Book Review - Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella

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Amazon UK

Title: Love Your Life

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Black Swan

Publication Date: 24th June 2021

Rating: 5 Stars

I love you . . . but what if I can't love your life?

Ava is sick of online dating. She's always trusted her own instincts over an algorithm, anyway, and she wants a break from it all. So when she signs up to a semi-silent, anonymous writing retreat in glorious Italy, love is the last thing on her mind.

Until she meets a handsome stranger. . . All she knows is that he's funny, he's kind and - she soon learns - he's great in bed. He's equally smitten, and after a whirlwind, intoxicating affair, they pledge their love without even knowing each other's real names.

But when they return home, reality hits. They're both driven mad by each other's weird quirks and annoying habits, from his eccentric, naked-sauna-loving family to her terribly behaved, shirt-shredding dog. As disaster follows disaster, it seems that while they love each other, they just can't love each other's lives. Can they overcome their differences to find one life, together?

Another brilliant book from the rom-com queen Sophie Kinsella. 

I raced through this story, often in disbelief at Ava and Matt, but generally loving every page of it.  It's just the Ava is slightly delusional especially when talking to her friends or herself, about the true nature of her relationship with Matt. 

Don't get me wrong love both characters, it's just they are complete and utter opposites, who believed they had a love at first sight connection on a writers retreat, where until the flight home they didn't know each others names or anything that would potentially be covered in regular small talk. 

But they are totally into each other, and I loved their connection, and they definitely had one.. but the nitty gritty of life and they are in totally different orbits. 

Which is what makes this book so amusing, as they try to come to terms with their relationship in the real world, and we also get to know their friends really well. 

There is a great mix of characters in this, and I have to say I've not encountered Matt's family business before, and half of me would have liked to know more. 

It's such an enjoyable story and it's classic Kinsella. 

Book Review - Picture Perfect by Laurie Ellingham

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Amazon UK

Title: Picture Perfect

Author: Laurie Ellingham

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Orion Dash

Publication Date: 19th January 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

To her ten thousand Instagram followers, Becca has the perfect life: three beautiful children, a gorgeous house, a successful husband and a thriving interior design business... But in unfiltered reality, Becca's life is just one giant mess. Her children are completely out of control and her marriage is crumbling.

With the summer holidays looming, Becca is horrified to discover that she must spend nine weeks alone with her unruly children. Nine weeks of complete mayhem!

In despair, Becca reaches out to social media influencer - the Toddler Tamer. Could she be the one to save the summer... and the whole family?

Hilarious, true to life and totally relatable, Picture Perfect is the perfect summer read.

I would never like to call children, little monsters, unruly or out of control, but well that is certainly the first impression you get of Olly (8)  and 4 year old twins Matilda and Ben. They seem to have absolutely no respect for their mother, Becca, and on one level it's surprising to read about children that aren't perfect, that are just real - and on the other level, it really does make for a hilarious and entertaining book. 

I couldn't help but smile at lots of their antics, but Becca is at the of her rope, especially when her support systems all abandon her for the school summer holidays.  So she reaches out to The Toddler Tamer, to see if she can help. 

And what a journey The Toddler Tamer (or Sasha as she is actually called), takes Becca and her children on. The best way to describe Sasha and her techniques is to think of Jo Frost and her Super Nanny programmes. I definitely felt that she came from that school of child behaviour management, and as a result there is a massive journey of self development for Becca, as she needs to grow in confidence as a mother. 

Laurie Ellingham writes children very well, I really did grow to love all three of these children,  and their family dynamics.  I have a feeling that parents of young children will really be able to identify with parts of this book, and I could picture everything so clearly. 

It's just an easy feel good entertaining read. I loved it. 

Thank you to Orion Dash and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Cherrywood Murders by Penny Blackwell - #HolidayReading Fuerteventura

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Amazon UK

Title: The Cherrywood Murders

Author: Penny Blackwell

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Headline Accent

Publication Date: 25th May 2023

Rating: 4 Stars

It has been a year since Tess had to trade the hustle and bustle of London life for pulling pints and moonlighting as a Cher impersonator in a backwater country pub.

