“YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE

Nadeeka is certain Jamie is having an affair. She knows the tell-tale signs.

She’s been here before.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHO YOU CAN TRUST

When Jamie claims to be at work late, she knows he’s lying. He’s with another woman, and she’s determined to catch him in the act.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW THE STORY ENDS

But when Nadeeka arrives home to confront him, Jamie can’t explain himself. The house has become a crime scene…

Jamie is dead.

IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh. It’s Not What You Think is published by HarperCollins today (that’s Thursday 26th March 2026) and is available in hardcover, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of It’s Not What You Think but that has in no way influenced my review.

So, the book is called It’s Not What You Think, and I don’t think there’s ever been a more fitting title. And it works on multiple levels. When I started reading this book, I thought I was in for a cheating, secretive partner who was hiding a multitude of secrets from his gently naïve other half. That’s how it starts. But then Mackintosh twists things up, and suddenly, you’re somewhere you never expected to be. It’s shocking. It’s timely, it’s relevant, and it comes at you like a punch to the face. Absolutely brilliant.

Nadeeka doesn’t have the best track record with relationships. Her narcissistic ex-husband was having multiple affairs behind her back. With a bruised heart and two small children in tow, she decides to try and find a new man. Someone who won’t use and abuse her. Someone who will love her no matter what and stay true to her through thick and thin. And she finds him — on a dating app. Jamie is perfect. He adores Nadeeka’s two daughters, and suddenly, things are starting to look up. With his meagre belongings, he moves down south, starts a new job in the area, and, despite it being early days, moves into Nadeeka’s house. However, when Jamie starts to work late, Nadeeka, fuelled by her past experience, can’t help but be suspicious. She’s seen the signs before but this time, she’ll catch him in flagrante and put an end to things. Knowing Jamie is at home, she leaves work early, bracing herself to catch him in the act with another woman. But what Nadeeka actually finds is beyond her worst nightmares….

If you’re reading a review of this book and the description goes beyond what I’ve written above, please do me a favour and just stop reading it. There are so many shocks and surprises in this book which are brilliantly written and superbly placed. They really smack the reader around the chops, and if you expect them, then you’ll be missing out on a tense and gasp-inducing reading experience. You’re safe here, though.

Clare Mackintosh is a highly skilled writer who lulls her readers into a false sense of familiarity and then pulls the rug out from underneath them with a glorious flourish. When I started reading It’s Not What You Think, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, a domestic suspense (cheating partner, secrets galore), lovely. I do enjoy domestic suspense’. Then I thought, ‘Oh, it’s now a murder mystery. Even better, I LOVE a murder mystery.’ But then EVERYTHING CHANGES. I would describe this book as a high-octane thriller which encapsulates the issues of today. Believable? Hell yes. Uncomfortable? Hell yes. Told in multiple parts using multiple voices, the reader gets to see the events that lead up to Jamie’s death. What has he been keeping from Nadeeka? An affair? Or something much, much worse…?

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. It’s Not What You Think is a gripping, nerve-shredding thriller that had me turning the pages at a rate of knots. I was captivated by the storytelling, intrigued by the well-written cast of characters and on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This is a very clever book. I loved how the different POVs revealed a completely different side to the characters. I loved how beautifully placed the twists are (one I did see coming, but that first one….WOW!). And I loved a handful of the characters (only a handful, mind you. Some of the people in this book are the worst of the worst!). All in all, a superb thriller from a supremely talented author. With so much delicious suspense, bucketloads of perfectly pitched intrigue and a finale that gave me actual, physical palpitations, It’s Not What You Think is destined for the bestseller list! Gripping, unsettling and another masterclass in storytelling from Mackintosh. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of It’s Not What You Think. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh was published in the UK by HarperCollins on 26th March 2026 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (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 |

Clare Mackintosh is the New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of I Let You Go, I See You, and Let Me Lie, translated into more than thirty-five languages and with more than two million copies sold worldwide. She is the founder of Chipping Norton Literary Festival and is the patron of the Silver Star Society, an Oxford-based charity that provides special care for mothers with medical complications during pregnancy at John Radcliffe Hospital. She lives in North Wales with her husband and their three children.