Take a photo of a barcode or cover
2.74 AVERAGE
2.74 AVERAGE
Okay, not a bad story, but not a really good one. The story is a little slow at the beginning, and, although I kind of like the friendship between Caitlin and Ali, the mystery itself isn't very... mysterious :P
I don't know, it felt lacking :(
The narration, though, was very good.
I don't know, it felt lacking :(
The narration, though, was very good.
To escape her squabbling teenage children and disinterested husband , Caitlyn spends time with her lover, Daniel in his place across London. When the pandemic advances and London is put into lockdown, it seems the perfect opportunity to end her liaison and focus on her family. However weeks in to lockdown, Caitlyn is itching to escape her family life and runs over to Daniel’s only to find him dead. Torn between grief for her lover and the need to protect her family, she flees the scene.
But across the way, a woman with binoculars and a penchant for spying has seen Caitlyn and is intent on finding out all about her.
If you are someone that is avoiding fiction that features Covid 19, you needn’t worry about Stay home - the pandemic is very much in the background to the plot.
It’s an interesting read with alternate chapters from two unreliable narrators.
It definitely wasn’t the book I was expecting when I read the blurb because Daniel’s murder is less important than the change of relationship between the two women. It’s clever that Daniel’s death causes one woman to come back to life and start living again.
I did guess the killer but enjoyed the journey through the chapters to see if I was right. There are plenty of twists for the reader to enjoy but some of them are a little far fetched even with the scope allowed by a pandemic. I would have liked a little more background for one of the characters and her fall from grace to allow me to interpret the final chapters more thoroughly.
All in all, it’s an entertaining psychological thriller that’s perfect for us in tier 4 who have to stay home to stay safe.
Thank you to Netgalley, Ava Pierce and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read Stay Home in exchange for an honest review.
But across the way, a woman with binoculars and a penchant for spying has seen Caitlyn and is intent on finding out all about her.
If you are someone that is avoiding fiction that features Covid 19, you needn’t worry about Stay home - the pandemic is very much in the background to the plot.
It’s an interesting read with alternate chapters from two unreliable narrators.
It definitely wasn’t the book I was expecting when I read the blurb because Daniel’s murder is less important than the change of relationship between the two women. It’s clever that Daniel’s death causes one woman to come back to life and start living again.
I did guess the killer but enjoyed the journey through the chapters to see if I was right. There are plenty of twists for the reader to enjoy but some of them are a little far fetched even with the scope allowed by a pandemic. I would have liked a little more background for one of the characters and her fall from grace to allow me to interpret the final chapters more thoroughly.
All in all, it’s an entertaining psychological thriller that’s perfect for us in tier 4 who have to stay home to stay safe.
Thank you to Netgalley, Ava Pierce and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read Stay Home in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very interesting and quick read. My main issue was the flow and that certain parts didnt need to be in there which was my main issue.
What made me like the book was the twists and turns throughout the story but that didn’t stop me guessing the ending sadly.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback
What made me like the book was the twists and turns throughout the story but that didn’t stop me guessing the ending sadly.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback
nice read although the 2 POVs didn’t differentiate enough
for me despite having wildly different characters supposedly
for me despite having wildly different characters supposedly
Caitlin is having an affair. She is hiding it from her husband and children and when the country goes into lockdown because of Covid, she is unable to see Daniel, her lover. On the day she decides to go over to his house, she finds him in his apartment, dead. Little does she know that she has been seen and everything she has is about to go up in flames.
Ali lives across from Daniel and is a bit of a snoop. She has been watching Caitlin and knows about the affair. She has a pretty big drinking problem and as she is sneaking into Daniel's she also finds him dead and remembers seeing Caitlin leave and figures she must have done it. When the two confront eachother, they realize there is more to Daniel than what they ever could have imagined.
I really liked the plot of this story and it could have been really good. The issue was the inner dialoge for me. There was so much of it. Also, the POV's didn't make sense at times (you would have to read it to understand though). There was a lot of potential here, but unfortuantely the execution was a bit lacking. Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author for an early copy.
Ali lives across from Daniel and is a bit of a snoop. She has been watching Caitlin and knows about the affair. She has a pretty big drinking problem and as she is sneaking into Daniel's she also finds him dead and remembers seeing Caitlin leave and figures she must have done it. When the two confront eachother, they realize there is more to Daniel than what they ever could have imagined.
I really liked the plot of this story and it could have been really good. The issue was the inner dialoge for me. There was so much of it. Also, the POV's didn't make sense at times (you would have to read it to understand though). There was a lot of potential here, but unfortuantely the execution was a bit lacking. Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author for an early copy.
I wasn't sure whether this was the right time for me to read this (given that we are once again in lockdown almost a year later). However, I figured it would probably focus more on the crime and interpersonal elements, and I was right.
This novel started very slowly, with so much scene setting. I read it on my Kindle and I found myself looking at 17% thinking "right when is something going to happen?". There were lengthy descriptions and not a lot of dialogue or action.
However, the second half was much better as the plot developed, picked up pace and made me want to read on.
