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Everything She Has
Laura Tate has never gotten what she’s wanted. Not the successful writing career, or the noteworthy status in the Midwestern creative scene, and not the handsome and high-class husband she’s always dreamed of.
But that’s all about to change.
Theo Connor is a catch. He’s a well-respected English professor at Laura’s former university and he comes from old money.
The only thing standing in Laura’s way is Theo’s wife.
While Laura sets her sights on the man and the life she desires, her blind ambition may just be her undoing.
Everything She Has is an addictive psychological thriller about envy, manipulation, and deceit set amongst the Midwestern elite where nothing and no one is as they seem.
But that’s all about to change.
Theo Connor is a catch. He’s a well-respected English professor at Laura’s former university and he comes from old money.
The only thing standing in Laura’s way is Theo’s wife.
While Laura sets her sights on the man and the life she desires, her blind ambition may just be her undoing.
Everything She Has is an addictive psychological thriller about envy, manipulation, and deceit set amongst the Midwestern elite where nothing and no one is as they seem.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2023
1538 people are currently reading
531 people want to read
About the author
Alesha Dykema
7 books72 followersAlesha Dykema is a thirty-something-year-old author of thriller novels. She lives in the dreadful Midwest with her strange husband, head-banging toddler son, a neurotic dog, and warden cat. Besides writing, Alesha loves to read (like every other author in the world). Alesha is also a health and fitness junkie and a dabbler in furniture refinishing. She is extremely anti-social and wishes she lived off-grid in the middle of the woods, but her husband hates good ideas and happiness and won’t allow this to happen. Even though she’s pretty anti-social, she still likes to make new friends and have casual chats about people’s childhood traumas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
May 21, 2023
Mother Of A Whippet! 😳😯🤯😳🤯
⊰ 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐃𝐲𝐤𝐞𝐦𝐚 ⊱
Seriously you guys you NEED to get on the Dykema author bandwagon! This lady knows how to crank out a delish & tantalizing thriller. Her books are so compelling and keep you glued to the book until she's done with you. Her plots are so juicy and it leaves you wanting more from her waiting for that next hit. I mean good grief! I'm already anticipating her next book and this one I read isn't even out yet! If you enjoyed The Next Mrs. Wimberly by Monica Arya, you're gonna go coo-coo for this undeniably thrilling treat! She knows how to build and cause anticipating & suspension with the best & you'll be left utterly gobsmacked m'dears!
Most of us wish & envy others who have what we want or dream of having. But Laura has decided she's done wishing and is on to acting out to make it hers. No matter what it takes. She's at the bottom of the barrel so what does she have to lose to befriend Theo's wife... and thus replace her to make her his own. But little does she know, she's going to get far more than she bargained for.
Thank you to Alesha herself for honouring me to read this ARC!
Release Date: June 06, 2023
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Full Moons! 🌕
⊰ 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐃𝐲𝐤𝐞𝐦𝐚 ⊱
Seriously you guys you NEED to get on the Dykema author bandwagon! This lady knows how to crank out a delish & tantalizing thriller. Her books are so compelling and keep you glued to the book until she's done with you. Her plots are so juicy and it leaves you wanting more from her waiting for that next hit. I mean good grief! I'm already anticipating her next book and this one I read isn't even out yet! If you enjoyed The Next Mrs. Wimberly by Monica Arya, you're gonna go coo-coo for this undeniably thrilling treat! She knows how to build and cause anticipating & suspension with the best & you'll be left utterly gobsmacked m'dears!
Most of us wish & envy others who have what we want or dream of having. But Laura has decided she's done wishing and is on to acting out to make it hers. No matter what it takes. She's at the bottom of the barrel so what does she have to lose to befriend Theo's wife... and thus replace her to make her his own. But little does she know, she's going to get far more than she bargained for.
Thank you to Alesha herself for honouring me to read this ARC!
Release Date: June 06, 2023
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Full Moons! 🌕
June 19, 2023
Excellent read! The author reels you in from the first sentence: "There isn't a soul I wouldn't sell, a person I wouldn't kill, or a dick I wouldn't suck to trade places with one of these women."
After weaving a tale, the story twists and turns. Fast paced and engrossing.
After weaving a tale, the story twists and turns. Fast paced and engrossing.
October 29, 2023
This was an interesting one. While you feel like you’re figuring out bits and pieces as you go along, the twist is kind of like oh actually just kidding. The very last two pages, even after finding out the twist to find out those extra details about the kids was wow
September 22, 2025
2.75⭐️ rounded up. Meh… this was fine, but I was expecting so much more from the reviews. I don’t know if I’ve read too many thrillers but this was just so predictable!
The second Laura mentioned the missing girl poster I just knew it had something to do with Theo.
And Tessa having Holly’s 2 kids was obvious as well…
The only twist I did not guess was babies on the black market… that shit is dark 😂
The second Laura mentioned the missing girl poster I just knew it had something to do with Theo.
And Tessa having Holly’s 2 kids was obvious as well…
The only twist I did not guess was babies on the black market… that shit is dark 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2025
THIS WAS SO GOOD!!!! haven’t had a 5 star read in weeks and I was so impressed. So unique compared to most thrillers I’ve read and I loved how it was told from the pov of who we thought was the antagonist and bam plot twist. I could have never predicted that
October 1, 2024
Holy wow! This book was pretty insane
I was able to figure out that Theo was the bad guy who was responsible for the missing girl pretty quickly (as soon as both characters were introduced), so I’m pretty proud of that; but once everything was revealed at the end, the bread crumbs the author left had my jaw on the floor!!!!
