The Sleepover by Keri Beevis
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 4th November 2022
Published: 24th October 2022
★★★ 3.5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
When you’re a kid, you imagine monsters to have horns and fangs. That they hide under the bed or in the wardrobe. And you believe they can only come after you when it’s dark.
You don’t expect them to look like everyday people or that they may be someone you already know…
The summer in question started out with hot, fun-filled days and new friendships.
We had just turned thirteen and had our whole lives ahead of us.
But that was before her…
Before we became known as the Hixton Six and our lives become defined by one night.
It’s hard to believe twenty years have passed since she was locked away.
But now she’s free and strange things have started to happen.
When I close my eyes, the creeping anxiety and fear is overwhelming and all too real.
Because the monster is back, and I know she has a score to settle with us.
MY THOUGHTS:
After devouring and loving the author's previous psychological thriller "Every Little Breath" I was excited to sink my teeth into yet another by her. Yet I think every other book has a lot to live up to to beat that one as it was explosive. THE SLEEPOVER is something a little different...more of a slow burn but still an undercurrent of something sinister bubbling away beneath the surface. I don't think it quite hit the mark and I felt there were a few loose ends...or rather, a few things that didn't really make a lot of sense in the bigger picture.
Twenty years ago, Hannah and her friends were groomed by Eileen Wickham and her 15 year old son Bill, luring them back to their farmhouse with the promise of fun, freedom and ice cream. The 13 year olds couldn't believe their luck that Mrs W was so cool and allowed them to get away with anything. It was then that Hannah, Rosie, Lauren, Tash and Jill, along with Jill's little brother Miles, began to frequent the Wickham isolated farm throughout the summer.
But when Hannah witnesses something terrible inside the farmhouse one day between Mrs W and Bill that scares her, she flees and vows never to return...despite the rest of her friends continuing to do so. Until one fateful day when everything changed and they became known as the Hixton Five. Because while six of them went to the farm, only five came out.
Now twenty years later, Eileen Wickham has served her time for what she did to those children and has been released, on the strict proviso she never set foot in Hixton again. But the news of her release has the five wondering if she will follow through on the threats she issued them as she was lead away after sentencing. Will Mrs W come after them and seek her revenge?
Liam Quinn is a true crime writer wanting to tell the real story behind the Hixton Five and what they suffered at the hands of Eileen Wickham and her son Bill. When he approaches Hannah outside her flat, she refuses point blank to have anything to do with him or his book. But not to be swayed, Liam enlists the assistance of his trusty pooch Tank to endear him to animal loving Hannah hoping to break down her defences. Instead he almost breaks her ankle.
Hannah is Rosie's best friend. It has always been her and Hannah against the world. After all, Hannah is the only one to truly get her and understand what she has been through...because she was the only other one to endure the same as she did...and come out alive. For the past twenty years, Hannah has been a sort of crutch for Rosie; someone she can call on when things get to dicey or when she's freaking out. But now Liam has turned up and is threatening to come between the friendship they have. Despite claiming she won't talk to him, she continually finds Liam still hanging around...and this time, Hannah doesn't appear to be giving him his marching orders. What's that all about then?
When strange things start happening with break-ins, notes, flowers, a music box, and things only Rosie and Hannah would understand....Hannah alerts the other three to the potential threat of Eileen Wickham come to wreak revenge on them for putting her away two decades ago. But suddenly Eileen has disappeared and no one can find her.
Things take a sinister turn when one of the five turns up dead in suspicious circumstances. Has Mrs W found them? And is she knocking them off, one by one? Things are a little more dangerous now and Hannah isn't sure she can trust Liam, despite her raging attraction to him. There is something off with him, but what is it?
The devil comes creeping when Hannah least expects it but is the threat closer than she really knows?
A dark and twisted psychological thriller that shows you that monsters are indeed real and not hiding under your bed...but where you least expect them to be. I love how the story flips between excerpts from the past mingled with the present as we are slowly drip-fed pieces of the puzzle bit by bit. However, I was confused over the title and why it was five when it really was only three of them who truly suffered the torturous sick games and abuse. And the title alluded to it all happening one night instead of being spread out. I kept waiting for the big reveal involving them all, but it never came so I was left a little puzzled by they were all involved.
The ending was a little underwhelming that even now having finished it just half an hour ago, I can't even remember it. Ah, yes...I can now. But overall, it was a bit of an anti-climax.
It was dark; it was disturbing; it was chilling...but but didn't grab me as much as "Every Little Breath" did. And what exactly did happen? We are kept guessing for most of the book, though it wasn't quite as shocking as I expected. Maybe I'm a little macabre but I did expect something BIG and EXTREMELY SHOCKING. But it was only a little bit shocking...and half hearted at best.
Overall, THE SLEEPOVER is a compelling read that will keep you guessing. It is dark and disturbing and a good solid read...but not a great one.
I would like to thank #KeriBeevis, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheSleepover in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Keri lives in Norfolk, England, with her two naughty kitties, Ellie and Lola, and a plentiful supply of red wine (her writing fuel). She loves Hitchcock movies, exploring creepy places, and gets extremely competitive in local pub quizzes. She is also a self-confessed klutz.
Social Media links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads
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