The sleepy Yorkshire village of Cherrywood would always be home, but a return to rural life wasn't quite the path she'd paved for herself. Still, being back with her oldest friends, Raven and Oliver, was a definite upside and she was beginning to settle into the slower pace.

That is until Clemmie Ackroyd, a stalwart member of the community, is brutally murdered. Ruled a robbery gone wrong, it's an open-and-shut case for the police, but something isn't quite adding up for Tess.

Then an unexpected face from the past shows up in the village, pointing fingers, and Tess finds herself resolving to get to the bottom of Clemmie's death - even if that means getting up to her neck in jam, Jerusalem and deadly secrets at the Women's Guild . . .

There was one moment in this book that had me completely and utterly laughing out loud. 

Besides that it was a rather surprising cosy mystery, where everyone in Cherrywood seems like they could be a suspect and they definitely all have things they are hiding. 

Some rather more sinister than others. 

It was a tricky initial murder to solve that Tess was sure the police had arrested the wrong person, but equally really wasn't sure who had murdered Clemmie. 

But teaming up with the person she had never wanted to see again, starts to get them well some answers and more questions. 

It's a well written book and a great start to a brand new series. 

Thank you to Headline Accent and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Housewife's Secret by Anna-Lou Weatherley - #HolidayReading Fuerteventura

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Amazon UK

Title: The Housewife's Secret

Author: Anna-Lou Weatherley

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 12th January 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

I cast my eyes over the impressive meal I’ve cooked and the half-empty crystal wine glasses. As our guests smile graciously, I squeeze my husband’s shoulder. It’s vital I get his friends to like me. To believe this version of me. Because I’ll do anything to stop them learning the truth…

Ever since I met my handsome husband Dr Gabe Bonneville, I started playing the role of the perfect housewife. He works hard as a surgeon, so I look after our home, and throw elaborate dinner parties with champagne cocktails for his best friends Hugh and Anita. He’s my safe place and my chance to have the family I’ve always wanted.

I’ve managed to hide the mornings when I wake up and see a face in the shadows. I haven’t told Gabe the truth about the woman who raised me, or told him about the therapy I’ve been getting so my secrets stay hidden in the dark. I haven’t questioned his past so he doesn’t ask about mine. I see the way Anita looks at him sometimes, but I’ll never say a word.

Until the letter arrives at the front door. The beautiful, expensive card shakes in my hand as I read the neat black handwriting.

Someone knows I’m not just a housewife. And the lies I’ve told will be all that’s left when I disappear…

Fans of Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn and The Housemaid will be gripped by this unputdownable thriller and its non-stop twists and turns! A breathtaking ride from the very first chapter to the explosive ending.

What a book! Was totally gripped and it allowed me to take my mind off the excessive turbulence of the flight I was on, in order to devour the second half of this book. 

We get to really know missing person Darcie, with her story being told in multiple time lines. I really felt sorry for her and her past, and was also terrified for her. 

And I can't believe that Dan Riley just from hearing the bare bones of this missing persons case, was happy to give up some of his annual leave, when he was due to go on holiday with his family, in order to get stuck into the case. Although I think everyone is glad that he did. 

From the police perspective there is initially very little to go on at all, and it was interesting seeing how they investigated. And good to catch up with Dan's team too. 

And that conclusion, just wow! I was totally hooked on this book and think it may be the best book so far in the series. Utterly gripping, I couldn't get enough of it. 

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Secret Book Club by Shauna Robinson

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Amazon UK

Title: The Secret Book Club

Author: Shauna Robinson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: One More Chapter

Publication Date: 18th January 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

Maggie Banks loves books. And running a bookstore sounds like the best job in the world. Except in Bell River, a place that refuses to let her sell anything written this century.

But in Maggie's world, book rules are made to be broken.

And what better way to break tradition than by starting an underground book club. But keeping her new club quiet, selling forbidden books and dodging the strict literary society is proving harder than it seems. Especially when Maggie unearths a secret that could upend everything…

Bell River is both a totally fabulous location for a book, but equally between the town, the Bell society, and all of the various rules in place by Ralph, I do sometimes wonder if I was almost reading about a cult. 

