I really enjoyed Lesley Kara's first book The Rumour so was very excited to read Who Did you Tell. Unfortunately I found it a bit of a slow burner, and it took me a really long time to get into it.
I liked the character of Astrid and I thought her battle with addiction was written very well. Once the story picked it more I enjoyed it and found myself more engaged. There were a couple of twists I didn't see coming! Overall it was a good read but personally I found it took a little too long to grab my attention.

I really enjoyed Lesley's first book....The Rumour...unfortunately, this one not so much...the setting, and build up, was enthralling...and I read the book in two days, however, I don't feel the ending delivered at all, and I ended up ultimately disappointed. It all seemed a little too familiar, but hopefully it is just that The Rumour was very very good? As I've said it was a gripping read, just I felt the ending let it down...in my opinion.

Brilliant !
I loved it ! I loved her first novel ‘The rumour’ and was so looking forward to this one. I wasn’t disappointed. 10/10

After reading and enjoying Lesley Kara’s first book, The Rumour, I had high hopes for this one. But unfortunately it just didn’t live up to expectation for me. I found it slow and sluggish and just couldn’t get into it the way I did with The Rumour. Some parts felt quite repetitive and similar to The Rumour so perhaps that’s why.

For me is was predictable and full of the usual thriller elements, however I think her portrayal of a main character who deals with alcohol problems was done well and sensitively and for that I praise the author.

A good run of the mill thriller; easy to read but probably pretty unforgettable in that huge marketplace genre.
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Disclaimer: Thank you to Penguin Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review of this book.

This is such a good read. Astrid is a recovering alcoholic, back living with her mother and with lots of things for which she has regrets.
The story covers her adapting to being back in her childhood home, her addiction and her paranoia....or, is it paranoia? She smells the aftershave of her ex-boyfriend and feels she is being followed. Then, she starts to receive strange notes. The book captures well the ripple effects of addiction as well as the challenges of moving back home to a small town in adulthood when Astrid had hoped to be living a very different life.

It’s so well written and I loved the interaction between Astrid and her mum, who so wants to be supportive, but, ends u0 making Astrid feel claustrophobic. Then there are the characters from Astrid’s AA meeting....are they all who they seem to be?

The storyline moves at pace and definitely kept you interest throughout.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK and the author for the opportunity to preview.

After the success Lesley Kara had with ‘The Rumour’, her new suspense thriller ‘Who Did You Tell’, looks to be another bestseller. I love this author and I personally thought this new book to be even better than her previous one and had me engrossed from the very start.
“It’s been 192 days, seven hours and fifteen minutes since her last drink. Now Astrid is trying to turn her life around. Having reluctantly moved back in with her mother from the temptations and painful memories of her life before, Astrid is focusing on her recovery. She's going to meetings. Confessing her misdeeds. Making amends to those she's wronged. But someone knows exactly what Astrid is running from and they won't stop until she learns that some mistakes can't be corrected.”
Set out in three clever parts, I loved how the author wrote this book from the first person perspective of Astrid, so that we got to feel all her differing emotions first hand. With tantalising teaser pages between chapters from her stalker, which I personally love in a book, we get to see exactly what Astrid is going through, what she might be running from and how she tackles the desire to restart her drinking. It was an ingenious idea from the author to allow readers to see into the mind of an alcoholic and how those around them are left to deal with the situation. I felt very invested in Astrid’s character and because the author depicted her character so well I understood her addiction and felt I was with her every step of her journey. She was a very natural and realistic girl with real issues and demons but at her heart she was very remorseful towards the people she’d hurt and I could truly imagine her pain. The AA twelve step programme was very informative and I liked how Astrid’s mother used the Quaker religion to seek solace after her husbands death.
With twists and red herrings along the way, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend. Great characters, real life issues and a very believable storyline, I can’t wait for more by this author again in the future.
Has to be 5 stars!

An interesting story which had a recovering alcoholic trying to find her way back to life living with her mother, but things turned haywire when she felt someone watching her.

