Jane CorryReseñas

Dead Ex by Jane Corry
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS PRINT: © 2/5/2019; 978-0525561194; Pamela Dorman Books; 368 pages; unabridged. (Hardcover info from Amazon.com)
DIGITAL: © 2/5/2019; 9780525561200; Penguin Books; 364 pages; unabridged. (Kindle info from Amazon.com)
*AUDIO: © 2/4/2019; Books on Tape/Penguin Audio; Duration: 12:00:00; unabridged. (Audio info from Amazon.com)
FILM: Not that I know of.

SERIES: No

Major CHARACTERS: (Not Comprehensive, and not wanting to give a story away, I don’t get too explicit in my descriptions of who the characters are.)
Vicki Goudman – Protagonist. Aroma Therapist
David Goudman – Ex husband of Vicki
Scarlet Darling – Daughter of Zelda. Petty thief
Zelda Darling – Mother of Scarlet. Petty thief and drug addict
Patrick Miles – Former co-worker of Vicki
Jackie – Vicki’s former co-worker and Maid of Honor
Francis – Former co-worker of Vicki
Nicole Goudman – Daughter of David from a previous marriage
Tanya Darling – David’s co-worker and current wife
Helen – David’s student apprentice
Gareth Vine – Detective Inspector
Sarah Brown – Sargeant
Camilla – Social Worker

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
SELECTED: I was in the mood for a Janye Entwistle narration and this was the first one of the results in Libby.

ABOUT: A woman with epilepsy learns that her ex-husband has been reported missing by his current wife and she is a prime suspect for suspected foul play. Her memory is poor due to the epilepsy and/or its treatment, so she can’t be sure herself whether she has anything to do with his disappearance and is secretly as concerned as the detectives as to the whereabouts of her ex-husband, and her role in it.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Curiosity-driven, I found this to be a great page-turner. The inter-weaving and gradual unveiling of each character’s history is masterful.

AUTHOR:
Jane Corry. She doesn’t have a Wikipedia entry, but she tells about herself on this page: https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/books/jane-corry-blood-sisters-1064473.html
Inside the book, “About the author”: “Jane Corry is an author and journalist, and has spent time as the writer-in-residence of a high-security prison for men—an experience that helped inspire My Husband’s Wife, her bestselling debut thriller, as well as her second thriller, Blood Sisters. The Dead Ex is her third thriller.’

NARRATOR(S):
Jayne Entwistle. She doesn’t have a Wikipedia page but tells about herself on this page: https://thejayneshow.net/bio/

GENRE: Fiction; Mystery

TIME FRAME: Contemporary

SUBJECTS:
Missing Persons; Prisons; Foster Homes; Murder; Delinquency; Epilepsy; Miss-carriage; Dysfunctional families

DEDICATION:
“For my husband, who makes me laugh every day, and to my wonderful, talented, loving children. Also to my “babies,” who light up my life.”

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
1. “VICKI 14
February 2018
I unscrew the lid, inhale the deep, heady smell—straight to the nostrils—and carefully measure out three drops into the glass measuring jug. Pure lavender. My favorite. More importantly, perhaps, this clever little remedy is renowned for its healthy level of esters, otherwise known, in my business, as “healing properties.”
Healing? Who am I kidding? Nothing and no one can save me. I might look like a fairly average woman in her forties, but deep down, I’m a walking time bomb.
It could happen any second. You might wait for weeks, maybe months: all quiet. And then, hey, presto, along it comes when your guard is down. “Don’t think about it,” they advised me. Easier said than done. Sometimes I liken it to an actress coming off stage to be consoled on her performance even though she can’t remember a single damn thing
Standing on my tiptoes, I reach up to the shelf for a second bottle and add ylang-ylang, or “poor man’s jasmine.” Second-best can be just as good. Or so I tell myself.
Now for petitgrain. I take down the third vial carefully, remembering the lesson in which I learned that the contents are made from the leaves of the bitter orange tree. Blend with grapefruit? Possibly. It depends on the client.
When you’ve got what I have, you have to find ways to minimize damage. But at the end of the day, if something goes wrong, the ultimate price is death. The oils need to be treated with respect in order to reduce the dangers.
I love aromatherapy. Its magic is both distracting and calming.
But tonight isn’t about me. It’s about my new client. Though she’s not a fellow sufferer, her face bears similarities to mine, with those soft creases around her eyes, suggesting laughter and tears, and the slightly saggy, soft-looking pouches underneath them, which she has tried to hide with a light-reflective concealer.
Silently, I admire her peach lipstick. I no longer bother with it myself. I used to always wear “Beautiful Beige” to make a point about being feminine. The woman before me has blond hair, tied back loosely with the odd wisp escaping. What I’d give for a color like that! The “freckly redhead” tag from school days still stings, but David had loved it. “My very own beautiful Titian,” he used to say.
Both my client and I wear brave smiles that say, “I’m fine, really.” But she’s not, or she wouldn’t be here. And nor would I.
“I just need something to help me relax,” she says. “I’ve had a lot of stress.”
It’s not my job to be a therapist. Even so, there are times when I want to interrupt and tell my own story to show these women (I’ve never had a male client) that they aren’t alone. Of course, that wouldn’t be wise, because it might scare them off. And I need them. Not just for my business But to prove myself.
Time to go over my client’s medical history. “Are you pregnant?”
I have to ask this question even though her disclaimer form states that—like me—she is forty-six. It’s still possible. She gives a short laugh. “I’ve already answered all that. Why do you ask, anyway?”
“There are some aromatherapy oils that aren’t suitable for expectant mothers,” I say. I move on swiftly. “Do you have high blood pressure?”
“No. Though I feel I should have. Can this stuff affect that, too?”

