Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book. You know right away that things aren't going to go well for Lee once she makes the decision to go on her girl's weekend getaway, yet you don't know exactly what will happen.
Even after the weekend is over and the plot continues to unfold with Grace, her friend, and Noah, the man Lee was falling for, the "present" and "past" chapters slowly peel away the sub-layers as to why they have all gotten to this point in their lives.
I like the twists that unfold in the last few chapters, and they'll keep you guessing until the very end. ( )

Because You're Mine was my first book by Rea Frey. I had heard great things about this book from some of my reading friends and after being in a "thriller rut" I was looking for something to get me out of it.

This book had all the elements of a great domestic thriller, highly detailed characters, mystery, and suspense. I think what I have been missing lately with thrillers is the ability to really get to know the characters and what happened in their pasts to play into their current situations and Frey did an amazing job with this aspect. I also loved getting to know Lee's son Mason. His character was great and I loved what a big role he had in this book.

This book had a perfect balance of thinking I had it all figured it out and also keeping me on the edge of my seat. Her writing is edgy and this book is full of secrets. I thought I knew what was happening and I was in for a big surprise at the end.

I am excited to read more of Frey's writing in the future! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Oh my this is quite the page turner from start to finish. Every chapter leaves you with more questions, making it very hard to put down. ( )

4.5 stars.
Because You're Mine by Rea Frey is an absolutely riveting domestic mystery.

Lee Chambers is a single mom to seven year old Mason who is highly intelligent but suffers from sensory processing disorder. She is very protective of him and she is quite pleased at his progress now he is homeschooled by Noah Banks. Lee's best friend Grace Chambliss is very supportive and she has a good relationship with Mason. Lee is guarded and tight-lipped about her past but will a girls' weekend away provide her the opportunity to confide in Grace?

Lee has carefully structured her life to revolve around providing the environment Mason needs to thrive. She is a skilled hairdresser who runs her business out of her home. She and her son socialize with Grace, her son Luca and the other two women in their circle of friends and their children. Lee is uneasy about going away on a three day getaway but after Noah agrees to stay with Mason, she begins to look forward to relaxing with her friends. After a fun-filled evening in which they take turns sharing secrets, will Lee be able to handle an unexpected revelation?

Grace is completely devoted to Lee and Mason but she is irritated that Lee's problems sometimes dominate their time together. She and Mason share a tight bond and since the two families spend so much time together, she knows how to relate to him. Grace is frustrated when her attempts to confide in Lee are thwarted, but she plans to tell her friend her news during their girls' trip.

Noah is patient, kind and compassionate and it is quite obvious Mason is special to him. He is also a friend to Lee as she navigates the ups and downs of single motherhood. Noah is absolutely delighted by Mason's brilliance and he quickly adapts his lessons to nurture his student's curiosity. But is there more to Noah than meets the eye?

Narrated from several points of view and weaving back in forth in time, Because You're Mine is an engaging mystery with a clever storyline. The characters are richly developed and likable despite their all too human flaws. The plot is unique and filled with tension as Lee wrestles with an unexpected attraction and Grace tries numerous times to discuss something important with her best friend. Rea Frey deftly builds suspense from the explosive opening chapter until the twist-filled, stunning conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this fantastic mystery to readers of the genre. ( )

In Rea Frey’s compassionate new psychological thriller, Lee is a single mom living near Nashville with a seven-year-old son who’s on the spectrum, and her life isn’t easy. She has a couple of things going for her. She has a circle of three good friends, especially her best friend Grace who’s one of the few people her son Mason is fond of. Mason’s handsome, dedicated occupational therapist Noah is helping him with his small and large motor skills as well as channeling and challenging his amazing intellectual capacity. And, Lee works from home, with a hair styling studio in her garage, which means she’s always close at hand, just in case.
In the book’s prologue, you learn a woman took a nighttime mountain hike and that it ends tragically. No spoiler here: the first words of the book are “She is going to die.” But you aren’t sure which “she” took that fatal tumble. The first chapter rewinds the story to a week before the mountain outing and fills in the missing pieces.
One of their group suggests a getaway for the four of them in the North Carolina mountains, and Grace thinks the mountain mini-vacation will be the perfect time to tell Lee some important news, which she does. There’s considerable fallout from this revelation, and an even deeper exploration of how Lee and Grace became the adults they are. While Grace has been preoccupied with her secrets, those that Lee hides are much deeper and more dangerous. Maybe.
In the mountains, the secrets start tumbling out and she—the ambiguous she from the prologue—dies. But that’s not the end of the story, there are layers and layers yet to come, a past to be excavated.
Just when you think you understand this story and the roles of the players on the board, Frey produces another surprise from her characters’ pasts that suggest a totally different dynamic at play. Nor does she tie the ending up with a too-neat bow. An excellent read. ( )