She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica (Audiobook)

 

ICU nurse Meghan Michaels is drawn to the latest patient on her ward. A young woman, Caitlin, has tried to commit suicide, but as the police investigate they discover that there is a possibility that she was pushed off a bridge. Why would someone want to hurt Caitlin, a much-loved daughter?

There is so much going on in  She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica that I really had to pay attention to keep up with the story. The time frame isn't linear either and this adds to the unsettled feeling you get as you listen. The opening chapter is chilling, with a mother getting a phone call from the kidnapper of her daughter. The story then introduces us to Meghan.

Meghan has a lot going on in her life. Recently divorced, she's now living in an apartment in Chicago with her teenage daughter. Meghan loves her job but the hours are long and exhausting. You can feel Meghan's frustration as she tries to balance work with her life raising a teenager and an ex-husband wanting access.

When Caitlin, the attempted suicide, is admitted to the ICU you immediately get a sense of Meghan's compassionate side. She is drawn to the patient, at a loss for why a young woman would try to end her life. Caitlin's parents are also at a loss, they struggle to comprehend why their daughter would take such an action. Things become more complicated when a stranger tries to gain access to Caitlin and then the police decide that it wasn't a suicide attempt, Caitlin was pushed. This is compounded by the fact that someone is attacking women. You begin to wonder if Caitlin was one of the victims and her attacker is determined that she won't regain consciousness.

While all of this is happening Meghan bumps into an old school friend, Natalie. She learns that Natalie is a victim of domestic abuse and struggling to leave her husband as she has no access to their finances. Having recently divorced Meghan is sympathetic towards Natalie and offers to help her.

It was at this point that I felt that the author had put too many threads into the narrative, especially when we still had to learn more about the kidnapping from the opening chapter. What I didn't expect was the twist that was thrown in part way through which drew some of these threads together. From this point on it was one revelation after another. Even when secrets are uncovered you are still left with a feeling of uncertainty, not quite sure if we know the full truth. The ending doesn't fill you with satisfaction, intentionally, it leaves you with a vague sense of unease.

She's Not Sorry by Mary Kubica is available in paperback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a review copy.

Author Details

Mary Kubica is a New York Times bestselling author of thrillers including The Good Girl, The Other Mrs., Local Woman Missing and Just the Nicest Couple. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over two million copies worldwide. Her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (L.A. Times). She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and children.