There were so many things that grated on me though - the casual approach to parenting Caitlin and James showed (kids having underage sex or doing drugs - sure let's watch Tiger King and play happy families the next day); the fact that it initially starts as a "lockdown novel" but then no one seems to care about any of the "stay home" rules - at one point our resident drunk ex-teacher and Daniel's nosey neighbour, Ali, invites her neighbour to go to Caitlin's house with her (3 households mixing???); and all of the random acronyms that Ali just chucks into her narrative.
Oh and speaking of Ali, she must have epic binoculars to see some of what she saw in Daniel's house across the road - passwords and all sorts!!
It felt a tiny bit like this was 'hooked' onto the premise of being set in lockdown but then this was barely acknowledged or expanded upon. I also feel it could have been edited down a little but was perhaps rushed through so it remained 'timely'.
A decent enough read and I will probably read more by this author.
This novel started very slowly, with so much scene setting. I read it on my Kindle and I found myself looking at 17% thinking "right when is something going to happen?". There were lengthy descriptions and not a lot of dialogue or action.
However, the second half was much better as the plot developed, picked up pace and made me want to read on.
There were so many things that grated on me though - the casual approach to parenting Caitlin and James showed (kids having underage sex or doing drugs - sure let's watch Tiger King and play happy families the next day); the fact that it initially starts as a "lockdown novel" but then no one seems to care about any of the "stay home" rules - at one point our resident drunk ex-teacher and Daniel's nosey neighbour, Ali, invites her neighbour to go to Caitlin's house with her (3 households mixing???); and all of the random acronyms that Ali just chucks into her narrative.
Oh and speaking of Ali, she must have epic binoculars to see some of what she saw in Daniel's house across the road - passwords and all sorts!!
It felt a tiny bit like this was 'hooked' onto the premise of being set in lockdown but then this was barely acknowledged or expanded upon. I also feel it could have been edited down a little but was perhaps rushed through so it remained 'timely'.
A decent enough read and I will probably read more by this author.
"It was the worst thing anyone could do in the world. And there would be no coming back from it. Footsteps to the door, and a final look over the shoulder. No, perhaps it wasn't the worst thing one could do, no, not at all. A smile devoid of remorse crept across the killer's face."
Caitlin, a 39 year old housewife has been having an affair with the much younger Daniel. By the time the country goes into lockdown due to covid, it has been going on for a year. But even lockdown can't stop her going to see him. Only when she arrives, she finds Daniel dead in his home. Not willing to risk her husband and children finding out, she doesn't report it. Instead, she tries to carry on as normal. But she doesn't realise she was seen, and soon her life starts spiralling.
Unfortunately, I found this book pretty boring. There was so much incessant internal chattering from two of the most mundane characters, but nothing actually really happens. I feel like this shouldn't even be classed as a thriller.
I finished it pretty quickly just so I could move on to my next read.
This one was definitely a miss for me.
Caitlin, a 39 year old housewife has been having an affair with the much younger Daniel. By the time the country goes into lockdown due to covid, it has been going on for a year. But even lockdown can't stop her going to see him. Only when she arrives, she finds Daniel dead in his home. Not willing to risk her husband and children finding out, she doesn't report it. Instead, she tries to carry on as normal. But she doesn't realise she was seen, and soon her life starts spiralling.
Unfortunately, I found this book pretty boring. There was so much incessant internal chattering from two of the most mundane characters, but nothing actually really happens. I feel like this shouldn't even be classed as a thriller.
I finished it pretty quickly just so I could move on to my next read.
This one was definitely a miss for me.
Nice idea to be set during lockdown and the affects of Covid but too slow with no real peak for me. Did stay the course and finished the book. Would have been good to have a few Harry and James chapters to make it more dimensional.
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is set in March 2020 in the fist lockdown caused by the pandemic. Caitlyn had been having an affair with a younger man but decided to call it off and concentrate on her husband and teenage twins. One day she decides that she can’t stand staying away and decides to go and visit him using exercise as an excuse to go out. When she gets there she finds her lover has been murdered. She decides her best course of action is to leave and let someone else report it to stop her family discovering her affair. What she doesn’t realise is the woman across the road who is an alcoholic has seen her.
I really enjoyed reading a story set in England in lockdown whilst currently living through lockdown 2.0 . I will say that it is a bit of a slow start until you get beyond the synopsis of the story. After that though the story seemed to fly by. The story was a bit different to what I had expected from the synopsis. the characters are all flawed but I really appreciated that and made the story more realistic. There are quite a few twists and turns throughout the story but that didn’t stop me guessing the ending. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and will definitely be looking out for any future releases.
This book is set in March 2020 in the fist lockdown caused by the pandemic. Caitlyn had been having an affair with a younger man but decided to call it off and concentrate on her husband and teenage twins. One day she decides that she can’t stand staying away and decides to go and visit him using exercise as an excuse to go out. When she gets there she finds her lover has been murdered. She decides her best course of action is to leave and let someone else report it to stop her family discovering her affair. What she doesn’t realise is the woman across the road who is an alcoholic has seen her.
I really enjoyed reading a story set in England in lockdown whilst currently living through lockdown 2.0 . I will say that it is a bit of a slow start until you get beyond the synopsis of the story. After that though the story seemed to fly by. The story was a bit different to what I had expected from the synopsis. the characters are all flawed but I really appreciated that and made the story more realistic. There are quite a few twists and turns throughout the story but that didn’t stop me guessing the ending. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and will definitely be looking out for any future releases.