She woke up in a hospital with no memory of who she was, how she got there, or why the man by her side insists he is her husband.
Everyone tells her she is safe. Everyone tells her she can trust him.
But something feels wrong.
Fragments of memories begin to surface — flashes of another life, another version of herself, and truths that refuse to stay buried. The more she remembers, the more cracks appear in the perfect life she has been given.
Because someone has been lying to her.
As fear and obsession blur the line between reality and illusion, she begins to question everything: the house she lives in, the people around her, and even her own mind.
Morning Star is a dark psychological thriller about memory, manipulation, hidden truths, and the terrifying feeling that the person closest to you may be the one you should fear most.
Karina Andrusiak writes psychological thrillers and fantasy under the pen name Lora Fray. Her stories blend dark secrets, emotional tension, morally complex characters and supernatural elements.
This was a really good book. I read it in just a few days and I absolutely loved it! It has just enough plot twists to keep the reader engaged in the story. And the ending! My God what an ending! Was any of it how you were told? Or wasn't? I give it a solid 5 stars rate only because I can't give it more than that!
Wow! When a book starts off with amnesia, anything could happen! Not knowing what is real or not, Lunara wakes up to a world she's not sure she recognises or remembers.
I was intrigued where the story would go from the get go and it didn't disappoint! Meeting Victor, the date then Justin the boss and further on, Derek the therapist. All with a part to play, alongside her father although not as much about him.
I like how the psychological aspect plays with your own mind, not knowing who to trust in Lu's world, who is there to help and who is there to hinder.
Clever writing and it definitely gets you thinking! Would love to see this in a film adaptation, would be so good!
The twists and turns were definitely 4 stars! I found myself thinking “what is going on?!” many times. I liked the story being patched up as it went, from different time frames. The only reason it is 3 stars is because the actual writing & language felt off, like not how people actually talk. Some storylines also jumped ahead too quickly. Overall, great book if you like mystery/thrillers!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What in the holy psychological thriller did I just read? There were times I was questioning my own sanity reading this book. I knew Jus was the culprit, but then mid way I started thinking she really was just crazy. This was a horror story that I was not sure what I was getting into. But it still sucked me in. There was one issue in the story where there was some redundancy in two separate paragraphs but I really liked this book.
I’m not entirely sure what I’ve just read! Since finishing this book, I’ve had to sit quietly and process everything I’ve read over the last three days, asking myself… was any of it real?
Be prepared for this one to challenge everything you think you know.
The story begins with a young woman waking up strapped to a bed with no memory. She has no idea who she is, how she got there, or—most importantly—why she’s there.
The narrative then shifts back to her life before the memory loss, following her through work, relationships, and the way she views herself compared with how others see her. She keeps people at arm’s length, finding comfort in books rather than people, so when she crosses paths with her boss’s boss, she doesn’t recognise the attraction developing between them.
Lora Fray creates an unsettling atmosphere from the very beginning, and the unreliable narration means you’re constantly questioning what’s real, who can be trusted, and whether the memories you’re being shown are genuine. Themes of identity, obsession, manipulation and control run throughout the story, making it far more than a straightforward psychological thriller.
This is psychological suspense at its best. My advice? Concentrate, question every assumption, and don’t trust your own thoughts! I was absolutely convinced I’d solved it… I couldn’t have been more wrong. 😂
It’s easy to see why so many readers have described this as mind-bending, twisty and impossible to predict. The ending leaves plenty to think about and had me replaying the entire story in my mind long after I’d turned the final page.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators, dark relationships, clever twists and stories that leave you questioning reality, Morning Star is one to add to your TBR.
Thank you Lora Fray for the advanced copy of your book via Booksprout.
Peculiar, sinister, mind-altering
Luna wakes up strapped to a hospital bed, dazed and confused. Her memory is gone, having no recollection of who she is and the man standing aside her, as they claim to be her husband after a recent accident. Lunas memory is splintered into a million pieces, life shattered into a disarray. The lies being funneled seem so truthful and genuine jumbled into the blurred sight of whats reality and what's an endless illusioned nightmare. Paranoia and obsession are heightened, darkness is being consumed. Is Lunas life at stake? Are the people around her trustworthy? The tangled web is weeving in every direction. Luna is loosing sight of herself.
"He was clouding my vision. Hypnotising me."
This book was absolutely mind blowing and jaw dropping! My mind was racing from start to finish, just when you think you've pieced everything together, another twist is thrown your way! The psychological elements made you feel like you were there standing aside Luna. The intensity of her innermost thoughts, enraged emotion, confusion and unsettling fear had such a powerful impact trying to get through the labyrinth of chaos. Sometimes the person you love, is your own worst enemy even when you think you need them the most.
Morning Star by Lora Fray completely surprised me in the best way. What starts off feeling like an emotional amnesia story slowly turns into a dark psychological thriller that genuinely keeps you questioning everything.
Luna wakes up after an accident with no memory, and the only person she can rely on is her husband, Justin. He’s protective, devoted, and impossible to fully figure out. The deeper Luna digs into her memories and reality, the more unsettling the story becomes.
The atmosphere of this book was easily my favorite part. It’s tense, emotional, eerie, and addictive without trying too hard. Justin is written so well because you never fully know whether he’s a source of comfort or danger, and that constant uncertainty makes the story impossible to put down.
This book leans much more psychological thriller than traditional romance. It explores obsession, memory, control, identity, and the blurred line between love and possession in such an unsettling way.
If you love:
• psychological thrillers • unreliable narrators • morally grey characters • obsessive relationships • dark emotional tension • stories that keep you questioning everything
Morning Star by Lora Fray is a high octane emotional psychological thriller based on amnesia of a young woman who wakes to find no memory or the past few years of her life, and a man pretending to me her husband.
This suspicious story has more twists and turns as her memory starts to piece itself together and what she finds is scary, highly disturbing, emotional, full of fear and leaving you feeling like she’s alone, what you expect her to do as the story unfolds takes a dramatic 180 degree turnaround leaving you gobsmacked and hanging on by a hairs breathe.
What Author Lora Fray creates in these page, characters arcs, and world building is what you want from a highly complex, emotional and controversial storyline, she’s created a world where all your worse nightmares come to life, and puts you through the mill, and scratches the surface of your worse nightmares and fears come to life.
This storyline is beyond a 5-star novel by current standards and stories like this is what a psychological thriller and horror story is all about, and if any book deserves to be recreated as a movie it would be this one.
5-stars to Lora Fray, Author and Writer and someone who I will be watching closely for future novels.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Morning Star by Lora Fray is an absolutely gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked from the very first page to the final twist. This is one of those rare books that completely pulls you into its world and refuses to let go. The story follows a woman who wakes up with no memory, and from that moment on, the tension never lets up. The pacing is flawless every chapter reveals just enough to keep you guessing while raising even more questions. Just when you think you’ve figured things out, it had me asking more questions. What really stands out is the emotional depth. The confusion, fear, and paranoia the main character experiences feel incredibly real, making it easy to connect with her journey. The themes of memory, identity, and trust are explored in a way that is both chilling and thought-provoking. The twists are masterfully done genuinely surprising without feeling forced and the ending is powerful, satisfying, and unforgettable. This is psychological suspense at its finest. If you love dark, twisty thrillers that mess with your mind and keep you guessing until the very end, this book is a must-read. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from Lora Fray!
Emotional whiplash? Addictive mystery? Twists that leave you questioning not only the characters but your own instincts? This unhinged psychologically haunting read laced with paranormal undertones, where every revelation felt like another step into the abyss was phenomenal!!
