An excellent debut novel from Wendy Clarke, and one which makes me eager to read more by this author.

From the outset there are so many questions, it is clear Leona is hiding something (or many things); what is Ria's role in it all, whats this about money going into her account, why is she so protective of her daughter Beth, and why does she keep people at arms length?

With any good thriller, you try and guess the secrets and twists that await you. I must say, I guessed some things but others I guessed wrong or didn't even anticipate which is refreshing in a thriller/mystery.

The characters are complex and believable, the narrative from 3 viewpoints is a great way to unveil the plot and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for this advanced review copy.

This book will hook you from the first page and keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. I couldn't put it down.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

What if you’ve been protected from strangers your whole life, but the one person you can’t trust is the person closest to home?

I was sent an eARC from Netgalley for my honest review.

I kind of label myseld an ametuer “slueth” so I was intrigued by the premise of this story. The questions for me is why is Leona the ultimate cool but “helicopter Mom” to Beth? What is Leona hiding and why is she worried about the re-emergence of Ria??

This is a slow-build up mystery but once it gets going it really gets going (stayed up late to finish)!! Oh boy, is this a wild and twisty thriller and I did not see the ending coming!?! The author is a master at building you up for a climactic ending!

I rated this book a 4.5/5 stars, simply because its slow to start (please keep reading). I enjoyed the book and would read more by this author!

Thank you Netgalley, BookOuture, and Wendy Clark for providing the ARC!

Predictably good, if makes any sense??
I think I have read so many psychological thrillers that I guessed some ( not all ) of the ‘twists’ quite early on....it was however a perfectly acceptable tale and one I enjoyed
The setting in the Lake District is portrayed beautifully ( many years since been there ) and made me want to re-visit, the author obviously knows the area extremely well
and equally adores it, the love shines out for all things Cumbria!
Interesting characters and you get to know them quite deeply and about their past and present, the emphasis is on the past as Leona one of the main characters has one!, not one to be ashamed of but one to fear....and the past is back ready to shatter all she has built in her new life, problem is her hubby and daughter know nothing about her past, but they will and when they find out.....well you know the rest!
A good solid thriller, picks up speed as it goes along and is a worthy read
8/10 4 Stars

4-5 stars! A very well written story, with some intense plots taking place. I thought that this author did a very good job, especially being her first, with writing a solid thriller that offered the thrills, chills, and twists & turns us fans crave! I think there were some bumps, but overall it was done very well!
I will be recommending to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!

Leona has a loving husband, Scott and a beautiful daughter Beth…..but one day she visits a local store and sees a reflection…..Ria….but that’s impossible isn’t it?

Leona starts having panic attacks and cannot sleep, haunted by the past…..a secret kept under the floorboards…..what will happen to her life if this gets out?

Set in the beautiful Cumbrian fells, this tells the story of Leona and her and her friends past….one filled with fear, violence and heartbreak…..and it’s coming back.

I can’t say much for fear of spoiling this stunning tale of the effects of domestic violence and its victims in this creative, empathetic thriller….with great characters and a thoroughly satisfying end…. brilliant !

Thank you to Bookoutur, the author and NetGalley for a free copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

This is only my second Bookouture Books On Tour blog tour and when I saw this book, What She Saw by Wendy Clarke, I couldn't wait to read the book, so I immediately jumped on board for the tour (even though I've been struggling with the recovery from my aneurysm last month!!)

For years Leona was a single mom to daughter, Beth and they did everything together. Now Leona lives with Scott in the Lake District with Beth, now fifteen years old. While Leona and Beth are still close, recently Beth has started giving Leona a bit of a hard time because she wants some independence and freedom.

Leona has lots of secrets from her past and when she makes a decision to revisit a part of her past, things quickly change that forever have a strong effect her life and her family's lives. It's hard to write reviews for psychological thrillers without writing spoilers so I'm just going to have to say this is one you need to read.

The conclusion of What She Saw is filled with twists and turns and then a shocking, but very satisfying end. What She Saw will sit with readers long after you've turned the last page. This debut book by Wendy Clarke makes me think I need to be on the lookout for her books to come in the future!!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

What She Saw is Wendy Clarke’s psychological thriller about a mother and her daughter. Leona would do anything for her daughter, Beth and their relationship is one that many would envy. But, at the same time, Leona is also very protective, making it hard for the 15-year-old to make friends. As their story unfolds, it becomes apparent that there are secrets being kept by both mother and daughter and, eventually, they will lead to an explosive conclusion.

