Meet your new perfect friend...almost MORE perfect than you. Is she really your friend or replacement? What can be worse, right?

This book is so twisty and devious in its plot that it's hard to comment on it not giving anything crucial away. It almost felt like more than one story in one book.

The thing I liked the most about this book was how atmospheric the house felt...the high ceilings, big rooms, long staircase...all the walls with all the things that have happened between them...all that buildup to where it could lead if you poked your head in each of them. These creepy and yet beautifully written descriptions of the place took first place over the plot quite quickly.

Perfect for fans of domestic drama, friendship mysteries and twisty thrillers that tend to turn around unrecognizably.

Thank you Random House and Transworld Publishers for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book and although not to keen at the start I loved Connie and Emma by the end. It’s very well written and whilst I agree with one or two other reviewers in that it doesn’t really fit the psychological thriller it is a very very good story.
Over the years I seem to be getting much less keen to give five stars but I do feel that Too Close deserves nothing less.

I enjoyed “Too Close” & had an empathy for the main protagonists. The main female characters, although flawed, were interesting & as a reader I wanted to find out more about them & why they behaved as they did. The ending of the book was a bit abrupt & everything seemed to get wrapped up a little too quickly. On the whole I would recommend.

I read this book in just three days- I was desperate to get to the end and found parts of it were laugh out loud funny. The observations on life and mental health were fantastic and I can see this being made into a tv show- a real book to make you think/ what would you do?!

Best writing I have read in ages

Natalie Daniels is the pseudonym for Clara Salaman, an English actress well known for her roles in The Bill and EastEnders. If I could give more than 5 Stars I would. The quality of her writing is outstanding, and I could not put the book down. Her gritty, very moving account of a woman driven to the very brink of the precipice is so real and written with such humour that at times I laughed out loud.

Constance Mortenson is not your typical heroine, but in my eyes, she represents a very modern-day woman, juggling a career, two children and a marriage that is starting to crack. She is also struggling to cope with her ageing parents, especially her beloved mother that has been diagnosed with dementia. Then she meets Ness in the local park, discovers that she lives around the corner, has a daughter the same age and the die is cast. Connie and Ness, her wife Leah, and Connie’s husband Karl become firm friends, sharing their homes and their holidays, in and out of one another’s lives. Do they share too much, are they too close to one another?

There are so many serious themes that are touched upon, and the way they are woven through the storyline is nothing short of genius. The casual way in which benzodiazepines are prescribed by GP’s, without a thought to the long-term effects and the way in which mental health is dealt with in our modern-day society. Dr Emma Robinson is a ray of light in Connie’s bleak world. She is the court-appointed Forensic Psychiatrist tasked with unravelling the events that have led to Connie’s incarceration in a mental institution and the reader learns more about her from both her own voice and Connie’s clever investigation. Emma ends up crossing the line between patient and doctor, partly because she seems beguiled by Connie and partly because of her genuine desire to help Connie make sense of her world. I loved both characters and was once again so very impressed by the quality of the writing and the beautiful relationship that blossoms between the two women.

Natalie Daniels has written a truly brilliant book and she is one to watch.

I highly recommend this book.

Gillian

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review

As much as I wanted to love this book I just didn’t. The blurb pulled me in so hard that I was sure it was going to be a finish in one sitting type of read but in the end I was more confused than anything. The writing was good I just got lost in the characters and their time lines. I will say this could of very well been me and my mind set at the time of reading it, so I’m going to give it another chance when my own head is less chaotic. Thank you Netgalley for my advanced copy.

Connie and Ness met in the park while their children played. As they talked, they realised they were neighbours. Perhaps it was only natural that they and their families would become entirely inseparable.

But when Ness’s marriage ends in a bitter divorce, she is suddenly at Connie’s house all the time. Connie doesn’t have a moment to herself, no time alone with her husband, not a second to chat to her kids. It’s all too much. Something has to give.