Chaotic summary for my remembering purposes:
Laura is a struggling writer working at a high-end coffee shop. She envies the customers and wants to be like them. Instead, she’s basically estranged from her family and lives in an awful apartment with a creep as a landlord. To make matters worse, she loses her job because they have to cut back on hours (meaning she can’t pay rent anymore and actually moves back in with her family). I feel bad for her dad because he seems to be overpowered by the other girls in the house and if I had to guess, he probably wants a good relationship with Laura. Anyway, all hope is not lost after this series of unfortunate events because Laura met a handsome rich man before she lost her job. He came in a few times and seemed to be flirting with her, he even gave her a button from the library after he found out she likes Edgar Allen Poe. Despite her also finding out he has a wife, she makes it her mission to make Theo leave his wife, Astrid, for her.
She takes out a bunch of credit cards and loans so she can start faking her way into being a rich housewife like Astrid. She changes her name to Olive and gets fit and does her hair blonde, like Astrid’s. She buys an expensive ticket to one of Astrid’s art exhibitions so she can introduce herself. While there, she meets some of Astrid’s friends and finds out Astrid does yoga and proceeds to show up at the yoga studio until she runs into Astrid and her friend there.
They bring her into their group and seem excited to have a fresh face. She’s invited to one of the friend, Tessa’s, son’s birthday party. Once the kid party is over, the adults stay up and party hard. Getting wasted and doing drugs. Astrid makes out with Olive and slips a pill in her mouth to drug her. She wakes up super hungover and ends up stealing some money from Tessa’s closet.
Tessa and Corrie, another one of the friends, seem to turn cold toward Olive and she can’t figure out why. But she continues to pursue Theo nonetheless.
She joins his writing class to get close with him. And now that she’s befriended both of them, she learns that even though they seem to have the perfect marriage (aside from him occasionally flirting with her) they’re actually is some turmoil about having kids. Theo wants to keep trying to have kids and Astrid wants to stop. Olive plays both sides of this, trying to put a wedge between them.
One morning, Astrid calls Olive over saying she really needs a friend to talk to because things aren’t going well between her and Theo. While she’s there Theo comes home to apologize to Astrid and says they should go on a vacation to take a break from things. He also invites Olive and she accepts.
On this vacation, they seem to makeup because Olive can hear them having sex in the next room. However, the next night they are fighting and Theo leaves the house and goes down to the beach. Olive follows him and ends up stripping off her clothes to go skinny dipping, to which Theo responds by following her and then proceeding to have sex with her.
The next day, Astrid tells Olive the travel home is going to be dangerous in the next couple days because of the storms, so she can arrange for her to go home early if she’d like. We later find out, she was trying to give Olive a way out of being kidnapped. Olive declines and wants to enjoy her time with Theo, thinking he’s going to leave Astrid for her.
Astrid leaves the next day and Theo says he told her about them and said she’s leaving him so him and Olive can be together now. They have some more sex and drink and he drugs Olive at some point. She wakes up and is in the luggage compartment of a plane.
Then she wakes up again in a basement. There’s another girl there, Holly. The same girl whose missing poster has been hung up in the cafe. She tells Olive that she was a student of Theo’s and came to his house for help with a different writing class. They drugged her and she’s been locked in the basement since. There was another girl with her, but she was taken away. She says they want to use them to make babies. She has had two babies herself that were taken away.
Olive says they need to get out and after a while convinces Holly that she needs to get out to find her kids. They come up with a plan and wait for Theo to come downstairs. When he does they try and fail at subduing him. Olive actually gets the chance to run through the door and up the stairs, but there’s another door that’s locked. When she gets back to the basement to try attacking Theo again, he’s standing over Holly’s motionless body. He beat her to death.
She is left down there alone for a long time, thinking they’re left her to starve to death as punishment.
Eventually, Astrid comes down and Olive decides she needs to play nice with her. She asks about her art shows and says it was nice having her as a friend. Astrid brings her new clothes and more food and a typewriter. She tells Olive that they aren’t going to kill her because they need her to make babies and they don’t want to take another girl. At some point Olive tries weakening the link, AKA Astrid, by telling her that she and Theo had sex multiple times on their vacation. Theo of course tells her that it’s a lie when she confronts him later on.
Olive is in her fertile window and asks if Theo will be coming down soon and Astrid says he will be coming tomorrow. She tells Astrid to watch the cameras and she’ll prove that she wasn’t lying about her and Theo having sex.
The next day, Theo comes down and starts to tie up Olive. Normally he would do his thing alone in the bathroom, put the sperm in a turkey baster and then put it in the girls to get them pregnant. But Olive starts to take her clothes off and seduce him. It works and she prays Astrid is watching like she told her to. He tells her in between them kissing each other that he turned the cameras off so they can be alone.
Meanwhile, neither of them realized Astrid came downstairs until she starts yelling at Theo that she hates him and points her gun at him. He tries telling her that Olive is a liar and manipulator and to not listen to her. He said he had to do it this way because it wasn’t working the other way. Astrid points the gun at Olive, but Olive says she has nothing to say and Astrid knows the truth. Theo tries making his way to her to calm her down, but she shoots him in the chest. She tells Olive where the keys to get out and Theo’s phone are and says to call the police on her way out.
Olive gets upstairs and calls the police, but goes back down to the basement to try and convince Astrid to escape too. She tells her to start over and leave, but Astrid says she needs to pay for what she’s done and so she stays. Ultimately she gets arrested.
Olive writes a book about the whole thing and finally gets published just like she always wanted. And her parents were actually happy that she survived the ordeal.
