BOOK REVIEW THE FAMILY FRIEND BY C.C. MACDONALD

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE. BUT YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER…

Erin lives an idyllic life by the seaside with her baby boy and Australian fiancée. She’s upbeat and happy – a natural mum. At least that’s what her thousands of followers on Instagram think.

In the real world, Erin is struggling with anxiety and finding it difficult to connect with her screaming son. So when a famous agent offers to make her the biggest Instamum out there, she’s over the moon. And when Amanda, a family friend who’s visiting from Australia, says she’ll move in and babysit to help make it happen, it seems like the stars have finally aligned for Erin’s exciting new career.

But when a devastatingly revealing video is posted online by an anonymous troll, Erin’s brought crashing back to earth. As everything she’s worked for starts to slip away, Erin must find out how far she can trust those closest to her…

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. This is a new author for me and will definitely be reading more from him.

I raced through this fantastic psychological thriller. Having a baby is tough but having a baby while under the watchful eye of your Instagram followers must be even tougher!

Erin is trying to have it all but she could be risking it all.. who can she trust? Who is telling the truth ? And is she really being the best parent she can be…

A intense twisty roller coaster of a book that you can’t foresee what’s coming. Fast paced and will leave your heart racing.

Published 4th March

BOOK REVIEW THE FAMILY TREE BY STEPH MULLIN AND NICOLE MABRY

The DNA results are back. And there’s a serial killer in her family tree…

Liz Catalano is shocked when an ancestry kit reveals she’s adopted. But she could never have imagined connecting with her unknown family would plunge her into an FBI investigation of a notorious serial killer…

The Tri-State Killer has been abducting pairs of women for forty years, leaving no clues behind – only bodies.

Can Liz figure out who the killer in her new family is? And can she save his newest victims before it’s too late?

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley.

For someone who’s adopted and interested in true crime this was a fantastic book to read.We all want to know where we come from but what happens if its not from good things!

Completely original and unpredictable this had me hooked. Cleverly written with tension and anxiety running through the pages.

Harrowing accounts of the victims are written alongside Lizs journey to discover her story but also the truth.

I highly recommend and this is published June 10th

BOOK REVIEW THE BEST OF FRIENDS BY ALEX DAY

Susannah is rebuilding her life… Susannah has had a tough year. After a sticky divorce and losing the life she had grown accustomed to, moving to a small town in the south of England with her two sons is exactly the fresh start she needs. Charlotte seems to have it all… Charlotte is delighted when Susannah moves in. Charlotte may appear to have the perfect husband, the perfect family, the perfect house, but deep down she’s lonely, and she needs someone to confide in. But one of them is not who they pretend to be… The two women instantly become best friends. But underneath the surface, secrets, lies and betrayals are all hiding. And when the truth comes out, not everyone will live to tell the tale…

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley.

I whizzed through this and loved it!

It was everything a psychological thriller needs to be ,especially about friendships.

Unpredictable and intoxicating this was a exciting sexy read about a new friendship. What happens when you get too close? Will you let your walls down and trust…

Twisty and clever and I highly recommend.

A fantastic book and I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.

Published 9th April

BOOK REVIEW THE GUEST BOOK BY C.L. PATTISON

WELCOME TO THE ANCHORAGE, FOR A HONEYMOON YOU’LL NEVER FORGET . . .

Charles and Grace wanted a quiet staycation honeymoon, but when their train terminates early due to a storm up ahead, they wonder if they made the wrong decision. Forced to take shelter in the nearest seaside town, Saltwater, they discover that there is only one guesthouse left. Unlike the rest of Saltwater, The Anchorage is entirely deserted.

That night, with the storm howling relentlessly, Grace is woken by a child crying. She is haunted by the sound, until Charles convinces her it was only her imagination. But the next day, she finds a warning scrawled in the guest book: Leave now. Do not trust them.

As the storm rages on, phone lines are down, transport links cut off. Grace is desperate to leave, but Charles remains unaffected by the eerie stillness of the house. Is it just Grace’s imagination or do the owners, and Charles, have something to hide?

THANK YOU FOR STAYING AT THE ANCHORAGE. WE HOPE YOU’LL BE BACK SOON…

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley.

This is a intriguing, mysterious and chilling book about a couple om honeymoon. Things get weird from day 1 and are set to get weirder.

Is all as it seems in wedded bliss or are there secrets from the past about to ruin things…

Unpredictable and tense. Cleverly written and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Published 31st December 2020

BOOK REVIEW THE LAKE BY LOUISE SHARLAND

The truth lies just beneath the surface…

Kate’s world falls apart when her teenage son drowns in the waters by his school. She’s convinced it wasn’t just a tragic accident, but no one will listen.

Then, six years later, Kate unearths Michael’s lost diary and realises she may finally be able uncover what really happened that night.

But as she delves deeper, she begins to realise that she didn’t really know her son – or the people in his life – at all. And that, sometimes, secrets are better left submerged…

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. This is her first psychological thriller and look forward to reading more from her.

This ticked a lot of boxes for me gripping,dark,haunting ,unpredictable and featuring my love of swimming.

Who can be trusted as Kate starts searching for the truth and will she finally get the answers she deserves.

Twists and turns this is a non stop emotive read.