My goodness what a novel! I can't praise this enough. It is utterly absorbing, a real page turner. I had to keep reading, just one more chapter! When Connie wakes up in a psychiatric hospital and doesn't remember a thing, her therapist has to gradually help unravel the truth. At times shocking, amusing and emotional it is a real character driven study of family, relationships and mental illness, with each chapter teasing out a little more of the story. At times not an easy read but one I just had to complete. When finished it stayed in my memory for a long time. For me, there is no better compliment than that.

The cover got my attention first as I love a good cover ! then the brief description sealed the deal ;
How close is too close?
Connie and Ness met in the park while their children played. As they talked, they realised they were neighbours. Perhaps it was only natural that they and their families would become entirely inseparable.
But when Ness’s marriage ends in a bitter divorce, she is suddenly at Connie’s house all the time. Connie doesn’t have a moment to herself, no time alone with her husband, not a second to chat to her kids.
It’s all too much. Something has to give.
Connie has woken up in a psychiatric hospital. They say she committed a terrible crime but she says she can’t remember a thing.
I can normally tell by the first page or so if I am going to love like or hate a book .Those first pages are set in the past telling the story of how the main characters Ness and Connie met and my first impression was this it's my type of book. Chapter one is current day and Connie is in a psychiatric hospital where she meets Dr Robinson or Dr R as Connie calls her and The story is told from diary entries from her daughter , Dr R sessions and Connie herself and tells the take of what she did to end up in there . Now this is where I began to loose a little bit of interest as the opening was so good , I felt a little let down that it wasn't quite as good and I seemed to be waiting and even expecting more twists but they never really came . I was expecting a thriller and this is more of a story about friendship deceit and mental illness. I felt most of the Dr's side story that was being told wasn't really needed and bits of the book like the reunion a bit boring , but That being said was intrigued to why she was In there and the story was well written so did want to finish it . It was an ok book that was just short of being great
Thankyou to the author and publisher , links below for review on my blog/amazon/goodreads

I received this debut novel via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
In my opinion I don't think that Too Close should be described as a ‘thriller - the storyline has psychological aspects amongst which are deceit and betrayal within relationships and covers some very emotive issues involving mental health and family/friendship breakdown but there is no ‘thrill’ per se as you know from the beginning of the book that the main character and narrator is incarcerated in a mental institution having committed a terrible act that she says she cannot remember. The whole story unfolds in her words with the sub-story of her therapist who has issues in her own life running alongside. However, I did very much enjoy reading this book and found it well written and absorbing, my only criticism would be that the ending seemed a little rushed but saying that it didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment. Looking forward to the next novel by this author.

I wouldn't describe this book as a psychological thriller, more a story describing mental illness. I found the jumping back and forwards confusing and sadly didn't finish it. Sorry not for me.

Started well, plenty of intrigue, and I liked the double-viewpoint aspect of the book. However after a while I began to wonder where the plot was going - there was a lot of detail that I didn't see the point of really. I ploughed on to the end, but that felt rushed. I think the pacing of the book could have been improved upon, allowing more time for the endgame.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Although initially I struggled to feel any sympathy with the main character, the narrator, I persevered and quite soon found myself locked in to her story. I wanted to find out what had happened to her and how she ended up where she was. In the end it was a rewarding read, and in fact not quite what I expected - so do give this book a try!

Connie wakes up in a Psychiatric hospital and is told she committed a terrible crime. She says she can’t remember a thing.

The book switches between the past and present and we gradually discover what Connie did. When we know the what we get to find out the why. It’s packed full of emotion and brings up the question of whether everyone has a breaking point.

Even though Emma, the psychiatrist is extremely unprofessional with a messy personal life, I did enjoy the relationship between her and Connie.

If you go into this expecting a psychological thriller, you might be a tad disappointed. I really enjoyed it, but it definitely isn’t a thriller. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly fast paced either but it did keep me engaged.

