La mujer que tú quieras

by Carrie Blake

Una historia de amor intensa y adictiva.

Nunca sabes la razón secreta que hay tras lo que parecer estar sucediendo. Y si la averiguas, suele ser más siniestra de lo que podrías haber imaginado.

Para Isabel Archer, las citas son una manera más de matar el tiempo en una vida anodina pero cómoda. Siempre quiso ser actriz, pero no es una mujer perseverante. Así que ha decidido desarrollar sus dotes interpretativas en los encuentros con hombres desconocidos: adopta el papel de la mujer ideal y perfecta con cada uno de ellos, adivinando, gracias a su poderosa empatía, qué es lo que el hombre que tiene en frente espera de ella. Es un juego inocente en el que no busca hacer daño, tan solo pasar el rato. Al día siguiente, borra su perfil en las redes y adopta uno diferente. Hasta que se encuentra con Mathew.

Porque Mathew también disfruta jugando. Pero solo el juego que él diseña y planea, en el que tiene siempre las cartas ganadoras, un juego del que él siempre sale indemne.

Genres: Fiction, Adult

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2018

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The blurb for this book is misleading. This is not a suspense thriller but thinly veiled erotica. And not even enjoyable erotica. This book is disturbing and not my cup of tea at all.

Isobel is a failing actress and bored with her life. She works at a mattress store and has a creepy boss. She starts to use Tinder and other dating apps as a way to fight boredom. She goes out with man after man, using her acting skills to pretend to be his perfect woman then deleting the contact after one date. It makes her feel powerful. Until she meets Matthew. Matthew is a man with bad past. He's done some things that he isn't proud of, and spent years pretty much failing at life. Then he met Val....an actor and rich man who likes to play games. Matthew works for him and has been instructed to find a woman....a woman he can make do anything he asks. He finds Isobel. And the games begin.

I didn't like either of the main characters in this book. Isobel wants to feel powerful and like she has control over her life. But she falls for a man she knows is using her without any show of strength at all. He tells her to do things....and she does. She makes no attempt to sever the relationship or say no. Seems pretty weak and stupid to me. And Matthew.....he's completely lying and using this woman at the bidding of his sick, manipulative employer. For me, they both came off as vile, weak human beings. Ugh.

The plot for this story seems to be cheesy set ups for these two messed up people to almost have sex. Almost. Lots of weird foreplay and games.....it's all a giant mind-F.

The blurb used to describe this book has nothing to do with this story. There is no sinister plot....other than manipulation and sick mind games. There is no love story here. And this book is nowhere close to Dangerous Liaisons or a story that should be touted as "the most shocking thriller you'll read this year.''

This book disappointed me. The cover looked promising. The plot blurb sounded interesting. But, neither actually goes with the book. This was a waste of my time. I feel misled. Very disappointed.

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from HarperImpulse via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well I did say I wanted to read something different, after having read lots of missing children stories or I’ve just woken up from a coma story and thankfully this was different from what I expected!!

Isabell is a wannabe actress, after several failed auditions she ends up taking on a job selling mattresses. On a date she meets Mathew and rather than put on an act with him she reveals her true self.

Mathew’s boss wants him to have an accomplice to complete a task and seems to think Isabell would be perfect. Mathew is playing Isabell like a cat would with a mouse, but why? Whenever Mathew and Isabell are together there is a very strong sexual chemistry but Mathew is always in charge giving her little tasks to do to prove herself!!

This book definitely kept me guessing, loved the mixture of mystery mixed with erotica and yes I would read another of Carrie Blake’s books.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review

[Omaira · Rating 3 out of 5]

"No es una historia extraordinaria, de hecho, es tan extraña que ni siquiera podría decir que me ha gustado, pero tampoco sería sincera diciendo que no la he disfrutado nada. He leído con interés lo que iba ocurriendo entre los protagonistas y, aunque uno de ellos iba exasperándome cada vez más, sentía curiosidad por saber qué rumbo tomarían los acontecimientos. No me parece un libro previsible, pero deja una sensación agridulce porque quedan muchos interrogantes sin resolver y porque hay aspectos de la trama que están trabajados de manera muy pobre. Aún así, como me ha mantenido entretenida, pues no veo justo darle una valoración demasiado baja".

Reseña completa: https://entrelalecturayelcine.blogspo...

