All I kept thinking while reading this book was, “What would I do?”

I’ve seen reviews describing Kat as gullible or pathetic, but as a mom who’s been through some sh*t, I found myself looking at her situation through a completely different lens. When you’re backed into a corner and the stakes are personal, how far would you go? Where would your priorities lie? And would you really make better decisions when you’re the one living through the nightmare?

That said, GIRL. OPEN YOUR EYES. If there’s one bad guy lurking around, I’m suspicious of EVERYONE. I’d be questioning motives, doing my own research, and certainly not taking everything the villain presents at face value. My paranoia would be working overtime! Kat definitely had me wanting to reach into the pages and shake some sense into her.

And then there’s Eve. I absolutely loved how she just inserted herself into Kat’s life. No invitation necessary. No boundaries respected. It’s basically “take it or… well, take it, because I’m not going anywhere.” Her presence added such an interesting layer to an already complicated situation.

Despite Kat’s questionable decisions and some past morally gray tendencies, I was rooting for her. I appreciated that she wasn’t a perfectly innocent heroine making all the right choices. She was messy, flawed, and trying to navigate an impossible situation.

What really set The Accident apart for me was its approach to suspense. This wasn’t so much a thriller about anticipating what terrible thing might happen next. It was about watching terrible things unfold and wondering how on earth someone would handle them. The tension came from the decisions, the manipulation, and the consequences rather than simply the next big twist.

This was my first Natalie Barelli book, but it certainly won’t be my last. I appreciated experiencing a different flavor of psychological thriller, one that left me questioning what I would do long after I’d finished reading.

📖 The Accident
✍️ Natalie Barelli
🎁 Provided by Poisoned Pen Press
📅 Release: 02/02/27
🏁 Finished: 11/08/26
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