**This review may contain mild spoilers**
I really enjoyed this book, when someone has been kept prisoner for 8 years you know there is going to be some interesting reasoning behind it. I love psychological thrillers, I like to know what the captors thought processes and why they do what they do. The scary thing though is how devious they can be but also how normal. This book makes you step back and question, who can you really trust?
This is the story of Lily, she has been held captive for 8 years and also conceived her daughter Skye whilst being held prisoner, one evening her captor forgets to bolt the door, once he realises his error, he believes he has conditioned Lily to an extent that she won’t betray him and try to escape…..Wrong!
I was seriously scared for Lily when she was fleeing the cabin, would she make it? was he waiting round the corner? I was on the edge of my seat (or bed)I mean after 8 years a lot changes, I was worried that her family wasn’t living in the same house. I was hoping someone would recognise her and pick her up and tell her she was safe.
The book is told from multiple points of view we have Lily, Rick(Captor), Eve (Mother) and Abby(Twin Sister),this made the book more enjoyable and fast paced.I am a nosey person and want to know everything so this was brilliant for me,I got to understand what life was like for her mother and sister during the past 8 years, what they went through,their grief and how they had become the people they were today.
This book definitely delved into how messy and complicated family life can become, especially when someone has been away for so long and the rest of your family are moving on without you.
I am unsure if I liked Abby’s character or not. She always believed her sister was alive (like some twin connection)and couldn’t get over the grief when people stopped looking, obviously something like this could affect your mental health but I just felt she was too intense! She was a bit of a harsh character, very abrupt and would do things impulsively.
This book is a great debut novel by Hollie Overton, it’s a fast paced psychological thriller with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat and I recommend reading it. I don’t think it is anything like ‘The girl on the train’ as it has been compared to.
Overall I rate this 4 out of 5 stars
Merissa (13950 KP) rated Voices (Irish Knights Hockey #1) in Books
Apr 17, 2025
Charlie is struggling majorly with his mental health, and with good reason. It doesn't all come out at once, but you do find the reasons why, and there are plenty of them. Let's just say that family doesn't mean much to Charlie after how they've treated him. To be honest, I don't fully understand why. I mean, I know some people are just ar$eholes, plain and simple, and it seems that way for most of the characters in here that make Charlie's life such a misery.
Shane is the opposite in pretty much every way. He has a good family, is doing well at school, and has friends as well as teammates. That all fades away once he meets Charlie, and he is determined to be there for the man who takes up so much space in his mind.
I loved how Shane was with Charlie. It was hot and spicy in places, but mostly it was warm and loving. Shane looked after Charlie without being overbearing or condescending. And Charlie blossomed under Shane's care. Unfortunately, the ick factors are still in Charlie's life, so healing isn't yet possible, although he did amazingly well during their Christmas trip. That is not only down to Shane but also his family, who got Charlie some amazing gifts that made my eyes leak. The ending is full-on and is horrible before it gets better. I could feel my breath catch at one point, and I was nearly shouting at Shane to ditch the party and go with Charlie!
There is a lot of pain in this book, with little snippets of happiness sprinkled throughout. I would have liked a smidgeon more happiness, but in a way that wouldn't detract from the horror Charlie has to live through. And, yes, I realise just how difficult it is to deliver what I'm asking for.
The book is long but the ending is a little abrupt. I'm really hoping to read more of these guys and get my HEA for Charlie and Shane. I can't wait to read Asher's story! All in all, this was an amazing debut that had me gripped and I need to read more by this author. Definitely recommended by me.
** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 17, 2025
Ultimate Lion Simulator
Games and Education
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Jump into a brand new adventure as a ferocious Lion! Brave a dangerous new world to claim your place...
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Time: The Kalief Browder Story in TV
Sep 19, 2017
An innocent boy was held without trial, without conviction for three years in one of the most notorious prisons (Rikers Prison) where he was beaten senselessly by correction officers and inmates alike. He was then held in solitary confinement for 322 days (UN calls 15 days a human rights violation), tortured, starved and attempted suicide. This is New York. This is the American justice system.
When he was eventually released his mental health suffered, and it just gets worse and worse. I won't say anymore before I burst into tears again.
There are some remarkable interviews in here with Kalief's family, who were torn to shreds, top speakers such as Attorney General Eric Holder, "The New Jim Crow" author Michelle Alexander, journalist Shaun King, and even Jay-Z and Rosie O'Donnell, who were close friends. The biggest take away is how broken the system is / intended racial segregation and how important it is for the civil rights movement to join forces with the greater American populace to stop further injustices.
Seriously keep the tissues at hand. This is a hundred times more disturbing than Making A Murderer and The Keepers.
Dr Richard Shepherd, as one of the UK’s top forensic pathologists, has performed over 23,000 postmortems; that’s a lot of dead bodies! Fascinated by cracking the puzzle of what killed each one this book covers a whole host of unusual cases. Clearing up many misconceptions of the world of forensic pathology we get a great insight into a job few people could stomach.
As he covers many interesting cases we get a unique behind the curtain look into some famous murders and disasters. Shipman, Stephen Lawrence, the Hungerford massacre, the Marchioness disaster, he is even involved in Diana’s inquest. The look into the very difficult area of the death of babies shows a complicated area where everything is not as black and white as we’d like it to be.
His single minded quest for the truth and the very distressing nature of his work takes a toll on his mental health and family life. Although not as fascinating as the cases themselves it’s important to cover this, bring into sharp focus the debt society owes to those willing to surround themselves in such a grim profession.
Merissa (13950 KP) rated Without Regret (Pyte/Sentinel, #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
This book is the second in the series and doesn't disappoint. The plot moves along swiftly and we reconnect with characters from book 1 which too often isn't the case. This book is once again filled with action and humour. We get some depth in the lives of all the characters too which is also good to read. Absolutely brilliant with lots of spicy moments. Recommended!
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