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amylouise9's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
cheekylaydee's review against another edition
4.0
You can normally tell within the opening paragraphs of a book if it's going to be good. (i)Dear Amy(/i) went beyond my expectations, grabbing me from the first page, holding me in a vice like grip until the last word.
Margot Lewis has a lot on her plate. A demanding job as a teacher, a messy divorce to deal with and having to pop pills just to get to sleep. Despite all this, the thing that helps keep her head above water is focusing on other people's problems in the persona of Amy, the agony aunt in the local paper.
When she receives a letter from Bethan Avery, a girl who has been missing and presumed dead for the last twenty years she initially dismisses it as a sick prank by one of her students. Especially so considering that one of their schoolmates has been missing for several weeks now.
But there's something about the pleading voice in the letter, the childish scrawl, that rings alarm bells with Margot and when she receives a second letter, more urgent than the last the cold case police step in.
The story unravels along with Margot's life, peeling away the layers like the flesh of an onion, and what is revealed will in turn shock and thrill you, capturing you and binding it's spell, and it won't let you go until it's good and ready. A must read if you like a thriller with a twist. 4 stars.
Margot Lewis has a lot on her plate. A demanding job as a teacher, a messy divorce to deal with and having to pop pills just to get to sleep. Despite all this, the thing that helps keep her head above water is focusing on other people's problems in the persona of Amy, the agony aunt in the local paper.
When she receives a letter from Bethan Avery, a girl who has been missing and presumed dead for the last twenty years she initially dismisses it as a sick prank by one of her students. Especially so considering that one of their schoolmates has been missing for several weeks now.
But there's something about the pleading voice in the letter, the childish scrawl, that rings alarm bells with Margot and when she receives a second letter, more urgent than the last the cold case police step in.
The story unravels along with Margot's life, peeling away the layers like the flesh of an onion, and what is revealed will in turn shock and thrill you, capturing you and binding it's spell, and it won't let you go until it's good and ready. A must read if you like a thriller with a twist. 4 stars.
nicosierra's review against another edition
5.0
I found this gripping and immensely enjoyed it. It went where I didn't expect.
discountexorcist's review
2.0
this book was too predictable for me to get any real enjoyment out of, and quite boring for the first 2/3 of the story.
onceuponthesewords's review
3.0
I love thrillers. Love, love, LOVE them. So when I saw this one at the store and read the back, I knew I had to pick it up immediately.
The beginning 20% of it was okay, but it slowed down a lot after that. I think it was because the story wasn’t very believable for me. The main character’s actions were questionable at times, and I found myself skimming because I was just plain bored for the majority of it. I’m also not a huge fan of unreliable narrators, and this book was just all over the place and unrealistic. It was hard to follow sometimes, and although I didn’t expect the plot twist, I’m not sure how well it was executed…
But overall, it was a decent read. I did feel for Margot, and I did like the ending — I just wish we got a little bit more from this book. But I’m excited to read more from Helen Callaghan; I just placed “Everything is Lies” in my TBR!
The beginning 20% of it was okay, but it slowed down a lot after that. I think it was because the story wasn’t very believable for me. The main character’s actions were questionable at times, and I found myself skimming because I was just plain bored for the majority of it. I’m also not a huge fan of unreliable narrators, and this book was just all over the place and unrealistic. It was hard to follow sometimes, and although I didn’t expect the plot twist, I’m not sure how well it was executed…
But overall, it was a decent read. I did feel for Margot, and I did like the ending — I just wish we got a little bit more from this book. But I’m excited to read more from Helen Callaghan; I just placed “Everything is Lies” in my TBR!
milliemarilyn's review against another edition
4.0
Kept me gripped from page one, read this in a day.
judithdcollins's review
4.0
4.5 Stars * Set in Cambridge, Helen Callaghan’s hauntingly atmospheric debut, DEAR AMY- spins an intriguing mysterious tale of a current teenage girl’s abduction, with a twenty-year-old cold case of evil and desperation, and a woman of secrets.
