Quick read, captivating. I really needed to know what happened to Melody. FABULOUS last page hook - still not sure what to think - Yes I wish it was not the end!

Cara's motivations and struggles did not resonate with me. I did, however, love the descriptions of the Swallowtail Resort. Almost as good as being there. Who doesn't relate to the fear of finding oneself in an already occupied hotel room? And Melody...

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. An easy recommend for fans of Paula Hawkins etc.

Did you see Melody? Cara Burrows is an English housewife who, out of character, leaves her family and takes off for two weeks at a 5 star spa resort in the USA. As you do! Using a chunk of the family savings to get there. I was expecting some truly awful scenario for what had driven Cara away. I was underwhelmed with the reason to be honest. However, it gets an exhausted Cara to the resort where she has to be for the story to work. and it does work. When she arrives she is given her room key and half asleep she stumbles into the room, only to find it already occupied. What happens next is a series of events that get out of Cara's control. Did Cara Burrows see America's famous lost girl? Hard to believe in this day and age that the story wasn't also well known in the UK, if it was as high profile as claimed. Cara reluctantly is drawn into a friendship with the larger than life Tarin Fry and her daughter whose repartee lent some humour. I can truly say that I didn't see the ending coming at all, and I won't spoil it by saying any more about it, but I raced to the end to see how everyone fitted in to what happened. Even on the final pages we are left with a question that I wanted answered. I think there is more to explore with this story. We need another book with what actually happened to Melody!!

When she finds out that her husband and children aren’t quite as excited about her pregnancy as she is, Cara Burrows packs her bags and flies to America to create some space between herself and her family. Breaking into the family savings to spend some time at a five-star resort, Cara is shocked when, arriving at her room, she finds it already occupied by a man and a teenage girl. Initially accepting it as an oversight, she soon becomes troubled when she recognises the girl as Melody Chapa whose parents are currently serving life sentences for her murder. Can the most famous murder victim in the USA actually still be alive and will Cara be able to find out the truth before her own fate is sealed?

I had seen some glowing reviews of this book and so couldn’t wait to to read it myself after being intrigued by the very novel premise – a murder victim who isn’t actually dead. Initially, Cara seemed a very impulsive character, not really caring about the consequences of her actions but we soon discover that this is all a front and that she is experiencing great inner turmoil and has placed herself in a very vulnerable situation. In contrast, Tarin Fry, a woman befriended by Cara at the resort is her complete antithesis – headstrong, impetuous and wise-cracking. I enjoyed the relationship between Tarin and her daughter and found their nicknames for the other resort patrons very funny.

Although I did find the interludes detailing the transcripts of various television programmes slightly lengthy in parts, it did demonstrate how, in recent years, the media has played a big part in the justice system and, in some cases, TV can help to sway the opinions of people before a trial has even taken place. One example is the OJ Simpson case – it is hard to think about this without visualising the high speed chase, broadcast on US television. In Did You see Melody? we see Melody’s parents being more or less convicted as a result of ongoing television coverage of the case.

It is essential to suspend reality when reading this book as quite a lot of it veers towards unbelievable. This did not spoil my enjoyment of the book, though, and it was an entertaining summer read.

Wow, what an intriguing opening! I began reading this book quite late in the evening thinking I'd read a few pages to get me started but I just couldn't put it down and ended up reading far beyond my bedtime.

Cara was someone who I felt I could relate to, she was trying to be brave and make a stand by taking herself off to Arizona without her family but it was obvious she was feeling wobbly about the situation. The trip was meant to be an escape, some time alone to give her the chance to collect her thoughts and perhaps even make some decisions but it didn't quite work out like that.

Reading about Melody's disappearance gave me chills and got my mind working overtime as I tried to piece everything together. The court case was intense but gave me a clear indication of just how big the Melody story was. At this point the storyline took a sinister turn and I found myself joining in with Cara's quest to find the truth.

Tarin was one of my favourite characters, she was an absolute whirlwind of a character who often left me with my mouth agape. She was a straight-talker who didn't always follow the rules to get the results she wanted. This in itself intrigued me because I couldn't figure out her motives.

Beautifully written, this book pulled me in and just wouldn't let go until I'd finished. Seriously gripping stuff!

Sophie Hannah as done it again, penned a plot that is different and keeps you transfixed right up to the unforeseeable ending.

This is an intriguing read, the characters drawn you into the well paced dramatic storyline and treat you to some out of the ordinary twists.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sophie Hannah, Hodder and Stoughton for allowing me to read and review this book.