Published 18th March

BOOK REVIEW HER GUILTY SECRET BY EMILY CAVANAGH

Would a true friend lie to you? Ivy has been looking forward to seeing her oldest college friends for months. But this reunion couldn’t have come at a worse time.Her husband has left her and she is struggling to pay the bills. She’s never felt less like sitting around joking and drinking cocktails.But not wanting to let everyone down, Ivy boards the plane to Boston and makes her way to Elise’s Cape Cod summerhouse, where Ada and Libby are waiting.She knew Elise’s husband was successful, but the house on the ocean, with floor-to-ceiling windows, is more opulent than she imagined. And there are photographs of Elise’s perfect, happy family in every room. Already struggling to put a brave face on things, Ivy finds herself reaching breaking point.That evening, as the four friends gather on the sofa along with several bottles of wine, someone suggests they play truth or dare…As the game goes on, something is said that can’t be taken back. Something that makes Ivy question if these women were ever her friends to begin with.But this is not the only secret these women have been hiding. As new revelations come to light, will the weekend bring them closer or tear them apart for good

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. This is a new author for me.

Written from each of the friends perspectives and each with their own unique voice.

What happens when old friends spend a weekend together? Will it be like old times or is that even possible now they are all women with responsibilites and worries .

Tensions and secrets are on the verge of being exposed…Tense and addictive as I whizzed through.

Is all as it seems for each of the women? And will their restful break be exactly that?

Published 9th February

BOOK REVIEW THE OTHER DAUGHTER BY CAROLINE BISHOP

You only get one life – but what if it isn’t the one you were meant to live?
 
‘When it finally arrived I was shocked to see it; to read the words Mum wrote about these women fighting for rights I know I take for granted. Mum was here. And while she was, something happened that changed the entire course of my life.  Perhaps, if I can summon the courage, the next eight weeks will help me finally figure out what that was . . .’
 
When Jessica discovers a shocking secret about her birth, she leaves her London home and travels to Switzerland in search of answers. She knows her journalist mother spent time in the country forty years earlier, reporting on the Swiss women’s liberation movement, but what she doesn’t know is what happened to her while she was there. Can Jess summon the courage to face the truth about her family, or will her search only hurt herself and those around her even more?
 

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. A debut author and a fantastic first book.

I was transported away through the power of words , set in beautiful Switzerland.

Evocative,atmospheric and descriptive.

Thought provoking and gripping I  raced through this eager to know the truth.

Beautifully written and captures the readers imagination.

Published 18th February

BOOK REVIEW HIS HIDDEN WIFE BY WENDY CLARKE

The first time you see them, out for an evening walk on the cliffs, you’ll think they’re the perfect family. You’ll see a wife who looks so happy, strolling peacefully beside her husband in his dark winter coat, holding her daughter’s hand. But you have no idea what’s really happening in their house…

If you come a little closer you might hear the way the man speaks to his wife.

You might notice that the woman doesn’t have any close friends. That sometimes her husband doesn’t want her to leave the house. You might wonder if that’s a scar her beautiful daughter is hiding on her neck.

When you read the local newspaper and hear the news that the wife has fallen from the cliffs, you’ll question whether it was really an accident at all.

And when the husband starts dating someone new – a woman with the same long dark hair and big blue eyes as his wife – will you say something this time?

Because someone has to protect the little girl and stop history from repeating itself. And it may already be too late.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. This is a new author for me and I definitely look forward to reading more after enjoying this book.

As a psychology student this ticked a lot of boxes for me . Compelling and unpredictable.

What exactly is the truth regarding Mayas mums death? Is all as it seems ? As secrets are about to be exposed people’s lives change dramatically.

Completely gripping and an highly addictive thriller.

Set in a gorgeous location which is the perfect scene and atmosphere for this story.

Published 1st February

BOOK REVIEW WHO DO YOU TRUST BY KIRSTY FERGUSON

A perfect sunny day, a family celebration, a heart-stopping hour that changes everything…

Dana has all she ever wanted – a husband she loves, her four-year-old daughter Kelsey who is the apple of her eye, and another baby on the way to complete her perfect family.

But then the worst fear that Dana has, comes true, and everything she thought she knew, she now starts to doubt. As her world comes crashing around her, who can Dana trust?

Her husband Logan who seems to be getting worryingly close to Dana’s best friend Pippa?

Her new friend Melanie who has a sinister habit of turning up in the strangest places?

Her parents and her sister, who Dana knows are keeping a terrible secret from her?

Matt, who says he’s Dana’s friend, but sometimes she’s not so sure?

Or will Dana discover that it’s a dangerous mistake to trust anyone…

Firstly thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. This is a new author to me and safe to say I’ll be reading more.

Wow what a book…my mind is quite blown away after devouring in one go. There’s a lot going on in this book so prepare for a twisty roller coaster and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

As the title suggests who do you trust? Because everyone has secrets and hidden agenda.

Chilling ,dark,unsettling thriller that will leave you quite disturbed….

A fantastic original psychological thriller and a author whos clearly not holding back in this genre!

Published 18th March

BOOK REVIEW I GIVE IT A YEAR BY HELEN WHITAKER

Her husband’s moved out – and her dad’s moved in…
Curl up with the page-turning story full of emotion about family, marriage and second chances

It’s New Year’s Eve, and Iris has just found out that her husband, Adam, is cheating on her. Furious, she kicks him out, and enlists her Dad to move in and help with the children whilst she tries to mend her broken heart.

But her Dad soon starts to display signs of Alzheimer’s, and Iris realises that if she loses her partner, she’ll be managing an awful lot on her own. Soon, she realises that Adam wasn’t the only one taking their marriage for granted, and for the sake of the children she decides to give him one more chance.

But is it braver to stay than to run? And can anyone fall in love with the same person twice?

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review. This is a new author for which never gets old.

What happens when you discover your husband has been cheating?

A real honest look on what this does on not only the wounded party but those around.

Fresh funny and so relatable. It looks at the mundane routines married couples can get into especially when they have kids.

Temptations, secrets and a new outlook … what will Iris do and will she last the year?

This is a great modern love story about finding the truth and a lot more and perhaps even some rekindling of a flame…

Published 7th January and I’ll definitely be reading more from Helen.