting cast of characters were all strong. I found Anna’s best friend Mandie a little infuriating, but I won’t go into why as that could end in a spoiler, of sorts. The dual timeline allows the reader to see how the small group of friends met at university and how their relationships/friendships grew over the years to what we see in the present day. All in all, I found Always on My Mind to be a highly readable, suspense-packed, engaging thriller. Something a little bit different that we should definitely (DEFINITELY!!) leave in fiction forever more. I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to more from this author in the future. Recommended.

[Sandra "Jeanz" · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the shades of pink and blue on this book cover. The pink side having a steamed up mirror with a heart drawn on it perhaps suggesting that Anna wishes to keep her thoughts to herself and the blue side clear and showing Elija’s reflection representing the fact he wants everything out in the open and to share every thought.
The main characters are a group of friends who met at University, Oscar, Elijah, Gavin, Anna and Helen they enjoyed parties and wild nights together ending up with Anna & Elijah becoming a couple and later getting married and a similar thing happening with Gavin & Helen. They share a past, a past with devastating, dark secrets that would perhaps be better left uncovered. Elijah and Gavin have a highly competitive relationship both at work and in their home lives, always wanting to have the latest gadget or accomplishment before the other. Elijah is obsessed with technology and the house he and Anna live in has every gadget and technology app possible, so it shouldn’t come as a great surprise when Elijah hears about the OneMind project by Unity he wants both himself and Anna to participate. OneMind literally means two people can share one mind, by having a chip inserted behind their left ear close the cerebellum they can literally hear each other’s thoughts 24/7.
It's Elijah and Anna’s tenth wedding anniversary and Elijah has stated he has a surprise for her. Anna is hoping it’s a week away somewhere exotic with a beach so they can be alone and spend some quality time together. However, the big surprise is that Elijah has signed them both up to have the OneMind chip fitted by Unity the very next week without even asking Anna. Anna has her doubts does she really want Elijah to have access to her thoughts 24/7, she doesn’t really see the attraction. Elijah already keeps tabs on her via her mobile phone and the camera’s in the house whilst he is at work. Elijah has a well paid job and his parents have money meaning he can afford to splash out whenever he wishes. This financial stability means that Anna can stay home and be the artist she wants to be in the studio Elijah had built for her in the garden. Sadly for Anna her art work isn’t doing quite as well as she wishes it to. Anna has also suffered multiple miscarriages due to complications from an abortion in their University years. The abortion left scar tissue which is resulting in recurring miscarriages. Elijah wants his own children and he isn’t used to not getting what he wants so they continue trying with Anna hiding the fact a Doctor has told her the probabilities of a successful pregnancy are slim. Anna feels guilt about the abortion, it is her body that is now broken. Elijah insists they made the decision together, they made the right decision at the time and that he believes one day they will have children. Anns also feels guilt as she has a secret. There are details about the abortion that Elijah doesn’t know and must never find out about.
I think its all this guilt and the way Elijah is persistent, used to getting his own way and quite controlling of Anna that she agrees to go ahead with the OneMind chip implant. However, Anna has a bad reaction straight away, she is violently sick, has continual headaches as well as the site of the insertion of the chip not healing properly. Elijah insists all these side effects will wear off as he isn’t experiencing any.
One night Anna has a dream where she is looking through Elijahs eyes, she is seeing the night that their friend Oscar died on a “boys holiday abroad” that Oscar, Elijah and Gavin went on. The dream and what she sees doesn’t line up with how Elijah & Gavin said they happened. Anna really struggles with hearing Elijah in her head all the time and discovers he has a violent temper which begins to scare her. What if she thinks about the abortion secret and he finds out, or if Elijah experiences one of her dreams about that time. Elijah is increasingly exhibiting controlling, abusive, gas lighting, and toxic behaviour towards Anna. He demands to know her whereabouts at any given moment of the day, whether that’s via tracking her phone or constantly checking in with her via OneMind. When Elijah speaks to Anna he expects her to reply immediately and if she doesn’t he wants to know the reason why. Anna develops a way of coping, of withholding her thoughts by singing and saying nursery rhymes which quickly annoys Elijah. Secrets end up being revealed and Elijah slowly simmer and its almost like he is trying to drive Anna crazy, turning gadgets on and off in the house, locking her out when she forgets to take her phone with her. I suppose Elijah is punishing Anna for what he has discovered and he seems to be enjoying it jumping into her thoughts whenever he feels like it. Yet when she calls out to him, he is sometime absent making Anna suspicious that his chip is different to hers.
I did guess the secret Anna was wanting to hide, I just got the wrong person who was involved in it with her. I also guessed that perhaps that was the reason her friendship with Helen had gone colder too.
I felt sorry for Anna, literally trapped in her own home, feeling guilty about something that happened years ago. She really didn’t seem to see that even before the OneMind chip Elijah was a possessive, ruthless, controlling person. Eventually after realsing the dream she keeps having is the true version of the “boys holiday abroad” events and what really happened to Oscar that night she is horrified and she does realise Elijah is dangerous. Even after seeing that night there is still a small part of Anna that wanted to give Elijah the benefit of the doubt, she seemed incapable of believing what an evil man she was married to. Anna had to end up being quite conniving herself to remove herself from Elijah’s clutches. In fact, the ending is quite ironic that Anna becomes pregnant but Elijah is not able to enjoy the experience with her.
What Elijah pitched to Anna as a way for them to be even closer was a lie, it turned out Elijah wanted OneMind for much more sinister reasons. It brought the dangerously close with disastrous consequence no one could have forseen.
I immediately took a disliking to Elijah, having escaped an abusive marriage I could see the signs of it in him quite early in the book. On the surface Elijah has it all, and he has it all his own way too. If there’s a situation, he can’t handle alone his parents are there to help him. Elijah seemed a quieter character in the university days but even then, he was selfish and controlling and wasn’t above emotionally blackmailing people to get what he wanted.
Gavin on the other hand has had to work for what he has achieved and work hard at his job, though even he seems to be under the influence of Elijah. Its only revealed later in the book exactly what the hold Elijah has over Gavin is.
I also liked the characters that were either there for Anna all the time like Mandie, or Helen that eventually reached out when she felt her friend was in danger though didn’t really forgive her. I was initially irritated by Murray, the obstacles he put in Anna’s way on behalf of Unity when it came to getting her OneMind chip sorted out. Murray must have known about the extra functions that Elijah had on his chip in comparison to Anna’s but didn’t readily reveal this when asked. However, he did eventually take pity on Anna and discreetly help her near the end of the book.
I found the hospital scenes hilarious, how frustrated Elijah was hearing the conversations of the nurses and not being able to speak to them himself. Though he hadn’t changed and was still very derogatory about those nurses helping him and towards Anna despite her visiting him every day.
My immediate thoughts upon fishing the book were wow, what a twisted tale……and what an awful man!
Summing up, I didn’t want to put the book down, I wanted to know if the dream Anna was having was the truth of what had happened to Oscar and then I was scared for Anna. This book kept me awake reading late into the night unable to put it down without discovering the end.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend Tracy from Compulsive Readers posted her review of this book a few months ago, as soon as I read that review, I knew that I needed to read the book. I purchased a copy and read it whilst on holiday in Corfu last month. What a roller coaster of a read, I was totally hooked from the first page.