A novel of contrasts. Good and evil. Darkness and Light. In order, to solve a mystery and help the victims, the complex protagonist must return to the underworld, her haunted past with an intense unwavering strength of will.
There is a lot here beyond the surface, as the complex layers are unraveled. You do not want to miss a single thing!
Margot Lewis is the agony aunt (a columnist who gives advice when people write in with problems) for The Cambridge Examiner. Her advice column, ‘Dear Amy’, gets all kinds of letters; but none like the one she’s just received.
Margot is unhappy in her marriage (Eddie), unable to have children and a teacher at an exclusive high school in the town of Cambridge, as well as the advice column, Dear Amy. Her personal life is not going well, and she often has panic attacks.
As the book opens a teenage girl, Katie Brown, age fifteen, is packing, leaving for good. It is raining. She has had enough. She is second guessing her decision. She does not like Bryan, her mom’s boyfriend which has worked his way into their lives. Her mom was always taking her side. Telling her what to wear. She will go to her real dad's house. She is running. Escaping. She was always angry.
A car pulls up next to her. An older man. She does not know him. The man is calling her name. How does this man know her? The youth club. She has not been her in two years. He offers to give her a lift. A responsible person. It is pouring rain. His car looks warm and dry. She is exhausted. Maybe she can go back home. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Margot soon learns Katie is missing. One of the students at her school. Something does not seem right.
Soon thereafter, Margot receives a Dear Amy letter. A desperate plea from a girl, Bethan Avery who says she is being held captive and in terrible danger. The Cambridge postmark was mailed the day before. The girl says a man is holding her in a cellar and will not allow her to return home.
She could only imagine rape, torture, and murder. Something about this letter is disturbing. Her mind goes to the scholarship girl, and swimmer, Katie Brown. She was worried for Katie. She goes to the police station.
Shocking. This girl Bethan Avery, was abducted twenty years ago and never found. How is this possible? Additional letters appear, and the investigation shows similarities in the handwriting of the letters as compared to the diary of the Bethan Avery. What happened to Bethan Avery? She had been forgotten. Is the letter for real?
Margot is completely drawn into this chilling mystery. An obsession. At first she thought it could be just a crazy letter; however, the girl continues to say she is being held a prisoner in a dark cellar, crying out for help.
When more letters start to appear, and further investigation reveals startling similarities between the handwriting and that in a diary of the supposed author, Bethan Avery, Margot finds herself totally immersed, which will have life changing consequences.
Told from perspectives of both perpetrator and victim, you hear the desperation of a terrified girl trapped by a monster, and Margot’s unquestionable mental state. At the same time, we also hear from an evil abductor.
In the meantime, a criminologist Martin Forrester shows interest in the case, and joins Margot in the investigation. How are the two cases connected? He states this has happened six times since 1998. Has Katie replaced Bethan? Why did the letters come to her? A scam?
Had she survived for the last seventeen years?
The ongoing mystery: Why is Margot receiving the pleas for help as Dear Amy? She was presumed abducted and murdered in the nineties. How is this happening? Answering this question may cost Margot everything. She is also tormented with fear while reading the letters, and through these letters, Margot may learn the truth that threatens to tear open the fissures in her own history.
Haunting, Twisty, and Chilling! The usage of elements: rain, a gated home reflecting isolation, garden, the setting, imprisonment; snow, magpies, shapes, darkness, and Greek myths — all add a layer of mystery and compliment the experience.
On the surface, Margot is a successful woman, teaching Classics and English at a prestigious school and married to an ambitious man before he was unfaithful. She also was the woman behind the advice column.
However, Margot appears to be hiding something. Memories repressed. She could be fooling everyone. Lies. She could be hurting herself, and causing her life to unravel. Horrors. A secret lurking in her past. Would she risk exposing herself trying to help others? At the same time, her own husband may betray her.
I listened to the Audiobook and the narrator Michelle Ford delivered a suspenseful spine-chilling performance!
Callaghan’s writing is intense, and spellbinding at times with vivid settings, and scents- drawing you in, while the reader is glued to the pages trying to solve the complex mystery of these women. Thought-provoking.
