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jacki_f's review
2.0
Ugh. This book. A bunch of unlikable people, all of whom are carrying secrets and are prone to massively overreacting about anything at all. I feel like I've read books with similar premises before, and every single one of them was better. It didn't feel believable, I didn't relate to any of these people and frankly I couldn't have cared even the tiniest smidgeon less what happened to them.
At the core of this story are teenagers, Sophia and Georgia, cousins and best friends who share everything but - guess what? - each is keeping a huge secret from the other. One night they are walking home from a friend's house when a car appear out of nowhere and tries to run them down. Georgia is uninjured but Sophia is in hospital unconscious. Their frantic parents are trying to understand what happened and at the same time Georgia's parents Anya and Callum are trying to cope with the fractures in their own marriage.
I just found this book tiresome. It's tiresome when Georgia is telling her parts of the story and she keeps gradually remembering parts of the big secret but it's just too painful to continue with the memories so she has to stop thinking about them - it's so contrived! It's tiresome when Anya and Callum are supposed to be the grown ups but keep acting like overwrought teenagers and making stupid decisions that make NO SENSE other than to try to stretch out this ridiculous story. It's tiresome when Georgia's young brother Zac stumbles onto her secret and also makes silly decisions that again are just there to feed an unlikely storyline. It's tiresome when Sophia is desperate to keep her secret from her parents and then immediately tells them 5 minutes later because...oh who cares why...I didn't, I was just glad it meant that the book was nearly over.
I've read other books by Sara Foster and I've liked them. I thought the central premise - the secret that Georgia is carrying - worked, but in order to pad it out to a full book, the author had to throw all this other stuff in there and have her characters consistently make silly choices. I can't recommend this book.
At the core of this story are teenagers, Sophia and Georgia, cousins and best friends who share everything but - guess what? - each is keeping a huge secret from the other. One night they are walking home from a friend's house when a car appear out of nowhere and tries to run them down. Georgia is uninjured but Sophia is in hospital unconscious. Their frantic parents are trying to understand what happened and at the same time Georgia's parents Anya and Callum are trying to cope with the fractures in their own marriage.
I just found this book tiresome. It's tiresome when Georgia is telling her parts of the story and she keeps gradually remembering parts of the big secret but it's just too painful to continue with the memories so she has to stop thinking about them - it's so contrived! It's tiresome when Anya and Callum are supposed to be the grown ups but keep acting like overwrought teenagers and making stupid decisions that make NO SENSE other than to try to stretch out this ridiculous story. It's tiresome when Georgia's young brother Zac stumbles onto her secret and also makes silly decisions that again are just there to feed an unlikely storyline. It's tiresome when Sophia is desperate to keep her secret from her parents and then immediately tells them 5 minutes later because...oh who cares why...I didn't, I was just glad it meant that the book was nearly over.
I've read other books by Sara Foster and I've liked them. I thought the central premise - the secret that Georgia is carrying - worked, but in order to pad it out to a full book, the author had to throw all this other stuff in there and have her characters consistently make silly choices. I can't recommend this book.
shaylee_anne's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
lyndajdickson's review
3.0
Seventeen-year-old Georgia, her cousin Sophia, and her friend Danny become victims of a hit-and-run driver as they walk home from a party one night. While Sophia ends up in hospital, Georgia suffers only minor injuries, thanks to Danny's quick actions. Things become complicated when Danny reveals his suspicion that this was no accident. With everyone in Georgia's family hiding a secret, and with her parents' marriage slowly imploding, it might just take a tragedy to bring this broken family back together again.
The story is told from the points-of-view of all four members of Georgia's family: Georgia herself, her mother Anya, her brother Zac, and her father Callum. Anya's version is told in the first person, while the others are told in the third person. There doesn't appear to be any valid reason for this distinction, except that maybe the author relates most closely to Anya. Anya's perspective, in particular, is overly-introspective, although there are some nice sentiments as she reflects on her first-born child leaving home soon - a situation echoed in my own current circumstances.
In telling her story, the author chooses to use the present tense, with flashbacks in the past tense. Unfortunately, this just doesn't work: the writing is clunky; the flashbacks are telling, not showing; and we hear the same story over and over again - first in the present tense from one point-of-view, then in the past tense from at least one other point-of-view. In addition, the whole story is told in excruciating detail, and none of the characters are remotely likable, with the exception of Danny and possibly Zac.
With all of these drawbacks, the author still manages to maintain suspense by slowly revealing each family member's secret. *Spoiler alert* She throws in a number of red-herrings throughout the story, only to introduce a twist right at the end that no one could possibly see coming; this felt like cheating to me, and I was ultimately left unsatisfied.
While the premise is interesting, this one fails in the execution.
I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Full blog post: https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2016/02/all-that-is-lost-between-us-by-sara-foster.html
The story is told from the points-of-view of all four members of Georgia's family: Georgia herself, her mother Anya, her brother Zac, and her father Callum. Anya's version is told in the first person, while the others are told in the third person. There doesn't appear to be any valid reason for this distinction, except that maybe the author relates most closely to Anya. Anya's perspective, in particular, is overly-introspective, although there are some nice sentiments as she reflects on her first-born child leaving home soon - a situation echoed in my own current circumstances.
