I found this book a bit disconcerting and difficult to get into initially, but once I'd got used to the different characters contributing to the story I found it a good read. Erin Kelly tantalises the reader by letting you know early on that the main character and her husband have restructured their lives and are hiding so that Beth is unable to find them, but you don't find out just what Beth has done and why they're hiding from her for a long time. Then, when everything falls into place everything gets turned on its head! I liked the twists and turns and once I'd got used to the story flitting between characters I found I liked the way it had been told! It's a good thriller with twists and turns you don't expect.

I am afraid that I actually gave up on this title. I barely ever give up reading a book I have started, as I always need to know how it ends. With this one, I couldn't have cared less! Sorry Erin Kelly, but there is my honest review. A rather poor show!

Absolutely gripping thriller from a writer at the top of her game. Clever, nuanced and beautifully written.

The first thing I did when I finished reading this book was to find what else Erin Kelly had written in order to read anything else she had written and wasn't surprised to see she had penned 'Broadchurch'. So many books these days tell you 'you won't see the twist coming'. Well, I usually do or else a ridiculous bit is added at the end which is so unrealistic, just to,provide that twist - not with this book. The narrative was superlative, from the description of characters to the unfolding of the story and, no, I didn't see the twist coming. Highly recommended.

I've just finished a great book. I normally only read romance/YA/paranormal books, so He Said She Said is a little out of my preferred genre as it's a crime thriller at heart.

I got He Said/She Said through NetGalley so thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read it. He Said/She Said releases in April 20th 2017, according to Goodreads.

Did I enjoy He Said/She Said? Yes.

Would I recommend He Said/She Said? To an adult, yes, if you want a chilling, read where you don't know who to trust. To a teenager, no because the story got depressing in places and I honestly don't think a teenager would enjoy it. To a child, no. It's not the sort of book a child should be reading. I'd give He Said/She Said an age rating of 16+.

Would I reread He Said/She Said? No. Just because with crime/thriller books I think I only need to read them once to get the full story. There's an answer at the end - did he/she do whatever they're being accused of. That's all I think I need to know.

3 Stars!

The basic story is Laura and Kit are in love before the story starts. They're both eclipse chasers. When at an eclipse party they see an incident take place. They are unsure of what to do. This incident is the main plot of the whole story. What continues from this main plot point is uncertainty for most of the characters as well as secrets that get revealed. The book is set around the sun's eclipse. The 5 parts of the book are named after parts of the eclipse.

He Said/She Said is based in England, mainly although we do see some other locations through the different perspectives we follow.

We see the story through both the eyes of Laura and Kit. Laura is pregnant with twins and Kit is on an eclipse chase for part of the novel. I didn't really see the point in these chapters from Kit's perspective. All they did was make me eager to keep reading to find out what Laura was going through, back in England. But maybe that was what they were meant to do.

Spoilers below...

This is a long book so I'm not going to be able to go over every point here, but the main one, I think is: The abuse of Beth (the main side character) and whether or not it was actually a sexual assault or not. This is the main plot point of the book, whether or not she was abused by Jamie, another side character or not. All other points are joined at least somewhat to this main one.

Laura, Kit, Beth, and Jamie all have to go through the court case. Laura lies in her testimony saying that Beth definitely didn't consent to the sex, when she doesn't know if she did or didn't. We see this part of the story through Laura's eyes.

I don't really want to write anymore of what happens in the story because as I said above, I think it's best to go into blind, so you can be surprised like the first person narrative you're reading from. But there are many twists/ turns and secrets revealed to keep your eyes on. I could certainly see why it's called He Said/She Said, once I was finished reading it because I just didn't know who to trust.

I'm giving He Said/She Said 3 stars because the story gripped me and it was spine tingling to read. However, the chapters from Kit's perspective got to me, and although you need to read them to understand his character, I just found them rather boring. I liked how the format of the book was set around the eclipse, and how each chapter had the next step in the eclipse. I'm also never going to reread it as I said above, so that took a star off my rating.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It seemed slow to start, then became more interesting and then had to pack a lot into the last few pages. I was interested enough in the outcome to carry on reading, but only just. There were too many bits I wasn't really engaged by, particularly 'eclipses of the century,when and where' , and Kit's uneventful but lengthily described trip to see the latest one.
I also didn't feel any real empathy with any of the characters. They seemed to be all stereotypes : hippy, earth-mother, dedicated scientist, addict etc.
Having said all that, I did stick with it to the end and was keen to know if all the moral dilemmas were resolved. I suppose it was just not my sort of book. Sorry!

