Don't look back starts off strong, but ultimately does not deliver.

The only redeeming character was Mickey, but even then, she could not save this story,

3.5 stars.

This one started strong. I was quickly intrigued and thought this was looking like a winner. But then, it just fell flat and got really boring to me.

What I liked about it:

🔸️The writing was mostly fab, it was easy and enjoyable enough to keep reading.
🔸️I think it portrayed the effects of DV well.
🔸️I loved Mickey and Elliot's work, and their characters for the most part.
🔸️It is told from multi POVs, as always it confused me a minute at the start but then was good.

As for what I didn't like and why I only gave it 3.5 stars:

🔸️It just wasn't 'thrilling', it was easy to put down (or cause me to fall asleep...).
🔸️It dragged on a bit too much.
🔸️It ended up being too predictable and at the one part it wasn't, it wasn't excuted very well.
🔸️I just get really tired of reading about money, rich people's decor and self importance. It was overdone.

All in all, I don't think this was bad and the writing was certainly good, but I don't think it's my cup of tea. I think many others will enjoy it so check out the book description and others' reviews.

⚠️ check TWs online - of note is DV (descriptive assaults and lasting effect on survivor) ⚠️

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: 11 May 2023

I should probably start this review with an apology to both my Dad and Fred because I was so utterly absorbed in reading 'Don't Look Back' that I completely forgot about dinner and left them to fend for themselves! Before anyone calls the authorities, my Dad was well capable to look after himself and Fred, well he meandered off to the neighbours to complain (as any sensible cat would do).
Now, onto the review.
Rose surprises her husband Luke Miller with an expected trip to Saint Thérèse, in the Caribbean. Throughout the dream holiday, Rose has been strangely distance and now hours from their return home, she confesses the truth - she has murdered her abusive ex-boyfriend and left his body in their apartment. That is why she booked and surprised Luke with the holiday. Luke immediately reaches out to a friend for support and we soon realise that both Rose and Luke have complicated pasts and may not have been entirely honest with each other.
And so begins incredibly, pacey, edgy novel with the type of twists that are essential components of a Jo Spain thriller. The story is told across three locations: Sainte Therese, London and Donegal and told across multiple timelines, with various viewpoints and in the hands of a less-skilled author, could become confusing, but Jo Spain is a highly skilled and experienced author and she ensures that the reader can move smoothly become different aspects of the storyline and timelines.
Brilliant, simply brilliant.

I have read several of Jo Spain’s books and this one is my favourite so far. Intriguing right from the start, it keeps you turning the pages. Although plot driven, the reader gets a feel for the characters and the ending is in keeping with the narrative and the established characters despite the twist. An enjoyable read in this genre.

Another fantastic thriller from Jo Spain, she never disappoints! I read this book over two days, a real page turner!

I thought 'Don't Look Back' was going to be about a couple trying to clear up after Rose murders a man in their apartment. How wrong I was, there is so much more to this book and it is an electrifying read.
Spain has written in so many plot threads - all of them add something to the plot and all of them result in twists or red herrings being included. I never knew who to trust and it made for breathless and intense reading. I was absolutely hooked on this book and raced through it as I so desperately wanted to know the outcome.
I think Spain was clever with the characters, they are not immensely likeable but they are likeable enough and I did care about them and was rooting for them. They tell the story perfectly and I enjoyed seeing how they all intertwine with each other.
'Don't Look Back is an astonishing thriller that will leave you breathless.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy.

Thanks to Quercus for my copy of this new book coming out. It was a good thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Good writing and some good characters, though I didn’t warm to Rose at all! Overall another enjoyable read by Jo Spain.

I’ve long been a fan of Jo Spain and appreciated NetGalley giving me an opportunity to read Don’t Look Back. It’s another brilliantly plotted book, though I found I quickly tired of it being entirely written in the present tense (though I can’t put my finger on why), so I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as others in her catalogue. I also guessed the twist at the end about halfway through – not something I usually do.
But those are minor cavils; I found the plot highly original, and even though my guess of the ending happened to be correct, I certainly didn’t anticipate the many twists along the way!

