This chilling novel with a twisted plot and startling end has blown me away!  I was holding my breath throughout while Helen's life kept getting more and more entangled and complex.

"The need for love in humans is a terrible thing. It destroys people. It has tried to destroy me lots of times. I need others. I need to belong. I need to be wanted. I need to be needed."

Helen Matthews had suffered many years waiting for a heart and when she finally receives one she is determined to thank the donor's family in an unorthodox way. She finds a tortured husband and three young children who have lost their wife and mother to a possible suicide, but Helen's heart donor is telling her differently.

This is a very unexpected and outstanding tale of loneliness, obsession and dark thoughts. All told in Helen's voice, the author cleverly weaves hopes and doubts into the story to make the reader keep second guessing themselves on what is actually happening.  

Ms. Lark does a remarkable job examining serious topics such as anorexia, bipolar disorder, and mental illness, and how they not only affect the afflicted, but how they affect the families as well.

If you enjoy a surprising psychological thriller, please give this one a try.

WOW! What a brilliant thriller!

Helen Matthews believes she has the ability to communicate with the dead, but her family and friends think otherwise, as she is also bipolar. Having been unwell all her life with a heart condition, she finally receives a donor heart that saves her life. Helen has always known she possesses psychic talents, being able to see the aura of others and to sense their spirit around her, but she has learnt not to share this knowledge with her nearest and dearest – particularly her brother, Simon and her best friend, Chloe. But what caused heart donor, Louise Lovett to fall from a car-park to her tragic death, and was it an accident… or was she pushed? As Helen feels the pull of its previous owner, she becomes increasingly obsessed with Louise and the family she left behind.

Compelling writing and continuous tension ensured that I was riveted to the story for the entirety of the book. Told from Helen’s perspective, I really appreciated the narrative and the vivid imagery Jane Lark conveyed. The pacing was comfortable, and the tension soon escalated to nail-biting, suspenseful levels. This was an absolute cracker of a thriller that held no disappointments. The author’s characterisation was superb, with an eclectic blend of fascinating characters, most of whom were unlikable, though this did not affect my enjoyment of the story.

After You Fell was a cleverly plotted page-turner complete with jaw-dropping twists leading up to an exciting, exhilarating conclusion.

Full of atmosphere, creepiness, jealousy, harboured secrets, and nefarious and questionable intentions, I would recommend this unsettling and unpredictable novel for anyone who enjoys eerie psychological thrillers with a strong paranormal element.

Thank you to JS Lark, Harper Impulse, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read After You Fell. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This book was really really good!! The more I read, the faster I read. I was addicted to the storyline! If you love thrillers, I highly recommend this book!

One life transplanted into the other and connected by the heart.

This was Leslie’s story who died and Helen’s who received the heart. Helen was a bipolar who saw auras, and after careful research, she was sure that the spirit of the heart had a message. And then she made her way into delivering the message.

My first book by author J. S. Lark was embroiled with twists as the story progressed down the pages. The ending was completely fun which took me unaware. Helen as the main character was quite different, someone who saw auras. An obsession which grew to unnatural limits And a message which had to be foretold.

The story meandered quite a bit with repetitive dialogues and thoughts in the midsection, but the concept of the story was still loads of fun. It was the ending which caused me to laugh in delight. Ah, the wickedness of the characters!!

Overall, a fun read.

This is definitely a very different, enthralling read that I really didn't want to put down.

Helen Matthews has been ill for all her life but a heart transplant gives her the chance to life a fuller, more active life filled with possibilities. Helen has always believed she has psychic talents, being able to see the aura of people and sense spirits around her, but she has learnt not to share these because others do not understand. However, she becomes somewhat obsessed with just who her donor was, feeling that the heart is trying to get Helen to investigate just what happened to them. She starts by checking out obituaries, moves on to checking out the family of the person she believes is her donor and discovers there are questions regarding just how she came to fall. Did she jump or was she pushed?

Helen has a diagnosis of bipolar and her family are worried by her obsession regarding the donor of her new heart. There are plenty of twists and turns as the story progresses, but the biggest ones are at the end - and they certainly took my breath away! What a surprising, unique story, with great characters, many suppositions and more than its share of mystery and suspense. It certainly is a story that lives up to its tag, being "creepy, disturbing and genuinely thrilling"!

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it and finding it a fascinating read.

This book was a lot of fun- it centers on Helen, who was sick most of her life but receives a heart transplant and becomes obsessed with finding out who the heart came from, then embedding herself in that person's family (Louise is the one that died and Alex is her husband).

It;s no secret that I love an unreliable narrator- Helen talks about ghosts and auras but the reader knows she also suffers from mental issues so you'll go back and forth on determining what is really true. I had alot of these moments throughout the book , which made me want to see what happens. Helen isn't super likable (nor are many of the characters, with the possible exception of Simon and Chloe) but she is fun to read about and you feel engaged even if you don't agree with her.

The couple negatives on this book are that it was repetitive and long- the author could have gotten us to the same place in the end in many less words; and the fact that Helen's bipolar disorder seemed to cause issues not well known from those suffering from the disorder and started to feel like a free-for-all for anything that might be causing her issues.

