Thriller

The Breakdown

The Breakdown

  • Downloads：9786
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-23 21:21:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Arianne Richmonde
  • ISBN：B09RQPHRX7
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Summary

One day she had the perfect life。 The next it was gone…

I stand at the very edge of the cliff face， looking at the roaring ocean below my feet。 I’m in no danger， in fact my husband and his sister talk just feet away from me， watching my every move。

Behind them sits a place my husband refers to as our summer house。 Apparently it’s my favorite place in the world， not that I can remember。 Since the car accident， I’ve struggled to remember a lot of important things in my life， like giving birth to my daughter， Violet， just days after the crash。 Or how perfect my marriage is。

As I stare at the huge expanse of blue before me， I have a flashback to the crash—a detail so small it might seem insignificant to some， but to me it’s everything。 So why is it so different to what everyone around me is telling me？ Beads of sweat gather on my neck。 If my memory is true， my life and my children’s lives could be in danger。 What really happened the day of the accident？ And is there anyone left who I can trust？

Readers who enjoyed Gone Girl， The Wife Between Us and Mark Edwards’s Here to Stay will love this unputdownable thriller from USA Today bestselling author， Arianne Richmonde。 The Breakdown will have you hooked！

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Reviews

Renita D'Silva ，

Loved this breath takingly suspenseful novel。 I just couldn't put this one down。 Kept me guessing until the very last page。 A thrilling roller coaster of a book。 Loved it。 Loved this breath takingly suspenseful novel。 I just couldn't put this one down。 Kept me guessing until the very last page。 A thrilling roller coaster of a book。 Loved it。 。。。more

Vanessa ，

WoW。。。。。。。The Breakdown by Arianne Richmonde was an excellent psychological thriller and I was hooked from the very beginning till the end。 If you want a book thats full of twists and turns especially as some were unexpected， that feels like a roller coaster ride; this is a book for you。 It was fast paced from the beginning and I loved it。 "One day she had the perfect life。 The next it was gone。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Celeste Wainwright stands at the very edge of the cliff face， looking at the roaring ocea WoW。。。。。。。The Breakdown by Arianne Richmonde was an excellent psychological thriller and I was hooked from the very beginning till the end。 If you want a book thats full of twists and turns especially as some were unexpected， that feels like a roller coaster ride; this is a book for you。 It was fast paced from the beginning and I loved it。 "One day she had the perfect life。 The next it was gone。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Celeste Wainwright stands at the very edge of the cliff face， looking at the roaring ocean below my feet。 I’m in no danger， in fact my husband Liam and his sister talk just feet away from me， watching my every move。"But， Why are they watching my every move？ I know since the car accident， I’ve struggled to remember a lot of important things in my life， like giving birth to my daughter， Violet， who was born by C-section。 just a few days after the crash。 Is my marriage perfect？ Too Many secrets and what are they hiding from me？Is Celeste in any danger？ I loved all the characters within this book， they all seem to be really nice and willing to help everyone。。。。。。。。。。。but they are all have something in common！！ They all have some dark secrets and everyone is trying to keep their secrets close to their heart！！！ However， these secrets will come out some how！！！ It's just time and they will surface！！！ WoW！！！I highly recommend this book I loved it！ An excellent book from start to the end！Big Thank you to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review。 This is my honest opinion。 。。。more

Karma ，

My first book by this author and I wasn't disappointed at all。 The plot was good。 The book started off well and it ended well。 The middle part could use a bit of snappiness。 We are introduced to Jayne who has travelled from UK to be an au-pair to a couple of children in USA。 The couple， Celeste and Max， is the very picture of perfection - the handsome husband doting on his beautiful recovering wife。 But， obviously， things aren't as they seem。 Everyone is hiding something。 The cast of characters My first book by this author and I wasn't disappointed at all。 The plot was good。 The book started off well and it ended well。 The middle part could use a bit of snappiness。 We are introduced to Jayne who has travelled from UK to be an au-pair to a couple of children in USA。 The couple， Celeste and Max， is the very picture of perfection - the handsome husband doting on his beautiful recovering wife。 But， obviously， things aren't as they seem。 Everyone is hiding something。 The cast of characters is Stephen， the psychologist; Jayne， the au-pair; Alex， the nurse; Marjorie， Max's sister; Liam & Lizzie， the couple's children and Alba， the detective。 The web of lies is slowly unraveled by Alba in response to Lizzie's disappearance。I liked the overall plot。 It had enough twists and turns to keep me glued to the book。 I wasn't a fan of the writing。 It somehow seemed too simplistic and too much telling instead of showing。 The writing， instead of enhancing the plot， actually brought it down。 I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley。 This doesn't impact my opinion in any way。 。。。more

Shalini ，

There was suspense since I didn’t know what exactly was happening as many events felt disjointed。 And quite unbelievable。 Confused was my outlook when the newborn child was told to have died of SIDS and the other daughter disappeared in a week’s time and none of the characters appeared extremely perturbed。 Unlikable characters。 The right amount of disquiet was given to everyone which made me feel that there were untold secrets hidden。 The BadToo many POVs。 And it was obvious that they were writt There was suspense since I didn’t know what exactly was happening as many events felt disjointed。 And quite unbelievable。 Confused was my outlook when the newborn child was told to have died of SIDS and the other daughter disappeared in a week’s time and none of the characters appeared extremely perturbed。 Unlikable characters。 The right amount of disquiet was given to everyone which made me feel that there were untold secrets hidden。 The BadToo many POVs。 And it was obvious that they were written in just to make the waters murkier。 There was no vibe of doubt or suspense emanating from them。 The format of prose。 There was weird way of writing which did not help me in connecting to the characters。 I was extremely bored。 Got suckered in by those 5-star reviews。 After a certain point， I didn’t want to care about them and wished all of them would die。 I read the book as I didn’t want to DNF。 SighhhRead only if you have nothing to read。 。。。more

