Book #27 Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

THE GAME WAS ROUX'S IDEA.... this shotgun of a game. The latest tenant in the Airbnb house that was the bane of the cul-de-sac. A game that will ultimately shred the nerves as Amy's dark past is used to threaten her and her family. When it comes down to it Roux is a fearsome adversary who has done her homework on Amy. Amy who has inherited a substantial nest-egg. Roux wants it and will undermine Amy's resolve to get it. What the hell does she know that is so dreadful? Something that will shatter Amy's comfortable life with husband Davis, step-daughter Maddy and baby son Oliver. And interwoven into the plot a background of scuba diving that will come to the fore in this war of nerves. So many times I wanted to say to Amy "let Roux Publish and be damned!"

At every turn the tension is racked up. At every turn I thought there cannot be more and then, WHAM! Twists and turns galore. Nerve jarring, nail-biting tension. For a first novel Never Have I Ever is a peach. A slow starter that gathers roller-coaster pace and left me breathless come the final denouement ....

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Book #51 You Let Me In

You Let Me In by Lucy Clarke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So I thought - 400 odd pages, read 100 pages a day and finish in four days. Yeah, right! Be prepared for You Let Me In to grip you from the get go. I could not put this down - well, had to to get some sleep - finished in two sittings - breathless! Wow! An author, Lucy Clarke, writing about an author, Elle Fielding. An internationally recognised and highly successful author based on the publication of her first book. Fame, wealth and enough income to buy a cliff-top property in Cornwall and rebuild a stunning home with beautiful sea views. Sounds good, huh? And Elle is busy writing her second book - oh dear - insomnia, writer's block and a publication deadline to meet. And if she doesn't her world will come collapsing down...

"Have a sense of how your story will end - but allow yourself to step into your character's shoes and be surprised." Author Elle Fielding.

Sounds good. But Elle needs to bolster her income to cover her mortgage and is persuaded to rent her house through Airbnb for a fortnight whilst she attends a book function in France. That sent an early shiver down my spine. Heard too many tales of woe about such rentals. Now, when Elle returns, watch out for the suspense to start. It will creep under your skin. Menace abounds in spades. Who the hell has been in Elle's house? Small events build to something sinister. Does her sister Fiona know anything about these events? After all it was her who welcomed the Airbnb renters. Didn't she?

I cannot say much more about the plot without spoiling too much. But I must say this. You Let Me In has one of the most unexpected twists I have ever read. But wait, a final and further outrageous twist that left me completely blindsided!

Lucy Clarke has written an absolute cracker, one of my best reads this year and highly recommended.

My thanks to HarperCollins publishers, NetGalley and Lucy Clarke for my ARC.

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