I really enjoyed keeping track of what I read last year so I thought I would bring that forward in to 2019. Rather than having individual book reviews, I thought I would simply look back on what I read in the past month and share my thoughts. 

Therefore, if you’re looking for some book inspiration, then read on!! This month has definitely been a bit of a mixed selection…..

An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

I read The Wife Between Us last year and loved it, so when An Anonymous Girl came up for review through NetGalley I jumped at the chance.

This is a psychological thriller which follows Jessica when she lies to take part in a study on ethics and morality. Really interesting start, right?! Unbeknown to her, the lie is discovered quickly but in that time, she has caught the attention of the person conducting the study: Dr Lydia Shields. What follows is the dark path that both Jessica and Lydia find themselves following. A journey that becomes increasingly twisted and controlling.

Although I didn’t enjoy An Anonymous Girl as much as I did The Wife Between U , I loved the tension and Jessica’s inability to tell who was telling the truth. Expertly written, it does a fantastic job of making the reader squirm as the tension builds. I loved the added dimension of the morality study too as it raised interesting questions that made me as a reader think.

Add that to the fact that it’s currently 99p for the kindle edition, then it’s definitely worth a read if you like a good psychological thriller! Please note this is an affiliate link.

Day of the Accident by Nuala Ellwood

This is another NetGalley review and a good one too. Day of the Accident opens with Maggie facing a murder charge before it transports us back in time when she wakes from a coma. Within minutes her world is ripped apart. She finds out that not only is her daughter dead, but her husband is missing having left immediately after the funeral. The worst thing is that she has no idea why she went out with Elspeth that night. The pain that follows is heart-breaking and any mother will have no difficulty in sympathising with her as Maggie tries to recover from the physical and emotional pain of the accident.

The book follows Maggie as she travels the journey from hospital bed to courtroom and tries to find out what really happened that night.

The pace of this one is great and keeps you turning page after page. The chapters are alternated with mysterious letters “from your lovely daughter” which adds another level of complexity as to the fact that not all is as it seems. There are a few things that don’t quite hold right for me, such as the reason that Maggie was really outside that night but overall this is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep you turning page after page. Please note this is an affiliate link.

Outside by Sarah Ann Juckes

“How do you know there’s an outside if you’ve never seen it…?”

With that by-line I was gripped! Ele is trapped in a room with the Others and visited by Him on a regular basis. Damaged by the loss of Zeb from her world, she is sure that a world Outside exist but doesn’t know how to get there. A very difficult topic to write about but it’s one that Juckes does very well. 

An absolutely page turner that kept me gripped until the very last page. Dark and distressing yet woven with fairy tales and hope. Outside is like nothing I have read before. Juckes’ ability to have Ele retain some of her innocence and naivety despite what she has been through is a testament to her skill as a writer. Outside made me smile and made me cry. Disturbing and beautiful, reality merges with something else in Ele’s mind. Please note this is an affiliate link.

Faking Friends by Jane Fallon

I hate to admit it but despite the raving reviews for this one, I found it a bit….meh. 

Amy is an actress who is currently working on the other side of the world. Within the first few pages her world falls apart.  Not only does she discover her character is being killed off, but when she heads home back to London, she soon discovers that her fiancé and her best friend are having an affair. However, instead of confronting them, a rather ridiculous game of tit and tat ensues. Any sympathy I may have had for her disappears in light of her behaviour and to be honest, none of the characters are particularly likeable.

It is an easy read and a solid middle of the road chick lit, but for me it doesn’t really stand out.

This is an affiliate link.

And that’s it!  

Four books isn’t a bad start to the year at all. I managed almost 60 books last year but don’t plan to get anywhere near that in 2019 as I’m going to be ‘to do’ list rich and time poor! So, if I can keep up a steady momentum and read 2 – 4 books each month I will be estatic.