It’s hard to believe What She Saw is a debut novel. It is an immensely enjoyable read. The suspense builds slowly, with the story told from several points of view. There are enough twists in the plot to keep the reader second-guessing. I found the characters to be sympathetic, interesting and believable. And, Ms Clarke’s descriptions of The Lake District has convinced me it is a region worth visiting and exploring.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I look forward to more from Wendy Clarke.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

From its opening pages, I was totally enthralled by this book – a wonderful piece of scene-setting, springtime in the Lake District seen through Leona’s eyes and drawn in loving detail, an introduction to the book’s characters, and a feeling of total contentment. And then things suddenly change – a distressing incident in the village shop, an uncomfortable glimpse of the past, and that calm is totally shattered. And then we immerse ourselves in the day-to-day lives of Leona and her family – her relationship with her “husband” Scott, her daughter’s struggles at school and her means of escape – but always with a sense of unease as Leona’s state of mind becomes increasingly unstable. And then comes that twist, and a very clever layering of the past and present as the shadows and secrets of the past are uncovered.

The writing is quite wonderful – that sense of unease and discomfort is relentless and inescapable, but also totally irresistible. When I knew part of the story, I found myself anticipating what might happen next, and where the threat was coming from – only to find that I’d got things entirely wrong, and more than once. I finished this book in the early hours, totally unable to put it down until I’d read to the very end, pulse racing and totally gripped by the story. The pacing is quite perfect – that gentle start, a steady escalation full of clever twists and turns, and an ending every bit as explosive as I’d hoped for.

The characters are superb – and not just Leona herself. The portrayal of daughter Beth is wonderful – there are points in the book when you feel for her with a physical ache, and it’s one of the best pieces of writing about a troubled and vulnerable teen that I’ve read in a long time. The whole story is surprisingly hard-hitting, and all the better for being so unexpected – this is such clever writing. And another – of the many things – I really liked was the strong visual sense: the photography, Beth’s art with its recurring motifs, the powerful sense of place created by the vivid descriptions.

I can see attention being drawn to the “jaw-dropping twist”, but this book is so much more than that. And rather than Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train, I’d like to make my own comparisons – Paula Daly is the obvious one with the Lakes setting and domestic detail, but this book also reminded me of the excitement I felt when reading the earlier books of Barbara Copperthwaite and Sheryl Browne.

But Wendy Clarke’s voice is very much her own, and it’s a voice I liked very much indeed – this story is thoroughly compelling and highly original. Very much recommended by me – this might quite possibly one of my books of the year.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

EXCERPT: 'Shall I go on with the story?'

Lisa looks at the clock on the wall. 'We could extend the session by thirty minutes if you like. I think it's important we talk about how it all ended, don't you?'

My heart is beating a tattoo in my chest, but I know that I have to go on. The only problem is... which story to tell?

ABOUT THIS BOOK: She lied to her daughter to save her family.

Everyone knows Leona would do anything for her daughter Beth: she moved to Church Langdon to send Beth to the best school, worked hard to build a successful business to support them and found them the perfect little cottage to call home. Leona and Beth hike together, shop together, share their hopes and fears with one another. People say they’re more like best friends than mother and daughter.

It’s the relationship every mother dreams of.

But their closeness means that Beth struggles to make friends. Her mother has kept her sheltered from the world. She’s more reliant on her mother’s love. More vulnerable.

When Beth finds an envelope hidden under the floorboards of their home, the contents make her heart stop. Everything she thought she knew about her mother is a lie. And she realises there is no one she can turn to for help.

What if you’ve been protected from strangers your whole life, but the one person you can’t trust is the person closest to home?

MY THOUGHTS: I don't really think that this synopsis at all accurate - there are a lot of inconsistencies with the actual circumstances as written in the book. But, putting that niggle aside, I mostly enjoyed this read. It drags a little in places, is sometimes a tad repetitive, occasionally a bit angst ridden, but overall it was interesting enough to keep me turning the (virtual) pages.

There was one point when the phrase "Move on people, there's nothing to see here" was running through my mind...but I kept reading. There are no great surprises (well, not for me), but the idea was good, the writing style relaxed and easy to read, and yes, I would read more from this author.

Three very solid stars.

