Invite Me In by Emma Curtis #bookreview #bogtour @emmacurtisbooks @TransworldBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by Emma Curtis, Invite Me In. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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To those who think they know her, Eliza Curran has it all: two healthy children, a stunning home and a wealthy, adoring husband. No one would guess the reality of her life: trapped in an unhappy marriage to a controlling man, she longs for a way out.

When she takes on a new tenant, her life changes unexpectedly. Dan Jones is charming and perceptive, and quickly becomes a close friend to the whole family.

But Dan’s arrival threatens to tip Eliza’s fragile world out of balance. And when someone has as many secrets as Eliza does, the smallest slip could destroy everything . . .

MY THOUGHTS

I’m a huge fan of Emma Curtis’ writing, and I loved her latest thriller, Invite Me In. It is a slow-burn; domestic thriller, and I loved how Emma Curtis revealed more about her characters as the novel progressed. I wanted to get to the bottom of who they all were. I wanted to know what secrets they were hiding in their past.

To many, Eliza seems to have the perfect life. But everything is not quite as it seems behind closed doors. This idea has been explored before in psychological thrillers, but in Invite Me In, Emma Curtis has created a cast of intriguing characters. Her characters always make her books come to life, and it’s what I love the most about her writing. I think readers may struggle to feel sympathetic towards Eliza initially, but my opinion changed as I was reading because she has everything. But you get a real sense that she is trapped in her marriage to her husband, Martin, and you can see how desperate she is to get away from him and start a new life.

The tension is turned up a notch when Dan, Eliza’s new tenant, enters. Eliza falls head over heels for him, and feelings between them begin to grow. But how can Eliza leave her controlling husband? What if he was to find out what is happening between her and Dan? I had no idea how he would react if he ever did, and this made me feel fearful for Eliza. It made me wonder if it would be possible if Eliza could have a life with Dan.

The tension really beings to pick up in the latter half of the book, and Eliza is faced with an unprecedented situation. I had no idea how she was going to get herself out of it. In this part of the novel, we learn more about Eliza’s backstory, and there are some shocking revelations about her that may just seal her fate. It made for such tense reading as the book raced towards its finale.

I really enjoyed this book; Emma Curtis has created another fantastic novel. As with all of Emma Curtis’ books, I struggled to put it down once I started Invite Me In. This is a brilliant read!

Publisher: Transworld

Publication date: 22nd July 2021

Print length: 400 pages

Invite Me In is available to buy:

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The Beresford by Will Carver #bookreview #blogtour @will_carver @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours

I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts on The Beresford by Will Carver on my blog today as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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Just outside the city – any city, every city – is a grand, spacious but affordable apartment building called The Beresford.

There’s a routine at The Beresford.

For Mrs May, every day’s the same: a cup of cold, black coffee in the morning, pruning roses, checking on her tenants, wine, prayer and an afternoon nap. She never leaves the building.

Abe Schwartz also lives at The Beresford. His housemate, Sythe, no longer does. Because Abe just killed him. 

In exactly sixty seconds, Blair Conroy will ring the doorbell to her new home and Abe will answer the door. They will become friends. Perhaps lovers.

And, when the time comes for one of them to die, as is always the case at The Beresford, there will be sixty seconds to move the body before the next unknowing soul arrives at the door.

Because nothing changes at The Beresford, until the doorbell rings…

MY THOUGHTS

I’m a huge, huge Will Carver fan, and I couldn’t wait to start reading The Beresford. I’m certain I’ve found my favourite book of the year. This is such an original, chilling and compelling read. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, no writer writes quite like Will Carver does.

The setting in this book, The Beresford, a block of apartments, becomes a character in its own right. The building is owned by a strange character, Mrs May, and we get to know the other residents who live there. The building comes with its own dark tales, which will chill you to the core. Abe, an artist, is one of the blocks most fascinating tenants. He is a very messed up person, but he is also someone who I did feel sorry for. He is desperate to be loved by someone, and as Abe says, he wants other people to look at his life and want what he’s got. But there is a very dark side to Abe. And this is what makes him such a compelling and terrifying character.

Will Carver’s writing propels you into the story, and his unique writing style kept me turning the pages faster and faster. There are short and snappy chapters and the dark, wildly entertaining plot kept me gripped.

