A brilliant book which has you on the edge of your seat from the very first page.
It is very clever because at first you think that you are reading a ghost story and that the things that are happening in the house are paranormal,but it is not until the end that you realise exactly what is happening and who is responsible for it.
More importantly who is the cuckoo well I’m not going to spoil it for you you have to read the book.
Brilliant

When her stepmother unexpectedly dies, Caro comes "home'' to the farmhouse she grew up in. Flooded with bad memories and strange blank spaces in her recollections, Caro hates the house but longs for a chance to have a fresh start. She's both excited and scared when her sister tells her that she's going to turn the house and the rest of the inheritance over to her. Stephanie says she wants nothing to do with any of it. The minute Caro moves in strange things start to happen and Caro wonders if she's losing her mind. Memories start to return. Family secrets are exposed. What happened in that house? And who was to blame?

What a suspenseful and twisty story! I was completely sucked in from the start. From Caro's first actions after returning to her childhood home (pulling out the carpeting soaked in her stepmother's blood) to the completely twisted ending to this tale, I was mesmerized. I couldn't stop reading! I had to know what was going on.... Every time I thought I had things figured out....the story had another twist in store.

I can't imagine going through what Caro did. Coming home....having to clean up your hated stepmother's blood out of your newly inherited house. Enduring unfriendly glances and mean whispers from villagers. Slowly remembering that your horrible, abusive childhood was even worse than you remember. Yikes! This is one suspenseful and totally messed up story! I enjoyed every page of it!

Cuckoo is Sophie Draper's debut novel. I will definitely be eagerly awaiting more from this author!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Avon Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

When Caro's stepmother Elizabeth dies unexpectedly in a freak accident, Caro and her sister Steph are reunited for the first time in almost 20 years. Steph declares no interest in their parents old farmhouse in a remote Derbyshire village, and the opportunity to move there comes at the perfect time in Caro's life. Caro's work as illustrator means she can be flexible where she works and she has just been commissioned to produce the artwork for a dark collection of fairy tales.
But going back to the farm, unearths memories Caro had wiped from her mind. The girl's father died when they were very young so they were brought up by their stepmother Elizabeth who was cruel, especially to Caro. She owned a pear drum and told Caro a fairy tale (http://www.scaryforkids.com/drum/) taunting her about her bad behaviour.
Within days of returning, Caro gets a rude reception from the villagers and is grateful when her neighbour Craig is friendly to her. Soon they are snowed in and strange things start happening in the house. Caro is forced to question why Elizabeth hated her so much and gradually pieces together the truth.
This was a atmospheric and creepy book, which kept me as intrigued as Caro about her past! The text is interspersed with dark fairy tales which add to the disturbing nature of the book. The isolation of the house, and the bad weather also add to the eerie feeling. I loved how we gradually find out the truth about what went on as Caro's memories come back and I truthfully had no idea where the book was heading.
A great psychological thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed.

What a great addictive read. Caro and Steph are two sisters who reunite upon their stepmother, Elizabeth’s death. Caro is a timid, insecure woman and Steph is a worldly wise confident woman - a great contrast that is held throughout the book. Caro accepts a commission to illustrate a book of fairy tales that are very gruesome and bring back a lot of memories that have been hidden. The book has so many intricate twists and turns, complex intense dynamic relationships all adding up to Caro discovering her past life that she had blocked out.
The ending is unexpected and very complex in so much as the story has two versions to end . I loved it and look forward to reading more by this incredibly talented author.

This book had a big cover reveal back in October and I can see why. The cover is just gorgeous but not only that, it's actually completely relevant to the story.

Caro Crowther is a children's book illustrator. After the death of her stepmother, Elizabeth, with whom she had a very turbulent relationship, she returns to her childhood home. Elizabeth's death also brings Caro back into contact with her sister, Steph, who she hasn't seen for many years. And going through Elizabeth's belongings unearths an item that brings back many unhappy memories for Caro.

Cuckoo is one of those books with a delightfully unreliable narrator in Caro. Her return to the farmhouse triggers all sorts of feelings and memories but we don't know if the place is haunted, whether Caro is suffering from some sort of hallucinations or whether somebody is simply trying to play tricks on her or drive her out. So as the reader, I was completely in the dark and feeling all the same kinds of discomfort as Caro.

