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amylittleford's review
4.0
Firstly, I would like to thank Readers First and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC for an honest review.
This book comes with a huge trigger warning surrounding domestic abuse. I think Ward handles the topic well and is providing insight into the lives of survivors and victims to educate readers and spread awareness. The story follows the MC Ria who helps run a refuge for women that finds herself being stalked by someone from her past.
I enjoyed the small chapters, titled, Tanya, throughout the book as it was a piece of the puzzle that we didn't truly understand until nearer the end of the book. It was a glimpse into the life of someone who is domestically abused that really zoomed into the reality of the lives that Ria was helping. I found that Ria was very well rounded. She wasn't just a woman being stalked. She was a wife, mother, daughter (superwoman) which made the story feel really well rounded.
This isn't a conventional thriller but I was definitely finding it harder to fall to sleep. Every noise in my house became 'someone' and I commend Ward for this sense of tension that seems to run throughout the book. I did guess one of the small twists that happened nearer the end. I was sickened by the abusers and my heart broke for the abused. A well written thriller that spreads awareness for those who are voiceless.
Amy x
This book comes with a huge trigger warning surrounding domestic abuse. I think Ward handles the topic well and is providing insight into the lives of survivors and victims to educate readers and spread awareness. The story follows the MC Ria who helps run a refuge for women that finds herself being stalked by someone from her past.
I enjoyed the small chapters, titled, Tanya, throughout the book as it was a piece of the puzzle that we didn't truly understand until nearer the end of the book. It was a glimpse into the life of someone who is domestically abused that really zoomed into the reality of the lives that Ria was helping. I found that Ria was very well rounded. She wasn't just a woman being stalked. She was a wife, mother, daughter (superwoman) which made the story feel really well rounded.
This isn't a conventional thriller but I was definitely finding it harder to fall to sleep. Every noise in my house became 'someone' and I commend Ward for this sense of tension that seems to run throughout the book. I did guess one of the small twists that happened nearer the end. I was sickened by the abusers and my heart broke for the abused. A well written thriller that spreads awareness for those who are voiceless.
Amy x
alipickle's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lianareadsblog's review
4.0
This book it's a very interesting read. Apart from the triggers and whatnot, it's an eye opener for any kind of abuse towards women and how they deal with it afterwards.
Told in dual pov, was interesting to see and read how each woman felt and thought about the process of overcoming the abuse and the feelings of despair, not worthy and depression.
It has a few twists that I didn't see coming but it definitely kept me guessing and wanting to read more.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.
Told in dual pov, was interesting to see and read how each woman felt and thought about the process of overcoming the abuse and the feelings of despair, not worthy and depression.
It has a few twists that I didn't see coming but it definitely kept me guessing and wanting to read more.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.
kba76's review
3.0
Ria is a driven character, yet she does the very things she warns the women she works with not to do. This is a little frustrating, and her background story also showed she was as much a victim as the women she works with which also made me feel the story-lines/ideas merged just a little too conveniently at times.
As one of the workers at SafeMe, a refuge for women fleeing domestic abuse, Ria is used to hearing some awful stories. She is used to waiting for someone to feel safe enough to tell the truth of their experience. Some of these stories are worse than others, but they all have something in common...a man determined to control those around him, by whatever means necessary.
Alongside Ria’s story - which focuses on the day-to-day running of the refuge, the realities of life with two kids and what could best be described as a campaign of harassment - we have journal entries from a character known as Tanya. Until we see how the stories link, this voice was hard to follow - Tanya sounded like a story from the past and this made it even more difficult to understand how she’d found herself in this scenario.
Few of the characters in this were remotely likeable, perhaps to be expected. The story itself felt like a number of elements pulled together in a way that didn’t quite work. It’s a topic that many won’t - thankfully - have to think about, and it made me angry to see how these situations are dealt with.
Much as we might wring our hands, everyone who sees it and does nothing is part of the problem. I’m pleased I read it, and grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to do so, but it wasn’t enjoyable.
As one of the workers at SafeMe, a refuge for women fleeing domestic abuse, Ria is used to hearing some awful stories. She is used to waiting for someone to feel safe enough to tell the truth of their experience. Some of these stories are worse than others, but they all have something in common...a man determined to control those around him, by whatever means necessary.
Alongside Ria’s story - which focuses on the day-to-day running of the refuge, the realities of life with two kids and what could best be described as a campaign of harassment - we have journal entries from a character known as Tanya. Until we see how the stories link, this voice was hard to follow - Tanya sounded like a story from the past and this made it even more difficult to understand how she’d found herself in this scenario.
Few of the characters in this were remotely likeable, perhaps to be expected. The story itself felt like a number of elements pulled together in a way that didn’t quite work. It’s a topic that many won’t - thankfully - have to think about, and it made me angry to see how these situations are dealt with.
Much as we might wring our hands, everyone who sees it and does nothing is part of the problem. I’m pleased I read it, and grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to do so, but it wasn’t enjoyable.
beckiebookworm1974's review
DNF-26%
This one really wasn't for me at all, I thought this was going to be an edge of your seat psychological thriller and it was more a drama centring around a refuge with some suspense thrown in.
The terror and mystery for me was the secondary concern here with the everyday mundanity of Ri's life at home and work taking centre-stage.
It was at heart a story focusing more on its relationships and connections and less on the mystery and suspense.
The story spotlights Ri a mother and wife who works for a charity assisting abused spouses.
She receives a mysterious phone and through this medium, someone claims to be watching her leaving her messages and sending her videos and pictures.
