Possession by Katie Lowe [book review]

Possession book summary:

Possession is a psychological thriller by Katie Lowe. This book is going to be released on January 26, 2021, by St. Martin’s Press. This book is a thriller that follows Hannah. Ten years ago Hannah’s husband was murdered in his own bed. Hannah was considered a suspect until the police found something that led them to convict someone else. Ten years after her exes murder Hannah has found someone she really cares about. The plus side is that this guy actually treats Hannah’s daughter like his own. When a really popular podcast decides to do a true crime episode on her dead husband it brings up a whirlwind of memories for Hannah. As the podcast turns everyone against her she starts questioning whether or not she was the cause of his death.

What I thought about Possession:

Possession is a thriller that follows Hannah’s journey as she works her way through a traumatizing podcast that is accusing her of her husband’s murder. But did Hannah actually do it? Unfortunately, Hannah doesn’t remember because of the PTSD that caused her to forget what happened that night. Could Hannah have possibly killed him?

I’m really thankful because I got approved for this book on Netgalley. Plus, I couldn’t help but be excited about being approved for a book that was published by St. Marten’s Press. If you’re a reader then know how popular this press is!

The Plot 

So, I ended up picking this book up because of the cover. I know I know you shouldn’t really judge a book by its cover but it’s something I can’t help to do. When I read the blurb it kind of sold me on it and made me really want to read the book. Little did I know this book would really grab my attention and keep it there. Through most of the book, I kept wondering if maybe Hannah could have actually killed her husband and blocked it out. Throughout most of the book, she does think ill of him and how he handled some things. She loved him but he wasn’t a good husband at all. He’s a cheat and a liar. So why wouldn’t Hannah have any reason to get rid of him?

There are a few things I ended up not really caring for about this book. One thing is that the Podcast is able to get some information that really isn’t a public record. Where are they finding their stuff that makes Hannah look super guilty? How are they able to conveniently find these things. It’s understandable that they were able to get some things from the court and some things from social media, but I do kind of wish Katie would have explained where their information was coming from. Another thing I ended up not caring for is that all of the people close to her turned on her. If they really cared for her and thought they knew her then why didn’t they act like it? Even though the podcast was kind of stacking things against her they couldn’t have trusted her until they knew for sure?

The Characters

I understand why Katie did that though. It’s also understandable that the people closest to you would doubt what happened since they aren’t always with you. People are also good at hiding things from the ones they love. I guess I just can’t help to wish that a family member that has no other previous issues would actually have faith in that person. But then again I could be pushing how I would be onto fictional characters. If it was one of my family members I would believe they were innocent until there was substantial evidence. Or maybe I’m just naïve when it comes to this sort of thing.

Another thing that bothered me with Possession is that I feel that Katie took the easy way out when it comes to Hannah. There are two incidents in this book that are controversial but Hannah conveniently forgets what happens because of PTSD. I get that this sort of thing happens in real life, but when you’re writing a book to entertain and thrill you kind of want to make things interesting. Forgetting exactly what happens doesn’t really make things interesting. At least it doesn’t for me.

The ending I actually have a love-hate relationship with. I hate what happens to Hannah but I’m glad that she has someone willing to help her. On top of that, I am so so glad that Hannah will be getting the last word and have to chance to tell her story.

Despite the few things I ended up not liking I still ended up really enjoying this story. It kind of makes you wonder what you would do in a situation where you’re blamed for something you didn’t think you did. Then you start to question yourself because you really don’t remember what happened that night in the first place. Could you really kill someone and then make yourself forget?

How do you guys feel about thrillers where the main character forgets some important things that happened?

If you like thirllers then you will probably like The Wife Upstairs.