Did you see Melody is a fabulous read .I was gripped from the first chapter .The story is set in Arizona in a luxury spa when Cara from the UK decides to get away from her Family to think things over and gets involved in the mystery of a young girl who has disappeared presumed murdered 7 years ago .The story twists and turns bringing in many other characters with their own story to tell .I absolutely loved the ending so unexpected and clever .If I could give this book 10 stars I would .

Did You See Melody? has a convincing start with Cara arriving at a luxury resort in Arizona exhausted and emotional. After she is allocated a room that is already occupied she is upgraded to a fantastic suite that she feels will go along way to helping her relax and make decisions about her future. But when she starts to listen to other guests she starts to question what she did see in the room.
Cara starts to look at the internet to find out about what happened to Melody, her parents trial and the media frenzy that surrounded the investigation. Along with another guest in the hotel, Tarin, she is convinced that Melody is still alive and somewhere on the complex.
I loved the cynical approach that Sophie Hannah showed with regards to the hotel, where guests could not be relied on to have a good holiday without their intrusion and towards the chat show ‘trial’. I am so thankful that our chat shows are not as bad as the one shown in this novel.
I was slightly unconvinced by some of the characters, but my favourite was Tarin who refused to be bullied by the police or the team who worked on the chat show. I would have liked to have more information at times, a few threads felt unfinished but I still enjoyed the novel.
I had to read the ending twice. I’m still not sure that I’ve understood it correctly but I liked it more on the second read. For this reason, Did You See Melody? would make a great book club read, there would be a lot to discuss.

When Cara Burrows arrives at the luxury Five Star spa resort in Phoenix, Arizona that she can ill afford, she is bone tired and just wants to sink into what is bound to be the most comfortable bed that she's ever slept in.

Sadly, the receptionist gives her the key to the wrong room, one that's already occupied. Mortified at having disturbed its residents, swiftly apologised to and upgraded to superior accommodation, Cara thinks nothing of it until the following day when she goes to ask the receptionist a question.

She is distracted by an older lady, acting a little crazy and asking 'Did You See Melody?'.

Cara has no idea who Melody is, until through overhearing snippets of conversations and befriending others in the resort, she realises she knows exactly who Melody is. The teenage girl sharing the room of the man she disturbed on her first night in Arizona.

But it's an impossibility. Because Melody Chapa is dead, murdered by her own parents in a case that shocked America. Cara realises that she should forget what she saw. But she can't, and becomes obsessed with the Melody Chapa case, researching old youtube videos, newspaper articles; basically anything she can get her hands on online.

Cara had come away to escape her family life, but finds herself drawn into another. A world of suspicion, paranoia and frustration - as she desperately tries to discover the truth. But at what cost?

Did You See Melody? is a clever novel, as Sophie Hannah's so often are. I can't say too much more without giving anything away, but I will say that it didn't see the ending coming. Pretty much all of the suspicions I had, were way off! In a literary world so full of psychological thrillers, this novel is a breath of fresh air.

Did You See Melody is available now via Amazon online and all good book shops.

I do appreciate a story with a few hard facts or home-truths.The only downside is that I tend to want to go on about it when an author makes a particularly valid point.

We live in an era where the majority of media outlets is no longer focused on reporting the truth or any semblance of it. Instead fiction becomes fact, fame and notoriety are more important than reporting what really happened. Everyone wants their 15 minutes of celebrity.

The 21st century has seen the rise of TV showmen and women, as opposed to the revered journalists of the 20th century. Nancy Grace is a great example of this gaudy and dangerous phenomenon, and one that is mentioned in the story.

The character of Bonnie Juno is based on the Nancy Grace types of sensationalistic journalism. The facts are twisted to suit the narrative of whomever they have picked to be the target of the day. Interviews become as twisted as twizzlers and as sticky as a fly trap.

In this scenario the guilty party is discovered and proven guilty by trial via public opinion. In the end it doesn’t matter whether there isn’t enough evidence to prove they did it, because the TV viewers have already been told they are guilty. This anything but objective opinion continues on through to the courtroom.

Cara has decided to escape reality and the uncomfortable stress at home by treating herself to a few days in a five star spa hotel in the US. The tired and upset Cara accidentally stumbles upon a man and young girl, only to find out the next day that the young girl in question has been dead for quite a few years. Did she imagine it, is someone having a laugh or is it just a case of mistaken identity? Did she see Melody?

What emerges from this one simple question is a myriad of crimes and even more unanswered questions. Guilt isn’t a clear concept in this story. Would you commit a crime to prevent another? Do you believe the court of public opinion instead of checking all the available facts? Do two wrongs make a right?

