Category: Fiction

Categories
Fiction Thriller

Haven’t They Grown, Sophie Hannah

The Leesons and the Braids were best friends. They did everything together but then their friendship came to a holt and they have not seen each other for 12 years.

One Sunday morning Beth Leeson takes her son to football. Upon realising she is near the former home of her old best friend Flora Braid she cannot resist to take a peak. Parked up opposite the house Beth is gobsmacked to see Flora and her two kids Thomas and Emily. Except Thomas and Emily look exactly the same as they did 12 years ago when they were five and three years old. But how can that be when they should be seventeen and fifteen now? Why haven’t they grown?

Determined to find out what is going on Beth goes back and tells her family. Her husband Dom comes on board as he starts to track down the Braids online but as Beth gets more and more obsessed with needing to know how and why this is possible, Dom takes a step back and encourages Beth to do the same. However, unwilling to drop the matter, and fearing Flora’s children could be in danger Beth continues her quest with the encouragement of her strong-minded daughter Zannah. Sophie Hannah takes us on a roller-coaster of a journey as Beth unlocks secrets and unravels the dark truth.

This was the first book I have ever read by Sophie Hannah and I enjoyed it very much! At first I wasn’t sure the imaginative plot was very believable but I thought the concept of the children not growing was very creative and something very different to other thrillers I have read before. Haven’t They Grown is definitely a page turner.

Categories
Fiction Thriller

The Pact, Amy Heydenrych

Freya has not had the easiest path to her success. Her mother gave her up when she was a baby, she was passed from family to family and she lived in her car because she couldn’t afford to rent when she first went to college. So, when Freya gets her dream job at high tech company Atypical, she is thrilled.

Freya discovers that Atypical headhunted her and she very quickly shows quite how skilled she is. She makes a great impression in her first few weeks, especially on her new colleague Jay.

Unfortunately, whilst all seems to be going well for Freya this is short lived as co-worker, and Jay’s ex, Nicole, begins to bully Freya. After weeks of being tormented, Freya snaps and Jay hatches a plan to get back at Nicole playing a prank. It was only supposed to be a joke, but no one is laughing when the next morning Nicole is found dead.

I really enjoyed this dark novel and Amy Heydenrych never left behind many clues as to what would happen next. Whilst exploring topics such as office bullying, sexual harassment and gender inequality, this compelling novel will have you guessing to the very end with twists and turns right to the very end. Told through the voices of Freya and a journalist Isla, the truth about what happened that night unfolds.

Categories
Fiction Historical Fiction Romance

The Surplus Girls, Polly Heron

Belinda Layton is a 20 year old girl who lost her fiancé during WWI.
At the start of the book we see Belinda working in a mill where she dodges the amorous advances of creepy Mr Butterfield. At home, Belinda is residing with her late fiancé’s family, who expect her to continue living in a period of mourning, whilst her feckless family expect her to pass all her hard earned wages on to them.

As Belinda is faced with having to fend for herself and realising she is a ‘surplus girl’ she tries to better herself through attending night business school. This leads to her landing a placement in a bookshop, escaping work at the mill and the potential of finding a new romance.

This book isn’t the normal genre I go for but I really enjoyed it. The story touched upon so many societal issues such as class differences and the expectations and place of women in society in the 1920’s. A warming tale which offers hope after what had been a difficult time.