I’ve loved Tana French’s Dublin series books, so was eagerly excited to read The Wych Elm, which does not disappoint. Told from the POV of Toby - a 28-year old, privileged white young man who works in PR for an art gallery, has a lovely, supporting girlfriend and the seemingly perfect life – this follows how his life is drastically changed after his flat is broken into and he’s violently beaten to death by the burglars. He suffered a serious head injury that affects his memory and speech, and as a result of breaking his ribs and hips he now walks with a gait. He’s nervous, anxious and paranoid, having lost confidence in his safety and himself. When he’s told his bachelor Uncle is diagnosed with cancer, that’s in its last stages, and has a few months to live, his girlfriend encourages him to move into the Ivy House. Toby is on the path to recovery when a human skull is found in their garden and their lives are disrupted…
I highly enjoyed this book. I loved the chemistry between Toby, Susannah and Leon, Toby’s cousins. French excels, as always, at crafting complex characters and creating escalating tension. The scenes with the three of them was my favourite. Per usual French writes dialogues that is sizzling with conflict and a thrumming tension. She really captures how differently people remember their adolescence and the affect this perception can have in later life through long-held grudges and bitterness. There are also some stunning debates on the themes of morality and guilt between the three cousins while lounging in the atmospheric garden of Ivy House. There is some truly lovely prose in this mammoth of a novel. Plotwise this was a slow-burner and the mystery unravels with shocking revelations and turns. My only gripe was the length of this book. At over 500 pages this was a rather long read and I felt that plenty could’ve been edited out for a crisper and tighter read. I was also baffled by the reveal of the murderers that came rather early, and with still another 20% left I was wondering where the story was going. I wasn’t taken by the last act involving Toby, and the direction the story went into. I think for me the problem was that once the murderers were revealed there wasn’t any questions left to be answered and so the story lost steam and suspense. However, taking into consideration these flaws this is still a novel that has lots going for it and I will definitely continue to read Ms French’s future works. 4/5

I really wanted to like this book far more than I actually did, having read the Dublin Murder series and enjoying Tana French’s writing style. The problem with The Wych Elm was that it was just too long winded and drawn out, before getting to the main part of the story. The three cousins, while all interesting and different characters in the beginning, just did not sustain the drawn out prelude to the main event and ultimately became annoying and dull. Would’ve been a better read if 100 pages shorter.

A rather slow start but once I was in I was hooked. Gripping, intriguing, interestingly complex characters. Really good.

I usually really enjoy Tana French's writing, however this one fell a little short for me. Having completely devoured A Secret Place, I was expecting big things for this book. Some parts of The Wytch Elm I adored, especially in the beginning of the book. I really appreciated Toby being a flawed character, however this interesting character didn't manage hold my interest as the book delved into details surrounding his life. Tana French certainly has skill when it comes to developing characters and settings, and even though I wasn't bewitched throughout this book, I do look forward to reading French's next book.

A psychological thriller that had me guessing along with the main character!

After a night out with his friends in Dublin, Toby Hennessy walks home alone and goes to bed. He’s woken up in the early hours by two men burgling his flat and when he confronts them, they attack him viciously and leave him for dead. He doesn’t die, and after a long period of time in hospital, he returns to his flat, clearly suffering from PTSD and a brain injury. Luckily for him (but not so lucky for his uncle) his uncle, Hugo, is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. So Toby and his girlfriend Melissa move in to help keep him company, and ultimately to care for him.

They’re a close family, who meet every Sunday for dinner, and Toby and his cousins Leon and Susanna spent every summer at their Uncles house, living pretty much unchecked - every teenagers dream.

This idyllic life is brought abruptly to an end when a skeleton is found inside the trunk of one of the Wych elms in the back garden. It’s complicated further by the fact that Toby’s head injury from the burglary means that his memories are ropey, to say the least.

I really liked this book: I liked the slow build up and learning about the family and the relationship between the cousins. As for the skeleton, well that mystery had me guessing right up to the end.

