An unusual psychological thriller. I cared about the main character Connie and was intrigued with her relationship with Dr R. It was a bit confusing at first but the story was gradually revealed . I liked the writing style as well as the twists in the story.

This book was absolutely magnificent!! It was so fast paced that I couldn’t put it down. I loved the twist and turns throughout, and I was absolutely gripped from start to finish!!!! I can’t wait to read more from this author

Too close by Natalie Daniels.
This was a good read. I liked the story. I liked connie and dr r I wasn't sure why she was in there myself so I kept reading. A sad and moving story. 4*.

I saw this book recommended by a book reviewer I follow on Facebook and it sounded right up my street, so I was delighted when my request to read and review it was granted by the publisher.

Through the back story, we are introduced to Connie and Ness who meet in the playground and bond over their children. They become fast friends very quickly and their lives become intrinsically intertwined. Over a period of six years, they live in each other's pockets, their children playing together and their families holidaying together. Fast forward to the present day and Connie is in a psychiatric ward with no memory of having committed a crime - the details of which we are not privy to yet. We meet Connie's forensic psychologist, Emma Robinson who is trying to get Connie to remember the details of what led to her being in the hospital. We hear Emma's own story running parallel to Connie's telling of previous events.

I really enjoyed this story, it is fast moving, well written and sometimes a bit shocking. I really liked Connie as a character, she's honest - calling a spade a spade, acerbic, sarcastically witty and a normal middle class mum. I absolutely loved Annie's diary entries, some of which made me laugh out loud, but set the scene differently as we read about it from the viewpoint of a child.

However, I didn't really feel like I knew Ness as a character - there wasn't enough in-depth expansion of Connie and Ness's friendship for me to get a feel for just exactly how close they were, and how close their families were, or how they depended and relied on each other. So I didn't feel the shock of certain actions, and I felt a little remote from Ness and what she did in an "eh okay then" sort of way.

I didn't get what the relevance of telling Emma's story (this could have been a plotline for a book on its own) alongside Connie's, other than to create a connection between the characters, and pointing out that we all have some sort of guilt/redemption seeking need inside us?

This book is touted as a psychological thriller. In my view, it is more a book about families, familial breakdown, but mostly a book about mental health. I did enjoy it a lot and would like to read more from this author.

Connie is in a psychiatric unit after an incident with her children and best friend. Connie is suffering from memory loss and doesn't remember what happened so Emma is the psychiatrist sent to find out what really happened. The events are drip fed throughout the novel which means it holds your interest. Too Close is a decent and enjoyable read though not a particular 'stand out' type thriller. I thought the characters were a little flat and you didn't really develop sympathy for them.

Connie and Ness meet serendipitously at the park, and their children become instant best friends.  Before long the two families become inseparable.  When Ness and her wife split up it is inevitable that Ness will spend more time at Connie's house, but how much is too much? Before long Ness is there every day and night, and Connie longs for a little space.  Then Connie wakes up in a psychiatric hospital, with no recollection of how or why she is there, and being accused of a horrible crime.  Her psychiatrist, Emma Robinson, works tirelessly with her to help her remember and establish what actually happened. Did she do the things she is accused of?

I requested this from NetGalley based purely on the blurb, there was only a handful of reviews on the NetGalley site so far, and 2 ratings on Goodreads, so I really wasn't sure what to expect. I took a chance though and am very glad I did, I was very impressed.

The first thoughts I had whilst reading the book were that the author didn't mince her words or beat around the bush.  Within the first couple of chapters we have some very intimate and intense scenes, and really get a feel for the two main characters.  I liked this because it felt like I knew the characters from early on, and meant we could start getting into the nitty gritty pretty much straight away.

The writing is awesome, and really paints a picture.  The memory scenes are written so well you can fully imagine yourself in them, and they evoke some very strong feelings.  The  characters are believable, and by the end of the book I began to really like Connie and to empathise with her.  I don't want to give too much away, but reading about the events that lead to her being in the hospital I could fully see how she could go down the path she did.

