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The Life I Had: A Twisty, Addictive Psychological Thriller About Love, Lies and Control
What if the person you trust most is the one you should fear?
A gripping psychological thriller of love, control, and the lies we tell to survive.
When Nikki Maxwell wakes each morning beside her devoted husband in their beautiful Peak District home, she tells herself she’s happy. Lucky, even. But sometimes the past whispers—fragments of another life she can’t quite reach.
Then a stranger appears in the village. A woman who seems to know more about Nikki than she knows about herself. And as small cracks form in the world her husband built around her, doubt begins to spread like rot beneath the surface.
Someone is lying. Someone knows the truth about who Nikki really is—and what they’re desperate to keep hidden.
Trapped between what she’s told and what she feels, Nikki must uncover the truth before it destroys everything. Because some memories refuse to stay buried.
Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Claire Douglas, and Gillian McAllister.
A gripping psychological thriller of love, control, and the lies we tell to survive.
When Nikki Maxwell wakes each morning beside her devoted husband in their beautiful Peak District home, she tells herself she’s happy. Lucky, even. But sometimes the past whispers—fragments of another life she can’t quite reach.
Then a stranger appears in the village. A woman who seems to know more about Nikki than she knows about herself. And as small cracks form in the world her husband built around her, doubt begins to spread like rot beneath the surface.
Someone is lying. Someone knows the truth about who Nikki really is—and what they’re desperate to keep hidden.
Trapped between what she’s told and what she feels, Nikki must uncover the truth before it destroys everything. Because some memories refuse to stay buried.
Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Claire Douglas, and Gillian McAllister.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 23, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 27, 2025
Wow This story had me gripping my tablet till my knuckles were turning white, holding my breath and my heart stilling momentarily at times.
Aaron's books keep getting better and better with each one.
So many twists and turns that kept me guessing. Only revealing snippets here and there.
This is a truly amazing Psychological Thriller that will take you by surprise at the ending. I would have never guessed throughout the story that it would end the way it did.
A true masterpiece Aaron has written.
I highly recommend this book.
It's a must read for all you Thriller lovers. It's very well written. The story flows nicely. The characters are perfect and relatable.
Enjoy!
Aaron's books keep getting better and better with each one.
So many twists and turns that kept me guessing. Only revealing snippets here and there.
This is a truly amazing Psychological Thriller that will take you by surprise at the ending. I would have never guessed throughout the story that it would end the way it did.
A true masterpiece Aaron has written.
I highly recommend this book.
It's a must read for all you Thriller lovers. It's very well written. The story flows nicely. The characters are perfect and relatable.
Enjoy!
March 21, 2026
Eh. Better in theory than in execution. Could have been a good story, it started strong but faded out for me.
November 27, 2025
Another fabulous standalone psychological thriller by this author. In fact, I think this is my favourite one yet - a great premise which is precisely drip fed to an eager audience.
A harrowing prologue opens proceedings & then, bam, it’s five years later. Dr Barnaby Maxwell, renowned plastic surgeon, & his wife, Nikki, live a seemingly idyllic life in a small village near the moors & not too far from Sheffield. But, Nikki doesn’t feel herself; she has occasional flashbacks & memory lapses, which her husband tells her are due to an accident she had some years earlier. She believes him, why shouldn’t she, but then she has a fleeting meeting with someone in the local market & she realises that her life is not what it appears.
Brilliantly told through different characters POV in short chapters which ramps up the tension as the story unfolds. I really felt for Nikki & Barnaby is vile. Who do we meet in the market? You’ll just have to read this highly recommended book & find out for yourself.
A harrowing prologue opens proceedings & then, bam, it’s five years later. Dr Barnaby Maxwell, renowned plastic surgeon, & his wife, Nikki, live a seemingly idyllic life in a small village near the moors & not too far from Sheffield. But, Nikki doesn’t feel herself; she has occasional flashbacks & memory lapses, which her husband tells her are due to an accident she had some years earlier. She believes him, why shouldn’t she, but then she has a fleeting meeting with someone in the local market & she realises that her life is not what it appears.
Brilliantly told through different characters POV in short chapters which ramps up the tension as the story unfolds. I really felt for Nikki & Barnaby is vile. Who do we meet in the market? You’ll just have to read this highly recommended book & find out for yourself.
November 28, 2025
I always look forward to a new book by Aaron because I know that it is going to be intriguing, interesting, a real page turner and, most of all, scary!
In 'The Life I Had', we meet Nikki Maxwell. She appears to have a perfect life, married to a rich cosmetic surgeon, a big house, a life of luxury. Why is this not enough? And why does she only have memories of the last five years? She is told that it all stems from an accident when she fell down the stairs and suffered brain damage - perfectly plausible, of course, but then why does she feel, deep down, that this is somehow not the complete truth?
Beautifully conceived, a chilling page turner of the first order, thoroughly recommended!
In 'The Life I Had', we meet Nikki Maxwell. She appears to have a perfect life, married to a rich cosmetic surgeon, a big house, a life of luxury. Why is this not enough? And why does she only have memories of the last five years? She is told that it all stems from an accident when she fell down the stairs and suffered brain damage - perfectly plausible, of course, but then why does she feel, deep down, that this is somehow not the complete truth?
Beautifully conceived, a chilling page turner of the first order, thoroughly recommended!
April 2, 2026
Really enjoyed this. Very clever concept for the plot, would defo recommend this book and keen to read more from this author! Only thing stopping me giving it 5 stars is I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as some other books I’ve read recently.
May 13, 2026
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Excellent plot, and although you're working through it aware of where things are going, things aren't quite as they seem and there's a complexity that's not immediately obvious which leads to the rather satisfying ending!
May 13, 2026
Quite average; I kept seeing videos on Tiktok about how good the book is. The concept and genre would usually be gripping to me and i was excited to read it but was quite disappointed as it didn’t have me hooked. Managed to zoom through it quite quickly.
January 11, 2026
Wonderful book
February 19, 2026
WOW…hooked from page 1. What a twisted read!!! Loved it
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews