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Trespassing

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In a novel of mounting psychological suspense, a young mother follows a dangerous path to find her missing husband.

Veronica Cavanaugh’s grasp on the world is slipping. Her latest round of fertility treatments not only failed but left her on edge and unbalanced. And her three-year-old daughter, Elizabella, has a new imaginary friend, who seems much more devilish than playful. So when Veronica’s husband fails to return home from a business trip, what’s left of her stability begins to crumble.

Given her family’s history of mental illness, and Elizabella’s insistence that her daddy is dead, Veronica starts questioning herself. Every move she makes is now suspect. Worse still, Veronica is positive that someone wants her and her daughter dead, too—unless it’s all in her mind…

Somewhere beneath her paranoia is the answer to her husband’s vanishing. To find it, she’s led to a house in the Florida Keys. But once there, she isn’t sure she wants to know the truth.

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2018

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Brandi Reeds

7 books225 followers

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,281 reviews
Profile Image for BernLuvsBooks .
1,101 reviews5,148 followers
January 21, 2019
What a suspenseful, psychological thriller!

Trespassing by Brandi Reeds was definitely not what I expected going into it! I honestly couldn't turn the pages fast enough as my mind raced with what-ifs only to be proven wrong, time & time again.

"I wish they understood that no one in her right mind would choose to go through what I’m going through."

In Trespassing we meet Veronica, a mom to 3 year old Bella who is struggling to get pregnant again via IVF. When we first meet Veronica & Bella they are at an appt with their family therapist. Bella has developed an "imaginary" friend, Nini, who resides in a strand of her hair and tells her things. Veronica, whose mom suffered from schizophrenia is very concerned about her daughter's mental well being.

At the onset, things were creepy with Bella and Nini. When Veronica's husband, Micah, goes missing it seems as if Bella knew things before they happened. Of course, the police suspect Veronica and given her family's mental health history we are in for a ride as even she begins to question her self and her own sanity. Should she listen to Bella? Might she actually know something? Or are her words the ramblings of a little girl with an overactive imagination?

"A pause. Static. A whisper: “Veronica.” I can’t identify the voice. “Who’s calling?” I say again. “Listen to your daughter.”

The book really kept me guessing as to what was "really" going on. There was a gradual reveal that I honestly did not have all figured out. I figured out bits & pieces but not everything. Though I felt like the ending didn't really tie up all the loose ends - it fit within the story line and made sense.

Veronica being the narrator was definitely what kept me reading. Her history, her anxiety, the lies, the insecurity & feelings of paranoia - they all worked well to keep me turning the pages.
Profile Image for Carrie.
3,557 reviews1,693 followers
March 29, 2018
Trespassing by Brandi Reeds is a novel of psychological suspense in which readers start off meeting Veronica Cavanaugh, a young mother who is in the midst of fertility treatments while dealing with her precocious three year old. Veronica feels that she and her husband have the perfect marriage with the one exception of having such difficulty getting pregnant.

Veronica begins to worry about her daughter, Elizabella, when it seems she has conjured an imaginary playmate and with mental illness in the family history it is a bit concerning. The doctors however reassure Veronica this is absolutely normal but Veronica isn’t quite convinced when her daughter begins telling everyone Nini said her father is now in God land.

Since her husband is a private pilot and has just left on a trip to New York with a client Veronica begins to worry when she doesn’t hear from him like normal and when he doesn’t come home at all when planned she calls in the police. As the investigation into the disappearance goes on of course Veronica as the wife becomes a suspect but all she wanted was for her husband to return home, that is until the secrets and lies begin to unravel.

Picking up Trespassing I was honestly getting a little worried after seeing several mention that this one was slow moving and anyone that knows me knows I lose patience pretty quickly. When finished however I wonder if I read the same book as those that mentioned slowness because I was never once bored with this one and thought the drama unfolded at a steady pace and it kept my attention quite easily. The description of a novel of mounting psychological suspense was quite perfect as at each turn of a page it seemed to go deeper and deeper in intensity.