Justin our (MC) walks a fine line between charming protector and dangerous obsession with his savior complex bleeding into something far more sinister. Luna (FMC) is equally compelling, a fractured soul shaped by a traumatic childhood, torn between desperate naivety, and compulsive tendencies. Their relationship is toxic, obsessive, and impossible to look away from, blurring the line between devotion and destruction. The mysterious plot is layered so deeply that every answer only birthed another question, proving the side characters are far more than background noise. They moved like ghosts through the story, their true purpose hidden in plain sight until the pieces clicked together in the most shocking ways.
This darker novella shattered every illusion for me. Leaving me utterly flabbergasted…that I’m still replaying every clue I thought I understood.
The most dangerous thing Morning Star did wasn’t making me fear the thriller. It was making me forget it was one.
I found myself falling asleep with my Kindle in my hands and waking up reaching for it before doing anything else. The more I read, the more emotionally invested I became. I wasn’t just reading the story anymore… I was living it.
Some books make you wonder what will happen next. Morning Star made me afraid of what could happen next, because by then I cared too much.
This book kept me anxious and on the edge of my seat until the very last page. Every time I thought I had figured something out, it surprised me again.
And then it ended.
I couldn’t sleep. I woke up still thinking about the story, missing the characters and wishing I could spend just a little more time with them. I wanted answers, but when they finally came, I still wasn’t ready to let go.
My first thoughts were:
“How am I supposed to sleep now?”
And then…
“What am I supposed to do with my life now?”
I loved every single minute of this reading experience.
Some books end on the last page. Morning Star didn’t.
Thank you so much Lora for sending me a copy of this brilliant book!
This book is unhinged but in the most fantastic way, I’m going to need 3-5 business days to get over this, just when I thought I had my head around it I was wrong!
It is a suspenseful psychological thriller that keeps you engaged, guessing and needing to know what is reality and what isn’t. After waking up not remembering her life we are taken on twits and turns through different times to try and piece the story together.
I was hooked from the first chapter all the way through to the final pages. The writing and pacing is fantastic! Drip feeding you just enough to keep you griped and needing to know more.
Solid 4.5⭐️ will definitely want to read more by Lora Fray in the future. A must read for everyone who loves psychological thrillers.
What did I just read? Wow! I don't even know where to start! Morning Star is not another psychological thriller- it's a story that will keep you awake, will make you turn pages late at night and will make you question everything. The story is full of twists that kept me really engaged and eager to read more. The FMC's story and life experience is something that really made me question what's in her mind. But is it her though? Or is there something else? Reading the book I cannot stop thinkg of what can obsession do to a person? And how far can someone go for power, control, possession? The characters, the setting and the whole story is absolutely amazing. And the ending? Mind blowing! I honestly can't recommend this book highly enough! Be prepared to read something that is completely unique, different and so powerful.
I want to thank the author for writing this twisty psychological thriller. This book had me questioning my sanity and whether I was remembering what I just read correctly or not. Chapter 5 was a doozy! Like 100 pages! It was wild but it builds up Jus & Lu’s love story. Chapter 6 and on is where you question everything including your own sanity. If you like an unreliable narrator, psychological thriller that has you questioning everything that’s happening, you’ll love this story as much as I did! I thought I had worked out a few things but as everything unravels I’m like omg I did not remember that, what the heck?!?! It was a great story and had he hooked from the beginning!
Those last 100 pages! Incredible! 6 stars, my mouth was hanging open.
Start to finish I actually loved the plot, and for once, I had no idea what was gunna happen, which is rare for me, with a few tweaks it’ll be a 5 star read for sure.
The first 4 chapters, were confusing, and felt in the wrong place, chapter 5 being the beginning made more sense, the first 4 weren’t needed.
Some chapters were confusing trying to gage the timeframe without gage or hint. Some kind of indication of if we’re in the present/past etc would get you into the mind frame of the chapter much quick instead of trying to figure it out as you read.
Chapter length was erratic they were either 140 pages or 3.
Sometimes his section brought more answers than questions.
Overall great plot, epic final 100 pages, if the first 4 chapters were gone and the chapters had a heading of timeframe, this would be 5 star no doubt.
First off, I hadn't put this book down in the past 3 days.
