I have heard so much about this book through my various social media sites that I was desperate to read it. And having read previous books by Angela Clarke I knew that I would be in for a treat - and I was not wrong. This book was amazing and I would have read it in one go if real life hadn't gotten in the way. I was instantly hooked from the opening pages - I loved it! It was very well researched and that came through in the writing. And that twist - I was gobsmacked!!

Jenna's life has it all - a wonderful fiancé (who is also mega rich), a job that she loves and a beautiful home. Its a long way from her childhood and life couldn't get better. Is it all too good to be true? In an instant her life changes when she comes home to find her teenage step daughter murdered in their home and her partner Richard missing. And she is arrested with the murder. All of a sudden she is locked up in a women's prison where she is trying to come to terms with what has happened as well as clear her name. She tells her fellow inmates that she is in for drug related offences as the real crime would see her a target. As if this is not enough after a few days inside she discovers that she is pregnant. Feeling very alone and scared she has to adapt to prison life and try to get herself out before she loses everything.

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Mulholland Books as well as Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

This book didn’t match the blurb and seemed to be too much about life inside a women’s prison. It didn’t feel realistic to me and I felt the characters were a bit short of depth. I do however think it will be a popular book but just not one for me.

What a corker! Just what a fantastic read should be , it had suspense, anticipation and a killer twist at the end. This thriller covers multiple genres so if you like crime psychological and mystery thrillers then this is definitely one you will want to read.
Set in dual time now/then tells the story of Jenna , she had the perfect life , a fiancé who adored her , a gorgeous house on his family’s private estate , money and now her life’s been turned upside down , framed imprisoned and pregnant awaiting trial for the murder of her 14 year stepdaughter Emily and suspected murder of Robert her fiancé. We live Jenna’s prison life and get a glimpse of what life on the ‘inside’ is like. She tries to hide who she is, what she has done and what the police found on her laptop as she knows what they do to those kind. She needs to find out who has done this. “I DIDN’T DO IT , I SWEAR , ON MY LIFE ......

On My Life is a gripping, well-plotted thriller with a multi-layered, credible main protagonist stuck in a claustrophobic and anxiety-inducing situation of being innocently accused of murder and held in prison.
I felt quite stressed at times following both the insightful descriptions of prison life and the daily cruelties and indignities the inmates have to endure and the flashbacks of Jenna's life slowly revealing a darker side to her memories. I found the ending a little disappointing, but it is a hell of a ride and plenty of genre readers will absolutely love this.

After a whirlwind romance, Jenna is preparing to marry Robert and become stepmother to his teenage daughter, Emily. Everything changes, however, when Emily is murdered and Robert is nowhere to be found, a trail of his blood leading the police to believe he has been dragged, dying, from the house. Arrested and charged with the murders, Jenna is adamant that she is innocent and that someone has set her up. Finding out that she is pregnant, she knows that she must, somehow, prove her innocence in order to provide a life for her unborn child.

Every now and then a book comes along that really makes you sit up and think about what you are reading – this is certainly one of those books. I have read several books set in women’s prisons but what sticks out here is the research that Angela Clarke has clearly done to provide an eye-opening account of what really goes on inside such a place. It was easy to picture the scene inside of the prison and, at times, felt genuine fear for Jenna as she tried to hide the fact that she was the ‘blonde slayer’ from the other inmates. Knowing she was innocent, I spent the whole book rooting for her and hoping that justice would prevail.

The book is told in two time frames, both as gripping as the other. As well as the real-time plot of Jenna’s prison life, we travel to the near-past to witness the build-up to the murder. It doesn’t take long to realise that all is not well in Robert’s life and that there are secrets that his family would prefer to be left hidden. Prior to the murder, we see Jenna discovering some of these secrets, leading her to wonder if it could be someone close to home who has set her up. Angela Clarke gives us just enough information about these characters to make you wonder which one, if any, it could be. A couple of events in the book did lead me to the right conclusion, but I was still left shocked when the whole truth was finally revealed.

It was, perhaps, the prison scenes that I enjoyed the most, especially those involving Jenna and her cellmate, Kelly. It was nice to see a genuine friendship developing and was a huge contrast to scenes involving the more violent inmates. It was inevitable that, at some point, Jenna’s identity would be revealed and I felt genuinely scared for her as, one by one, the other women began to turn on her.