Theo’s family was very rich and Theo was involved in the family business, but was disguised as a writing professor. His family business was selling babies on the black market. Astrid helped him with her gallery. The art wasn’t real and the paintings being sold were actually babies being sold. Astrid won’t talk to the police, but she tells Olive where all the evidence is and that they cremated the girls when they were done with them and their ashes were kept in vases in Theo’s office.
Olive promised Holly that if she got out she’d find her kids. Astrid won’t tell her what happened to them though and there’s no record of it. That’s because they were sold to Tessa and her husband…. With the rest of the evidence they found, the detectives were able to locate the other babies.
Honorable mention details:
Olive stole money from Tessa’s closet, but repays her at the end of the story. She also set Tessa’s house on fire, but doesn’t confess to that.
She also stole Corrie’s bird, Pascal, and hid him away at her apartment.
Olive starts dating Logan. She met him at a diner she was hiding away at while pretending to be at work after she got fired and had to live with her parents. Then she also moved into his building by coincidence and helped her out with the bird she stole from Corrie.
I was able to figure out that Theo was the bad guy who was responsible for the missing girl pretty quickly (as soon as both characters were introduced), so I’m pretty proud of that; but once everything was revealed at the end, the bread crumbs the author left had my jaw on the floor!!!!
Chaotic summary for my remembering purposes:
Laura is a struggling writer working at a high-end coffee shop. She envies the customers and wants to be like them. Instead, she’s basically estranged from her family and lives in an awful apartment with a creep as a landlord. To make matters worse, she loses her job because they have to cut back on hours (meaning she can’t pay rent anymore and actually moves back in with her family). I feel bad for her dad because he seems to be overpowered by the other girls in the house and if I had to guess, he probably wants a good relationship with Laura. Anyway, all hope is not lost after this series of unfortunate events because Laura met a handsome rich man before she lost her job. He came in a few times and seemed to be flirting with her, he even gave her a button from the library after he found out she likes Edgar Allen Poe. Despite her also finding out he has a wife, she makes it her mission to make Theo leave his wife, Astrid, for her.
She takes out a bunch of credit cards and loans so she can start faking her way into being a rich housewife like Astrid. She changes her name to Olive and gets fit and does her hair blonde, like Astrid’s. She buys an expensive ticket to one of Astrid’s art exhibitions so she can introduce herself. While there, she meets some of Astrid’s friends and finds out Astrid does yoga and proceeds to show up at the yoga studio until she runs into Astrid and her friend there.
They bring her into their group and seem excited to have a fresh face. She’s invited to one of the friend, Tessa’s, son’s birthday party. Once the kid party is over, the adults stay up and party hard. Getting wasted and doing drugs. Astrid makes out with Olive and slips a pill in her mouth to drug her. She wakes up super hungover and ends up stealing some money from Tessa’s closet.
Tessa and Corrie, another one of the friends, seem to turn cold toward Olive and she can’t figure out why. But she continues to pursue Theo nonetheless.
She joins his writing class to get close with him. And now that she’s befriended both of them, she learns that even though they seem to have the perfect marriage (aside from him occasionally flirting with her) they’re actually is some turmoil about having kids. Theo wants to keep trying to have kids and Astrid wants to stop. Olive plays both sides of this, trying to put a wedge between them.
One morning, Astrid calls Olive over saying she really needs a friend to talk to because things aren’t going well between her and Theo. While she’s there Theo comes home to apologize to Astrid and says they should go on a vacation to take a break from things. He also invites Olive and she accepts.
On this vacation, they seem to makeup because Olive can hear them having sex in the next room. However, the next night they are fighting and Theo leaves the house and goes down to the beach. Olive follows him and ends up stripping off her clothes to go skinny dipping, to which Theo responds by following her and then proceeding to have sex with her.
The next day, Astrid tells Olive the travel home is going to be dangerous in the next couple days because of the storms, so she can arrange for her to go home early if she’d like. We later find out, she was trying to give Olive a way out of being kidnapped. Olive declines and wants to enjoy her time with Theo, thinking he’s going to leave Astrid for her.
Astrid leaves the next day and Theo says he told her about them and said she’s leaving him so him and Olive can be together now. They have some more sex and drink and he drugs Olive at some point. She wakes up and is in the luggage compartment of a plane.
Then she wakes up again in a basement. There’s another girl there, Holly. The same girl whose missing poster has been hung up in the cafe. She tells Olive that she was a student of Theo’s and came to his house for help with a different writing class. They drugged her and she’s been locked in the basement since. There was another girl with her, but she was taken away. She says they want to use them to make babies. She has had two babies herself that were taken away.
Olive says they need to get out and after a while convinces Holly that she needs to get out to find her kids. They come up with a plan and wait for Theo to come downstairs. When he does they try and fail at subduing him. Olive actually gets the chance to run through the door and up the stairs, but there’s another door that’s locked. When she gets back to the basement to try attacking Theo again, he’s standing over Holly’s motionless body. He beat her to death.
She is left down there alone for a long time, thinking they’re left her to starve to death as punishment.
Eventually, Astrid comes down and Olive decides she needs to play nice with her. She asks about her art shows and says it was nice having her as a friend. Astrid brings her new clothes and more food and a typewriter. She tells Olive that they aren’t going to kill her because they need her to make babies and they don’t want to take another girl. At some point Olive tries weakening the link, AKA Astrid, by telling her that she and Theo had sex multiple times on their vacation. Theo of course tells her that it’s a lie when she confronts him later on.