I found her relationship with Steph fascinating, especially when some incredible secrets are brought to light. It's amazing how much the brain can block out to protect us from unpleasant events. I also really enjoyed the whole stepmother/stepchild dynamic between Caro and Elizabeth as Caro reflects on the past.

The story is set in Derbyshire in a small village close to Ashbourne. This pleased me for two reasons: one was that I'm familiar with some of the places mentioned (I've been to Ashbourne and Carsington Water a few times) and the other reason was that small villages offer that claustrophobic vibe, where everybody knows your business. Caro certainly feels that whilst she knows nobody, everybody knows her quite well.

Cuckoo is full of twists and turns, none of which I was expecting. And that ending - wow is all I can say. It's certainly a psychological story, full of manipulation and mind games and it has a distinctly gothic style to it. Whilst it's not the most fast-paced of books, it doesn't need to be as it's less of a thriller and more of a slow reveal from the recesses of Caro's mind. I enjoyed it very much and hope that Sophie Draper will write more of the same.

Cuckoo was a novel that had me feeling increasingly uneasy as I read it. At the beginning when Caro arrives at her childhood home I thought she was just a little paranoid, exhausted and unsettled after spending so long away.
She is an illustrator and has a commission to provide drawings for a book of fairy tales. But these tales are not ones that you would feel happy a child reading. I remember fairy tales as being slightly fluffy with only a slight threat in the background. These tales are how they would have been without the true threat removed. They were not tales you would like to read in an old house with its creaks and isolation. Especially when you can also see the images that Caro has created.
Along with increasing unease there were the twists. By the end I was feeling completely duped by everything I had read and wanted to reread parts to see if I had missed anything. I did, I hadn’t. I was just cleverly misled.
Not many of the main characters are very likeable. They were brittle, defensive and unfriendly. It was one of the lesser characters I did like more than than anybody else.
It’s a great book that I read mainly in one sitting on a glum December day. Sat in my nice warm home that had no unexplained noises, empty rooms full of unwanted memories or threats from the past and the present.

Let me just get this bit out of the way first – ‘Cuckoo’ was so far out of my comfort zone that it needed its own nest. But you know what? What a creepy and addictive read it was! I love being able to step outside of my comfort zone with my reading choices, especially when I end up rather enjoying the novel.

Ten out of ten to the prologue – it had me on tenterhooks straight away and I couldn’t wait to uncover the nitty gritty details behind it!

Caroline has gone back to the ‘family home’ after the death of her stepmother, Elizabeth. Her own personal life hasn’t taken the path she would have liked, and she welcomed being able to relieve the stress from her finances until she got back on her feet. Or so she thought. Being back in the place she once called home, ended up stirring up a lot of the past which Caroline thought had long been buried. No pun intended. You know how it is though. You end up forgetting things yet once you’re in the vicinity of the memory, everything comes flooding back…

I wasn’t too sure on the first few chapters after the prologue, as I was rather confused by all of the information given which didn’t seem to lead to anything in particular. I know that books like this need to start off slow, so that wasn’t my issue at all. It was simply the information overload in a short space of time before things started happening. Having said that, once the storyline did get rolling and things began to get twisty, snippets of the information previously given allowed me to have multiple lightbulb moments where things made sense. I just didn’t make sense of it at the time it was given.

‘Cuckoo’ is such an complex novel with a lot of mini storylines coming together to create one, big firebomb of a storyline. I have to say – it was cleverly done and certainly kept me on my toes. I genuinely didn’t see the conclusion coming at all and, like most readers, I had formed my own ending in my head because of the way I reacted to every situation in the book. I had my suspicions about some things, but the rest had my jaw dropping!

Sophie Draper has written such an atmospheric, twisted, and addictively intense novel which left me reeling in every sense of the word. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Cuckoo’, and I am so pleased that I decided to spread my wings and venture out of the nest!

Caro Crowther is a London-based children’s book illustrator who is struggling to make ends meet in the wake of a bad breakup with long-term partner Paul. When her mother, Elizabeth, passes away, Caro returns home to Derbyshire to attend the funeral. There she meets estranged sister, Steph, a high-flyer in New York. After several years without a single scrap of contact, Steph is keen to heal old wounds and reconnect, and soon announces that she wants to forgo her half of the inheritance. Larkstone Farm and everything inside will belong solely to Caro.





