Month: February 2021

Truth: for a majority of story, I had no idea where the plot was going. It took me in several different directions before ending at one heckuva spot.

Yeah, it was a pretty crazy ride.

Whenever there is a character who is perfect in all of the other character’s eyes, I am automatically suspicious about them. Are they really what they seem? Are they hiding something? Who is the person behind the public persona?

That was 100% true of how I felt about Gracie. But, also, how I grew to feel about Juliet. Let’s just say that there was an awful lot going on at almost any given time, and there always seemed to be an undercurrent that I was trying to catch.

I thought that the first part of the book was a little slow. I know that it was meant to introduce and solidify Gracie’s character, but when Juliet became such a big part of the story, it seemed a little sudden. I wish that there had been a little bit more on Juliet before she took more center stage. But that’s minor.

The author did a really good job of alternating perspectives between Gracie and Juliet so that the story was always being fully told. We got insights into both women’s frame of mind and motivations. Well…for the most part.

There were two things that stood out to me as possible themes. One was pretty obvious: “appearances are deceiving.” Are any of the characters who they portray to the others, or are they all hiding something?

The other one was more subtle, but I found it many places. It’s not so much a theme as a clever parallel. Simply put, Gracie’s tips and suggestions for cooking and housekeeping could also be applied to life.

For example, one such tip came in reference to baking: “So remember, to guarantee success don’t ever cut corners. And above all get your timings spot on.”

That could not have been more applicable to Gracie and Juliet’s situations as well.

There was one question in the book that I felt was never fully answered, but it may be that I just missed it. I don’t think I did, but it seemed to get lost in light of late revelations in the book.

It was a very good read, and the last third went really wonky in the best way. Stick with it, because the payoff is definitely worth it.

Author Bio:

Sam Hepburn read modern languages at Cambridge University and, after a brief spell in advertising, joined the BBC as a General Trainee. She worked as a documentary maker for twenty years and was one of the commissioners for the launch of BBC Four. Since then, she has written several books, including psychological thrillers Gone Before and Her Perfect Life, and novels for young adults and children. She won the 2017 CWA Margery Allingham Short Story award and has been nominated for several other prestigious prizes, including the CILIP Carnegie Medal for her YA thrillers.

Sam has worked and travelled widely in Africa and the Middle East, and is a trustee of the Kenyan’s children’s charity, I Afrika. She now lives in London with her husband and children.

I have to give kudos to the author on this one. I didn’t know what was going on or whose perspective to trust up until the very last page of the book – and even then, there was one more surprise.

Well done!

I thought that this was a well-plotted story that (for the most part) revealed information at just the right points in the story.

Maya was an interesting character. As a young adult, she could be considered an unreliable perspective. She also has no memories of the formative childhood event that is the center of the story.

What made her intriguing was that it was difficult to tell whether her lack of memories was due to the traumatic event or if there was something else in play. But was her indecision also the result of her age, or her of the lack of memories and the base that they would have formed.

I read her sections with particular interest because of that conundrum.

I also found Teresa to be a puzzle. There were times that I wasn’t sure of her actual role in Stephen’s life, which made me question her motives.

I did think that her personal story was a bit weak. It seemed as if it was only in place to give her a backstory. That being said, there were a few moments where I thought she might have had more to do with Maya’s past than was being revealed, so that actually turned into a nice red herring.

There were some portions that were slow and a lot of introspective musings that went a bit long, but I suppose they were necessary to lay the groundwork for the action that really took off in the last third of the book.

I do wish there had been a few more hints dropped early on about the resolution. That sounds like an awkward sentence, but I don’t want to reveal any plot points.

Let’s just say that some of the revelations were abrupt and I think a little more groundwork would have made them more intriguing. Still vague, but there it is.

Regardless, as I mentioned at the outset, this did keep me guessing and wondering up to the very end, so I would certainly recommend it.

Author Bio:

Wendy Clarke was a teacher until the small primary school where she worked closed down. Now she is a writer of psychological suspense but is also well known for her short stories and serials which regularly appear in national women’s magazines.

Wendy has two children and three step-children and lives with her husband, cat and step-dog in Sussex. When not writing, she is usually indulging in her passion for dancing, singing or watching any programme that involves food!