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faysieh's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! This was chilling and had me reading with my breath held towards the end.
Electrifying in intensity and tension , this is a psychological thriller which messes with your mind as well as the main character's Hannah. I find the thrillers which make characters question their sanity terrifically terrifying. Losing one's mind, uncertain what has happened, doubt and guilt and fear encroaching upon your judgement, causing you to question even the most basic of facts, are the ones that read like a real life nightmare and scare me way more than blood and guts horror.
Hannah's husband Graham was murdered in his bed a decade ago and Hannah has never been able to remember what happened. Someone else was convicted but he is the subject of a true crime podcast Conviction, presented by Anna Byers, who intends to show the faults behind the arrest, trial and incarceration. Listeners are behind this very public campaign and are quick to point the finger back to Hannah.
Everything in her new life with Dan, is threatened, including the safety of her teenage daughter Evie. Complicating matters is Hannah's career in psychiatry and her past and current care of troubled, unwell young people. History and the here and now collide in a frightening way to hurt Hannah and convince her she is to blame.
This is a twisty, pacy read full of coercion, control, manipulation and abuse on a major scale. The trouble is, who is controlling who and who is the source of danger?
Superb read with genuine, and alarming, surprises which kept me enthralled. A highly recommended read.
Electrifying in intensity and tension , this is a psychological thriller which messes with your mind as well as the main character's Hannah. I find the thrillers which make characters question their sanity terrifically terrifying. Losing one's mind, uncertain what has happened, doubt and guilt and fear encroaching upon your judgement, causing you to question even the most basic of facts, are the ones that read like a real life nightmare and scare me way more than blood and guts horror.
Hannah's husband Graham was murdered in his bed a decade ago and Hannah has never been able to remember what happened. Someone else was convicted but he is the subject of a true crime podcast Conviction, presented by Anna Byers, who intends to show the faults behind the arrest, trial and incarceration. Listeners are behind this very public campaign and are quick to point the finger back to Hannah.
Everything in her new life with Dan, is threatened, including the safety of her teenage daughter Evie. Complicating matters is Hannah's career in psychiatry and her past and current care of troubled, unwell young people. History and the here and now collide in a frightening way to hurt Hannah and convince her she is to blame.
This is a twisty, pacy read full of coercion, control, manipulation and abuse on a major scale. The trouble is, who is controlling who and who is the source of danger?
Superb read with genuine, and alarming, surprises which kept me enthralled. A highly recommended read.
ladettem's review against another edition
5.0
**REVIEWED FOR NETGALLEY & BECAUSE I LOVE KATIE LOWE!✨**
Trigger Warnings:
Gaslighting, Domestic Abuse, Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Violence, Blood, Mental Health Deterioration, PTSD, Drug Dependency (mentioned) Kidnapping, Death, Eating Disorders, Harassment/Bullying.
The Review:
I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that this is the Psychological Thriller I’ve been waiting for. I’ve read quite a few recently, which have felt inherently pedestrian, and I wondered if I’d gone off the genre as a whole; but Lowe’s writing is decadent in the way it teases at truths and lies. I often compare my reading experiences to rollercoasters (mainly because I enjoy the fast paced-ruthlessness nature of a rollercoaster read) however, Lowe is a master craftswoman at the slow-burn intrigue. What is the truth? Who murdered Graham Catton?
You have no idea how badly I want to tell you. But, you know, spoilers. What I can tell you is I really appreciated the singular perspective of Hannah Catton, our protagonist and potential murderess. (Although, not going to lie, every time a character said, ‘Hannah…’ in that way that suggests you’ve said or done something wrong, it was enough to make me sit up, like, ‘What?’ you know. What with Hannah being my name… anyway, I digress). Hannah Catton is a psychiatrist, with a doctorate that everyone seems to forget. She’s intelligent, she’s sensitive, and she’s a pathological liar. She lies to Dan, her long time partner, about where she’s going and who she is seeing. She lies to her daughter, Evie, who is growing up to look more and more like Graham (her father, who she barely remembers) and her colleagues.
Domestic Abuse is a sensitive subject, and needs to be handled with care, so what I appreciated RE: TMOGC was that Hannah is a strong, three dimensional character. She’s angry, sensible, considerate, compassionate, jealous; all the things which could make a killer. And whilst she is often mocked for her ‘doe-like’ expressions, she’s no waif. At no point to Lowe glamourise Hannah’s situation as a woman who ‘snapped’ (a phrase I loathe, btw). Each action has a transparent motivation which, whilst I might not agree with, does allow the audience to empathise.
And as far as the murder mystery elements of this narrative, I’ll go so far as to say: the evidence was all there. Even if I didn’t see the ending coming. And I’ll cross my fingers that I’ve not given away too much!
