A novel about the complexities of human experiences and relationships. Throughout, I was captivated by how the book portrays the reality that everyone is flawed in various ways, sometimes beyond repair. A gripping tale whereby you're drawn in to the twists and turns of the lies that people tell to cover their own back, until it all goes horribly wrong. However, even when the lies do get uncovered, you're still sympathetic with the characters because it's so blatant that we ourselves are not perfect either. The plot was a little slow in parts, but overall this probably had the desired effect of making the reader feel like they were part of the gruelling moments of the plot, such as the agonising wait in the court hearings. Aside from getting a little overwhelmed with the sheer amount of characters, I really enjoyed this novel, and would recommend anyone read it who wants to feel okay about not always having the perfect life!

This novel was okay for me. It was a romantic suspense that at its core had good promise.
While I did enjoy the story, the characters seemed one dimensional to me and the plot
was quite predictable. The twist did not seem like much of one, in my opinion. Having
said that, I would read another book from this author as the story line was intriguing .

Sorry but I just couldn't get into this book and I gave up on it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Ugh I hate to do this because I liked the previous book by Amber Cowie, but this one was just okay. I kind of struggled to finish it as it didn't hold my attention a lot. Maybe it was my mood or the timing, but this one fell a bit flat. I was expecting more of a thriller/mystery kind of book.

But I'm often in the minority when it comes to reviews. Maybe others will appreciate the amazing writing.

I thought this book was very interesting. Isn’t my normal type of book, but I liked the characters well enough and the storyline kept me wanting to read more.

Raven Lane by Amber Cowie is a dissection of the secrets, lies, infidelities, and betrayals of a group of individuals who live on the tiny and close-knit titular cul de sac. How well do we really know those who live their lives in such close proximity to our own? In fact, how well do we really know those who are living under our very own roof? This is a compelling read that held my interest throughout.

Esme and Benedict are living a seemingly idyllic life with their daughter on Raven Lane. But when a tragic accident shatters a peaceful summer evening, an accident for which Benedict is responsible, life will never again be the same for the residents of the cliquey enclave. Secrets and lies are exposed, causing the formerly friendly residents of the street to take a closer look at those with whom they are sharing a neighbourhood.

This novel is well-executed, and the primary characters are well fleshed out. I would recommend this read as a strong character-driven narrative, rather than a mystery or thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! The full review will be posted to my Instagram and other social media on November 01, 2019, in order to be closer to the publishing date.

At first I wasn't sure that I was quite vibing with this book, although I wasn't quite sure why. The main story starts right away (I think the accident happens only within the first or second chapter), so it wasn't an issue with the pacing. There is a good amount of detail throughout, and the narration jumps back and forth throughout a timeline of a few years leading up to the main time and events of the book, so there were definitely some chapters that were much slower to get through than others. All of the characters are really interesting, and deliciously flawed, which I also loved.
And then once I was about halfway through the book whatever the issue was that I had in the beginning had vanished, even though I still couldn't put my finger on what it had been. I was invested in the characters, and the story was moving along quickly and in an interesting direction, and I was definitely hooked.

I will say that there are a few times that they way things are presented can be a little bit difficult to get used to. As mentioned it does jump around in the timeline, and when doing so it doesn't specifically say when you have jumped to, but instead gives more general clues such as "at this summer party" or "the night before this thing happened" and the like. Because the whole story is cohesively told through Esme's perspective, almost as if we are inside her head, that didn't bother me too much. As I said, it just took a little bit of adjusting to. In addition to that, one of the other main characters is a writer and Esme reads bits of his famous book all the way throughout the novel, and there isn't any distinction between when she is reading his words and when we are back to her own narrative, at times not even spacing out the paragraphs to show that there has been a shift. I'm not sure if this is something that will be changed before the official finished copy is released, but it was just something that I had made note of.

Brief side note, speaking of the book she is reading, written by the other character, Torn - holy crap, I want to read that book in it's entirety! Maybe we can convince Amber Cowie to release that one next, yes? But I digress. Over all by the end I was fully captured by this book, and I will highly recommend that my friends that are thriller/mystery friends grab their copy when it comes out!

I found this story flat, drawn out and boring. Pretty predictable too. I just didn’t like the writers style of making the story so one dimensional, everything is from Esmes point of view and she drones on about the past that has very little to do with the current situation she’s in. Thanks #netgalley but not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book.

I enjoyed Raven Lane. I felt that it moved well, and the characters were interesting. It was very easy to get caught up in the narrative, and the world on Raven Lane, where nothing and no one is what they seem. Esme was an interesting character, and seeing the world through her eyes was intriguing.

I felt the story unfolded at a great pace, and the twists were just right. It was a slow build to an interesting ending that actually took me by surprise.

Now this is what I call a thriller! Outstanding novel by Amber Cowie. I have not read one like this in a while and I am very glad that I was able to. I recommend going out and reading this book!

Great concept. Everyone either knows of (or lives in) that weird cul-de-sac in their development where the residents have formed their own little tribe. But I had trouble getting into Raven Lane. When I read a book, I really want to connect with the characters to the point where I can't wait to see what happens next. Unfortunately I didn't connect with the characters who live on Raven Lane as much as I would've liked. However, the author does a great job with description, most notably when she describes the accident and its immediate aftermath in the beginning of the book. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was an interesting if somewhat slow read.The story was well developed and unfolded at a leisurely pace.I liked the main character and that helped to give me more focus as I wasn't keen on most of the other characters.I wish the book had been a bit faster pace but there were surprises along the way and it was well worth a read .I will give it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.