Kirsty Bookworm86 ，

BLOG TOUR REVIEW Review for 'The Breakdown' by Arianne Richmonde Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Arianne Richmonde， Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous Publication date 11th April 2022。 This is the second book that I have read by this author。 I have previously read 'The Wife's House' which I would highly recommend。 I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful colourful cover and intriguing blurb。 The synopsis stated that this book is 'An absolutely gripping psychological t BLOG TOUR REVIEW Review for 'The Breakdown' by Arianne Richmonde Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Arianne Richmonde， Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous Publication date 11th April 2022。 This is the second book that I have read by this author。 I have previously read 'The Wife's House' which I would highly recommend。 I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful colourful cover and intriguing blurb。 The synopsis stated that this book is 'An absolutely gripping psychological thriller for fans of Gone Girl， The Wife Between Us and Mark Edwards’s Here to Stay。 The Breakdown will have you hooked！'。 I am a huge fan of 'Gone Girl' and Mark Edwards so am looking forward to seeing if this book lives up to this （written before read and reviewed）。 I am also a fan of Arianne and if this book is half as good as 'The Wife's House' it is guaranteed to be a page turner。 I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture。 I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed。 Hopefully this won't be the first。。。 Watch this space！ （Written before I started reading the book）。This novel consists of 64 chapters which are short to medium in length so ideal to read 'just one more chapter' before bed。。。OK， I know yeah right， but still just in case！ In this case the whole book before bed！！！ 'The Breakdown' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others。 I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not。 In this book Arianne discusses/includes mental health and the death of a child。 This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective and the protagonists are Celeste， Jayne， Adele Alba and Dr。 Stephen。 The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them。 If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on。 The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more， what they are thinking and what they are doing。 It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything。 To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything。This book is based in Casco Bay， Maine， USA 🇺🇸。 Wow！！！ Where to even begin on this one！！ An absolutely cracking page turner！ I started reading it this morning。。。 Well yesterday morning and could not put it down until I finished just before midnight！！ What an absolute page turner。 I DID NOT expect THAT！！ Extremely well written， a very smooth and easy read。 Fantastic descriptions which really sucked me into the storyline。 The cover and synopsis suited the storyline perfectly。 I loved the storyline which kept me completely enthralled and in suspense the whole time。 Ram packed with mysteries， deceit， shock surprises， twists， turns and everything you could ask for in a good psychological thriller。 It was filled with love， lies， secrets， mystery， shocks， tension and some expo live twists！！ Not much surprises me after reading so many books but OMG Arianne you blew this right out of the water！！！ Congratulations！！！ There was so much going on but just the right amount so I didn't get confused。 I would never have guessed the bombshells thay were dropped towards the end！！ There's nothing worse than knowing what's going to happen before your even half way through。 I absolutely loved the setting and it really did feel like I went on a mini break。 I was devastated to come to the end and "unpack my suitcase"。 The time line at the end was a fantastic addition and a very handy tool。 Congratulations Arianne on yet another fantastic success and here's to many more 🥂 It is set over multiple time lines。 When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader （if it is well done） understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions。 It also shows the bigger picture。I can't say too much about the characters as I really do not want to risk giving anything away。 They were all realistic and strong and I became completely invested in each of them。 Your given the storyline from the perspectives of Celeste， Jayne， Dr Stephens and Adele which worked out perfectly as you could see what was going on from each of their perspectives and it made you also question each of them。 I won't say anymore at the risk of dropping any spoilers。 Needless to say the characters worked perfectly with this absolutely gripping unputdownable psychological thriller。 This is definitely one of the best books that I have read in a while， I couldn't believe how absorbed I was until I came to the shocking ending。 Clear your schedules before starting this as you will not be able to put it down！！ Overall an absolutely fantastic psychological thriller that is filled with explosive action， suspense and mystery。 Genres covered include Psychological thriller， Mystery， Psychological Fiction， Thriller and Suspense。 I would recommend this book to the fans of the above， 'Gone Girl' ， 'The Wife Between Us' and Mark Edwards’s 'Here to Stay' and just absolutely everybody to be honest！！！ 327 pages。This book is £1。99 to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited （at time of review） via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book！！！ Rated 5/5 （I LOVED it ） on Goodreads， Instagram， Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook。 Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews #TheBreakdown #ArianneRichmonde #Bookouture #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour@ArianneRichmonde @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 https://kcmw86。wixsite。com/bookworm86https://m。facebook。com/Bookworm1986/？。。。https://m。facebook。com/Bookwork86/？__。。。https://www。instagram。com/bookwormwhi。。。 。。。more

