Cover Image: Who Did You Tell?

Who Did You Tell?

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Member Reviews

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I highly enjoyed Lesley Lara’s debut novel, The Rumour, so was excited to read this and what a rollercoaster read this was. It follows 32-year old Astrid who following rehab for her alcohol addiction moves back in with her widowed mother in Flinstead, a tiny seaside town. Astrid is still mourning the suicide of her boyfriend Simon who also suffered from alcoholism and is trying to put her messy past behind her...but someone knows Astrid’s deepest darkest secret and won’t let her forget...
Plotwise the less said about this the better. Overall I really enjoyed this and gulped it down in two sittings. Narrated from Astrid’s POV Kara does a great job in getting across Astrid’s struggle and her constant anxiety and paranoia. As a protagonist Astrid is a compelling and unreliable narrator even if at times frustrating. Nonetheless I found her emotionally engaging. Her shame in moving back with her mother and her constant guilt really resonated. There’s lots of twists and turns and surprises thrown the reader’s way. It’s well paced and fast. I loved the setting, too. This is the same seaside town where The Rumour is also set and some wink-wink references. Flinstead is so vividly drawn out and atmospheric I felt like I could hear gulls and waves crashing while sitting in my city home. This is a well crafted suspense read at its finest. 5/5

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Although I enjoyed her first book, I found this one to be a little slow.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

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Astrid is an alcoholic. After some time in rehab, she is back at home living with her mother but on condition that she attends AA meetings and doesn't drink. Reluctantly Astrid goes along with this. She's a bit suspicious of the AA and all the reliance on God and she doesn't really take to the other members especially Rosie who seems to have an unhealthy interest in her. In particular she finds it hard to tell people about things in her past that she's ashamed of and doubts that she'll ever be able to do so.

At the same time she fears she is being haunted by her dead ex boyfriend. Why does she keep smelling his aftershave, why does she see him down at the seafront late at night? The only thing giving her solace is Josh, a decent young man with whom she sees a future. But then she starts getting threatening letters and that whole future and her sobriety are in doubt.

I enjoyed this book. Astrid, in spite of her faults, is a likeable protagonist. She is self aware and is genuinely trying to change. The story is compelling and while I guessed who was sending her the letters and why, this doesn't matter. The ending seemed a little rushed to me - perhaps a little too much telling and not enough showing but overall it was a good read, giving insight into the life of an alcoholic. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC,

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I really wanted to love this book as I enjoy psychological thrillers, but somehow this book didn’t do it for me. It is readable, has recognisable characters and is based around the damage an alcoholic can do to themselves, their family and their friends. I am sure many people will enjoy this book, for me I felt it was a little slow perhaps? A little predictable? I didn’t warm to any of the characters so remained ambiguous which is probably a failing on my part rather than the authors

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It did take me a while to get into this book but found it to be a well developed story with good characters and it turned out to be a good read which was well written.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

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I thought this one sounded interesting, but then remembered that I wasn't a fan of Lesley Kara's writing in her last book. I will sit this one out.

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Astrid is a drunk. She has been drinking since she was 15 and is on her final chance. Her Mum has paid for rehab and she is attending AA meetings to try to stay sober. She is grieving for her ex boyfriend, Simon, and blames herself for his death. It appears that Astrid is winning the battle but she starts to be afraid that someone is following her,. Then sinister, threatening messages start arriving. The author also gives us occasional asides by the perpetrator to make it clear how much danger Astrid is in, The book sets up a number of suspects that it could possibly be and, although I was right in my guess, there was definite tension throughout the story. The book seems to face the damage alcoholics do head on but softens this at the end. Thank you to Netgalley for advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Astrid is recovering alcoholic. Fresh out of rehab, she's back home living with her mother in a quiet seaside town, attending AA meetings and doing her best to stay sober. When she tentatively starts dating a man she met at the beach, it seems like Astrid's life is picking up. But then she starts receiving anonymous threatening messages and seeing signs that point to the fact that someone know her secret. And that someone is out for revenge...

Well-plotted thriller with flawed, believable characters. I really felt for Astrid, and I liked the fact that we didn't know whether the things she was seeing were real threats or whether she was reading too much into completely innocent occurrences because she was paranoid. An excellent novel with well-paced twists and turns - I would definitely recommend to a friend.