Or at least the setting of a rather disturbing film, as there is something just so creepy about the hero worship of author Edward Bell. 

He wrote his most famous book in the town,  and as a result it thrives on tourism of people that are fans of the man, and thanks to the Bell Society, the bookshop in town that Maggie is looking after, it's only allowed to sell books that were around before Edward's death.  So nothing recent, and predominately classics. 

However Maggie who is doing a favour for a friend and looking after the shop for a few months, is a bit of a rule breaker,  and well things start to get interesting.   She's also just discovering an absolute love of books, and that is fabulous to see. 

I absolutely loved the secret events Maggie set up, and if I was in town I would have happily gone to them, they sounded amazing. 

However I never really gelled with the love interest in this story, I just couldn't really feel anything for him, and although I could see they were building a connection, it felt more platonic to me! 

But other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I loved hating the obvious bad guy, and seeing Maggie develop as a character and find out what she may truly want from life is inspiring. .

And above all it is clear to me that with the two books I've now read, that Shauna Robinson really really loves books! 

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Once Upon An Algorithm by Clara O'Connor - #HolidayReading Fuerteventura

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Amazon UK

Title: Once Upon An Algorithm

Author: Clara O'Connor

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: One More Chapter

Publication Date: 19th January 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

What do you do when your mortifying Friday night blind date is sitting opposite you at your desk on Monday morning?

A hot blind date in Paris with no strings? Practical Leonie would never do such a thing! But when a new dating app that uses science and logic leads her to gorgeous, so-not-her-type Jack the chemistry is off the charts.

Only, when the morning after proves that opposites definitely don’t attract, Leonie is relieved they never need to see each other again.

Until she starts her new job and there he is, sitting in the boss’s office, the man behind the best and worst night of her life.

A really enjoyable first book that I have read of Clara O'Connor's.

I'm rather partial to a STEM romance and this is set in the world of tech, social media app start ups and bother main characters are involved in the project. 

It's just that Leonie is only helping as a favour to her step brother Ed to help him get out of a mess, and well a few weeks earlier she had a hot encounter with Jack, in Paris and now they appear to be working together. 

And Ed is making her lie to Jack too, which is never a good sign.  There is plenty of sexual chemistry within these pages, and Leonie is convinced that there is no way that Jack could be right for her. 

I found this really entertaining, and although I was slightly confused by some of the ending, I still really enjoyed the book. 

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Yacht by Sarah Goodwin - #HolidayReading Fuerteventura

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Amazon UK

Title: The Yacht

Author: Sarah Goodwin

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: 4th January 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

WHEN THE TRUTH SURFACES…

New Year’s Eve, 2023. When Hannah and her friends rent a luxury yacht in an Italian marina, they party in style under the stars until they pass out.

…WHO WILL SINK…

The next morning, they are horrified to find they have been cut adrift into the open ocean, with no sight of land and no fuel in the engine. And that’s when the first person goes missing…

…AND WHO WILL SWIM?

The Yacht is a twisty locked-room thriller that will have fans of The White Lotus, Lucy Foley and Amy McCulloch addicted from the very first page!

Wow I may need a moment to catch my breath. 

Simply addictive, claustrophobic, mind boggling action that kept me guessing throughout 

Even when I wasn't reading, my mind was repeating to its that I need to find out who the murderer is. 

And at no point did I guess just how wrong things would go once they started to go wrong. Ok I had a couple of tiny inklings that came true in the final reveals but I was never convinced I was right. 

There are secrets galore to come out, as a group of old friends celebrate New Year together on a yacht. 

i couldn't get enough of this book and Sarah Goodwin is now one of my out must read authors, as I'm astounded by each and every book I've read from her. 

Just wow!

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Lie in Our Marriage by Anna-Lou Weatherley - #HolidayReading Fuerteventura

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Amazon UK

Title: The Lie in Our Marriage

Author: Anna-Lou Weatherley

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 18th January 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

On a warm spring evening, guests gather in a perfectly manicured garden to celebrate Maggie and Len’s twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Maggie leans against the apple tree, watching her fun-loving husband and darling children as her heart swells with pride. As the joyful party atmosphere disappears into the night, close by, the lifeless body of a young woman is pulled from a river.