Stina ，

★★★★ 3。5 stars （rounded up）I really enjoyed Arianne Richmonde's previous thriller "The Guilty Sister" so was eagerly awaiting the unravelling of THE BREAKDOWN。 And what a tangled web it is！ Everything is smoke and mirrors and nothing is at all what it seems。Twenty-three year old Jayne Smith has travelled from England to take up the position as au pair to two young children， Liam and Lizzie， while their mother Celeste recovers from a traumatic car accident in which she and Lizzie very nearly ★★★★ 3。5 stars （rounded up）I really enjoyed Arianne Richmonde's previous thriller "The Guilty Sister" so was eagerly awaiting the unravelling of THE BREAKDOWN。 And what a tangled web it is！ Everything is smoke and mirrors and nothing is at all what it seems。Twenty-three year old Jayne Smith has travelled from England to take up the position as au pair to two young children， Liam and Lizzie， while their mother Celeste recovers from a traumatic car accident in which she and Lizzie very nearly died。 Husband Max is there to meet her when she steps off the ferry after a somewhat stormy crossing to the small Cliff Island off the coast of Maine。 No sooner has she arrived than she has been thrown into the deep end with entertaining the children before she has even been shown her cottage， let alone settled in。 Max has stressed the importance of keeping the children out of their mother's way so as not to tire her。 And it isn't long before Jayne begins to wonder just exactly what she has signed up for。Celeste Wainwright was heavily pregnant when she drove her car into the lake with four year old Lizzie strapped in the back。 If it wasn't for a quick thinking passerby both she and her daughter would now be dead， as well as that of her unborn child。 Celeste was rushed to hospital， an emergency caesarian performed and baby Violet was born。 It soon becomes clear in the aftermath that Celeste's memory of events leading up to and surrounding her accident are hazy。 Some days she lucid， others she's not。 Traumatic brain injury， the doctors say。 And so as soon as she she's discharged。 Max decides to take her and the children to their summer home on Cliff Island， her favourite place in the whole world， and where she can safely rest and recuperate。When Jayne arrives she hardly sees Celeste who appears to be heavily guarded by her private nurse， Nurse Sharpe。 Even Max and his sister Marjorie， who has come over to help with the running of Celeste's business in the interim， are on the mainland more than the island。 Jayne thought he would want to be at his wife's side。 And then there is Dr Stephen he brought in as Celeste's psychotherapist。。。there's something well dodgy with him， though she isn't sure what。 But one thing Jayne is sure of and that's how much she adores the two children。。。Lizzie especially， who reminds her a little of her own sister at that age。 She spends most of her time entertaining the children on the beach or in her cottage， colouring or drawing or playing games。And then one stormy night a few days after Jayne's arrival， Lizzie disappears。 There is little evidence as to what happened to her except for a few carefully laid pieces。。。but are they to be trusted or overlooked？ What could have happened to Lizzie？ Did Celeste do something without realising？ Or was it Jayne？ Or maybe Dr Stephen？ Or maybe there is something evil lurking in the hidden depths of the island。 And what about baby Violet？The story unfolds through multiple narratives - predominantly Jayne， Celeste and Dr Stephen。 There is a third person narrative titled "The Disappearance" in which Detective Adele Alba follows the clues into what could have happened to Lizzie。 The other characters factor in the background to these narratives but still each play an important part。 Everyone seems to have a hidden agenda and nothing is what it seems。THE BREAKDOWN is slow to begin with despite drawing the reader in at first it then starts to peter out where nothing much seems to be happening when in actual fact it is。 To take your eye off the ball would be to miss something important but I admit it is hard to remain engaged when Jayne seems to be a little sketchy， Celeste somewhat flaky and Dr Stephen downright creepy。 But don't be fooled。。。something is amiss and even bigger is at play。I must say I loved the location。 Not only is it secluded with sketchy internet， the setting of Cliff Island off the rugged coast of Maine is subject to stormy and unpredictable weather patterns just adds to the sinister undertones and makes for an atmospheric read。。。complete with layers and layers of secrets and lies。Although THE BREAKDOWN is an entertaining read， I was disappointed in the ending a little。 Not in the ending as such。。。but a few of the "loose ends"， shall I say， without revealing any spoilers。 The story was a tangled web indeed but it also left the ending in a bit of tangle that was a little more ambiguous than I would have liked。 But it still was a good ending。。。I just think it could have been tidier。Overall， THE BREAKDOWN is an addictive， atmospheric and oppressive psychological thriller that is intense， dark and twisted。I would like to thank #ArianneRichmonde， #Netgalley， #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBreakdown in exchange for an honest review。This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic。blogspot。com/。 。。。more

Billie ，

My family keep telling me I’m safe。 But why don’t I believe them？I stand at the very edge of the cliff face， looking at the roaring ocean below my feet。 I’m in no danger， in fact my husband and his sister talk just feet away from me， watching my every move。 They’re worried I’m losing my mind， and I sense their nerves as they watch me looking down on the jagged rocks below。Behind them sits our summer house。 Apparently it’s my favourite place in the world， not that I can remember。 Since the car ac My family keep telling me I’m safe。 But why don’t I believe them？I stand at the very edge of the cliff face， looking at the roaring ocean below my feet。 I’m in no danger， in fact my husband and his sister talk just feet away from me， watching my every move。 They’re worried I’m losing my mind， and I sense their nerves as they watch me looking down on the jagged rocks below。Behind them sits our summer house。 Apparently it’s my favourite place in the world， not that I can remember。 Since the car accident， I’ve struggled to recall a lot of important things in my life， like giving birth to my daughter， Violet， just days after the crash。 Or my supposedly perfect marriage…As I stare at the huge expanse of blue below， I have a flashback to the day of the crash—an argument， my husband’s face red with anger。 Why is it so different to what everyone else is telling me about my life？ Beads of sweat gather on my neck。If my memory is true， my life and my children’s lives are in danger。 What really happened the day of the accident？ And is there anyone I can trust？This is a brilliant read。Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously。Can't wait to read what the author brings out next。Recommend reading。I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher。 This is my own hone\st voluntary review。 。。。more

