Sandra Block (1)

To review this novel as the best thriller I've read this year is too mild. A reader’s hot sauce. The hottest of the hot. The height of suspense. Best. Thriller. Ever. Read. 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

Dr. Zoe Goldman is a psychiatry resident with 2 other physicians under the supervision of Dr. Grant at a hospital in Buffalo, New York. Medication keeps her ADHD under control. Zoe is hoping for more help from her psychiatrist as another part of life has remained elusive. She wants to piece show more together the puzzle of her recurring nightmare. Answers from her adoptive mother have always been limited, and now, with her mother in care, Zoe qualifies answers as BD or AD before or after dementia.

Mothers. The relationship between mothers and daughters is not lost on Zoe at home or work. Her latest patient, Sofia Vallano, has been in psychiatric hospital care for years for matricide. All of which influence her desire to locate her birth mother.

I loved every aspect of this well-written novel. Whether in the hospital, at home, in the coffee shop, or in the car, I was immersed and engaged by the descriptive writing. My top favorites:

"Raindrops squiggle down the window, racing each other."
"If Sam's office is a yacht, and the nursing home a Victorian tearoom, then the Coffee Spot is a funky bachelor pad."

And the description of Jean-Luc is one to luxuriate, revel, and bask within the words.

The story takes place over 4 months, from November to February. The vital clue to the mysteries of the answers Zoe is seeking is subtle. But then I must report it in that manner since the clue to it all was tucked in the story with care, and I flat-out missed the significance. At the reveal, I was in the first car of the roller coaster train approaching the tip of the top hat and then the drop. The track I thought the curves were taking wasn't even there. Shock! Adrenalin pumping, edge of my seat, gripping the rail with white knuckles, fantastic, extraordinary ecstasy. WoW! What a ride! 🎢🎢🎢🎢🎢

A Reading Group Guide and Discussion Questions are available at the end of the novel. show less

Little Black Lies is the story of Zoe Goldman, a doctor who suffers from ADHD herself and works in the psychiatry ward of a Buffalo hospital. When she was 4 her mother died in a house fire and she was then adopted by her mother’s best friend. Recently, nightmares that Zoe hasn’t had since high school have returned. These nightmares consist of her broken memories from the tragic night her mother died. Why have these nightmares suddenly returned? Why don’t the memories in her dreams show more coincide with what she’s been told by her adopted mother all these years? And why does her new patient, Sophia, who killed her own mother 20 years ago, suddenly start showing up in them? These questions lead Zoe on a hunt to find out who her birth mother really was and what really happened to her.

This is a great read for anyone who loves fast paced and completely engrossing psychological thrillers. There are many dark twists and some unexpected turns, I honestly did not see the twist coming so I was blown away! It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel; it’s beautifully crafted and expertly written. Sandra Block does have a medical background and it’s clearly evident. The inner workings of the hospital and its psychiatric ward along with its cast of doctors and patients ring absolutely true and make this story that much more believable.

Sandra Block does an amazing job in conveying Zoe’s “crazy” ADHD mind to the reader. I’ve read some reviews in which the reader was bothered by the many inner references by Zoe regarding her own ADHD but I actually thought this was spot on and kinda the whole point. My 19 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD and OCD when he was young and his thought patterns are very similar to how Zoe’s were written. He constantly discusses his ADHD which cracks me up and yes, sometimes drives me bonkers! So I loved reading Zoe’s inner dialogues, they were some of my favorite parts of this book. For me, it was like getting an insight to what I’ve always imagined went on in my son’s mind.

I absolutely loved Little Black Lies and was extremely happy to review it! I’m also very excited to have learned this will be a first in a series. Already looking forward to reading more about Zoe and her group of flawed and often times funny friends and family.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review** show less

TRIGGER WARNING: If violence or abuse in any form unsettles you, I’d recommend skipping this one.