Relieved to have somewhere to go, Caro jumps at the chance to move in and settle some of her mother’s affairs. But it isn’t just the damp walls, dusty books and stray cat that Caro is taking on. Inside Larkstone Farm, the memories she has scrambled to escape her entire adult life still rattle away. Echoes of those long days she hid in her bedroom, out of the reach of her mother’s torment.







Elizabeth, always so cold and unloving, would weave the fairytale of The Pear Drum into Caro’s life, frightening her with the wicked story of two little girls. It has lingered in the back of her mind for years, and when she finds the real pear drum Elizabeth owned hidden away in the attic, the past is revived and all those lonely days she hid away come back to the fore.







Her memories are not the only problem Caro must face. When peculiar things begin happening inside the house, Caro at first puts it down to the vitriolic locals, who clearly wish she hadn’t returned, but soon she isn’t sure what to believe and who to turn to. I felt for Caro, she is very vulnerable, obviously scarred by her past. The story of the pear drum gave me the shivers. I loved how the author draws on this fairytale in Cuckoo, exploring its wicked theme and the profound hold it has on one character.





A gripping novel that examines the seam of malice stretching through the Crowther family and one woman’s desperate attempt to escape the past. Really enjoyed it!





Gripping. Dark. Twisty.

I've been searching and searching lately for a psychological thriller which draws me in and keeps me hooked in a way that has me racing through it towards the end. It's not the fault of any of the books I've been reading - it's completely me. I'm all booked out. When I picked up Cuckoo by Sophie Draper I really wanted it to be that book and you know what? It flipping well was.

I don't know what it was about the book, perhaps the strained family relationships - I can relate to that - or maybe the creeping and run down house that Caro inherits - I can relate to that too. Something about the book completely captured my attention and held it and I found myself reading with a far greater ease than I had for quite some time. And I you asked me, I'd be hard pressed to tell you why, I just know that I was.

The majority of the story is told from Caro's point of view as she leaves her home of many years in London and returns to the that of her childhood following the death of her stepmother. Caro's memories are tinged with sadness and there is an overwhelming sense of neglect from a woman who was forced upon Caro when her mother died. When she loses her father too, Caro has only the wicked stepmother to rely upon but there is little by the way of love given to her as a child. In fact, that is an understatement, but you will have to find out just how much by reading the book.

I loved the way that Sophie Draper built the tension in this book. There was nothing in the way of outright shocks that led tot he slower terrorisation of Caro, more it was the way in which, bit by bit, we are slowly taken deeper into the recesses of her mind and events from her past that she would rather forget are brought to the fore. None more so than the story of 'The Pear Drum.' This is a folk tale in the vein of Grimm Fairy Tales and whilst not the most horrific of stories, the way in which it is used to feed the tension throughout is extremely effective.

Caro was a character I warmed to quite quickly. She is not exactly the most gregarious character and she is quickly ostracised by almost the entire village although we have no clue as to why. She faces a campaign of hate which I couldn't help but feel some sympathy towards her over, although she did eventually find a few allies within the village. Her story is quite dark, and the more I found out about her, the more I wanted to see her come good. There are many revelations throughout, both about her and her family, some of which is not wholly unexpected, but this didn't matter.

This isn't the fastest of reads even though it held my attention from start to finish, but the slow build of the atmospheric tension, and the environmental factors which increased Caro's sense of isolation, are both perfectly pitched to the tone of the book. If you are looking for snappy action and high octane thrills then this is definitely not the book you are after. If on the other hand you want a clever, twisting, and nerve jangling tale that the feeling of a gothic fairy tale at its heart, then I'd say give this one a go. I really enjoyed it.

Dark, unsettling and packed with jaw-dropping twists and turns, readers are sure to fall under the spell of Sophie Draper and her spooky debut Gothic chiller, Cuckoo.