Olive is in her fertile window and asks if Theo will be coming down soon and Astrid says he will be coming tomorrow. She tells Astrid to watch the cameras and she’ll prove that she wasn’t lying about her and Theo having sex.
The next day, Theo comes down and starts to tie up Olive. Normally he would do his thing alone in the bathroom, put the sperm in a turkey baster and then put it in the girls to get them pregnant. But Olive starts to take her clothes off and seduce him. It works and she prays Astrid is watching like she told her to. He tells her in between them kissing each other that he turned the cameras off so they can be alone.
Meanwhile, neither of them realized Astrid came downstairs until she starts yelling at Theo that she hates him and points her gun at him. He tries telling her that Olive is a liar and manipulator and to not listen to her. He said he had to do it this way because it wasn’t working the other way. Astrid points the gun at Olive, but Olive says she has nothing to say and Astrid knows the truth. Theo tries making his way to her to calm her down, but she shoots him in the chest. She tells Olive where the keys to get out and Theo’s phone are and says to call the police on her way out.
Olive gets upstairs and calls the police, but goes back down to the basement to try and convince Astrid to escape too. She tells her to start over and leave, but Astrid says she needs to pay for what she’s done and so she stays. Ultimately she gets arrested.
Olive writes a book about the whole thing and finally gets published just like she always wanted. And her parents were actually happy that she survived the ordeal.
Theo’s family was very rich and Theo was involved in the family business, but was disguised as a writing professor. His family business was selling babies on the black market. Astrid helped him with her gallery. The art wasn’t real and the paintings being sold were actually babies being sold. Astrid won’t talk to the police, but she tells Olive where all the evidence is and that they cremated the girls when they were done with them and their ashes were kept in vases in Theo’s office.
Olive promised Holly that if she got out she’d find her kids. Astrid won’t tell her what happened to them though and there’s no record of it. That’s because they were sold to Tessa and her husband…. With the rest of the evidence they found, the detectives were able to locate the other babies.
Honorable mention details:
Olive stole money from Tessa’s closet, but repays her at the end of the story. She also set Tessa’s house on fire, but doesn’t confess to that.
She also stole Corrie’s bird, Pascal, and hid him away at her apartment.
Olive starts dating Logan. She met him at a diner she was hiding away at while pretending to be at work after she got fired and had to live with her parents. Then she also moved into his building by coincidence and helped her out with the bird she stole from Corrie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2025
2 stars ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ Everything I wanted☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★
⁺₊★·.´🎧✩°｡ 0:56 ──♡───── 3:32 ⁺₊🎧★·.·´
🎶 I'm tired of feeling like I'm fucking crazy. I'm tired of driving 'til I see stars in my eyes. 🎶
Astrid is beautiful, rich, and successful - everything Olive (h) has ever wanted, including the man of her dreams. The only thing left to do is replace her. Olive doesn’t understand why he flirts with her - after all, she’s just the one who makes his coffee. He’s an English professor from old money, and he has a wife.
─── .¸✿¸.•❤•.❀• THOUGHTS¸•❀.•❤•.¸✿¸.⋆ ───
I don’t know if I expected her to be as unhinged as she was, but she had me frustrated the entire book. Like, girl, just be yourself! You interacted with Theo once, and he doesn’t want you. She really could’ve avoided all of this if she had just ignored him and moved on when she realized he was married. Instead, she changed her entire identity, befriended his wife to get closer to him, only to find out that this man is literally crazy. To be fair, she should have taken the hint when she was flirting with him and found out he was married. But no, that wasn’t enough. She had to take out a bunch of loans just to insert herself into a life she couldn’t afford, turning her life completely upside down. Did Logan ever realize how insane she was? She was certifiable. Please, leave this married couple alone! Olive “Lauren” was better off minding her business.
She was incredibly unlikeable, and maybe that was the point. This girl had her nose in places where it didn’t belong, and I found myself sighing every time she tried to sabotage or get closer to Astrid. Girl, just give up and be happy as a broke person - at least then you'd be your true self. But nope, that wasn’t in the cards for her.
─── .¸✿¸.•❤•.❀• OVERALL¸•❀.•❤•.¸✿¸.⋆ ───
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but trafficking babies was definitely not it with the plot twist. I feel somewhat disappointed, but I was gagged that they were all crazy in the end.
☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ Everything I wanted☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★
⁺₊★·.´🎧✩°｡ 0:56 ──♡───── 3:32 ⁺₊🎧★·.·´
🎶 I'm tired of feeling like I'm fucking crazy. I'm tired of driving 'til I see stars in my eyes. 🎶
Astrid is beautiful, rich, and successful - everything Olive (h) has ever wanted, including the man of her dreams. The only thing left to do is replace her. Olive doesn’t understand why he flirts with her - after all, she’s just the one who makes his coffee. He’s an English professor from old money, and he has a wife.
─── .¸✿¸.•❤•.❀• THOUGHTS¸•❀.•❤•.¸✿¸.⋆ ───
“You do prefer Olive, right? Not Laura?”
“I have to admit, you were an interesting one.”
“It was a bit of a challenge figuring out what was truth and what was fiction,” he says, taking items out of the bag.
I don’t know if I expected her to be as unhinged as she was, but she had me frustrated the entire book. Like, girl, just be yourself! You interacted with Theo once, and he doesn’t want you. She really could’ve avoided all of this if she had just ignored him and moved on when she realized he was married. Instead, she changed her entire identity, befriended his wife to get closer to him, only to find out that this man is literally crazy. To be fair, she should have taken the hint when she was flirting with him and found out he was married. But no, that wasn’t enough. She had to take out a bunch of loans just to insert herself into a life she couldn’t afford, turning her life completely upside down. Did Logan ever realize how insane she was? She was certifiable. Please, leave this married couple alone! Olive “Lauren” was better off minding her business.