Beyond that, this managed to be fast paced, even when long, I found myself turning pages late into the night to see what would happen. I loved the ended even though I am sure some won't; for me, it felt very satisfying.

I would recommend this book- it's a unique story and a page turner, and I believe readers of this genre will be left satisfied. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I like ghost stories and the paranormal, but not when they’re part of an otherwise real-world thriller and also come with frequent mentions of spirits, auras, orbs, angels, etc. By the time I reached the 5% mark, I was already rolling my eyes about the main character’s repetitious thoughts and commentary. I really don’t care what color every other character’s aura is.

Those who are more attuned to the woo-woo side of life will probably enjoy this book, but it’s just not for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Thank you to Net Gallery and Harper Collins Publishing for providing a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wow, just as I thought I was right about the ending, I am proven wrong on the very last page. A fast passed thriller that follows heart transplant patient Helen on a journey that some might just say is crazy. While I felt a few parts in the middle of the book were a little blah, overall a good book. Looking forward to more thriller from L.S Lark.

Review also posted on Bookbub.com under the title "The Fall".

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was attracted to this title by its intriguing blurb, and to a certain degree the main narrative lived up to expectations. The pacing was good, although it dragged a little in middle part of the novel, and the characterisation of the main protagonists had a certain amount of depth. The author deploys some of the classic tropes of this genre with skill and originality and the story was generally well thought out with the usual twists and misdirection embedded in the narrative. Although I had some idea where the story was headed. It was an enjoyable journey to the final denouement nevertheless.

3.5 stars

There are so many of this type of story out there. It seems to be the new novel to write, or is it just that all the books I have read lately have the same themes and endings. I gave it 4 stars because although it dragged a bit in the middle and had a predictable ending, it did keep me reading.
Helen has been ill for most of her youth with a failing heart. When she has a heart transplant she becomes obsessed with finding out whose heart she has. A young woman died the day before she received her new heart and Helen is sure she has her heart. Compulsively she finds out as much as she can about Louise her donor. Eventually she manages to become a nanny to Louises children. As Louise takes over Helens mind, Helen has to fight for her sanity. But Helen is bipolar so is this all in her head or does she have a sixth sense.
As Helens brother and her husband try to convince her to get help,Louise appears more determined to have Helen take her children.
I think this might be a debut, if so I would be interested to see how the authors writing develops.
#netgalley #afteryoufell

A very original story. I loved it and really liked the author’s style
Of writing. Well written and suspenseful

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just OK. A standard issue thriller - If you like that sort of thing you’ll like this but there’s nothing really to recommend it beyond just the conventions of the genre for its fans.

It takes someone's death (Louise's) for Helen to get her heart transplant. Helen becomes physically stronger with time. However, as a former patient with bipolar depression, the mental aspect of her recovery needs attention. She is taking her meds yet needs to find a new start for her "new" life.

Helen becomes obsessed with Louise's life. After all, Helen does have Louise's heart beating inside her. Yet, not Louise's husband, Alex, is Helen after - but she becomes solely focused on Louise's children. She WANTS them. This fantasy eventually gets out of hand. Yet Helen is able to hide this secret obsession for weeks - months. As we know,Louise is speaking to Helen - telling her what to do and how to feel...

This scenario makes for a great plotline and good characterization. Recommend!

Many Thanks to Harper Impulse and NetGalley for a good read!

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. It was a well written book. I liked the variety of characters in it. I hope to read more books by this author.

Overall this was a good read which I thoroughly enjoyed, although a bit creepy for me. It was a well developed story line with interesting characters and a satisfactory ending and I can recommend this book.

Thank you to Negalley and Harper Impulse K.R's for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

It’s terrible that someone had to die in order for Helen Matthews to live, but Helen will be forever grateful for her second chance at life, or so she believes. Louise Lovett’s death is still a mystery, did she fall, kill herself, or was she pushed? Maybe it’s all in her mind, but Helen feels that she has to find out tot the woman who dies in order that Helen could live. Her quest rapidly becomes an obsession, leaving readers to wonder if Louise’s heart, now in Helen’s body, will be silenced again, this time for good

Helen has been given a new heart. She has been ill almost as long as she can remember and this now gives her a new start and maybe more than anything the children she craves. She has just left her live in boyfriend and now lives with her brother and his family. Whilst recuperating she takes it upon herself to try and find out who the donor heart belonged to and being bipolar she gets rather fixated on this and so tells no-one else what she is doing. She inveigles her way into Louise’s family to get to her children as her heart is telling her that is what Louise wants her to do. Louise died by falling off a tall building and Helen also thinks there is something rather amiss about how this happened. Helen believes that she hears and feels Louise’s emotions especially when she is with Alex (the father) and the children and even that she has been pushed and that things have moved. Almost a ghost story at times , you just know there is something going on. I had my suspicions…..The blurb describes this as creepy, disturbing and genuinely chilling which is spot on.. A clever premise,a brilliant read.
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