Probablemente, si existieran las medias estrellitas, le daría un 2,5/5, pero he decidido redondear al alza porque para mí la lectura ha sido amena a pesar de los aspectos mejorables que tiene la historia.

[Lectus · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story... the summary, it is all deceiving. The blurb made it sound like Isabel was this Gone Girl woman/character, but she really wasn't. She went out on a couple of dates and lied about who she was. In high school, she wouldn't say what she was thinking because she didn't want to hurt people's feelings. That didn't make her conniving or anything remotely exciting.

Then she met Matthew who turned out to be playing her. Obviously, Isabel falls in love with him and I just got annoyed when she was sad or crying over him. Aren't you supposed to be this femme fatale that play with men? So much for that. She fell for him on the first date.

The plot seemed just be an excuse to engage in heavy foreplay. Did they ever actually have sex? I don't know. I do know he taunted her and fingered her. After 50% I realized this book was just some mild erotica.

The story is told from two points of view: Isabel and Mathew, and I liked that.

There was not much sense on what was going on other than a vague plot that provided different cheesy scenarios to almost have sex.

Who was playing whom? Definitely not Isabel. And where was the thriller here? I guess that was me deciding if I should finish the damn book. What didn't he see coming? Because Isabel didn't live up to the premise of a bad girl.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this title.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Woman Before You by Carrie Blake
#NetGalley


Not quite thrilling.

This book was billed as a thriller, sort of a "gone girl" sort of story.

It is told from Isabel and Matthew's points of view.

I was expecting thrills and chills, instead I got a vibe of 50 shades.

The bulk of the book was sex.

I did not like either character and I did not feel anything between them other than sex and control or wanting control over the other person.

If I'd known this book was more smutty erotica than thriller I might have not been let down as much.

So that said, I give it 2 1/2****

Recommended for people who like smut over thrillers.

My thanks to the author and publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this e book.

[Nuria El Trastero Del Multiverso · Rating 2 out of 5]

No he podido conectar con nada de la historia .... ni trama... ni personajes....

Me enganchó mucho al principio y lo terminé rapidísimo, pero va a ser que no...

😱😅

[River Scott Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

You never know what secrets people are hiding.
Isabel: Beautiful. Talented. Bored.

Mathew: Mysterious. Handsome.

For Isabel Archer, dating is a way to pass the time in her otherwise comfortable life. She casts herself as the Perfect Girlfriend for every man she matches with, playing a different girl with a different back-story

Mathew likes playing games too. Only the games he wants to play are the kind you don't always walk away from.

i was very disappointed with this book, the book description says its the most shocking thriller you will read! " but that is a huge big lie" there is nothing shocking about this book it is not even a Thriller all this book is is about sex sex sex its like a 50 shades of grey book,, this book was dull boring and a big disappointment, the cover of the book is misleading the description of the book is misleading, if its a Thriller you want to read the this books is not for you, the story was okay but too much sex a lot of the time i wanted to give up on this book but i wanted to give it a chance but wish i stopped.. i hate giving a had review but i not like it when a book says its a Thriller when its not! thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of the book

[Cassie’s Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was a huge NO! The summary is not at what it’s about it was borderline erotica. Isobel is a struggling actress and bored with her life so when she meets Matthew at on a dating app after she sleeps with a bunch of men que fifty shades of grey and a bunch of sex games and she does whatever he asks it was just so ridiculous I wanted to throw up

[Lenna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Fue una completa agonía leer este libro, es que realmente ni entiendo como logré terminarlo.
Una historia que no tiene pies ni cabeza, con personajes exasperantes, sosos y a decir verdad bastante estúpidos 🙄 y un final que lo único que hace es confirmarte que es una historia que quisieras nunca haber leído 👎🏼

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

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As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. Review also found here on Booked J.

This was one of those books that I just couldn't get into. I found the plotline to be tedious and the synopsis to be exceptionally misleading. Which lead to disappointment and one unfinished read. There's marketing a book in-correctly, and then there's The Woman Before You. She's really not who you think she is.

While I DNF this book, there's a chance that one day I will come back to it once I'm in a different state of mind. Now that I know it's less of a thriller and more of an erotic story, I may be able to give it another go in the future and embrace it as it was meant to be. Until then, I have to admit that the publisher really did an injustice to Carrie Blake based on synopsis and promotion as it is.

I could possibly get behind the characters and their highly unlikable nature in the future, but for now? The Woman Before You was a massive miss.

[Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carrie Blake seems like a pseudonym for a man. The male characters and dialogue are much more fleshed out than the supposed protagonist. She is a lovesick pushover for a guy she barely knows just because he is handsome, but his sex appeal doesn’t come across on the page. I kept reading to see if something exciting would happen, but the climax and ending weren’t satisfying. The ending seems set up with a sequel in mind but I wouldn’t read it.

[Marsha · Rating 1 out of 5]

This novel is not match the description. Not a thriller at all. Cheesy erotica that I gave up on.
Thank you, netgalley, for the e-review edition of this book.

[Natalia Restrepo ♥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

No la pude ni terminar, ella hace todo lo que él le dice y me parece terrible...

[miss.mesmerized mesmerized · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isabel Archer is the typical girl from the Midwest. Having grown up only with her mother, she has high hopes and big plans for the time after school. She dreams of a career as an actress in New York, but soon finds herself rejected in every audition and due to lack of money selling mattresses. The only moment when she can still take over a role is when she dates men she finds on Tinder. When she meets Matthew, things change, she is immediately attracted by him and definitely wants more. Matthew, too, has some kind of liking for her, but first of all, his boss needs a woman to support him in the little jobs he does for him. Isabel could be the perfect partner for these strange little games. But soon not only Isabel has to asks herself who is playing games with whom.

Carrie Blake’s debut novel starts quite interestingly and I immediately could indulge in it. However, I quickly had the impression to find some kind of prop and cliché I had read many times before. Even though Isabel was described in the first chapters as a young, intelligent and aspiring woman, she then is reduced to the dumb girl waiting for the boy to call her. She loses all her independence and there is a huge lack of motivation for whatever. From the attractive woman she turns into a pretty facade with nothing behind it. Matthew however, is simply a handsome and ruthless man who is the marionette of his boss without any will of his own.

Thus, I was a bit disappointed in the two protagonists who tell the story alternatingly. The plot itself has variations of “How do I seduce her without having actual intercourse” which was a bit too much for my liking of a thriller. I missed the real thrill and suspense since most of what happens is quite foreseeable as it is based on just a few pieces of information.

All in all, I was quite deceived by it, since most of the plot seems to be a pretext for having the characters go to bed and it strongly reminded me of “50 Shades of Grey” in the setting and character make-up.

[buzy_reading · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Woman Before You is not who you think. Isabel aspired to become an actress in New York, but when her auditions had not succeeded in any callbacks Isabel began acting in life. She role-played with individuals she met online.

It’s not off to a good start. Isabel’s character turns every conversation into sex. She’s too nice, too gullible, and too trusting. I thought Isabel was pathetic. She claimed to be ambitious, yet went to a few auditions then quit. She’s a flat character with very little drive.

There is nothing remotely interesting about either character. I felt like I missed something significant in the exchange between Matthew and Isabel in the beginning. Upon meeting Matthew Isabel became sexually obsessed with him. She never questioned anything. She was willing to do anything sexual for him.
This storyline is subpar. The blurb led me in a completely different direction. I’m not sure how to process what this story is about. There were so many holes in the plot and the directional changes gave me whiplash.

Apparently, this is Carrie Blake’s first novel. I’m sorry to say that her writing style doesn’t match my reading style. I skimming the first 30% of the book then jumped to the last chapter to figure out what this game was. It was disappointing and anti-climatic learning the purpose of this game. I’m not even going to finish this book.

[Angela Mellor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The woman before you is definitely an erotic thriller than a psychological thriller as there was far more sex than I thought there would be, but to be honest this is the first book i've read where the blurb doesn't really belong to this book.
Isabel has moved to New York but has found that isn't as great as she thought it would be, she is in a dead end job and has no hope of realising her dream to become a great actress. Isabel has suffered abuse in her past so makes her perfect for Matthew and his boss. Isabel is I think made out to be a player as she adapts herself to what she thinks her date for the night would like her to be, so never revealing the true character she is intact a victim and although she is this I couldn't warm to this character at all. The book is split into alternate chapters of Isabel and Matthew leaving you wondering at the end of each chapter who is deceiving who?
The ending was a little weird and to be honest I didn't truly get it but I have rated this 3 stars due to it not really being like the blurb and my inability to like the two main characters.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A pawn in his play"

