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4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
157 global ratings
5 star
46%
4 star
36%
3 star
10%
2 star
6%
1 star
1%
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Tricia P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it.
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2020
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Holy crap, this book is good. Read it in one day and was annoyed when I had to stop for food and stuff. The ending was a tiny bit overwrought but it was full of unexpected twists, complex characters and surprising motives.
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betsy
4.0 out of 5 stars Memory deceives me...
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2020
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The plot really did surprise, and yet was neither forced nor contrived.
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Alesha
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2020
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Not at all what I was expecting!! Kind of slow starting out but so worth it in the end. I would give it 6 stars If I could!
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lindseydomokur
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Thriller
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020
Well, that isn't where I thought it was going at all! I love to be surprised. I got stuck at about 30% and had to push myself to finish, but I am glad I did because I honestly didn't see the twist of this one coming. Fran was so awkward that it pained me to read her character at times.
While "following" her childhood crush and friend Charles, she witnesses the death of another schoolmate and struggles because she thinks it wasn't the accident that they are saying it was. As he fell, she thought she saw something in his gaze that suggested he recognized someone there.. someone who wanted to harm him.
We meet many more school friends that seem shady and they seem to be hiding a secret.
Fran and her sister Ellie had a falling out and she can't get in touch with her and right now, Fran just needs her sister. You can tell something happened to Ellie in her past that she is not eager to come back to face though. I hurt for Fran because she was so utterly alone in a sea of people that seemed so untrustworthy.
Once the story really got moving, I didn't want to put the book down. This was a great thriller, I really started to suspect the villain but I didn't think it would be as sinister as what it was.
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Connie Fischer
4.0 out of 5 stars Dark and Scary
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2020
Fran Knight is now in her 30’s and works in a bookstore. This is a perfect job for her as she loves nothing more than reading. She lost her mother not long ago and she grieves her yet. Her younger sister, Ellie and young daughter, Rose, move from place to place and Fran never really knows where they are. She misses them so much but a disagreement has kept them apart.

Fran and Ellie attended a co-ed boarding school where their mother worked as matron. An intelligent but plain and shy girl, Fran was bullied a lot. Ellie, on the other hand, was an excellent swimmer, beautiful, and took no crap off other students.

Dickie Graham, the school show-off and trouble maker, had a crush on Ellie but she was off-hand with him. Fran fell in love with Charles early on and loves him to this day. He is her everything and all she lives for.

Dickie recently died when he fell or jumped in front of an oncoming train. He and Charles had been out drinking together when he fell. It just so happens that Fran had been out that night too and through the masses of people waiting for the train, saw Dickie fall. If he jumped, why?

Dickie’s widow, Caroline, has a baby daughter named Daisy. Many friends have come together to comfort her in her grief. Charles has been devastated by Dickie’s death. Caroline befriends Fran and they get together now and then for coffee. But something doesn’t seem right and Fran isn’t sure what’s going on. But the bullies remain and it seems that they will never change.

Fran wants so much to talk to Ellie but can never get her to agree to come home. Where is she and why won’t she come home?

The book seems to drag for so long readers are promised an explosive ending so I stuck with it. I’m so glad I did. Whew! Good book. Don’t miss it.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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A.L. Goulden
3.0 out of 5 stars Good Stalkery with great ending
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020
I'm always up for a stalker read... I'm not sure why. I hate stalkers or even clingy people but maybe that's what I love. They are the most terrifying characters in a book because you know they're unhinged. They are not capable of making good judgments so you're already on edge.

That's why it was a little disappointing when I almost put this book down. Fran is a sad character. Everything about her life is sad. The mother who she refers to constantly that is dead. The sister and memories of their closer times. The hard part was the slow pace that built up this character's backstory. The mysterious sister was supposed to draw me in but I wanted to get to the rest of the plot.