I’ve mentioned Abe’s character in this review, but Mrs May is another person who I really wanted to get to the bottom of. From the beginning, we can see that she is a very religious person. Mrs May is a person who has suffered from trauma in her life. Her husband passed away several years earlier. But she is a much more complicated character, and I thought this was very clever.

The direction this book took completely took me by surprise. At first, I was thinking, what on earth is going on here? But this was in a good way. My eyes were kept glued to the whole book, but the final chapters kept me really gripped. I wanted to understand what was going on and who these people really were. It is so, so well done. I think many people may form different opinions when they get to the end of this book, but I absolutely loved it. 

If you’re a fan of Will Carver’s books, then you will love The Beresford. It is so good. Highly, highly recommended!

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 22nd May 2021 (kindle) 22nd July 2021 (paperback)

Print length: 276 pages

The Beresford is available to buy:

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Risk of Harm by Lucie Whitehouse #blogtour #giveaway

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by Lucie Whitehouse, Risk of Harm. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part. As part of the blog tour I have a copy of the book to giveaway but first let’s take a look at what the novel is about.

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Robin Lyons is back in her hometown of Birmingham and now a DCI with Force Homicide, working directly under Samir, the man who broke her heart almost twenty years ago.

When a woman is found stabbed to death in a derelict factory and no one comes forward to identify the body, Robin and her team must not only hunt for the murderer, but also solve the mystery of who their victim might be.

As Robin and Samir come under pressure from their superiors, from the media and from far-right nationalists with a dangerous agenda, tensions in Robin’s own family threaten to reach breaking point. And when a cold case from decades ago begins to smoulder and another woman is found dead in similar circumstances, rumours of a serial killer begin to spread.

In order to get to the truth Robin will need to discover where loyalty ends and duty begins. But before she can trust, she is going to have to forgive – and that means grappling with some painful home truths.

GIVEAWAY

As part of the blog tour, I have one copy of Risk of Harm to giveaway. To enter, please see my pinned Tweet on Twitter. My account is @collinsjacob115. Giveaway closes midnight BST time, Friday, 16th July 2021. One winner will be chosen at random and the winner will be announced in the comments. Good luck!

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Girls Who Lie by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir #bookreview #blogtour @evaaegisdottir @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new crime novel by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, Girls Who Lie. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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When single mother Maríanna disappears from her home, leaving an apologetic note on the kitchen table, everyone assumes that she’s taken her own life … until her body is found on the Grábrók lava fields seven months later, clearly the victim of murder. Her neglected fifteen-year-old daughter Hekla has been placed in foster care, but is her perfect new life hiding something sinister?
 
Fifteen years earlier, a desperate new mother lies in a maternity ward, unable to look at her own child, the start of an odd and broken relationship that leads to a shocking tragedy.
 
Police officer Elma and her colleagues take on the case, which becomes increasingly complex, as the number of suspects grows and new light is shed on Maríanna’s past – and the childhood of a girl who never was like the others…

MY THOUGHTS

Girls Who Lie is an intriguing addition to the Forbidden Iceland series by Eva Björg Ægisdottir, which is turning into a fantastic new crime series. The atmospheric setting draws you in, and the clever, compelling storyline kept me hooked. It makes for a completely gripping, sinister and shocking read.

I thought the first book in the series, The Creak on the Stairs, was very creepy. I thought it set the tone for the series very well, which Eva Björg Ægisdottir carries through perfectly into the second book.

The author really does draw on the setting in this book, especially when the body of a missing woman, Mari´anna, is found on a lava field. This is one of the most original locations for hiding a body I’ve come across in crime fiction. It adds to the layer of intrigue surrounding the woman’s disappearance and who could be behind it. Now, Detective Elma and her team have to find out what happened to Mari´anna seven months earlier. But they have lost valuable time. Will they be able to find out who was behind it?

Some of the most intriguing scenes in this book are when Eva Björg Ægisdottir takes us back in time to fifteen years ago when a young mother gives birth to her daughter. I wanted to understand why she didn’t feel anything for her child, and this made her character all the more fascinating. As Eva continues to visit this time, we begin to see this character grow. I wanted to know how what was happening in the past fed into what had happened in the present. Was the discovery of the missing woman’s body and these scenes somehow connected?

Eva brings Elma’s character to life, and I liked the wit in her conversations with her colleague, Saver. The dialogue between them makes them feel like real people. The relationships that the characters have with each other are also what makes this story really compelling. I’m sure I’ll keep coming back to this series, excited to see what Eva Björg Ægisdottir has in store for us next.