The Woman Before You is the first novel by Carrie Blake.
This is a wonderful 4 star Psychological Thriller that really hits you and gets your brain thinking all crazy scenarios.
Isabel and Matthew had a very unusual relationship one at times I felt very uncomfortable with.
Isabel was a very bright and intuitive young lady but all that went out the window when Matthew was around her.
Matthew was a handsome man who used his powers to get exactly what he wanted from Isabel.
Matthew was a great character and really brought out my emotions.
I wanted to like him but I just couldn't,there was always something stopping me from liking him.
This story definitely didn't disappoint me and I think you should buy it asap.
If you enjoy a novel that will keep you guessing and like the suspense and an intriguing storyline this book is for you.
I definitely can't wait to read more from this new author.
I'm voluntarily reviewing an advanced reader copy of this book given to me by Netgalley.

[Jane Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I disliked both protagonists in this chilling game playing thriller, I still kept turning the pages, carried on guessing what the endgame was and hated the controlling antagonist. The writing is good, and the characters are complex, the plot keeps it surprises even if they are not as earth-shattering as the blurb suggests.

Rather than a player, Isabel comes across as a victim. Abused at school and bullied, she doesn't tell and wants to be popular, so glosses over the abuse she suffers; if she doesn't think about it, it isn't real. Her New York life is a flop, in a dead-end job with the abuse she has already suffered she is perfect grooming material for Mathew and his boss.

Isabel and Matthew tell the story from alternative points of view, but who is honest and who is lying?
Based on control rather than love, the relationships are shallow and sinister. The ending is strange, in-keeping with the book's ethos. Questions remain, perhaps for a sequel?

I received a copy of this book from Harper Impulse via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Nichole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollinsUK for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Woman Before You
The most shocking thriller you’ll read this year. by Carrie Blake

That is a bold faced lie. Nothing about this book is a thriller let alone shocking. This is a light erotic story with abusive men preying on an 18/19 year girl who lost her father at a young age and is desperately seeking male approval.

I think this would be more successful if it was erotica and the author pushed those scenes up. The FMC, Isabel was very frustrating and unsure of herself and who she was. I found it interesting how quickly she fell into a situation she knew wasn’t right.

The men, Matthew & Val were beyond frustrating and selfish. It was tough to get past Matthew’s stupidity or willingness to avoid the truth.

At the end of the book I was very happy it was over. I didn’t care about anyone enough to want to know more I just wanted it to be over.

I highly recommend calling it what it is, and thriller is NOT it.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is listed as a thriller but should really be listed as a erotic psychological thriller. I wasn't expecting the erotica and sex in this book and while I didn't mind it, there was nothing about it in the description and could see why some people might not like it or would feel the book description and category is misleading. Isabel is a very weak personality character who finds herself meeting Matthew who is very dominant and they have this dominant and submissive relationship with each other. Matthew is originally doing this because his rich boss asked him to, the man likes to play games and manipulate people. While the characters and storyline didn't have a lot of depth I enjoyed the book but feel someone who doesn't like erotica wouldn't like this book since it is heavily written in the storyline in the book. My main issue with this book is the ending, which I feel came to a screeching hault and left me with a lot of unanswered questions. I received this book as an ARC from Net Galley.

[Nicola Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I agree with the reviewers before me, the blurb does not match the reading experience. I expected a very different book to the indulgent erotic fiction that unfolded. Additionally, the spelling of the male lead character’s forename on the blurb is Mathew and Matthew inside. He is a manipulating, controlling and coercive unpleasant person.

The story is narrated from the perspectives of the male and female protagonists in the form of alternating chapters.

This novel took me outside my comfort zone but I did read through to the end. A book randomly purchased and thrown in the trolley with my weekly supermarket shopping (books are better value than glossy magazines) but I’m sure the supermarket chain did not appreciate the deviancy within this novel that was sitting on their shelf not too far from the children’s books. The shock is not that this book’s content but the fact that the book is promoted as something it is not.

Books do open our minds - take us on adventures but this would not be a book nor a genre I would seek to repeat.

[Lizzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars because it was okay. Truer words...

The premise is we have Isabel, who is a bored, actress without an acting job, that works in a mattress store. Enter Matthew, the handsome, devilishly charming rascal whom she meets online. From the beginning, Isabel knows that Matthew is certainly playing some sort of game with her. At some point I stopped feeling sorry for her and realizing that she is bringing it upon herself. She keeps going along with it all and she KNOWS he is using her.