My second book by author Lesley Kara. I liked parts of the book, especially the trials of a recovering alcoholic and the AA meetings. I liked the author's honest portrayal of an addict and how every day was a struggle. The author showed great sensitivity in that.

The suspense was subtle in it and the ending was quite expected as there were only a few characters described in the book. I would have liked more of a thrill in the book. Astrid as a character was difficult to like for me, but I could feel empathy for her. She opened my eyes to a different world.

Overall, it was a fun afternoon read.

Astrid formerly known as Hilary is a 32 year old recovering alcoholic, she has now been sober for 192 days, trying to turn her life around. Back living with her mum in a sleepy seaside town, where everyone seems to know everyone’s business. It’s the last place Astrid had thought she would be. With her Quaker mum, who has had to deal with a lot from Astrid, but you know this is her last chance, not just with her mum but maybe with life. Astrid had gone off the rails at 15 which is when she had changed her name believing she would become more ‘visible’.

Astrid has many demons she is fighting, some of those demons you aren’t sure whether they are real, or the drink, creating false memories. But as the story moves on you realise some of those worries are genuine. She attends weekly AA meetings where she meets Rosie, who is a volunteer at Oxfam, Astrid doesn’t seem too keen on her, then there’s Helen, who Astrid does befriend but are either of them a good influence, Astrid sees Helen coming out of a shop with bottles of alcohol, should she really be that close to temptation.

She is clearly trying to make up for any misdeeds committed whilst under the influence of alcohol. But what is she running from? Who is following her? What did she do when desperate for a drink? What has she done that is so bad? There are lots of twists in the story to keep you engaged, can she resist temptation?

The description’s of the battles that Astrid is fighting every time she goes out the door, passing a pub or an off licence, that temptation is always there. With alcohol available 24/7 , it makes it very difficult, when she craves that taste, whether it’s a bottle of cheap cider, or a shot of vodka that craving is there. She is continuously fighting it.

Just as things are starting to look a little brighter, gaining a bit of employment, a possible relationship although she isn’t honest about being an alcoholic, this puts a strain on things when she refuses a drink. Although realistically it shouldn’t matter whether she has alcohol or a soft drink. Messages start arriving in the post, as well as some left in the house. What has she done that someone knows about?

Although this book was a bit of a slow starter the pace did pick up. I like the way the author shows the difficulties an alcoholic has, that craving which doesn’t go away, it’s a temptation that will be there for ever, one sip of alcohol can sends you straight back down the slippery slope, the same as any addiction, but it may be harder for alcoholics with so many social drinkers nowadays. This is a debilitating addiction, the effects it has on the drinker, how you behave, the effects on family. Such a tough thing to give up when it has you gripped.

A good story with enlightening insights to what alcoholics go through, the AA meetings. But also the suspense in the story.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Randomhousepublishers for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

A very readable novel about love, forgiveness and the bond between family.
Astrid is an alcoholic who has recently returned to live with her mother after being in rehab. Due to her alcoholism she has lost everything. When she meets Josh can she begin again or is her past going to catch up with her?
I enjoyed this book and although I guessed quite a bit about the plot I think that is because I've read so many similar books and nothing to do with the book itself. If you enjoy a psychological thriller I would recommend.

Wow, this was an on the edge of your seat story! Several times I thought I’d cracked it, only for there to be yet another twist in the tale.
My first book of Lesley Kara’s and it won’t be the last!

I was really excited to read this as I enjoyed The Rumour and wanted to see what Lesley Kara would come up with next! This follows Astrid, a recovering alcoholic as she deals with the horrors of her past. She isn't a very lovable character but I'm sure she's not meant to be. She has moved back home to live with her mum while she tries to get her life back on track by meeting new people and going to AA meetings.

The small village the book is set in is perfect as everyone knows everyone and this really impacts how the story unfolds. Someone knows Astrid's past and is following her, sending threatening messages and even befriending her mum to enter their home. We follow Astrid as she tries to figure out who the person is and what they want from her.

I enjoyed the book but didn't find it massively thrilling. There were a couple of good twists but nothing too shocking. There were some brilliant characters but I would have loved to have seen more of Josh as their relationship seemed to develop too quickly and easily.