It’s pretty apparent that I enjoyed the suspense and following along with the plot in this one but what also won me completely over was when it headed to Key West. I’ve actually been there and I felt like I was walking right along with them and taking in the sights yet again so I loved that setting. I also loved having the focus around a little girl and her imaginary friend and the questions that came along with that. So when you bundle all of this together I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and found this one rather exciting myself.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Profile Image for MarilynW.
1,891 reviews4,384 followers
March 30, 2018
Veronica is dealing with infertility, treatments, a husband who is normally gone a lot and is now missing, a handful of a 3 year old precocious daughter, worries that she and/or her daughter may have inherited her mother's schizophrenia, her daughter's imaginary playmate, and a myriad of other problems. With too much on her plate, Veronica and her world, are falling apart. Then along comes a police investigation into her missing husband and shadowy figures that seem to be stalking her and Veronica feels like she has nowhere to turn for help during a time when her life may be in danger. If her missing husband is dead, the police consider her a prime suspect in his disappearance and/or murder.

From the start of the book, Veronica is not a happy person and it was hard to feel invested in all her wants and needs. But then I began to understand where her sense of unfulfillment, frustration, and fear of going crazy, was coming from. Her mostly absentee husband didn't really seem to be very understanding of her feelings, when we meet him, she has been isolated from former friends, never really got to make more than one friend in her new home, and has no family of her own. Even her husband's family is overseas and when in the states, she only has contact with her mother-in-law.

I began to feel her paranoia...her fear of the things her daughter was spouting, the fear that the investigative officers were zeroing in on her for the disappearance of her husband, and/or insinuating that she knew more than she was telling about where he was and his activities. When she knows she is being followed, she escapes with her daughter to a new location and this seems to land her in even more hot water and her safety becomes even more elusive. Can she trust anyone? Can she trust her fragile mind and memories? Has anything about her relationships and life been real? I could not put this book down until the end...it is very much worth reading.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Profile Image for Linda.
1,652 reviews1,703 followers
July 7, 2018
Rockabye Baby......

It chimes on Veronica Cavanaugh's phone to signal that the fertility clinic has news. Good, bad, or still pending. Veronica and her husband, Micah, are joined at the hip in their determination to conceive another child. Their three year old daughter, Elizabella, is proof that the treatments work. It's just a matter of time.

But time doesn't seem to play out right for Veronica. Her pilot husband left days ago on a routine flight to New York City and hasn't been in contact with her. With raging hormones and an extremely bossy three year old, Veronica grabs that phone and starts making calls. Her first call is to her mother-in-law, Shell, who is vacationing in Europe. No contact with her son. Her next phone call is to the corporation that Micah flies for after leaving United. What she's being told would make any wife's hair catch on fire. Something is seriously, seriously wrong here.

Brandi Reeds presents a story lined with a burning nightmare spreading far and wide. It will certainly make any spouse sit up and listen. She has set Veronica down in the midst of a new neighborhood outside of Chicago with no friends or contacts. Veronica has no family of her own and there is a heavy backstory about how her unstable mother died. There's plenty of woo-woo in the air with our girl doubting her own sanity. Isolation does a number when you've got no one to bounce ideas and speculations off of. Even the police are shoving a heaped up plate of guilt back at Veronica.

