I have waited nearly a week to write this review as I couldn’t decide how the book ‘sat’ with me. I found the male characters two dimensional and stereotypical and the female characters were equally pathetic. I liked the dual time lines and the switching of narrators. IHowever I felt that it was two stories merged into one with neither being given the depth they needed. The author obviously has talent and writes very well (sometimes a little too graphically for some tastes) so possibly one book about university freshers, relationships and rape with the fall out of that and another book about privileged men who have unnatural sexual proclivities and the power and money to explore those perversions would have been better in my view. I felt the gap between the rape and the grown offspring being on board with her strong independent mother was too much. Equally the male rapists evolution to the middle aged men they became was just as unexplained.

This one really wasn't for me. It wasn't quite what I expected based on the description. I was expecting a domestic psychological suspense and it was more of a rich bad boys/sexual assault story. Not as interesting as it seemed and too many sex scenes for my taste.

I didn't know what to expect from this book as I didn't read the blurb about it. I found the story told in 2019 quite exciting but got a bit bored with the 1990 story especially all the sex. It wasn't until halfway through the book that I realised the significance of the 1990 story.

The story shows how some people think because of their position in life they can treat other people how they want and use them purely for their own needs. It became quite a harrowing read where weaker individuals are used and abused by people in power.

None of the men in the story were likeable at all. I empathised with the two woman but maybe slightly less with Julianne in the 1990 story.

Quite a surprising outcome to the book and ended up a really good read and one that made you think that it could really be happening around us....and probably is.

This wasn't my cup of tea but I still liked it. I am able to see that there are a lot of readers out there who would love this book but it just wasn't for me.

Wow! I devoured this book which was unexpected as it covers some very dark and disturbing topics such as sexual assault, drugs, class and privilege and abuse of power.
The story begins with Holly, a young and brilliant girl from a working class background who is beginning her studies at the prestigious Oxford University where she encounters other young people who come from hugely different backgrounds. The story time hops between events then in 1990 and events in 2019 which worked very well for me and enabled the story of what happened to Holly to be gradually teased out and revealed in stages - this tactic ensured that I would be reading way past bedtime!
Although the majority of characters in this book are truly awful - from self-centred and entitled to downright evil - this is no way ruined my enjoyment of the book and it's fair to say I was hooked despite this and the dark subject matter!
My only complaint - and this is one that has been echoed by fellow reviewers- is that the ending was rather rushed and abrupt and could certainly have used an extra chapter or two but I suppose that just indicates how very much I enjoyed this book?
A brilliant 5 stars and huge thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARc in exchange for an honest review.

Frighteningly plausible and sickening, but impossible to put down. I don’t think I’ll be forgetting this book anytime soon.

Great book, lots going on- lots to follow. Good strong characters. Story is strong as is the plot.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

#A Version of the Truth# NetGally
B. P. Walter

This story is a very dark, sinister tale of young college students caught up in the back and forth dance between male and female characters. The description of college life (although I am sure most of this goes on) was over the top with much sex, drugs, alcohol and misogyny throughout the book. It was just too much gore. The story is told between two time periods, The Present and The 1990’s. It alternates between characters quickly and I found it hard to keep up with them and how they were connected. For me, it was a a very difficult read because of all the controversial topics and unsavory, unpleasant occurrences. If I had not committed to reviewing this book, I would have had a struggle to finish it. I like a good psychological thriller, but this one did not fit the bill for me. I wish the author good luck in her future endeavors. Unfortunately, I will not be recommending this book to others.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGally for the advance read copy in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars

BP Walters is certainly an author to watch out for. Exquisitely well-written and perfectly plotted, A Version of the Truth captured me from page one, had me riveted me throughout, and left me thoroughly, *thoroughly* unsettled. Some disturbing, and poignant, social commentary here. Bravo!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed 'A Version of the Truth' and wanted to find out what the real story was from the minute I started reading.

Alternating between the past and the present we meet Julieanne, who finds her world turned upside down when her son finds some untoward files on her husband, James' dropbox account. The files seem to relate to possible sexual relations and assaults. Julieanne finds herself completely shattered at this possible revelation and it soon becomes clear with the college flashbacks that all is not as it seems.

I'm slightly confused that many of the reviews speak of 'Holly' being the main character when my version of the book had 'Sophie' as the person narrating the flashbacks. Sophie comes from a poor background but finds herself in the deep-end of a world of sexual promiscuity and experimentation when she wins herself a scholarship at Oxford.

Many of the characters are extremely unlikeable particularly Ernest and James. I did however warm to Ally though and Julieanne's son Steven.

The book is completely gripping but towards the end it was quite difficult to read due to a lot of difficult subjects being arraised such as gang-rape. It is very descriptive in this sense.

All in all, I enjoyed the book but wish the characters were slightly more likeable.

Julianne is living a happy life preparing dinner a normal day,till the moment her son runs in and says look what I found on the iPad.What she sees will disgust shock and turn her life upside down.Going back in time to college days to acts ugly acts.This book is so twisted so shocking unputdownable a wild wild read.
#netgalley #A Version of the Truth #avonuk

Like many other reviewers of this book, I am not quite sure where to start with this one.

The first few chapters definitely had me hooked and I was desperate to find out what was going on in the "now'" part of the story. Then we go back to 1990 and are introduced to the characters as they were back then and the story unfolds going back between then and now.