Overall I recommend this if you're looking to pick up an easy to read thriller!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity of reading this book.
It is a exceptional read. You think that Astrid is managing to get back on track by living with her mum and attending all her AA meetings even meeting Josh and starting to live a bit more normally but it all comes crashing down on her.
Her life seems to be settling into an acceptable pattern except who had she told about her previous life that could now bring this one crashing down.
Loved the ending but need to know more now.

After such a success with her debut novel ‘The Rumour’ last year a lot of readers were/are excited to read this follow up, I was one of them!
As an aside I loved that the rumour storyline is mentioned randomly in the book, this is because this new tale is set in the same sleepy seaside town as the rumour! ( Eastbourne without the excitement as its known! )
So......Astrid ( formerly known as Hillary! ) is a recovering alcoholic and is back living with her Quaker Mother, attending AA meetings and generally pretty miserable although half loving/half hating her new non alcoholic state
Astrid has a past though, people have died because of her including Simon her ex....she has no choice but to put that behind her....until of course the past comes a calling and bringing with it a brutal enemy who wants revenge
A good psychological thriller with a good ‘whoisdoingit’ element and the author leads you one way, then another then back again and I was never 100% who was a goody or baddy!
The book spends quite a time dealing with Astrids feelings and temptations re alcohol and its stark, moving and fabulously described although may be upsetting to some affected, the AA meetings and characters we meet there are brilliantly portrayed
The ending is satisfying and has lots of surprises in it and the writing smooth and buoyant and never once was I bored with the story or what was happening
Its a harrowing story at times but there is also humour and ‘feel good’ along with intrigue and mystery
A good follow up and roll on book 3
9/10
5 Stars

Astrid takes things one day at a time. It's been nearly 200 days since she had a drink and left her really rather sordid past behind her and moved in with her mother in a quiet seaside town. But her past won't leave her alone and, more importantly, as strange things start to happen, threatens her present and indeed her very future.
Oh Astrid! I really felt for her and her struggle trying to keep sober. Pretty much every second she craves a drink but instead of feeling repetitive in her story herein, it just reinforced what she is going through and the perils and pitfalls of trying to stay off the booze. She's also done a lot of bad things in her past, mostly when off her head, and she is obviously still recovering from the fallout of some of these. But she's doing her best, with the help of her mother who is still wary. And, when we first meet her, she is ticking along, staying sober and going to meetings. But she is running from her worst mistake and it soon becomes apparent that someone knows what that was and wants her to pay...
There's a lot going on in the book, most of which isn't divulged fully until quite far in so you do need to prepare yourself to be a bit confused along the way. Not badly I hasted to add, just a few things to hold onto until they can be explained at the right times. Astrid is obviously quite complex and, due to her drinking issues, not wholly reliable - not a spoiler, this is blatantly obvious due the nature of the beast of alcoholism. And it does take a while to cut through the noise and see things for what they really are. In the mean time she does a good job of being paranoid, with good reason though as the notes come thick and fast and other things that happen. I found her to be a very well drawn character, easy to both connect to and empathise with. I did feel for her along the way as things started to spiral out of her control. Other characters were just as equally defined and played their parts in the convoluted plot very well.
It's a tale of regret and revenge and, to a certain extent, remembering! With twists and turns along the way, it held my attention nicely throughout and left me shocked but satisfied at its conclusion. All in all, a cracking read which I have no hesitation in recommending. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is the author’s second book and having loved The Rumour, requesting this book to review was a no brainer for me.

Astrid is a recovering alcoholic, who has returned to the sleepy seaside town of Flintstead, where she is living with her Mum. This would seem to be her last chance, certainly with her Mum, but maybe in a bigger way and in life in general. Astrid joins the local AA group, more out of necessity than want. One of the group leaders, Rosie, latches on to Astrid, but Astrid doesn’t want her friendship, instead she forms a gradual friendship with another member Helen.

