PINTEREST
BLOGLOVIN
GOODREADS
Published by Avon
Available in ebook and paperback (24 January 2019)
352 pages
Source: Copy for review provided by publisher
About the Book
Just how far is a mother willing to go?
When a mysterious note arrives for seven months pregnant nurse Eliana Hughes, she begins to doubt every aspect of her life – from her mixed feelings about motherhood to her marriage to Martin, who has become distant in recent months.
As the person behind the note escalates their campaign to out Eli’s husband as a cheat, she finds herself unable to trust even her own instincts, and as pressure builds, she makes a mistake that jeopardises her entire future.
Elsewhere, someone is watching. Someone who desperately wants a baby to call their own and will go to any lengths to become a mother – and stay a mother…
My Thoughts
Eliana is nearly 7 months pregnant and it should be a happy experience. Instead she is suffering from hyperemesis and constantly being sick, can’t eat, is fearful about impending motherhood and also worrying about her husband Martin who is increasingly distant, both mentally and physically. She knows that his business is keeping him busy but even the lovely new house he had built for them doesn’t bring her joy.
When she starts receiving anonymous notes indicating that she shouldn’t trust Martin, her feelings of insecurity and fear increase. Her job as a hospice nurse leaves her feeling tired and exhausted and the consequences of an error of judgement bring even more pressure.
The book begins with a chilling prologue by a character called Louise. It soon becomes clear that Louise is deranged with grief; she is watching and waiting and she is intent on taking something that she badly wants.
This was such a gripping read. It made me fearful and it also made me angry. Angry that someone felt they had the right to take something that wasn’t theirs. Whatever misfortune life throws at you, you don’t get to take what you want from someone else.
Told by Eliana (Eli), Louise and Angela, the tension is there from the first page and doesn’t let up for the entire book. At some point I did work it out and I couldn’t wait to see if I was right but what a deliciously twisted read this was. With characters ranging from the gullible and emotionally fragile to the manipulative and controlling, I was suspicious of everyone and trusted no-one. I did feel for Eli, I really did, her emotional state was precarious enough but all the same I did wish she would show a little backbone and stand up for herself more.
I enjoyed the author’s previous debut thriller Her Name was Rose but for me, this was even better. Drama and suspense with a dark and chilling undertone. Recommended.
My thanks to Sabah of Avon for providing the copy to review and for the tour invitation.
About the Author
Claire Allan is an International Bestselling Author from Derry in Northern Ireland.
She wrote her first novel in 2006, and Rainy Days and Tuesdays was subsequently published in 2007 and reached number 2 in the Irish Bestsellers chart. She published seven further women’s fiction books with Poolbeg Press before switching genres to crime/ domestic noir.
Her debut psychological thriller, Her Name Was Rose, was published by Avon Books, an imprint of Harper Collins, in June 2018. It has hit the bestseller charts in the UK, Australia, Canada and is a USA Today bestseller.
A former journalist with the Derry Journal, Claire made the switch to writing full time in 2016. She is married, a mum to two kids (one of each kind) and they share their home with two cats and a dog. She considers Michael Buble to be her one true love – although she rarely talks about the time she met him, and he kissed her and she kissed him back.
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