I enjoyed learning why Callaghan set her novel in Cambridge, (a place of contrasts) as it supports the contrasts in the heroine’s life.
Author Helen Callaghan discusses the dilapidated fictional manor where chilling crimes take place. "The Grove." I found this quite intriguing and true.
When I invest time in a book, am always intrigued by the author’s inspiration and topics behind the book. I enjoy researching further and enjoy sharing with other readers. A nice interview with the author: Helen Callaghan and Gilly Macmillan.
Note to readers: I noticed a few reviewers did not finish the book. Be patient. Would encourage you to go back and reread. This is not a book to be rushed. A twisting plot worthy of Alfred Hitchcock. Delving deep into the horrors, creepiness, murkiest and darkest corners of the human psyche. A strong female heroine!
Helen Callaghan is an author to follow! An absorbing debut, and looking forward to seeing what’s coming next.
Fans of unreliable narrators will enjoy this well-crafted cleverly constructed suspense thriller, as well as those who enjoyed [b:The Good Girl|18812405|The Good Girl|Mary Kubica|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388340126s/18812405.jpg|26747961] and Mary Kubica's psychologically rich hypnotic writing. (My favorite).
JDCMustReadBooks
A novel of contrasts. Good and evil. Darkness and Light. In order, to solve a mystery and help the victims, the complex protagonist must return to the underworld, her haunted past with an intense unwavering strength of will.
There is a lot here beyond the surface, as the complex layers are unraveled. You do not want to miss a single thing!
Margot Lewis is the agony aunt (a columnist who gives advice when people write in with problems) for The Cambridge Examiner. Her advice column, ‘Dear Amy’, gets all kinds of letters; but none like the one she’s just received.
Dear Amy, I don’t know where I am. I’ve been kidnapped and am being held prisoner by a strange man. I’m afraid he’ll kill me. Please help me soon. Bethan Avery
Margot is unhappy in her marriage (Eddie), unable to have children and a teacher at an exclusive high school in the town of Cambridge, as well as the advice column, Dear Amy. Her personal life is not going well, and she often has panic attacks.
As the book opens a teenage girl, Katie Brown, age fifteen, is packing, leaving for good. It is raining. She has had enough. She is second guessing her decision. She does not like Bryan, her mom’s boyfriend which has worked his way into their lives. Her mom was always taking her side. Telling her what to wear. She will go to her real dad's house. She is running. Escaping. She was always angry.
A car pulls up next to her. An older man. She does not know him. The man is calling her name. How does this man know her? The youth club. She has not been her in two years. He offers to give her a lift. A responsible person. It is pouring rain. His car looks warm and dry. She is exhausted. Maybe she can go back home. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Margot soon learns Katie is missing. One of the students at her school. Something does not seem right.
Soon thereafter, Margot receives a Dear Amy letter. A desperate plea from a girl, Bethan Avery who says she is being held captive and in terrible danger. The Cambridge postmark was mailed the day before. The girl says a man is holding her in a cellar and will not allow her to return home.
She could only imagine rape, torture, and murder. Something about this letter is disturbing. Her mind goes to the scholarship girl, and swimmer, Katie Brown. She was worried for Katie. She goes to the police station.
Shocking. This girl Bethan Avery, was abducted twenty years ago and never found. How is this possible? Additional letters appear, and the investigation shows similarities in the handwriting of the letters as compared to the diary of the Bethan Avery. What happened to Bethan Avery? She had been forgotten. Is the letter for real?
Margot is completely drawn into this chilling mystery. An obsession. At first she thought it could be just a crazy letter; however, the girl continues to say she is being held a prisoner in a dark cellar, crying out for help.
When more letters start to appear, and further investigation reveals startling similarities between the handwriting and that in a diary of the supposed author, Bethan Avery, Margot finds herself totally immersed, which will have life changing consequences.
Told from perspectives of both perpetrator and victim, you hear the desperation of a terrified girl trapped by a monster, and Margot’s unquestionable mental state. At the same time, we also hear from an evil abductor.
