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The Teacher's Secret by Lauren North
Published: 23rd February 2024

Sunday 31 March 2019

REVIEW: The Woman at 46 Heath Street by Lesley Sanderson (ARC)


The Woman at 46 Heath Street by Lesley Sanderson
Genre: Thriller
Read: 30th March 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 28th March 2019)

★★★★★ 5 stars

This book should have been called 46 HEATH STREET or THE SECRETS OF 46 HEATH STREET rather than the titled THE WOMAN AT 46 HEATH STREET. Why? Because it has more to do with the house and its secrets rather than any one woman who has lived there. It is a beautiful home in a desirable area backing onto the affluent Hampstead Heath. A home that has been owned by the same family for several decades. A home with secrets hiding behind its doors and buried within its walls. So what IS going on at 46 Heath Street?

Ella lives at 46 Heath Street, a house she and her husband Chris inherited from his mother Nancy. Abandoned by her own mother, shifted from foster home to foster home, then finding love with Chris and a mother figure in Nancy whom she nursed right up to her death, Ella loves her house at 46 Heath Street and finally has somewhere she can call home. Her life at 46 Heath Street has been nothing short of perfect...until the day she receives a letter, informing her that her husband is having an affair. Confronting Chris upon his return home she is shattered when he not only admits to the affair but that she has six weeks to move out.  Ella is devastated. This is her home. The only place she has felt safe and that she could put down roots. The only place she has been able to call home. How can Chris be so cruel? He knows how much this house means to her.

Then Ella begins to receive anonymous messages. A single word through the mailbox - LEAVE. Her car alarm going off exposing scratches down the side, also with the word LEAVE etched in the paintwork. A package on the doorstep revealing dead meat inside crawling with maggots. A bloodied dead mouse with a note informing her to LEAVE. Phone calls in the middle of the night - a woman on the other end asking for Chris, laughing. Is this her? Is this the other woman who has stolen her Chris? All this has to be the work of this other woman. Chris certainly wouldn't be that cruel - would he? 

So Ella hatches a plan of her own. She asks her friend Alice to move in, to help keep her anchored. She hates being alone and having Alice there will keep the loneliness away.

Only Alice has her own reasons for moving in to 46 Heath Street.

But for Ella, having Alice in the house helps keep her grounded. She has someone to talk to, to confide in...and before long the whole sordid mess involving Chris and the house is revealed. But instead of being put off, Alice consoles Ella and helps her put things into perspective. But Alice herself is a closed book. She doesn't reveal anything about her own life beyond the photo of the tanned woman in her room - her cousin, she tells Ella. And it isn't long before we wonder what Alice's game is. What is she doing at 46 Heath Street?

Then Ella finds herself being woken in the night to sounds coming from outside, where she sees a torchlight roaming behind her house. Who is out there? What do they want? Is it Chris, trying to scare her? Is it the other woman?

Then when Ella opens the door one day to an estate agent informing her that her husband Chris has arranged with him to put the house on the market, Ella is furious. Armed with a new-found strength she didn't know she had, Ella stands her ground. This house is half hers; she pays half the mortgage and Chris cannot sell it without her.

Soon Ella begins to hear things about her husband she had no idea about and finds herself wondering just what is really going on? Is Chris in trouble? 

Then there is the diary entries dating back to the 70s up to the 90s by an unnamed woman who we soon begin to realise must be Nancy, Chris' mother. These entries are something all together different starting when they first moved into 46 Heath Street. It tells of a life so completely apart from the one in the present. As the entries progressed, the story Nancy told was one of horror; a life so awful to live in constant fear as she did. But as each entry came to an end, it left you wanting to find out more. What happened to Nancy that left her as the last one standing? What happened to her children? To her husband?

And why, when she was dying, did Nancy make the emphatic plea to Ella to ensure that whatever happens that Chris NEVER sell the house? That 46 Heath Street must remain in the family forever? If only the walls could talk!

There are so many facets to THE WOMAN AT 46 HEATH STREET that are woven into the story you find yourself wondering is Ella going crazy? Or is something more sinister going on? It added an extra creepiness to the story that could also make one question their sanity. Was there an element of "gas-lighting" taking place, or was it just made to scare Ella out of her home? With Chris' drastic personality change, one wonders just what is really going on and why did he want to suddenly force her out of the home she loved? Did he want to move his new woman in? Or did he want to sell? Questions begin to mount as things spiral out of control for Ella and she uses everything in her power to hang onto 46 Heath Street.