Angela Clarke has done a fantastic job of highlighting the poor prison conditions, in particular those of pregnant women. I was already a fan of the author’s social media series but I feel that On My Life could be the book that puts her firmly in the public eye. This is a must read.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
What an amazing, totally engrossing read ‘On My Life’ is, I believe this could be Angela Clarke’s best book yet. Jenna is the main character in the story, who is framed for crimes she did not commit and then imprisoned and finds out she is pregnant ! The story is enthralling and keeps the reader guessing, until the end. It is fast paced, extremely clever and keeps up the suspense until the climax of the story.
With special thanks to Mulholland Books and Angela Clarke for a copy of the book, I hadn’t realised that I already had a copy from Netgalley!!
Highly recommended

Sometimes you start a book and wonder if you have chosen well, you feel a bit restless at your choice...and other times within the first few sentences you KNOW you have a gem in your hands...this book was one of those...
Jenna has a perfect life, a loving fiancé, appreciative soon to be step daughter, wealth, great job..nothing could be better or go wrong.....
We meet Jenna as she is being carted off in a prison van,accused of murdering the soon to be step daughter and her fiancé....oh and to boot for having child porn on her laptop....she is soon shut in the van cell, fearful, bullied by a guard and covered in her own vomit....
Then her problems really begin!
This incredibly well written tale then charts her time in prison, it is real, harrowing and so well researched and you really feel the terror and fear and helplessness of it all
But this is no ordinary prison story, far from it, the story goes back and forth from her happy life to this horrendous life she finds herself in where no one believes her and the other prisoners find out ‘she is’ a child killer and nonce
If this is all not stressful enough she then finds out she is pregnant!!
And just as things really cannot get any worse there is then a prison riot, so well described the tension was screaming off the pages
All this as she tries to prove she is innocent, alongside lecherous prison guards, violent women and rules and regulations so archaic it beggars belief
I love a surprise ( ok twist ) ending and pride myself on at least part guessing the outcome but this had me flawed....and when you are made aware of who is behind it all I guarantee you too will be open mouthed
The writing is smooth, encompassing and flawless and I loved every word
I am not sure I can put over how good this book really is, awesome read
( there is a fascinating authors note(s) at the end full of statistics ( non boring ones! ) and info on prisons and prisoners and also an equally interesting acknowledgments piece )
10/10 5 Stars

n amongst the somewhat confusing story of Jenna trying to work out who killed her future step-daughter and possibly her fiancé is a thought provoking social commentary of the prison system in the UK.
The actual mystery of who famed her and why they framed her felt cliched. Is it the overbearing future father-in-law? Does her future husband have something to hide? Wait, who is this mystery person visiting me in prison, could it be you? Or is it someone jealous of her lifestyle? All over-used red herrings although, to be fair, it did keep this element of the plot racing along at a fast pace.
However, the descriptions of the over-crowded prison, the staffing issues and the corruption were brutal. Reading about what it is like being incarcerated filled me with fear, and the added to the mix what is is like to be pregnant and my heart broke. Every time I thought that Jenna and Kelly had reached the limits of the inadequacy of the penal system, something worse lay in store.
It comes as no surprise that the author discusses her research in the afterward of the book and I take my hat off to her for increasing awareness of this issue, in an entertaining, but never gratuitous way.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Loved this book, loved the characters and the story - I was slightly disappointed with the ending, I did see it coming

Wow. This is an incredible book. I absolutely devoured it.
I've never ready anything by this author before, but she is such an incredibly talented writer, I was in awe of the book.
It's a fast-paced, tense thriller that leaves you reeling with every emotion felt by the characters. I was scared while reading it, but in a good way! There was drama at every turn, and it all felt convincing and real.
Would recommend this book to absolutely anybody. A must-read!

Have just finished reading this and what an absolute killer I would never have expected or imagined that outcome. It was brilliant you really need to read it.

Oh I never like doing this. Okay. So this was a book that did grip me and that I enjoyed, but I kept coming back to the blurb (see above) and it just didn't match up for me. But ... okay. So.

This is the story of Jenna who finds her stepdaughter dead and her partner missing and with all the evidence around pointing straight to her, Jenna is arrested. So far, so totally in. It is after the arrest that things turned for me, the story turned into a very detailed review of the prison system, in particular showing us how life in a woman's prison is.

While I worried for Jenna, who definitely did not seem strong enough to cope with prison life, I was more interested in getting her out so that we could see what had happened to her poor, lovely stepdaughter. The story became more about Jenna's life in prison and how the prison system deals with women and mothers in prison.

I liked the characters, some tough, some great as allies for Jenna, which I appreciated and gave it some nice light and shade moments. I  worried in places and yes, couldn't put it down but to be honest it just wasn't what was advertised and in that way disappointed me a little. There were times it had an oddly unrealistic manner, nearly dystopian and sometimes out of control feel and although I think many will really enjoy it, like I said it just didn't always hit the mark for me. Thanks so much to Mulholland books and Netgalley for the book in return for an honest review.