From the beginnin, this novel pulls you into an intimate domestic situation with an extraordinary twist. Anna and Elijah appear to have a comfortable, modern marriage, they live in a smart, gadget-laden home and they both have career ambitions. But the author soon introduces a technological surprise: a neural implant designed to let them share thoughts, memories, intimacy. It’s an unusual concept, and I immediately began to think about consent, privacy and what we mean by “knowing” another person.

Carys Green handles this premise with delicacy. At first the implant seems like the ultimate act of love and transparency, a promise of deeper connection. For Anna it offers something she’s longed for: to be closer to Elijah and feel more loved by him. But beneath the surface she carries a secret, a guilt, a story she has buried. And as the device begins its work, the marriage cracks begin to widen. The technology doesn’t simply bring them closer, it begins to make everything that was unspoken much louder, everything they hoped the other wouldn’t see.

The strength of the book in in the layers of complexity. The domestic details; the way the house hums with sensors, the small gestures between husband and wife enable the author to create a believable world. Then the glitch is introduced: memories not quite Anna’s, thoughts that are not purely Elijah’s, a sense of surveillance, and the fear that what was promised as intimacy might become intrusion. For a good portion of the book I was reading with a sort of cold-sinking feeling in my stomach, waiting for the moment when the control shifts. And it does — the narrative grows tighter, more claustrophobic. And, you are all going to hate me for saying this but I often let out a breath that I hadn't known that I was holding!!

