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A review by confessions_of_a_bookaholic
Don't Look Back by Jo Spain
4.0
Luke and Rose have had a blissful week on a Caribbean island, a surprise that Rose organised as a belated honeymoon. At least that's what she told Luke. When it comes time to leave, Rose makes a startling confession - a violent ex had tracked her down and broken in to their apartment, and in her fear Rose lashed out and killed him, booking the surprise trip to escape from what had happened, and leaving the dead body where it was. Luke promises Rose he will help her move on from this, but as events escalate even Luke wonders if he is out of his depth.
I went in to this one blind, just knowing it was a Jo Spain book but not having read the blurb. As always Spain creates a very believable set of characters and circumstances, so much so that you could almost see this as a true story.
Luke and Rose both start out as incredibly sympathetic characters. Rose has had a hard life, and Luke is the man who has helped her to piece her life back together. He wants to stand by her whatever has happened. They are both edgy and terrified, and you can feel their fear. As things start to unfold you begin to question both of the characters and whether they are who you first thought. By the end of the book I wasn't sure whether I really liked either of them anymore, but either way their story makes for compelling reading.
The events at the centre of this novel kept me engrossed from start to finish. It's a page turner of a book, even though the big things happen very early on and the majority of the book is spent untangling how this series of events came about. I thought it was very well done. Each time I thought I had a handle on what was going on Spain threw another spanner in the works and had me re-thinking.
The ending was intriguing too, not what I expected but a very interesting take.
Trigger Warnings: Domestic violence, sexual violence.
I went in to this one blind, just knowing it was a Jo Spain book but not having read the blurb. As always Spain creates a very believable set of characters and circumstances, so much so that you could almost see this as a true story.
Luke and Rose both start out as incredibly sympathetic characters. Rose has had a hard life, and Luke is the man who has helped her to piece her life back together. He wants to stand by her whatever has happened. They are both edgy and terrified, and you can feel their fear. As things start to unfold you begin to question both of the characters and whether they are who you first thought. By the end of the book I wasn't sure whether I really liked either of them anymore, but either way their story makes for compelling reading.
The events at the centre of this novel kept me engrossed from start to finish. It's a page turner of a book, even though the big things happen very early on and the majority of the book is spent untangling how this series of events came about. I thought it was very well done. Each time I thought I had a handle on what was going on Spain threw another spanner in the works and had me re-thinking.
The ending was intriguing too, not what I expected but a very interesting take.
Trigger Warnings: Domestic violence, sexual violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence