REVIEW: The Night Shift by Gemma Rogers

The Night Shift by Gemma Rogers

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 5th March 2025

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Published: 6th March 2025

★★★ 3 stars 

DESCRIPTION:

How can one 12-hour night shift be so deadly?

I loved the anonymity, flexibility and solitude that working the night shift at Storage Queen gave me.

The unsociable hours paid well, helping me fund my university degree and giving me a quiet place to study while the world slept peacefully in their warm, cozy beds. It was the perfect job for me.

But that Friday night proved to be more than I bargained for when a man walked through the door, dragging a large suitcase.

My immediate instincts told me something was wrong.

That’s when my ordeal began.

I just had to make it through the night shift.

A pacy, heart stopping, page turning thriller for the fans of Shari Lapena and Lisa Jewell.

MY THOUGHTS:

Just twelve hours to survive...

Hot on the heels of "The Honeymoon" (which is phenomenal, by the way), I dived into this latest offering by Gemma Rogers whose thrillers have always kept me turning the pages in anticipation. And while this one started off as a slow build with not much happening in the first hour or so of Nina's night shift, it certainly picked up pace into the almost ridiculous with a relatively unrealistic game of cat and mouse. I'm not sure how Nina managed to survive under the circumstances when she really should have been dead within the first few minutes. Especially considering some of her poor choices, not to mention the diabetes.

Nina is a uni student in her second year of medical school, her dream to become a doctor and treat others with the often times debilitating diabetes. So when boyfriend Dom tries pleading with her to drop everything and spend six months bumming around travelling, first stop Thailand, she doesn't even consider it. Becoming a doctor is her dream and no way was she jeaopardising it when she was so close to fulfilling her dream. So the couple had a major bust up just moments before Nina was due to start her shift at Storage Queen (funnily enough, we have a Storage King here), thus making her late for her shift.

As manager Stacey bids her a hasty farewell, Nina is looking forward to a quiet stress-free night shift. Until it isn't. When the facility is plunged into darkness, Nina suddenly finds herself in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an assailant she cannot see. But she knows this place. She just needs to navigate it stealthily and silently without her pursuer knowing so that she can make her escape and alert authorities as to her discovery. You'd think so, right? Wrong.

Nina makes every stupid decision known to man. Instead of making her escape, she leads him on a merry chase up and down, round and round, whilst never getting very far in the process. I threw my hands up in the air in frustration several times, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. The whole concept was a neverending cycle that even exhausted me by the end.

But there were some aspects of the story that I found totally unbelievable. The security guard, for example. No way could he just disappear without anyone noticing or following it up. He'd have to log every call and every action and response to every call out so that someone would always be aware of where he was should anything go wrong. In reality, his disappearing off the radar with his company should have had them sending someone out to his last call out to investigate. My husband was in security in another life, so I questioned this with him, to which he confirmed my suspicions. And he also worked night shifts though they were never this exciting. But that was just one thing. There are many others which, if I mentioned, would spoil the story and I don't want to do that.

However, I found this one to be rather unrealistic and bordering on ridiculous to the point that Nina irritated me. I couldn't care less what happened to her, she made that many stupid decisions. She made it very difficult to empathise with her and her plight and I'm still dizzy from all the up and down, to-ing and fro-ing she took us on.

The pacing was steady throughout (though I was kept dizzy with all the running about) and while she mostly made stupid decisions, there were a few heroic ones I could cheer her for. Her insulin pen, for one. Ingenious. And despite battling hypoglycaemic attacks, she managed to maintain some level of focus which was to be commended.

Overall, an OK thriller. For 258 pages, it felt a little longer to me but that could be because Nina irritated the crap out of me and I kept wanting to slap her. There were a couple of good twists that I didn't see coming...probably because I was too focused on Nina's stupidity. But they kept the story tight and made it a little worthwhile. And while I don't mind tales that border the unrealistic or OTT, I do like them to entertain me not irritate me. And Nina irritated me more often than not.

I would like to thank #GemmaRogers, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheNightShift in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Gemma Rogers was inspired to write gritty thrillers by a traumatic event in her own life nearly twenty years ago. Her debut novel Stalker was published in September 2019 and marked the beginning of a new writing career. Gemma lives in West Sussex with her husband and two daughters.

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REVIEW: The Honeymoon by Gemma Rogers

The Honeymoon by Gemma Rogers

Genre: Domestic thriller, Psychological thriller

Read: 22nd January 2025

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Published: 18th October 2024

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

In a split second, your whole world crashes around you…

My wedding was the perfect whirlwind of a day. The happiest I’d ever been. That was until I discovered my beloved husband, Ryan, tucked away in a compromising summer house clinch with Liza, his best friend’s wife.

Reeling with this ultimate betrayal, my world in freefall, with nowhere to turn, I flee my own wedding unable to face anyone, not even my family. I just want to escape this nightmare.

With our flight, to our luxury honeymoon leaving in a matter of hours, could ten blissful days of Cretan Island life, minus my cheating husband help me figure out my future? It couldn’t be this easy, could it?

After a few blissful days of sunshine, my peace is shattered with the arrival of my husband, denying everything.

It seems he’s got secrets. Big secrets. More than I could ever have imagined.

With my marriage all but dead I just need to get through the honeymoon and then it'll all be over... won't it?

A pacy, heart stopping, page turning thriller for the fans of Shari Lapena and Lisa Jewell.

MY THOUGHTS:

In a split second, your whole world crashes around you...

It was meant to be the perfect day. Music, flowers, a wedding venue to die for. The bride and groom exchanging vows to love, honour and cherish, forsaking all others...until death do they part. But the ink was barely dry on their nuptials when Kelly caught new hubby Ryan in a compromising yet passionate clinch with his best friend's wife! Can you imagine the feelings of betrayal, not to mention disbelief, at your new hubby cheating on you at your wedding reception?! 

Not one for confrontation, Kelly cries off the celebrations with a headache and heads to the honeymoon suite where they were to spend the night. But instead of crawling into bed and pulling the covers over herself, Kelly decides to lick her woulds by embarking on their honeymoon alone, using the ten day break to figure out where to go from here. Packing her things, grabbing her passport and booking a cab, she sneaks out the fire exit and hightails it to Gatwick where she awaits her early morning flight to Crete.

And what a destination to run to to lick one's wounds! Normally I'm not a fan of books set on the continent but I found myself totally immersed in the sun by the pool or at the beach, lapping up the luxury and beauty of the Mediterranean island. She switched off her mobile before boarding the plane only to discover a barrage of messages and voicemails from her errant husband and worried sister upon turning it back on again. She responded to her sister but ignored (then deleted) Ryan's pleas and finally demands as to where she is and what she has done to his passport. 

And so Kelly laid back and set herself in for a relaxing ten days. What she didn't envision was Ryan turning up a couple of days later with their best friends Bobby and Liza in tow, apparently having found his passport. She really should have taken it with her; then he wouldn't have been able to follow her out there. And when he did arrive, he acted as if nothing had happened and puzzled as to why she left without him. When she enlightened him he denied everything, saying "it wasn't what you think". No? His tongue down Liza's throat and unzipping his trousers for a quickie in the summer house at their wedding reception was just a figment of her imagination, was it? Kelly was having none of it and told them their short lived marriage was over. And why Ryan thought bringing his best friend and mistress along on their honeymoon was a good idea, she'll never know.

Like Kelly, I wanted to stay on the beautiful island of Crete (and not to mention, in the arms of the delectable Nico, no less) but like all good things, they must come to an end and unfortunately for Kelly, they ended a bit sooner than anticipated when things back home got a little bit stranger. I guess the author had to paint an even worse picture of Ryan than the one we had already. Another nail in his coffin, so to speak. It was a little out of left field and not entirely expected. Was it possible to dislike Ryan even more? Suddenly there were heavies enforcing their authority, throwing their weight and intimidation about as Kelly struggled to piece together just how much mess Ryan had created. This is where the story shifted and dropped off a little, in my opinion.

The beginning of this book was a five star read, for sure, as I devoured every word of every page long into the night. But when things took a turn upon Kelly's arrival back in the UK, it felt like a different book at first and I had to find my equilibrium once again. It wasn't entirely unpleasant (although it was for Kelly) but it was a shift that didn't seem to match the first three quarters of the book. Still, it was a turn of events that knocked the stuffing out of me and kept me guessing until the end.