She glances with suspicion at the bottles lined up above us with all the colors of the rainbow trapped inside. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. For a minute, I’m aged nine, in the small northern mining town where I grew up, reciting them to the teacher. Some patterns you don’t forget.
“No, but it’s good for me to know The oils are like medicine.” I hear my tutor’s words tripping out of my mouth. “Very good for you when used appropriately.”
We run through more details. She’s declared on the form that she has no medical issues. Yet, for some reason, I feel apprehensive.
“Would you like to change?” I suggest. “I’ll leave the room for a few minutes to give you privacy.”
She’s clearly nervous. Then again, so are many of my clients who’ve never had this kind of treatment before. As I go, I see her glancing at my certificate on the wall for reassurance.
Vicki Goudman. MIFA. ITEC LEVEL 3.
Member of the International Federation of Aromatherapists. Sometimes I don’t believe it myself. It’s certainly not what I’d planned.
When I return to the room, my client is lying facedown on the treatment couch as instructed. Her bare shoulders, which reveal a dark mole on the right blade, are thin, scrawny. Her skin is cold even though I’ve got the heating on high at this time of year.
“I haven’t felt like eating much recently,” she says. “I’ve lost weight.”
Trauma does that to you. Or it can make you pile on the pounds. I’ve done both. I turn on the CD player. The angel music is soft, healing.
“Mmmm,” she says in a sleepy voice as I massage the oil in deft circular motions down her spine. “You’ve got a real touch. I love that smell. What is it again?”
I repeat the ingredients. Lavender. Ylang-ylang. Petitgrain. Grapefruit juice.
“How do you know what to use?” she asks, her voice muffled because of her position.
“It’s a bit like a marriage,” I say. “You match the oil to the client’s needs. And you follow your instinct.”
There’s a snort. I think, for a minute, that it’s laughter, but then I realize she’s crying. “If I’d listened to my own instinct,” she sobs, “I might have kept my husband.”
There it is again. That temptation to give away too much about yourself. You think you’re doing it to put them at their ease. But really, it’s giving in to your own need. Afterward, you regret it. The client feels awkward on the next visit. And so do you. It’s a business arrangement, not a friendship.
So I hold back the longing to tell this woman that David and I would have been coming up to our sixth wedding anniversary in a few months. I also resist the temptation to remind myself that it is Valentine’s Day. That on our first—and only—one together he had given me a pair of crystal drop earrings, which I can no longer bring myself to wear. Instead, I breathe in the lavender and imagine it’s wrapped around my body like a protective cloak.
“Sometimes,” I say, kneading the stress knots, “you have to go through the dark to get to the light.”
My client relaxes more, and I’d like to think that it’s my words that have soothed her. But it’s the magic of the aromatherapy. The lavender is getting into my own skin, too. That’s the thing about oils: they’re always the same. A constant.
Unlike love.
“Is there anything in particular stressing you out?” I ask gently.
She gives a Where do I start? laugh. “The kids are driving me crazy, especially the little one. He’s impossible.”
“How old is he?” I ask.
“Nearly four. Going on ten.”
Now it’s my skin that goes cold.
“He’s in trouble at school for biting this new boy in his class, and the teachers think it’s my fault. They’ve actually asked me if there is violence in our family.”
Is there? The question lies unspoken. She wriggles slightly on the couch. “Do you have kids?”
My hands dig deeper into her muscle knots.
“I have a son. He’s four, too.”
“What’s his name?”
“Patrick.”
“Is he a good boy?”
I think of the picture in my pocket.
“He’s perfect.”
“You’re lucky. Who looks after him when you’re working?”
I pause briefly. “He’s with my dad.”
“Really? You hear a lot about grandparents helping out nowadays.”
My thumbs are really pressing down now.
“Actually, that’s hurting.”
“Sorry.” I release the pressure.
After that, we continue in silence with only the angel music in the background. Some like to talk throughout. Others don’t say a word. Many begin to confide and then stop, like this one. She might tell me more at the next session. I sense she’ll come back. But I hope she won’t. She’s too nosy.
“Thank you,” she says when I leave her to get dressed. I return to my notes. I write down, in purple ink, the exact treatment and areas of the body that still need attention. Those knots were stubborn. They are often related to the knots in the mind. After David, my shoulders were stiff for months.”