Incidentally, this is sold as ‘The Wych Elm’ in the UK - ‘Wych’ is an alternative spelling in old English of ‘witch’, and it also means pliant or supple. The words ‘wicker’ and ‘weak’ come from this word too (yes, I looked it up, and this will join all of the terribly interesting, yet relatively useless, information that accumulates in my head 🤷🏼‍♀️).

This is my first Tana French novel, and based on this book, it won’t be my last.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for my copy of this book.

Toby has it all, a successful job, a lovely girlfriend and a caring family. This upward trajectory takes a nosedive one evening and his life changes for ever. The well written characters, as well as the many twists and turns, make this compulsive reading. However, I felt the ending dragged on a little bit longer than necessary. Still a thoroughly enjoyable read. Thank you to Net Galley, Tana French and the publisher, Penguin for an ARC.

This book was a fascinating examination of Toby, a young man who has always been lucky and who has a wonderful relationship with an amazing girl. One night he is attacked in his own home and left for dead. From there we learn, with Toby, who he really is, what his peers actually think of him and what sort of youth he was and what he was capable of. This book is written so well with empathy and objectiveness. Toby is that lad who everything went well for and who didn't realise his friends were jealous of him. Suffering from his attack he is subject to losing his self-esteem and wondering what others really thought of him. He is suggestible and for the first time in his life unsure of himself.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Tara French/Penguin Books UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’m a huge fan of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series so I was intrigued to read this standalone novel. I did have an ARC of this but due to not being well I bought the audio book, and I highly recommend it. The narrator of the audio is so perfect for the book! The Wych Elm is one of those books that grabs you from the beginning and then gradually weaves its spell around you! Toby is brutally attacked in his home and whilst recovering goes to stay at his family’s ancestral home with his Uncle Hugo, who has a brain tumour and needs some help around the house. One day a skull is discovered inside a tree in the garden and this leads to secrets and lies being revealed, cover-ups attempted and a family left reeling by what they discover. I loved this book and already want to re-read it. I highly recommend this one!

Either I suddenly became a slow reader or it took me 10 days to plough my way through this book. I'm scrabbling about trying to think of something positive to say. Erm, Hugo seemed nice. There you go. It was all so disparate. I'm utterly baffled by Melissa leaving Toby, not because he may have been a murderer, no, that didn't bother her as was clearly delineated in the book. She ended a serious relationship because her possible murderer boyfriend wanted to ask questions to discover if he was a murderer or not. Obvious really. Susanna and Leon were repugnant. The relationship between the 3 of the cousins, described as 'like siblings' was highly unpleasant. This close knit family just abandoned the only child and forgot to check in on him whilst he lost his mind. It was so contrived and ridiculous. As this was a free book from NetGalley I felt obliged to finish it, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. 10 days to read a book. I read Shantaram quicker than that but I just couldn't bring myself to read more than a couple of pages a night. Full of unpleasant people being nasty to each other. Not for me at all.

Toby considers himself a fairly lucky guy. A job working for an art gallery with a campaign that's going really well, a girlfriend who's mad about him, his own apartment. Then one night he awakes to find the place being burgled by two men, who viciously beat him. As Toby struggles to recover from the attack that almost left him dead, he goes to live at his family's homestead to look after his dying uncle Hugo. The respite is interrupted when a human skull is found in the wych elm tree in the garden. Suddenly Toby and his family find their lives upside down as detectives investigate the mystery behind this skull. With Toby's memory being patchy since the attack and as tensions heighten, Toby is forced to reevaluate his life and if the past is everything he thought it was.

Be forewarned going into this book, it's long and slow moving. Knowing that meant that I could enjoy the book and anticipate what was going to come. It helps that Tana French is a favourite author of mine and that I knew everything would come together nicely. I enjoyed her wording and scene building, she has a lovely way with words. I was hesitant going into this because it isn't part of the Dublin Murder Squad series but honestly it felt like it was, the only difference being the point of view is from a suspect rather than a detective. And with the suspect's memory not being up to scratch, it was a mystery to us as we read it, as he was finding out as it went along what actually happened, so it was like a detective piecing everything together. I wasn't a massive fan of the ending, for something that was so slow it felt a bit rushed or something. That said, despite how slow moving it was at times, every time I wasn't reading it I was dying to pick it up and I read the 500+ pages quickly over the weekend. So that's a good sign! If you've not read Tana French before, I would not recommend this as the first book. But if you have and you're a fan, pick this up!