And wait until you meet darling little Bella. You'll be poppin' antacids like bar peanuts. She'll work even beyond your last nerve. Trespassing is designed to roughen the edges and make you wonder just how far humans will go to get what they want. A lot of threads to be tied at the end, but certainly a worthy page turner. Stress from within and stress from without......
Profile Image for Andrew Langert.
Author 1 book18 followers
March 10, 2018
The protagonist (Veronica Cavanaugh) is a young wife whose husband, a pilot, has gone missing. Did he die in a plane crash? Or was something more diabolical going on?
Despite the fact that the author introduced Veronica’s annoying 3-year-old daughter early on, the book started out fairly strong. But then Veronica starts constantly agonizing over her inability to bear additional children. She spends pages and pages questioning her own sanity as she undertakes an extended search to find out the truth about her husband.
But the plot drags. And drags. Finally, in the last 50 pages or so, the truth comes out in hurry, completing a tale so tall and complex that it cannot be believed. By the time I was assaulted with all the things that were really going on, I just wanted to get the book behind me.
Profile Image for Joey R..
369 reviews829 followers
May 3, 2018
1.5 Stars— “Trespassing” by Brandi Reeds was a Kindle First selection that I read based on the very good reviews it received on both Goodreads and Amazon. I really enjoyed the beginning of the novel as Veronica, the mother and main character, becomes worried after her 3 year old child develops a strange relationship with her imaginary friend, Nini. When Nini begins to predict some tragic events in Veronica’s family’s life and they end up coming true, the novel reaches its creepiest and highest point. Unfortunately, I should have stopped reading the book at that point because the novel soon begins unraveling and never recovers. Firstly, Veronica’s actions are so ridiculous and contrary to what any person would do in a similar situation that you have to completely suspend disbelief to continue reading. Secondly, the author’s lack of even basic knowledge of police procedures, surveillance, and investigations is so bad that you wonder if she even did basic research instead of just slapping down stuff she saw on TV. Finally, the climax of the novel is so far fetched and stupid that I kept wondering how it could get worse .. but it finds a way to do so. In order to avoid spoilers I won’t say what those are but the fight with the bad guys ...come on , the relative villain...shaking my head , the happily ever after ... too much. Sorry Ms . Reed .. preposterous is the only word that can be used to describe the last 250 pages of this one.
Profile Image for Paula W.
602 reviews94 followers
March 2, 2018
When I was more than halfway through the book sometime last night, there were a grand total of zero reviews for this book on Goodreads. I received this for free as my choice of Amazon First Reads for the month of March, so I went back to Amazon to see the reviews there. Total of two. A few more have trickled in since then, but I have never been one of the first people to review a book before. This is exciting and a bit scary.

In "Trespassing", Veronica and Micah are parents of a toddler and trying to have more children when Micah comes up missing. The spouse is always the top suspect, but Veronica knows nothing. Their toddler seems to know quite a bit, though, as told to her through her imaginary friend Nini.

This book is a new take on something done quite a bit in the psychological thriller genre. Veronica isn't an alcoholic like most of the others, thank goodness, but the idea that she might be unreliable is planted by herself for other reasons: she is exhausted and emotional after miscarrying twins and starting up IVF treatments again, her toddler's imaginary friend is too much to take because of the history of schizophrenia in her family, the police think she knows something she doesn't, and she's not sure if the paranoia she feels about someone following her is real or not.

There isn't really a big surprising twist at the end; it's more of a gradual reveal of things I found quite difficult to figure out on my own. I figured out some of it, but that didn't detract from how much I enjoyed the book. And I liked it enough to stay up most of the night reading until I finished it. It is fast-paced from beginning to end, and it is further proof that I am justified for not trusting anyone, including myself.

If you aren't able to get this through the Amazon First Reads program, expected publication date is April 1, 2018.
Profile Image for Diana.
508 reviews57 followers
March 23, 2018
Who doesn’t love a book where the narrator questions her own sanity? I personally LOVE such a book!

In Trespassing, we follow Veronica and her 3-year-old daughter, Elizabella. Veronica’s husband goes missing and then, seemingly, all hell breaks loose. Veronica begins to question what is real and what is not and to make things worse, Elizabella says the creepiest things!

I recommend this to all fans of suspense.
Profile Image for Kristin.
847 reviews11 followers
April 7, 2018
DNF

Not my cup of tea.

I found the plot boring. The characters weak (as in spineless) and unrealistic. Elizabella (...that name...*sigh*) was a spoiled brat and Veronica was so spineless she was letting her 3 year old run the show.

What drew me to this book was the character going for fertility treatments, as someone who also suffers from infertility and had to get treatments as well (though it was minor treatment, compared to IVF) I was kind of excited to read about a kindred spirit of sorts...but instead I was basically given a list of every symptom on the first page of Dr. Google. And even more disappointing, the character going through the treatments was a terrible person.