“Your intentions were pretty clear from the start. I don’t know if you thought you were being subtle.”
She was incredibly unlikeable, and maybe that was the point. This girl had her nose in places where it didn’t belong, and I found myself sighing every time she tried to sabotage or get closer to Astrid. Girl, just give up and be happy as a broke person - at least then you'd be your true self. But nope, that wasn’t in the cards for her.
─── .¸✿¸.•❤•.❀• OVERALL¸•❀.•❤•.¸✿¸.⋆ ───
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but trafficking babies was definitely not it with the plot twist. I feel somewhat disappointed, but I was gagged that they were all crazy in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2023
Absolutely AMAZING
I am beside myself after reading this book! I couldn’t put it down. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen…nope! This story had everything I look for in a book plus more!!!!! Hands down the best read I’ve had so far!
I am beside myself after reading this book! I couldn’t put it down. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen…nope! This story had everything I look for in a book plus more!!!!! Hands down the best read I’ve had so far!
July 9, 2024
Interesting plot but needs better editing and took a long time to get where it needed to go. The author lost me at "taught skin" (among other errors) and I didn't understand why the photo tag is "two under two" when the older child is turning four.
May 12, 2025
Hard to rate
Mostly boring and every character seemed to be morally bankrupt. I almost quit several times. The last few chapters were the best. I also didn’t find anything surprising, so no big twist. Probably a 2.5 but I rounded up.
Mostly boring and every character seemed to be morally bankrupt. I almost quit several times. The last few chapters were the best. I also didn’t find anything surprising, so no big twist. Probably a 2.5 but I rounded up.
December 21, 2025
Düsterer Psychothriller über Neid, Obsession und Identitätsverlust
Dieser Psychothriller ist intensiv, beklemmend und psychologisch tiefgehend. Die Geschichte zieht den Leser langsam, aber gnadenlos in die Abgründe der Protagonistin und zeigt eindrucksvoll, wie gefährlich der Wunsch sein kann, ein anderes Leben zu führen. Aus einem vermeintlichen Traum wird Schritt für Schritt ein Albtraum – spannend, verstörend und bis zur letzten Seite fesselnd.
Im Mittelpunkt steht Laura, die Tag für Tag hinter dem Tresen eines Cafés arbeitet und neidisch auf die Frauen blickt, die scheinbar alles haben: Erfolg, Liebe und ein perfektes Leben. Auch sie sehnt sich nach genau diesem Glück. Als der charmante und charismatische Theo Connor in ihr Leben tritt, glaubt Laura, ihrem Traum endlich ganz nah zu sein. Für dieses neue Leben wäre sie bereit, alles zu tun. Doch schon bald zeigt sich, dass das, was so märchenhaft begann, eine dunkle und gefährliche Wendung nimmt.
Die Autorin lässt den Leser tief in Lauras Gedankenwelt eintauchen und zeichnet eindrucksvoll ihre Einsamkeit, ihre Sehnsüchte und den schleichenden Wahnsinn, der sich immer weiter ausbreitet. Die Grenze zwischen Realität und Wunschvorstellung verschwimmt zunehmend, bis die düsteren Abgründe unübersehbar werden. Mit einem stetig steigenden Spannungsbogen gelingt es der Autorin, eine beklemmende Atmosphäre zwischen Wahn und Wahrheit aufzubauen, die konstant unter die Haut geht.
Für mich war dieser Psychothriller weit mehr als nur unterhaltsam. Die immer dichter werdende Atmosphäre und die psychologisch raffiniert dargestellte Obsession machen das Buch zu einer eindringlichen und nachhaltig wirkenden Lektüre, die noch lange nachhallt.
Dieser Psychothriller ist intensiv, beklemmend und psychologisch tiefgehend. Die Geschichte zieht den Leser langsam, aber gnadenlos in die Abgründe der Protagonistin und zeigt eindrucksvoll, wie gefährlich der Wunsch sein kann, ein anderes Leben zu führen. Aus einem vermeintlichen Traum wird Schritt für Schritt ein Albtraum – spannend, verstörend und bis zur letzten Seite fesselnd.
Im Mittelpunkt steht Laura, die Tag für Tag hinter dem Tresen eines Cafés arbeitet und neidisch auf die Frauen blickt, die scheinbar alles haben: Erfolg, Liebe und ein perfektes Leben. Auch sie sehnt sich nach genau diesem Glück. Als der charmante und charismatische Theo Connor in ihr Leben tritt, glaubt Laura, ihrem Traum endlich ganz nah zu sein. Für dieses neue Leben wäre sie bereit, alles zu tun. Doch schon bald zeigt sich, dass das, was so märchenhaft begann, eine dunkle und gefährliche Wendung nimmt.
Die Autorin lässt den Leser tief in Lauras Gedankenwelt eintauchen und zeichnet eindrucksvoll ihre Einsamkeit, ihre Sehnsüchte und den schleichenden Wahnsinn, der sich immer weiter ausbreitet. Die Grenze zwischen Realität und Wunschvorstellung verschwimmt zunehmend, bis die düsteren Abgründe unübersehbar werden. Mit einem stetig steigenden Spannungsbogen gelingt es der Autorin, eine beklemmende Atmosphäre zwischen Wahn und Wahrheit aufzubauen, die konstant unter die Haut geht.
Für mich war dieser Psychothriller weit mehr als nur unterhaltsam. Die immer dichter werdende Atmosphäre und die psychologisch raffiniert dargestellte Obsession machen das Buch zu einer eindringlichen und nachhaltig wirkenden Lektüre, die noch lange nachhallt.
abandoned
June 10, 2025Everything She Has by Alesha Dykema (2023)
245-page Kindle Ebook
Genre: Domestic Suspense
Featuring: Script Font, Epigraphs, Workplace Setting - Coffee Cafe, Indianapolis, Indiana; Social Climber, Social Media Stalking, Edgar Allan Poe, Wolcott, Indiana;
Rating as a movie:
Songs for the soundtrack:
Books and Authors mentioned: Arrigo Boito, Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, Mary Shelley, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walt Whitman, William Shakespeare,
Memorable Quotes: There isn’t a soul I wouldn’t sell, a person I wouldn’t kill, or a dick I wouldn’t suck to trade places with one of these women.
As I cross the street to my car parked on the curb, I search through my phone for a podcast to listen to. I need something to get invested in for the long drive. I tried audiobooks once, but it felt too millennial. I like my books the old school way. On printed pages.
My rating: DNF for now Page 64 Chapter Eleven
My thoughts: 🔖Page 14 of 245 Chapter Three - Meh. This has potential but it's a bit slow I'm guessing it's some kind of impostor trope with social climbing.
🔖📍64 Chapter Eleven - This is obviously a replacement wife trope. It has been done so many times and I haven't found any as good as the first few I read so I considered skipping this one, since I've heard so many positive reviews I'm just gonna put a pin in it for now and come back to it later. I don't have a lot of downtime to read print this week and I'm not going to waste it on this book.
Recommend to others:
245-page Kindle Ebook
Genre: Domestic Suspense
Featuring: Script Font, Epigraphs, Workplace Setting - Coffee Cafe, Indianapolis, Indiana; Social Climber, Social Media Stalking, Edgar Allan Poe, Wolcott, Indiana;
Rating as a movie:
Songs for the soundtrack:
Books and Authors mentioned: Arrigo Boito, Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, Mary Shelley, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Walt Whitman, William Shakespeare,
Memorable Quotes: There isn’t a soul I wouldn’t sell, a person I wouldn’t kill, or a dick I wouldn’t suck to trade places with one of these women.
As I cross the street to my car parked on the curb, I search through my phone for a podcast to listen to. I need something to get invested in for the long drive. I tried audiobooks once, but it felt too millennial. I like my books the old school way. On printed pages.
My rating: DNF for now Page 64 Chapter Eleven
My thoughts: 🔖Page 14 of 245 Chapter Three - Meh. This has potential but it's a bit slow I'm guessing it's some kind of impostor trope with social climbing.
🔖📍64 Chapter Eleven - This is obviously a replacement wife trope. It has been done so many times and I haven't found any as good as the first few I read so I considered skipping this one, since I've heard so many positive reviews I'm just gonna put a pin in it for now and come back to it later. I don't have a lot of downtime to read print this week and I'm not going to waste it on this book.
Recommend to others:
July 29, 2025
I really enjoyed this book ! I liked the story and some parts really made you had second hand embarrassment ( in a good way) for Laura / Olive the things she does and creates anxieties around her being caught which was really fun and suspenseful.
I did kind of feel like the ending was rushed and I wouldn’t exaclty call it a twist ? I figured out pretty quickly that Theo has something to do with the missing girl but maybe I just read to many mysteries 😂
I feel like Laura’s character arc was really good too ,although I wasn’t sure she really deserved Logan ?? Like you don’t ever see her apologetic about her actions towards him which is a shame and really jt would have been nice for him to be a more fleshed out character.
Also why did she keep the bird ??? Is this suppose to hint that she reallt hasn’t changed , she also said that she left some parts of her memoir out. But why I thought she wanted to change and be honest and show that she wasn’t the perfect victim but she was still omitting stuff ?
Anyway I actually did reallt enjoy the story , and how this fantasy she made up in her head was always just a fantasy, and she in reality knew nothing about it the people or life she thought she was getting in to. Makes you wonder if she would have broken up Theo and his wife would she have accepted her role as part of the kidnapping assistant?
I did kind of feel like the ending was rushed and I wouldn’t exaclty call it a twist ? I figured out pretty quickly that Theo has something to do with the missing girl but maybe I just read to many mysteries 😂
I feel like Laura’s character arc was really good too ,although I wasn’t sure she really deserved Logan ?? Like you don’t ever see her apologetic about her actions towards him which is a shame and really jt would have been nice for him to be a more fleshed out character.
Also why did she keep the bird ??? Is this suppose to hint that she reallt hasn’t changed , she also said that she left some parts of her memoir out. But why I thought she wanted to change and be honest and show that she wasn’t the perfect victim but she was still omitting stuff ?
Anyway I actually did reallt enjoy the story , and how this fantasy she made up in her head was always just a fantasy, and she in reality knew nothing about it the people or life she thought she was getting in to. Makes you wonder if she would have broken up Theo and his wife would she have accepted her role as part of the kidnapping assistant?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2025
4.5
This book??? SO GOOD 🤌🏻 I was hooked from the first line and devoured it in one sitting. It’s twisted, tense, and absolutely addictive! The kind of story that keeps dropping bombshells when you think you’ve got it all figured out… and then flips everything on its head. 🤯
We follow an unnamed Laura—quiet, insecure, invisible—working at a local café where she becomes fixated on Theo, a charming English professor from old money. He’s polished, powerful, and very married to the stunning and seemingly perfect Astrid. But that doesn’t stop our girl from obsessing. She starts changing herself to become someone Theo would notice.. someone worthy of his world.