If you love crime novels with a strong, fascinating setting that makes you feel as though you’re there, then I highly recommend Girls Who Lie. This book will reel you in from the very first page and keep you invested in the plot and the characters. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 22nd May 2021 (kindle) 22nd July 2021 (paperback)

Print length: 276 pages

Girls Who Lie is available to buy:

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The Lost Girls by Heather Young #bookreview #blogtour @HYoungwriter @Verve_Books @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m taking part in the blog tour for The Lost Girls by Heather Young. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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In 1935, six-year-old Emily Evans vanishes from her family’s summer house on a remote Minnesota lake. Her disappearance destroys the family – her father takes his own life, and her mother and two older sisters spend the rest of their lives at the lake house, keeping a decades-long vigil for the lost child.

Sixty years later, Lucy, the quiet and watchful middle sister, lives in the lake house alone. Before her death, she writes the story of that devastating summer in a notebook that she leaves, along with the house, to the only person who might care: her grandniece, Justine. For Justine, the lake house offers freedom and stability – a way to escape her manipulative boyfriend and give her daughters the home she never had. But the long Minnesota winter is just beginning. The house is cold and dilapidated. The dark, silent lake is isolated and eerie. Her only neighbor is a strange old man who seems to know more about the summer of 1935 than he’s telling.

Soon Justine’s troubled oldest daughter becomes obsessed with Emily’s disappearance, her absent mother reappears, and the man she left launches a dangerous plan to get her back. In a house haunted by the sorrows of the women who came before her, Justine must overcome their tragic legacy if she hopes to save herself and her children.

MY THOUGHTS

The Lost Girls is an atmospheric crime thriller by Heather Young, and the plot and her writing drew me into the story and the setting. This isn’t a fast-paced novel, but it captured my attention, and I wanted to find out what had happened in 1935 when a young girl, Emily, disappeared.

I loved the lake house, which for me became a character itself as we visit it in the present day and decades earlier in the 1930s. There is a very haunting feeling to this book, and it does have an intriguing mystery that kept me turning the pages. The characters were very well drawn, and I thought their voices came through very strongly.

In the present day, Justine has just inherited the lakeside property from her great-aunt, and she decides to move her family there. I did find this a little bit odd when I was reading it, especially as she’d only been to the house once before in her life. The house is very isolated. With the mystery of what happened there in the past still unsolved, it made me wonder why anyone would want to move there. I don’t think I would feel comfortable moving into a home where a crime has taken place or if an unexplained event has happened.

The house felt very mysterious to me, and I wanted to know what had happened there in 1935. As the family get settled into the home, they begin to find newspaper articles dating from around the time of Emily’s disappearance and other personal, family belongings. I was eager to know if there would be some sort of clue among the possessions found that might explain what happened.

I liked the scenes when Heather Young took us back in time. We see the events leading up to Emily’s disappearance. It makes for tense reading as Heather Young explores the girl’s relationships with her parents and siblings. Their father is very controlling and very religious.

The truth about what happened in 1935 is heart-breaking, and I liked how Heather Young gradually revealed this. I could feel what the characters were feeling at the time the events were being described on the page. There is a tense finale as the events in the present day are wrapped up.

The Lost Girls does make for a sinister and gripping read. I thought Heather Young’s writing was really addictive, and I thought it flowed well. If you enjoy a slow-burner with a strong sense of place and an intriguing mystery, I highly recommend it. It is so well written.

Publisher: Verve Books

Publication date: 20th May 2021 (kindle) 25th November 2021 (paperback)

Print length: 352 pages

The Lost Girls is available to buy:

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Fragile by Sarah Hilary #bookreview #blogtour @sarah_hilary @panmacmillan @RandomTTours

I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts on the new standalone novel by Sarah Hilary, Fragile, on my blog today as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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Everything she touches breaks . . .

Nell Ballard is a runaway. A former foster child with a dark secret she is desperate to keep, all Nell wants is to find a place she can belong.

So when a job comes up at Starling Villas, home to the enigmatic Robin Wilder, she seizes the opportunity with both hands.

But her new lodgings may not be the safe haven that she was hoping for. Her employer lives by a set of rigid rules and she soon sees that he is hiding secrets of his own.

