These books were received as advanced review copies. This post contains affiliate links.
The Edge of your seat Thriller…
Trust Me – T. M Logan
Have you ever been so excited to read a book that you are nervous to start in case it doesn’t live up to your expectations?! This was me with Trust Me! I am a HUGE fan of T.M Logan – having read and really enjoyed his other books The Holiday and most recently The Catch. When I read the blurb for Trust Me, I couldn’t wait to see what his latest thriller had in store. The good news is – it most DEFINITELY did not disappoint!
The story starts with a bang. Ellen is on the train when a flustered young woman with a baby descends in a flurry into the seat opposite her. When the woman’s phone doesn’t stop ringing, she asks Ellen if she would mind holding the baby (Mia) whilst she takes an urgent call. Despite this being a heart aching reminder of the role she will most likely never have; Ellen agrees. 5 minutes pass, then 10 and Ellen begins to feel uneasy. Just as she’s about to go and look for the woman, she is horrified to spot her fleeing on the platform – leaving the train – and baby Mia – behind.
In amongst the baby’s possessions she finds a note that makes her heart stop. “Please protect Mia. Don’t trust the Police. Don’t trust anyone”
The moments that follow and the decisions Ellen has to make will change both her and baby Mia’s lives forever. How far is Ellen willing to go to save a stranger? Can she trust anyone and is everything as it seems?
I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting, and if I am honest, I think I forgot to breathe for most of the second half. There are lots of twists, revelations and reveals that it leaves you guessing page after page, and even when I did figure out the truth I still found myself gasping and manically flicking the pages in those final moments,
A cleverly weaved storyline with a super satisfying conclusion – another fab edge of your seat thriller from T.M.Logan – order it now – you wont be disappointed!
The Domestic Thriller
Not My Mother – Miranda Smith (released 30th March 2021)
Marion is having a party at her home to celebrate her daughter’s first birthday when the police knock at her door and place her mother under arrest. They claim her Mother Eileen isn’t who she says she is – but is in fact a woman named Sarah Paxton – accused of murdering a man and kidnapping Baby Caroline over 30 years ago. Marion’s world is turned upside down as she is faced with the prospect of her whole life being a lie – is she in fact Baby Caroline?? When Eileen is injured in prison and ends up in hospital, even more lies are revealed that show her Mum was also hiding more secrets beneath her calm exterior.
Whilst Marion’s solicitor friend takes on her Eileen’s case, Marion starts to do some digging herself, determined to find out the truth about both her Mums, and her own identity.
This is a fast paced book full of secrets, lies and big reveals and with lots of twists throughout. You will find yourself questioning everyone and trying to second guess throughout. Whilst I did feel a tad frustrated at how quickly Marion lost her faith in her Mum, I guess you never truly know how you will react in the face of such an extreme revelation.
Whilst I was able to predict some of the reveals, I still found myself taking a sharp intake of breath at a twist I did not see coming- the sign of a strong thriller!
A really enjoyable edge of your seat read!
The ‘All the feels’ beauty…
One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot by Marianne Cronin
Every so often I stumble across a book which stays with me long after I have turned the last page– and this, with absolute certainty, will be one of them. A book so bloody beautiful that I have to have a little breather before picking up another. A literary hangover if you will!
From the very first chapter I became completely immersed in this book – with Lenni’s sharp wit and interesting outlook on her inevitable fate drawing me in, almost instantly, from the outset.
On paper, a book about two terminally ill patients in hospital shouldn’t make an uplifting read but it really, truly is. When 17 year old Lenni meets 83 year old Margot they strike up an unexpected friendship, despite coming from completely different generations. They bond over their sessions in the hospital art room, challenging themselves to create 100 paintings – one for each of their 100 combined years.
In reliving these 100 years; we are taken down memory lane; flicking between past and present and the experiences that have shaped Lenni & Margot during their short (and long) lives to date.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot is a beautiful story of friendships and the concept of ‘if you love someone let them go’. Yes, you will need your tissues (in fact I’m pretty sure during the second half of the book I couldn’t see the text all that well through my tears) but One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot made me laugh, smile and cry in perfectly equal measure.
The Debut Thriller
The Guilty Husband – Stephanie DeCarolis
This is a debut novel and having read more than my fair share of thrillers, I was really impressed!
The Guilty Husband tells the story of Vince Taylor – CEO of successful software company and social media giant KitzTech. Having built a successful business empire, he is happily married to yoga instructor Nicole and they are trying for a baby. His life appears perfect – except it’s all about to come crashing down.
Vince has been having an affair with one of the KitzTech interns – a 23 year old woman named Layla. When Layla is found dead, presumed murdered just days after he had called it off their ‘mistake’ of a relationship- he knows it doesn’t look good. He has a motive to kill her after all. When the detectives come knocking on his office door – he lies, claiming that he didn’t know Layla well at all – hoping to hide the details of their affair from the world. After all; no one knew about their affair… or so he thought.
When the media get hold of the story, pages from Layla’s diary start being shared with the tabloid press by an anonymous contact and Vince’s perfect life starts to crumble around him. Detective Alison will stop at nothing to find out what really happened between Vince & Layla; digging up other secrets from Vince’s past as she goes.
What really happened to Layla that night? Is Vince as innocent as he makes out? After all, he lied about where he was on the night of her murder – what else has he lied about?
The Guilty Husband is told through the perspectives of Vince and Detective Alison both Before and After the murder, giving you get a build up of the history between Layla and Vince and the events that occurred on the run up to present day.. You find yourself suspecting a number of the characters along the way, with the plot raising questions and lots of potential red herrings along the way.
The characters are relatable making this an easy read – my only constructive criticism was that the business idea for KitzTech has been done (and a long time ago) which made it a little less authentic and unique than it could have been. Otherwise a really enjoyable thriller which leaves you guessing and questioning till it’s tidy conclusion!
The one that HAS to be made into a movie…
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Ah what an awesome book this was. As a Richard and Judy bookclub pick I was hopeful that this would be a good choice and wasn’t disappointed. If this book doesn’t get made into a movie at some point then I will eat my proverbial hat – it’s so imaginative that it lends itself perfectly to the big screen!
Nora’s life is falling apart. Her brother barely speaks to her, she’s depressed, she’s lost her job and to top it off, her beloved cat has died. She feels like she’s made a mess of her life and that its time she calls it quits. When she attempts to take her own life, rather than experiencing the death she expected, she finds herself in a library – with a librarian representative of the one from her childhood who supported her when her mother died.
A holding place between life and death, Nora is given the opportunity to see how her life would have panned out if she had made different decisions along the way, picking a book from the shelf and going straight to that moment, knowing that the moment she feels disapointment she would return straight back to the library. Wait to long however, or make a rash decision, and the library itself could crumble beneath her and take her to her inevitable fate of death.
With time against her Nora has to figure out if she can really find the life that she wants to lead – with an exciting journey as a ‘shifter’ ahead of her.
I loved every minute of The Midnight Library and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. Trigger warning a little due to the topic of suicide and depression, however please don’t let this put you off – the story is just magical. Get your copy here!