I’m sure this story will make readers wonder about the choices they would make if confronted with the same situation. Begs the question whether, in a world full of police states and dictatorships, some of us have to be strong enough to be vigilantes, because the justice systems fails victims on a regular basis.

It’s a read that gives plenty of food for thought.

I am not really certain what to make of this book. It is a fast-paced thriller, that had certain compelling facets that really grabbed your attention and made you really want to solve the mystery and find out what exactly was going on. The basic story-line (and the various twists and turns) was very well conceived. There were strong characters to love (Tarin and Zellie) and detest (Bonnie), and I really got to like Cara a lot eventually, as she developed near the end of the story. The book ended with a real, unpredictable though believable, cliff-hanger. But somehow, for me, it did not all hang together.
For about the first quarter of the book, I did wonder if it was going to be about women having mental breakdowns, or about mental illness in general. There was so much indecision, combined with obsessive behaviour – women acting in ways that could not be normal for the characters you thought they were supposed to be.
The writing was confusing. It may have just been my pre-publication copy, but there was frequently no change of chapter, paragraph or font when the narrator or viewpoint changed – though there was sometimes when the narrator remained the same.
Cara is upset and confused about what direction her life should take – so it is possible that the author was writing the way she did, to convey that confusion. It certainly worked, but I would have been happier if it was less subtle.
There is a lot to recommend this novel, but I found it a bit too contrived in places to be a great thriller.

This is jaw-droppingly good! It’s been playing over and over in my head since closing my kindle and I have to say I am completely in awe of Sophie Hannah for coming up with such an astounding psychological suspense thriller.

Cara Burrows has a dilemma and the support from her family which she so desperately craves isn’t forthcoming, so she does something she has never done before and raids their savings to take two weeks away at a resort spa in Arizona – a far cry from her home life in Hertford, UK. At this point in the book, you are lulled into a false sense of security and find yourself craving to find out more about this luxury resort – you know, just in case your lotto numbers come up! Things soon take a different turn though and the ensuing events will have you reading faster than you ever thought possible!

Well written doesn’t even begin to cover this novel. It is intricate in detail, long in ‘what if’s’ and has the most outstanding outcome I have ever read in any book. Wow. I expect this one will soar to the top of the bestselling charts, and it deserves to stay there for a long time.

I received an arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I received a copy of this for my independent honest review. Sorry I couldn't get into this book and decided to discontinue reading it

Oh don't we all wish that we can just hop on a flight to Paradise to get away from life... I know I do, often! Well, this is exactly what Cara Burrows has done. She's abandoned her husband and kids and jumped ship, booking herself into a pretty decent spa resort. She arrives quite late, books in and heads off to her room. When she opens up, she's a bit shocked to find it already occupied by a man and a teenage girl. The receptionist is mortified by her mistake and upgrades Cara to the most fabulous alternative accommodation so she is quite easily forgiven. Cara settles down to start her holiday proper but it soon transpires that the girl in her room bears a big resemblance to Melody, a girl who is dead, her parents currently serving life for her murder. Could she be mistaken, after all she was quite tired that night, but there's something nagging at her and, not being listened to by the authorities, she takes in upon herself to try and get to the bottom of things. But then things go bad, real quick, and as she finds herself more embroiled in a rather tricky situation. Far, far reserved from the idyllic holiday she had planned.
This book was a bit of a game of two halves. The beginning, especially the description of the resort (jealous, much!) and the initial character introductions and scene setting were quite light and much slower paced compared with what followed later when things got a bit out of control. Cara's motivation for running away was understandable and I did feel for her but I think she did somewhat over react especially with regard to the family's financial situation and I wasn't completely convinced by it, but as it was the reason she was where she was, and I couldn't think of any other credible way that the author could have put her there, especially with what happened later, so I swallowed my niggle and went along for the ride.
What I did love about the book was Cara's research into Melody's case using all the power of the internet and social media to glean the information she was looking for. It appeared to be a trial by media in some respects. These clips and transcripts and social media commentary really enhanced the narrative, complementing plot and adding so much background to the eventual reveal, when we found out what was really going on. And when we did eventually get to the truth it really was quite shocking the way it was all so carefully worked out and executed by the characters involved. I'd love to go further into this but I can't for fear of spoilers.
Other characters that really stood out for me were mother and daughter Tarin and Zellie. As well as adding to the story, they also injected some really great humour into the mix. On the flip side, I really didn't like TV host Bonnie Juno and the way she she tried to manipulate things. Living in the UK I can't imagine trials like this playing out in the media as much as they obviously do in the US. Sometimes quite shockingly so. Very scary times.
All in all, it was a mostly satisfying read that kept my attention nicely when it eventually got going after the relatively slow start. Well worth persevering with and I am glad that I did.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Yikes. This was bad, really bad. This started off as a buddy read with my reading pal Nick @ The Secret Library, but she couldn't even finish this one... and I don't blame her!

