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kazza27's review against another edition
4.0
I always like a story that is set in the West Country and the blurb for this one really appealed to me. The story is set in a small seaside town of Severn Sands in the present day, a body is found on a building site and it is thought to be a young woman called Alice who went missing many years ago. Alice lived in one of the caravans in 1995 and her and Marnie and her built a friendship over this summer. Also part of the group that summer was Will Jones. Will is now a writer and hears that a body has been found he decides he must go back to Severn Sands to see if it is Alice. Also very much around that summer was Guy deVillars, he is older and as been away at University and he is looking for a distraction and Alice is it.
Marnie has also lived here all her life and her Dad, John was the caretaker at the caravan site that used to be at Severn Sands helping with the funfair. The campsite Channel View was owned by the the parents of Guy Edward and Camille, and John and him got on well. However, Guy decides with his parents ill health that it is time to sell the site for housing. Will really hates Guy and holds him responsible for Alice’s disappearance.
This is a really gripping read and there is a lot of mystery surrounding Severn Sands a declining seaside town in the winter is always a great setting for a suspenseful novel and this was definitely captured in this book. It really resonated with me living near the coast in Devon and seeing the small seaside towns being turned into exclusive flats and housing and the locals losing the ability to live and work where they have grown up. Setting is really important in this book and it really is so well written that you can imagine the bleakness of Severn Sands and the lives of its inhabitants. It is a meandering read that slowly and gradually uncovers what happened that summer. It
There is plenty of tension and Will has obviously been really affected by the past. When he returns the town is even more faded than he remembered, people also think that he may be responsible for Alice’s disappearance. Alice is the focal point of the story in the past and the present and how she changed the lives of everyone that summer and beyond. The red dress that is found in the estuary made people believe that Alice drowned but there is much much more to her story. They all have guilt and secrets and they are all about to be revealed.
I needed to keep on reading to find out the conclusion to this great story and what did happen to Alice. Although the pace is not as fast as some thrillers I really enjoyed it and the finale is really compelling.
4 stars ****
Marnie has also lived here all her life and her Dad, John was the caretaker at the caravan site that used to be at Severn Sands helping with the funfair. The campsite Channel View was owned by the the parents of Guy Edward and Camille, and John and him got on well. However, Guy decides with his parents ill health that it is time to sell the site for housing. Will really hates Guy and holds him responsible for Alice’s disappearance.
This is a really gripping read and there is a lot of mystery surrounding Severn Sands a declining seaside town in the winter is always a great setting for a suspenseful novel and this was definitely captured in this book. It really resonated with me living near the coast in Devon and seeing the small seaside towns being turned into exclusive flats and housing and the locals losing the ability to live and work where they have grown up. Setting is really important in this book and it really is so well written that you can imagine the bleakness of Severn Sands and the lives of its inhabitants. It is a meandering read that slowly and gradually uncovers what happened that summer. It
There is plenty of tension and Will has obviously been really affected by the past. When he returns the town is even more faded than he remembered, people also think that he may be responsible for Alice’s disappearance. Alice is the focal point of the story in the past and the present and how she changed the lives of everyone that summer and beyond. The red dress that is found in the estuary made people believe that Alice drowned but there is much much more to her story. They all have guilt and secrets and they are all about to be revealed.
I needed to keep on reading to find out the conclusion to this great story and what did happen to Alice. Although the pace is not as fast as some thrillers I really enjoyed it and the finale is really compelling.
4 stars ****
irish_bookfairy's review against another edition
3.0
Life at the holiday resort is completely turned upside down when Alice, a young girl staying at the campground by herself, goes missing. 25 years later her body is discovered when the land has been sold to developers who started excavating the campsite. Both Will and Marnie were heavily affected by Alice's disappearance and both have secrets about that day.
With the body being discovered, their lives are once again turned upside down when secrets come to life and lies are exposed.
The story evolves a bit slow, nothing much ever happens and both main characters lack personality, imo. Towards the end their are a few pages that are more intense but it goes by real fast and everything goes back to it's former, slower pace. All in all I enjoyed reading the book
With the body being discovered, their lives are once again turned upside down when secrets come to life and lies are exposed.
The story evolves a bit slow, nothing much ever happens and both main characters lack personality, imo. Towards the end their are a few pages that are more intense but it goes by real fast and everything goes back to it's former, slower pace. All in all I enjoyed reading the book
olivegregory's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
cv_xo's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
themaxdog's review against another edition
4.0
Full review now up on the blog: https://www.thewritinggreyhound.co.uk/2022/02/book-review-scarlet-dress-louise-douglas.html
The Scarlet Dress is an immersive and highly atmospheric read.