Nicki ，

The story opens with a chilling chapter that is written from the perspective of four year old Lizzie and recounts her feelings of fear and terror as she  essentially finds herself being dragged across the island in the torrential rain。 Then the time line slips back nine days and we are introduced to the two main narrator's of the story， Lizzie's mother Celeste and a young British woman called Jayne who had been hired by Celeste and her husband Max to take care of their two young children Lizzie The story opens with a chilling chapter that is written from the perspective of four year old Lizzie and recounts her feelings of fear and terror as she  essentially finds herself being dragged across the island in the torrential rain。 Then the time line slips back nine days and we are introduced to the two main narrator's of the story， Lizzie's mother Celeste and a young British woman called Jayne who had been hired by Celeste and her husband Max to take care of their two young children Lizzie and Liam。 Celeste， her unborn baby Violet and little Lizzie had been involved in a almost fatal car accident，a tragic event that Max and the doctors were insisting was a failed attempted suicide and which had affected Celeste's memory and powers of recollection。 She now spent her days apparently confined to her bedroom under the ever watchful eye of her nurse Alex Sharpe and partaking in the occasional therapy session with Dr Stephens who also voiced some chapters that were scattered throughout the book。 Almost from the moment that she arrived on isolated Cliff Island and was introduced to the various members of the Wainwright household， Jayne couldn't shake the suspicion that something wasn't quite right within the walls of their seemingly happy home。 Little did Jayne realise that she is about to find herself caught up in cleverly plotted scheme of secrets，deceptions and lies， all the adults within the household are harbouring secrets but who knows the truth behind Lizzie's disappearance？ Is the little girl actually still alive？ The chapters varied in length as the story flipped back and forth between the events before and during Lizzie's disappearance and the author's characterisation of her cast of characters was authentic and realistic。 Apart from the children and bumbling Detective Adele Alba who came across as a female version of Columbo but was no where near as adorable， each one of them had a aura of unreliability and difficulty to trust imbued into their character。 But， as we all know， appearances can be deceptive， people are very often not who they appear to be and can be known to conceal their true natures behind a variety of different masks。The plot of the story contained some stunning descriptions of some of the sights and scenery on the island that perfectly portrayed the striking  contrasts between the beauty of mother nature and the darkness lurking within some of the islands inhabitants。betweenThis is a captivating domestic drama/thriller that is cleverly plotted， keeps the reader guessing and covers a number of relatable and realistic issues。 As a thriller fanatic， I enjoyed the chapters which covered the investigation into Lizzie's disappearance more than I enjoyed some other aspects of the story。 That said， I did think this was a enjoyable， entertaining read and I would gladly read more of this author's books in the future。 。。。more

Melanie’s reads ，

Menacing that’s the best word to describe this book。 It has an undercurrent of menace running throughout。 With characters as creepy as it’s narrative and a horrible foreboding feeling that something is very wrong here。Celeste is recovering from a car accident which has given her retrograde amnesia， the book opens with her daughter being taken in the night during a storm。 With a timeline that shifts back and forth from before and after four year old Lizzie’s disappearance， we slowly become privy Menacing that’s the best word to describe this book。 It has an undercurrent of menace running throughout。 With characters as creepy as it’s narrative and a horrible foreboding feeling that something is very wrong here。Celeste is recovering from a car accident which has given her retrograde amnesia， the book opens with her daughter being taken in the night during a storm。 With a timeline that shifts back and forth from before and after four year old Lizzie’s disappearance， we slowly become privy to life on the isolated island and the people that are living there。 With no roads， choppy waters and hidden caves this book at times felt very claustrophobic and once I got to know the inhabitants even when the sun shone I still felt a sense of chill。Told from multiple points of view that all feel unreliable and deceptive。 I trusted none of them， dodgy people with too many secrets。 In fact the only one who seemed close to honest was Celeste， the one we are led to believe is losing her mind， that’s how twisted this story is。I have to say though that my favourite character was nurse Sharpe who Jayne the very nosy au pair compares to nurse Ratchet， she has this ominous presence and a formality that strikes fear in people like a headmistress to naughty children。This is my fourth book by Arianne and all of them have messed with my head。 She is so good at deception and manipulating the reader。 I was a big fan growing up of Tales of the Unexpected and her books feel like a more in depth version of those twisted little tales， driven by characters who are never what they seem。 。。。more

Alina Barac （ book_nerd_cafe） ，

You had me at the very first word and kept me gripped all the way to the end。 I cannot believe just how good THE BREAKDOWN is。 My head is still spinning with this addictive psychological thrillerTold from multiple POVs， it is so tense。 In fact every single page is just fast paced and twisted and it makes you think there is always something more going on Each character has such strong personalities and back stories that I keep wondering how this woman came up with all of itHonestly， Arianne Richm You had me at the very first word and kept me gripped all the way to the end。 I cannot believe just how good THE BREAKDOWN is。 My head is still spinning with this addictive psychological thrillerTold from multiple POVs， it is so tense。 In fact every single page is just fast paced and twisted and it makes you think there is always something more going on Each character has such strong personalities and back stories that I keep wondering how this woman came up with all of itHonestly， Arianne Richmonde is such a talented author and I can't wait to read more from her 。 。。。more