What I loved about Raven Lane was how brilliantly written it was. It was absolutely mesmerizing. So, this book being my first read by Amber Cowie, I am 100% looking forward to reading the author's debut.
As a suspense fiction addict, I went into this book with very high expectations, and I felt like the fact that I've been reading nothing but the twistiest, most shocking thrillers this year has definitely affected my reading of this novel.

What I should've known about Raven Lane, was that it isn't really a mystery. It's about family secrets coming to light due a sudden accident commited by Benedict, protagonist Esme's husband. The book goes on to focus on Esme's confusion and frustration about this new life that is collapsing all around her due to her husband's wrongdoing.

With that said, the reader needs to be truly invested in the characters in order to enjoy the book. In the end, there are moments that make you gasp. Nevertheless, I think what I struggled with was the suspenseful atmosphere, which wasn't in the intensity that I was hoping for.

This book is described perfectly: it is not a mystery, and implying otherwise would be doing this book a disservice. Rather, this story is a slow burn as the Raven Lane residents' monstrous secrets are exposed.

Primarily told from Esme's third person perspective, the book focuses on Esme, a former actress, and her husband, Benedict, a former model. Esme has dark secrets that she's tried to ignore for 2 decades, and Benedict has darker tendencies, also ignored by Esme. Thrown into the mix are the residents of Raven Lane, a neighborhood known for preferring "artistic" (aka partying and young-acting) residents. Wild parties are a monthly occurrence on Raven Lane, parenthood and marital responsibilities be damned, and they only stoke the embers of the fire that will slowly build and incinerate everything Esme has sought to build.

There are three different realities in this book, and the story alternates between them: the present, where Esme and Benedict deal with the fallout of a car accident; the past, where Esme deals with the fallout of her own secrets; and a fiction Esme novel, a bestseller, written by one of the residents of Raven Lane.

There's a #metoo aspect of this book. I understand why it's there, and it serves it's purpose, but I'm personally tired of this topic. I wasn't very interested in it, and I certainly didn't pity a woman who made a fortune as a result.

The fiction book within this book was unique. Dealing with the theme of monsters who've heard "the call", the fiction book paralleled and foreshadowed the events of the primary book. I definitely appreciated this literary device, and I found it effective.

I would never live in a neighborhood like Raven Lane. Those people were just asking for the troubles they found. Drinking and drugging with the neighbors on a monthly basis? Ridiculous, and everything that befell them should have been no surprise.

There's a minor "whodunnit" element to this book, and there are a few big and small reveals throughout. Some of the reveals were predictable, as the reader was basically spoonfed the information throughout the book, and some of the reveals were not surprises.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a slow build.

What I didn't like was the inaccurate legal element. NO lawyer would give legal advice of this nature. It's unethical to do so. Instead, if a real lawyer were trying to guide his clients this way, he would be far less obvious about it and he would protect himself from liability. As a lawyer, I cannot help but cringe when i read books like this.

I give this book 3 stars because I really could have put it down at any time and not really wondered about the ending, but I'm glad I finished it.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for this honest review.

My goodness. Another favorite of 2019. Great book. Suspenseful. Likeable characters.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,this had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

The underlying story of RAVEN LANE isn’t bad but it’s lost behind too many over-the-top scenarios and characters. Within the story of the main characters, Esme and Benedict, are excerpts of a novel written by another character, author and fellow Raven Lane neighbor, Torn. I get why the excerpts were written but they don’t seem flow within the story as you are reading. Honestly, I began skipping over them halfway through. They did not add depth to the main story and became, IMO, unneeded filler.

While I didn’t hate RAVEN LANE, I didn’t love it either. With toned down characters and plot, RAVEN LANE would have been a half decent read.

*I received an ARC of RAVEN LANE from NetGalley for an honest review.

Didn't love the book, but didn't hate it. It just didn't keep me interested enough. Struggled to finish.

Raven Lane is a gripping read! While there were times of confusion for me as a reader (there was so much going on in the story) I felt the overall execution and plot was fantastic. I think many readers are going to devour this book in need of knowing how it would end.

There was a lot going on in this novel. At its core, Raven Lane is a mystery/romance focusing on a former actress (now chef), her husband, and the complex neighbors that reside with them on Raven Lane.

The author has an easy and conversational writing style which allows the reader to identify with and relate to the drama/dysfunction of the Raven Lane neighborhood. However, many of the characters in this novel seem over-the-top and, at times, unbelievable. This causes some of the storylines and backstories to appear excessive.

Also, throughout the novel, the author intersperses the story with “excerpts” from a book written by one of the characters residing on Raven Lane. The inclusion of these “excepts” acts as a sort of commentary about human behavior, actions, and choices. While I understand why the author included this commentary in this novel, I don’t feel it completely gelled with the story. I would have preferred for the “excerpts” to be their own chapters with no commentary from any of the characters as to the contents of the same.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2786187218

This one just wasn't for me. It was too unbelievable and when the partner swapping happened I just couldn't get I to the story.