In telling her story, the author chooses to use the present tense, with flashbacks in the past tense. Unfortunately, this just doesn't work: the writing is clunky; the flashbacks are telling, not showing; and we hear the same story over and over again - first in the present tense from one point-of-view, then in the past tense from at least one other point-of-view. In addition, the whole story is told in excruciating detail, and none of the characters are remotely likable, with the exception of Danny and possibly Zac.
With all of these drawbacks, the author still manages to maintain suspense by slowly revealing each family member's secret. *Spoiler alert* She throws in a number of red-herrings throughout the story, only to introduce a twist right at the end that no one could possibly see coming; this felt like cheating to me, and I was ultimately left unsatisfied.
While the premise is interesting, this one fails in the execution.
I received this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Full blog post: https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com/2016/02/all-that-is-lost-between-us-by-sara-foster.html
shelleyrae's review
5.0
All That is Lost Between Us is a compelling modern domestic thriller from Sara Foster.
Unfolding from the perspectives of the four members of the Turner family, it is a story about guilt, secrets, betrayal and loyalty.
Seventeen year old Georgia Turner, high school student and champion Fells runner, is preoccupied by a secret she can't share, not even with her best friend and cousin, Sophia.
Anya is frustrated by her inability to connect with her increasingly withdrawn daughter who spurns both her concern and affection, as does her husband, Callum.
Callum, mired in unspoken resentments, has thrown himself into his voluntary work with the local Fells rescue team, and taken solace in the attentions of a younger colleague.
When Zac accidentally discovers a shocking photo hidden in his sister's bedroom, he is at a loss as how to best deal with his discovery.
A hit and run incident involving Georgia and Sophia is the catalyst that drives the members of the Turner family to the brink of crisis. As suspicion grows that the actions of the unidentified driver was deliberate, Foster builds the tension as secrets begin to collide.
One of the main themes Foster's story thoughtfully explores is the vulnerabilities of family. Emotional distance has frayed the bonds between husband and wife, parent and child, in All That is Lost Between Us. The strained relationships are sensitively and realistically portrayed, disconnected, they are each vulnerable in the crisis and struggle to bridge the gap to offer each other the support they need.
Georgia's angst is well drawn, her increasingly fraught emotional state is believable as she obsesses over her secret with the self absorption of youth.
I empathised strongly with Anya, it is difficult to let your children pull away from you, to find the balance between encouraging them to make their own choices, and protect them from their inevitable mistakes. My oldest daughter is 19 and I too feel as if she is "breaking off a piece of my heart and taking it with her." as she forges her own life.
Set in England's Lake District, Foster's descriptions of the landscape are vivid and evocative. The rugged beauty of the Fells, its craggy peaks and forested valleys and sheer cliffs, reflects the changeable emotional states of the characters.
All That is Lost Between Us is a captivating read I'd recommend to both an adult and mature young adult audience.
hazelmarie71's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
becsbookshelf's review
4.0
“I’m waiting to hear the engine spring to life. But nothing happens. Of course. The bloody battery is dead.”
Lies, lies and more lies. Georgie has a secret that she can’t bring herself tell anyone. She decides it’s time to tell her best friend, then suddenly in a freak accident happens and you best friends left in a critical condition leaving Georgia traumatised and her secrets pushed aside.
Georgia’s mum is the school psychologist and while she’s great at her job she has no idea how to triage her daughter when she’s in need of support. Meanwhile her father Callum is seething in his own guilt and her younger brother Zac found somethings he shouldn’t have.
Zac try’s everything to stop the chaos before it unfold and his sister becomes the talk of the school. Just when life couldn’t get any more complicated, another lie unfolds and now someone’s out to get Georgia. Will the family mend their relationships and come out of this alive?
I love Sara Foster and have enjoyed working my way though her backlist. This book was full of twists and turns and I loved every part of the family drama that unfolded.
Lies, lies and more lies. Georgie has a secret that she can’t bring herself tell anyone. She decides it’s time to tell her best friend, then suddenly in a freak accident happens and you best friends left in a critical condition leaving Georgia traumatised and her secrets pushed aside.
Georgia’s mum is the school psychologist and while she’s great at her job she has no idea how to triage her daughter when she’s in need of support. Meanwhile her father Callum is seething in his own guilt and her younger brother Zac found somethings he shouldn’t have.
Zac try’s everything to stop the chaos before it unfold and his sister becomes the talk of the school. Just when life couldn’t get any more complicated, another lie unfolds and now someone’s out to get Georgia. Will the family mend their relationships and come out of this alive?
I love Sara Foster and have enjoyed working my way though her backlist. This book was full of twists and turns and I loved every part of the family drama that unfolded.
readingwithanxiety's review
2.0
Pretty boring. Maybe the teenage drama is lost on me, but the catalyst for the initial incident was just so underwhelming. It seems like they focused on the wrong girl. Definitely not my cup of tea.
hayley_loves_books's review
3.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this and looking forward to reading more by this author!
biblio_beth's review
3.0
3 1/2 stars. I was offered the opportunity to read and provide an honest review this book by the author. All That is Lost Between Us is a portrait of a family in pain. Each member carries a secret, unable to discuss with anyone else. Collectively, these secrets threaten to destroy the once happy family. The characters are well written. The story itself is so full of teasers, it begs to be read in one sitting. Solid writing.