Heidi Lynn’s BookReviews ，

First， I want to thank Arianne Richmonde， Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review。O。M。G！！ WOW！！ My head is spinning from Arianne Richmonde’s latest 5 star psychological thriller The Breakdown！！ If you have not read any of Arianne’s books you don’t know what you are missing！！ This was my ultimate favorite she has ever written！ I was just blown away by her fast paced， mind boggling， twisted and intense writing style！ This is a book that is so captiva First， I want to thank Arianne Richmonde， Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review。O。M。G！！ WOW！！ My head is spinning from Arianne Richmonde’s latest 5 star psychological thriller The Breakdown！！ If you have not read any of Arianne’s books you don’t know what you are missing！！ This was my ultimate favorite she has ever written！ I was just blown away by her fast paced， mind boggling， twisted and intense writing style！ This is a book that is so captivating and addictive you won’t want to put it down！！ The Breakdown you must add to the top of your must read pile！！ It is SOOO good！！ This was one of the coolest covers I have seen from Bookouture’s graphic designers！ It was so eerie and the colors just stood out！ It is definitely eye-catching！Arianne made me smile ear to ear with her dedication to her readers。 It is an honor and a privilege to read and review for her and Bookouture。 The research of Arianne various aspects of this book needs to be commended。 She even taught me a few things here and there。 Arianne addresses some pretty important issues in her beautifully written book！ Each of the characters in this book had you on your toes with their personalities and back stories。 I often wonder how she came up with these characters and their storylines。 There were so many in-depth layers that were built up only to destruct in the breakdown！ She had me at the edge of my seat as the climatic breakdown unfolded。 I had a feeling I knew how it was going to end but then she threw in the wicked curves！ Amazing storyline！！ Just incredible！！ What made this book a little different than the rest is Arianne gave the timeline to all the events that took place。 。。。more

Robin Loves Reading ，

A car accident leads to a cesarean delivery that Celeste cannot even remember。 She doesn't remember the accident。 She doesn't remember giving birth to baby Violet。 She doesn't even understand what happened to Violet soon after her birth。 Suffering from major memory loss， Celeste is in a vacuum of darkness。With two children， Lizzie and Liam， as well as the new baby， Celeste's family needs her to get well。 They hire an au pair from the UK， Jayne， who has limited responsibilities。As this story is d A car accident leads to a cesarean delivery that Celeste cannot even remember。 She doesn't remember the accident。 She doesn't remember giving birth to baby Violet。 She doesn't even understand what happened to Violet soon after her birth。 Suffering from major memory loss， Celeste is in a vacuum of darkness。With two children， Lizzie and Liam， as well as the new baby， Celeste's family needs her to get well。 They hire an au pair from the UK， Jayne， who has limited responsibilities。As this story is delivered， it is with multiple POVs。 There is intense drama page after page。 In fact， there proves to be something going on behind the scenes that both Celeste and Jayne try to understand - despite the fact that the two barely communicate。While Celeste struggles to regain her memory， things begin happening to her children。 Is she guilty of anything with what is going on now？ Is it a coincidence that these things started after the au pair arrived？ What about the fact that her husband's sister is now staying with them at their summer home？ And the full-time nurse that had been hired while Celeste recuperates？Nefarious activities mark the pages of this thrilling novel by Arianne Richmonde。 Trust is difficult to come by for anyone in this book because they all seem to have different agendas。 This compelling read started off with a bang and with all of the twists and turns my attention was riveted throughout。 Then， the ending！ Wow！ No matter how adept I think I am at solving mysteries while reading， this book definitely proved to be delightfully surprising。 Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review。 This is my honest opinion。Please also see my YouTube video review - https://youtu。be/OFMe8UMyWhw 。。。more

Jody ，

I am delighted to be featured on the blog tour hosted by Bookouture for this excellent read。 I think you will love this captivating new release full of suspense and intrigue， which came out on 11th April 2022。While heavily pregnant， Celeste was in a horrific car accident with her four-year-old daughter Lizzie。 After the safe delivery of baby Violet， she is back home with the rest of her family， loving husband Max and six-year-old son Liam。 With the care of her full-time nurse， a psychotherapist I am delighted to be featured on the blog tour hosted by Bookouture for this excellent read。 I think you will love this captivating new release full of suspense and intrigue， which came out on 11th April 2022。While heavily pregnant， Celeste was in a horrific car accident with her four-year-old daughter Lizzie。 After the safe delivery of baby Violet， she is back home with the rest of her family， loving husband Max and six-year-old son Liam。 With the care of her full-time nurse， a psychotherapist and new au pair， Jayne from London， they are all well cared for， but Celeste doesn't remember much。 Then， just Four days later， little Lizzie goes missing。The plot， while intriguing， is a little unbelievable。 The likelihood of all these things happening so close together is incredibly low， but it's fiction。 Anything can happen！The story s told from several perspectives， mainly by Celeste， Jayne and Detective Adele Alba， who investigates Lizzie's disappearance。 Arianne Richmonde keeps you on your toes as she throws you through so many secrets spread across the wide cast of characters that you need to focus on to keep up。 There are many trigger warnings to this， but they all pull together to tell an incredible story that I just couldn't put down。The breakdown has many well-drawn characters， but I think my favourite was Detective Adele Alba。 She is nobody's fool; while astute and fully aware that there are many secrets at play， she works hard to find out who has lied to cover their tracks。 Her methodical and open-minded investigation commands your attention。I don't want to say too much about the characters for fear of spoilers。 Still， you will think you have worked it all out only to be thrown into a spin with a new revelation， chewed up and spat back out again， wondering if you missed something。I loved this book， my first foray into an Arianne Richmonde book but definitely not my last！ 。。。more