It was a very unsettling novel. But it wasn't a thriller or a mystery just unsettling. It was okay. I am not sure if I would recommend it to any of my reader friends. I did enjoy the back and forth points of view. I always tend to feel like I get more of the story, even though I know that is not true.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for a copy of this book.

[Ailsa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not what it said on the tin. Described as “the most shocking thriller you’ll read all year” this was really just a weird 50 Shades cast-off about an innocent Midwest girl who is seduced by a handsome older man who likes to make her take off her underwear in public (seriously, is that the kinkiest thing the author could think of? He gets her to do it like three times).

His boss is a crazy-rich property tycoon who wants to hear every sordid detail of their relationship and has “big plans” for her so I still read to the end to find out what these big plans could possibly be. Turns out they were disappointing and the ending was majorly anti-climatic. I’m quite surprised that this was published by HarperCollins who can usually be relied upon for good quality fiction, or at least to market their books to the right audience.

[Simonne Lambert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Isabel leaves Iowa to go to New York City to become an actress but after many failed auditions ends up working at Dr. Sleep selling mattresses. For fun she meets men on a dating app but she makes herself into a different person for each man she goes on a date with. She enjoys her game. And then she meets Matthew who has his own games to play. But his games are directed by someone else.

Mmm. Shocking thriller.....no. 50 Shades wannabe? Maybe. Really kind of boring sex scenes. Isabel is a wuss who does things at Matthew’s behest that I don’t think any normal person would. I was really fed up of the whole thing about half way through but kept reading to find out what the finale was. The writing is not bad but the book should not be touted as a thriller. ……………Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Irene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dull Isabel, a wannabe actress but can only find work selling mattresses, meets exciting Matthew on an online dating site. He has a hidden agenda but our "heroine" who suspects this carries on regardless. The title makes no sense as far as this story goes, nor does what happens match the blurb. It sounded like it would be a fantastic book but sadly it didn't quite come off. Nothing wrong with the writing and it was easy enough to get into, but it just wasn't what it was described as! I was given this ARC by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Debi Stout · Rating 1 out of 5]

Right away I will say that it is apparent this book doesn't match the synopsis provided. I thought it was going to be a psychological thriller or mystery, and it became apparent to me that it was more like erotica or something.

I’m sorry to say that Carrie Blake's writing style doesn’t match my reading style at all. I could barely keep reading this book to the point where I just didn't.

This was a DNF for me. Sorry.

I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my post.

[Fran Moreira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Las primeras páginas resultan atrayentes ya que la protagonista se empieza a hundir en un plan que parece burdo y degenerado a la primera, y piensas que durante las siguientes páginas vas a descubrir algo más elaborado, apasionado, lo que sea, pero no. Hasta la última pagina, te das cuenta que el único motivo es la estupidez de personajes sin evolución durante la trama, lo que defrauda lo suficiente para no volver a tocar otra obra de esta autora. No le pongo una estrella porque es capaz de enganchar, pero una pérdida de tiempo al final.

[Roma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Le doy una estrella porque en ocasiones es bastante repetitiva y no he conseguido empatizar con la protagonista, pero su lectura es muy ágil y amena.
En la línea de 50 sombras de Grey, en esta novela nada es lo que parece y, al menos el personaje principal, no es como cree y dice ser (Isabel repite todo el rato que es una buena chica, pero al final no está tan claro que lo sea). El final abierto te deja con bastantes incógnitas sobre ella misma, Matthew y su hermano, Ansel. ¿Quién miente y quién no? ¿Qué es verdad o mentira? ¿Es todo teatro o realidad?

[Samantha Oaf · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not at all what it claims to be. The entire story is focused around this ‘big’ secret that is revealed (if you could even call it that) at the end and it is the only reason I felt the need to finish the book.

The characters and plot are all over the place. It is a hilariously bad story that I would recommend for a good laugh if it were a movie, but wouldn’t recommend wasting hours of your life reading this one.

[Carla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blurb and book do not match up at all, boring, kept waiting for the twist to kick in and actually became tedious to read as it was repetitive

First simulation, female does what male tells her, female has doubts, male is doing it because he was told to by boss.

Next simulation, female does what male tells her, female has doubts, male is doing it because he was told to by boss .

Next simulation and so on…