All for You by Louise Jensen
Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller, Suspense
Read: 29th January 2022
Published: 20th January 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Meet the Walsh Family.
Lucy: Loving mother. Devoted wife. And falling to pieces.
Aidan: Dedicated father. Faithful husband. And in too deep.
Connor: Hardworking son. Loyal friend. But can never tell the truth.
Everyone in this family is hiding something, but one secret will turn out to be the deadliest of all . . .
Can this family ever recover when the truth finally comes out?
IT WAS ALL FOR YOU.
MY REVIEW:
O.M.G.!! What a wild ride that I read in almost one sitting and definitely completed in one day...staying up until the wee hours to unravel the mystery and find out just what the hell was going on! Louise Jensen is one of my favourite authors, though she has written just a handful of thrillers, none of them are a disappointment and each one of them is a thrill ride the reader never forgets!
So what of ALL FOR YOU? I can say that it is with a huge sense of foreboding I raced through the pages trying to work out exactly what was going on...but I wasn't even close! Most authors can't hoodwink me but Louise Jensen manages to skillfully do just that as she weaves together one hell of a twisted tale with so many twists and false turns that leaves us breathless by the end. I dare anyone to guess the outcome...because it's so unexpected and disturbing even that one has to wonder exactly what goes on in the author's mind! The entire tale is twisted that much of it is revealed to be unexpected, though I do proudly claim to have unravelled at least one or two twists! Yay...go me!
The story begins with a rather thrilling and incredibly intriguing prologue as Lucy races home with a deep sense of foreboding...way deeper than mine...panic stricken that something has happened to her eldest son Connor, in the wake of the recent disappearances of his two best friends Tyler and Ryan. Panicking when he fails to answer his phone. He may well not answer her calls but he would never ignore his 13 year old brother Keiron, who is very ill with a rare disorder that has no known cure.
What ensues is the countdown to Connor's disappearance as the clock is rewound thirteen days prior and readers are introduced to the Walsh family who are under a considerable amount of strain. In the midst of Keiron's life-threatening illness, Connor is consumed with guilt over something that took place several months before at a school camp of sorts. Readers don't know what but are gradually drip-fed throughout and keeps us guessing, as we think we know what happened. But we don't...oh, no. It goes way deeper. Meanwhile Lucy is trying to keep everything perfectly balanced holding the family together, caring for Keiron all the while aware that her eldest son is struggling. And then there is Aidan, husband and father, who has secrets of his own that have in too deep to dig himself out of the hole in which he now finds himself. Again, readers think they know...and yet again, we know nothing.
In the lead-up to Connor's disappearance and those of his friends Tyler and Ryan beforehand, Lucy feels she is being watched as she spots a single white car on more than one occasion parked outside their house and even following her to the supermarket. Her paranoia is clear for all to see that even Connor becomes aware of the car but instead of it being his mum being under threat, he believes the car is stalking him. And Aidan? Well, you guessed it...he thinks they are watching him. Each one of the Walsh family, except Keiron, believe they are the ones under threat as they fight to keep their secrets from coming to light. And instead of talking to each other, their world - along with their secrets - become a tangled mess.
There are very few characters in this nail-biting read so there aren't that many suspects to choose from and yet Jensen still manages to confuse the reader and spring on us the unexpected. As the story progresses, I was continually surprised by each revelation as we are kept guessing throughout. I honestly could not put this book down and simply had to read it to the end...even if it kept me awake into the wee hours. I have to say, it was worth the sleep deprivation. What a ride!
The story is initially told from the three perspectives of Lucy, Aidan and Connor in the first part of the story, which is divided into three parts. Ryan does share a narrative in the second although his doesn't shed any real light and pretty much only serves to thrown even more confusion our way. The chapters are short and snappy which keep the reader engaged and the story moving at a lightning speed throughout. Towards the end the chapters are even shorter again - some only a page or even just a few lines as we flip the pages in our quest to find out what happens. These short snappy chapters (my favourite) reflects the intensity and creates a building tension of the drama playing out before us. Each chapter flows from one narrative to the next as we see into each of the characters' minds. This made the pace move at a breakneck speed that was almost faster than the speed of light!
In the midst of the thrills is plenty of emotion as we witness each of the characters' heartbreaks and struggles at the struggles they each face...even if we don't know exactly what they may be. The entire read was an adrenaline rush I found I was laying on my pillow at 4am thinking...what the hell was that?
ALL FOR YOU is fast paced throughout, picking up even moreso in Part Two and not letting up until the end. It was an adrenaline rush from start to finish. Who needs skydiving when we have Louise Jensen penning such thrillers? I have read four, of which "The Sister" and "The Stolen Sisters" had been my favourites, but this one takes that to a whole new level!
A thrill-ride till the end, ALL FOR YOU is one hell of a fast-paced read that you will not be able to put down. A bit far-fetched? Maybe. But predictable it is not! But one thing is for sure...it is incredibly entertaining and addictive and one hell of a ride!
I didn't think I would be able to say much about this book for fear of revealing anything...but I can't stop talking about it! It's just mind-blowingly brilliant and I just loved it from beginning to end! I can't wait to see what Louise Jensen brings us next! Keep them coming!!
Perfect for fans of twisted psychological thrillers that keep you guessing.
I would like to thank #LouiseJensen, #Netgalley and #HQ for an ARC of #AllForYou in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Louise Jensen has sold over a million English language copies of her International No. 1 psychological thrillers The Sister, The Gift, The Surrogate, The Date and The Family. Her novels have also been translated into twenty-five languages, as well as featuring on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller’s List. Louise's sixth thriller, The Stolen Sisters will be published in Autumn by Harper Collins.
The Sister was nominated for the Goodreads Debut of 2016 Award. The Date was nominated for The Guardian's 'Not The Booker' Prize 2018. The Surrogate was nominated for the best Polish thriller of 2018. The Gift has been optioned for a TV film. The Family was a Fern Britton Book Club pick. Louise was also listed for two CWA Dagger Awards.
When Louise isn’t writing thrillers, she turns her hand to penning love stories under the name Amelia Henley. Her debut as Amelia Henley, The Life We Almost Had, is out now.
Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat in Northamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers.
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