Caro has never had the easiest of relationships with her stepmother, Elizabeth. Having been raised by her stepmother after the death of her biological parents, the painful memories of a childhood spent with a woman she felt never cared for her, let alone loved her, have left their scars on Caro, who has consigned her infancy to a past which she would sooner forget. Growing up on a Derbyshire farm, Caro had escaped from the claustrophobic confines of her stepmother’s house as soon as she possibly could and made a new life for herself in London where she works as a freelance illustrator. Caro doesn’t seem to have much contact with her stepmother or her sister, who has made a new life for herself in America, but the past does have a habit of rearing its ugly head when one least expects it as she discovers when she receives news through lawyers that her stepmother has died in gruesome and tragic circumstances.

The shocks look set to keep on coming for Caro because she discovers that her stepmother has left the house to her. Caro had vowed never to return to her childhood home ever again, but when she finds herself with no other option but to do the unthinkable and cross the threshold of a house full of heart-breaking memories, she packs her bags and returns to Derbyshire where she is immediately greeted with suspicion by her neighbours who refer to her as the mad sibling. As Caro begins to look through her stepmother’s belongings, she finds herself unearthing memories which she would rather keep buried and a terrifying and spine-chilling story which Elizabeth used to take great delight in telling her as a child about two little girls and the terrible thing they do.

Trapped in the house by heavy snow, Caro begins to piece together the pieces of the puzzle that was her stepmother. Why did Elizabeth hate her so much? What was she hiding? Does Caro want to dig deeper into the past? And if she does, is she ready for the shocking revelations which she will uncover?

Cuckoo is a book that gets under readers’ skin and keep them absolutely riveted to the page. A terrifying, disturbing, enthralling and nail-biting thriller full of secrets, lies, untruths and fears, Cuckoo will make readers jump out of their skin and have them sleeping with the light on for weeks. Dark, twisted and written with great insight and lyricism, Cuckoo is a first class thriller that is as difficult to put down as it is to forget!

Great praise to the author on her debut novel. This was a brilliant read. I was literally glued from start to finish.

After Caros stepmother Elizabeth dies Caro goes back to the family home. It hasn’t held happy childhood memories for her. Going through Elizabeth’s belongings brings back memories she’d rather forget. When strange things start happening is it Caros imagination or is it something else?

This story was full of twists that had me on the edge of my seat. I sometimes found I was even doubting my own thoughts while reading it. A brilliant read. Can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

When Caro’s stepmother dies she finds herself living back in her old house as she sorts out the affairs of the women who made her childhood miserable. But what secrets are lurking in the house for her to find?

I always a love a good psychological thriller but they can feel a little samey after a while. For the first half of Cuckoo I thought this might be the case as I correctly guessed one of the main twists. However the later part of the book completely took me by surprise and the ending (no spoilers!) was enough to bring it up to a 5 star review. It also had a very clever marketing campaign on NetGalley of not revealing the title or author until after you requested it but I suppose this wont work too well after it gets released!

The narration of Cuckoo can get a little confusing at times, Caro the main character is a bit of an unreliable narrator with an overactive imagination and a tendency to be a bit paranoid and overreact to the circumstances presented. I liked the inclusion of dark fairy tales which are one of Caro’s illustration commissions which get interwoven into the story. I also liked the description of Caro painting and the dark images she feels she needs to get out onto the canvas. At times the book takes a dip into the horror genre as well and its atmosphere and setting is unsettling throughout.

Overall it’s a twisty read with an interesting narrative voice and a great ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cuckoo would have been perfect as my Halloween night read for it combines everything I love in a thriller with a twist of spookiness that left me clinging to my blanket a little tighter than I usually do!

A death. A house. Memories. Secrets. Whispers. You can easily take those elements but never get them quite right. Trust Sophie Draper to align the planets, the chakra and whatever else to shake those regular book visitors into a real nightmare with an originality that grips your guts and turns them into a mushy mess!!!

The opening made my blood run cold. A hospital. A narrator listening but without any chance of reaching out to those around them. Scary enough, right? My kind of scary. The ‘Oh my, it totally could happen’ scary. But only sketchy details are given to the reader to let them fully take in what is happening in the room. I knew then that I had to know. Why, what, who, how? I was hooked.

I always say: ‘the past is the past’ (affirms the woman who holds a couple of grudges) and there is a good reason for this. Walking down memory lane, returning home, those ideas are never good for your mental health. Or your overall health, actually.