The POV shifts in the present day between Ella and Alice and in Nancy's diary in the past. I love this aspect and I am always drawn to books that shift between the past and present. It helps give them an extra perspective and adds that little bit of mystery, wondering how both stories relate. Then when the past and present meet it leaves you with that sense of closure. 

And I must comment on the descriptions of the house and of the surrounding Hampstead Heath. It was breathtaking and really gave a sense of foreboding of Hitchcockian proportions.

I must say that the story was slow to start, with Ella coming to terms with her perfect life falling apart to becoming obsessed with finding out who this other woman was. Alice seemed like a perfect fit when she moved in as she got Ella to shift her focus and helped her grow from strength to strength. Whatever her underlying goal was, Alice was good for Ella in that respect. Of course, as the reader we just want to tear strips off Chris the more we learn about him. His behaviour is so random - one minute he is demanding Ella move out, the next he is all apologetic with her - it is clear that there is something more going on with him. But what?

While it is slow to start, THE WOMAN AT 46 HEATH STREET is an intriguing and compelling thriller that will have you turning pages late into the night! I read the bulk of this book in one sitting as I simply could NOT put it down. Some may find it predictable, others may not. And although I pieced together most of the puzzle from early on, it didn't deter my enjoyment of the ride. I really enjoyed it and loved unearthing the secrets of 46 Heath Street.

I would like to thank #LesleySanderson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for this deliciously disturbing ARC of #TheWomanAt46HeathStreet in exchange for an honest review.

Thursday 28 March 2019

REVIEW: Heartlands by Kerry Watts (ARC)


Heartlands (DI Jessie Blake #1) by Kerry Watts
Genre: Crime Fiction, Police Procedural
Read: 28th March 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 21st March 2019)

★★★★★ 5 stars

Before I started this book, I did what I always do and read some of the other reviews to get a feel for the general consensus. Despite others' opinions, I still go in with an open mind - which may sound strange considering I check out the reviews beforehand with the idea of what to expect - because when I open the book, it's my opinion and my opinion alone that decides whether I am going to enjoy it or not.

Having said that, I began HEARTLANDS with no real expectations beyond what the description outlined. So of course I was surprised by the mediocre reviews of the book when I found it completely intriguing and compelling! So much so that I read it in two sittings, reading over 70% of the book right through to the end and staying up till almost 3am just to finish it! For me, this is a fantastic start to what I envision to be a promising series and I look forward to reading more of Jessie Blake in the near future.

HEARTLANDS begins some 20 years prior with the horrific rape and murder of local teenage girl, Sophie Nicoll, for which two boys of the same age were convicted. The detail of the crime through the eyes of these boys is both graphic and intense while at the same time terrifying for the girl. Although the POV is from that of the boys' you can still feel Sophie's terror at the same time.

Fast forward some 20 years and the disappearance of another teenage girl of similar age and appearance in Iverlochty in Perthshire, Scotland sends alarm bells ringing. But what does Shannon Ross' disappearance have to do with Sophie's murder in the North East of England two decades before? Are the cases somehow related?

These are questions the reader asks themselves throughout while Jessie Blake, newly promoted Detective Inspector transferred to Perthshire from London, and her partner DC Dylan Logan are not privy to this fact until nearer the end. But that doesn't stop us, the readers, from wondering and trying to find a link. While we get bits and pieces of the puzzle before the detectives, we are no nearer to piecing them together to form the bigger picture any quicker either. But don't let that deter you. There is a lot to sink you teeth into in this book.

To start with, HEARTLANDS is told in dual timelines from the previous crime to the present one, and from various perspectives. While none of it is in the first person, the third person POV enables us to be privy from just about everyone's perspectives and little pieces of their secrets. But how do we put them all together to make sense of the bigger picture? Honestly? I didn't care. I just enjoyed the ride just to see how it came to an end. I have always enjoyed dual timelines as they give us a wider perspective and this one was a whole lot wider with a completely different story unfolding in the first instance to the one coming to light in the present day.

