“There’s no right and wrong with feelings. There is only what there is.”
If you’ve found yourself reeling from the jaw-dropping twist in Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough, don’t worry, we’re here for you. Whether it was the psychological manipulation, the unreliable narrators, or the eerie supernatural edge that had you hooked, we here at What We Reading have rounded up the best books like Behind Her Eyes to keep you on the edge of your seat. These gripping psychological thrillers are brimming with secrets, suspense, and endings you won’t see coming. Perfect for fans of domestic noir and mind-bending plots, this list features books with shocking twists, obsessive characters, and that delicious sense of dread that keeps your pulse racing. If you’re wondering what to read after Behind Her Eyes – or simply crave another thriller that messes with your mind – these chilling and addictive reads are sure to satisfy.
Behind Her Eyes Summary
Louise is a single mother, a secretary, stuck in a dreary, dead-end rut. During a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and sparks immediately fly between the pair. They share a kiss. And, despite his leaving soon after, she is thrilled to have finally met someone. When Louise arrives at work on Monday morning, she’s surprised to meet David, her new boss. The same man from the bar.
And then Louise bumps into David’s wife, Adele, who is new to town and in need of a friend. From the outside, David and Adele appear to be the perfect couple. Which begs the question: Why is David so controlling, and Adele so obviously frightened of him? As Louise is pulled into David and Adele’s world, she only finds more and more questions. The only thing that becomes crystal clear to her is that there is definitely something seriously, perhaps even dangerously wrong, about this marriage. A modern domestic noir classic, Behind Her Eyes is a testament to the lengths people will go to protect their secrets.
The Wife Between Us – Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
First up on our list of books like Behind Her Eyes is Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen’s domestic thriller, The Wife Between Us. At first glance, it looks like a familiar story: a bitter ex-wife, jealous and possessive, watches her ex-husband move on with a younger, seemingly perfect woman. But nothing in this tangled psychological thriller is quite as it appears to be.
Vanessa, recently divorced and struggling to put her life back together, can’t stop thinking about her husband Richard’s new fiancée. Nellie is the bright, bubbly preschool teacher preparing to marry into wealth – but also haunted by a feeling that someone is following her. As their narratives unfold, secrets boil to the surface, revealing a web of control, gaslighting, and betrayal that goes far beyond what either woman realises.
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The Girl Before – JP Delaney
The Girl Before centres around an ultra-minimalist and techno-modern apartment located at One Folgate Street. Whilst the building is undeniably beautiful, there is almost no furniture, everything is digitalised, and the architect and landlord behind the building’s design, Edward Monkford, insists that tenants follow a series of intrusive rules while living there. Two women, Emma and Jane, soon find themselves losing themselves within the mysteries of the building and its owner, leading to devastating consequences.
The story is told through alternating perspectives, Emma is the girl ‘Before,’ and Jane is the woman ‘Now’. As Jane follows becomes more and more intrigued by the woman who occupied the house before her, she unwittingly begins making the same decisions and same mistakes as her, encountering the same people and, eventually, the same terror.
Check Out Our The Girl Before Book Review
The Perfect Stranger – Megan Miranda
Confronted by a restraining order and the looming threat of a lawsuit, failed journalist Leah Stevens needs to get out of Boston when she runs into an old friend, Emmy Grey, who has just left a troubled relationship. Emmy proposes that the pair of them move to Pennsylvania for a fresh start. But their new life is soon threatened when a woman with an eerie resemblance to Leah is assaulted by the lake, and Emmy disappears mere days later.
Determined to find Emmy, Leah cooperates with Kyle Donovan, a handsome young police officer on the case. As they begin to dig into her friend’s life, Leah starts to wonder whether she really knew Emmy at all. Soon, Leah’s credibility is at stake, and she is forced to revisit her past. In order to save herself, Leah must discover the truth about Emmy Grey, confronting her old demons and clearing her own name once and for all in Megan Miranda’s gripping thriller, The Perfect Stranger.
The Arrangement – Kiersten Modglin
Ainsley Greenburg has always prided herself on being a fixer. So, when she realises that her marriage is at breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband with the plan was meant to be the hard part. Surprisingly, though, he agrees almost immediately. From now on, they will date someone new each week and will never discuss what happens on the dates. However, before long, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.
When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits are brought to light. Once Peter and Ainsley promised to stay together forever, but, as they push the boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder whether “till death do us part” may be more literal than they realised. Featuring a toxic marriage hiding sinister secrets, The Arrangement is a perfect go-to read after Behind Her Eyes.
Pretty Things – Janelle Brown
Another one of the best thriller books like Behind Her Eyes, Janelle Brown’s Pretty Girls, follows two women from very different worlds. Nina is a savvy con artist raised by a mother who taught her to survive on charm and theft. When her mother falls ill, Nina sets her sights on one final job: scamming a wealthy Instagram influencer living in a remote Lake Tahoe mansion.
Enter Vanessa, the glamorous heiress hiding heartbreak and secrets behind a carefully constructed online persona. As Nina and her boyfriend infiltrate Vanessa’s world, long-buried connections and betrayals rise to the surface. Nothing is as it seems, and both women are soon forced to confront the illusions they’ve built both around themselves and each other.
Dark Places – Gillian Flynn
Libby Day was only seven years old when her fifteen-year-old brother was put behind bars based on the evidence she gave. Since then, she has been drifting. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced that Ben is innocent, Libby begins asking questions she never dared to before. Was the voice she heard really her brother’s? Ben might have been a misfit, but was he truly capable of killing?
She gradually begins to realise that every single member of her family has something to hide about that day, none more so than Ben. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth promises to be even harder to find. One of the best books similar to Behind Her Eyes, Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places is atmospheric, tense, and brimming with small-town secrets.
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Behind Closed Doors – B.A. Paris
Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth; she has charm and elegance. He’s a hard-working attorney who has never lost a case; she’s the flawless homemaker, a masterful gardener, and a sublime cook. Though they are still only newlyweds, they appear to have it all. You may not want to like them, but you do. You’re hopelessly charmed by the ease and comfort of their home, though you would like to get to know Grace better.
But it’s difficult because Jack and Grace are inseparable in every sense of the word. You may begin to wonder why Grace never answers the phone, why she can never meet up, why she never puts on weight, or why there are high-security metal shutters on the downstairs windows. Similar to Behind Her Eyes, B.A. Paris’ Behind Closed Doors is a story of what really happens when the dinner parties end and the front door has closed.
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Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
