She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena Book Review

Title: She Didn’t See It Coming
Author: Shari Lapena
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books (US) / Penguin Random House
Genre: Thriller / Psychological Suspense
Year of Publication: 2025
Date of Publication: July 29, 2025
Pages: 352 pages (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 978-0593832448
Audiobook Read by: January LaVoy

Summary of She Didn’t See It Coming

Bryden and Sam appear to have an ideal life. Both of them have successful careers, a luxurious condo, supportive friends, and a daughter. They live in Albany, New York.

One day, while Sam is at work, he gets a call that Bryden hasn’t picked up their daughter from daycare. This is completely out of Bryden’s usual character. Sam rushes home to find Bryden’s car in the underground garage. But even weirder than not picking up their daughter is the fact that inside the apartment, her laptop is open, her phone is there, her keys are in their usual spot, and everything seems as if she just stepped out for a moment. But she’s nowhere to be found.

Did Bryden leave the apartment? Did someone take her? Is someone close to her hiding something? As the case involving Bryden’s disappearance builds, trust disappears and suspicion builds amongst her neighbors, family, and the relationship between Bryden and Sam. Bryden’s past is completely scrutinized and what seemed like the perfect life reveals many cracks.

Main Plot & Characters

• Bryden Frost – She is the wife/mother who disappears under mysterious circumstances; her disappearance kicks off the investigation. Her past, her relationships, and her possible secrets are central to the suspense.
• Sam – He is Bryden’s husband. He becomes the primary point of view for attempting to find her. Sam is worried but at the same time comes off as suspicious.
• Clara – She is Bryden and Sam’s daughter. She is three years old.
• Detective Jayne Salter – She is the main detective investigating Bryden’s case. Jayne works for Albany police station.
• Detective Tom Kilgour – He worked the case with Detective Jane Salter.
• Lizzie Houser – She is Bryden’s sister. Lizzie works at a hospital. She has an obsession with true crime and considers herself an online sleuth. She uses the name Emma Porter online.
• Donna and Jim Houser – They are Bryden and Lizzie’s parents. They are in their sixties.
• Angela Romano – She is a neighbor that is friends with Bryden. Angela and Bryden have daughter’s around the same age. Angela’s daughter’s name is Savanah.
• Paige Mason – She is Bryden’s best friend and Clara’s godmother. They met at college. They have known each other for about 16 years.
• Tracy Kemp – She is a neighbor that lives in the same building as Bryden. Her husband was previously accused of rape but was not convicted. She is a copywriter for a legal publishing company.
• Henry Kemp – He is Tracy’s husband and was previously accused of rape.
• Kayly Medoff – She accused Henry Kemp of raping her a few years ago but there was no physical evidence.
• Derek Gardner – He and Bryden were involved in a car accident. They exchanged contact information. He is a cybersecurity expert and owns a successful company.
• Alice Gardner – She is Derek’s wife. She is highly educated but works part time. She inherited a large sum of money after her mother’s death.
• Mary Smelt – She was Alice Gardner’s mother.
• Jonathan Fell – He is the Head of the Forensic Investigation unit.
• Michael Fraser – He is Jayne’s boyfriend. He is a psychologist.
• Francine Logan – She claims to have seen someone with a suitcase on an elevator in Bryden’s building.
• Ginny Furness – She is the Forensic Pathologist that worked on Bryden.
• Brittany Clement – Another user on the true crime portal Lizzie uses that claims to have information on Bryden’s case.

Writing Style

Lapena tells the story using a narration style. The story is fast-paced and told from multiple perspectives. The story is written in a way that everyone is a suspect. We kept guessing who could have been responsible for the disappearance of Bryden. The author does a great job with creating multiple suspects. There are so many characters who seem helpful but have their own motives and secrets.

Usually, we can pinpoint who the killer is in these types of stories but this one really had us jumping suspects. By the end of the book, we had to admit the author got us. We also really enjoyed the overlapping stories and secrets that were not entirely tied to Bryden’s case.

Memorable Quotes

•  “No one ever thinks their photo will one day be on a police station’s whiteboard.”— Jayne’s reflections
• “She’s raging inside, but you wouldn’t know it to look at.”— Alice’s reflections
•  “Even the cleverest murderer needs to have luck on his side if he’s to get away with it.”— Jayne’s reflections
• “A pampered cat, with claws.”— Jayne’s reflections
• “But she can’t help wondering if they would be hurting quite as much if it were Lizzie who’d been found dead in a storage locker.”— Lizzie’s reflections
• “What do her parents think of their perfect daughter now.”— Lizzie’s reflections
• “It’s like everything I believed about my daughter’s life is a lie.”— Donna’s reflections
• “…and then came home and told him about it, as if she were a cat dropping the gift of a dead mouse at his feet.”— Derek Gardner’s reflections
• “But we can always chose to be good.”— Michael Fraser

Final Thoughts on She Didn’t See It Coming

Shari Lapena gives us another very intriguing thriller full of suspense and well-placed twists. What makes this book stand out is the number of characters who feel equally capable of holding really terrible secrets. Every revelation seems to open the door to another lie, and by the end, it’s clear that appearances can’t be trusted.

We liked the pacing of the book, nothing felt rushed, and the alternating perspectives made it difficult to settle on a single suspect. If you enjoy books that do not give away answers until the final moment, this novel will keep you hooked. It’s a story that not only entertains but also leaves you questioning how well you really know the people closest to you.

Book Rating

Characters ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Plot ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Writing ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Book Cover ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Audiobook (Narration only) ★★★★★ (5/5)

Overall ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Have you read She Didn’t See It Coming yet? If so, what did you think about the identity of the culprit or how believable the characters felt?

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