Fast, pacy and addictive: On My Life will take you on a rollercoaster with each turn of the page. Jenna Burns thought she had it all - a good job, gorgeous fiancé but following the murder of her step-daughter and with her fiancé missing she finds herself Framed, imprisoned and pregnant.

I devoured this book in a couple of days and can highly recommend it. A five star read! Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author for the chance to review.

Jenna thought she had the perfect life: a loving fiancé, a great job, a beautiful home. Then she finds her stepdaughter murdered; her partner missing. And the police think she did it...
Locked up to await trial, surrounded by prisoners who'd hurt her if they knew what she's accused of, certain someone close to her has framed her, Jenna knows what she needs to do:
Clear her name. Save her baby. Find the killer.

I loved the writing, it was very intricate and complex. The writer described the environment in prison very well, so well that it actually terrified me! I couldn't imagine being in prison and pregnant. This was a quick and intriguing read, very good book!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #OnMyLife
Pub Date: 07 Mar 2019

I’d like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘On My Life’ by Angela Clarke in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When Jenna arrives at the home she shares with fiancé Robert and his fourteen-year-old daughter Emily she discovers Emily lying in a pool of blood and Robert missing. The police discover traces of Robert’s blood in the kitchen and promptly arrest Jenna on suspicion of murder. Jenna’s sent to HMP Fallenbrook awaiting trial and Robert’s parents David and Judith clearly don’t want to help prove her innocence. Jenna’s convinced the crime is premeditated and the killer is targeting her, but can she discover who it is and why?

‘On My Life’ is a remarkable novel which gives an insight into prison life, its structure, and how it can fail its inmates especially young women. The chapters move smoothly between what happened to Jenna before the crime is committed to the present time where she’s on remand and is learning to keep her head down and avoid trouble. I should imagine Angela Clarke did a great deal of research into prison life and I commend her for producing such a gripping and extremely readable novel, involving and gritty with twists and turns, and the horrific final chapters which had me enthralled. This is a thoroughly enjoyable novel and one I can highly recommend.

Absolutely fantastic read. I could not stop with this one and kept reading into the night! The descriptions of prison life and to be falsely accused are spine tingling and you are so desyfor her to be saved. Thanks @NetGalley @OnMyLife for the early read

I was a little bit nervous to read this one, but only because I loved Angela Clarke’s social media series so much. This one is a bit different to her other books, so I was interested to see what it was like. I was not disappointed by this book! I’ve never read a book like this one before so the storyline is unique to me. I found it really interesting and also informative. It’s obvious that a lot of research has been done to make sure this book is accurate and realistic. I was hooked right for the start and found this one to be a real page-turner. I also loved the characters. Although this one wasn’t a full-on thriller, it still had amazing twists! I wasn’t expecting them and some parts actually made me gasp out loud. Full of action and tense moments right from the start, I definitely recommend this book to everyone!

On My Life gave a unique insight into female prisoners, especially those who are pregnant. I loved this plot and found myself even questioning whether Jenna was an honest narrator. The dynamics of different relationships in the different settings was interesting, such as her boss and friend completely removing Jenna out of her life, as well as another selling her story to the media.
The scenes within the prison seemed realistic and even made me hold my breath during certain parts. I found myself trying to guess the ending, however not once did I expect the true outcome.
I am a massive fan of Angela Clarke's books and this definitely did not dissapoint.

Framed. Imprisoned. Pregnant.

Jenna thought she had the perfect life: a loving fiancé, a great job, a beautiful home. Then she finds her stepdaughter murdered; her partner missing.

And the police think she did it...

Locked up to await trial, surrounded by prisoners who'd hurt her if they knew what she's accused of, certain someone close to her has framed her, Jenna knows what she needs to do:

Clear her name
Save her baby
Find the killer

But can she do it in time?

Wow! I've read some amazing books so far in 2019, but this is my definite favourite so far!

Right from the first page to the very last, I was completely hooked, and the story never dipped or slowed down at all. Angela captured the essence of each character so vividly, that I genuinely felt as if I knew the characters personally.

This is my first book by Angela Clarke, so imagine my glee upon discovering she's written other books.

I will be shouting about this book and recommending it for a long time to come! Excellent.

Locked up in prison, innocent and pregnant! What an interesting and original concept.
I read a preview copy of this book several months ago and have been dying to catch up with the story ever since.
Thankfully I've never been in a prison and can only imagine the horror of being sent there for a crime i didn't commit. The author captured the prison atmosphere so well and I was so scared for Jenna and her friend and cell mate Kelly.
I did feel that the middle of the book was slightly padded out but in the whole i loved it and look forward to now reading this author's other work.