The Alibi by Nikki Lee Taylor

Genre: Thriller

Format: Ebook/Kindle

Pages: 287

Start Date: August 7th, 2023

End Date: August 11th, 2023

Overall: ★★★★ 

Character Development: ★★★★ 

Ending: ★★★★ 

Recommend: Yes

 🚨 May Contain Spoilers, Continue at Your Own Risk 🚨

     I received this book free from BookSirens, in exchange for my honest review……Do I need to give you that disclaimer? Not sure, but there you go. Here is a disclaimer I will give you: the previous book I read I really did not enjoy. I put that out there because I’m never quite sure if that alters my personal bias towards a book I end up really liking, or if the book actually is pretty good. 

     I did, however, really enjoy this book. It’s under 300 pages, so I felt like the pace of this book was a little quicker. I also really enjoyed the twists; eluding to the mafia being responsible for the murders, only for them not to be. The fact that the mafia ended up not killing Lauren made the book a little better for me. I enjoyed the twist when the corporate corruption and political blackmail started presenting itself, but as the end drew nearer, I feel like I would’ve been let down if that was ultimately the plot. 

Did you suspect David being the murder? I didn’t see David coming. I really got the sense that he was supporting cast the entire time. I feel like that twist was really well executed. Not only was he the murderer, he was an actual psychopath. Murder….Kidnapping…it wasn’t your basic plot of this over obsessed boyfriend who accidentally killed the uninterested girl. Don’t get me wrong, it’s almost that exact plot, but I feel like Taylor puts a refreshing spin on a very common thriller storyline.

How did you feel when you read the epilogue and found out Isabelle was actually alive? Just when you think the twists are over, here we are getting even more. I didn’t feel like I was left hanging entirely with her storyline, given David’s confession to Lauren, but the epilogue really just added an extra punch that put this over book the top for me.  

Did it feel a bit misleading to you when the Gemini Birds really are more coincidence than connection? I do feel like this link between Lauren and Isabelle was built up a bit just to end up being sheer coincidence. Unless I missed something but it did almost feel like it was thrown in there to try to give resolve to Isabelle’s story. I’m not necessarily mad about it by any means, just ended up being different than I thought given how that storyline started playing out. 

What kind of reaction did Andrew Ashley’s character give you? I actually ended feeling really sorry for Andrew. I got the sense that Andrew really was trying to do the right thing by his marriage and his career, he just got sucked into trouble. He really didn’t want to get involved with Elle, but he felt backed into a corner to try to save himself and his family. Was that selfish? Absolutely, it was. But I also understand that he felt like he had no other option; he was trying to protect his family. Did he go into the relationship with Lauren with intent to have an affair? I don’t think so. He only surrendered to his feelings because he truly believed he and Lauren could expose the political blackmail and win the war. I’m not saying sleeping with her was ok, but I understand the invincibility he must have felt in that moment. Especially given how Stella was treating him. I was a little heartbroken there was no happy ending for him, and he ended up killing himself after everything he tried to do. 

     I think what I liked so much about this book was the plot was very familiar, but the writing and overall storyline felt very new and refreshing. Andrew and Stella’s story just didn’t end in divorce. The nice guy didn’t win. Lucy wasn’t a hero in the end….and neither was Elle. Yet, somehow almost everyone got a happy ending that I felt was appropriate for their story. Well, except for Andrew. I’m probably in the minority on that one, though. Either way, not devastating to me. Overall, I did really like this book. I’m not quite sure what is holding me back from a 5 star rating, but a solid 4.5 at minimum for me.