Caro is a very convincing but complex character. I took a liking to her almost instantly, drawn by the loneliness that the author had created around her. It felt as if there was a wall between her and the rest of the world. A thick glass reinforced by her lack of confidence and the constant questioning of her own thoughts and actions. To say I pitied her would go too far. I never saw her play the victim. No, Caro wanted to disappear, to be one of those faces in the crowd. She had found her vocation as an illustrator, but her London dream had gone dry and the death of her stepmother was another of those things that simply seemed to add to the burden on her shoulders. I saw something of me in Caro, in addition to the fact we share a birth year.

Going back to live in the house she grew up didn’t come easily to Caro. The house doesn’t hold happy thoughts and memories, but beggars can’t be choosers and the young woman is at a crossroad in her life, just out of a toxic relationship and barely able to stay in London. So why not? What could happen in a harmless farmhouse in which her stepmother died?

If at first, it is difficult to understand her reluctance to come back, Sophie Drapers shows us, and poor Caro, that the past leaves scars and that leaving her childhood home didn’t mean people had forgotten or forgiven. But what was to forgive or forget?

Throughout the novel, I couldn’t help doubting what I was reading. The mind is a powerful little bugger and the events occurring after Caro’s return were bothering me as they thread on the line between real and freaky. I can deal with a village unhappy to see someone come back, but even the house seemed to reject Caro, and ghosts from years ago still lingered between the walls. Believe me, my blood pressure never lowered as I read this slow-paced but intense tale.

Yes, tale. I chose this word for a reason.

Fairy tales. Do you like them? Do you believe in them? I don’t. I find those stories cruel and awful. I had my own version of the ugly stepmother who wants to get rid of you so I am entitled to say it. To make Caro an illustrator and have her work on a fairy tale project, all alone and snowed in in her house that feels cold and dangerous had my imagination on fire. It was pure genius from the author, who crafted splendid images and offered us to me in the most vivid way possible. Words were revealing pictures to Caro and Caro would paint them for me, making this reading experience absolutely unique and terrifying. We are not talking about Peppa Pig images here!

Imagine yourself surrounded by the old and dusty things that made you who you are today. Add an estranged sister, a weird builder, a full house to put in orders, and tell me it wouldn’t trigger anything in you. I felt so sorry for Caro as the narrative seemed to tear up every piece of her life to piece, one by one, leaving her naked and lost. And in danger. I even thought she should leave it all behind and forget about her quest for the truth. I could hear myself yell ‘run as fast as you can!!!’ in my mind. No truth is worth unearthing what the brain can’t process. But I would have missed one hell of a family twist! Because I have read a lot about crazy family stuff, here this one wins a prize! Don’t be fooled by the tale and the images, this is a real thriller!

I stopped breathing when I reached the end. Jaw-dropping doesn’t even cover it! I wanted to hug Caro, and you probably will, too. I felt close to her despite my doubts, despite the unusual events that had me thinking ‘Okay, no, not possible’, and I shivered at the thought it actually was possible. This novel had me under its spell, foggy and toxic spell. And I loved it.

Intrigued enough???

Cuckoo is a magnificent atmospheric thriller about keys to the past and coping mechanisms, family secrets and scars that never truly go away. I feel like by saying more, I’d take away the magic, the scary, and the awesomeness of this gripping and taut family tale.

We all remember the dark fairytales from childhood, the wicked stepmother, folklore of children being bad and their punishment, and this is the foundation of Cuckoo . This is a psychological thriller, dark and chilling and with a touch of folklore. At her estranged stepmother’s funeral Caro sees her sister Steph, who walked out of the family home nearly twenty years ago, leaving Caro at the hands of her stepmother who showed no love for her. After reconnecting, Caro returns to the family home to recover from the end of a bad relationship and start a new commission as an illustrator. Whilst there, strange occurrences begin to happen and Caro has flashbacks to her childhood and the cruelty of her stepmother. Is there someone or something in the house and what do these flashbacks mean.

At the centre of this is a folktale her stepmother told Caro and part of the new commission for a book. The Pear Drum is taken from nineteenth century Victorian story by Lucy Clifford called The New Mother. This is a seriously dark, gothic and chilling tale that would give nightmares. It centres around two sisters who meet a girl with a Pear Drum which holds secrets in its box, but to see inside you have to be really naughty. If you aren’t naughty enough, then your mother will be repacked with a creature with glass eyes and a tail. This a fairytale Caro grew up listening to, and reading it again for her illustrations brings back memories of her childhood; after all she had the wicked stepmother.