But is Nell’s arrival at the Villas really the coincidence it seems? After all, she knows more than most how fragile people can be – and how easy they can be to break . . .

MY THOUGHTS

I’m a huge, huge fan of Sarah Hilary’s writing, having loved her DI Marnie Rome series, which I’m hoping Sarah Hilary will return to at some point. I was really intrigued to see that she was releasing a new standalone novel. Fragile is her latest book, and it is an intense, beautifully written psychological thriller.

We meet Nell, who has recently applied to work for a Robert Wilder at his home in London, Starling Villas and eventually becomes his housekeeper. Nell is a former foster child, but lately, she has been living on the streets. But Nell also has a dark secret, and there is a reason why she has applied for the position at Starling Villas.

Ever since I read Sarah Hilary’s debut, Someone Else’s Skin, she has been an auto-buy author for me. I always recommend her work when people ask me to recommend them a good book to read. I connected to Nell straight away. I wanted to know why she specifically wanted to come to Starling Villas and what it had to do with her childhood. Sarah Hilary builds on the atmosphere as the novel progresses and things become darker and more intense, particularly when Robert’s wife arrives on the scene.

Robert, who Nell works for, is a very strange character. I did find him unnerving as well when Nell firsts comes to his house, and I wanted to learn more about who he was. I felt fearful for Nell when she first arrived as I wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into here. Any minute I kept thinking that something terrible was going to happen to her, or she was going to uncover a dark secret. It’s clear from the outset that she is here on a mission and she is determined to see it through. I wanted to find out what it was she wanted to achieve by coming here.

Sarah Hilary’s writing draws you into the story from the very first page. As the plot unfolds, we begin to learn more about Nell and her childhood. Sarah Hilary reveals what Nell went through when she was a child living in foster care, and it makes for gripping reading. We know that something terrible happened when she was living in foster care, but it’s only when we reach the chapters, do we understand the full, terrible truth.

If you haven’t yet discovered Sarah Hilary’s writing, this is the perfect time to do so. Fragile is a haunting, exceptionally well written novel. I highly recommend it!

Publisher: Macmillan

Publication date: 10th June 2021

Print length: 352 pages

Fragile is available to buy:

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The Cursed Girls by Caro Ramsay #bookreview #blogtour @CaroRamsayBooks @blackthornbks @RandomTTours

I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for The Cursed Girls by Caro Ramsay on my blog today. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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Megan Melvick has spent years avoiding her inheritance, the dark and disquieting family estate Benbrae, now home only to her distant, aristocratic father, and her sister Melissa, dying quietly in an upstairs bedroom. Trapped behind her unreliable hearing aids and vulnerable to what others want her to see, Megan is unable to find the answers she wants: why is there a new woman on her father’s arm? And why has their absent mother not returned to say a final goodbye to Melissa?

Benbrae has always been a place of loss and misfortune for Megan, but as the Melvick family diminishes still further, she must ask one final question. If there is a curse on the house, will she be its next victim?

MY THOUGHTS

The Cursed Girls is a really atmospheric psychological thriller by Caro Ramsay. I loved the Scottish Island setting, which gave the book a very mysterious and almost mystical feel, particularly with the mention of the faerie pools. There is a gripping mystery that pulled me into the book, and I devoured it in just a couple of sittings.

Megan is such an intriguing character. She is returning to her childhood home following the death of her sister Melissa five years earlier. When they were children, their mother also disappeared. Their mother’s disappearance has never been solved, and it has haunted the family for years.

I loved the atmospheric feel to this book, which added gloominess to the setting and a menacing tone. Caro Ramsay brings the Island setting to life really well. I felt as though I was there as I was reading. It felt very isolated and very foreboding. There are talks of a curse upon Megan’s family. I love anything with a slight hint of the supernatural weaved into the plot; it gives the story a really chilling tone. The disappearance of Megan’s mother and what happened to her sister confirms the belief for Megan that there is a curse placed on her family. There isn’t a big supernatural element here in this book, but there is a hint which adds to the suspense and the atmosphere.