I really enjoy Jo Spain's books, she is an auto read/ auto buy for me but unfortunately I did not enjoy this as much I have her previous books.

The book started strong I was immediately pulled in the story. I didn't really buy the main relationship in the book and Rose as a character didn't ring true. As the book went on there is a reason for this but being unable to connect with her as a character meant I was not too invested in what happened to her.
The first third of the book was good, well paced and love that Spain introduced the Caribbean setting although it was no Lapland, I love the destinations Spain adds to her novels and her descriptions of the island were vivid and detailed. However the plot slowed right down and there were stages were not a lot happens and there was little suspense or tension.
Mickey was a decent character and saved this book for me and the twists and turns towards the end of the novel brought a decent element of surprise.

Maybe my expectations were too high but I was a little underwhelmed by this one.

A solid enough 3* read but not a memorable read.

Jo Spain has done in again!! From the very first page I was gripped and unable to put this down. I loved the character of Mikey she was an iconic and brilliant character, and Luke and his wife Rose are well written characters, This book is excellent and the twists and turns keep on coming right to the very last page. Don't miss out on this superb book

This is just the perfect escapist beach read! The opening grabs the reader and drags you in amd I coukdnt out it down after that

The story has a hood pace and never reels rushed or like its dragging or not moving forward. Its set over a split timeline so you are going back and forth between characters, countries and times. Quite the feat fir sn author to make work without making it confusing but its done to perfection

The characters are well written with plenty secrets and mystery surrounding them. This isn't the most realistic thriller but it's a fiction book so that's what we're here for. Although the events may not be likely to happen, the characters do feel like real people. They're complex and original and I just needed to know more about them!

There are a few twists and turns, nothing too shocking to be honest but they tied in well and there weren't any plot holes in the end. In fact, the ending was really well done woth all these strands just coming together organically to a natural conclusion.

As I said, perfect for a beach read but if that's not possible then grab it anyways and enjoy the beach via the story instead

Jo Spain certainly has us travelling around the world with her thrillers. Last year it was Lapland - in Don't Look Back we travel to the Carribean. Her books are always addictive page turners, and I can't get enough of them. Anything could happen, and usually does. Yes, it is a bit wild and crazy, and I am there for it. I love a book when I am constantly surprised, and she manages to do it every single time.

Rose and Luke have had a whirlwind romance but never got a honeymoon. So, Rose decides to surprise her husband with a last-minute trip to Saint Thérèse. Sunshine, beaches and cocktails, what could be better. As they are packing to come home a week later, Rose drops a bombshell - there is a dead man in their apartment back in London and she killed him. - What the??? It is nonstop action from here, with twists and turns that you just have to read to believe.

A big thank you to Quercus Books for my advanced reading copy. Jo Spain is an author that I will always recommend. Publishes on May 11th.

Worth reading for the opening chapter alone, talk about gripping the reader from the get go! A twisty rollercoaster of a book, a lesson in trusting nobody set in London, a Carribbean island and Donegal. I just wish I'd been lying on a Carribbean beach reading it as at times the pace could have been a bit faster in my opinion. Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating: 2⭐️⭐️ mainly for the writing and the first quarter of the book otherwise what a flop!!!

Luke Miller has the perfect life, amazing wife, lot’s of money and a tribe of friends. Life gets even better when Rose, his perfect wife, surprises him with a belated honeymoon to a Caribbean paradise island.

It’s more than Luke feels like he deserves… but he is happy.

Rose becomes anxious as they pack their bags to leave the island and breaks down admitting to accidentally killing a violent man from her past. This man has been left in their London apartment for the past 7 days.

Luke knows he needs to do anything to keep Rose from harm, he calls the one person who never wanted to hear from him again… Mickey Shiels. Mickey can’t deny helping a woman in need no matter how angry she is at Luke for what he did to her.

Mickey promises to help Rose so she doesn’t have to keep running from her past… but everyone has secrets… but whose will get someone in big trouble??

This is my first Jo Spain book and it wont be my last, ONLY because I have one on the shelf to read AND I have it on good authority (Thanks Pink) that her police procedural is the goods… so I will come back.