It feels odd to say this as an infertile, but the fertility stuff really took away from the story. Veronica was obsessed. Weirdly so. Like she needs serious therapy obsessed. Every other thought and word referenced her ovaries and eggs. If I wanted to read about that I'd go on Babycenter or crack open a medical/infertility book. Not to mention some of the terminology was wrong.

Normally, I love reading about women's journeys. I love cheering them on and being inspired by their strength. And when they finally get their greatest wish their happiness is infectious and gives you hope.

But I very was put off by Veronica frequently proclaiming she was essentially the "perfect" mom, and she and her husband were the *perfect* couple, and she *deserved* to be pregnant more than anyone else in the world. She constantly mom shames her neighbor for not having spoiled brats like her daughter and acted like she was the only woman in history who suffered through the heartbreak of infertility.

No wonder she has no friends, she's a bitch. I'm not knocking infertile women for being jealous, hurt, or negative... we infertiles have all been there at some point. But with Veronica it never ends. She hardly seems grateful to have her bratty daughter, something most women aren't even lucky enough to experience. She's negative from the first page through all the pages I glanced through until nearly the end. I can't feel sympathy or connect with someone that's so terrible and negative. It doesn't help Veronica is so focused on IVF and being jealous of everyone else with ovaries she barely has much of a personality to make up for it all.

Story wise-- I kinda get what the author was going for--maybe, I didn't read very far in--but the way it was presented took away from the story instead of adding to it.
Profile Image for PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps .
2,733 reviews251 followers
March 3, 2018
3.5 STARS

When Bella begins talking to her imaginary friend Nini, Veronica worries three-year-old Elizabella may have inherited her mother and grandmother’s schizophrenia. Bella predicts her father Micah’s death and then he disappears. Veronica discovers Micah has secrets, so many secrets. Then the police begin looking at her like a suspect in his presumed murder and she wonders if she’s the one who inherited the mental illness.

Brandi Reeds’ debut novel kept me interested and wondering what was **really** going on. Was Veronica mentally ill and if so, what was real and was a figment of her fractured mind? I never thought she was the culprit, unless perhaps she had another personality. The more paranoid she became, the less I trusted her sanity. I enjoyed Reeds’ writing and the pace of TRESPASSING.

Bella’s character wasn’t believable and for me to totally buy into the premise, I had to find her authentic. I’m not sure if Reeds has ever seen a three-year-old draw, but even the most artistic preschooler doesn’t hav the capacity draw in a way that the police would use those scribbles to identify suspects or as maps of a potential crime scene. Therapists can glean mood, potential trauma and other states of being from drawings at that age, but not complete suspect identifying information.

TRESPASSING reveals secrets incrementally. When I finally reached the end, I figured out the resolution, but it was satisfying nonetheless.
Profile Image for Kristi Cook.
Author 6 books956 followers
March 2, 2018
Best thriller I've read in a long time! I literally stayed up half the night so that I could finish it in one sitting. And unlike most thrillers, it wasn't too easy to figure out *and* the resolution was satisfying (and made sense).
Profile Image for Vicki Willis.
1,046 reviews80 followers
May 7, 2018
Wow, this book was a surprise to me. I got it from the Kindle First program so it wasn't one I had heard about prior to choosing it. I am so glad I picked it! It was impossible to put down and I read it in 2 days!
It is about a woman whose husband goes missing and she begins to question her sanity. She is overwhelmed with a young daughter, being in the midst of IVF treatments and more questions than answers. Of course, being the spouse she is being looked at closely and for good reason.
The book is fast paced with short chapters so it was easy to read late into the night. I liked the story and was able to guess a few things, but was still surprised at the ending. I thought the ending was perfect for this book in an imperfect way.
I definitely recommend this book and will be watching this author to see what else she writes.
4 reviews
March 18, 2018
Big dislike!

