Tag: psychological

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Doll’s House – Natasha Boydell

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She lives in my old home, she looks like me, she dresses like me… And now she wants my life.

Naomi is devastated when the sale of the apartment falls through, her dreams of moving to an amazing ‘forever home’ nearby with her family are momentarily dashed.
But then a sweet-natured single mother named Summer appears, announcing her intention to buy Naomi’s old apartment.

And all of a sudden, it looks like Naomi might get her new house after all.
At first, it feels like Summer’s saved her life. But as soon as the sale goes through, Summer starts turning up at Naomi’s new house. She’s enrolled her child in Naomi’s daughter’s class. She’s dressing like Naomi. She’s suddenly best friends with all her friends… And then Naomi discovers she’s got a pretty little doll’s house. One that looks just like Naomi’s new home.

Naomi wants to believe she’s just imagining things. What could Summer possibly want? And how far will she go to take everything that Naomi has?

A totally page-turning psychological thriller, that fans of Lisa Jewell, Sue Watson and Daniel Hurst will be unable to put down.

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Natasha is an internationally bestselling author of psychological fiction, including The Missing Husband and The Woman Next Door. She trained and worked as a journalist for many years before moving into communications in the charity and education sectors.

She decided to pursue her lifelong dream of writing a novel in 2019, when she was approaching her 40th birthday and realized it was time to stop procrastinating. Her debut, The Missing Husband, was released in May 2021 and she went on to write three more novels, which are published by Bloodhound Books. Her first novel with Boldwood Books is The Fortune Teller.

Natasha lives in North London with her husband, two
daughters and two rescue cats.

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My thoughts: This was very good, while at first I was on Naomi’s side, some of the things she was worrying about did seem slightly paranoid and maybe an overactive imagination – but then other things happened and once she finally had someone else who saw through Summer as well, then I was back on Team Naomi is Not Crazy!

It didn’t help that some of her concerns were about the friendship group of her seven-year-old daughter, children are fickle and friends change all the time, so it did seem a bit off to be so worried.

But Summer’s strange behaviour and the sullen nature of daughter Luna did ring a few bells. I used to work with kids and still remember all the things we were trained to look out for, there were definitely some concerns there.

The twists started coming thick and fast. Some of Summer’s plays were straight out of the mean girl handbook, but others were a bit scary. She seemed to have multiple sides to her character.

There are some great WTF? moments and the ending was truly troubling. Summer’s mind needs unscrambling and fast! Naomi’s woes may not be over yet. Truly clever crime fiction.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

books, reviews

Book Review: The Sisters – Ruth O’Neill

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In a web of deceit, escape is just the beginning.

Ava Cressman’s life takes a twisted turn after her divorce from Spencer. Seeking comfort, she falls into the arms of a mysterious man named Joel Carney, a former college acquaintance. However, when Joel meets Ava’s sister, Tanya, an unsettling connection sparks between them.

Tanya, seemingly innocent, invites Ava and her twin sister, Belle, on a secluded trip to a remote lodge. From the moment they arrive, an ominous atmosphere hangs in the air, hinting at a hidden darkness beneath the surface.

As shocking truths emerge, will Ava find a way to expose the tangled labyrinth of secrets before it’s too late?

The Sisters is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the depths of manipulation, betrayal, and the darkest corners of the human mind. As Ava fights for her freedom and tries to untangle the lies, she also must face her own demons and find the strength to outsmart those who want to control her life.

My thoughts: I was kindly sent a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I have a sister, and while we do have our moments, our relationship is thankfully nothing like the one Ava has with Tanya. Both see themselves as the protagonist of their families – main character energy if you will. And they both remember their childhood very differently.

Ava starts a new relationship with Joel, and they’re taking it slowly, but Tanya just keeps showing up, flirting and chatting with Joel, driving Ava mad. Then Tanya arranges for their mother, who isn’t well, to have a home nurse while the sisters are away, without talking to Ava, who takes it personally. Her twin, Bella, seems to have been cast as peace maker in the family, trying to get her sisters to get along better.

Joel invites himself to the sisters’ trip, causing another row. But is there something more sinister going on? Do Tanya and Joel know each other? Ava has so many questions and as the holiday takes a sinister turn, she’s desperate to get some answers and save herself, Bella and their mum from danger.

Twisting, shocking and with some slightly bewildering moments (mimicking Ava’s experiences), this is the dark side of sisterhood.

books, reviews

Book Review: Good Me Bad Me – Ali Land 

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Written by a former Mental Health nurse, this psychological thriller is vivid and arresting. Milly is almost 16 and has lived a terrible life with her mother, a serial killer. Milly was also the one who turned her in. 
Documenting the lead up to her mother’s trial for 9 child murders, we see the world through Milly’s eyes as she tries to adjust to ‘normal’ life with her foster family. 

Her foster father is also her psychotherapist, preparing her for trial, going through the harrowing childhood she endured and the nightmares that haunt her, but is Milly telling him everything, and does the daughter take after the mother? 

Tightly written and with a nice little twist at the end, I really enjoyed this. I think I prefer more knotty thrillers like this, than the straightforward procedural ones. I want unreliable narrators and secrets, I want to never quite know for sure. 

I found this very satisfying a read.