Slipping upstairs to find the special gift for her adoring husband, Maggie stumbles across something else hidden amongst the dusty boxes of family keepsakes…

A printed pink silky scarf that doesn’t belong to her. She holds it up to her face, breaths in the sweet sickly perfume, it’s scent familiar, and tendrils of fear snake through her body. The scarf is stained with blood.

As Maggie rejoins the party and tries to ignore her churning stomach, she pours herself a glass of champagne to toast the man she’s enjoyed decades of happy marriage with. Then she catches a news flash of the local girl’s murder. She stares at the girl with the beautiful face, long ice-blonde hair and, draped loosely around her neck, Maggie recognises it instantly. She’s wearing the scarf.

An utterly addictive and twisty read about the complex web of secrets within a family that will have you racing through to the mind-blowing end. If you love Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn and Behind Closed Doors, you won’t be able to put this down!

How well can you truly know another person, even a member of your own family?

I think this book will show how hard it is to really know every little thing about a person, and there are shocks and twists galore in this book, as Maggie makes a shocking discovery. 

It was great to catch up with Dan and his team and to see how they try to solve their latest murder, which has evidence but not necessarily anything overly concrete. 

This kept me guessing throughout and is another excellent addition to this series.  

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Book Review - Love At First Flight by Jo Watson - #BookChallenge #24In2024

This is book #1 for my #24in2024 challenge.  And for this book I have visited South Africa. 

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Amazon UK

Title: Love At First Flight

Author: Jo Watson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Headline Eternal

Publication Date: 18th January 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Things Pippa enjoys: her job, airplanes, synonyms and tropical fish.

Things Pippa does not enjoy: repeating patterns, tight clothes, people asking why she's single and school reunions.

After four months of only speaking over intercom, when air-traffic controller Pippa Edwards finally meets pilot Andrew Boyce-Jones face-to-face, they discover they've got much more in common than simply working at the same airport.

In fact . . . they both need a date.

Tired of every relationship ending before it's even begun, Pippa wants to evade the inevitable questions at her dreaded ten-year school reunion in Cape Town. And Andrew needs to get his well-meaning family off his back about settling down.

The solution seems simple. A pact - a fake dating pact - for as long as it's mutually beneficial. It's perfect.

Or at least it would be if their very real attraction wasn't about to make Pippa question everything she thought she wanted.

Wow this may be Jo Watson's best book to date!  It feels slightly different but it's no less awesome as a result. 

I couldn't read enough about Pippa, I absolutely loved her, and seeing her getting into a fake dating situation which is one of my favourite tropes was just brilliant. 

She is neuro-diverse, and a totally brilliant air traffic controller (not a profession I've seen featured for a main character of a book before), which was rather refreshing.  She clearly likes the voice of one of the pilots but it isn't until they meet and discover there are some similarities between them that things start to get really interesting. 

Watching Pippa slowly emerge from her comfort zone, with Andrew is joy to see. It's clear he understands her better than she thinks he does, and I completely fell in love with Andrew myself. 

From their first fake dating mission, Pippa's high school reunion in Cape Town, they are finding their feet, but the level of support Andrew offers her is just impressive.  And the following days in the vineyard tour with wine tasting, and then museums that they both like, you can tell it's the start of something special. 

And meeting each others families, what a contrast.  I adored ever  second spent with Andrew's brood, and well Pippa's family were well impressive but in a different way. 

I loved every thought that Pippa had, and I really adored the fact that she isn't ashamed to say she plays the Pokémon Trading Card game, something that I have played a lot of in the past, and the passing mention of Magic The Gathering, another game I know far too well, pleased my inner geek a lot! 

Just what a fabulous book, it's not the smoothest or most obvious of romances, for Pippa at least, but that is just what makes it all the more real. 

Loved loved loved the characters, the setting, and just everything about this book. 