But as she edges her way into their lives, nothing is as it seems. The marriage? Cracked. The perfection? An illusion. And just when you think this is another classic stalker/domestic drama it hits you with that twist 🤤
THAT TWIST.
HOW were they BOTH in on it?! 😱😱😱
I swear, I sat there after the last two pages just blinking. The reveal about the kids?? I did not see that coming, and it gave the ending an extra gut-punch I wasn’t ready for. The writing is sharp, the pacing is spot-on, and the tension slowly builds in that deliciously creepy way where you know things are going to go off the rails, you just don’t know when.
The whole vibe is rich with obsession, manipulation, and the dark, desperate hunger to belong.. to have the life, the love, the everything. And the author? She nailed it.
If you’re into dark psychological thrillers with big reveals and morally messy characters, this one’s a must. Just be ready to question everything ☕🖤🔪
This book??? SO GOOD 🤌🏻 I was hooked from the first line and devoured it in one sitting. It’s twisted, tense, and absolutely addictive! The kind of story that keeps dropping bombshells when you think you’ve got it all figured out… and then flips everything on its head. 🤯
We follow an unnamed Laura—quiet, insecure, invisible—working at a local café where she becomes fixated on Theo, a charming English professor from old money. He’s polished, powerful, and very married to the stunning and seemingly perfect Astrid. But that doesn’t stop our girl from obsessing. She starts changing herself to become someone Theo would notice.. someone worthy of his world.
But as she edges her way into their lives, nothing is as it seems. The marriage? Cracked. The perfection? An illusion. And just when you think this is another classic stalker/domestic drama it hits you with that twist 🤤
THAT TWIST.
HOW were they BOTH in on it?! 😱😱😱
I swear, I sat there after the last two pages just blinking. The reveal about the kids?? I did not see that coming, and it gave the ending an extra gut-punch I wasn’t ready for. The writing is sharp, the pacing is spot-on, and the tension slowly builds in that deliciously creepy way where you know things are going to go off the rails, you just don’t know when.
The whole vibe is rich with obsession, manipulation, and the dark, desperate hunger to belong.. to have the life, the love, the everything. And the author? She nailed it.
If you’re into dark psychological thrillers with big reveals and morally messy characters, this one’s a must. Just be ready to question everything ☕🖤🔪
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2025
Das Buch ist wirklich schnell wegzulesen. Der Schreibstil ist einfach und flüssig, man kommt ohne Probleme voran. Es ist eine perfekte Lektüre für zwischendurch, wenn man etwas Spannendes sucht, aber nicht ewig dran sitzen will.
Die Geschichte an sich konnte mich gut unterhalten. Es ist jetzt nichts, was ich als absolut einzigartig bezeichnen würde, aber die Handlung lebt von der Spannung und dem düsteren Plot. Genau das hält einen bei der Stange.
Was die Charaktere angeht: Sie sind nicht besonders tief ausgearbeitet, was aber okay ist, weil der Fokus klar auf der Handlung liegt. Ich hätte mir vielleicht etwas mehr Tiefe gewünscht, um die Motivation der Protagonistin noch besser zu verstehen.
Das Ende kam dann überraschend und ist ziemlich wild. Ich fand es gut, dass man nicht alles kommen sieht, auch wenn es vielleicht nicht jedermanns Sache ist.
Somit eine solide Leseerfahrung für alle, die einen schnellen Psychothriller suchen. Es ist keine literarische Offenbarung, aber es macht Spaß, und das ist doch, was zählt. Kann man definitiv lesen!
3,5 von 5 Ottis
Die Geschichte an sich konnte mich gut unterhalten. Es ist jetzt nichts, was ich als absolut einzigartig bezeichnen würde, aber die Handlung lebt von der Spannung und dem düsteren Plot. Genau das hält einen bei der Stange.
Was die Charaktere angeht: Sie sind nicht besonders tief ausgearbeitet, was aber okay ist, weil der Fokus klar auf der Handlung liegt. Ich hätte mir vielleicht etwas mehr Tiefe gewünscht, um die Motivation der Protagonistin noch besser zu verstehen.
Das Ende kam dann überraschend und ist ziemlich wild. Ich fand es gut, dass man nicht alles kommen sieht, auch wenn es vielleicht nicht jedermanns Sache ist.
Somit eine solide Leseerfahrung für alle, die einen schnellen Psychothriller suchen. Es ist keine literarische Offenbarung, aber es macht Spaß, und das ist doch, was zählt. Kann man definitiv lesen!
3,5 von 5 Ottis
January 1, 2025
I wasn’t thrilled about this book. Laura is very delusional. I get wanting something better for your life, but she had the opportunity to do something better for herself but she was so consumed with taking over someone else’s life, she missed her opportunity. She penetrated the friend group then started stealing from them, ever stole from the man she was obsessed with. I so over her at this point, it’s going on the DNF list. I made it to page 175
I decided to finish it. It gets better.
I decided to finish it. It gets better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2025
WOW!!
This book had me hooked in the first chapter. Something about the authors writing really pulled me in and had me intrigued instantly. That’s rare for me! I read this over 2 nights until 3am! The character development was amazing without being over the top. The twists and surprises were great. (And that’s coming from someone who’s read hundreds in this particular genre) Keep writing Alesha!!! I’m a huge fan!!!!