She meets Josh who is kind and they quickly form a relationship, however it is based on lies as she hasn’t told him about her past. Astrid feels haunted about the death of her ex, Simon. Constantly smelling his aftershave and then spotting what she thought was his Cranberries T-shirt in the charity shop. Soon after this her paranoia is bumped up a level when she receives anonymous threatening notes. Does someone know her past? Maybe she isn’t imagining everything after all.

The story is a little chaotic, which I guess portrays well the life of an alcoholic and it is steeped in guilt. I did feel that the story gave a good insight into what it must be like to be an alcoholic. It takes a little time to warm up, but it keeps you reading with ease. There are a couple of twists, but they didn’t really come as a surprise to me as the signs were there to be found.

I did enjoy this book, it didn’t quite grab me as much as The Rumour did, but all the same another good read. I received this book from NetGalley and Random House in exchange for this review. I give this 4/5.

This book touches a few topics that many times we go over them unnoticed or we just don’t pay the attention it needs.
Astrid is trying to get her life on straight again after doing rehab and attempting to every AA meeting. There’s a past that won’t let her go on and it’s coming back to hunt her.
Dealing with alcohol addiction and e everything that comes from it from depression, withdrawal and fear of everything around her, on top of losing her ex-boyfriend, Astrid was pictured as a nice female character that deserves to overcome her addiction and find good life for her future.
It’s a good paced story overall but there are small things that kept me from giving 5 stars. The second part of the story has so many mixed twists and turns that makes your head spinning.
I enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to more books by the author.

This book is quite sad in a lot of ways but not understanding addiction (thankgoodness) it gave me an insight which I found interesting. The book did not go the way I thought it would which is the sign of a good story teller. Astrid is a troubled soul from her teenage years which led her on a path of destruction after leaving village life for the London lights job wise. The story twists and eventually she has to go home to her mom to heal and the journey she takes is a difficult one especially with the addiction she has. Her mom tries hard not to interfere but Astrid feels under tremendous pressure to conform to a new life which is not an easy path. She meets someone who she has feelings for but does not tell him the truth and that leads to complications which do sort themselves out but could so easily have gone the other way. The story ends sadly not for Astrid but for someone she did not know but their paths cross in a way I did not see coming as I felt it was going to be someone else who was causing her pain so the story kept me hooked throughout. Great book

After seeing Lesley Kara at Capital Crime, taking part in the Who's Crime is it Anyway sessions, I couldn't help but be impressed by her, and thus couldn't resist the opportunity to read her new book when it appeared.

And I'm completely correct to be impressed... What a fabulous book.

From the first few pages I could feel a slightly sinister undertone, something was rather unsettling but at the same I needed to know exactly what was going on. I had a few thoughts but generally was very happy to go with the flow.

And what a story it was. Astrid is a recovering alcoholic and is attempting to rebuilt her life, and stay away from drink. Yet someone seems determined to mess with her mind, and remind her of things that she thought were a complete secret. For she has never spoken of them to anyone.

I found it a fascinating look at the struggle Astrid is going through every day, and as things came to a head, I was shocked but at the same time really felt for her too.

To me this was a great mix of grit, psychological thriller, suspense and drama, wrapped up in this story that really had me on my toes.

I was completely hooked and even altered some of my plans for the evening in order to make sure I could read for longer, and I'm still not sure how I got home, as I'm sure I was oblivious for most of the journey as I was finding the story unputdownable.

One thing is for certain this may be my first book by Lesley Kara, but it certainly won't be the last, and I think I may need to read her debut too.

I had no real idea what to expect from this but it exceeded any thoughts that I did, ten-fold. Was really impressed and very happy that I've been able to read a book that may stay with me for a while.

Thank you to Transworld Digital on Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Unfortunately I went to read this one to review for my blog and it’s disappeared from my kindle, I was really looking forward to reading this one I’m so disappointed 😔

I found this book harrowing, in part because I have a family member who is a recovering alcoholic, but also because Astrid is suffering so much. Most people have had the odd night where we can't remember what happened, but usually someone can fill in the details. Astrid's companion was at least as drunk as her, so she can't be sure of her memory.

Well written and interesting.

I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary,honest and my own opinion