Cuckoo is one of those thrillers that grabbed me straightaway and left me saying ‘Wow’ when I got to the end. It is fast paced, full of drama and very spooky. The setting of an isolated cottage, where Caro finds herself snowed in, is perfect; there is still a stain of blood on the floor from her stepmother’s death, a back garden that is overgrown and neglected, and things that go bump in the night. I did find Caro annoying at times, but as the book progresses you find out more and come to understand her insecurities and attitude to others. The writing is brilliant, drawing you in to Caro’s world bit by bit, the tension and feeling of suspense and suspicion build throughout until the heart stopping finale. I was mesmerised by this book, and Caro’s life, and for me it is one of the best thrillers I have read in a while.

Cuckoo is a thriller that you won’t forget in a hurry. Fast paced, dark and gothic in character it really is a must read for psychological thriller fans. The spooky and sinister nature of this book, with the fairytale at its centre, is original and compelling. Cuckoo is a breathtaking debut from Sophie Draper, it is so well written and imagined and I can’t wait to read her next book. absolutely brilliant.

This is packed full of gothic threat, suspense and repressed memories, which is hard to get just right - but I think Sophie Draper manages it all brilliantly in Cuckoo. I was hooked right from page one, and though the pace varies between fast and a little slower, the tension is always there.

I really liked protagonist Caro. Though she seems pretty naive at times, she's likable and, most importantly, as a reader I really cared what happened to her. She certainly hasn't had the easiest childhood, but things are about to get harder... the other characters are harder to trust, and I spent a lot of time wondering who was really on Caro's side and who Caro should be keeping a closer eye on...

I think what I liked most of all about this book is the way that Sophie Draper subtly drops in creepy symbols and stories, from the alternative 'fairytales' and folklore that Caro is commisioned to illustrate to the weird pear drum that becomes such an oppressive, threatening object throughout the novel. I really felt a sense of foreboding as I continued reading, and the story's strong gothic undertones, with its mix of romance and horror, adds to this,

I hugely enjoyed Cuckoo; I think it ticked all the right boxes for a gripping psychological thriller that keeps up the tension right until the (THAT!) satisfying last page...

This book was a bit of a slow burner but I’m so glad I persevered! I really enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down right at the end. It has a twist I didn’t see coming at all.

Caro’s stepmother has died and the house has been left to her. She needs to get away from her life in London so she moves back to Derbyshire to clear the house out and start again. But it wasn’t quite the fresh start she was hoping for. The house and her previous life haunts her.
This book had it all, thriller, suspense, romance and ghosts. It’s the perfect winter read and I would highly recommend it

Caro returns to her childhood home after the death of her stepmother, Elizabeth. Their relationship had always been a fraught one and they hadn’t seen each other in years. Caro’s memories of her childhood are somewhat patchy in places but going through Elizabeth’s belongings unearths things she may not wish to remember at all. Why do the villagers dislike her so much? Why did Elizabeth hate her?

Strange things start to happen around the house. As an illustrator for children’s books, Caro has a vivid imagination so I was never quite sure if what she saw was actually there. Are these memories struggling to resurface or is it a bad case of paranoia? With an entire village against her and a sister on the other side of the world, is there anyone Caro can trust?

Cuckoo has an intensely unsettling atmosphere throughout. The story starts with someone in hospital but the reader doesn’t know who the patient is or how they got there. I quickly found myself intrigued, trying to unravel this mystery. Now, this is quite a slow-paced book and at times, for me personally, a bit too slow. That said though, the latter part of the book more than made up for that!