I have very mixed feelings, having just finished this book earlier today. It is so different from the author's earlier books. The first entire third of the book really dragged the book along, as I found myself waiting for the mystery to "start." The second two thirds of the book were much stronger, and took the reader through a twisty, smart who-dun-it mystery. I felt compassion for and interest in the characters. I nearly gave up several times in the first third of the story, but ultimately, I am glad I persisted.

Amazing book with fantastic characters and a really gripping plot. I loved it. Would highly recommend to others.

Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this book pre-publication.

Ok, where to start with this one. This was an overdue ARC waiting to be read from NetGalley. I was excited and looked forward to starting this one, and to be honest I thought I would get through it pretty fast but how wrong I was. This one took me nearly 3 weeks to finish.

The story started off well with a good principle but then it just slowed down and took way too long to get to the main part of the book. I found the plot and pace to be too slow, but then the secondary mystery part crept in and my interest picked up slightly. However, the main mystery got solved so fast that I couldn’t work out why I kept reading.

The book is written from the point of the view of the main character Toby, and is written in first person, I don’t mind this but what I found unrealistic was the language used during the conversations.

There was some good character development, but it just took too long. Personally, I didn’t take to the main character. I found him to be an annoying, and not always believable.

Overall I felt this book could have been shorter and faster paced. I know other people have loved this book and given it glowing reviews, but it just wasn’t for me.

A slow burner, but with a brilliantly bright flame to finish. This novel tells the harrowing revealing of Toby’s past, with past secrets finally coming to a head. I was already a fan of Tana French, and this maintained that.

Wow! There’s A LOT going on in this book. But it all weaves its way together and concludes at the end. It’s a thriller with plenty of twists and turns that leaves you still a bit on edge and jittery after finishing it! I still don’t know how I feel about the main character, Toby, after reading it. It was a provoking read - definitely for those who enjoy a good complex thriller!

I was looking forward to this book but was very disappointed in it. The book meandered around and didn't seem to have focus and I stopped caring about the characters.

I found the plot of this book far too slow and laboured. I found real difficulty in finishing it. Sorry not for me.

I struggled to get into this book - the unreliable narrator put me off reading the rest of the book for a while but I did finish it and I did enjoy parts of the story. Read this if you like slow developing book.

A great thriller. Super entertaining with great twists. Less character development than I was expecting but a great read nonetheless.

Ok, where do I start with this one. This one was yet another overdue eARC waiting to be read from NetGalley. I couldn’t decide which book to start so I did a poll on my twitter and Instagram and you guys decided for me. Thank you so much for your help.

Now I was really excited and looking forward to starting this one, and to be honest I thought I would get through it pretty fast but how wrong I was. This one took me over a week and a half to finish. In fact, it took me about 5 days just to get half way through it.

The story started off strong with a good premise but then it just slowed down and took way too long to get to the main mystery part of the book. I found the plot and pace of this book to be too slow  and because of this I even considered DNF-ing it, but then the minor mystery part creeped in and my interest peaked a little and I carried on reading. But then the mystery got solved so fast and then I couldn’t really work out why I carried on reading.

In fact, it was so slow that I skipped a few chapters and I still didn’t miss anything important.

The book is written from the point of the view of the main character Toby and is written in first person I don’t mind this but what I found unrealistic was the language used during the conversations. Personally, I haven’t heard people taking in this way. But then again maybe I live in the wrong area.

Don’t get me wrong there was some good character development, but it just took way too long. I  understand that we need to build up development of character especially The main character Toby in this book but I think it could have been done much quicker. Personally, I didn’t take a liking to the main character. I found him to be an annoying, ungrateful twat at times.

Overall I felt this book could have been shorter and faster paced. This was my first ever read for a Tana French book but it was very disappointing. I know many people have loved this book and have given it glowing reviews, but it just wasn’t for me. This is another book I wouldn’t personally recommend but at the same time I wouldn’t tell people not to read either.