 I felt that Daniels got into the heads of the characters incredibly well, and the similarities she showed us between Connie and Emma's lives worked well for the story.  Seeing the parallels play out was interesting, and the dynamic between these two characters is fascinating. To me, seeing that relationship develop was as much of what made the book as the story of how Connie ended up where she did.

Finally I thought the idea of having excerpts from Annie's diary in the book was very clever.  It helped to lighten up the story in places, but also give us a slightly different perspective on what is happening.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this, I was hooked from start to finish.  The depth of connection I felt to the story and characters, and how well Daniels got us into their psyches really took me by surprise.  I'm giving 5*, and will definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

So what's the chance you bump into another Mum an at the park and become so linked that your ID is going to be forever join together.
Something dreadful has happened and Connie has no idea what it is she's done or alleged to have done. Emma the psychiatrist is there to assess her but who is helping Who and why. I'm not trying to sound deep because I'm not but this is one of those thrillers where you will have questions and if you're like me you will be hooked and not able to put it down.
Ness is the friend and Leah is Ness's wife Karl is Connie's husband and Emma is married to Si. Connie has a son and a daughter Ness has two daughters, and all four children are inseparable from one another bit like the adults. Natalie Daniels the amazing author of this book has thrown in some twists that you will never see coming they caught me out she certainly does not take the obvious route and I love that about this Thriller and I hope you do too
I'm grateful to NetGalley and the offer for this copy of "To Close" and how you get to love and hate the right characters.

I found myself skim reading some of the chapters in this book. The story itself was good but there seemed to be too much information and not moving quick enough.

I found this book quite difficult to read and had several attempts to do so.
Connie and Ness meet in a park and find they are virtually next door neighbours. They form a friendship and are in and out of each others houses all the time. Then Ness faces divorce and is Connie's space all the time. She is everywhere and Connie is at breaking point.
Then she wakes up in a psychiatric hospital and someone says she has committed a serious crime. Has she and if so what and why?

I didn't expect this book to be so good, I liked the sound of it ,I wouldn't have chosen to read it otherwise, but I was expecting a fairly straightforward story, and this was anything but.The writing was exquisite ,really good, the author really got into the psyche of the characters, and I thought her observations of the relationships of the characters was very insightful.I also thought the unexpected humour was brilliant ,I found myself laughing out loud several times,Annie's diary was the best thing ever, brilliant.I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is definitely up there with my favourite books of this year in my top 5 for sure,and I read a lot of books.I don't want to spoil it for anyone else so my review is rather vague but as a former forensic social worker I can say that the descriptions of the psychiatric hospital were very accurate and ,I also enjoyed the fact that I really had no clue what exactly had happened and how the book would end .I will most definitely be looking out for more books from this rather wonderful writer and I would give this book 6 stars if I could.Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC.

Loved this book, relatable characters, fab writing style & plenty twists & turns what more can you ask for. Look forward to reading more by this author. Thanks for the preview.

First read of this author. Really enjoyed this, twisty and taut and a solid read. Thank you for the chance to review it.

I received a copy of this book through netgalley and absolutely loved it.
The story describes a very relatable middle class mother ( Connie) pushed to the brink of sanity by the people she trusts most. In a bid to survive her actions she shuts down her mind and it is up to no-nonsense forensic psychiatrist, Emma to unlock her mind and help her accept responsibility. What Emma and the reader does not bargain for is how incredibly self aware and rational Connie is despite current circumstances. Her humor, her ability to read people and her underlying love for her family floors Emma and in turn the reader. Yes, as per the title and the blurb, the story begins with the friendship between Connie and her best friend, Nessa but I think the crux of the story is actually the relationship that grows between patient and psychiatrist, one that often crosses the bounds of professionalism.

I loved Natalie Daniel’s journalistic style of writing. Very Lionel Shriver like. The story told mostly from Connie and Emma’s perspectives but with excerpts from the child Annie’s eyes was sheer genious, I thought. By the end of the book, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for Connie and yet admiring her for her ability to reach towards that elusive point of forgiveness both for herself and for her nemesis. There were several points where the authors observations of marriage and motherhood, made me self reflect and find myself in surprising agreement! Altogether a very enjoyable book with a hope filled ending.