Of course, there are some twists and turns. Some I saw coming, others not at all. There are quite a few family secrets waiting to be unraveled and there’s a constant feeling of isolation that almost made me feel claustrophobic and it all leads to a rather unnerving conclusion. If slow-burning gothic mysteries are your thing, this slightly creepy read will be right up your street!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazingly frightening book

as you know we arent allowed to discuss this book until halloween and i will abide by the rules

but what a book...

wow this is one phycological thriller that takes you on a journey...

two sisters so very different from each other
their mother dies so someone has to deal with the estate...caro is in a bit of a mess and this falls into her lap to sort out her life and her mothers estate
but along the way we find out that caro has been blocking events from her childhood...some very nasty hints comes her way and the way the villagers treat her she keeps well clear

but she meets her mothers tenant and things progress nicely....

strained relationships with the villagers caros relatioinship with her sister and the estate being settled
and then caro begins to remember her childhood and then things heat up

what a journey...never saw that ending what a twister to it...illigimate child,wealthy parents all adds to a thriller of a ride...with murder abound...

I usually give quite a bit of thought to any book before I hit the request button. Is it a genre I like? When is the publication date and of course does the book description sound interesting. Life is too short to read books that just don't work for me, so I surprised myself when I saw Can You Keep A Secret and immediately wanted to be a part of this mysterious advance book read. I can and I will keep the secret until Halloween, but I won't be giving anything away by saying it's been so much fun speculating about this book with other Goodreads/NetGalley readers.
This psychological thriller had dysfunctional family dynamics, repressed memories, secrets, lies, and quite a few unexpected twists and turns(and wow, how about that ending). I don't want to say anymore since it would ruin the 'secret read' for others! I will update after the cover reveal per the publisher's request.
I planned to write a new review when Halloween came, but then thought about the 'fun' not knowing much about this book gave me, and didn't want to add much more. Cuckoo, is Caro's story. She has come back to her childhood home after the death of her stepmother and details of her childhood emerge, ones that are quite different from her sisters. Memories from the past are shared, and the things that are going on in the present, are well, strange and creepy. When everything is revealed, it all makes sense and I didn't see the final twist coming.
3.5 stars.
I received a DRC from Avon Books U.K. through NetGalley.

Picture the scene,I was scrolling through Netgalley (as most book addicts probably do every day) when I came across this book. It had no synopsis,no title,it didnt even have a cover yet. Very intreguing and mysterious and being a person who can't resist books that are intreguing and mysterious,I just had to request it. Sometimes taking a risk on something works and sometimes it doesn't. In this case the risk was most definitely worth it.

Cuckoo is a haunting tale set in a beautifully described isolated house. It was the perfect setting for a spooky mystery with gothic overtones,there was even a glass summer house in the overgrown back garden. Unfortunately there wasn't any hidden doors or passageways which was rather disappointing. I loved the descriptions of how alien the world becomes when the landscape is covered in deep snow and how everyday sounds become muffled. I loved the gothic tales that Caro was doing the illustrations for,I loved the graphic,vivid descriptions of the pictures that she painted to go with the stories. As for Caro herself,I had a lot of empathy and understanding about her feelings of being an outsider,I have also felt that way for most of my life. I could also understand her struggle to trust people,after you have let people into your life and they then mistreat you in some way,it makes you wonder if it is worth the risk trusting other people in the future. She definitely had some major issues some of which were understandable due to how she was treated when she was younger by her step mother Elizabeth and the fact that she had just escaped an abusive,controlling relationship. I thought she was a very frustrating character at times especially when she had her,I can't be happy unless I am with a man moments.

The longer Caro stays in her isolated childhood home,the more memories that she has buried for a very long time start to reemerge and she starts seeing and hearing frightening images and sounds. Sounds like the noise that the mysterious and sinister pear drum used to make when Elizabeth used it to terrorise Caro when she was a young girl. Is Caro losing her mind or is she being tormented by a unknown enemy. Does her sister Steph really want to make up for events that happened in the past? Can she really trust handsome neighbour Craig who conveniently appeared and helped her when she had a unpleasant encounter with Angus McCready? Could it be Angus or any of the other people who live in the village and treat Caro with contempt whenever they saw her. Or could her new American friend Mary Beth not be the kind,caring person she appears to be?

Cuckoo is a gripping gothic thriller that had me hooked in from the first page right through to the surprising ending that had just a touch of poetic justice. This is a enthralling story that contained untrustworthy characters,intense danger scenes,pagan rituals,murder,bullying,abuse and some unexpected twists and turns. Unfortunately I did figure out one of the major twists quite early in the story but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this well written,debut psychological thriller and I look forward to reading more books that are written by this author in the future.