Thank you to Netgalley, who provided a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read a review copy of this gripping thriller.

For fans of psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators along the lines of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, this new novel by Lesley Kara will not disappoint.

Of course you will find yourself second guessing where the twist is and who it involves throughout the whole novel, and you might just guess correctly - but that’s all part of the fun, surely.

It’s a well written and gripping read with an unreliable but not completely unlike able narrator. A recovering alcoholic in a small seaside town, Astrid has some dark secrets in her past that are gradually revealed throughout the novel and keep the tension high. There’s the ubiquitous new love interest and a smattering of romantic encounters, as well as the new ‘friends’ who may or may not be as friendly as they seem - and, of course, there’s the menacing second narrator whose identity is not revealed until the end of the novel.

All in all, I’d recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys this genre. It’s a well written example that won’t disappoint.

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The story starts off really strong and keeps you engrossed. Brilliant characters. The only thing that lets it down is the ending feels like it was rushed so they could tie all the ends together

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Wandering through the story in a blaze of alcohol addiction with reminiscent of a lover lost. Trying to gain purchase of a normal existence, without the messy dependence on the bottle, Astrid tries to start a new life in a tiny village. But the days past start creeping to the forefront. Can she start again or will she crumble?
Best book I've read in quite some time. Couldn't wait to see what happens, with an originality that draws you in and takes hold.

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#who did you tell #netgalley
Many thanks to Netgalley for the loan of this book. I had read the previous book by this author and enjoyed it, but this is far superior in my opinion. I didn’t guess the end like I did with “The Rumour” and I finished it in 2 days. A woman named Astrid newly released from rehab living with her mum and struggling to stay sober, starts to receive sinister anonymous messages and senses she’s being followed. . Determined not to let them ruin her sobriety she embarks on a relationship and starts to learn to live again. But the stalker isn’t easily deterred and steps up their reign of terror. As they see it, why should Astrid make a new life for herself when she has destroyed others? A great revenge thriller but also a thought provoking insight into how addiction can destroy the lives of, not just the addict, but their family and friends. Fantastic!

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I’ll start by saying I only managed 49% of Who Did You Tell? before I gave up. I love flawed characters, those characters that are a darker shade of grey than the rest of us but Astrid was naive and irritating.

Really interested in the storyline but it moves too slow for me, I was looking for distractions so I could put this book down and that says it all really!

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I enjoyed The Rumour but I thought this one was a little too contrived, trying too hard to introduce red herrings to keep up the suspense - there were three suspects who all acted suspiciously. I liked the descriptions of the main character and her struggles with alcohol, (some of which reminded me of my Friday nights, waiting for wine o'clock!) but apart from this she seemed to find it too easy to find a normal, loyal boyfriend and a job. It was a light read, not too thrilling, and forgettable.

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Wow, what a rollercoaster of a story. The highs, lows, suffering and clarity. A story with twists and turns, where you feel you know what is coming next, only to veer off in another direction.
I could conjour up the people in my mind, sense their feelings, understand their beliefs.

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I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

Very unique and unusual storyline, just the pacing is a bit off I don’t know if I can be improved with editing before publication because this thriller is an interesting one and the writer can tell a story.

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This story was well done and also characters easy to relate to. Had lots of twists and turns that I did not see coming!

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I loved Lesley Kara's debut "The Rumour" and was eager to read her new book.
It didn't disappoint, and like her previous novel this is a superb psychological mystery thriller.

Astrid is a recovering alcoholic and had moved back with her mother.
She is also battling her own demons and dark secrets from her past.
Soon she will realize that this past is creeping back into her life as someone seems to be stalking her and knows too much about her secrets.

The plot is suspenseful with plenty of twists and turns, and whenever I thought I figured it all out, Kara throws in another surprise that turns the whole thing into a new direction. Highly recommended

I voluntarily reviewed this title thorough Netgalley, thanks to the publisher, and author Lesley Kara.

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A highly enjoyable novel. Enjoyed it very much. Excellent narrative and wonderful depiction of the characters. Highly recommended!

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Both of her books have grabbed me at the beginning, felt slow moving in the middle and then shocked me at the end.

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