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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
dark
sad
tense
I think this book had a solid idea but it could have used a lot more work and the pacing could have been way better. But it did a good job of portraying the tense, claustrophobic feeling the main character felt while the story was going on that made it interesting to read.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One reviewer said 'think of all the cliches' and they said that the book was 'twisty', 'unputdownable' etc. I thought of several other cliches - this feels like a book written to appeal to the masses. It's got the shock horror element, the perverted element, the 'twist' but it reads like a exercise in creating the perfect read in a certain type of thriller / domestic genre. It was this knowingness that really put me off.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's nearing Christmas and Julianne is preparing dinner when her son comes down stairs, holding his iPad. He has found something dreadful in the families Dropbox account. When she sees the files for herself, she is horrified and has to question everything about her marriage and what type of man her husband James really is. The story also skips back to 1990 and is set in Oxford University where we meet Holly, a fresher who has an uneasy friendship with a group of friends from a different social circle, well off and privileged, she isn't really sure why they are giving her the time of day. Ernest and Ally are brother and sister and James is their friend. Holly quite fancies James and he flirts with her but before long she realises her has a girlfriend. As Julianne confronts her husband about the files she has found, the events of 1990 soon become important again.
I was interested to read this book as a lot of reviewers have felt the need to give trigger warnings (something I don't usually do in my reviews) but I think it is worth mentioning there is a scene of gang rape which is upsetting. There is also a lot of sex, both heterosexual and homosexual - none of it loving or romantic and allusions to paedophiles.
I thought it was a bit of a slow burner - it takes a while for the section set in 1990 to get going but once it does and the plot starts to fall into place, it is a fast paced read. All the characters (apart from Julianne's son Stephen) are thoroughly dislikeable. The sense of entitlement that Holly's friends have means they feel they can treat people however they like and get away with it and annoyingly, we discover in the present day, they have all being successful in life.
Thank you to Avon books for my copy of this shocking domestic thriller as part of a blog tour.
I was interested to read this book as a lot of reviewers have felt the need to give trigger warnings (something I don't usually do in my reviews) but I think it is worth mentioning there is a scene of gang rape which is upsetting. There is also a lot of sex, both heterosexual and homosexual - none of it loving or romantic and allusions to paedophiles.
I thought it was a bit of a slow burner - it takes a while for the section set in 1990 to get going but once it does and the plot starts to fall into place, it is a fast paced read. All the characters (apart from Julianne's son Stephen) are thoroughly dislikeable. The sense of entitlement that Holly's friends have means they feel they can treat people however they like and get away with it and annoyingly, we discover in the present day, they have all being successful in life.
Thank you to Avon books for my copy of this shocking domestic thriller as part of a blog tour.
A Version of the Truth by B P Walter is a tough book to write a review for without giving too much away. This book will not be for everyone as it deals with some very dark and confronting issues. There are some very graphic scenes that I found hard to read. Still having mixed feeling about it all now - lets just say that it was not what I was expecting when I started this book.
The story is told in 2 storylines - that of Julianne in 2019 who is getting ready for Christmas when her son shows her something on the families dropbox that changes everything that she thought she knew about her husband. Then we learn about Holly in 1990. It is her first year at Oxford University and she is a bit of an outsider, until she becomes friends with a group of people who are very different to her. What happens in Oxford will change her life forever.
Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
The story is told in 2 storylines - that of Julianne in 2019 who is getting ready for Christmas when her son shows her something on the families dropbox that changes everything that she thought she knew about her husband. Then we learn about Holly in 1990. It is her first year at Oxford University and she is a bit of an outsider, until she becomes friends with a group of people who are very different to her. What happens in Oxford will change her life forever.
Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.
I didn’t know much about this book before I picked it up. The synopsis sold it for me, so I took up the opportunity to read it. I meant to have finished it way before now, but unfortunately work was incredibly hectic, so I couldn’t get this book out as anticipated on its release day. I’m always up for discovering new authors, especially debut authors. There’s no denying that this book is well written. I just found it to be very intense.
It centres around Julianne who is preparing dinner when her son Stephen comes to tell her that he’s found something awful. He was on the home computer when he found something among his dad’s files. Julianne is nervous to see exactly what it was. After she sees it, she realises life won’t be the same again. Her marriage starts to unravel as a secret from the past comes back to haunt them.
What I liked about this book was that it was told in a dual narrative that really worked. We heard from 1991 and the current 2019. Julianne’s story was told alongside Holly. Both girls were students at Oxford University. They weren’t particularly good friends, but they knew of each other and both wanted to keep something that happened back in 2019.
I would warn that there is some incredibly sensitive content within its pages. There’s rape and homophobia to name a few themes. Yet, there’s something about this book that keeps you turning its pages. I found it incredibly difficult to read at points. It also used some quite strong language that always makes me cringe. The writer deals with these subjects incredibly well and creates a story that’s quite the page turner!
It centres around Julianne who is preparing dinner when her son Stephen comes to tell her that he’s found something awful. He was on the home computer when he found something among his dad’s files. Julianne is nervous to see exactly what it was. After she sees it, she realises life won’t be the same again. Her marriage starts to unravel as a secret from the past comes back to haunt them.
What I liked about this book was that it was told in a dual narrative that really worked. We heard from 1991 and the current 2019. Julianne’s story was told alongside Holly. Both girls were students at Oxford University. They weren’t particularly good friends, but they knew of each other and both wanted to keep something that happened back in 2019.
