Fireflies & Free Kicks Fiction Reviews

If you are looking for a book that has secrets and twists, off-the-wall crazy characters, a dash of “what-did-I-just-read,” and a stinging commentary on social media, this is the one for you.

Seriously, I am struggling with how to describe this book because it was all of what I just said and more, but it wasn’t gonzo or ridiculous.

It was just a really, really good story! It wasn’t static, it morphed as it went, growing organically until the breathtaking climax. And before I get into the rest, can I just say that the pivotal scene was one of the most cinematic I have ever read?

Anyway, as usual, I don’t want to give away any plot points, which is going to be tough in this review.

I thought the author did a fantastic job of creating both Abbie and Rachel. It was obvious from the beginning that they both had something to hide, but the true extent of those secrets took a long time to be revealed. And even when there were hints, they didn’t give away the full nature of the deceit.

Each was meant to be sympathetic in their own way. And as truths were revealed, I found myself wondering whether or not I still felt sorry for them or if they deserved what was happening.

It’s a talented author who can make me care about characters enough to give them deeper thought and connect to my own feelings about them.

I found myself predisposed to dislike Rachel, but I recognize that was due to my distaste for social media influencers. I don’t want to say too much, but she really personifies the whole scam of Insta-celebrities.

(BTW, pay attention to the Instagram posts that are interspersed with the chapters. That is all.)

I’m sure that was by design because the character was too well-established for the author to not mean for that connection to be made.

As for Abbie, she was a bit of a sphinx. I think she truly believed in what she was doing and could always justify her actions. But her reactions to certain events showed that she was as in control of herself as Rachel was – and that didn’t make for a good combination.

There were a few subplots that I wasn’t too sure about at first, but later in the book, it became apparent as to why they were necessary. The same goes for a few facts about Fran and Rachel’s friendship. I get it, but they didn’t necessarily fit into the bigger scheme.

Unless, of course, they were meant to be as off-the-wall as where it all ended up.

Honestly, I could prattle on. Let’s just leave it at this is one of my favorite psych thrillers of the year. Oh, and Annie Wilkes has nothing on the characters in this book.

Go. Read it now.

Author Bio:
Julia started off as a theatre director and playwright. While her children were growing up, she swerved into graphic design. After writing and illustrating two children’s books for an MA, she discovered that her great love was writing prose. The picture books were deemed too dark for publication, so, to save the children, she turned instead to writing for adults. Her first book, Cuckoo, was published in 2011, and she has been writing what she calls her Domestic Noir novels ever since. She also writes for TV and teaches on the Crime Writing MA at the University of East Anglia. She has three grown up children and lives in Brighton with her husband and two cats, Keith and Sandra.

This book was twisted in so many ways, I am not sure how to even start unraveling it. But I’m going to try.

On the surface, it’s the story about a family coping with the possibility of a life-changing illness in their child. It’s also the story of grudges, betrayals (imagined and real), and family history…in short, lots of issues. And it’s a clear commentary on the danger of assumptions.

That’s a lot to unpack in a psychological thriller. And because it is so much, there were some parts that were more successful than others.

The medical plot thread made sense, and it was a good basis for the tensions between Kay and Matt. When faced with situations like that, it’s easy to become vulnerable to all sorts of worries and internal questions. That was certainly the case with them.

I also liked the thread with Olivia. I had an idea early on where that one would go, but the author did a good job of giving just enough information, dropping hints here and there, to keep it interesting until it took a bigger focus in the story.

I thought that Kay was a victim throughout most of the story. She was worried for her child, aware of something (or somebody) manipulating the varying situations, but also at a loss to see the bigger picture because she was too caught up in drama.

And that leads us to Matt.

He was actually the perpetrator of a lot of the drama, and frankly, he got on my nerves. I didn’t think he was a nice person (even though Kay kept telling us that he was), he obviously held grudges (again, real or imagined) and he flew off the handle way too easily.

He also let his inner demons take control of things, didn’t see reason, was way too over-reactive…just really unlikeable.

I understand that there was a reason for him being that way, and that the family history plays a big part (going back to when he and his brother Jason were kids), but it just seemed to be too much. Especially when he expected Kay to listen to and believe him but didn’t give her the same consideration.

There are also times that the language felt repetitive. For example, there was one section where everyone was feeling poorly (I think it was repeated at least five or six times). There weren’t many instances, but this writer’s language is usually quite sharp, so it stood out to me.

The entire plot is intricate, and I was never quite sure where the author was going with who knew who, what the real story was, and (most importantly) who was the liar and who was the liar’s child. I had my suspicions about all of it – some were right, some were not quite accurate.

If an author can keep me guessing up until the reveal and surprise me in the process, that’s a winner in my book. And this story did exactly that.  

Author Bio:
Sheryl Browne writes psychological thriller and edgy contemporary fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and awarded a Red Ribbon by The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies, where she completed her MA in Creative Writing.