I loved living with these characters again, and e-exploring the nuance of the conflict in Northern Ireland. Like "Milkman," Berry's two books don't romanticize the IRA, and cast them as terrorists instead of freedom-fighting anti-colonialists. I enjoyed the several twists and for the most part, hadn't seen them coming. I also appreciate how much both this and "Northern Spy" are about motherhood; I watched an interview with Berry when "NS" came out and she said her own child was the same age as Finn at the time, which is probably true of "Trust Her." So much of her insights on parenting are spot-on, especially how interiorally all-consuming it is even amidst exterior terror.

Trust Her by Flynn Berry is the second installment in her Northern Spy series. This book is marketed as a thriller, but I would categorize it more as a tense story of family. The story picks up three years after the first book, Northern Spy ends. Sisters Tessa and Marian are living under new identifies in Dublin when Tessa is pulled back into the world of the IRA. This time, she is asked to turn her MI5 handler so that the IRA can have someone on the inside. Once again, Tessa’s life is turned upside down and she tried to juggle both sides of a bloody conflict.

The prose was smooth and the pacing in the story was done well. We weren’t sitting in one scene for too long, which in theory should have made the story move along quickly. However, it felt like I was reading nothing — like I was reading the equivalent of plain toast. These huge plot points that are laid out in the beginning of the book seem to take a back seat for the next 80% of the book. Tessa is supposed to turn Eamonn but nothing happens on that front until the very last part of the book. What was I reading then for two hundred pages??

I couldn’t connect with Tessa as a character, which really dampened the reading experience for me. In Trust Her she felt so one-dimensional, like her only personality trait was being a single mom. I totally get wanting to care for your child and prioritizing them, and yet none of her choices really did that because she kept finding herself in easily preventable situations. It was tough for me to really believe the story and therefore made it tough for me to have any real buy in.

For me, this book is a 3/5. I wish the story had been longer so we could have flushed out more of the characters (like, Eamonn??) and I wish that some of the circumstances that the story’s foundation was built on were a bit more believable. I probably wouldn't read this book again, but I might recommend it to someone who was really interested in Irish culture or needed an easy and quick beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

For a longer review with spoilers, please check out my blog www.bookishbythebay.blog

The perfect follow-up to Northern Spy! This story is the definition of atmospheric. It’s so beautifully written, full of such vivid and raw emotion. Not quite a thriller, or even a suspense novel, but rather a story of motherhood, of sisters, of loyalty, and a quest to reclaim a sense of self.

There were so many loose threads at the end of Northern Spy, including some unresolved issues between Tessa and Marian, so I was thrilled when Trust Her was announced. This story picks up three years afterwards, but still has all the signature tension and espionage I loved so much. I really enjoyed getting an inside look at the conflict around Northern Ireland. This series touches on all sides, but makes clear the spirit and determination of the Irish people.

One major theme in this story is forgiveness. You watch that come into play with every twist and turn of the pages. The ending was bittersweet, but so perfect. Exactly the closure I needed for these characters! If you’re looking for a contemporary novel set in Ireland, look no further than Flynn Berry’s work.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this outstanding title by one of my favorite authors.

Flynn Berry continues to be one of my favorite writers and I will drop just about anything to read her latest. I actually liked this even more than Northern Spy, which is saying a lot. Trust Her is very well written, emotional, suspenseful, surprising and held my attention throughout--I could not put this down. Highly recommend!

I’m a sucker for a book with Irish characters, places, culture. Don’t ask me why; I couldn’t answer you.

This novel, it hit every spot and then some. It is the best contemporary novel I have read; there is suspense, and love, but at the end of the day this is about family. About the lengths we go to for each other.

The writing has a way of holding your heart’s tail hostage until the very end. I felt like I’d give it away to get there.

My heart aches for Eamonn & Tessa. My two favorite characters, besides Finn of course.

#NetGalley

4.5 stars, rounded up
Trust Her is the follow up to The Northern Spy. It begins three years later. Tessa and her sister Marian are now living in Ireland under new names, having escaped Belfast and the IRA. And no, this isn’t an historical story. Unbeknownst to me until reading The Northern Spy, the IRA is still active in Belfast and still extracting revenge against informers.
The story begins when Tessa is kidnapped and told she must find a way to turn her handler into an IRA informer or watch the IRA go after all her family, even cousins. It’s something that will involve a slow process of luring him in. But while doing that, her whole relationship with him becomes complicated. Tessa is walking a tightrope between the two sides, along with her own moral compass. It’s a situation where there are no good choices. But Tessa is a mother and at heart, she must protect Finn. Berry does a great job of putting us into Tessa’s head and I felt all of her confusion, including her feelings about her mother and sister.
This isn’t a book with a lot of action, but there’s a great underlying sense of tension throughout. It’s proof that you can have a great thriller without going overboard on the OTT exploits. And the ending was just perfect. I didn’t see any of the twists coming.
Berry’s writing is concise yet perfectly descriptive. Scenes were extremely easy to envision.
I highly recommend reading The Northern Spy before reading this.
My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group for an advance copy of this book.

Dear Flynn Berry: Please keep writing! I love your books! I believe that there is a special niche for writers like you: Smart fiction with the most beautifully crafted sentences that also make me hold my breath and tense my shoulders. "Trust Her" is no exception and I've just devoured in almost one sitting.

Seriously... as an avid reader of all kinds of fiction but.a lover of all kinds of thrillers I find that lately there are so many writers cranking out really formulaic stories with zero character development. And twists that are so over the top they are cringy. So when an author comes along that keeps you absolutely glued to the story AND develops characters that you find yourself completely attached to AND writes descriptive passages that you read and reread because they are achingly. beautiful... well that is something rare and worth reading!

"Trust Her" is a follow on to Berry's last book "The Northern Spy" and while you can read it as a stand alone I would recommend reading "The Norther Spy" first because it is a fantastic book and you will understand some of the relationships in "Trust Her" so much better.

It is a story about two sisters from Belfast who, after becoming entangled with the IRA turn to become informers and are forced to flee to Dublin to start over with new identities. "Trust Her" picks up three years after they have moved to Dublin and are focused on living normal lives and raising their families all the while looking over their shoulders and triple locking their doors and windows at night. They are found by the IRA and are forced to make devastating choices to ensure their own safety and that of their families. It is a story about love and survival and just how far we will go to protect those we love.

Many thanks to Flynn Berry, Netgally and Viking Press for this Advanced Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Well, first I have to say that I had no idea that this book was the sequel to Northern Spy, Berry's previous book.
I read Nothern Spy 2 or 3 years ago, loved it and when I saw that Flynn Berry had a new book coming up, I just requested it. I haven't even read the synopsis, so imagine my surprise when I noticed Trust Her was actually a sequel to Nothern Spy!
In this new book we keep following the sisters Tessa and Marian, a few years later. Their dynamic is a little different this time and the complications of one sister's past are more serious and life-threatening now.
Even though I did like to spend more time following the sisters' routines with their kids, you know..being a mom and trying to live a simple and honest life, I also felt like the author wasted a little time doing that instead of exploring more the potential of the politics and how high the stakes were this time. I mean, this is a short book, in my opinion, and there were so many topics to be adressed insuch a short book.
Also, maybe because I already know the characters, the setting and their environment, I guess this book didn't impress me as much as the previous one.
I did really enjoy this one and I definitely recommend it to readers who've read Northern Spy and enjoyed it.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with a free eARC of this novel.

Let me start off by saying that I had no idea this book was coming out. I read the first book when it originally was released and I found it so intriguing and really enjoyed reading it.

This book really blew me away for some reason. I could not put it down. I had forgotten some of the plot points in the original story but this book did help fill in some of the pieces that I couldn’t remember. I also liked how at the end some of the truth to the stories in the first book were revealed.

Also, I was kind of shocked at who Eammon turned out to be, but I did get a vibe that something about him didn’t add up after the ending of the original book.

One thing that I did find strange- why were Marian and Tessa’s new identities never revealed to the reader? I kept wondering if their new names were ever going to be told and was kind of disappointed that they weren’t for some reason. I suppose it makes sense though because the reader knows their true identities.

Either way, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it even if you hadn’t read the first, I feel like enough of the original story is told through this book that a reader would not be lost.