I loved this read. Much like the audience crammed around the Conviction Podcast, I sought time alone from the world to discover more of Graham Catton, the cruel double life he’d constructed for his family and his friends, and where Hannah Catton’s lies would lead her. It was thrilling (if you’ll excuse the pun) and totally vindicates my thoughts RE: The Furies, where I promised to get my hands on everything Katie Lowe ever produces.
Loved, Loved, Loved it. Five stars. Wouldn’t change a hair on this novel’s head.
Trigger Warnings:
Gaslighting, Domestic Abuse, Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Violence, Blood, Mental Health Deterioration, PTSD, Drug Dependency (mentioned) Kidnapping, Death, Eating Disorders, Harassment/Bullying.
The Review:
I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that this is the Psychological Thriller I’ve been waiting for. I’ve read quite a few recently, which have felt inherently pedestrian, and I wondered if I’d gone off the genre as a whole; but Lowe’s writing is decadent in the way it teases at truths and lies. I often compare my reading experiences to rollercoasters (mainly because I enjoy the fast paced-ruthlessness nature of a rollercoaster read) however, Lowe is a master craftswoman at the slow-burn intrigue. What is the truth? Who murdered Graham Catton?
You have no idea how badly I want to tell you. But, you know, spoilers. What I can tell you is I really appreciated the singular perspective of Hannah Catton, our protagonist and potential murderess. (Although, not going to lie, every time a character said, ‘Hannah…’ in that way that suggests you’ve said or done something wrong, it was enough to make me sit up, like, ‘What?’ you know. What with Hannah being my name… anyway, I digress). Hannah Catton is a psychiatrist, with a doctorate that everyone seems to forget. She’s intelligent, she’s sensitive, and she’s a pathological liar. She lies to Dan, her long time partner, about where she’s going and who she is seeing. She lies to her daughter, Evie, who is growing up to look more and more like Graham (her father, who she barely remembers) and her colleagues.
Domestic Abuse is a sensitive subject, and needs to be handled with care, so what I appreciated RE: TMOGC was that Hannah is a strong, three dimensional character. She’s angry, sensible, considerate, compassionate, jealous; all the things which could make a killer. And whilst she is often mocked for her ‘doe-like’ expressions, she’s no waif. At no point to Lowe glamourise Hannah’s situation as a woman who ‘snapped’ (a phrase I loathe, btw). Each action has a transparent motivation which, whilst I might not agree with, does allow the audience to empathise.
And as far as the murder mystery elements of this narrative, I’ll go so far as to say: the evidence was all there. Even if I didn’t see the ending coming. And I’ll cross my fingers that I’ve not given away too much!
I loved this read. Much like the audience crammed around the Conviction Podcast, I sought time alone from the world to discover more of Graham Catton, the cruel double life he’d constructed for his family and his friends, and where Hannah Catton’s lies would lead her. It was thrilling (if you’ll excuse the pun) and totally vindicates my thoughts RE: The Furies, where I promised to get my hands on everything Katie Lowe ever produces.
Loved, Loved, Loved it. Five stars. Wouldn’t change a hair on this novel’s head.
cmcdonald2015's review against another edition
4.0
This is just like a scary movie playing in my head. I absolutely loved this one perfect time of year to read it.
daydreamerjade's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
angelkat556's review against another edition
4.0
Holy crap. This was a twisted, convoluted, no holds barred story, and I loved every minute of it. I had no idea who did what and so was completely shocked by the ending. I really liked Hannah and Evie, and their relationship. All in all 4 stars!
estherb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thatbookmarkbabe's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
catriona176's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.5
jobookhaven's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Not the best psychological thriller I have read. I liked the idea of using a real crime podcast to help tell the story, but it was not used as much as I would have liked. The main character Hannah, is well crafted, if unlikeable. The plot was tricky to follow, and left me feeling underwhelmed.
maurajohnson's review against another edition
4.0
this was such a page turner for me, i was hooked from early on and couldn’t put it down! i thought it was such a cool, kind of modern take on the whole psychological crime thriller story- involving a true crime podcast was a super cool plot idea! it was so gripping, trying to figure out what was real and what wasn’t with the sort of implied supernatural aspects. plus, i was trying to figure out if hannah really did it and if i could trust anything she was saying as a narrator. it was so exciting and also kinda frustrating at the same time. the twist of darcy being sophie was really interesting and i definitely didn’t expect it, and i also didn’t expect dan to get killed (i loved him rip bae 3)! and then ending of anna byers coming back with evie was a really fitting, full circle kind of moment that i liked.
overall i really really enjoyed this book!!
overall i really really enjoyed this book!!