Thank you to Headline Eternal and Netgalley for this copy which I have I reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Revenge Streak by M. A. Comley

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Amazon UK

Title: Revenge Streak

Author: M. A. Comley

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Author supplied copy

Publisher: Jeamel Publishing Limited

Publication Date: 19th January 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

A life stolen during a brutal mindless act.

Still reeling from what happened to her partner in their last case, DI Sara Ramsey and her team are investigating the senseless murder of a man, whose body was discovered by his wife in an alley close to their home.

With no evidence or clues to assist them, Sara is left scratching her head until a second body with the same savage MO turns up.

Facing yet another ruthless killer on her patch and a life-threatening dilemma in her personal life, Sara is pushed to her limits to prevent further deaths.

How on earth are we on book 22 in the series, and it is still going from strength to strength. 

And as we get more and more involved with DI Sara Ramsay's life, and I really did feel for her during this book the villains get more and more despicable and some of the victims aren't that easy to sympathise with either. 

Once more we have a murder investigation with a truly sickening signature from the new killer they are looking for. I just wish I hadn't read the murder scenes while I was eating, nor the descriptions of how strong or not the stomachs of Sara and team are when they are called to the crime scenes. 

There are plenty of characters in this that you will thoroughly enjoy despising, at least I did! 

It's amazing how this series keeps feeling fresh, and just how many bad people live in Herefordshire. I'm starting to think this is a county that I may never feel safe to visit! 

I raced through this book totally addicted, once again in thrall of just how amazingly talented M. A. Comley really is. Just another truly fabulous book in this series.  And please M.A. Comley will you before you write the next Sara Ramsay book, give her a great big hug from me... I'd do it myself but I feel she may only be completely real to you! 

Thank you to the author for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - The Wedding Of The Year by Jill Mansell -- #BlogTour

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Amazon UK

Title: The Wedding Of The Year

Author: Jill Mansell

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Headline

Publication Date: 18th January 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

Love, friendship and secrets revealed as the sun beats down on dazzling blue Cornish seas . . .

It's set to be a perfect day - until the chauffeur is asked to keep driving the bride around the church. This wedding definitely isn't going as planned.

Lottie is a guest at the wedding when she sees Max. No kiss has ever matched the last one they shared fifteen years ago. They were on the brink of a beautiful love story, until a shocking event tore them apart. Now here he is, still ridiculously good-looking, teasing Lottie in the old way - and that overwhelming electric attraction is back. But Max is way out of bounds.

Freya owes Cameron everything. But she doesn't love him. Which is a shame, because they're about to be married.

Ruby has been the perfect wife. When she discovers the truth about her husband, her response is reckless and delicious. But after that, nothing will ever be the same again.

Once again Jill Mansell has delivered one hell of a book, and its a absolutely wonderful.

I'll admit it did take me a while to get into it, but I think that's on me, rather than the book, and once I worked out who all the characters were, and got to know them a bit, the story flew by. 

It was so enjoyable, getting to know so many of these storylines, and there are so many sub plots, I'm not even completely sure who the main characters really were.  For it felt like a real ensemble piece, with a Love Actually sort of vibe to it. 

I adored Ruby's story, which is about her reclaiming her life after discovering her husband had been cheating. 

Then again I also loved Max and Lottie's story, and seeing if they would ever get together and then seeing what they could do about their warring families. 

Then there is Iris, and she's just fabulous, with her most memorable scenes involving a skip of all things! 

In fact the whole town Cornish town was fabulous, and I wished I could go and spend some time there in person.  I loved the whole varied cast of characters, and this was just a heartwarming and uplifting story to read. 

It's another triumph, for an author who I have now been reading probably for more years than I have fingers and toes for! And long may it continue. 

Thank you to Headline for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily 

Please take a look at all the other fabulous posts on this blog tour. 

Book Review - Return to Half Moon Farm by Holly Hepburn - Blog Tour

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Amazon UK

Title: Return to Half Moon Farm

Author: Holly Hepburn

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Publisher supplied copy

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 4th January 2024

Rating: 4 Stars

When Daisy’s mother falls ill she is forced to return home. With her twin sons in tow, she moves back to Half Moon Farm, her family’s ancient hop farm.  

