Man of the Year by Caroline Louise Walker

This is a book I’ve been keeping my eye on for a long time and cannot wait to share with you!

Thank you Gallery Books for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis: Dr. Robert Hart, Sag Harbor’s just-named Man of the Year, is the envy of his friends and neighbors. His medical practice is thriving. He has a beautiful old house and a beautiful new wife and a beautiful boat docked in the village marina. Even his wayward son, Jonah, is back on track, doing well at school, finally worthy of his father’s attentions. So when Jonah’s troubled college roommate, Nick, needs a place to stay for the summer, Hart and his wife generously offer him their guest house. A win-win: Jonah will have someone to hang with, and his father can bask in the warm glow of his own generosity. But when he begins to notice his new house guest getting a little too close to his wife, the good doctor’s veneer begins to crack. All the little lies Robert tells—harmless falsehoods meant to protect everything he holds dear—begin to mount. Before long, he’s embroiled in a desperate downward spiral, destroying the lives that stand in his way. It’s only the women in his life—his devoted office manager, his friends, his wife—who can clearly see the truth.

Thrillers have come with a lot of unreliable characters lately. This is one of those thrillers. I don’t have a problem with them, but most people don’t like when narrators mess with their heads. I think what really stopped me in my tracks with this book was that the characters were not likable (something that I truly believe was supposed to be that way) and that the ending was super rushed. I felt like the twists were quickly placed just to make this advertise as a thriller. I did enjoy reading the second half of the novel much more than the first. Not a bad debut read, but not something I would read again.

3/5 Stars