Connie meets Ness whilst their children are playing at the park and realise they are neighbours. Over the next 6 years their families do everything together. Between not having a moment to themselves and then Connie's husband making an unusual suggestion, it tips her over the edge which takes us to the the proper start of the story where Connie wakes up in a mental instit not remembering why she is there.

This is an extreme dark story of when you let a new friend get too close in your life set in contemporary London. The story flicks between the present and the past and over time it is revealed why Connie is in the institution. It also moves between Connie and Dr Robinson (Emma) who has been sent to assess Connie's ability to stand trial and to recall events from Connie's memory of the events leading up to her present situation.

It was a story I couldn't put down once I started and enjoyed it, even with its dark elements though some light elements come through when Connie is reading her daughters diary - some of it is quite funny. However despite this I had a few issues with it: at first when the story moved to Emma, I thought who is she as she'd only been referred to as Dr R so I was a little confused at this. Also I'm not sure a Dr would take personal belongings into a patients room, so this part of the story seemed wrong plus the focus was on assessing Connies ability to stand trial but nothing came of it. Why mention it if nothing happens

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review..

I loved the gentle but sinister pace of this well written story. I found myself very invested in the characters, who were realistic and empathetic. A very well deserved four stars

I loved reading this book. There was quite alot of mystery throughout and I was eager to find out what happened. Throughout the book we get to know both Connie and her life/family, and emma her psychiatrist. It has a lovely feel-good ending, Id recommend this book and give it 5 stars. Thankyou net galley for the opportunity to read this copy in exchange for my opinion

I gave this 4/5 on goodreads because I felt the ending could have been different. Now that doesn’t mean I don’t like it: quite the opposite. I won’t put spoilers in but you had literally no idea where this was going and god that it’s brilliant. I’d recommend it 100% but I’d have gone different at the end. Make your own mind up!

This book did not go the way I was expecting after the beginning! I was so intrigued about what event had happened, trying guess just what was so bad and what led to such a disaster. All of the relationships in the book are a bit confusing and complicated but in a good way, it left me guessing which way the story might go as we had flashbacks through the diary and also in the therapist's life. The parallels between their lives make an interesting comparison too and I like how their relationship evolves. There was enough intrigue and drama to keep me interested alongside the psychological aspect. An enjoyable read.

“Too Close” is a psychological thriller that got me hooked from the very beginning. In fact, I’m going to give it 5 stars even though it’s not perfect (but hey, nothing is…)

The Plot:
It’s not that the plot is complex or out of ordinary. Much the opposite, everything about the story feels very real, and you’re instantly eager to know more as you turn page after page. The strongest point of the book is how the plot is unveiled. What could possibly have led Connie to the state she is now? You want answers, and the book gives you answers…slowly.

The Characters:
Wow, these were some pretty flawed characters! The way it’s written makes us feel really close to these people while terrible things go through their heads. It’s difficult to “like them”, but it is their flawed human nature that makes them more interesting.

The Writing Style:
The best thing about this book was the writing style! Daniels did an amazing job with both Connie and Dr Emma’s points of view. Connie is raw, cold, and the shocking part is when you realize you can relate to some of her thoughts and views on life. It also does make us wonder how some events can lead to chaos and turn a life around. I had a hard time picking my favorite quote because there’s some great food for thought you can use as a quote.

Overall, "Too Close" might not be the most original piece of art, but it was my favorite read from this past year. The raw writing style makes me give extra points, ending up with a 5-star rating from me.

Read my full review here: https://nya-reads.com/2019/01/too-close-by-natalie-daniels/

How close it ‘too close’?

The story begins as Connie and Ness meet at the park with their daughters Annie and Polly. From then on their lives become entwined, but how close is revealed through a series of meetings with Connie and her psychologist Emma, as the second time we meet Connie she is in a facility dealing with her mental health. Connie is a young woman with it all in the park and then 6 years on she is presented as a lady with hair that has fallen out, with scars and struggling to find the memories of what happened to her.

The story deals with betrayal, loss, friendship and mental illness.

A really interesting read.

I’d like to thank the publisher and netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.