Thursday 5 January 2017

Book Review & Giveaway - Everything You Told Me by Lucy Dawson

Amazon UK
Title: Everything You Told Me
Author: Lucy Dawson
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Corvus
Publication Date: 5th January 2017
Rating: 5 Stars


You went to bed at home, just like every other night.
You woke up in the back of a taxi, over 250 miles away.
You have no idea how you got there and no memory of the last ten hours.
You have no phone, no money; just a suicide note in your coat pocket, in your own writing.
You know you weren’t planning to kill yourself.
Your family and friends think you are lying.

Someone knows exactly what happened to you.
But they’re not telling…

One of a rare variety of book, the completely unputdownable, and even when you aren't reading it, the story is still in your mind, and I found myself thinking more about the book, then the work I was meant to be doing. 

Everything You Told Me is a story that will make you think, there are two potential ways you will be thinking initially as you read the book. Either you believe Sally is telling the truth that she has absolutely no clue as to how she ended up in a taxi 250 miles away, with what appears to be a suicide note in her pocket. Or you will feel that Sally is a rather unreliable narrator, and that siding with the rest of the family is the best thing to do, as she must be lying, potentially be suicidal and a risk to herself and her children. 

The story is told in the first person, from Sally's perspective, so it is up to the reader to make the decision on how trustworthy she is. I found myself rooting for her, and hoping that she really wasn't going to commit suicide. The first quarter of the book, explains Sally's family life in the couple of days leading up to this long night time taxi journey. 

Sally is portrayed as a woman at the end of her tether, with two young children, Chloe who was 4 and adorable, and Theo at 6 months was causing his parents no end of problems as he is a bad sleeper. Sleep deprivation is one of the key things that was causing Sally to start struggling, but equally it is clear how much she loves both of her children. 

Having of course seen how the book ends, I don't think I can fairly say much else about the plot for fear of using the wrong words that may give a hint towards the overall ending which took me completely by surprise. About half way through I was convinced I knew roughly where the book was going, but it soon turns out as is often the case, that I can't predict things accurately in books, which made it all the more gripping as I wanted to see just what would happen next. 

I can certainly see why this is a psychological book, it got under my skin, forced me to think about the story continually, and really did mess with my head a bit, with trying to get ahead of Sally in working out exactly why she was in that cab. 

Everything You Told Me does tackle the subject of mental health to a certain extent, but also shows how situations can be manipulated. I found it to be a gripping read that I barely was able to put down, or be fully aware of my surrounding whilst reading. It is a story that gets your brain cells jumping and its an incredibly good book. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Corvus for this copy of the book that I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 


Giveaway to win 2 x Everything You Told Me (Paperback) (Europe only) 

The lovely people at Corvus appear to have sent me two paperbacks, in addition to the e-copy that I read. As a result I have 2 copies of the book going to 2 lucky winners! 

Giveaway is open to Europe only (but don't worry there will be more INT giveaways in the future) , all options are voluntary, but please do what they ask, as I will be verifying the winner. Giveaway closes 23:59 12/1/2017. Winner will be announced on twitter and emailed, and they will need to reply within 7 days, or forfeit the prize, and I will re-draw for a new winner.  Good luck everyone.

Win 2 x Everything You Told Me (Paperback) (Europe only)

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