The drama, the tension, the emotion and the oh so bitchy snarky comments between Kelly and Liza were off the scale. My blood was boiling as much as the Cretan temperatures as I navigated the warzone that had been created. It was a rollercoaster ride that was as anxiety-inducing as it was thrilling and despite the dip at the the last quarter, I could not put it down.

A wholly engaging and thrilling read, lapping up the Cretan sunshine.

I would like to thank #GemmaRogers, #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #TheHoneymoon in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Gemma Rogers was inspired to write gritty thrillers by a traumatic event in her own life nearly twenty years ago. Her debut novel Stalker was published in September 2019 and marked the beginning of a new writing career. Gemma lives in West Sussex with her husband and two daughters.

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REVIEW: The Good Wife by Gemma Rogers

The Good Wife by Gemma Rogers

Genre: Psychological thriller, Domestic thriller

Read: 5th March 2024

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Amazon

Published: 5th March 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Appearances can be deceiving...

After a whirlwind romance and three years of marriage, I’d tried to be a good wife.

But Tom, my husband, is always watching, controlling my every move. He chooses my clothes, my hairstyle, even instructing what and how much I’m allowed to eat – just ten measly mouthfuls.

I’ve become isolated from those I love, forbidden to work and stuck at home to fulfil his every whim.

My identity along with my life is long gone.

I am slowly suffocating but I know Tom will never, ever let me leave alive.

A chance encounter with Savannah changes everything. Tom couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Could she be my saviour?

Could my husband’s desire for another woman be the answer to my prayers, to my freedom?

Bestseller Gemma Rogers is back with another gripping, page-turning thriller. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Shari Lapena and Lisa Jewell.

MY THOUGHTS:

** Please note: I did not complete this book because of the content which I found triggering. However I have still rated it highly because it is well written and sensitively handled.**

TRIGGER WARNING: coercive control and abuse

Appearances can be deceiving...in a marriage of control, can she break free...?

Before I begin, I have to say I love Gemma Rogers and always eagerly await her next thriller. And this one was no different...until I began reading it. Unfortunately the content was too triggering for me to complete it and I found myself tossing it aside in anger, my blood boiling. I would have loved to finish it but I just couldn't. Coercive control and abuse is something that is a little too close to home for comfort for me and while I can usually read them with an open mind, this time I just found it too confronting and close for comfort to occupy the same headspace.

The story tells of Chloe, the good wife, who after a whirlwind romance with Tom three years before he whisked her away to the Seychelles for what she discovered was a surprise intimate wedding for them both. Only later did she realise it was a tactical move on Tom's part to stop anyone from stepping in and putting a stop to the wedding. Tom had carefully moulded Chloe into the perfect wife he wanted who would see to his every need as and when he required. She was essentially at his beck and call.

Chloe had been an editor at a successful publishing house but Tom soon put a stop to that too. And moved them out of London to a sleepy village in Sussex where she could devote every minute of the day to him alone. He expected nothing but perfection in keeping house and having his meals on the table as soon as he walked in the door. He chose her clothing, what she ate and how much, isolated her from her friends and limited her contact with anyone outside of his carefully curated bubble. After ruining her previous phone, he bought her a new one but loaded it with spyware so that he could track her movements, her browsing history and her call log. He entered only two numbers into the list of contacts - his own and her mother's...only he changed her mother's number by a digit or two thus preventing her from contacting her family.

And then one night they were attending a Director's dinner for the company Tom worked for when Chloe met Savannah. She was a stunning redhead and Chloe knew right away that Tom would not be able to resist her, knowing his weakness for redheads (despite her being blonde). And so Chloe puts a plan in motion to enable Savannah to steal Tom's heart, if not other parts of his anatomy, thus leaving Chloe free to leave him once and for all.

As soona s Tom sees Savannah, it is lust at first sight. He wins an hour with her at the dinner in a raffle, and after that he is smitten. He spends most of his waking moments lusting after her, thinking about her and their time together. He continues to seek out Savannah unaware of the plan his wife, whom he believes to be an open book where he is concerned, has set in motion.