This evocative book tells the story of Alice Lang - her life, her disappearance, and the mystery surrounding her untimely death. Before her disappearance, Alice is a vivid, larger-than-life character. She is bold and free-spirited, catching the eye of countless individuals around the holiday park.
Alice soon forms an unlikely friendship with little Marnie Morahan, daughter of the park's recently widowed caretaker. She navigates the mother-shaped hole in Marnie's life with ease, effortlessly slotting herself into Marnie's life as part teacher, part role model, and firm friend. The third member of their trio is Will, a teenager on the cusp of adulthood who finds himself falling hopelessly in love with Alice during that long, hot summer.
Once Alice disappears, Marnie and Will have no choice but to face a future without her. Each deals with their grief in different ways - yet neither can forget Alice Lang.
When Alice's body is found by the developers working at the former holiday park, Will and Marnie find themselves back in Severn Sands together once again. Many years have passed since that fateful summer, but somehow, it feels like the time never really happened at all. With the mystery of Alice hanging over Severn Sands, can they finally lay the past to rest?
The golden haze of nostalgia hangs over every element of this story, from the sticky, hot days of summers past to the fun, laughter, and carefree nature of a British caravan park in its heyday. All the characters remember the summer Alice disappeared for one reason or another, and the feeling of being stuck in the past permeates through the pages of the book. It's beautifully written and makes you reminisce about your own childhood holidays.
The Scarlet Dress is an immersive and highly atmospheric read.
This evocative book tells the story of Alice Lang - her life, her disappearance, and the mystery surrounding her untimely death. Before her disappearance, Alice is a vivid, larger-than-life character. She is bold and free-spirited, catching the eye of countless individuals around the holiday park.
Alice soon forms an unlikely friendship with little Marnie Morahan, daughter of the park's recently widowed caretaker. She navigates the mother-shaped hole in Marnie's life with ease, effortlessly slotting herself into Marnie's life as part teacher, part role model, and firm friend. The third member of their trio is Will, a teenager on the cusp of adulthood who finds himself falling hopelessly in love with Alice during that long, hot summer.
Once Alice disappears, Marnie and Will have no choice but to face a future without her. Each deals with their grief in different ways - yet neither can forget Alice Lang.
When Alice's body is found by the developers working at the former holiday park, Will and Marnie find themselves back in Severn Sands together once again. Many years have passed since that fateful summer, but somehow, it feels like the time never really happened at all. With the mystery of Alice hanging over Severn Sands, can they finally lay the past to rest?
The golden haze of nostalgia hangs over every element of this story, from the sticky, hot days of summers past to the fun, laughter, and carefree nature of a British caravan park in its heyday. All the characters remember the summer Alice disappeared for one reason or another, and the feeling of being stuck in the past permeates through the pages of the book. It's beautifully written and makes you reminisce about your own childhood holidays.
fillmoretimereading's review against another edition
4.0
I think this is a really good book for those that like a detailed story with their mystery. I enjoyed the mystery in this book and the relationships of those with Alice.
This was a twisty mystery that had me guessing who could have done it and with so many angles it could have been anyone in the book!
I took it down one rating because there was A LOT of back story and I just didn’t feel it was necessary.
This was a twisty mystery that had me guessing who could have done it and with so many angles it could have been anyone in the book!
I took it down one rating because there was A LOT of back story and I just didn’t feel it was necessary.
taisie22's review
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Alice Lang disappeared from a caravan park over twenty-five years ago, but the mystery of her vanishing still haunts several of the town's residents. When her body is discovered, suspicion falls on them as they remember Alice and her impact on their lives.
This is a good mystery that keeps the reader guessing. Several people had good motives, so it was hard to decide who did it in the end. There were interesting characters, and I liked how the POVs kept changing.
This is a good mystery that keeps the reader guessing. Several people had good motives, so it was hard to decide who did it in the end. There were interesting characters, and I liked how the POVs kept changing.
bookietracey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sehwa's review
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Meh it was okay. I read it quickly and I was entertained.
kateypage's review against another edition
3.0
An intriguing murder mystery. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will be reading her other work!
I particularly loved the descriptive imagery of the location. Anyone who spent their childhood holidays on caravan parks would have immediately been transported back there!
Slightly predictable ending but I think that is just the danger of murder mysteries.
I felt like I wasn’t wholly invested in this book and that I couldn’t get into that “just can’t put this down” frame of mind. But that could have also been down to external factors.
I did think there was a very slow build up and a very fast ending. I thought the last chapter felt like the author just wanted to be done with it, and rounded everything up into a few paragraphs. I would have liked the final chapters to have matched the pace of the rest of the book.
I would have also liked to have seen a lot more character development, especially with Marnie and the De Villars family. I really don’t feel I got to know them enough to feel emotive reactions towards them.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood publishing for the advanced copy.