As for Don’t Come Back… well thanks for the warning Jo Spain… I will not be coming back to this one unfortunately. So lets start with the good…

The writing was great, really exciting and punchy and I got into it easily at first. The chapters are a little long but nothing to worry about too much. I liked the alternative timeframes - not so much changes of POV (well there were but…)it was more timelines, and places which is good I am down with that. We jump back and forth in time and I really like that style… you know this already I am always down for that.

The story started off with a mystery, why is Rose so cagey, what does Luke have to hide and who is Mickey and what is she hiding??? All relevant and exciting points until you hit about the 30% mark and it was a snooze fest!!

So much story and nothing much happens, it gets really boring and just drags on and on and on all for a really boring twist and reveal. I was really hoping for something that was OMG exciting and really just got oh… cool thats what I kind of thought was going to happen but hoped it wouldn’t.

Also a big gripe I have with this is it completely corrupted my kindle. This is an ARC I got from NetGalley and the formatting was whack which I can deal with, but the file kept shutting down my kindle and then every time I finally got it to open again I had to go all the way back to the start and scroll through to find what % I was up to… cause no chapters…. Very annoying and makes for an unpleasant reading experience.

I am going to keep this short cause I don’t really have much more to say about it… many people will love this one… and it wasn’t that it was particularly bad it was just super boring in my opinion. A bit OTT which I definitely can handle… but it wasn’t even exciting OTT just stupid. There was some unrealistic stuff in it… again I can handle that… but also it was just boring!!!

In the words of Amy Santiago from Brooklyn 99 - YA BORING!!!!

Overall - if you like the author and want to see what this is about this is a well written book that probably most people will find entertaining… but if you are like me and really need a bit more substance to your books perhaps skip it…

Thank you to Quercus Books, the author and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

Another great story from Jo Spain with lots of twists and turns and interesting characters.
This would make a great Netflix series!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Luke Miller is surprised with a unplanned trip by his new wife Rose, Saint Therese is a beautiful location and who wouldn't want a spontaneous trip. All is not as it seems and Rose actually brought him away because going home wasn't an option, she's killed her abusive ex and he's lying dead in their bedroom.
Luke knows someone who can help- Enter Mickey a former barrister who now works with women fleeing abuse. But Mickey and Luke have their own past.

This story is told in multiple timelines, helping you to understand Luke and Rose's quick marriage and taking you through the abuse she was subjected to as she relates it to Luke.

The real highlight of this book is Mickey and her 'sidekick@ Elliot. They are determined to make the world a better place, one abusive man at a time.

I found the main story good, but by the conclusion it felt a little flat.

Thank you to Netgalley who sent me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Tense, Thrilling Suspense…
Be prepared for a rollercoaster ride in this twisting and turning suspense which takes the reader across the globe and also into the darkest recesses of the human mind. A belated honeymoon for Luke and Rose is just the beginning - from there events begin to take a dark and dismal turn as lies and secrets come tumbling out of the woodwork at breakneck speed. With a deft pen the author creates a plot populated with credible characters and an edgy narrative as numerous threads are cleverly woven and gradually collide. Tense, page turning, one sit thrilling suspense.

Don't Look Back begins with newlyweds Rose and Luke who are taking a belated honeymoon to a remote Caribbean island. At the end of their trip, Rose admits that her violent ex had tracked her down to their London flat, there was an altercation and she ended up killing him. Luke is shocked that there is a dead body in the home they are about to return to and calls his friend, Mickey, for advice.

This is a fast paced and action packed story set in Sainte Therese, London and Donegal and told across multiple timelines. I was quickly drawn in to the story and empathised with the characters throughout.

There were SO many twists and turns along the way, I felt that I couldn't be sure who to trust for certain.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

This was my first book by Jo Spain, and I have already ordered two more. While I figured out right away who was all in on this, i didn't figure out why or the connections. So this book had really good suspense and kept my attention. I powered through it in one day. This book shows true dedication but also show how you can easily let love sway their mind and actions. Highly recommended!

What a story, the twists and turns were incredible. I’d love to see this one brought to life on the telly. Brilliant characters and superb writing. I will check out the authors back catalogue. Thank you!