It's so rare for me to not finish a book, especially when I pay for it. I tried to pick it back up several times but I was so bored with the drawn out husband disappearance and that 3 year old was just such an annoying little brat that I finally decided I hated everything about it.
Profile Image for The Library of Thrills.
196 reviews33 followers
July 19, 2023



This was a good book! The plot and characters had me guessing the entire time I was reading, and I had no idea what would happen next. Brandi Reeds' thriller "Trespassing" doesn't skimp on story twists, and I had no way of guessing or figuring them all out, which is always a bonus in my book!
 
 
I loved how the author informed us about the main character's mother's past as well as her history of mental illness. Veronica's persistent dread of inheriting her mother's mental problems made me paranoid as well; I was constantly on edge, second-guessing her acts and mental state of mind. That definitely added to and helped with the story's slow pace, keeping it engaging and suspenseful.
 
 
The conclusion was something I didn't care for. It was not what I had hoped for or anticipated, and it somewhat disappointed me, but that is just my take on it; others may have a different one.
In general, this is a great book with a lot of drama and twists.
Profile Image for Madeline.
193 reviews27 followers
April 12, 2018
Be careful when making a cake! or maybe—-


Where in the World is MICAH????!



The author spent some time planning this story---sort of. I liked the mystery, the way Veronica’s life began to change when unexpected events took place, how she dealt with the blows.

The best part of the book for me was the adorable Bella, because of what she had to say and the way she interacted with her mommy. I loved the description of how she blew up her cheeks when angry, stuck out her lower lip and crossed her little arms. I loved the sloppy wet kisses she planted on her mother's cheek. I loved everything about this personable, creative three year old girl, even her tantums. I want one like her in my next life!

But the plot was over the top what with Veronica’s mother’s bizarre, violent story, her roommate, husband, and the children. The neighbor who wanted to be a friend seemed at first a silly caricature of an overbearing woman and although she became more human, still was not a very believable character. (To say nothing of how she could help Veronica day and night and still be able to take care of her own life.)

The many details of IVF were not very appetizing and seemed to go on throughout most of the book. A little of this kind of stuff can go a long way. It's a difficult subject to interject into a mystery story and I felt the reader did not need a course in what goes into this miserable, if sometimes magical procedure. I did not choose this book to read about sperm, eggs, blood, ad nauseum. I could pick up a medical book and read about the subject If I had the interest that the author expects the readers to have.

The side story of her ex-roommate, her friend and the boys, and another little girl appeared ridiculous to me, adding some unintended humor to all that was happening. And without giving any spoilers, --where there should have been grief, Veronica had only relief. It didn't seem to fit.

The story was overly wrought with Veronica’s racing memories of her horrible mother, mental problems both imagined and real, IVF treatment, and a too complicated ending. Yet it is easy to guess how everything will work out in the end. But there was some fun getting there, even though many of the complications began to get rather tedious.

I would advise the author to save some of her many ideas or ingredients, for her next books. When you mix a cake batter, you don't need to use every baking ingredient in the cabinet!

PS—Whatever did happen to Micah?



Profile Image for Kira FlowerChild.
737 reviews18 followers
March 11, 2018
This book has all the elements of a suspense thriller: Husband Micah disappears, wife Veronica finds out he has been hiding all kinds of things from her, both personal and financial, wife feels like she is being watched and at one point is certain she is being followed on the highway by another car. Not to mention the fact that Veronica's daughter, Elizabella (ugh! hate that name!), keeps talking about things that her invisible playmate "Nini" tells her - things the child could not possibly know, things Veronica cannot verify but which sound uncannily plausible.

However...as a reader, I rather felt like a teddy bear being dragged around carelessly by a small child Elizabella's age (three), no idea where things were going, getting metaphorically bumped and bruised and dusty. Veronica continually asks herself "Is Micah alive? If he is, why did he leave us? Where is he?" and variations of the same questions, with additional questions as she learns more and more about all the things Micah has hidden from her.