marnie | once upon a time book reviews ，

I’m sure that we all hope that if we were ever the victim of a horrible accident that the one’s we share our lives with， will nurse us back to health。 But how terrifying it would be not being able to remember， not only the accident， but enough of your life to piece together what really happened in the lead up to it and the sense of fear you feel that perhaps the one who is supposed to love you the most， may have had something to do with it。A psychological thriller with twists and turns galore， T I’m sure that we all hope that if we were ever the victim of a horrible accident that the one’s we share our lives with， will nurse us back to health。 But how terrifying it would be not being able to remember， not only the accident， but enough of your life to piece together what really happened in the lead up to it and the sense of fear you feel that perhaps the one who is supposed to love you the most， may have had something to do with it。A psychological thriller with twists and turns galore， The Breakdown is a very entertaining read。 The action starts straight away and the multiple points of view has you questioning who you can trust。 There are plenty of secrets and lies to uncover and I enjoyed how it all unfolded。I loved the location set against a backdrop on a secluded island in Maine， that adds to it’s dark atmosphere。 The characters are well formed and each play their roles well。 The writing is engaging and pulls you in and whilst it does start off as a slow burn， does ramp up making for a very exciting read。Thank you to Arianne Richmonde， Bookouture and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of The Breakdown， which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily。Where you can find me 😊💻 Blog: bit。ly/3gR3io8👩‍🏫 Facebook: bit。ly/3gVeC2B🐤Twitter: bit。ly/3BQk2Dl📷 Instagram: bit。ly/3wSv0Gj📌 Pinterest: bit。ly/3vS2HGX📚 Goodreads: bit。ly/3wQxUM3 。。。more

Victoria Jackson ，

The Breakdown is a complete rollercoaster of a ride from start to finish。 It had twists and turns galore and kept me reading well into the night - I could not put it down。Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC。

Collette Mcgaahan ，

This book had all the elements of a cracking good read but after a very good start it started to rapidly dip for me。 There were too many POV’s as they simply slowed the story down so what started as a good ploy to hold any tension just didn’t work。

Bridget ，

This is my second story written by Arianne Richmonde。 Twenty-three-year-old Jayne Smith， from England is travelling to an island just off the coast of Maine。 She will be the new au pair for the summer for the Wainwright family。 Celeste Wainwright was involved in a car accident when she was pregnant。 Her husband wants someone to take over looking after their children， Liam， Lizzie and baby Violet who was born by C-section。 Celeste is under the care of her psychotherapist， Dr Stephen for her head This is my second story written by Arianne Richmonde。 Twenty-three-year-old Jayne Smith， from England is travelling to an island just off the coast of Maine。 She will be the new au pair for the summer for the Wainwright family。 Celeste Wainwright was involved in a car accident when she was pregnant。 Her husband wants someone to take over looking after their children， Liam， Lizzie and baby Violet who was born by C-section。 Celeste is under the care of her psychotherapist， Dr Stephen for her head injury。 She also has a nurse to help with her other needs。 But is Celeste being kept in the dark about her past and what happened？ Is there anyone she can trust？Told from different points of view I was kept guessing till the end。 Layered with lies， secrets and deceit I didn't want to put this one down for a second。 A captivating， wonderfully oppressive and very highly recommended， intense psychological thriller， complete with a cracking finale。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley， and this review is my unbiased opinion。 。。。more

Nickey ，

Set on Cliff Island， Maine， this psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat several times as I couldn't stop page turning。Celeste is suffering from a brain injury after a car crash。 She is married to Max and they have three children， Lizzie， Liam and newborn Violet。Jayne is an au pair recently hired from England to help look after the children to take the pressure off the wealthy couple。 Other characters include Celeste's nurse， therapist and Max's sister。 Everyone has secrets！ Chapter Set on Cliff Island， Maine， this psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat several times as I couldn't stop page turning。Celeste is suffering from a brain injury after a car crash。 She is married to Max and they have three children， Lizzie， Liam and newborn Violet。Jayne is an au pair recently hired from England to help look after the children to take the pressure off the wealthy couple。 Other characters include Celeste's nurse， therapist and Max's sister。 Everyone has secrets！ Chapters alternate between current time and a few days earlier， told from the point of view of several characters。 It's really easy to follow though as each chapter has the heading of the character， past and present。 This format is what kept me page turning and is one of my favourites formats。The first chapter starts with a shock as Lizzie is taken by an adult， but who？What follows is a totally twisted story where everyone is a suspect and the idyllic island becomes a crime scene， but where is the body？Just when I thought I had discovered the truth， wham， a twist hit me， followed by another！ This is the second book I have read from this author and it's another hit for me。 。。。more

Debra（working， packing， moving soon） ，

Celeste was pregnant when she was in a horrible car accident with her daughter， Lizzie in the back。 They are lucky to be alive。 But sadly， Celeste is left with a loss of her memory。 She doesn't remember giving birth to her daughter， Violet and is now at what her husband， Max describes as her favorite place - their summer house。Who can complain about being on an island off Maine？ Well， if you are having memory issues， and your husband is always whispering to his sister and your daughters。。。。 I gu Celeste was pregnant when she was in a horrible car accident with her daughter， Lizzie in the back。 They are lucky to be alive。 But sadly， Celeste is left with a loss of her memory。 She doesn't remember giving birth to her daughter， Violet and is now at what her husband， Max describes as her favorite place - their summer house。Who can complain about being on an island off Maine？ Well， if you are having memory issues， and your husband is always whispering to his sister and your daughters。。。。 I guess， Celeste has a lot to complain about！This was a gripping and fast paced read for me。 I was captivated right away and naturally; I did a fair share of super sleuthing while reading this book。 There are quite a few things going on and there is more than one POV being told。 This was a compelling book which kept me on my toes while my eyes were glued to the pages。 There are a lot of secrets， lies and twist and turns in this book。 This kept me guessing and I loved every second of it。 This was my first book by Arianne Richmonde and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future。Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All the thoughts and opinions are my own。Read more of my reviews at www。openbookposts。com 。。。more