I wanted to know what had happened to Megan’s mother and what happened on the day of her sister’s wedding. This book is shrouded in mystery, and the writing kept me hooked as I flew through it to find out what happened and what was going on. I felt Megan was a character who I could never entirely trust. I felt that there were some things about her past which she was holding back. I liked how Caro Ramsay took us into the minds of several characters, and I was particularly intrigued by the voice of Megan’s friend. There is quite a difference between the two friends. Carla comes through as a much stronger individual than Megan. I found some parts told from her point of view chilling. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Cursed Girls. Caro Ramsay is a new author to me, and I will definitely be catching on what I have missed. If you enjoy reading novels with a dark and menacing atmosphere, then you need to add this book to your TBR pile.

Publisher: Black Thorn

Publication date: 3rd June 2021

Print length: 249 pages

The Cursed Girls is available to buy:

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You Had It Coming by B.M. Carroll #bookreview #blogtour @bmcarrollauthor @ViperBooks @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for the new novel by B.M. Carroll, You Had It Coming. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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WOULD YOU SAVE THE MAN
WHO DESTROYED YOUR LIFE?

When paramedic Megan Lowe is called to the scene of an attempted murder, all she can do is try to save the victim. But as the man is lifted onto a stretcher, she realises she knows him. She despises him. Why should she save his life when he destroyed hers?

Jess Foster is on her way home when she receives a text from Megan. Once best friends, the two women haven’t been close for years, not since the night when they were just the teenage girls whom no-one believed; whose reputations were ruined. All Jess can think is, you had it coming.

Now Megan and Jess are at the centre of a murder investigation. But what secrets are they hiding? Can they trust one another? And who really is the victim?

MY THOUGHTS

You Had It Coming is the first book by B.M. Carroll, which I have read, and I thought it had such an intriguing premise. I haven’t come across a crime novel before where one of the main characters is a paramedic, which offered a fascinating insight. B.M. Carroll begins to build on the suspense straight away when Megan, a paramedic, is faced with an impossible situation, saving the life of the man who ruined hers.

After we are first introduced to Megan, I wanted to know what had happened in her past. Also, what her link was to William Newson, the man who was nearly killed. I could sense her anger as she realised who the person was who she was treating. B.M. Carroll gradually begins to peel back the layers of what happened. As we get to understand more about who the victim here is, I really despised him as well. I could also understand why someone would want him dead. It’s what made the story even more exciting as I wanted to find out if the killer had any links to his past.

The novel is set in Australia, which is also what I liked about it as well. B.M. Carroll whisked me away in her writing, and it made the book feel refreshing. I’ve only ever read one other book set in Australia before, and this is a part of the world where I’m quite keen to travel to at some point in the future.

There are some tense scenes as B.M. Carroll reveals what happened to Megan and her friend Jess who also comes into the picture following William’s attempted murder. We also hear from Jess’s point of view. Megan and Jess both went through the same horrifying experience together. As I was reading the flashback scenes in which B.M. Carroll takes us back to the events linking Megan and Jess to William; it made me angry. It really does paint a vivid picture of what happens in these situations in real life.

Another point of view which B.M. Carroll tells the story from is Detective Sergeant Bridget Kennedy. I liked Bridget from the start and B.M. Carroll brought her character to life really well. I was rooting for her to get the truth about what was going on. It felt as though, at some moments, that she was the only person who wanted to get justice.

I enjoyed reading You Had It Coming and B.M. Carroll kept me hooked as I waited to find out who was responsible for the attack on William and what had happened in Megan and Jess’s pasts. I would definitely recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers.

Publisher: Viper Books

Publication date: 13th May 2021

Print length: 432 pages

You Had It Coming is available to buy:

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The Assistant by Kjell Ola Dahl #bookreview #blogtour @ko_dahl @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours

I’m delighted to be sharing my thoughts on The Assistant by Kjell Ola Dahl on my blog today as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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Oslo, 1938. War is in the air and Europe is in turmoil. Hitler’s Germany has occupied Austria and is threatening Czechoslovakia; there’s a civil war in Spain and Mussolini reigns in Italy.

When a woman turns up at the office of police-turned-private investigator Ludvig Paaske, he and his assistant – his one-time nemesis and former drug-smuggler Jack Rivers – begin a seemingly straightforward investigation into marital infidelity.

But all is not what it seems, and when Jack is accused of murder, the trail leads back to the 1920s, to prohibition-era Norway, to the smugglers, sex workers and hoodlums of his criminal past … and an extraordinary secret.

