Watching Edie – Camilla Way #Review

Published by HarperCollins

ebook & Hardback : 28 July 2016  | Paperback 6 April 2017

About the Book

THERE ARE SOME FRIENDS YOU’LL NEVER FORGET…
NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY

BEFORE
Edie is the friend that Heather has always craved. But one night, it goes terrifyingly wrong. And what started as an innocent friendship ends in two lives being destroyed.

AFTER
Sixteen years later, Edie is still rebuilding her life. But Heather isn’t ready to let her forget so easily. It’s no coincidence that she shows up when Edie needs her most.

NOW
Edie or Heather?
Heather or Edie?

Someone has to pay for what happened, but who will it be?

If you enjoy a psychological thriller with dysfunctional, unlikeable characters (and I do!) then this is a perfect read for you.

The story is told in alternate chapters narrated by Edie (in the present “After”) and Heather (in the past “Before”). The two women first met at school and formed an unlikely friendship. Physically they were very different however deep down they did have something in common – an unhappy home life. Heather adored Edie and hero worshipped her. Edie was beautiful and popular whilst Heather was regarded as a weirdo. She was ungainly and clumsy with “yellow frizzy hair” and the butt of everyone’s jokes.  It is clear that some dreadful event has separated the two women for nearly 17 years and through the voices of Edie and Heather, we slowly find out their secrets.

Neither girl/woman was particularly likeable but their flawed personalities are what makes the story so compelling. My sympathies veered between both of them at various times and although I thought I had guessed what the ‘secret’ was, I have to admit that I got it completely wrong.

There are some excellently drawn supporting characters here too – Connor; he was the kind of person your mother would warn you to stay away from and from the first time he appeared, you just knew things were not going to end well there. There are also Monica and James who both feature in Edie’s present; Monica in particular, was a great character and one that I had great sympathy for.

There were times when I wanted to shake Edie, some of her decisions seemed unwise at best and pretty stupid at worst. However who knows how any of us would react in those same circumstances, when you feel so desperate and out of control.

The two voices blended together so well and the plot structure unfolded seamlessly throughout. The author certainly knows how to keep the suspense going – not always with outright information but by planting suggestions to fool you into thinking you know what’s going on only to hit you with a twist later on.   At times my imagination went into overdrive and I could hardly bear to turn the pages for fear of what was coming.  Disturbing, gripping, sinister  – choose whichever word you like but you won’t want to put this one down.

Watching Edie is an excellent character driven story of a toxic friendship, obsession and betrayal.   Highly recommended.

I received my paperback copy from the Amazon Vine review programme.

About the author:

Camilla Way was born in Greenwich, south-east London in 1973. Her father was the poet and author Peter Way. After attending Woolwich College she studied modern English and French literature at the University of Glamorgan. Formerly Associate Editor of the teenage girls’ magazine Bliss, she is currently an editor and writer on the men’s style magazine Arena. Having lived in Cardiff, Bristol, Bath and Clerkenwell, she now lives in south-east London.

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