This Book Blew Me Away

Publisher: Lake Union

Release date: 1st May 2020

Genre: Women's commercial fiction / psychological thriller

Amazon link: Click here for buy link.

Blurb:

A daughter pushing the limits. A marriage ready to crack. A secret that can break them.

For Emily Rossi, life may not be perfect, but it’s pretty close. She has a great career, a house in the country, a solid marriage to Eric and two wonderful children—tennis superstar Daniel and quiet, sensitive Zara. But when her fourteen-year-old daughter brings home a toxic new best friend, Emily’s seemingly perfect family starts to spiral out of control.

Suddenly Zara is staying out late, taking drugs and keeping bad company. And just when Emily needs Eric to be an involved father, he seems too wrapped up with his job in London to care. What’s more, he’s started drinking again.

When a dark secret from the past emerges, Emily’s life is turned upside down. Struggling to protect the people she loves, can she save her damaged family? Doing so may mean keeping a secret of her own…

My thoughts:

Okay, so picture the scene: I'm stressed after a long day at work, the doorbell goes and the lovely postman brings me a book shaped parcel. I open it, not expecting anything specifically, then I realise there was a blog tour a few months ago that had been altered due to lockdown. I stand there with this book in my hands that sounds awesome and I couldn't help but read the first chapter. Then the next, and so on.

This book blew me away, to the point where I had to keep limiting how many chapters I read each day as I didn't want to rush it. If you're reading this then I'm hoping I'm among book-loving friends where you understand that contradictory emotion of needing to finish a book but not wanting to leave the characters.

This author made me proud to be a fellow author, made me want to improve my own craft, made me want to read the rest of her work and share my passion with anyone who would listen. This book won't be for everyone, but if you're at all tempted by the blurb then I urge you to give it a go.

There are dark themes in here of addiction, abuse, family drama among various others but they are all handled with such realism and respect. The characters are fully developed and just so compelling.

So, basically, I adored this novel. It may make my 'favourite books of the year' list so watch this space (and maybe subscribe if you're curious to find out) This book is funny, heart breaking and incredible in my opinion. I don't want to share more about the plot or characters because there are so many twists that I want you to experience for yourself if you're interested.

If you've ever read and enjoyed books by Sarah Raynor, Diane Chamberlain or Jodi Picoult and you've not yet read Carol Mason, then I highly recommend this as a starting point. I even contacted Carol when I finished reading it just to share how much I loved the story and she was so kind and happy to connect that it added that extra feeling of wanting to support her work.

Thanks so much to Rachel at 'Rachel's Random Resources' for originally inviting me to review this, to Lake Union for sending me a copy to review (and to pass onto my mum whose currently reading and enjoying it) and to Carol for writing it and being so willing to connect with readers.

I hope you give this book a go, I'm now off to read enough of my TBR that I can justify buying her back catalogue.

Find out more about Carol Mason on here website - click here.