MY THOUGHTS

In Kjell Ola Dahl’s latest novel, The Assistant, he whisks us to Europe in 1938, when the continent is on the brink of war. There is tension simmering in the air with talks about what Hitler and his regime are doing. We are introduced to former a police detective, turned private investigator, Ludvig Paaske, who is now working with his one time, arch-nemesis, Jack Rivers. But what has drawn them to work together?

I thought the partnership of Jack Rivers and Ludvig Paaske was really intriguing. I wanted to find out more about it and what had prompted them to form this new alliance. Would this have any implications for Ludvig, particularly as he swore to put Jack behind bars during the prohibition era in Norway in the 1920s?

The case which they are investigating is an interesting one, very simple at first, when a woman asks them to spy on her husband, who she suspects is having an affair. But very soon, Ludvig begins to see that there is much more at play here than what first meets the eye.

Jack Rivers comes across as very likeable, even though he is a criminal. You can see that he is a passionate man when it comes to love and women, but you also get the sense that he is in control of the situation, especially when things get tense. I was really interested in the scenes set in the 1920s when Jack played on the wrong side of the law by smuggling alcohol. This was a part of history that, until I read this book, I didn’t know much about, particularly about the prohibition in Norway. It was fascinating to find out more about what was happening in the world at this time. After I finished reading the book, I wanted to find out more about this time period.

Kjell Ola Dahl builds on the atmosphere in this book, and there is a real sense of mystery. This is especially as Jack and Ludvig begin to understand more about the case and people they are investigating. I could feel the tensions simmering as the plot began to build, especially with the threat of war lingering in the background.

Ludvig’s character took longer to grow on me, and I think some readers may struggle to like him at first, but I would definitely like to read another novel where he and Jack feature again.

The Assistant is a compelling mystery novel; the writing pulls you into the story from the very first page. If you’re a fan of wartime thrillers, then you definitely need to give this book a go.

Publisher: Orenda Books

Publication date: 13th May 2021

Print length: 276 pages

The Assistant is available to buy:

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All My Lies by Sophie Flynn #bookreview #blogtour @sophielflynn @simonschusterUK @RandomTTours

I’m delighted to be joining the blog tour for the debut novel by Sophie Flynn on my blog today, All My Lies. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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Anna wants to escape.
She doesn’t know when her marriage to James began to feel like a trap or when he became so controlling. All she knows is that she needs to leave before it’s too late.
 
And she has a plan.
When Anna reconnects with her childhood sweetheart, Sam, she sees it as the answer to her problems. Finally, they’ll have a life together, like they’d always planned – the life she was meant to have.
 
But the lies are catching up with her . . .
On the morning of their escape, Sam goes missing. Anna knows he wouldn’t leave her, that something must have happened to him.
Her search for answers will force her to confront her past, something that she has been running from for a very long time . . .

MY THOUGHTS

All My Lies is a twisty and gripping psychological thriller by Sophie Flynn. I read this novel really fast, and I devoured it in just a couple of sittings.

My intrigue was piqued right from the beginning when we meet Anna, who is desperate to escape her controlling boyfriend, James. She has recently got back in touch with her childhood sweetheart, Sam, and as they discuss the potential for a life together, Anna starts making plans to make this a reality. But everything is about to come crashing down for Anna. The secrets hidden in her past are about to resurface.

What I loved about this book was that I felt that I couldn’t trust any of the characters, particularly Sam’s family, to who Anna was once very close to. I also felt really scared for her. I didn’t want her husband to find out what was going on in her life as I had no idea how he would react. The early scenes in which he and Anna are together were so tense and chilling. I was rooting for Anna to get out of the marriage. When you start reading this book, you may think that this is a story that has been told before, but Sophie Flynn took the story in a completely different direction from what I was expecting. It’s what made it all the more exciting to read.

There are many different elements to this book, which makes it such an action packed and fast-paced read. I wanted to know more about Anna’s past as she struggles to come to terms with what is happening in the present. I also wanted to know more about her former boyfriend, Sam. Why suddenly was he behaving in this way towards Anna when they had talked about building a future together? I could sense her frustration as everything she had been working towards began to tumble down. Sophie Flynn is a writer who knows how to keep the tension turning up a notch and how to keep her reader hooked.

All My Lies grips you from the first page and keeps you utterly invested in the plot and the characters. I really enjoyed it. Sophie Flynn is an exciting new writer to watch, and I can’t wait to read more from her.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication date: 23rd April 2021

Print length: 271 pages

All My Lies is available to buy:

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