This book had me hooked in the first chapter. Something about the authors writing really pulled me in and had me intrigued instantly. That’s rare for me! I read this over 2 nights until 3am! The character development was amazing without being over the top. The twists and surprises were great. (And that’s coming from someone who’s read hundreds in this particular genre) Keep writing Alesha!!! I’m a huge fan!!!!
August 19, 2025
I nearly gave up as I found the first half so tedious, slow and repetitive. The main character is antipathetic and the basic premise of her seeking to change her life was unbelievable, as was the naivety and credulousnous of the supposedly sophisticated new social group.
That said, I was gripped towards the end and wanted to know how everything was all tied up. Still rather rushed - how come she ended up with Logan?!
That said, I was gripped towards the end and wanted to know how everything was all tied up. Still rather rushed - how come she ended up with Logan?!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2025
wow
At first I didn’t know what the hell I was reading but the twist was absolutely mind blowing. It was a little bit annoying how she goes from being homeless, broke, overweight and unattractive to the total opposite in like 1 paragraph. That was the biggest flaw of this book IMO - it just felt rushed. But loved the twist at the end I couldn’t put it down until it was finished.
At first I didn’t know what the hell I was reading but the twist was absolutely mind blowing. It was a little bit annoying how she goes from being homeless, broke, overweight and unattractive to the total opposite in like 1 paragraph. That was the biggest flaw of this book IMO - it just felt rushed. But loved the twist at the end I couldn’t put it down until it was finished.
July 8, 2024
I Couldn’t Put This One Down!
Alesha Dykema is amazing! This is the second book I read by her, and there are just an unbelievable amount of twists, and turns that keep rude to my book! I cannot wait to read another one! This girl has a bright future ahead of her! I would love to see these books of hers turned into movies!!
Alesha Dykema is amazing! This is the second book I read by her, and there are just an unbelievable amount of twists, and turns that keep rude to my book! I cannot wait to read another one! This girl has a bright future ahead of her! I would love to see these books of hers turned into movies!!
August 12, 2024
What a read
Such a compelling read. The whole afternoon got away from me. At first glance I thought it would be no more than a frivolous young girl trying to be someone she wasn't. Boy was did I miss judge! The further on the story went the harder it was to tear my attention away. First time reading this author but I doubt it will be my last time.
Such a compelling read. The whole afternoon got away from me. At first glance I thought it would be no more than a frivolous young girl trying to be someone she wasn't. Boy was did I miss judge! The further on the story went the harder it was to tear my attention away. First time reading this author but I doubt it will be my last time.
August 4, 2025
Different type of book, tbh I didn’t quite know what to expect from Laura taking on a new personality as Olive.
Not where I (let alone Laura) saw this going as she went after Theo - from seeing him in a coffee shop to being held prisoner for his family-run trafficking business - not where I saw this book going.
But a good read nonetheless
Not where I (let alone Laura) saw this going as she went after Theo - from seeing him in a coffee shop to being held prisoner for his family-run trafficking business - not where I saw this book going.
But a good read nonetheless
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2023
One of my favorite genres… & this book did not disappoint! Such a page-turner! Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, think again! Very well-written & super engaging from beginning to end. I cannot wait for Alesha’s next thriller!!
January 25, 2024
Terrific book
This book was the first that i have read from this author. What a terrific book this was. From.the beginning of the book till the very last page I couldn't put this book down. I.will definitely be reading more books from the above author.
This book was the first that i have read from this author. What a terrific book this was. From.the beginning of the book till the very last page I couldn't put this book down. I.will definitely be reading more books from the above author.
April 8, 2024
a Must Read! WOW
I have never read anything by this author but now soooo glad I did! It’s one of those books you think you know but You Don’t! You just have to keep reading it to see what happens next! Now on to her next book for me! I am now a fan
I have never read anything by this author but now soooo glad I did! It’s one of those books you think you know but You Don’t! You just have to keep reading it to see what happens next! Now on to her next book for me! I am now a fan
July 11, 2024
Wow!!!
I haven't given a 5/5 in a while, but this book deserves it. Wow. I wasn't expecting the twists. Logan was probably the only morally sound character from the entire book lol. Well done!
If you're looking for twists, this is the book for you!
I haven't given a 5/5 in a while, but this book deserves it. Wow. I wasn't expecting the twists. Logan was probably the only morally sound character from the entire book lol. Well done!
If you're looking for twists, this is the book for you!
August 19, 2024
Amazing twist at the end…
Fantastic read. This is a book that keeps you turning pages, fast as you can read, and then it hits you with the surprise twist, and then another. Definitely would recommend.
Fantastic read. This is a book that keeps you turning pages, fast as you can read, and then it hits you with the surprise twist, and then another. Definitely would recommend.
November 13, 2024
Be careful what wish for!
Don't we all want a beautiful mansion, designer clothing, anything and everything wealth can buy? How far would you go to get it? Wealth and fortune isn't always everything it seems. Ever wonder how they obtained that wealth?
Don't we all want a beautiful mansion, designer clothing, anything and everything wealth can buy? How far would you go to get it? Wealth and fortune isn't always everything it seems. Ever wonder how they obtained that wealth?
May 7, 2025
4.5
This was super enjoyable.
It was a typical little psychological thriller in the beginning with a barista wanting to change her life by changing her identity and going after a handsome customer while befriending his wife. Then you get this dark little twist...
This was super enjoyable.
It was a typical little psychological thriller in the beginning with a barista wanting to change her life by changing her identity and going after a handsome customer while befriending his wife. Then you get this dark little twist...
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