In the meantime, a criminologist Martin Forrester shows interest in the case, and joins Margot in the investigation. How are the two cases connected? He states this has happened six times since 1998. Has Katie replaced Bethan? Why did the letters come to her? A scam?
Had she survived for the last seventeen years?
The ongoing mystery: Why is Margot receiving the pleas for help as Dear Amy? She was presumed abducted and murdered in the nineties. How is this happening? Answering this question may cost Margot everything. She is also tormented with fear while reading the letters, and through these letters, Margot may learn the truth that threatens to tear open the fissures in her own history.
Haunting, Twisty, and Chilling! The usage of elements: rain, a gated home reflecting isolation, garden, the setting, imprisonment; snow, magpies, shapes, darkness, and Greek myths — all add a layer of mystery and compliment the experience.
On the surface, Margot is a successful woman, teaching Classics and English at a prestigious school and married to an ambitious man before he was unfaithful. She also was the woman behind the advice column.
However, Margot appears to be hiding something. Memories repressed. She could be fooling everyone. Lies. She could be hurting herself, and causing her life to unravel. Horrors. A secret lurking in her past. Would she risk exposing herself trying to help others? At the same time, her own husband may betray her.
I listened to the Audiobook and the narrator Michelle Ford delivered a suspenseful spine-chilling performance!
Callaghan’s writing is intense, and spellbinding at times with vivid settings, and scents- drawing you in, while the reader is glued to the pages trying to solve the complex mystery of these women. Thought-provoking.
I enjoyed learning why Callaghan set her novel in Cambridge, (a place of contrasts) as it supports the contrasts in the heroine’s life.
Author Helen Callaghan discusses the dilapidated fictional manor where chilling crimes take place. "The Grove." I found this quite intriguing and true.
When I invest time in a book, am always intrigued by the author’s inspiration and topics behind the book. I enjoy researching further and enjoy sharing with other readers. A nice interview with the author: Helen Callaghan and Gilly Macmillan.
Note to readers: I noticed a few reviewers did not finish the book. Be patient. Would encourage you to go back and reread. This is not a book to be rushed. A twisting plot worthy of Alfred Hitchcock. Delving deep into the horrors, creepiness, murkiest and darkest corners of the human psyche. A strong female heroine!
Helen Callaghan is an author to follow! An absorbing debut, and looking forward to seeing what’s coming next.
Fans of unreliable narrators will enjoy this well-crafted cleverly constructed suspense thriller, as well as those who enjoyed [b:The Good Girl|18812405|The Good Girl|Mary Kubica|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1388340126s/18812405.jpg|26747961] and Mary Kubica's psychologically rich hypnotic writing. (My favorite).
JDCMustReadBooks
mellabella's review against another edition
3.0
I did (surprisingly) enjoy this read.
That could be because I liked the protagonist Margot.
There was a plot twist that I found... Implausible. But I did find myself unable to put it down at parts.
3.5 stars.
That could be because I liked the protagonist Margot.
There was a plot twist that I found... Implausible. But I did find myself unable to put it down at parts.
3.5 stars.
nickymaund's review against another edition
4.0
Margot, teacher of classics at a Cambridge school is going through a marital breakdown and also works as a part time agony aunt at the local paper under the guise ‘Dear Amy’. After one of her students goes missing (presumed runaway) she starts receiving letters from a young girl who went missing some 15 years ago. The letters multiply and Margot seeks the help of the police, who don’t really believe their authenticity. But then things intensify, Margot’s past is involved whilst her life starts falling apart. Why are the letters coming to Margot’s column? This is a really good read - intense and original. I didn’t see the twist coming although I did have an inkling. The only thing that took away a star was the part of the story devoted to the culprit - for me it reduced the tension of Margot’s story.
averill_lavigne's review against another edition
3.0
After reflecting I feel like this book is 3.5 stars. The idea of the story itself was fascinating. However as a lover of true crime there really wasn’t any insight into why this man was kidnapping girls or these particular ones. It felt like the story just completely left that out. When I finished the book I didn’t feel as if I didn’t have the closure I was looking for.