J_Mc 251 ，

There were times in this book that I wondered exactly what was going on so much， I thought it would give ME a breakdown。 And there is a LOT going on。 At first， I thought it had a very Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights feel to it。 Perhaps that is because of Jayne’s name， or the situation where the nanny is entering into a strange family situation in a fairly secluded area。 I don’t know if that is the intention， but it is a strong vibe。 But I quickly found it’s best to enjoy this book just going with There were times in this book that I wondered exactly what was going on so much， I thought it would give ME a breakdown。 And there is a LOT going on。 At first， I thought it had a very Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights feel to it。 Perhaps that is because of Jayne’s name， or the situation where the nanny is entering into a strange family situation in a fairly secluded area。 I don’t know if that is the intention， but it is a strong vibe。 But I quickly found it’s best to enjoy this book just going with the flow of it， because there are undercurrents going in every direction。 Everyone is hiding something and there are a lot of twists and reveals。 It’s nothing that I thought it would be and everything I wanted。 For more details， please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks。 This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Bookouture。 。。。more

Sharon Thérèse ，

Fabulous cover for The Breakdown， and goodness me， what a stab in the dark—no pun intended！ I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s a thriller; it’s more like a whacking good whodunnit。 Trying to predict the plot got me quite worked up as I consider myself to be quite a dab hand at doing just this。 And if Richmonde gave me the runaround， imagine the detective in charge of the case。I have to say that Detective Adele Alba was one of my faves。 She’s methodical and keeps an open mind as one wou Fabulous cover for The Breakdown， and goodness me， what a stab in the dark—no pun intended！ I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it’s a thriller; it’s more like a whacking good whodunnit。 Trying to predict the plot got me quite worked up as I consider myself to be quite a dab hand at doing just this。 And if Richmonde gave me the runaround， imagine the detective in charge of the case。I have to say that Detective Adele Alba was one of my faves。 She’s methodical and keeps an open mind as one would expect her to do， yet well aware that all involved are hiding something。 Yeap， lies are the name of the game。 So， who is telling the truth or trying to throw her off the scent？ What floored me was the opening chapter; however， the author doesn’t give the reader time to pause as Celeste’s story unravels。 Mother of young children， I found her emotional state a tad strange。 I wanted her to react more to the circumstances; however， when memory fails as hers does， one has no option but to go with the flow。Told from multiple points of view in first-person， some of the characters' stories move back and forth in a shortish timespan， keeping the reader in the loop regarding their thoughts。 No issue here。 But why the author hadn’t given Celeste’s husband or his sister a voice got me thinking because something felt off。We meet the au-pair whose nativity frustrated me no end， poor girl。 Perhaps another pawn in a bargaining tool？ Wait and see！ And despite another player leaving an impression on me， his actions fell a little short。 I doubt the author wanted me to like the nurse， either。 Well done here， Richmonde。 It’s been a while since I’ve had so many convoluted feelings。 In the second half of the book and much to my liking， Richmonde fastened up the page-turning pace。 Her throwing in more clues didn’t mean I was able to guess who was behind such dastard doings in surroundings so breathtakingly beautiful。 The ending。 What。 A。 Shocker！ I loved the way the author led me down the garden path。 Bravo， Richmonde！  。。。more

Kelly ，

The Breakdown is my second novel by Arianne Richmond， the first being the Guilty Sister。 The book alternates between multiple POV， Celeste， a mother who has lost her memory following a horriffic car accident， Jayne， an au pair who comes to live with the family to look after Celeste's and her husband's children， Stephen， the doctor treating Celeste and the Police Detective who is investigating an incident that happens。 The plot summary and title of the book， I felt didn't really match the story， The Breakdown is my second novel by Arianne Richmond， the first being the Guilty Sister。 The book alternates between multiple POV， Celeste， a mother who has lost her memory following a horriffic car accident， Jayne， an au pair who comes to live with the family to look after Celeste's and her husband's children， Stephen， the doctor treating Celeste and the Police Detective who is investigating an incident that happens。 The plot summary and title of the book， I felt didn't really match the story， while one of the main characters has had a breakdown， the focus of the novel really is about the disappearance of a child and the mystery surrounding this。 The book gave me Agatha Christie vibes or Ruth Ware。 I loved the character of Jayne and felt she was a much more interesting character than Celeste and could have had the entire plot told by her。 I loved that all the characters were complex， multilayered and had their own motives and secrets。 Trigger warnings for suicide， child death， SIDS and mental health。 I really enjoyed this twisty novel with a surprising ending that I didn't see coming。 I will definitely read others by this author。 Thank you to the author， publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Gayle Noble ，

TW: mention of child death， kidnap， suicide attempt， alcoholism， brief mention of adult/minor relationshipJayne Smith is travelling to an island just off the coast of Maine to be an au pair for the summer for the Wainwright family。 Celeste Wainwright is currently unwell following an accident， & her husband wants someone to take over looking after the children， Liam， Lizzie， & baby Violet for most of the time。 Jayne will be staying in a cottage on the grounds of their house & she is happy she is TW: mention of child death， kidnap， suicide attempt， alcoholism， brief mention of adult/minor relationshipJayne Smith is travelling to an island just off the coast of Maine to be an au pair for the summer for the Wainwright family。 Celeste Wainwright is currently unwell following an accident， & her husband wants someone to take over looking after the children， Liam， Lizzie， & baby Violet for most of the time。 Jayne will be staying in a cottage on the grounds of their house & she is happy she is not in the main house as there is a strange atmosphere。 Max Wainwright is pleasant but distant， Celeste doesn't remember anything from one day to the next， & the nurse there to give Celeste 24/7 care is overbearing & unfriendly。 Shortly after Jayne arrives， baby Violet dies suddenly & then a few days later， four-year-old Lizzie goes missing in the middle of the night。 The narrative is from several points of view， including Celeste， Jayne， & the detective who is investigating Lizzie's disappearance。 Everyone， including Jayne & Dr Stephen （who is a bit of a creeper）， has their own secrets which may or may not be relevant。 I flew through this book in a few hours & really enjoyed reading it with its twists & turns - some of which I guessed correctly but not all - & that's the mark of a good book for me。 I thought the ending may have been a little too neat but it's a minor quibble。 My thanks to NetGalley & publishers， Bookouture， for the opportunity to read an ARC。 。。。more