I would warn that there is some incredibly sensitive content within its pages. There’s rape and homophobia to name a few themes. Yet, there’s something about this book that keeps you turning its pages. I found it incredibly difficult to read at points. It also used some quite strong language that always makes me cringe. The writer deals with these subjects incredibly well and creates a story that’s quite the page turner!
This was okay, until the main event happened. It should come with a trigger warning. Of course a man wrote it.
Today I’m back with a book review of A Version Of The Truth by B.P. Walter. I’ve been interested in reading this book for some time and the synopsis sounded particularly intriguing.
The story is set across two time frames - 2019 where we hear from the POV of Julianne whose son finds something worrying on the iPad. Then we go back to 1990 where Holly is just starting Oxford University and trying to integrate but finding herself drawn to an older, mysterious set of students.
Throughout the novel, we discover what Julianne has to be so concerned about in the present day and how this relates to events in the past. It’s filled with buried secrets, sinister games, lies and horrific incidents that have the potential to break families apart.
There was a lot to like about A Version Of The Truth. It was certainly a book that kept my attention throughout and I did want to know what was going on. There are some very upsetting scenes that added to the tension and definitely increased my hatred for the more villainous characters and circumstances.
However despite this, there was something that stopped me giving this book a higher rating than I have. I can’t even adequately explain why - it was a good read but nothing made it stand out in my mind to make it super memorable which was a shame. In fact, I had to re-read the synopsis to remind me what this book had been about before I wrote this review. Ouch.
This author can definitely write a good thriller and I enjoyed it whilst I was reading but it wasn’t anything that stood out in the genre for me personally speaking. Saying that, I would still read another book by him.
Three stars
The story is set across two time frames - 2019 where we hear from the POV of Julianne whose son finds something worrying on the iPad. Then we go back to 1990 where Holly is just starting Oxford University and trying to integrate but finding herself drawn to an older, mysterious set of students.
Throughout the novel, we discover what Julianne has to be so concerned about in the present day and how this relates to events in the past. It’s filled with buried secrets, sinister games, lies and horrific incidents that have the potential to break families apart.
There was a lot to like about A Version Of The Truth. It was certainly a book that kept my attention throughout and I did want to know what was going on. There are some very upsetting scenes that added to the tension and definitely increased my hatred for the more villainous characters and circumstances.
However despite this, there was something that stopped me giving this book a higher rating than I have. I can’t even adequately explain why - it was a good read but nothing made it stand out in my mind to make it super memorable which was a shame. In fact, I had to re-read the synopsis to remind me what this book had been about before I wrote this review. Ouch.
This author can definitely write a good thriller and I enjoyed it whilst I was reading but it wasn’t anything that stood out in the genre for me personally speaking. Saying that, I would still read another book by him.
Three stars
Sometimes you can appreciate a book and absolutely loathe everything about it. Sadly, this is one of those books.
We operate in a number of time frames and focus on a number of characters. Through the shifting narrative we uncover a truly grotesque and unpalatable story.
Julianne has a comfortable life in 2019. Son about to go to Oxford and a husband who showers her with gifts. Then, in the already tense build-up to Christmas Eve, her son asks to speak with her. He’s found files on the family Dropbox account. Files that suggest someone close to them is involved in something repugnant.
Julianne was the girlfriend of James while they were at university in Oxford. Being American she was always regarded as something of an outsider. Not privy to some of the jokes of James and his group of friends shared. Not part of some of their more extreme activities. Not part of, but complicit in, something awful they do and cover up.
Into this mix is thrown our everyday character Holly, a hard-working somewhat frumpy young girl who’s led a sheltered life and who can’t shake her fascination with James and his friends though she suspects their interest in her is not genuine.
As we start to piece together events there’s a sickening sense of powerlessness. You gain a horrible sense of what’s to come and it just keeps on coming.
Aside from the subject matter, the characters in this were either unpleasant or naive. The author seems to rely on cliched stereotypes in many instances, and the way the novel ended left nothing properly resolved. Frustrating.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for my thoughts, but this is not a book I’d recommend.
We operate in a number of time frames and focus on a number of characters. Through the shifting narrative we uncover a truly grotesque and unpalatable story.
Julianne has a comfortable life in 2019. Son about to go to Oxford and a husband who showers her with gifts. Then, in the already tense build-up to Christmas Eve, her son asks to speak with her. He’s found files on the family Dropbox account. Files that suggest someone close to them is involved in something repugnant.
Julianne was the girlfriend of James while they were at university in Oxford. Being American she was always regarded as something of an outsider. Not privy to some of the jokes of James and his group of friends shared. Not part of some of their more extreme activities. Not part of, but complicit in, something awful they do and cover up.
Into this mix is thrown our everyday character Holly, a hard-working somewhat frumpy young girl who’s led a sheltered life and who can’t shake her fascination with James and his friends though she suspects their interest in her is not genuine.
As we start to piece together events there’s a sickening sense of powerlessness. You gain a horrible sense of what’s to come and it just keeps on coming.
Aside from the subject matter, the characters in this were either unpleasant or naive. The author seems to rely on cliched stereotypes in many instances, and the way the novel ended left nothing properly resolved. Frustrating.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for my thoughts, but this is not a book I’d recommend.