RATING:
5 stars.

STARTED-FINISHED
1/13/24-1/17/24

Fifteen years after a tragic accident occurred, Alison still feels overwhelming grief and guilt that her sister was left disabled, and her friend was killed. The facts about the tragic day unfold slowly through the memories of both Alison and her disabled sister, Kitty. While the book was engrossing, some of the plot twists and coincidences were not completely believable. The last chapter took away from the book, therefore, 4 stars instead of 5.

Suspense

This was my first book by this author. It was not bad at all, there are slow bits in the beginning which will have you wanting to turn pages just to see if the story gets better. Let me tell you it does it really does! I liked all the characters I however found lily to be a little strange. I think once this book gets going it is one that you will not be able to put down.

I wanted to like the book. The premise itself isn't bad but there was not one redeemable character in the book. It makes it difficult to enjoy a book when you don't like any of the characters. I actually thought the book was over at one point and checked to see how much time left and it said six HOURS. I wasn't sure what could be covered in that time. I did finish as I was curious if anyone would be redeemed and what was happening but I definitely would not recommend or read again.

Late to the game but wanted to chip in agreement with the offness of this book! The epilogue summed up all that was wrong with it for me. Lily would think something kind about someone/herself. And then go off on a tangent about good vs evil, justice shades of gray etc. Over and over and over. The author couldn’t even let Ross remain decent and had to create an unbelievable past for him. I wanted to believe the storylines for each character but thought it jumped the shark at dozens of points throughout.

Coming to Find You has two very distinct timelines. In the present day, Nancy has suffered a huge tragedy in her family and she flees to Tall Chimneys, the house in Devon that belonged to her grandmother and which Nancy remembers from her youth. The other thread is set during World War II when Elizabeth is running Tall Chimneys as a boarding house and finds herself contributing more to the war effort than she expected.

As I say, two very distinct timelines and what links them is the house. As the story progresses the two strands become a bit more intertwined but still feel quite separate for much of the book. Despite that, I have to say that I did find both to be enthralling and this is a really engaging read overall. To be honest, I wouldn't expect anything else from Jane Corry whose books I always enjoy. This one fits into the psychological thriller genre but is also a domestic drama. Nancy has to keep her wits about her to deal with the aftermath of what happened to her family and Elizabeth is in a similar position with her secret war work and some unexpected events that happen to her during that time.

With the historical aspect this felt very different to Corry's previous novels and I liked that about it. I liked the combination of the two stories and the odd cliffhanger here and there kept me racing through. It's an easy read and one which never failed to keep me wanting to read on and find out more about Nancy and Elizabeth. Coming to Find You is an enjoyable and appealing read.

How far would you go to protect your son?
The Lies We Tell examines this exact question when Sarah and Tom’s son comes home telling them he has killed someone. Each has different ideas on what to do and it leads to Sarah run away with Freddy to protect him.
Throughout the book, we have the perspectives of both Sarah and Tom, from when they met to the present day. They both kept secrets about themselves from each other, why they kept the secrets, how they were both so very different from each other and how they drifted apart.
I really enjoyed reading the back story between Tom and Sarah, their differences in parenting styles and other things and what their secrets were.
As we get towards the end of the book it got even better when more things come out and I was totally invested in it. I felt I knew the characters really well by that point.
The ending tied everything up.
I am so glad I picked this up, it kept me reading until late and night and hooked me from the first sentence.

