Lifestyle Ireland Review: Lisa Jewell’s It Could Have Been Her Is a Slow-Burn Thriller With a Sharp Finish
There’s a very particular kind of summer read: the one you slip into a beach bag or bring out to the back garden, expecting a quick, deliciously creepy escape. In this lifestyle ireland review, Lisa Jewell’s new thriller It Could Have Been Her lands somewhere between satisfying and frustrating — a novel with an irresistible premise, memorable characters and a final act that finally delivers the pulse-raising tension many readers will be hoping for.
Published on 21 July 2026, the book opens with an immediate hook. Jane Trevally, then 29, goes home with a man she barely knows to a house in a dark corner of Hampstead Heath. Something feels wrong. She senses danger and runs before the night turns into something far worse. Twenty-five years later, she finds herself back at the same unsettling house, Thornwood, after a small white dog is discovered near her home and its owner is reported missing.
That setup is classic Lisa Jewell: ominous, intimate and full of the kind of everyday fear that makes a thriller linger. Jane, now drawn into the mystery, begins digging into Thornwood’s secrets with the instincts of an amateur investigator. It is here that the novel leans into the cosy-sleuth energy readers may recognise from Richard Osman, while keeping the more disturbing undercurrent associated with darker domestic suspense.
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Why This Lisa Jewell Release Will Divide Thriller Fans in Lifestyle Ireland Circles
The strongest part of It Could Have Been Her is its atmosphere. Thornwood is written so vividly that the house feels alive in its own right — gloomy, strange and deeply unnerving. Jewell is excellent at creating emotional discomfort, and that talent is on full display here.
The novel also benefits from well-drawn characters. Jane is easy to root for, and her relationship with her stepson Dexter brings warmth to a story that might otherwise feel relentlessly cold. On the opposite end of the scale is Jessamine Black, a character likely to test readers’ patience in exactly the way a good thriller antagonist should.
Where the book may lose some readers is pacing. This is not a breathless, one-sitting thriller. Much of the middle section unfolds slowly, with the tension simmering rather than surging. If your taste runs to fast, twist-heavy fiction, that measured pace may feel more like a drag than a tease.
Still, the payoff does arrive. The final stretch pulls the novel together neatly, answering the central questions and rewarding patient readers with a more gripping finish.
What the book gets right
- A compelling opening premise with genuine menace
- Strong character work, especially Jane and Dexter
- An eerie setting that adds depth to the mystery
- A satisfying final section that resolves lingering questions
Where it may fall short
- The middle of the novel moves slowly
- Suspense builds late rather than consistently
- Readers expecting a relentless thriller may want more urgency
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Should You Read It Could Have Been Her?
If you enjoy psychological suspense with a strong sense of place, this one is worth your time. It reads a little like a meeting point between The Housemaid and The Thursday Murder Club: unsettling behaviour, amateur sleuthing and a story that becomes more rewarding as it closes in on the truth.
It is not Jewell at her most propulsive, but it is still a solid pick for readers who don’t mind a slow-burn build. There is also a bonus for audiobook fans: actor James Norton voices Stuart, which may be reason enough for some to listen rather than read.
FAQ
Is It Could Have Been Her a fast-paced thriller?
Not particularly. It works more as a slow-burn suspense novel, with most of the momentum arriving in the last portion of the book.
What books is it similar to?
It has echoes of Freida McFadden’s dark domestic tension and the amateur-detective charm associated with Richard Osman.
Who will enjoy this novel most?
Readers who like character-led thrillers, eerie houses, and mysteries that take their time before revealing everything.
For readers following lifestyle ireland recommendations and bookish culture across ireland lifestyle news, the honest verdict is simple: It Could Have Been Her is a good thriller rather than a great one. But if you can stay with its slower rhythm, the creepy atmosphere and strong ending make it a worthwhile addition to the season’s reading pile.
