“YOU CAN HEAR HIS EVERY THOUGHT… BUT HE CAN HEAR YOURS TOO.
Never again wonder where they are
Never again doubt their feelings for you
Know your partner intimately
OneMind: for the ultimate closeness

When Elijah suggests going to OneMind to celebrate their ten-year anniversary, Anna is dubious about getting the implant that will allow them to hear each other’s thoughts. However, eager to please him, and to make up for the fact she can’t give him what he really wants, she agrees to take this step towards the ultimate intimacy.

And at first things are great. Anna feels closer to her husband, and the novelty of communicating mind to mind is a thrill. But then she develops a strange side effect and begins having dreams that aren’t dreams, but memories. Memories that aren’t hers. And if Anna is now seeing Elijah’s memories, what if he can see hers? Will he discover what she’s kept buried in her past?

Desperate to keep the truth from her husband, Anna’s mind becomes a prison she can’t escape. How long can she keep the traitorous thoughts at bay before she drives herself mad?“

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Always on My Mind by Carys Green. Always on My Mind was published by Harvill Secker on 27th February 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow. I chose to read a free ARC of Always on My Mind but that has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to Graeme Williams and the team at Harvill Secker for sending me a finished copy.

Anna and Elijah met ten years ago at university. Since then, life for the couple has been pretty sweet. Tech-fanatic Elijah has a good job allowing them to live in a luxurious, tech-driven house. Whilst Anna concentrates on making her name as an artist. For their tenth wedding anniversary Elijah surprises Anna with an unexpected gift. ‘Unity’ offers the chance for couples to become even closer by hearing your other half’s most intimate, inner thoughts. No matter how many miles divide you, you’ll always be able to speak to your partner as if they were in the same room as you. To do this both Anna and Elijah must undergo a procedure to have the chips implanted just beneath the skin behind their ears. The chips are synced, and from then on, your every waking thought will be beamed to your spouse’s mind. Making the closest couple even closer. But Anna has secrets of her own. Things she doesn’t want her husband to know. Things which would tear their solid marriage to shreds. When Anna’s chip begins to malfunction, she realises that Elijah may be able to see her memories as well as her thoughts. Does he already know the truth? Can Anna control her thoughts and memories enough so that he never discovers what happened? And in doing so, will Anne drive herself completely mad in the process…?

I was so completely and utterly drawn to this thriller. Such a different premise that I had to see how this crazy tech would affect the couple in the story. I found Always on My Mind utterly engrossing. A domestic tech thriller that had me hanging on every word. Original and thought-provoking. Terrifying and tense.

The characters are well-drawn. I believed in the couple and their relationship. I didn’t particularly like either of them (I expect you won’t like Elijah much either!) but that’s quite normal for me and to be honest, I’m not sure the author was aiming for ‘likeable’ with either of them. I felt quite sorry for Anna at times. Elijah is controlling and manipulative. His constant checks on Anna pre-chip (where are you? What are you doing?) were completely frustrating and infuriating. He uses his status and wealth to control not only his wife but his friends as well. He’s pretty despicable but that only added to the story. It ramps the tension up and puts the reader beautifully on edge throughout.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Always on My Mind is a gripping, compelling thriller that had me in its thrall from the start of the book to the very end. I was able to predict how a couple of things were going to turn out but that didn’t take anything away from the story for me. The supporting cast of characters were all strong. I found Anna’s best friend Mandie a little infuriating, but I won’t go into why as that could end in a spoiler, of sorts. The dual timeline allows the reader to see how the small group of friends met at university and how their relationships/friendships grew over the years to what we see in the present day. All in all, I found Always on My Mind to be a highly readable, suspense-packed, engaging thriller. Something a little bit different that we should definitely (DEFINITELY!!) leave in fiction forever more. I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to more from this author in the future. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of Always on My Mind. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Always on My Mind by Carys Green was published in the UK by Harvill Secker on 27th February 2025 and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats with the paperback to follow (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Carys Green is a thriller writer based in Shropshire where she lives with her husband, daughter and dog.

When she’s not writing she can often be found indulging two of her greatest passions; either walking round the local woodland or catching up on all things Disney related.

Her speculative thriller Always On My Mind, was pre-empted by Harvill Secker and will be published as their lead crime/thriller title in Spring 2025. It follows a married couple who each get an implant allowing them to hear the other’s thoughts, but one of them develops a strange side effect and begins to experience her husband’s memories – meaning he may be able to discover her darkest secret.