I have to say, by about page 350 or so I was tired of the whole thing and just wanted to get to the end which, by the way, was rather unsatisfactory, in my opinion. I sincerely hope this isn't a setup for a sequel because if it is, I won't be reading it. Even though the book comes in at just under 400 pages, it still was way too long for the material, with a lot of padding in the middle.
Profile Image for Elyssa.
41 reviews
April 2, 2018
I finish what I start

Spoiler alert: I gutted through it to see if at the very least the pieces would be artfully gutted together. The dialogue is cringeworthy. The overdone urban mom struggle is annoying. The weak attempt to make the protagonist doubt her own sanity made a mockery of mental illness and further casts an unrealistic and negative shadow over mental illness. The stereotyped “organic” neighbor is infuriating. The IVF struggles play too big of a role. This story is completely bogged down in unnecessary detail. The character development was cheesy and contrived. The money. My lord all the money. How lazy can you be as a writer. Can’t think of how a person might really behave? Chunk a wad of cash at them so they can just make easy decisions. Don’t bother with this book.
Profile Image for Wendy.
600 reviews43 followers
March 2, 2018
I do like books like this – A LOT. It nurtures suspicion to perfection by playing on a person’s anxiety, leading them head-first into an unknown they didn’t think was possible.

It takes several assured steps away from any run-of-the-mill ‘psychological domestic drama’, at least in my humble opinion. It didn’t miss a beat, especially when doubt and fear cast long shadows over our leading lady’s life. And her daughter’s imaginary friend is quite unsettling at times!

Given her familial history and the situation she finds herself floundering in she’s not even sure she can trust herself, let alone the people nudging their way into her life. Any existing question marks appear to multiply wildly, until the only thing she achieves is drawing further suspicion about her own integrity and it takes a while to gnaw away at the truth.

I’m glad I trusted my gut with this one, as I found myself effortlessly and intensely gripped by it. This is certainly an author whose work I’d be more than happy to read again in future.
Profile Image for Bedelia .
Author 0 books107 followers
April 23, 2018
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ i received this book through Amazon first reads and had it not been free, I would have GLADLY purchased it! I have seen reviews saying this is a slow burn but for me it was much different. I read it in one day and could not put it down! It’s hard to believe this is the authors debut psychological thriller. While this is not a huge shock and awe conclusion, it is every bit as satisfying and kept me glued to the pages. Loved this book so much and will definitely look for more from this author!
Profile Image for Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*.
2,959 reviews1,192 followers
September 3, 2019
“Not everything is fixable. Sometimes life just sucks, and there’s nothing to do but cope—and coping is hard work.”

Veronica Cavanaugh has it pretty rough. She’s emotional and distraught over fertility treatments that failing, overwhelmed by her attention-seeking and difficult three-year old daughter, and in the middle of an investigation where her husband has gone missing without a trace. It doesn’t help that her sanity may also be pulling the disappearing act…

This one had so many twists and turns it was half book, half maze. There were so many twists it was impossible to for someone to guess everything - really, mystery buffs, you won't be able to. Really.

There are so many questions to solve in the middle of reading this riddle: Is hubby a victim, a womanizer, a bad guy, a thief, …...if you make up your mind on any of this, it will be changed yet again.

The main character was a bit surreal in the head thanks to her history, but I liked her. I love narration that’s a bit unbalanced because of the protagonist’s headspace. Her family has a history of mental illness, which causes not only her to doubt her own impressions, but the police.

On the other hand her three year old drove me batty half the time. At least there was an intriguing twist with imaginary friends later on. Is the friend real, where is this coming from, should she listen to her daughter? The scenes even have the reader doubting what’s real and what’s not real.

The book was hard to put down and leaves off with a full-applause finale.
Profile Image for Chris Steeden.
489 reviews
May 2, 2018
The stress is palpable; you can feel it coming through the pages as three-year-old Elizabella (with her imaginary friend) has another tantrum and her mother, Veronica, is seemingly close to a breakdown as it is all becoming too much. Then a drip-by-drip approach is laid out as circumstances begin to unfold and Veronica’s life is turned upside-down. A missing husband, failed IVF, lies, deceit, paranoia, money and mental illness. Like Veronica, the reader is left wondering and trying to figure just what is going on. What is real and what is not. You question Veronica and she questions herself. ‘But is it possible that the delusions were mine? That I was the crazy one?’