Some have said there are too many characters with too many subplots to make sense of it all. But I disagree. Yes, there were a lot of characters but that was because there were two separate stories unfolding throughout. I do agree that some characters didn't seem to have a real purpose and just suddenly disappeared without any real reason from the story while I felt they could have been built on a little more, particularly as two that come to mind specifically for me from both timelines had such an impact on two separate characters that they deserved a little more time spent on and with them in those cases. One character seemed to be integral to the story at one point and then suddenly was gone! It all seemed a bit, well, sudden. Some aspects of the present day story did seem a little convoluted which could have been smoothed out a little better. However, having said that, at no point was I confused with who was who and with what fitted where. I was completely immersed within both stories as I watched each of them unfold and finally merge.

The main characters in HEARTLANDS, aside from Jessie and Dylan, were Rob and Cassie and Louise and Jason. Both couples were well rounded in the sense that the reader really gets to know them as well as empathise with them. As their stories centre around Shannon's disappearance we really see the core of each of them, though some more than others. The other central characters at the periphery of the story is Eric (Shannon's best friend), Ben (Shannon's uncle and Louise's brother) and Andrew Foster (a schizophrenic man Shannon looks out for while her uncle Ben and his friends ridicule him). Other periphery charcters are Blair Crawford (the journalist who covered Sophie's murder) and Tom Nicoll (Sophie's older brother) - both who have their place in the story. I would have liked to have seen a little more of Eric considering he was Shannon's best friend, and as best friends go they are normally the key to every teenage girl's secrets and the heart of their story. I did think Blair Crawford was a little redundant in the present day storyline as he didn't really do anything. And what was the note that was pushed under his door that he silently thanked Tom Nicoll for? We never really saw that play out.

The characters in the Daniel Simpson storyline in the aftermath of Sophie's murder were also well rounded, apart from the support worker Gail Robertson. I felt as she'd had such an impact on Daniel that she should have had a little more depth because by the next chapter in that storyline she'd suddenly departed. The fact that her departure had had such an impact on Daniel that he responded in such a negative way meant that her presence in his life had meant something to him. While his psychologist and social worker both were present through most of his storyline, I felt Gail should have had a bigger part to play also. Her sudden departure explained in a subplot kind of way just felt a little too dismissive of her importance to him. 

As for Jessie Blake - I like her. Though we have only just scratched the surface with her backstory still lurking, I quite enjoyed the time I spent with her and Dylan, whom I also liked. I hope to see them both paired up again in future cases despite them both being in different parts of Perthshire. Yes, I would have loved to know more about Jessie although the focus here was mainly on the case at hand. But we did get little snippets sprinkled throughout the book to whet our appetites. And we were given that cliffhanger at the end in case we needed more. But so far, all we know about Jessie is that she moved to Perthshire from London to escape a past and a secret; that she was married, her husband's name was Dan and he went to prison; that she had a son; that she has an old friend called Carol who was constantly texting; she has a sister called Freya, a mother called Moira, a neighbour called Dave and a Russian Blue cat named Smokey. That... and now she lives in fear of Dan finding her. Anything beyond that, we'll have to wait for the next book!

I have to mention that I really liked the fact that Shannon was a well-liked kind-hearted girl. She was not the town bitch that got what she deserved, as the case is with many victims of these types of books. She really was just a lovely girl.

HEARTLANDS isn't the type of thriller you'd expect. It's not edge-of-your-seat but it is intriguing and it is compelling. It's a police procedural with a difference. The setting in the Scottish highlands of Perthshire gives it a different edge. I like it. When the killer is revealed it's unexpected but not a shocking twist. This book was much more than that. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping thriller with a difference.

I would like to thank #KerryWatts, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for this deliciously disturbing ARC of #Heartlands in exchange for an honest review.

Tuesday 26 March 2019

REVIEW: A Body in the Lakes by Graham Smith (ARC)


A Body in the Lakes (DC Beth Young #2) by Graham Smith
Genre: Crime Fiction, Thriller, Police Procedural
Read: 25th March 2019
Purchase: Amazon

★★★★★ 5 stars

A BODY IN THE LAKES in the second installment in the DC Beth Young series, though this is the first book by this author that I have read. I have not heard of Graham Smith nor this series before I came across this book on NetGalley and I have to say that I was not disappointed in my choice. 

Set in the beautiful Cumbrian Lake District in northern England, the contrast between its picturesque surroundings and the abhorrent crimes committed within its midst brings a uniqueness to this series in that it is not set in the busy cities but the pristine countryside and chocolate box villages. But don't let its picturesque landscape fool you. Within its midst is a killer so disturbed you won't look at English villages in the same way again. Midsomer has nothing on the Lake District of this series, let me tell you!