I gave this till 26% which was a quarter way through so quite a chunk and I still couldn't connect or be at all invested within the narrative.
As I said earlier this wasn't what I was expecting from this and I found the pace to be very slow and plodding indeed and ultimately I was bored and then found myself skimming before losing interest completely.
The writing itself here was fine this just wasn't to my taste and I thought the blurb itself was a tad misleading as well.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of How to Play Dead.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
This one really wasn't for me at all, I thought this was going to be an edge of your seat psychological thriller and it was more a drama centring around a refuge with some suspense thrown in.
The terror and mystery for me was the secondary concern here with the everyday mundanity of Ri's life at home and work taking centre-stage.
It was at heart a story focusing more on its relationships and connections and less on the mystery and suspense.
The story spotlights Ri a mother and wife who works for a charity assisting abused spouses.
She receives a mysterious phone and through this medium, someone claims to be watching her leaving her messages and sending her videos and pictures.
I gave this till 26% which was a quarter way through so quite a chunk and I still couldn't connect or be at all invested within the narrative.
As I said earlier this wasn't what I was expecting from this and I found the pace to be very slow and plodding indeed and ultimately I was bored and then found myself skimming before losing interest completely.
The writing itself here was fine this just wasn't to my taste and I thought the blurb itself was a tad misleading as well.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of How to Play Dead.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
faysieh's review
5.0
A clear 5 star read for me. The book is about the complexities of domestic abuse and the way in which women can be controlled and manipulated to such an extent that they are trapped, live in fear and suffer violence and psychological damage. There might not be a key locking these women behind a door but still they are unable to escape and be free. The book is not autobiographical or a self-help manual. It is a highly readable and enjoyable work of fiction. That isn't to say the topic isn't distressing but some very strong messages for the reality of domestic abuse are conveyed within a story that allows us into the fictional lives of Ria and Janice who head up SafeMe, a refuge and support centre for women and children, providing accommodation and all sorts of support services for victims as well as the perpetrators. I am well aware that domestic abuse can affect men but in this book it is the women who are trying to survive abusive relationships with their menfolk.
The book is also a thriller as at the heart of the story is the danger that Superwoman Ria faces from a man from the past. The plot is intricate and tells the stories of many different women, some who survive and one in particular who doesn't. There are links to a past event in Ria's teenage life, the very difficult relationship she has with her parents and frequent 'flashbacks' to friend Alice which leaves you wondering what did happen to Ria's best friend
There are sections of the book where the writing is faint.to signify the disintegration of a woman's strength and ability to fight back. Such a clever tool for illuminating the very real plight of how women in abusive relationships cease to exist, for themselves and also to the outside world, which often cries 'Just leave!'
Tender, uplifting, inspiring and heartbreaking this fictional story is a more palatable way of providing real insight into real women's lives and the real plights they suffer. And as this is a real problem in the real world, there is a section at the back of the book dedicated to supplying any reader who is experiencing domestic abuse with real helplines and support networks to contact.
The book is also a thriller as at the heart of the story is the danger that Superwoman Ria faces from a man from the past. The plot is intricate and tells the stories of many different women, some who survive and one in particular who doesn't. There are links to a past event in Ria's teenage life, the very difficult relationship she has with her parents and frequent 'flashbacks' to friend Alice which leaves you wondering what did happen to Ria's best friend
There are sections of the book where the writing is faint.to signify the disintegration of a woman's strength and ability to fight back. Such a clever tool for illuminating the very real plight of how women in abusive relationships cease to exist, for themselves and also to the outside world, which often cries 'Just leave!'
Tender, uplifting, inspiring and heartbreaking this fictional story is a more palatable way of providing real insight into real women's lives and the real plights they suffer. And as this is a real problem in the real world, there is a section at the back of the book dedicated to supplying any reader who is experiencing domestic abuse with real helplines and support networks to contact.
kellyyou_'s review
challenging
dark
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Animal death and Alcoholism
thosedarkpages's review
2.0
After reading the First Look of How to Play Dead, I was super excited to actually win a copy. The cover piqued my interest right away too; so it seems we do judge books by their covers! It started out really well; a promising premise with realistically flawed characters. Although it was obvious quite quickly that it would be a 'slow burner', I had hoped it would pick up in pace, intensity, atmosphere as the story progressed. However this sadly wasn't really the case. Whilst the story did gain a bit more momentum, I had already figured out what direction it was taking and how it was going to end. I admittedly did skim read large chunks as well, especially once I realised my strong hunch was in fact correct. A bit disappointing really so only gets 2 stars from me
13rebecca13's review
4.0
Ria Taylor works at SafeMe, a place that helps domestic abuse survivors (not victims!). She is married to Danny who is away for work and they have two children. A mobile phone is sent to Ria at work and she soon receives bizarre texts. Who is doing this to her and why?
Alongside Ria's story, we have the diary entries from a woman named Tanya who appears to be suffering from domestic abuse although she tries to justify it.
The two stories tie together and although I'd guessed what was going to happen early on, I felt that I couldn't put it down because I just had to see if I was right!
It is written so well with regards to the domestic abuse aspect and it's great to see that all the relevant helplines were listed at the end.
Alongside Ria's story, we have the diary entries from a woman named Tanya who appears to be suffering from domestic abuse although she tries to justify it.
The two stories tie together and although I'd guessed what was going to happen early on, I felt that I couldn't put it down because I just had to see if I was right!
It is written so well with regards to the domestic abuse aspect and it's great to see that all the relevant helplines were listed at the end.