REVIEW: With You Always by Rena Olsen

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons

ISBN: 110198239X

Format: Paperback, E-Book

Release Date: 7th August 2018


Links: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Indigo,
B&N,

Website


Rating: 8/10


Synopsis:

In the wake of a painful breakup and struggling to prove herself at work, Julia feels adrift. When Bryce blows into her life, he seems like the perfect anchor. Handsome, charming, secure, and confident, Bryce brings out the best in Julia, sweeping her off her feet with attention and affection while grounding her with his certainty and faith. Together they embark on a path guided by the principles of his family and their church, each step a paving stone leading to happily ever after.

But this is no fairytale.
Step by step, one small concession leading to another, Julia is slowly isolated from her job, her friends, and her family, until she comes to find that her dream come true is a cage. Then one day everything changes . . . and Julia is faced with no choice but to find a way out.

Review:

**Thanks to PRH Canada for sending me a copy in return for my review**

With You Always was a fantastic book that Rena Olsen has done a fantastic job with. Our main character, Julia, falls for her 'perfect' man. But she slowly begins to realise that not everything is as perfect as she thinks.

The characters in this book were chilling. Bryce was written fantastically. He was creepy, manipulative and controlling. From the very beginning, I had a feeling that not everything was as it seemed. Bryce was just too perfect. 

Throughout the book, his dark side is slowly revealed. I really enjoyed the subtle 'creepiness' to Bryce and that it wasn't thrown into the readers face. Small things that he would do and say alluded to a much darker personality than Julia was led to believe. He hid far too many secrets for me to find him trustworthy and I could tell that he was hiding something dark.

Julia herself was a very naive character. She allowed herself to fall in love and get married quickly; perhaps in part due to her loss of love previous. She was vulnerable  and easily fell for what she saw as her 'perfect' man. She is manipulated into doing anything her husband, and his church, want her to do. She quits her job, barely contacts her family, and is unable to travel without her husband's permission.

It isn't until later in the plot that she begins to realise the dark nature of what she has gotten herself into. I didn't like just how easily manipulated Julia was, but at the same time it made for a much more creepy and disturbing read. She finally takes control at the end of the book, to protect herself and her baby from the church, and her husband's physical and mental abuse.

My main criticism with the book is that I wish there had been more backstory to Bryce. There were snippets thrown in throughout the book, as well as a chapter where Julia visits someone from his past. I wish this had been expanded upon a little more, like how he met the Church of Life and the Reverent. I felt the corruption of the Church was much more implied than shown, and I think the story would have benefitted from this being developed on more.

Rena Olsen has created a wonderfully dark, mysterious and creepy novel. She is a fantastic writer and excelled at creating a subtly dark environmentthat kept me reading. Some of my favourite chapters were Julia's visits to the Church of Life; you could tell that not everything was as it seemed and it kept me reading and reading until the very end. 

With you Always is a fast-paced creepy book with a well driven storyline and creepy characters. I couldn't stop reading until I had uncovered all the mysteries that the Church of Life and Bryce was hiding...