The characters are flawed. Anna sometimes act impulsively; she doubts, she hesitates, she wonders whether to trust what she’s hearing in her own head. Elijah is charismatic, ambitious, he appears to be very loving, yet the more you see of him through the implant’s lens, the more ambiguous his motives become.

The build up of the plot is fairly slow, and the sceptics amongst us may question the technology behind the implant, and wonder who on earth would sign up for it. I'm very happily married but there's noway I want to be in husband's head, or for him to be in mine. However, if you love thoughtful, psychological domestic suspense with a speculative edge, then this is for you!

Always On My Mind is a gripping, unsettling book that asks “How much of your mind can you share — and survive?” It weaves together marriage, memory, technology and the hidden places in ourselves we prefer to keep locked away. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers with a reflective heart, where the device is as much a character as the people.

[Lydia Omodara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna has a happy, comfortable life with her husband Eli. Since they met in their first year of university, he has gone out of his way to lavish her with gifts and affection, while his corporate job and inherited wealth have enabled her to focus on her artistic passions rather than working a 9-5 job. She's perfectly content with things the way they are, so when Eli surprises her with an unusual tenth anniversary gift - surgically implanted chips which will enable them to hear one other's thoughts - she balks at the idea. Why does Eli want this? Aren't they close enough already? And, most importantly, will this mean that her husband could discover the secret she has guarded since they were first together?

Reluctantly, Anna agrees to the procedure, but it soon becomes apparent that she's not the only one who's been keeping secrets. And, far from allowing her to know her husband better than ever, Anna starts to wonder if she has ever really known him at all.

The debut novel by author Carys Green, Always On My Mind is the latest addition to the near-future speculative fiction genre popularised by Black Mirror and John Marrs' Dark Future series and, while it doesn't feel as ground-breaking and subversive as those works, it is a gripping, pacy thriller which held my interest from start to finish.

Flashbacks are used effectively to set out the foundations of Anna and Eli's dynamic, with the big reveal tying both timelines together and bringing them to a satisfying - if not particularly surprising - conclusion. Some of the foreshadowing is a little heavy-handed though: 'I'd spend all day in your head if I could,' Eli proclaims to Anna on a night out at the student union.

I had to suspend my disbelief at how the 'mind reading' seems to work - given that Anna spends the vast majority of the plot stressing over whether Eli will learn her terrible secret, it seems very unlikely that he would never catch wind of this train of thought. Unlike her husband, Anna seems startlingly capable of not thinking of the proverbial white elephant. Broadly though, the tech seems just about plausible in the not-to-distant future, and readers won't be able to resist wondering how their own relationships would stand up under such scrutiny. At a time when technology - and how we use it - seems to be evolving by the day, there is certainly an appetite for stories which weigh up the benefits of these developments with the potential harm they might wreak.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once I got past the - why in the heck anyone would agree to doing this, especially when their partner is already a bit controlling - issue with this book. I was able to just buckle up and enjoy the ride... And what a ride it was...
We start with Anne whose husband Elijah likes to know where she is EVERY SINGLE MOMENT. For her own safety, obviously! They are coming up on their 10 year anniversary and Elijah wants to do something special to mark it. He wants them to go to OneMind and get their revolutionary implants. Now, these allow two people to hears each others thoughts - all the time they are conscious. Not really a good idea for someone with secrets eh Anna, but, for some inexplicable reason, she eventually agrees. Coercive control I guess, but even so...
All goes swimmingly - well... sort of. Until Anna starts to have dreams that are very vivid but also not her own. And also, rather realistic. They feature her husband, she is playing him, and a holiday he went on with his two friends. A holiday where 3 went, but only 2 came back.
She is worried by what she sees, especially as they appear to be more like memories than dreams, but also worried that if she can see his memories, what can he see of hers...?
Ooo this was a bit juicy. And I absolutely loved the ending. But shhhh it's OK I won't spoil it for you.
I still have issues over why anyone in their right mind would want this technology. It beggars belief to me. But it is what it is and, to be honest, it makes for a cracking story. Especially the novel way that Anna manages to keep Elijah out of her head, although it did get a wee bit annoying after the novelty wore off for me. It also hilighted that just cos you can doesn't mean you should... Although if you didn't then you'd be missing out on a lot of cracking speculative fiction books which are out there!
All in all, if you can suspend your belief and just go with the flow and accept what you are reading, you will have a great time with this book. Just keep an open mind...
Also note that Carys Green also writes as Carys Jones - if you like her style and want to stuff your tbr further.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.