How will it all end? 

Unfortunately I didn't see how it ended up but I'm sure there were plenty of fireworks as there were bound to be where Tom was concerned. He was the most despicable character, unlikeable in every way and I wanted to smash his face in. Gemma Rogers did handle to the topic of coercive control and abuse sensitively but for me it was just too close for comfort. But I still rate it up there as a great read, from what I did reach. Just be aware that the content may be triggering for some.

I would like to thank #GemmaRogers, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheGoodWife in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Gemma Rogers was inspired to write gritty thrillers by a traumatic event in her own life nearly twenty years ago. Her debut novel Stalker was published in September 2019 and marked the beginning of a new writing career. Gemma lives in West Sussex with her husband and two daughters.

Social media links:

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REVIEW: The Flatmate by Gemma Rogers

 

The Flatmate by Gemma Rogers

Genre: Psychological thriller

Read: 24th June 2023

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Amazon

Published: 22nd June 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Always trust your very basic instincts or prepare for the consequences…

It was surreal returning to work after a five-month enforced sabbatical following the suspicious death of my best friend Livvy at a work event. I was grateful for the time away to grieve and had slotted straight back in work But a surprise awaited my return. Amanda Dowd, Livvy’s replacement, was firmly entrenched as my new flatmate in the company apartment. Something didn’t feel right, I felt on edge. But everyone seemed to love Amanda.

Even my ex-Jayden was blinded by her outgoing personality and model looks. Yet her desperation to become friends felt unnatural. When I began to receive calls, photos and presents supposedly from Livvy, I became spooked… someone was targeting me, watching me. With my job, home and life on the line, I had to find out who was doing this to me. I knew I hadn’t caused Livvy’s death; I still believed it was no accident. Someone else was guilty and I had to find out who before I was next...

Bestseller Gemma Rogers is back with another page-turning thriller.

MY THOUGHTS:

She's not who she says she is...

Another addictive tale woven by Gemma Rogers that I devoured in one sitting. It's a fast paced guessing game of cat and mouse as the net closes in and we're left sifting through theories and suspects.

Ria has just returned from a five month sabbatical after the sudden and tragic death of her best friend and colleague. The toxicology report shows ketamine in her system but Ria knows Livvy - she doesn't do drugs. Ria believes someone spiked her drink and she can't let it go despite the death having been ruled as accidental. Everyone is moving on...but Ria can't. Hence the sabbatical at her boss' request.

Five months later she returns from France, low on funds and needing to get back to work. Tired from her journey she cannot wait to crawl into bed once she gets home. But as she unlocks the door to her flat, she hears voices. And to her shock discovers a stranger in her living room! With her ex!

Unbeknownst to Ria, Amanda has not only been hired as Livvy's replacement at the firm but is also Ria's new flatmate in her company-subsidised flat. It seems Amanda has made herself at home in amongst her things, alongside her ex and even in her job having taken over Ria's clients. And of course everyone at work loves Amanda. She charms the clients who adore her and she flirts and banters with everyone. But she doesn't fool Ria. There is something off about her though she is unsure exactly what. And her surname - Dowd - where has she seen it before?

And then strange things start to happen. Phone calls with Livvy's voice on the other end, packages and photos all targeting Ria. And with each new "gift" sending Ria into a downward spiral as she turns on Amanda, accusing her of being behind everything. But Amanda is all wide-eyed innocence. And Ria finds herself on a final warning after one too many outbursts at work. Is she in danger of losing her job as well as her best friend, her clients and her flat? And if it isn't Amanda, then who is doing this? And why?

THE FLATMATE is a page-turner for sure that will keep you glued until the vert end. I enjoyed the drama, the tension and the creepy vibes. All smoke and mirrors and a whole lot of fun.

I would like to thank #GemmaRogers, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheFlatmate in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Gemma Rogers was inspired to write gritty thrillers by a traumatic event in her own life nearly twenty years ago. Her debut novel Stalker was published in September 2019 and marked the beginning of a new writing career. Gemma lives in West Sussex with her husband and two daughters.