Dahlia is traumatized by an unspeakable act committed against her, causing her to have pseudo seizures. She’s angry that there are guilty people walking around with impunity. She’s also a suicide survivor, along with her best friend, Eli, who does all he can to protect Dahlia. Dahlia has a new friend, James, whose sister, Ramona, succeeded in taking her life. James and Dahlia are workmates show more but they truly meet at a support group. James has a secret about Ramona that’s hard for him to share with Dahlia. His father couldn’t bear Ramona’s secret, but James knows he has to tell Dahlia. James is internally tormented by his sister’s untimely death, and he’s attracted to Dahlia, but he has Asperger’s syndrome. Dahlia isn’t put off by his awkwardness, peculiarities and personality quirks. Together, they make a formidable team, and they have an idea that will make each and every person who’s responsible for Dahlia’s tragedy wish they were never born.

I liked the relationship between Dahlia and James. Both have personal challenges to work through and they unequivocally balance one another. Dahlia’s friend Eli, as well as others, support her on many occasions and in many ways, but is she certain that everyone can be trusted?

Parts of What Happened That Night are a brutal, but realistic, account of unspeakable acts committed against a young woman that affects her so deeply that she almost succeeds in taking her life. Thanks to her friends, family, and a new love interest, she works through it all, but she’s evermore determined to make sure all involved get what they deserve.

I figured out Ramona’s secret.

Although I’m not a proponent of revenge tactics, I can’t say I felt remorse for the perpetrators in this story. Dahlia and James were masterminds when it came to plotting and scheming; and after everything was said and done one must ask the question: was it all worth it?

This book was excellently written but I would not read another like it. Although the events are a depiction of true-to-life scenarios, nevertheless, it was a bit disturbing to say the least. The end gave me sentimental vibes though. show less

4.5 stars.

What Happened That Night by Sandra Block is an empowering novel of healing for a victim of a horrific sexual assault.

Five years earlier, Harvard college senior Dahlia Edelman attends a finals party where she is roofied and sexually assaulted by several men. With only brief flashes of memories of what happened to her and angry over her treatment by the police, she eventually falls into a deep depression and leaves Harvard before graduation. With the support of her best guy pal, Eli show more Sawyer, Dahlia is now getting her life back on track as she completes her degree through night classes while working as a paralegal. Her life is completely upended when she discovers someone has posted an appalling video of her sexual assault online. With the help of her friend, Daisy and her co-worker/friend James Gardner, Dahlia begins to uncover the identities of the men in the video in order to exact her revenge for the heinous and brutal assault.

Although Dahlia has not regained her memories of the night she was brutalized, she has taken many steps to regain control over her life. She still regularly talks with her counselor, she carries a weapon to protect herself and she has also taken self defense courses. Dahlia's life is a little solitary as she mainly hangs out with Eli, works and attends classes but she has achieved a measure of peace. At a support group meeting, James catches her eye but she is still quite surprised when he seeks he out at work the next day. Dahlia is taken off guard by how much she enjoys spending time with James, but her world is thrown into chaos after the video is posted online.

James is socially awkward and he is very literal during conversations. A computer geek, he is quite intelligent and lives a fairly quiet life with little social interaction outside of work. James immediately connects with Dahlia and although he is somewhat abrupt when he first asks her out, the two hit it off. He is angry on Dahlia's behalf when the video surfaces and he does not hesitate to join her as she seeks out her own brand of justice against the men who assaulted her.

Dahlia's attackers are now wealthy with successful careers but she and James gradually figure out how to take them down. They cleverly put James's computer skills to work and they ruthlessly set their plans in motion. Dahlia feels no remorse for what she is doing but she does have reservations about their plan for one of the men. However, when she recalls his actions on the video, she easily overcomes her hesitation. When shocking new information comes to light about the finals group, Dahlia is unstoppable as she does everything within her power to get justice for herself and right this terrible wrong.

What Happened That Night is an absolutely riveting, emotional and suspense-laden mystery. Dahlia and James are absolutely delightful characters who are struggling to overcome the tragedies that have left powerful scars on them. Although some of the content is graphic, Sandra Block deftly handles these difficult topics and passages with a great deal of sensitivity. With an absolutely stunning and completely unexpected plot twist, the novel concludes on a uplifting and positive note. An absolutely brilliant read that I HIGHLY recommend to fans of the genre. show less