OK, so it’s not a literary book that is going to be part of the school reading list in years to come but as a beach / weekend read you can’t go far wrong. I am useless at figuring out these types of books which is actually a good thing for me as it keeps me guessing and wanting to come back for more. Very enjoyable it is too. It is one of those books where you keep thinking back to past scenes to try and remember how they played out to try and figure out where people were at the time of certain conversations. You try and piece together the reality with what you have been given. 60% of the way through I think I got it. Wrong.

It is a little convoluted at the end though and, for me, a bit of a let-down.
Profile Image for Darcia Helle.
Author 30 books735 followers
March 21, 2018
Trespassing is an eerie, surprising, slow burn that kept me reading even while my eyes were begging to close.

Early on, I worried this would be a storyline of which I've grown weary, with a naive woman duped by her lying and controlling husband. But this story takes us to totally unexpected places, and it's not at all a rehashed version of the stereotypical duped housewife.

The writing is exceptional. I felt the emotional pull; the confusion, the anxiety, the fear. Because Veronica is narrating, her confusion becomes our confusion. Not all readers will like this method, but I'm a huge fan. Along with Veronica, I felt I was on the edge of a psychological break.

The plot is well laid out and kept me on edge. The twists had me wonderfully off balance throughout.

This story tackles the heartbreaking issue of infertility with incredible compassion and respect. We also explore the complex and interwoven issues of love, trust, and deceit. And we wonder, along with Veronica, if, somewhere along the way, we lost touch with reality.

Definitely a book I'll remember!

Profile Image for Terrie.
1,047 reviews31 followers
March 9, 2018
A quick, standard read. I keep trying these types of books and am mostly disappointed. There's TOO much "woe is me", "am I going crazy", "what if.....???" I don't like the constant repetition that I'm sure is supposed to reflect the confusion or fear or something of the character, but I just find it off-putting. So while some may like this type of character, it's not for me. The little girl seemed pretty together for a 3 year old....more so than the mom sometimes.
Profile Image for Lauren.
1,029 reviews108 followers
April 9, 2018
I'm currently giving away a copy of TRESPASSING here. US only!

Does anyone else think that thrillers this year just keep getting better and better? Honestly, I think each one I read is better than the last, and Brandi Reeds's Trespassing only proves this further in my opinion.

Trespassing is not good, not great, but EXCELLENT! I made the fatal mistake of starting this at 10 pm at night. Silly me...I thought I could read a couple of chapters and put it down for the night, but of course that's not what ended up happening. Before I knew it 3 am rolled around and I had read Trespassing from start to finish without taking a single breather. Was I tired the next day? Yes. Did I end up sleeping in way longer than I had anticipated? Yes. But was it worth it? OF COURSE!

At first, I was worried this was going to turn into Baby Teeth #2 due to Veronica's struggles with her daughter Elizabella. Luckily, that wasn't the case. Trespassing is its own thrilling story. From the first page, everything is a whirlwind. Brandi quickly sets the scene, introduces the major players and then dives right into the mystery of Veronica's husband's disappearance. What made me especially happy with this was that the action and twists didn't mean that character and plot development suffered one bit; instead, Trespassing was a well developed novel. The disappearance storyline was my favorite part. There were so many layers to it, and every twist and turn had me fully shook. I don't think I've been this frightened from a book in a long, long time, and even though I had to leave the lights on and double check that my doors were locked, I couldn't get enough of it.

Additionally, I came to love Veronica as the book progressed. When Veronica's first introduced she's incredibly naive. She never questioned her husband on their bank accounts, their property, and his job, and now she's paying the price. Suddenly, everything in their world is turned upside down, and what she thought was a idyllic life is anything but that.

One part of me couldn't believe that Veronica didn't demand to know more, but another part of me could understand why she could've become so complacent over the years. She put her focus on Elizabella and getting pregnant again, trusting and loving her husband enough to take care of them and make the right choices. As the book progressed, Veronica took control of her life, and I couldn't have been happier. Suddenly, she was taking names and starting her own investigation of sorts. She gained courage as well as fearlessness. I also appreciated that Brandi included Veronica's struggles with IVF. I fell like it's a topic that no one seems to want to talk about; however, that's not the case here. Veronica many ups and downs are a central part of the novel, and it was eye-opening. My heart broke for her. I couldn't even begin to imagine going through something that was so uncontrollable, so uncertain.