Social media links:

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REVIEW: The Neighbour by Gemma Rogers

The Neighbour by Gemma Rogers

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 3rd January 2023

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Amazon

Published: 5th January 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Love thy neighbour or fear thy neighbour?

For myself and Lauren, my 10-year-old daughter No3 Beech Close was to be our refuge after two years of hell nursing my sick mother.

In need of a fresh start and wanting to distance ourselves from the bad memories of my mother’s house we moved to Beech Close, a small cul-de-sac of six houses situated around a picture-perfect green.

It seemed perfect but I had underestimated the secrets that this tightknit community shared.

Within hours of moving in my next-door neighbour Valerie made it abundantly clear we were not welcome.

I soon discovered that Valerie hadn’t welcomed the previous occupant either and she’d since disappeared without a trace.

Had I put myself and my daughter in danger moving to Beech Close?

Which neighbours, if any could I trust?

And how far would they go to keep their secret?

MY THOUGHTS:

Crikey! Who'd want to live in Beech Close? With neighbours like a cross between "desperate housewives" and "the Stepford wives"? They were a mad bunch...the lot of them! But aside from that, THE NEIGHBOUR is filled with tension and intrigue with a sense of spookiness that gives you the chills.

Shelly and her 10 year old daughter Lauren are in need of a fresh start after having cared for her own mother in the final years of her life, battling dementia. Selling the cottage which was filled with unwelcome memories, they packed up and moved to the idyllic location of number 3 Beech Close...or so they thought. The move was meant to bring healing to enable them to move on but they had barely unpacked the first box when Shelly had an unpleasant run-in with her immediate neighbour, Valerie. The next thing she knows she finds an unwelcome gift shoved through the letterbox and a half eaten chocolate bar in the backyard, which had likely caused their dog Teddy to be sick overnight. Valerie, it seems, has taken an instant dislike to Teddy who is a dear sweet dog. But the strange occurrences don't end there.

When her best friend Josh finds a box of belongings in the loft, Shelly tries to find the previous tenant to return them to her. But hits a brick wall. And then she discovers that Danielle, the previous tenant and school teacher, had lost her dog just three days before she herself disappeared. Trying to find out what happened, she's told that Danielle fled Beech Close to the sunny climes of Egypt as soon as term ended. But why would she leave when she had been searching for her beloved dog? According to her friend, Mark, she would never have left without him. Shelly tries to ask the neighbours but no one seems forthcoming with answers and she begins to wonder if everyone else knows what happened to Danielle except her. So what exactly happened to Danielle?

Shelly's attention is somewhat sidetracked when she meets Remy, Valerie's son, who spends much of his time there caring for his mother who has dementia. She is at once sympathetic having just spent that last few years caring for her own parent with the dreaded disease, and she offers Remy a friendly shoulder. But Shelly instead finds herself attracted to Remy, as it's been a long time between drinks for her. Then as the story proceeds Remy's behaviour begins to leave question marks also. What is it with this place?

Shelly gets a strange vibe emanating from Beech Close and she wonders if it's all it's cracked up to be. Everyone appears to have secrets and not all of them the average kind either. And her dipping her toes into the murky waters of Danielle's disappearance begins to lead her into dangerous territory. Are she and Lauren safe in Beech Close? Or has she gotten too close for someone's comfort?

THE NEIGHBOUR is a fast paced engrossing page-turner that, while a tad far-fetched in reality, on page it's a compelling tale. There is an air of creepiness surrounding the little cul-de-sac of Beech Close that will leave you with a feeling of unease. 

This is my first read by Gemma Rogers and I thoroughly enjoyed it but my favourite was that ending. While I had tied most of the pieces together, even down to that final confirmation at the end, it was the innocence in which those final words were delivered that just packed a punch. 

And can I just give a shout out to my favourite character in the book? Which was undoubtedly Teddy the dog. Thank goodness no harm came to him...or any other dog in the story.

I would like to thank #GemmaRogers, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheNeighbour in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Gemma Rogers was inspired to write gritty thrillers by a traumatic event in her own life nearly twenty years ago. Her debut novel Stalker was published in September 2019 and marked the beginning of a new writing career. Gemma lives in West Sussex with her husband and two daughters.

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