But a new life in the Kent countryside isn’t necessarily as idyllic as it might seem. Daisy’s relationship with her mother is complicated and the tumbledown farm isn’t the only thing that needs rebuilding. Daisy and her sons must adjust to life with estranged family, a leaking roof, and no WiFi.

Luckily for Daisy, she might yet find some distraction in silver fox farmer, Drew, or in the haughty heir to the nearby estate, Kit, who she can’t seem to avoid.

Daisy must learn to juggle her new life, the boys, and the daunting task of updating the farm. But there are secrets lurking in her family’s past that might throw everything into further disarray…

A really lovely and gentle story that was a pleasure to read. 

It's all about Daisy and her twin sons, as they move to Half Moon Farm to look after Daisy's estranged mum Rose who is recovering from surgery.  It's initially a period of re-adjustment as they get used to a new home, new school, new friends to be made etc.. 

And as Daisy starts to settle into the area, there are two leading men in this story, who are viable love interests for Daisy. 

We have Drew who her mother loves, and so does everyone in town and that has a bit of a playboy feel about him, but Daisy doesn't necessarily want anything serious or anything at all.   And then their is Kit, who is from a family that has had a long standing feud with Daisy's for many years. 

And it's discovering more about the unpleasantness between the two families that is rather interesting, as Daisy discovers some letters, that may lead to hidden family secrets. 

I loved getting to know all of this wide range of characters, and certainly at times I was kept on my toes. There are some really fabulous scenes and I especially loved all the descriptions of the castle and manor, and the flying lesson sticks in mind too.  

I knew who I was rooting for Daisy to end up with, and I was made to work for it.  This is just another really lovely and enjoyable story from an author I always love. 

Thank you to Sara Jade Virtue for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Please do take a look at all the other fabulous posts on this blog tour. 

Book Review - She Says She's My Daughter by Lauren North

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Amazon UK

Title: She Says She's My Daughter

Author: Lauren North

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 24th July 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

‘I don’t know who you are or why you’ve come here,’ I say, jabbing my finger at her, shaking as much as my voice. ‘But you are not my daughter. You are not Abigail.’

Fourteen years ago, our family holiday ended in tragedy when my darling four-year-old girl was snatched from us on the beach. Not a day goes by when I don’t picture her wide brown eyes, and the freckles dusting her cheeks. I only looked away for a second, and I have never forgiven myself.

Today, a seventeen-year-old girl has walked into a police station near our house. She says she’s my daughter. Abigail is back. I can’t believe it. After years of grieving, my family is finally complete again.

This should be the happiest moment of my life, but something doesn’t feel quite right. As hard as I try, I don’t know the teenager in front of me. Then holes appear in Abigail’s story, her accent starts to slip, and I catch her faking tears for the journalists outside – and I’m more certain than ever that she is not my daughter. That she is a stranger. And that we cannot trust her…

But if this mysterious girl isn’t Abigail, then who is she – and what does she want with my family?

A totally unputdownable psychological thriller with a twist that will blow you away. If you are a fan of K.L. Slater, Shari Lapena or B.A. Paris, you will be hooked!

Wow, am speechless, apart from the fact that I do want to say that Lauren North writes some of the most addictive, unpredictable, amazing psychological thrillers that I have ever read. 

I am astounded by this, I had many many theories that I was totally convinced were right as I was reading, and thus was blown away by the actual reveals as I was totally wrong. But it did make sense, the breadcrumbers were there in hindsight, I just didn't contemplate the real conclusion being remotely a feasible option. 

With the story told mainly from Sarah and Abi's points of views, with both of them for different reasons being convinced of the same thing, it is hard to know just want to trust, why, and also to work out just what the lies being cover up actually will be. 

I was totally hooked from the first few pages, and was drawn in more and more to the extent I gave myself an extended lunch break in order to read about the last 40% in one sitting, as I didn't want to be torn away and needed to know how it would finish. 

Utterly fabulous, another total triumph, and if you are a parent it may lead you to think how you would react in certain circumstances throughout the book.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.