THE AUTHOR: Wendy Clarke has had over three hundred short stories published in national women’s magazines. With a degree in psychology, and intrigued with how the human mind can affect behaviour, it was inevitable she would eventually want to explore her darker side. What She Saw is her debut psychological thriller, published by Bookouture. Wendy lives with her husband, cat and step-dog in Sussex and when not writing is usually dancing, singing or watching any programme that involves food!

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

What a cracker of a story, I loved reading it, a thrill captured my being and didn't let go, not that I wanted the book to release me. It was the perfect read for a dreary afternoon.

The story had a winding route to a direct road. Leona stayed with boyfriend Scott and 15 year old daughter Beth, till Leona saw Ria, and her past rushed through her like a tidal wave bringing with it the debris which she would rather forget. Panic attacks and a visit to the therapist unfolded the story of physical and psychological abuse.

My first book by Wendy Clarke, and I loved following the author down the lanes that she led me to. I could keenly feel the fear of the main character, Leona. After reading so many thrillers, I did know some of the lanes of the merry track, yet I was exhilarated to run down them. And yes, the pages turned fast.

My niggles were tiny, it took me two tries to get into it, and the story was predictable but that didn't hamper my read. The writing kept me hooked. It felt like little bursts of shivery delight. And I was in thrall right up to the end.

I’m delighted to be joining this Bookouture Blog Tour for What She Saw by Wendy Clarke today. What hooked me to this book was the intriguing tagline about lying to her daughter to save her family. I had to know what lie and why and this book unwrapped that mystery like a tantalisingly slow striptease!

FIRST LINE OF WHAT SHE SAW BY WENDY CLARKE

I have no warning that anything bad is going to happen today.
MY THOUGHTS

This was a lovely, engaging, gripping book that I flew through as I needed to work it all out ASAP. I love when characters draw me into their lives and make me walk in their shoes with them. And I definitely got that here.

There are 3 narrators and 2 in particular have an element of mystery around them. I enjoyed all of them, and the flow back and forth between narrators was very smooth.

MY HIGHLIGHTS WERE:

A gorgeous Lake District setting. The natural beauty and remoteness of the setting against the menacing story provided a jarring contrast.
An absorbing plotline that initially felt predictable, but only because I was barking up the wrong tree!
I loved the narrators, and the element of mystery around them. They felt real and realistic, and I was emotionally engaged in their plight.
The storyline that hooked me immediately and had me reading as fast as I could when it reached the climax.
All the tension! It kept twisting tighter and tighter which resulted in me holding my breath at one stage.

WHO SHOULD READ WHAT SHE SAW BY WENDY CLARKE?

I’d recommend this to you if you like domestic style grit-lits with emotional storylines, and interesting characters. Fans of characters such as Lucy Dawson, Shalini Boland and B A Paris should also enjoy.

A well written and clever constructed thriller. Although this book was a slow burner, by about a third of the way through I found it to be a great page turner!

Leona is living in the Lake District with her partner Scott and her daughter Beth. One day Beth discovers something in Leona’s wardrobe and the story of Ria starts to unfold.

Although I found most of the story twists to be a little predictable there was a cheeky red herring that I fell for - I like being tricked sometimes!

I would recommend this book for fans of the thriller genre, although tigger warnings for domestic violence should apply.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

What She Saw was a very gripping, twisty psychological thriller that had I had more time I would have finished in a day as I didn’t really want to put it down.
Leona lives with her partner, Scott and her daughter, Beth in the beautiful Lake District. Leona earns her living by making and selling jewellery but is suffering from panic attacks when we first meet her that are gradually getting worse. Beth is fifteen and being bullied at school but doesn’t want to share it with her family so is trying to struggle on. Ria is at university and has just met the love of her life but this quickly turns sour resulting in Gareth taking over her whole life and abusing her mentally and physically.
I liked how these three peoples lives ran singularly at the beginning and then gradually starting to intertwine as the story progressed. This is a well written thriller that I enjoyed, the characters were true and the majority that were meant to be likeable were and I felt for Leona at times with the hard decisions she had to make.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Predictably good, if makes any sense??
I think I have read so many psychological thrillers that I guessed some ( not all ) of the ‘twists’ quite early on....it was however a perfectly acceptable tale and one I enjoyed
The setting in the Lake District is portrayed beautifully ( many years since been there ) and made me want to re-visit, the author obviously knows the area extremely well
and equally adores it, the love shines out for all things Cumbria!
Interesting characters and you get to know them quite deeply and about their past and present, the emphasis is on the past as Leona one of the main characters has one!, not one to be ashamed of but one to fear....and the past is back ready to shatter all she has built in her new life, problem is her hubby and daughter know nothing about her past, but they will and when they find out.....well you know the rest!
A good solid thriller, picks up speed as it goes along and is a worthy read
8/10 4 Stars

What a well written fast paced thriller...I kept turning pages....I had to know what was happening next!!