Luckily the ending was fantastic and really the second half of the book redeemed it so I went middle of the road on this one. A good thriller with some intriguing stalkery but not great overall that I would reread.
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Jessica Foster
4.0 out of 5 stars Unreliable Narrator
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2020
Francesca is a lonely woman who is estranged from her only family. She watches from afar as former classmates move on from their pasts until she witnesses one them fall to their death in front of a train. The only problem is she believes it was no accident. When she is thrust back into their lives her world is turned upside down but she believes if she could just get in touch with her sister and get Charles, the man she has spent most of her life obsessing over, alone, that she can figure out what happened and hopefully earn both her sister and Charles' affection once again.

I love an unreliable narrator. It makes a story so much more interesting. Francesca is far from reliable. I love how the author built the story so that I had predictions early on about what was happening but that there was no way to figure it out until close to the very end. I was happy that bits and pieces of what I thought was happening turned out to be true in their own ways but that it wasn't an exact bread crumb situation. I wanted a bit more from the ending. I wanted to know more about how things turned out and felt that the book ended abruptly after the climax. Overall, it was an intriguing and exciting story.
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Top reviews from other countries

Rocketmande
5.0 out of 5 stars A True Original
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 20, 2021
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A book unlike any other I think, and I read a LOT. The author's portrayal of the lonely main character was unflinchingly raw but so tender it made me cry. That in itself makes this an outstanding book but then, without giving too much away, the story grows and builds into the kind of creepy, suspenseful, don't look behind you mystery that defies you to put it down and go and do all those jobs you know you need to....forget it! You don't have a chance. You just have to read it to the end. And when you get there it will stay with you for long afterwards, as all good books do. Just - wow!
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MBell
5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable and simply brilliant book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2020
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I sat down to read this book and binge read in 24 hours. The main character Fran is so endearing that she really jumps off the page, pulls you into you into her solitary world and and takes you on an emotional journey. At times, I noticed I was holding my breath whilst experiencing life through Fran's eyes. Nicola Rayner has a way of cutting through societal layers to discuss the uncomfortable truths of modern life. The kind of truths that are easier to walk past so that you can remain blissfully unaware. I now feel bereft that the book his finished. I want to peer into Fran's life again, just as her character watched so many others. This book is infectious, clever and the definition of a page turner.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable and simply brilliant book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2020
I sat down to read this book and binge read in 24 hours. The main character Fran is so endearing that she really jumps off the page, pulls you into you into her solitary world and and takes you on an emotional journey. At times, I noticed I was holding my breath whilst experiencing life through Fran's eyes. Nicola Rayner has a way of cutting through societal layers to discuss the uncomfortable truths of modern life. The kind of truths that are easier to walk past so that you can remain blissfully unaware. I now feel bereft that the book his finished. I want to peer into Fran's life again, just as her character watched so many others. This book is infectious, clever and the definition of a page turner.
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janet weight reed
5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put this down......
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2020
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Having read Nicola Rayner's first book I waited with baited breath for her second...and it did not disappoint. I could not put it down. It has me on the edge of my seat until th very last page.
I highly recommend....and now can't wait for her next book. Janet Weight Reed.
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Alice Johonstone
5.0 out of 5 stars BRILLIANT. Buy this book NOW. Totally gripping
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2020
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I am a self confessed bookie but I'm also picky and unless I'm grabbed in the first few pages, I'll move on. This book instantly grabs you in. I devoured it in just a few days and ended up staying up well into the night and getting up early to finish it! Brilliant twist at the end and I really bought into all the characters. Highly recommend this if you want to escape and get lost in words.
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mariankaswain
5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping, hugely satisfying thriller
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2020
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This is the second brilliant novel from Nicola Rayner (I thoroughly recommend The Girl Before You as well). Her protagonist, Fran, is fascinatingly drawn and really engaging, and the twisty storytelling is always one step ahead of the reader - leading to a surprising but very satisfying climax. It's really thoughtful in engaging with subjects like family, love, trauma, guilt, and in particular the gulf between those who do and don't have children, as well as a gripping, at times genuinely scary thriller. Definitely a must if you want a novel you can't put down!
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