I Made a Mistake is told from two perspectives, Poppy and Betty’s, Poppy has been married to Stuart, Betty’s son, for 20 years they have two daughters together, Poppy owns a casting agency for extras and at an event bumps into an old flame Matthew, the attraction is still there even though he did her wrong years ago, he is all that Stuart isn’t and it isn’t long before Poppy makes a huge mistake and ultimately someone ends up dead, but who killed them?
Betty’s perspective is largely from her past, her secrets and sadness, there is a lot of present day too. We also get the court case proceedings throughout the book.
I liked the way the book was laid out Poppy’s perspective in one chapter then Betty’s in another and then the court proceedings. It was full of twists and so suspenseful I was on the edge of my seat.
I thought I knew who the murderer was but I was shocked when it was revealed as it wasn’t who I thought.
Betty’s perspective how her life was like with her husband Jock was heart wrenching. The whole book had me switching from many different emotions. I really enjoyed it.

3.5*

Bello, un buon thriller psicologico che mi è piaciuto molto.
La vicenda si svolge in un lungo arco temporale di oltre quindici anni e i segreti e le bugie che aleggiano e si celano dietro ogni personaggio saranno i protagonisti indiscussi dall’inizio alla fine.
Una storia dove ogni personaggio si disvela poco alla volta nei suoi lati positivi e negativi e che, pur nella sua lentezza e meticolosità narrativa, riesce ad avvincere ed intrigare mantenendo costantemente accesa l’attenzione del lettore.
Effettive quattro stelle e mezzo.

La storia è avvincente e, di certo, non mancano i colpi di scena che, nella parte finale, arrivano quasi ad accavallarsi uno dietro l’altro sino al sopraggiungere della parola “fine”.
Non particolarmente simpatici i personaggi a cominciare dalla voce narrante, una donna segnata nell’anima dalle esperienze subite che non riesce mai ad uscire dal guscio in cui si è chiusa.
Personaggi che non riescono a conquistare il cuore con il loro agire e che, anzi, mi hanno indisposto. La storia però è costruita bene e se, inizialmente, sembra confusa e ambigua piano piano si dipana e si svela in tutte le sue pieghe nascoste.
Secondo romanzo che leggo di questa autrice e, sebbene le due storie siano completamente differenti, la costruzione sia delle trame che dei diversi personaggi, di fondo, alla fine risulta similare, mantenendo intatte le caratteristiche per cui niente è quello che sembra e il confine tra buono e cattivo non è mai netto e ben chiaro.
Preferisco non scendere in dettagli per non fare spoiler ma la sensazione finale è stata proprio quella di essermi trovata difronte a una vicenda totalmente diversa da quella del primo libro ma che nella sostanza appare invece del tutto similare.
Nel complesso una buona storia, ben raccontata, con personaggi che, però, non hanno saputo conquistarmi.

I do love a Jane Corry book. It's always a time to rejoice when a new one is on the way. We All Have Our Secrets is her latest and it's an absolutely riveting story that I just couldn't put down.

Emily is a midwife. An unfortunate situation at work leads her to flee London for her father's home in Cornwall, at Willowmead House. When she gets there she is shocked to find Françoise answering the door. The young woman has been appointed by Harold, Emily's father, as a carer and companion, but all Emily can see is Françoise worming her way into Harold's life and making herself indispensable to him. She mistrusts Françoise and in turn, Françoise thinks Emily has neglected Harold.

The story is told from the point of view of each woman and I hated letting each viewpoint go, until I started reading the next one and got well and truly engrossed in that one too. This is an addictive read that I raced through, desperate to know what was going to happen next. The characters are so well-drawn, and I didn't trust either of the women, such was the level of intrigue built up so efficiently by Corry. Interspersed between the alternating narratives are snippets of Harold's war experiences and it just goes to show that we really do all have our secrets and some of them are hidden for a lifetime.

This is a family/domestic story with elements of a psychological thriller about it. I loved the details of life at Willowmead House and all the secrets that were gradually revealed. As always, it's a brilliant, thrilling and twisty read from an author at the top of her game. I loved it.

This book went very quickly. I was kept guessing until the very end. The moral of the story is the truth will out.

Ach! This was written in the stifling, suffocating, claustrophobic present tense, which I hate. My heart sank when I started it. Actually, that's not quite true: the story is written from two POVs, Vicki's and Scarlet's, and it is the latter's whose narrative is in the past tense. However, seventy percent is present tense and it just doesn't work.

In spite of that, this is a gripping thriller…thank goodness, as it helped to mollify my present-tense disappointment.

Vicki Goudman is an aromatherapist whose ex-husband goes missing. His current wife sends the police to her home studio, but Vicki doesn't manage to convince them she has nothing to do with his disappearance. As time goes on, the odds are stacking up against her. Trouble is, she's finding it hard to convince herself she's innocent because of her memory lapses.

Scarlet is only eight years old, daughter of single parent, Zelda, who thoughtlessly uses her as her drug mule. Inevitably, Zelda ends up in prison, and Scarlet is swallowed up into the foster-care system, long-term because Zelda keeps tripping up in prison.

Vicki's mission is to get to the bottom of her ex's disappearance. Tanya, Scarlet, Zelda and she are all connected. The 'how' is well handled, and the 'who' keeps you guessing right to the very end. It's absorbing, twisty, the characters lives skilfully interwoven, but neatly wrapped up: present tense is forgiven, this time.

This book landed in my ever-growing pile of books dumped for content. I tend to read (for the most part – there are a few exceptions you may see in my GoodReads “Read” list) clean fiction embedded in traditional values. While I support ever author to write whatever the heck they want, I do object to editors and publishers forcing various points of view into a book, simply to meet some arbitrary quota. While I can’t ever prove that’s happened, sometimes I get that “feeling”, you know?

Anyhow, this one ended up on the discard pile at page 262. Prior to that I was enjoying the suspense, the mystery, the U.K. setting, and wondering what the heck that title was about! I ignored the comment on page 133 that Ed’s great uncle “was the other way inclined, if you get my meaning,” as it did fit the storyline (I won’t ruin the plot point for you, in case you do want to read it). But – huge eye roll – Lily saying on page 262 that, “Maybe Ross is jealous of Ed’s change of fortune. Or, if he is gay, maybe he’s jealous of me.” Added nothing to the plot in my opinion, so it rung of forced diversity in my opinion, which isn’t necessary – there are all kinds of books out there for all kinds of readers, so why do this?

Anyway, I fully support the author to make whatever choices they want, but this one just wasn’t for me and my followers who look for more classic scenarios.

Adding an extra star for getting that far in the book and still enjoying it. It was well written and I am still intrigued by the mystery involved and wondering what happens.

How far would a mother go to protect her child? That is the question at the heart of Jane Corry's latest book, The Lies We Tell. It looks at the anatomy of a marriage and of parenthood, with all the trials and tribulations that can bring. When Sarah and Tom's son, Freddie, comes home one night and confesses to a terrible crime, their reactions are very different and they must consider how to deal with such a seismic event in all their lives.

There is a lot of back story in this book. In fact, it accounts for about half of the 500 or so pages but it's this build up that illustrates why Sarah and Tom react the way they do and sets the scene for what happens later on. It felt a little like sitting in on a marriage guidance session as between them they told the story of their meeting and subsequent union. It would be hard to find two more different people and yet that's exactly what drew them to each other. The characterisations in this book are really well drawn and make for intriguing reading. The author illustrates so well how parents' behaviour can trickle down and affect their children, generation after generation but it's also a reminder that there are no right and wrong ways to bring up a child.

Corry is such a skilled writer that despite the length of this book, it never felt like it was meandering or getting stale. She's weaved a tale that I found gripping all the way through and it definitely made me think about how it must feel to be in the position that Sarah and Tom found themselves in. I always look forward to reading a Jane Corry book and I'm never let down. I whizzed through The Lies We Tell, unable to resist that extra chapter. It's such an easy to read story, yet full of emotional depth and feeling with a thought-provoking dilemma at its heart. I really really enjoyed it.½

I really enjoyed each of Jane Corry’s books that I’ve read. This one was no different as far as enjoyable but I really struggled at first to figure out which character was who and how they were related to the story. I don’t recall ever having that confusion with her books. Plus, David really is an asshole I don’t understand why all these women are falling all over themselves for him. So basically put a bunch of crazy women and one crazy narcissistic man together and you’ll have this book.

Definitely a different type of story. It was a bit confusing to me at first as it goes back and forth in time. I’d give 3.5 stars. Second half really picks up nicely.

Couldn't put this one down and kept thinking about after finishing. Although some of the story was typical, there was enough that was different to be interesting.

MY HUSBAND’S WIFE is a difficult book to review because I changed my mind about it so many times. I was bored at first, then it was absorbing, then everything was tied up too neatly.

But one really great thing to say about this story is that you will change your mind over and over about who is good and who is bad. This is what will keep you reading to the end.