What would you do if you woke up in a hospital with amnesia. No memory of how you got their or even who you were? Just blindly trusting the people around you. And what they were saying was the truth. That your doctor was your doctor or even your husband was your husband. Would you blindly trust the people that are closest to you?
With that being said it took me till the end of the book to figure out the whole truth. This book had it's twists and turns to keep you on your toe. Second guessing everything. I still am shocked by the ending.
It started off with a really strong story and had me hooked straight away. Then it quickly shifted into the main character losing her memory, and I found myself getting a bit lost about what was actually happening. Even so, I was invested enough that I had to keep reading to find out how it ended.
Then that twist at the end... OMG! It completely caught me off guard. I'm still wondering whether she actually survived or not. It definitely left me thinking after I finished.
Overall, even though I found parts of it confusing which I think was meant to happen?! , the ending made it worthwhile and kept me guessing until the very last page.
I went into this book with no idea what to expect, and I'm glad I did. The opening chapters left me a little confused, and an early lengthy chapter was initially difficult to get through because I couldn't see where the story was heading. However, as the story unfolded, a growing sense of intrigue kept me reading. By the final act, the pieces came together in a way that made the earlier chapters feel purposeful, and I found the ending both satisfying and memorable. A rewarding read that I suspect will stay with me for some time.
While some parts took me a little time to connect with, the payoff was absolutely worth it, and I was glad I stayed with the story.
Well, that didn't go as I expected. I just knew it was going one way, and then all of a sudden, everything I thought was definitely not it. Morning Star was a tantalizing, invigorating, suspenseful physical thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. There was just enough romance to not take away from the suspense and plot. I would recommend anyone who enjoys a mind twisted to pick this book up.
Wow… not only was this book Amazing but the author is so kind as well. This book isn’t available in my country yet and she sent me a free copy. I 100% think that this book should be read by anybody interested in psychology. I am so appreciative of Lora for writing this and the symbolism in this inspired me to write four poems. it’s written beautifully and the story is insane. I definitely recommend this! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would!
This book will make you think. I did enjoy the eerie atmosphere the author created. Throughout the book the book you will be questioning what you read. It gives you a disorienting feel while reading. Some of the chapters were a bit confusing and it took me a little to get into but the last quarter of the book made up for it. If you enjoy twisty psychological thrillers, I would be sure to check this out. I want to thank the author for reaching out to give me the opportunity to read this ARC.
Okay so this book would also make an incredible movie!
Honestly at the beginning i felt like i wasn’t getting into it. But i still kept reading and i don’t regret it at all !
Usually i’m really good at guessing how it’s going to end, but here i was totally lost until the very end! I kept trying to figure it out but it kept showing me it wasn’t it.
Such an amazing read. Thank you to Lora for reaching to me and making me discover your incredible work 🫶🏻
I thought Morning Star was suspenseful and definitely a page-turner. The characters were complex, and I liked how the story kept me questioning who I could trust and what was actually true. Her memories kept me interested and wanting to find out what was going to happen next. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers with dark secrets, twists.
This was a good read. It moved just a little slow for me in the beginning. Once I was invested, there was no turning back. I didn’t know what this book was about and it definitely kept me guessing. The letter was emotional for me. IYKYK. But that ending?!! What???
MorningStar is eerie, twisty, and deliciously disorienting — the kind of psychological thriller that makes you side‑eye every character and doubt every memory. Absolutely a 5‑star read. This is a YES!! Immediately add to your TBR!
There’s something mysterious about the unreliable narrator trope. I really liked this story. Secrets and memories that can’t be recalled, there’s a lot going on with this storyline and especially the main female character. Really good suspense too.
This was a good book and the plot and characters were phenominal!! The only trouble I had was it all got a bit confusing. It kept me on my toes and always wondering what exactly was going on and what was going to happen!! Overall great read!
I rated this book 3.75 stars. It took me a while to get into the story since it bounced around a lot. But when it picked up, it threw me for a loop. The ending was all kinds of messed up!!!