To what lengths would you go to protect your children from the person stalking you?
Jenna, an emergency room physician, is being stalked and despite reporting everything to the police, nothing is being done. She's seen her stalker on numerous occasions so when he presents to her ER, she has to decide to save him or let him die.
Jenna's character is well developed and I had a true sense of the terror she felt on a daily basis and of the way it affected her family. From the other mom's at the school, to her children, to her husband, everyone was affected by the stalker.
Told from 2 different points of view, we are also watching the events unfold from Sophie. In the beginning, we are unsure how Sophie fits into the plot, but find that she's facing her own monsters in life.
As the book progresses, different connections and relationships are revealed, such as that of Sophie and Jenna.
From the time I started this book, I quickly read through it. I certainly hadn't figured out all the answers and was pleasantly surprised. While not necessarily thrilling, I enjoyed this book.
Anyone interested in mild thrillers, this would be the perfect place to start.
Thank you for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion ( )

One Step Behind by Lauren North is a recommended stalker story of psychological suspense.

Jenna Lawson is a doctor, wife, and mother. For over a year she has been the ongoing victim of stalker who keeps leaving her frightening gifts. She can feel herself being watched and has sighted her stalker several times. Jenna is at a breaking point. She is barely sleeping and is on edge and wary all the time. She immediately reports all the incidences to the police, but they haven't been able to find the culprit. When a man is brought into the emergency room where Jenna works, she immediately recognizes him as her stalker. He is put into a medically induced coma and Jenna can't help herself, she looks at his phone. On it she finds images of her and her kids as well as another mother who she knows.

Inserted into the main story line are chapters about a personal trainer, Sophie, who is worried about her brother, Matthew. The two shared a difficult childhood. These chapters go back in time to when her parents first adopted Matthew and when Sophie was always admonished to take care of her brother. This seems to be the ongoing theme of their adult lives too, but Sophie is tired of taking care of Matthew and living with her overbearing controlling boyfriend.

North does depict the increasingly poor decisions Jenna is making due to the stress and paranoia she is experiencing. You do begin to wonder briefly if she is doing this to herself. But then it becomes more clear that, while the main characters are well-developed, they also all seem to be troubled and, well, become annoying after a while. After several chapters they begin to grate on your nerves. I pressed on because it's a stalker story and I wanted to get to the twist that had to be coming. The twist came, but it wasn't quite as satisfying as I was hoping.

Basically, though, the writing is good. North is a writer to watch in the future. She did a good job increasing the tension and suspense, although the novel did go on a bit too long. In the future more care needs to be taken before adding a few plot points that were improbable and simply couldn't happen.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/09/one-step-behind.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3528693514 ( )

When Jenna's life gets turned upside down by a stalker, all she wants to know is who it is and why she was chosen.

Jenna's stalker has been leaving her awful gifts, sending her threatening e-mails, lurking behind trees and buildings, and ruining Jenna's life because she sees the stalker everywhere.

One day as Jenna was the doctor working in the ER, her stalker is brought in after an accident and is in critical condition.

Jenna could let the patient die or she could save her stalker. That was a tough decision for her, but she decided her medical oath required her to save lives.

She finds out the stalker's name is Matthew.

She still questions if saving him was the right thing to do because he still haunted her, and she still sees him even though she knows he is in the ICU.

We also meets Matthew's sister, Sophie.

We learn Matthew's background through Sophie's story. They both had a terrible childhood, but she only hears her mother’s words that she is a big sister and has to take care of Matthew. She is tired of taking care of her brother.

Something happened in this family twelve years ago that causes even more guilt for Sophie.

ONE STEP BEHIND is filled with unlikable characters, secrets, bitterness, and a great story line.

The tension and the unknown are very evident in this book with the ending ramping up the tension to the max.

Readers who enjoy a book that keeps you guessing and on alert will enjoy ONE STEP BEHIND. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

When Jenna's life gets turned upside down by a stalker, all she wants to know is who it is and why she was chosen.

Jenna's stalker has been leaving her awful gifts, sending her threatening e-mails, lurking behind trees and buildings, and ruining Jenna's life because she sees the stalker everywhere.

One day as Jenna was the doctor working in the ER, her stalker is brought in after an accident and is in critical condition.

Jenna could let the patient die or she could save her stalker. That was a tough decision for her, but she decided her medical oath required her to save lives.

She finds out the stalker's name is Matthew.

She still questions if saving him was the right thing to do because he still haunted her, and she still sees him even though she knows he is in the ICU.

We also meets Matthew's sister, Sophie.

We learn Matthew's background through Sophie's story. They both had a terrible childhood, but she only hears her mother’s words that she is a big sister and has to take care of Matthew. She is tired of taking care of her brother.

Something happened in this family twelve years ago that causes even more guilt for Sophie.

ONE STEP BEHIND is filled with unlikable characters, secrets, bitterness, and a great story line.

The tension and the unknown are very evident in this book with the ending ramping up the tension to the max.

Readers who enjoy a book that keeps you guessing and on alert will enjoy ONE STEP BEHIND. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Dr. Jenna Lawson is being stalked. Although she has seen his face, the police are unable to identify him. Then he is rushed to the emergency room of the hospital where she works.
The premise of this is intriguing but I felt this was a slow build. Once Jenna learns the identity of her stalker, she becomes obsessed with learning why he is stalking her. She doesn't let the police do their job and interferes with the investigation. Then there is the stalker's background.
This is written in the first person, but when Jenna thinks about her stalker it is all "You" did this, "You" made me this way, like she is talking to him.
The last 5 chapters is when the story all comes together and it gets a little bit more intense. Overall, I feel like this was OK. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either.
This is due to be released on September 1st, 2020. ( )