When the naked body of an elderly woman is found dumped in the Lake Ullswater area, the elite Force Major Investigation Team (FMIT) are tasked with finding the killer responsible. At first glance, it appears an open and shut case with everything pointing toward the mayor. However, not one to leave stones unturned, DC Beth Young is known for her lateral thinking and soon makes the connection between three other women killed in similar circumstances - and all within the Cumbrian borders. The ages and types of women all differ but one thing remains the same - the modus operandi of the sadistic killer, who rapes and murders these women before discarding them once his lust is satiated.

Beth's investigation takes her through various avenues whilst simultaneously working alongside the mayor in his new idea to head a charity in which he wants Beth's input. But does he want more than just her input? I have to say, I didn't like the mayor. I found him to be predatory in nature and if he wasn't guilty of this crime, he is most certainly guilty of something. 

I really liked Beth. She is passionate, determined, analytical, intuitive and not afraid to speak her mind. I didn't find her to be like the way most women lead detectives are portrayed in books, which is a refreshing change. And I like that she was not someone who stepped on and over others to get a result. Her working relationship with her boss, DI O'Dowd was one of mutual respect and though we don't see a lot of O'Dowd, her presence is felt. We do see a little of the other members of the team - Thompson and Unthank, with the former's wife suffering from early onset dementia which takes a huge toll on their colleague. There are moments in which they enjoy a friendly banter of "gallows humour" to which we are privy. I must admit, I had a little chuckle at the reference to "Justin" as the killer.

A BODY IN THE LAKES is an unsettling read in some ways but an intriguing and compelling thriller. I had no idea who the killer was, although I did have a suspect in mind purely because of his position in the story and nothing at all to do with evidence! When the killer is revealed, it is then a race against time for Beth and a local police officer to find him and his latest victim before it is too late. Then just when you think it is all over, there is another sting in the tail to round off the complete story.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed A BODY IN THE LAKES and while it is the second in the series it can be read as a standalone...though I will be endeavouring to read the first book sometime in the near future. I'm guessing the first book may provide a little more background into Beth, but you can get by with enough in this book to read on its own.  Having said that, I will be eagerly awaiting Graham Smith's third installment featuring Beth Young. The more disturbing, the better! 

I would like to thank #GrahamSmith, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for this deliciously disturbing ARC of #ABodyInTheLakes in exchange for an honest review.

Sunday 17 March 2019

REVIEW: My Sister is Missing by Julia Barrett (ARC)


My Sister is Missing by Julia Barrett
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 14th March 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 14th March 2019)

★★★★ 4 stars

I have read some mixed reviews about this book so I wasn't sure what to expect. It did take me a lot longer to read than normal but that was due to some unforeseen circumstances in my personal life and nothing to do with the book.

MY SISTER IS MISSING is the debut novel of Julia Barrett and it is intense, emotional, intriguing and even a little twisted. There was so much going on but still it kept you riveted to every page to see what happened next.

The story begins with Jess waking one morning with a killer hangover (why are all the women in books I am reading at the moment always downing bottles of wine?) and a phone call from her brother in law, Adam. Her older - and often wiser - sister Steph has gone missing with her newborn daughter of 3 weeks, Natalie. It is so out of character for Steph that it throws Jess into action as she rushes to Adam and Steph's place in affluent Epping.

Ever since childhood, Steph had always been there for Jess; had always been her protector and someone she could always turn to. So what had happened to her sister to make her suddenly run with her newborn baby? Sure, she was a new mum adjusting to motherhood, but both Jess and Adam thought she was doing just fine. They both thought how peaceful she looked when feeding Natalie. Surely, she had been fine...hadn't she? But if she had, then why run? She's not taken her mobile or any clothes for Natalie. She has just left without a trace.

Jess finds herself supporting Adam as well as herself as they take their suspicions to the police. They go through the motions of reporting Steph missing and, given that she has their newborn daughter who is just 3 weeks old, her disappearance is given high priority. The police ask them questions as to where Steph might go? Any family? Friends? Anywhere special? Neither have a clue.

It isn't long before Jess begins to finds Adam's behaviour somewhat erratic. He goes from bawling mess to calm and collected. She becomes suspicious that he is hiding something when she overhears him in hushed tones on the phone and abruptly left the house. When Jess pressed "redial" she found he's called the speaking clock to clear the last number he had called. Why? What is he hiding?

When Adam returns home he claims to have been "just driving around" looking for Steph but when Jess finds a suspicious receipt and then the next day sees him driving out of the hospital car park, she decides to follow him. Days later Jess follows Adam to find him visiting a stranger in hospital, whom the staff believe to be his brother. She also discovers that the receipt she'd found resembles the parking tickets for the hospital car park. Why has he been visiting the hospital every day when he says he is out looking for Steph? What is Adam hiding? And how is it connected to Steph's disappearance?

Jess and Steph grew up in Sheffield. Would Steph go back there? Surely not, Jess thinks. There is nothing for them there. But when the police discover through the ANPR (automated number plate recognition) system that Steph's car was registered on the road leading to Sheffield, and CCTV has seen her in a Sheffield car park, Jess begins to wonder. Then news comes through that a woman matching Steph's description holding what appears to be a baby jump in front of a train at a Sheffield train station. Adam is beside himself, believing that Steph has fallen to such depths once again, taking their daughter with them. But Jess refuses to believe her sister has taken her life.

Then Jess finds Steph's diary and what she reads shocks her to the core. In it, Steph writes that she had been having an affair and "he" wants a paternity test to prove Natalie is or isn't his. She writes he also wants to tell Adam about their affair but it would destroy him and their marriage. What can she do? Her mum, ever the voice of reason, helps her decide what to do.

The only problem is...Jess and Steph's mum died a year ago. Surely Steph doesn't think she is still alive? What has happened to Steph that she had missed seeing?

It is in that moment, Jess thinks she knows where Steph has gone. It's the only thing that makes sense. So Jess takes to the road in search of her missing sister and niece.

MY SISTER IS MISSING is completely enthralling that keeps you second guessing. I did find there to be an excess of monologuing from Jess' POV (which I'm never a fan of) and would prefer a little more dialogue. But I guess that is the nature of the story as well - the fact they each character is dealing with their own demons and their own secrets that no one else knows.

We know from the start that Jess had an unhappy childhood and an incredibly difficult relationship with her mother. Throughout the story we get snippets of Jess' experiences as a child at the hands of her mother and it's not until she decides to finally unburden herself to her boyfriend, that we get the bigger picture.

Jess' mother always blamed her for their father leaving them. But Jess knew she must be right because she had seen something so confusing to her 5 year old mind that she decided to tell her father in the hope that he could help her make some sense of it. Instead he told her he would always love her...and he left. Their mother's response was to blame her and subsequently abuse her frequently.

While their mother doted on Steph, giving her everything, she gave Jess nothing. She often told Steph that Jess was looking after an elderly neighbour instead of letting her go out. She also said Jess was ill but instead had locked her in a cupboard. Steph always got new clothes while Jess only got her hand-me-downs. Jess was never allowed out, never allowed to go anywhere, never allowed to have a life.

One day Jess told her teacher what was happening at home, and because her mother was well-known in the community, her teacher told her to stop telling lies. From that day on, Jess knew to keep her secrets to herself. Telling them only made people leave, made them hate her and blame her. In her 5 year old mind, keeping secrets was the only way to make it through life in one piece.

But whilst Steph may have been her mother's favourite, she did not lead the charmed life Jess thought she did. Steph had witnessed something as a teenager so disturbing that, together with an equally horrifying experience later at Uni, she created the delusions in her mind that twisted her reality which she began to write about in her diary.

MY SISTER IS MISSING is told primarily from Jess' POV, but also various diary entries by Steph and the odd POV from Adam. It's a twisted psychological thriller that takes precedence with each characters' individual stories, secrets and truths, while the police procedural aspect remains in the background. This is Jess and Steph's story.

Ironically, I didn't not like anyone, which for me is unusual as there is always someone I don't like. I'm not a fan of strong ball-breaking women but with Jess I felt a little different - maybe due to her past which we became privy to early on in the story. I didn't love her, but I didn't hate her either.

MY SISTER IS MISSING touches on some sensitive subjects which I think were handled well. Abuse is always a popular theme but mental health and post-natal depression isn't. I think the author did this quite well as it's not a often subject talked about. You're supposed to be overwhelmed with love and basking in the glow of motherhood, but that is not always the case. The author has handled the issues with sensitivity, giving the reader a real feeling of empathy, while still making an impact.

Overall, while I thought MY SISTER IS MISSING could have been better - as it did feel like it was it went off on a little tangent for a while - it was still gritty, compelling, intriguing and totally twisted! I thought the aspects dealing with their mother was a clever way to give the women closure. Despite its difference, I thought the ending was rather apt - which surprised me. There really was no other way to end it but with a sense of closure.

Thank you to #JuliaBarrett, #NetGalley and #RedDoorPublishing for an ARC of #MySisterIsMissing in exchange for an honest review.

Wednesday 6 March 2019

REVIEW: Only Daughter by Sarah A. Denzil (ARC)


Only Daughter by Sarah A. Denzil
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 5th March 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 13th March 2019)

★★★★ 4 stars

When you've been told you are a sociopath who cannot feel love, empathy or remorse, what do you do with all of your overwhelming emotions when your daughter is dead? Or worse, when you are told she committed suicide?

Kat Cavanaugh is a woman with a past. She is a woman with many secrets. But she put all that behind her when her daughter Grace was born and she vowed to be a better person for her. And Kat found herself with an emotion she didn't think she was capable of - love.

Having grown up on a council estate, Katie Flack was no stranger to police as a teenager. She regularly got into "scraps" with others, always fighting, shoplifting and running with a bad crowd. Of course it didn't help that she had a mother who constantly belittled her and told her everything that happened to her was her own doing. Until one day, something happened to change Katie's life forever. She took a life. And from then on the events, and the people, surrounding that time in her past haunted her. So Katie ran. Rain from her past, from the estate and from her mother who to this day calls her a murderer. After all, the child psychologists diagnosed her with Antisocial Personality Disorder. She's a sociopath. How can a 13 year old child come back from that?

But then Katie meets Charles whilst waistressing for an event and she becomes Kat. He makes her feel special. But is she really? Can she really escape her past and move on to a better future? Or has what she's done, where she's come from, shaped who she is today?

Then there's Grace. Beautiful, sweet Grace. With honey blonde hair and infectious laugh. The light of Kat's life. Grace, who had it all. A wealthy family with a beautiful mansion, parents who love her unconditionally, a prestigious school where she is popular and an accomplished violinist in the school orchestra. So why would she want to kill herself?

Kat refuses to believe that her sweet Grace would do such a thing. Grace knew how much she was loved. She could come to her about anything. But she wouldn't do this!

So unable to accept the coroner's findings, nor that the police investigated thoroughly enough, Kat decides to draw on that inner Katie Flack from her past and take matters into her own hands. She would seek out the truth. She would show everyone that they were wrong. She would find who killed her daughter. But in doing so Kat soon discovers that Grace wasn't the perfect daughter or the perfect person she thought she was. Grace, it seems, was as adept at keeping secrets as her mother. And the more Kat delves into Grace's life, the more she begins to wonder - was Grace like her?

ONLY DAUGHTER is a compelling, dark and twisted journey through the eyes of a mother who has lost her child, refusing to believe that she took her own life. I wouldn't say it was fast paced, because at the beginning I did find it a little slow - going through the motions of grief, the funeral and the confusion that seemed to be Kat's mind. But when it start to pick up the reader begins a rollercoaster ride as Kat uncovers the secrets of Grace's life. And as we begin to gain a little insight into Kat's own secrets.

The Prologue really gets you in and has you hooked from the beginning, as throughout the entire journey you find yourself question who are "they"? It is obvious that this opening is through Grace's eyes. And it throws up all sorts of questions we find ourselves asking as we keep turning the pages long after she's dead.

There are a lot of twists throughout ONLY DAUGHTER and several shocks. I admit I had no idea what happened to Grace or why, and even when I thought I did, something else would happen to change my mind. I can't even begin to tell you how this book messes with your head as you take the dark journey with Kat and the darkness that is her mind. How can years of therapy be a success if this is how she is playing it?

As the author takes you an on emotional journey of a mother desperate to find out the truth about her daughter's death, I have to say I did not completely warm up to Kat. She came across cold and unfeeling at times, but then I remind myself she was diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder and would not be a person someone would naturally warm to. Throughout the book, Kat constantly reiterates her sociopathy. She even questions her therapist of her ability to love. And yet, she loved her daughter with every fibre of her being. But sociopaths cannot love, surely?

ONLY DAUGHTER is a book that will grab you by the throat and squeeze the life out of you as it takes your breath away. The big reveal towards the end brought it all into focus as everything began to make sense. And just when you thought it was over...it wasn't. The ending that changed places was appropriate, I thought. And it leaves you wondering - is Kat a sociopath at all?

I really do recommend this book. It may seem slow and a little depressing at first - especially if you can't warm to Kat - but it will surprise and shock you in the end. It is a very good read, despite its start and sometimes unlikeable lead. It takes you to some dark places you never thought you would go but the journey is worth it in the end.

I would like to thank #SarahADenzil, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #OnlyDaughter in exchange for an honest review.

Sunday 3 March 2019

REVIEW: Her Closest Friend by Clare Boyd (ARC)


Her Closest Friend by Clare Boyd
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Read: 2nd March 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 5th March 2019)

★ 1 star

I have no words. 

That's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of how to begin a review of this book. I stayed up till 1.30am finishing it and all I was left with was a bad taste. That's how to best describe it. HER CLOSEST FRIEND was not the story I thought it would be and, having read LITTLE LIAR (which I really enjoyed), I was disappointed to say the least with this one.

The story is about Naomi and Sophie and their toxic friendship. They met in university some 20 off years before and Naomi was immediately drawn to the ethereal Sophie. Why? I have no idea. She would have been someone I'd have avoided. However, the two are inseparable.

Then when something tragic happens Sophie covers it up to save her best friend. But Naomi has no recollection of that night. She had been terribly drunk, celebrating the end of university and her upcoming holiday to Thailand, throwing up in the backseat of Sophie's beloved Alfa Romeo Guilia. When snippets of the night begin to stab at Naomi's consciousness, she starts to wonder what was real and what was imagined.

But Sophie has never forgotten. And now the time has come to let Naomi know just how much she has sacrificed for her in the name of friendship. She has hidden the truth from Naomi for 20 years. But what truth is that? The one Sophie has concocted in her seriously unstable mind? Or the one what actually happened?

What follows is a story of these two seemingly inseparable friends and their unbreakable bond based on lies, deception, jealousy, selfishness that has been toxic from the start. Sadly, Naomi never sees the real Sophie until it is almost too late. And what does she do? She forgives her time and time again. I could have gladly smacked both women - Naomi for being so stupid and Sophie for being so selfish!

Then when Naomi does begin to see Sophie for what she is and tries to pull away, the toxicity comes to the surface as Sophie shows her true unstable colours revealing secrets from long ago and causing the downward spiral of them both. Why Naomi didn't just walk away before it got to the point it did is beyond me! Did she really need Sophie as much as Sophie needed her? Or did she really feel that she owed her? Honestly, you cannot spend 20 years owing someone THAT much! She may have been there when Naomi needed her, but boy, she never let her forget it either.

The climax leading up to the end was something I didn't see coming. It was depressing but appropriate. I was saddened that Naomi felt it had come to this (was there really any other way?) but Sophie's discovery in the Alfa's boot, I admit, was heartwrenching. And that's where it should have ended. The Epilogue titled "Many Years Later" was unnecessary and far too depressing. Given where Naomi was headed throughout the book, pushed to her limits, the epilogue was appropriate and relevant in a way, but I really think the book would have been far better without it. In fact I think I would have felt much better about the book and not as though I had wasted so much time reading it had it ended after the "newspaper article". That would have been a fitting ending. What it was made the whole sorry tale just a bit pointless.

HER CLOSEST FRIEND really did have potential to be an awesome story but, aside from the horrible toxic tale of these two women, the story was slow, there was endless repetition (the constant reference to Sophie and Dylan's eczema as if it were a terminal condition was nauseating), too many unlikeable characters and then the horrifying and cruel death of a beloved pet (which I do not appreciate and I always down-vote books that include such a horrific thing) made the whole thing unbearably long and unlikeable. Sadly, I saw that last part coming long before the book even got there. Really, Naomi was stupid to put up with selfish Sophie for so long.

I cannot say much more without giving the entire plot away because it really left me shaking my head in disbelief. Maybe I just don't get the whole concept behind this book but then again I don't know that I want to. It is just toxic. It's poisonous. It was creepy. The book was so toxic it left a bad taste and had me feeling somewhat disturbed...and not in a good way.

Despite my unfavourable review, I would like thank #ClareBoyd, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #HerClosestFriend in exchange for an honest review.