Meradith ，

Jayne is hired as a part-time au pair for a family who lives on an island off the coast of Maine。 As she’s in the ferry， someone wishes her luck with them and starts the feeling that she is making a huge mistake。The family is strange， with a nurse and therapist hanging around to help the mother who is apparently very ill， the father demands that things remain casual and “laid back”， and children that run wild。 Jayne is only there 2 days before something tragic happens。This is not the only thing Jayne is hired as a part-time au pair for a family who lives on an island off the coast of Maine。 As she’s in the ferry， someone wishes her luck with them and starts the feeling that she is making a huge mistake。The family is strange， with a nurse and therapist hanging around to help the mother who is apparently very ill， the father demands that things remain casual and “laid back”， and children that run wild。 Jayne is only there 2 days before something tragic happens。This is not the only thing that happens though， because a few days later Jayne is a suspect when one of the children goes missing。 Jayne thinks she is innocent but she can’t prove it to herself or the police， only time will tell。This book was really good！！ I was super into it the whole time and really had no idea who did what in the store， although I did have a few inklings。 However， the ending took me by surprise！ I love a good plot twist and this was definitely one I could only predict a small part of， with a big chunk of it a total surprise！ 。。。more

Anne ，

This one had me captivated from the very beginning。 So many characters and so many secrets yet somehow the author was able to tie everything up with a nice little bow by the end！ Loved all of the plot twists and turns。 I will be looking for more by this author！

Krista Hajjar-Nejad ，

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review。 Last year I read Arianne Richmonde's， The Guilty Sister， and loved it！ I was so excited to get approved for this e-ARC and be able to be a part of Bookouture's book tour！The Breakdown was a little bit slow at first， I'd say 20% in， but then after that， it was absolute craziness。 I enjoyed how the chapters alternated between different characters POVs。 My mind was reeling trying to figure out what was happening bet Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review。 Last year I read Arianne Richmonde's， The Guilty Sister， and loved it！ I was so excited to get approved for this e-ARC and be able to be a part of Bookouture's book tour！The Breakdown was a little bit slow at first， I'd say 20% in， but then after that， it was absolute craziness。 I enjoyed how the chapters alternated between different characters POVs。 My mind was reeling trying to figure out what was happening between all of the characters。 Every character was hiding a secret。 I was even questioning my own sanity while reading the chapters from Celeste's POV。 I couldn't decipher if she really had a traumatic head injury or if she was just faking it。 I thought I had everything figured out， but I was totally wrong。 This book contained some crazy secrets， a ridiculous amount of lies， and so much suspense！ I loved it all！ The ending was mind-blowing。。。I was beyond surprised！ One of the best twisted books I've read by Arianne Richmonde。 Can't wait to read more from her！My rating: 4。5 stars/5 stars Highly recommend！I will post my review for my book tour date on 4/13 on instagram @thrillersandcoffee 。。。more

Barbara Tsipouras ，

A baby is dead， her sister missing and many suspects。 And everybody has something to hide。 In the end it's a masterpiece of deception。 A baby is dead， her sister missing and many suspects。 And everybody has something to hide。 In the end it's a masterpiece of deception。 。。。more

Stephanie Cooper ，

OMG！ I had soooo many theories going into this book and I loved how I was able to fine tune my theories as some were proven and some were disproved。 Even still， I was unable to predict what happened in the shocking ending！

Leighton ，

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！The Breakdown by Arianne Richmonde is an unputdownable thriller with an ending that you won't see coming。 The story is told from multiple POV's， but revolves around Celeste and Jayne。 Celeste has recently lost her baby after getting into a car accident while she was pregnant。 Now， her other daughter Lizzie is missing as well。 Meanwhile， Jayne has been hired to be the children's caretaker。 Is it really an island p Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！The Breakdown by Arianne Richmonde is an unputdownable thriller with an ending that you won't see coming。 The story is told from multiple POV's， but revolves around Celeste and Jayne。 Celeste has recently lost her baby after getting into a car accident while she was pregnant。 Now， her other daughter Lizzie is missing as well。 Meanwhile， Jayne has been hired to be the children's caretaker。 Is it really an island paradise？ What secrets is everyone keeping？ And will they be able to find Lizzie before it's too late？Here is a chilling excerpt from an opening chapter， which is from Celeste's point of view:"Apparently， this is our summer house。 。。。The house is all wood and creaky old windows and floors。 It’s so romantic， other worldly， and the sense of peace is extraordinary。 The lap of waves， the jingle of boat bells， the birdsong。 But when the tide comes in and the waves kick and smash against the jagged， granite rocks， it makes me remember little slices of my life， and my past， and then it comes back to me: we are on an isolated island。 Anything could happen， especially with the weather。 Things could change in just one blink。There are buried secrets here。 Rumors whisper amongst themselves about ghosts and centuries-old ships sailing in the fog and mist。The dead still live on， some say。"Overall， The Breakdown is a surprise-filled thriller that you won't be able to put down。 One highlight of this book is how interesting it is。 I kept turning the pages because I had to see how it would end， and I ended up finishing the book in a day。 If I had to complain about 1 thing， I would say that the multiple timelines and multiple POV's had me confused in the begining， but I eventually got the hang of everything。 If you're intrigued by the excerpt above， or if you're a fan of thrillers in general， I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in April！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Breakdown

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Breakdown&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Breakdown&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0