Besides Veronica Brandi also introduces several other key players. Elizabella, for one, was an interesting little girl. There were so many times at which I didn't understand what was going on with her. She spoke with such certainty of what her imaginary friend was telling her. Like Veronica, I began to wonder if ghosts were a possibility. The sweet neighbor of Veronica's in Florida was also a high point. I couldn't get enough of him, and I loved that he brought lightness and fun to Veronica's life.

Overall, Trespassing is suspenseful and wonderfully crafted thriller. This may be Brandi's first foray into adult psychological thrillers, but I certainly hope it won't be her last.

*ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Profile Image for Jay.
15 reviews
March 7, 2018
I couldn't put the book down for the first half but then it just dragged and I stopped caring. I flipped to the end and half read. I feel awful saying that because the first half was so good. Just by the 50% mark I was like OMG enough already what happened???
Profile Image for Courtney (caffeinereadrepeat).
417 reviews134 followers
February 26, 2022
Canoodling Bamboozlement! 😳😯🤯

Holy Hannah! This was what a true psychological thriller should be and is! 😳 I couldn't put this down - my fingers couldn't swipe fast enough - my eyes desperately trying to keep up. Veronica is married to her husband who's a pilot, Micah. They have a lovely daughter, Elizabella who is three, & recently invented an imaginary friend, Nina, who is less playful and more mischievous and dark constantly feeding information to Elizabella that's dark and sinister. After a trip Micah takes, he fails to return home & an even more unstable Veronica begins to come apart. Veronica has a history of mental illness in her family & also suffering from failed IVF treatments. Adding to this, Elizabella keeps insisting that "Nina" is adamant their daddy has died. Things start happening, making Veronica question and doubt herself, her safety & her family more than ever. Already on shaky ground, to get through this paranoia could be the answer to where and what's happened to Micah. The question is, can she handle the truth? & more so, does she want to. Holy Fluff Balls! That ending was an unwrapping of delish chocolate that you didn't know you wanted, unbelievable, & heart stopping! Makes you question yourself, what you're reading & best of all, fast paced & non-stop!

I give this 4.5 / 5 snowflakes! ❄️
Profile Image for Sagar.
45 reviews43 followers
July 30, 2018
Trespassing started off really well and 70% of it was really interesting. I felt the ending was moderate for such a start.

There are still voices in my head seeking answers and jumping to conclusions just like Veronica.
Profile Image for Pretty Peony Reads.
398 reviews36 followers
May 23, 2018
I didn’t know what to expect going into this book. The beginning really hooked me, so I couldn’t put the book down. I finished this book in one day. I don’t normally read thrillers, but I seem to somehow really get into them.

This story started out with a mother and her three-year-old daughter. The daughter talks to an invisible friend and tells her mother about something that is about to happen. The mother then is taken through a whirlwind of events where she decides to take the situation into her own hands and eventually learns the truth.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the suspense. Every chapter contained some excitement and questions I wanted answers to. The characters seemed real and the little girl was adorable. What I didn’t like so much was the mom’s constant insistent on having another baby. She could barely take care of her little girl, so it didn’t make sense to want another one. Another thing that didn’t make a lot of sense was when the mom left her home and went to the other home. If she was under investigation, I think leaving home would make it suspicious. I’m surprised the detective didn’t take her in for that or at least put her under house arrest.

Overall, it was an excellent read. I haven’t read a really good book where I would be excited enough to finish it in one day but this one did it. Well done.

Note: I won this book in a giveaway, but the opinion is solely my own.
Profile Image for Beverly Duffy.
312 reviews12 followers
January 30, 2019
i was pleasantly surprised with this one. I couldn’t put it down. I thought I figured it out and was surprised I was totally off. Really enjoyed this quick read!
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