Book: The Life She Wants
Author: Mel Sherratt
Pub Day: Nov 29th
Book Description:
From behind the curtains, Sarah spotted the man coming out of the house, followed by the woman. It would be strange seeing people in the property. She wondered how much it would change their lives. For now, she would bide her time and hopefully get to know them better. She needed to gain their trust. When I met Richard, I fell for him instantly. He was able to give me everything I had always wanted, the dream house, security and above all, love like I’d never known. We lived a quiet life in the middle of nowhere; we didn’t need anyone else. So, when the empty house next door is sold, I am wary. Will our neighbours invade the perfect life Richard has built for us? As soon as I meet Juliette and Danny, I am reassured. Overwhelmed by grief after the death of their young daughter, they have moved in search of a quiet life and a chance to start again. Over dinner one evening, we hit it off instantly and I know they are just the neighbours we need. All is well until Juliette spots a young girl in our garden. Richard convinces her that she is seeing things, that it’s the grief taking over. But Juliette won’t let it go. She is sure she saw a child. She believes that Richard is threatening her. She starts to think that I’m not safe. I need to convince Juliette that she’s imagining it. I need to keep Richard happy. If I am to protect everything I have built for myself, she must never find out the truth. That my perfect life is built on the deadliest lie. A heart-stopping psychological thriller with a truly brilliant twist, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, T.M. Logan and K.L. Slater.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Life She Wants' by Mel Sherratt.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Mel Sherratt, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 29th November 2021.
This is the second book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'Ten Days' and which I highly recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'A heart-stopping psychological thriller with a truly brilliant twist, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, T.M. Logan and K.L. Slater'. I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell and K. L. Slater so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Mel and if this is half as good as 'Ten Days' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue and 67 chapters written over three parts. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is set in the Midlands 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧. I always seem to get on with books that are set in the UK better as I am from Wales and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book. The fact that this book is based in the Midlands is even better as I've visited and holidayed in the Midlands many times. I'm definitely excited to see if it mentions any places I recognise!!
This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective and the protagonists are Juliette, Sarah and Louisa. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.
'The Life She Wants' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Mel discusses/includes death of a child.
Wow!!!! What did I just read???!!! Love, love, LOVED IT!!! Well done Mel you've done it again!!!
OMG!!!! What a shocking, unpredictable page turner that was!!! Absolutely unputdownable!!! Extremely well written with vivid descriptions. The cover and synopsis fitted the storyline perfectly.
The storyline is unique and I was absolutely captivated from the very first sentence until the end. I love the fact that we get to see what is happening from so many different characters perspectives. OMG so many twists!!!!! I LOVE IT!!! Its very rare that a book can completely shock me but Mel managed it so many times I lost count! There were some major assumption in my part and I feel several other readers will do this too. I had no idea who to trust and who was telling the truth and the twists just kept coming. It also goes to show that firstly you never know what goes on behind closed doors and secondly you can't judge someone by their 'cover'. I was completely absorbed throughout and I just couldn't put this book down!! The storyline is absolutely rammed full of shocks, tension, suspense, twists, turns and much more, everything you could ask for in a psychological thriller!!!
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
I was extremely invested in the characters and I enjoyed learning not only about Juliette, Louis and Sarah and the other characters but it was also fascinating to learn about Richard. I had quite alot of sympathy for Louisa and even Sarah on several occasions and what they went through is sadly something that happens on a daily basis. I won't say any further than that as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. I loved how Eva was such a fighter and a very strong female lead, I was absolutely devastated by certain events, again I won't say more than that but they were heartbreaking.
A MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS Mel on what is definitely a huge success. Such a heart racing, rollercoaster ride filled with suspense and tension. I cannot wait to read more of your previous and future books, especially any psychological thrillers you have coming up. This is why you are in my top authour club!!!
Overall a heart stopping, unputdownable, page turning psychological thriller that will shock and surprise you throughout!!!
Genres covered in this novel include Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Psychological Thriller and Psychological Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Lisa Jewell, T.M. Logan and K.L. Slater.
306 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@MelSherratt @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio:
Mel Sherratt is the author of fifteen crime novels, all of which have become bestsellers, and has sold over 1.5 million books.
For the past four years, she has been named as one of her home town of Stoke-on-Trent’s top 100 influential people. Shortlisted for the Crime Writer’s Association Dagger in the Library in 2014, she regularly appears at festivals and is featured in newspapers and magazines.
She lives in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, with her husband and terrier, Dexter.
https://melsherratt.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/MelSherrattauthor/
https://www.instagram.com/mel_sherratt/
https://twitter.com/writermels
US: zpr.io/mTSNLRZvH
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Audio links:
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