He Said, She Said is one of the best books that I have read this year.
Told by two different people over a period of fifteen years it focuses on Laura and Kit who are witnesses to an attack at a festival to celebrate the eclipse. When Laura makes an error of judgement at the trial she is afraid of the consequences. But she doesn’t expect to be still living in fear years later. Beth, the young woman who was attacked is very much a part of their lives but they are not comfortable with her being so close to them. Laura’s story covers the way she has suffered since the trial and how she has kept it secret but Kit’s shows a more selfish side and how he has done things that places them in more danger.
I love a book with more than one narrator that also covers more than one period in time and I should imagine that it is difficult to do. Erin Kelly though has done it very well. There is a lot of drama and tension all the way through the book and both Laura and Kit have really suffered since the eclipse. At times, I felt very tense while reading and when it switched narrator I couldn’t wait to return to see what happened next.
The court scenes were the most convincing that I have read. A very convincing villain who maintained his innocence, a ruthless lawyer who had no sympathy at all for a victim. It was also, just as terrifying as I imagine it to be on a witness stand.
This is only the second book I have read by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more by her.
Erin Kelly will be appearing at First Monday Crime on the 6th March. This looks like a very interesting evening and details can be found here

With thanks to the publisher for the copy via NetGalley.

This was a very well-constructed, well thought out thriller.

The plot was based around a subject I had never even thought was as big as it apparently is (eclipse chasing that is, not the other central theme), which was interesting in it itself. The story is unravelled through two timelines, one in the past and one in the present, both of which serve to provide a true representation of one crucial event that triggered all subsequent events, through the peeling back of layer upon layer of deceit, lies, and half-truths.

Some great twists and turns throughout the book keep the reader engaged from the start. I personally love the way the ending was wrapped up, and who wouldn't enjoy one last character reveal to leave you imploring yourself 'whose actions can be justified, if any'.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A slow start but once you get through 25% , it picks up pace. The story follows Laura and Kit around the world, chasing eclipses. Laura witnesses a rape during a festival and that changes everything between her and Kit. The end is a bit drastic but quite chilling! A good read.

A good move on in the unreliable narrator genre.

More than a psych thriller. Quite enjoyed the eclipse chasing backdrop.

My only complaint would be Kits narration which still very much backsup Laura's version of Beth, which in retrospect doesn't add up. Not sure why he'd claim to be so terrified of seeing her....

But doesn't take away from page turner build as a reader.

A very engaging and thought-provoking tale with some super twists. It's told in two viewpoints by Laura and Kit so we see how they each react to the incident, the trial and the reappearance in their lives of the accuser and the accused. Information is introduced gradually, casting things in a different light and then a different one again and building up to a dramatic finale. The motif of the different stages of the eclipse echoing the shadowy uncertainty and gradual revelation of the truth worked for me and I'd definitely recommend this book.

This book was a bit of a slow start for me, mainly because I'm not at all interested in eclipses! But that didn't last for long, I was totally hooked after a few pages more! . The plot line was so clever, and had me guessing or thinking I knew, when I didn't! The original story line draws you in, you make judgements around what happened, or didn't happen, who was guilty, or not. But then it takes a more complex turn. Its so well written and the characters are so well described, I felt I knew them all really well. Having said that, I didn't see the twists that started coming fast and furious towards the end of the story. Brilliant book, I loved it!

Over on Goodreads, there appears a trend for defining books of this genre as "twist-lit". Think of novels like Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train in which a defining twist turns everything you had believed on it's head.

This is exactly what He Said She Said did for me. It is the thriller I have waited to read for a long, long time.

I came to read this quite by accident while browsing through ARCs on Netgalley. Featured among the "most requested titles" it was described as domestic noir: a novel featuring a central storyline of a brutal attack and it's aftermath for the two key witnesses. But it is so very much more than that. It is a tour-de-force of impending dread, a psychological joyride through the nuances of truth, trust and control.