Prepare yourselves for a very harsh review.

First off, let's talk characters. Cara, our main character, has run away from home for a pathetically trivial reason, and not only that, has spent 1/3 of her families life savings to get away. She was an irritating, whingy character who talked to herself too much. Enough said.

Next, Tarin Fry. Biggest bitch in the world, and not in a sassy way... she was just a bitch. She didn't speak her mind, she just spewed abuse at / about people. 

Who next? How about Bonnie Juno. Awful name for an awful character. Another abuse spewer. In another life, Bonnie's character could have been a strong female character who would have been likeable and someone to root for, but she isn't. Not in the slightest.

Then we have a whole mash of random characters who were only half relevant in my mind. Riyonna Briggs, annoyingly happy and needy. Orson (was that his name?) Priddey, whingy and weak-willed, for a cop. Heidi whatever-her-name-was, waste of ink.

As for the story, I have mixed opinions. Firstly, if you are going to put yourself through this, skip the first 30% of it. It one long description of a 5 star hotel and spa. I'm not even kidding. Then the story picks up a little bit and there is some mystery to the story (finally!) but then thing get weird and we begin reading tedious interviews surrounding Melody's case rather than present day stuff. Towards the end, things just got really ridiculous and unbelievable that I began skim reading the story, just to get the important "twisty" bits.

Although the book began badly, things did start picking up nearer the middle of the book, and for a while I thought I was actually enjoying it. The story of Melody was an interesting one and I liked following the theories on who killed her. But then, as I said before, things got ridiculous.

For example, the people discussing the case, and trying to solve the thing, consisted of Bonnie Juno, her assistant, 2 police detectives, Tarin Fry and the hotel manager. AS IF the police would just let civilians sit around the table with them to discuss a case, and more to the point, let a random member of the public (Tarin Fry) basically run the entire show by bossing everyone around. This then happens again at the end where things are coming together and really important police stuff is happening, even the FBI are involved at this point. They just let these random people sit in on the conversation like it's not a hugely important case to find a girl who's been believed dead for years and years.

The twist(s?) in this story were dulled down by the time they came around. I just wasn't interested anymore and they didn't do enough to bring me back to liking the book. I had guessed a couple of the reveals, but not all of them, but even that didn't entertain me.

Writing? Well, it was nothing special. Not bad, but not great. At some points it felt like Hannah was talking down to us, repeating very simple things like the reader didn't get it the first time... and I mean very simple things... like "the door was unlocked. That meant he had forgot to lock the door before he left". Yeah, no shit.

This book was a huge fail for me and I wish I had given it up early on like Nicki did!

You might be thinking "but why give it 2 stars if you hated it so much? why not one star?"... well, I don't really get 1 star book reviews... if you hated it that much would you not just have put it down? I didn't put this one down so something about it kept me going. My two star rating is practically a one star rating.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting this to be a gripping, tense and intriguing mystery. But I became increasingly disappointed as I read pages and pages of description of the five-star Swallowtail Resort and Spa in the foothills of Camelback Mountain, Arizona at the beginning of the book. I like description but this was far too much even for me. It’s like reading a promotional article for the resort. It picked up pace a bit when the subject of Melody was introduced. She was seven when she disappeared and although her body had not been discovered her parents were tried and found guilty of murdering her.

Cara has left her husband and two children at home in Hertford in England without telling them where she was going, but leaving them a note saying she’d be back on 24 October. She’d booked herself into the Swallowtail and arrives, exhausted from her journey only to find that her room is already occupied by a man and a young teenage girl. However, the receptionist is extremely apologetic and settles her into a casita with her own private infinity pool at no extra charge.

The first hint about what had happened to Melody comes the next morning when one of the guests announces that she’s seen Melody and eventually Cara’s curiosity is aroused and she discovers the tragic story of Melody’s murder. Cara wonders if the girl she’d seen the previous night was Melody. At first Cara’s reason for leaving home as she did is not explained and when it was I was less than impressed and I didn’t really warm to her character.

From that point my own interest in the story picked up as the details of what had happened to Melody are gradually revealed as Cara talks to Tarin, a fellow guest, reads accounts on the internet and excerpts from the TV talk show, Justice With Bonnie, hosted by the truly terrible Bonnie Juno. Bonnie is described as a legal commentator and I really disliked her and her interference in the case.