First Carla is a nine-year-old and Lily is in her 20s, a newlywed. You will feel sorry for Carla because she is bullied in school. Then you will see how she manipulates the adults around her. In that, she is much like her mother.

Next is Lily the lawyer, who is married to Ed and cannot quite believe how she got so lucky. She is new to the law and allows herself to be taken in by (and taken with) her client, a prisoner arrested for murder.

Carla and her mother live in the same apartment building as Lily and Ed. Every Sunday Carla‘s mother claims to have to go to work when she leaves Carla with Lily and Ed.

Cut to about 12 years later. Carla and her mother have been living in Italy, but Carla has returned to England. She has a plan to find Lily and Ed and hit them up for money. At this point, the book didn’t bore me anymore.

So the lives of four characters, Carla, Lily, Ed, and Lily’s client, who never goes away, are forever intertwined. And the reader won’t be able to decide whether each of them is good or bad as evidence keeps mounting.

I am in a similar dilemma about the book. That is, for the most part, I guess, it’s good but not great.

I was a fan until the last few pages. The final twist left a lot to be desired and undermined any respect or connection I had with Allison.

What if your life was built on a lie? When lawyer Lily marries Ed, she's determined to make a fresh start. To leave the secrets of the past behind. But when she takes on her first criminal case, she starts to find herself strangely drawn to her client. A man who's accused of murder. A man she will soon be willing to risk everything for. But is he really innocent? And who is she to judge?

Well this wasn't that great to me. We have two characters that were terrible in their own ways and I guess what the author considered twists/reveals. In the end the lack of development and interesting plot left me bored when the book finally gets to the end. I would call this out as similar to "The Girl Before" with two women who should know better getting involved with sub-par men. It drives me up the wall that the big thing in this genre now is a woman who either is being lied to by a man and or is lying to a man. The woman is probably blonde and or attractive. And the man in question may as well hold up a sign saying "I am evil" and the woman ignores all warning signs about the man and just goes traipsing along like it's not a big deal.

"My Husband's Wife" has two main characters, Lily and Carla. The book starts off with newly married Lily working on a potential case of an innocent man who was tried and convicted for the murder of his live in girlfriend.

Carla is Lily's 9 year old neighbor. Carla is dealing with her mother and her being gone a lot now that her mother is dating someone named Larry. Carla wishes that her mother was home more and wants more than anything to be rid of Larry.

Eventually the two characters stories sync up (it takes a little bit) when Lily comes home one day and finds Carla injured after an incident at her school. Carla's mother then starts to depend on Lily and her husband Ed to watch Carla for her.

Eventually things come to a head and the story skips ahead 16 years later when Carla is in her late 20s and Lily is in her 40s or I think just turned 40. The time jumps got to me after a while and I stopped paying attention.

Lily has issues galore. She is still shaken over the death of her brother from about a decade ago. She loves her new husband, but feels like he is only with her out of charity. The angst you get from Lily concerning that her husband can't love a woman her size (she's a 14) and the anger she has about his ex girlfriend is constant in the early part of the book. Lily also is naive as anything. She starts obsessing about the convicted criminal whose case she is working on who reminds her of her brother. That says it all right there right?

Carla is not a great character as child and it's even worse when she pops back up again as an adult. Carla runs around thinking she is owed something and uses her looks to get back at those she thinks have wronged her.

I have to say that books that come out saying they are a psychological thriller should actually be a psychological thriller. There is no "there" in this book. The author takes us down a long winding road to get to what happened with LIly's brother. And then it doesn't make sense to me when we get the reveal why in the world did Lily's mother react this way to her son's death (pretending he's not dead). I just rolled my eyes.

The writing wasn't great and the flow was awful. I think having an adult and a child as the main characters for the first half wasn't that great of an idea. It also grossed me out a bit when we get to the second part of the book when you read about Carla and who she eventually gets involved with.

The setting of London ends up reading as bleak and oppressive. Everyone is a liar and everyone is grossly unhappy.

The ending fizzled out a lot. It was just more justifications for the character of Lily to make about why she's a terrible person, but has reasons for it.

This was a very interesting book; however, I feel like the characters were made to be unlikable! I kept turning the pages starting to enjoy a character but then they always disappointed. Which I guess that's how it can be in real life, some people you love but have a complete dark side. Which was nice to see all aspects.
It felt really....off? The entire book. I'm not sure entirely how, but there were things lacking. Maybe because there was so much going on and too many twists. I never thought I'd say a book would have too many of those.