I found the character of Holly rather insipid and her naivety slightly unbelievable and I felt that James and the other characters in Oxford seemed slightly stereotyped.

What I did not expect was the graphic nature of what I was reading. I prefer a more implied version of what may be happening, so I sometimes felt uncomfortable reading the explicit parts.

That said, the actual story is rather good and I was intrigued to find out how it would all end.. I would have just preferred perhaps, a less explicit read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher for letting me read this book. I am not sure I really liked this book, did not like any of the people in it and gave up after about 50 pages.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-galley copy in exchange for an honest review.

TBH, I found this book to be rather disconcordant. I didn't make an emotional connection with the main characters, Julianne and Sophie. Although the conflict is a very of-the-moment issue, it's not revealed what's going on until the third act, leaving you with little time to process what's going on before the novel concludes. There's little to go on as to how the villians became quite so twisted as to play the "games" they did in the past and how they managed to level up to their current hideousness.

This book tries to address multiple important issues in our society today, but glazes the surface without making any equally important conclusions or judgements. Definitely a worthy topice, but it could have been handled more deftly.

Not my cup of tea this book, tried my best to continue with it but the story just wasn’t strong enough to keep me engaged in the book.

Sex. Drugs. College. Sorry kids - no rock-n-roll in this twisted, gnarly, dark tale.

A Version of the Truth hits a bit too close to home for me; however, I muddled through triumphantly. It’s a good read for those with a strong heart and no skeletons hanging in the closet waiting to say “hello” reminding you of a past you wish would stay buried. A Version of the Truth keeps you tuned in, stringing you along, twisting you in ways you didn’t think you could be twisted. Even though the books main topic was a bit much for my own psyche, I still have to give it a 4.❤️

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this to review.

Very mixed thoughts on this book, which is told in both the present from an Oxford Uni alumni (Julianne) and a student (Holly) who is studying at Oxford.

The story itself is quite dark and sinister and although initially gripping, I lost interest to a degree at the at some points unnecessary graphic sexual detail. Although without a doubt this happens at HE institutes - some of the detail just didn’t quite sit right and was a bit too ‘try hard’

That said, it was a decent read that kept interest throughout at some level, and it was a good ending with great build up towards this.

If you want to read a story about privileged, entitled, white men who have sexual perversions and the mousy, doormat, weak wives, then you will enjoy A Version of the Truth.

Told in past and present POVs from Holly, a sheltered young freshman student at Oxford, and Julianne, the wife of James, also of Oxford. A traumatic assault Holly suffered as a young woman will have devastating repercussions for everyone involved in the future.

Let me be blunt; there are no nice people here, not even vaguely sympathetic ones, except for Stephen, Julianne and James' son, the only one with moral fiber and a backbone.

Everyone is disgusting scum, including the women. There is tedious talk about sex, intercourse, and more sex, people having sex, snarky comments and sneaky asides about who is doing whom.

Then, we get more disturbing talk about rape, gang rape, sexual trafficking, and none of this added to the narrative or moved the plot forward. After a few pages, it all became monotonous and extremely childish.

Besides all the blatant sexual violence against women and members of the LGBT community, there is gay bashing, appearance and slut shaming, sexism and misogyny only Weinstein could love coupled with despicable, hateful male characters, and the typical (poor) representations of women as weak, cowardly and sad.

Holly, as an assault survivor, does not engender much sympathy. She is an awkward and sheltered individual, she keeps mentioning, but (not so secretly) judgmental, bitter and jealous. She is attracted to James and experiences an almost unholy jealousy when she discovers he has a girlfriend, even though she has no claim to him.

Julianne, like ALL wives in these kinds of books, fakes it (for a freaking long time) until she makes it, until she can't do it anymore. Naturally, she is gorgeous and married to James, another gorgeous individual, who has lived in denial for nearly 30 years, because...she's scared? She's a coward? OK, fine. but that doesn't mean I like or empathize with you.

What the narrative lacks in plot is made up in how much time Julianne spends gasping in shock and vomiting and bewildered and more shocked expressions when she realizes her husband is scum. Here's a tip; why don't you stop fainting like a Victorian lady and...oh, I don't know, MAN UP! It's not as if you didn't know.

But the real hard to suspend disbelief moment of the book came was how Julianne discovers her husband's indiscretions.

How many tabs does he have open? How many cloud accounts does he have that he has no idea that he's dropping incriminating items into the FAMILY ACCOUNT?

Is he that stupid? That's rhetorical.

I'm seeing too many of these plots, where the main characters are white, privileged men up to the usual Anthony Weiner shenanigans (or worse) and the stupid women who love them and eventually discover what kind of men they really are (insert fake gasp here).

Oh, and the ending...please, don't get me started on that Lifetime cheesiness. Now I'm the one who wants to puke.

I have no idea if the author was trying to make a statement about the #MeToo movement but if he or she was, it was an EPIC FAIL.

This book was a decent thriller with well developed characters, with an original plot line that kept me intrigued and flipping pages. Something I thought was a 3-4 star read.
Will use in a daily challenge and recommend to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub when I return from vacation.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were Very believable and there is a twist at the end without spoiling it for other readers but I didn't expect the outcome. The description of university life was well thought out. Well done to the author.