Leona and her teenage daughter, Beth, are close. Beth is in need of some independence and wants to be left to live more freely. But Leona has something dark hidden in her past and it’s coming back slowly to bite her. She is full of anxiety and suffering from panic attacks. She starts seeing her therapist again and this is when we learn about Ria...WHO IS SHE AND WHAT DOES SHE HAVE TO DO WITH THE PAST?

Thank you to Net Galley and Bookotour for allowing me an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review

Absorbing. Intense. Suspenseful.

A well constructed thriller that started off slowly and ended with a GASP. Wendy Clark’s debut novel is a bit of a genre mash up. This book perfectly combined women’s fiction with psychological thriller. An entertaining story that combined character development, relationship dynamics, dark Secrets, hurtful lies, crazy twists, and wild turns. I would advise you however to completely ignore the blurb it is a bit misleading.

This book bounces around between time and perspective. We are told the story from both Leona and Beth’s perspectives, as well as Ria‘s story in tandem. Leona is a loving devoted overprotective mother with a secret past. Beth her daughter now 15 is fiercely trying to break out of her mothers clutches. She does not feel as though she fits in at school and soon finds herself entangled with an older man. Ria is pregnant and in a bad situation. She married a man who she thought was the love of her life. Unfortunately she now finds herself trapped in a marriage to a controlling narcissist. You know that Leona and Ria‘s story somehow are tied together, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how. Then there’s this older man that Beth is involved with, how does he fit into the story?

This book was like a puzzle, so many pieces that I enjoyed trying to put together. I liked how things were slowly revealed to us through Leona‘s sessions with her therapist. I was seriously confounded at how Ria could have possibly hurt Leona so terribly. I was also disturbed that a 24 year old and a 15-year-old were involved, but it did eventually play into the story. The last 20% of this book was seriously intense. The stress was palpable and I was as anxious as these characters. And that ending... well played Miss Clark!

*** thank you so much Bookouture for my copy of this book ***

If you love a book that draws you in, keeps you engrossed, plays with your feelings and then leaves you wanting more then this book is for you!

A brilliant debut told from 3 different points of view that comes together into one fabulous, thrilling read.

Look forward to reading more from this fabulous author.

Highly recommended.

#what She Saw #Netgalley
Quite a riveting book, with twists from so many different directions, it held me fairly well. However with leone and Beth having been so close. When Beth starts getting bullied being in a private school when her family live in a cramped house, unlike the majority of the other girls coming from well to do backgrounds. You just want Beth to tell her mum.Leone as her own problems suddenly, she starts having panic attacks something triggers her past, she so preoccupied that she can’t see Beth suffering, Beth notices how distracted her mum is and everything start going terribly wrong. It was riveting, but a little on the slow side to really get going for my liking. It was a enjoyable book, but personally I thought the ending could have been less predictable. Still worth reading the storyline is a very good one. I would have preferred a faster paced book rather than a slow burner.

What a read! A deep and twisted psychological thriller that will leave you shocked!
I am used to read psychological thrillers lately, but this one is different, totally different, and I loved it!
Leona seems to have a great life, she is living with her husband and her daughter in a nice neighborhood; they seem to be happy until you take a deep look at them.
Leona has a past with a mysterious woman on it, and now she is terrified that she will return to her life again. There were so many questions with Ria; who she is? what relation has with Leona? why Leona is scared of her?
We will know a little about Ria’s story too, she is married to an abusive husband and doesn’t know how to leave that life…
We can not forget Beth, she is one of the main characters too and my favourite one, she is being bullied at her new school; she is a teenager without knowing how to fight bullying or who to trust with her feelings and thoughts.
I will admit that I was intrigued with this story since the beginning; the characters are interesting and their personal situation makes the reader want to know more about them and their story. But as we start passing pages you’ll become more invested in the story and want the best happy ending possible for both characters; at least to have them alive!
I really like that the books are starting to share situations with bullied characters; bullying is something frightening and we all should be aware that no kid is safe; and the adults are the only ones to keep them safe or to help them.
What She Saw will keep you addicted to the story since the first page, enjoy!