The story is told through the eyes of the two central protagonists, Laura and her boyfriend Kit, They are students at first, helping to run a tea stall at a festival in Lizard Point in Devon at the time of the solar eclipse. In the aftermath of totality, Laura stumbles upon a brutal attack on a young woman, followed shortly by Kit. As witnesses, they are drawn into the court case - a case of "he said, she said" in terms of conviction, which lays claim to the novel's title.

Chapters alternate between the past (the eclipse, court case and aftermath) to the present day, and between the viewpoints of both Laura and Kit. This effect is seamless for the most part, though there were a few sections towards the end when I needed to turn back to remind myself "where" in the story I was reading.

A sense of dread pervades throughout this fantastically layered novel. Little by little, the characters' true personality and motivations are revealed. My sense of "the truth" was turned on it's head several times throughout this first reading, particularly around three-quarters of the way through when the major plot twist occurs. I had to read a particular sentence several times before the truth of it sank in. It was masterfully delivered!

One of the most enjoyable - and haunting - elements of He Said She Said is the exploration of dependency and abuse. The lines between these two traits of personality are deliberately blurred: none just for one or two characters, but for all of them. I also really liked the theme of "eclipse chasing", which was fantastically well-researched and added a huge depth to the story to inspire character motivations.

This is such a well-written novel, perfectly delivered and retrospectively haunting. I sincerely hope this received the attention and sales it deserves. In fact, I'm unsure I even want to read another thriller this year: He Said She Said was so good that I'm not sure any other twist-lit title could compare!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced reading copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

He Said/She Said' by Erin Kelly is a very entertaining read in a disturbing and twisted way. It is extremely well written, and the plot is very clever. I was unsure about it at first and it took a little time to get into it, but I am so glad that I stuck with it. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed this book although I have to be honest, I nearly gave up at times. Personally, I think it is far too long, too much space is given over to Kit on the ship and also pages full of background information without any dialogue. I started to get impatient to learn what secret connected them to the dreaded Beth, but felt as though I was wading through chapters that went on and on without getting any nearer to the truth. The storyline was excellent and also the surprise ending, but it definitely needs trimming down. Sad to say I skimmed some pages but am glad I stuck with it as the writing is really excellent.

This was difficult for me, I wanted o give four stars but I did find the beginning of the novel really slow, however, once, the action moved to Cornwall so did the story. It picked up, then galloped along at a cracking pace drawing me in to the story. However I did find the ending drawn out and a bit unlikely. Hence really more of a 3.5 star read.

Brilliant book. Excellent main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

Interesting,intricate,complicated,complex and plenty surprises.

A compelling dark psychological drama which begins with a young couple witnessing a violent act in Cornwall while viewing the eclipse and then deals with the aftermath. The author writes very well and the background of various eclipses adds to the atmosphere.

We know from the beginning of the book that Laura and Kit who witnessed the attack on Beth live in fear of their lives and Laura in particular is obsessional about keeping their identities a secret. She is pregnant and Kit heads off eclipse hunting without her. We also know that they are afraid of Beth, the victim of the alleged attack. Through a dual timeline between the 2000 eclipse and 2015 eclipse and a dual narrative from the perspective of Laura and Kit, we can begin to piece together what happened. The chapters from Laura were full of anxiety and worry, the author conveyed her feelings so well, but the chapters from Kit were a little drawn out and dull.

This isn't a story about the violent act and the court case. This was just a trigger for what happened next. It's more about the consequences of actions and even lies. I wasn't sure I liked either of the main characters. Victim Beth seemed to have more dimension and there was always a question for me over how she was being painted.

For me, the final unravelling was a bit weak but the chilling final sentence made up for it. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

This is the first book by Erin Kelly that I have read although I have of course, watched Broadchurch. If you have read, or indeed watched and enjoyed Broadchurch, Gone Girl or Girl on a Train then you will love this book. Just as you think you are coming to terms with the situation and the characters there's a totally unexpected and often chilling twist to take you unawares.

The story flits between various times and the story is related in turn by the two main players but this is done so seamlessly it doesn't cause the reader any problem. Erin Kelly's main talent does seem to be the unexpected that with hindsight is perfectly plausible. The author has obviously done her research on eclipses however her characters are maybe not as well rounded or indeed as likeable as I would have wished and the story did seem longer than it really needed to be but overall this is a great book that I would recommend to anyone that enjoys a chilling thriller.