There is quite a lot of hyperbole and contrasting depictions of both the American and British characters, which made me wonder if this is a spoof, as really, most of the story just beggars belief. It’s far-fetched, contrived and over complicated. But once I’d got past the lengthy opening section I did want to know what happened next and it is in the last few pages of the book that I found something that really did send a little shiver down my spine – and left me wondering just what had really happened to Melody, and what would happen next.

My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, the publishers for a review copy.

Once again Sophie Hannah shows that she is one of the best plotters around! The story was very well set up and the twists continued to the very last page. The descriptions of the spa resort were very evocative (and envy-inducing!) and I did like the characters, particularly Tarin. As with all the Sophie Hannah books I've read to date, the devil is in the detail and the revelations are revealed slowly like dealing a pack of cards and you can't guess the twists, because you don't know to start with what you should even be trying to figure out!

For all its pros, though, there are a few cons: it is pretty slow to get going to the mystery; Cara's own personal demons are a bit of a damp squib; and there were one or two plot points that you felt should go somewhere but didn't. Despite these minor quibbles, overall this is another engrossing read and I'm still thinking about the ending!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC of Did You See Melody?

After my sister recommending Sophie Hannah to me for quite some time, I have finally gotten around to reading my first book by this author .... why did I wait so long?

Cara Burrows leaves her family and escapes to a five-star spa resort she can't afford. She enters her room, after a long and tiring journey, to find a man and young girl occupying her room. Did she see Melody Chapa? Melody Chapa went missing seven years previously and her parents are serving life sentences for her murder.

What should be a two week break from her husband and two children to try and solve a personal issue in her life, Cara finds herself caught up in the mystery of what happened to Melody.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and can highly recommend Did You See Melody? Some great characters and easy to read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Press for providing a copy of book and this is my honest review.

Did You See Melody? is an odd book. I found the first half quite slow going and contemplated whether or not to give up but I'm glad I stuck with it as the second half was infinitely better.

Cara has abandoned her family and run away to a five star resort she can't really afford. She needed to get away and spend some time by herself and it appears this is the place to do it.

After arriving late at night exhausted and desperate for sleep, she lets herself into her room only to find it's already occupied by a man and his daughter. A simple mistake by the receptionist she assumes but as time goes on, she realises the girl can't have been who she thought. She was murdered years ago and her parents are both serving life sentences. Had she really seen Melody Chapa? She's afraid and wondering if she did really see her and will she risk her life to find out the truth?

I did enjoy this book in the end, but I wish it had gripped me from the start. I would give this book 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for the chance to review.

This is the first of Sophie Hannah's books I have read, but it definitely won't be the last.

This is not your typical thriller. Set in a luxury spa resort, we first get to know the main character Cara and her issues. We are then introduced to a brilliant supporting cast of vastly different people staying/working at the spa. The mystery of Melody, a girl who went missing and presumed dead, is fascinating and I loved the way it developed.

A brilliant and unique psychological thriller which I would recommend to everyone.

With a possible murder and a definitely dangerous secret at the heart of it, Did You See Melody? walks an interesting line in terms of tone. Hannah balances the suspense filled plot with unexpected humour, which at times had me snorting in front of my eReader. It's an enjoyable novel, certainly, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked from almost the very beginning. We don't begin with the mystery straight away but first take a little while to set up Cara's reasons for leaving her family to travel alone to America (something that maybe feels a bit of an overreaction as things become clearer), but once Cara begins her investigation into the famous murder of Melody Chapa the novel really gets its legs.

Cara, not being a local, doesn't know anything about the Melody Chapa case so the reader gets to discover the specifics slowly, as Cara does, through articles and TV transcripts. Some readers may find these intrusive to the story but I felt they came in at the right moments, telling Melody's story - at least, the version everyone knows of it - alongside Cara's. The only problem is that at times I began to feel as though Cara was little more than a device intended to react to Melody's story and nothing more. Until about midway through the novel anyway.

Then we begin the twists and turns that I suppose make this a psychological thriller. Personally, I didn't find much of it particularly thrilling. In my opinion the strength of this novel lies not necessarily with Cara's story, or even with Melody's, but with those of the surrounding characters: the outspoken hotel guest who involves herself in the mystery, determined to find the truth, and the famous criminal commentator who single-handedly twisted the whole of America to her way of thinking with her TV show during Melody's original murder trail. Did You See Melody? is an enjoyable read and as a funny and over-the-top take down of 'trial by media' it works. I'm just not entirely sold on the thriller part.