Who are we in relation to others

I love that the book explored how humans often maintain a predictable group dynamic by having people slip into the role of a particular character quite subconsciously..
the end was very satisfying and the narrator was truly excellent!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

An unexpectedly great story

Loved the narration, a great story with twists and turns that was engrossing. Unexpected ending. Will be looking forward to more books by this author.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Nicola's narration is so charming!

I will be honest, the moment I saw Nicola Coughlan was the narrator, I instantly chose this as my next listen and as always she absolutely smashed it!
The story is an easy listen, a smidge slow at times but overall worth the listen! Also the ending is great. Some parts of the story don't always go where you expect and that was surprisingly refreshing ❤️

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Avoid Toxic friends and Being Treated Like a Doormat

Wow!

Talk about the “toxic” friends group.

This book had me staying awake at nights listening to the excellent narrative of Nicola Coughlan ( Bridgestone ).

It centres around Abby and her extraordinary relationship with the Uber rich, beautiful. Vivacious, self centred, Hetty.

Having first met at College, where Abby was the poor scholarship kid, their friendship group soon expands to include several other characters, James and Charlie ( female ) Effie, Max all are, well,to do, comfortably off.

For Abby though, it’s always a struggle financially to keep up with her friend’s group.

But, above tall is her relationship with Hetty, and how her admiration for her, ends up with…
Well.
Abby being treated like a doormats.

Hetty is the girl everyone else seems to obit around.

As we start this story, it’s from the POV of Abby’s reminiscence.

Of a time when they were all eighteen, having fun in Scotland during Summer holidays.

It’s here where, we are introduced to everyone m and learn of their relationships.

It’s also the same location that over two decades later Hetty’s body will be found.


From that point on, the story jumps between the past and present, as we learn more about the complicated friendship of Abby and Hetty.

We also learn about the connection between Abby and Max, and their bubbling attraction for each other over the years , that they don’t seem in the right place to act upon.


As we go retrograde through the years, one thing becomes plain and clear.


The absolute selfishness, and entitlement that IS Hetty,

AND!
How she takes people for granted in her life.

She enjoys her standing in her friends group, and in the public eye, and society in general, and is determined to maintain it.

It appears to have come to fruition when she gets a spot on breakfast television after being on a lame home decoration show.

But!

It’s when Hetty feels her star is about to wain, as far as her public is concerned , that she pulls her ultimate betrayal.


As for Abby, she has struggling through a group of mundane catering jobs, before rising to a plum job in customer

service, before she meets, Adam, her boyfriend, and is finally able to be her photographic/ creative skills to work
, putting her savings into their growing Wedding Photography Business.

But things rarely run smoothly, as she and Adam have issues, and soon her anger boils over resulting in tragedy.

As a lover of Suspense/ Thrillers , this story had me hooked from the get go.

( plus! Nicola’s soothing voice 😘 )

Betrayal, wealth, hints of dark academia., UK setting

Loved it !!!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

I will listen to anything narrated by Nicola Coughlan and this was another cracker of a book

The book is told from the point of view of Abbie, a regular girl who falls in with a posh crowd at University in Scotland. The story goes backwards and forwards in time from the present, aged 40 to various points in their past from 18 onwards. Abbie’s best friend is Hattie, whose funeral the friends gather at. Hattie life appears to be struggle after struggle while her friends, with the help of their trust funds have landed on much more solid ground.

It isn’t a cheerful book at all and I would find myself pondering the characters between listens which is always a good sign. I didn’t predict where is was heading but did feel satisfied with the outcome. Nicola Coughlan does an excellent job reading the book, as she always does. She is really great at portraying all the different characters and accents.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Brilliant

what an interesting story. It was written differently,I enjoyed the process, the undoing of the truth. I was amazed at the twists in the plot. A very interesting book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Fantastic!

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Great character building, great narration and i loved that her cast start at age 40 and then go back to younger years. The story is told so well. I want another book please Sarah Forbes Stewart.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A very enjoyable listening experience 😊

A delightfully engaging storyline with brilliant narration from Nicola Coughlan. I didn’t know what to expect from this book but I was pleasantly surprised. Nicola Coughlan is a lovely gentle and skilled narrator which made the emotional content of the story much more accessible. The story just ran along very smoothly, and I have to say, I did not guess the surprise ending, which I very much enjoyed, because I usually do guess endings. I would highly recommend this book, well worth a listen 👏

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book!

No spoilers here but it resonated strongly with me in my high school years and hanging around with a “popular” girl who would always get asked out while little ol me with my skinny frame, red hair and braces didn’t exactly draw the boys in at the time.
I would learn about toxicity and “frenemies” and realising too late that I was just a handbag until she found a new one.
Excellently narrated.
Highly recommend!
Nicola
South Australia

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Nicola shines through

Abigail Sinclaire really can't catch a break, but does she really want to?
Abbie seems perfectly content to be the ring in of her upper-class social group, but secretly knows, one word from her best friend, Hetty, would see her banished from everything and everyone she's known since the first fateful day Hetty asked her to join her for a cigarette. And now Hetty is dead.

While Hetty and Adam, even Max, are detestable characters, Abbie's lack of a backbone or self worth make her hard to cheer for, with only the slightest defrosting towards her character occurring when she meets Penny, a woman who finally sees Abbie's for who she is.

The book is a little slow and frustrating, but the ending was a great surprise, and made the read worth it.
Nicola Coughlan shines as it's narrator, with perfect accents and the greatest use of vulnerability, spite and class.

While it's not a book I'm likely to read again, it was a nice distraction while I wait for the next book in a series I'm reading to be released.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!