She Didn't See It Coming by Shari Lapena

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🔪 She Didn’t See It Coming ⭐ 4.5/5 — And Neither Did I!

by Shari Lapena
👉 Buy She Didn’t See It Coming on Amazon (affiliate link)

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⚠️ Trigger Warnings

Murder • domestic abuse • sexual assault (referenced) • addiction • mental illness • infidelity • violence • profanity

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🚨 Spoiler Warning

This review contains major spoilers — including who killed Bryden Frost. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 👀

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💬 My Thoughts

Let me tell you — I didn’t see it coming how good this book was going to be. 😅

I’ve had a pretty stellar track record with Shari Lapena (The Couple Next Door, Everyone Here Is Lying, Not a Happy Family) — she’s one of those authors I trust to deliver twisty, fast-paced domestic thrillers with zero filler. But this one? 

I couldn’t put it down.
I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Bryden.
I suspected everyone — and I mean everyone.

At first I was suspicious of Sam (the husband — because when are husbands in thrillers not suspicious?). Then I moved on to Derek, then Paige, then Lizzie, then somehow back to Sam again. Lapena really knows how to turn suspicion into a game of musical chairs. 🎵

When I hit the twist that Sam was the killer — or so Paige claimed — I actually paused for a moment thinking, Wait… did I just figure it out? But nope. This is Shari Lapena we’re talking about — and she still had an ace up her sleeve.

Because the real killer?
Paige.
The best friend.
The one person you thought you could maybe trust.

And that ending? Absolutely delicious. 🍷

My only gripe is the editing — a few sections felt repetitive, like certain phrases got caught in the “Find and Replace” trap. But otherwise, this is domestic thriller gold. 

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🧩 Overview

When Bryden Frost, a beautiful young mom, doesn’t pick up her three-year-old daughter from day care, her husband Sam panics. Her phone, wallet, and laptop are still at home, but Bryden is gone. The police quickly rule out a robbery or random attack. Whoever killed Bryden — because yes, she’s found dead soon after — was someone she knew.

Detective Jayne Salter starts unraveling the Frosts’ seemingly perfect life, and naturally, everyone looks guilty. Sam’s temper and addiction issues surface. Bryden’s best friend Paige seems to know too much. Her sister Lizzie is posting non-stop about the case in a true-crime Facebook group. And then there’s Derek Gardner, the handsome stranger Bryden met weeks earlier after a minor car accident.

The clues twist faster than you can process them: a suitcase found in the basement with Bryden’s body inside, a neighbor with a criminal past, an affair that might not exist, and a witness who heard a ringtone — “Bitter Sweet Symphony” — at the exact moment the body was moved.

When Paige’s phone plays that same ringtone, she panics and spins a story: Sam killed Bryden, and she helped cover it up. The police buy it — until Sam produces a real alibi that clears him completely.

That’s when the truth finally clicks. Paige, the best friend, was the killer all along. She smothered Bryden with a plastic bag, hid her in Sam’s suitcase, and invented the affair to deflect suspicion. Her motive? She wanted Bryden’s life — Sam, Clara, the perfect family picture.

By the time Detective Salter closes the case, Paige is arrested, Sam is free, and there’s just enough unease left hanging to make you glance at your own friends a little differently.

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💭 My Take

This book is Shari Lapena doing what she does best — suburban secrets, twisty pacing, and the kind of characters who all feel guilty even when they aren’t. Every chapter ends with a little “Wait… WHAT?!”

I loved that I was constantly wrong about the killer. I also loved that it wasn’t just about who did it, but why. The exploration of obsession, envy, and performative perfection was sharp.

And Detective Jayne Salter? A total pro. I’d read an entire series with her as the lead.

Aside from a few repetitive lines, this is domestic suspense perfection.

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📖 Final Rating: ⭐ 4.5 out of 5

Unputdownable, unpredictable, and satisfying from start to finish.
If you’re a fan of twisty, character-driven mysteries, She Didn’t See It Coming is the one to grab.

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🛍️ Where to Buy

👉 Buy She Didn’t See It Coming on Amazon (affiliate link)

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🔎 Similar Reads & Recommendations

If you liked this, you’ll love these equally twisty page-turners:

• 🏠 The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

• 💔 The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose

• 🔍 The Only One Left by Riley Sager

• 🖤 The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

• 🪞 A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena