The Birthday Weekend by Lesley Sanderson
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 13th December 2020
Published: 18th December 2020
★★★ 3 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Dear Louise. It’s time we all put the past behind us. We’re meeting for my birthday. I want you there. Love, Amy. X
When Louise receives an invitation to her old friend Amy’s birthday weekend in a cottage next to the woods near their old university campus, a chill runs down her spine.
Fifteen years ago, Hannah walked into those same woods and never came back. Her death destroyed her friends. They’ve not met as a group since. Until now.
As the party gets underway and old grudges are uncovered, a game of truth or dare is proposed. It’s clear one person has questions about their friend’s death – and now they want answers. And nothing will stop them.
When everyone has buried secrets, digging for the truth is going to get dangerous.
A gripping and addictive psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages, for fans of Gillian Flynn, Teresa Driscoll and Ruth Ware.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Lesley Sanderson's newest thriller THE BIRTHDAY WEEKEND (previously titled "Our Little Secret").
As I absolutely loved "The Woman at 46 Heath Street" I have since found any other book by Lesley Sanderson can't quite seem to live up to it's brilliance. So in saying that, it's kind of sets the standard somewhat high in that respect. However, that is not to say I didn't enjoy THE BIRTHDAY WEEKEND. It was okay but not brilliant.
The story begins with Louise receiving an invitation to her old university friend Amy's birthday bash weekend in a cottage Amy has recently inherited from her aunt in Buckinghamshire. A chill runs down her spine. Of all places, Louise ponders, why here? For the cottage borders the Blackwood Forest...the very place where the worst thing that had ever happened to them occurred? Why did Amy want them to revisit such a place or such an event?
After battling breast cancer, Amy is now in remission and ready to celebrate her 35th birthday. But this time she intends to do something different instead of partying and getting wasted. The time has come, she believes, for her and her friends to confront what happened fifteen years ago in Blackwood Forest. Hannah Robinson was one of their closest friends and on the brink of achieving great things for herself, she then takes her own life. The question is why?
Today, each of Hannah's friends are still haunted by what happened to her and their possible involvement in what may or may not have contributed to her decision to end her life. Amy knows they all have secrets surrounding Hannah's death and she believes the time has come to face those secrets and bring closure to the events that have haunted them for so long. But does everyone share her new-found conviction?
As well as the prospect of facing her demons, Louise is also coming to terms with her relationship with Theo that has been on rocky ground since she discovered his recent affair. Theo had assured her it was over, the women was a colleague who no longer works with him and he was deeply sorry for what he had put her through. The two of them had been miserable apart and it took Louise a week to decide to give him another chance, and neither of them have looked back. Although there was always that niggle at the back of her mind. She trusts him...but should she really?
Now with this birthday weekend coming up, which will begin with all four women arriving first and the partners joining them on the Saturday for the celebrations, Louise and Theo look forward to some time together away from London's hustle and bustle.
When the four women - Louise, Amy, Kat and Daisy - reunite after so many years, they decide to set aside their fears and say goodbye to Hannah once and for all. At the place where she died. Which means entering the foreboding forest. Laying their flowers there they notice another fresh bunch, assuming it is from her family. But in the shadows they are being watched. Does someone know something else about Hannah's death?
Then it is revealed that new evidence has come to light which leads detectives to believe that Hannah's death was not a suicide as it had been ruled. But murder. And each of her friends are in the frame. In a group who are each hiding secrets, which of them harbours the biggest of all? Who killed Hannah? And why?
THE BIRTHDAY WEEKEND is primarily told from Louise's perspective, with the exception of a few chapters towards the end, and the inclusion of several newspaper reports from 2005. So while we are seeing things play out through her eyes we tend to form an affinity with Louise and her perspective. But is her judgement clouded? She thought Hannah was her best friend but how well did she really know her? How well did any of them know her, it seems? And how well does she even know her friends?
There is an interesting dynamic between each of the friends as secrets are slowly uncovered through a random game of Truth or Dare. But was it random or a deliberate act to force everyone into revealing exactly what they are hiding?
For me the story started incredibly slow. So much so I was tempted to give up a few times...but the nagging mystery surround Hannah and her death kept me reading. It did gradually build in intensity while at the same time it was just a bunch of women reliving the past and their memories of Hannah...without revealing anything earth-shattering. It wasn't until the partners - Theo, Sam and Jade - arrived and Amy had set up an eerie shrine to Hannah in the sitting room to set the mood of the evening she had planned, that things really started to heat up. By this time it was about 60% in and, in my opinion, should have long snagged the reader's attention before this. But...it did get interesting at last.
There weren't a whole lot of twists or red herrings that you would expect along the way to keep the reader guessing and in the end, I thought the outcome was obvious...although not predictable (if that makes sense). But it was the truth or dare game that made things really interesting. That's where my interest piqued and I found I couldn't turn the pages quick enough.
Although I didn't become engaged till well into the story, I wouldn't rush to dismiss it. THE BIRTHDAY WEEKEND is still a good thriller and a fairly quick read. I just prefer mine to grab me from the first page and not let up until the end...to the point I forget to eat or sleep...lol THE BIRTHDAY WEEKEND was not that kind of read but it was still enjoyable for the most part.
Perfect for fans who enjoy a slow burning thriller. A solid 3 stars.
I would like to thank #LesleySanderson, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBirthdayWeekend in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Lesley attended the Curtis Brown Creative 6 month novel writing course in 2015/6, and in 2017 The Orchid Girls (then On The Edge) was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize.
Lesley is the author of psychological thrillers and spends her days writing in coffee shops in Kings Cross where she lives and works as a librarian. She loves the atmosphere and eclectic mix of people in the area. Lesley discovered Patricia Highsmith as a teenager and has been hooked on psychological thrillers ever since.
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