A well written book , full of believable family members. I was interested in the IRA/nationalist conflicts and the Troubles. This seems to be a well researched book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Trust Her
by Flynn Berry
Pub Date: June 25, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Three years after they narrowly escaped the IRA's worst punishment for informing, Northern Irish sisters Tessa and Marian Daly have built a new life in Dublin with their young children. Though Tessa is haunted by the abrupt and violent end to her old life, she does her best to immerse herself in the joys of Finn's childhood and the rhythms of her new job at the Irish Observer.
Readers of mystery thrillers of all kinds will revel in this start-to-finish pressure cooker, including readers of procedural crime stories, such as those written by Michael Connelly. Even readers of certain non-fiction books, such as Schindler’s List, will likely be entranced by this story, which is clearly well-researched, for historical accuracy as well for details relevant to locale and culture.

This long-awaited sequel to “Northern Spy” did not disappoint. Tessa and her sister Marian are back but living a new life out of the IRA. Tessa is attacked by old IRA enemies who ask her to compromise her old MI-5 handler. The same tension present in Flynn Berry’s last book is still here. With twists and turns and some unexpected revelations, this book is a must-read for any Flynn Berry fan. Highly recommend!

Trust Her picks up where Northern Spy left off, featuring Irish sisters Tessa and Marian and their entanglement with the IRA. This story, although a very suspenseful book, adds a dimension of what a mother's love looks like, and the unique and special love between sisters.

Some time has elapsed since the end of Northern Spy, and the sisters are settled in Ireland with new identities and children. But their peaceful lives don't last long...

Flynn does a great job of keeping readers on the edge of their seats to find out how the sisters will get Tessa out of a sticky situation, especially when no choice is a good choice! This book was nice and twisty, with some I did NOT see coming! (Which is hard to do since I read so many suspense books!)

This was a fun book, and I definitely enjoyed it!

This is a sequel to NORTHERN SPY but stands alone just fine. Once again Berry delivers a fascinating exploration of women’s involvement in the IRA and the subsequent impact on families, neighborhoods, and entire communities, packed in a riveting spy story.

Wow! I loved this! I couldn’t put it down and read during every free second I could spare. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Trust Her
By Flynn Berry

Release Date: June 25, 2024

Themes:
🤫 Secrets
🇮🇪 Irish
🪧 Political Unrest

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

"Trust Her" by Flynn Berry immerses readers in the picturesque landscapes of Ireland while exploring political themes and violence throughout its narrative.

The first half of the book was slow and very dialogue-heavy, but persistence paid off as the story gains momentum in its latter half. Berry adeptly weaves a tapestry of suspense, captivating audiences with multifaceted characters and unforeseen plot developments.

Overall, "Trust Her" offers a compelling blend of atmospheric setting, intricate characterizations, and gripping storytelling, all within a framework of political intrigue and Irish history.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and @netgalley for the #ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wonderful follow up to Northern Spy, although the twisty ending turns some of that novel on its head , making me wish I had reread it before delving into this one. Flynn Berry does a wonderful job providing the sense of lace and time, as well as the anxiety and tension related to the events affecting these sisters turned British informers against the IRA.

It has been a bit of time since the Daly sisters escaped and made new identities. But the IRA is tenacious.

The women are settled in the Republic of Ireland, raising children and trying to move on.

When Tessa is kidnapped in order to get Mairan to turn her British handler, things get tense.

The suspense in this one was done so well. A very satisfying end.


NetGalley/ Penguin Group/ Viking June 25, 2024

"Marian pointed out that mam was not, in fact, a widow, and she said, 'There's no word for what I am.'"

I've been wanting to read one of Flynn Berry's novels since she came out with "Under the Harrow" and finally got my chance when I scored a digital copy of #trusther from #netgalley (thank you). I was not disappointed. I realized after the fact that it's a sequel to an earlier novel, "Northern Spy", which was a tad disappointing, because I would've liked to start at the beginning of Marian and Tessa's stories. Still, I was enthralled by this book, and the places Tessa and Marian find themselves. Tessa's love for Finn was palpable, and such a driving force for her. Loyal is at the heart of this book - loyalty to country, to kin, and to ourselves. And it's not always clear, or black and white. Highly, highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was follows her first book Northern Spy, which would recommend reading first, but I think can even be read as a stand alone. The characters were well thought out. The plot was intriguing and the story was suspenseful. I don't know a lot about the political history of Ireland, but I did not have trouble following the story, the author did a great job.