The Artful Anna Harris
Author: Tracy Maton
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Format: eARC
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.75 stars, rounded up to 4)
Synopsis
While sharing The Artful Anna Harris on Instagram for release day, the author, Tracy Maton, commented:
"You might be glad your name is spelt differently when you meet her!"
I already finished the book...
I couldn't stop laughing because she was absolutely right.
Anna Harris appears to have built herself the perfect life: a loving fiance, welcoming future in-laws, and a peaceful existence in a picturesque English village.
But appearances can be deceiving.
The more Anna tries to balance the different versions of herself, the more tangled her web of lies becomes, and sooner or later, every secret comes with a price.
My Thoughts
From the very first chapter, Anna established herself as one of the most unreliable narrators I've read in quite some time.
Every time I thought I finally understood who she was, she'd tell another lie, manipulate someone around her, or reveal yet another side of herself that completely changed my perspective.
Trying to figure out the real Anna became almost as entertaining as the mystery itself.
One thing I really appreciated was that Anna isn't your typical thriller protagonist.
She isn't investigating a crime.
She isn't trying to stop a killer.
Instead, she's constantly making increasingly questionable decisions while desperately trying to keep her carefully constructed life from falling apart.
Watching that balancing act slowly unravel was honestly one of my favorite parts of the novel.
I also enjoyed how morally gray (or perhaps morally absent) Anna could be.
I didn't always agree with her choices (okay... I rarely agreed with them), but she remained fascinating to follow because I genuinely never knew what she was going to do next.
That unpredictability kept the pages turning.
The book is filled with deception, manipulation, shifting loyalties and enough twists to keep the story moving.
There were a couple of moments where I had to pause and mentally piece everything back together, simply because so many lies and secrets were colliding at once. Thankfully, everything eventually clicked into place.
And yes...
Around the 80% mark, someone actually calls her "Anna Banana."
As someone whose friends have been calling her "Banana" lately...
I couldn't help but laugh.
My only real criticism comes with the ending.
It wasn't disappointing by any means, but after everything that came before it, I found myself hoping for one final twist,or perhaps one extra chapter, that would leave me completely stunned.
Instead, it wrapped things up a little more quietly than I expected.
Final Thoughts
The Artful Anna Harris is an entertaining psychological thriller driven almost entirely by its unforgettable protagonist.
If you enjoy unreliable narrators, morally questionable characters, and stories built around deception, manipulation, and constantly wondering who you can trust, this debut is definitely worth checking out.
Even if...
You might end up being very glad your name isn't Anna.
⭐️ 3.75 stars (rounded up to 4)
ARC Disclaimer
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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