This book has had a lot of hype recently. I was allowed to read it as part of the blog tour. 

I liked the characters in this book they each had a good story lines, it had  a few  twists and turns  and an unexpected ending. Good read.

Strangers is centred around three characters, three strangers who have never met. It seems rather obvious fate will bring these three characters together at some point but how?

Alice manages a fashion store at the local mall. Encouraged by her daughter, she dips her toes into the murky world of online dating. But her first date doesn’t exactly go well. Bit of an understatement there. Her date sets into motion a whole slew of intriguing events, yet there was something about her that put me off. I just couldn’t warm to her at all.

Gareth is a security guard at that same mall. He still lives with his mum, who suffers from dementia. Looking after her and dealing with his job is proving to be a tough balancing act, especially when it looks like someone from their past might be looking for a way back into their lives. Gareth is an easy character to sympathise with. His life didn’t exactly pan out the way he expected it to and he’s desperately lonely.

And then there’s Ursula. She is by far the more interesting of the three. Due to an addiction, she’s forced out of her friend’s home. With little money to her name, beggars can’t be choosers and she ends up in quite a desperate situation. Ursula is a bit of a mystery and the more complex of the three characters. You can’t help but feel there is more to discover about her.

Strangers is very much a character driven psychological suspense story. There is a rather slow build up and with each of these characters getting their own chapters, it allows the reader to get a really good feel for them as they deal with all the dramas life can throw at us. All three are amazingly well fleshed out and realistic, as are the issues they are confronted with. There’s an incredibly wide range of those too: from the impact of social media to mental health issues, to domestic abuse, to grief, guilt and loneliness … to name a few. Some are relatable, most if not all are thought-provoking.

The reader knows from the prologue someone has died. But who, how and why? How are these three strangers connected? Obviously that’s for you to find out but I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out. Strangers is somewhat a story of two halves. It’s a slow burner for sure but at some point, the pace changes and the tension starts to build up. And when things start to fall into place, you realise the author plotted this story quite cleverly. I have no doubt fans of C.L. Taylor will enjoy this suspenseful story.

Readers, you will probably be able to relate to my struggle. There’s an author that keeps popping up on your radar – be it through social media or recommendations. And yet, despite all the rave reviews, you find you actually haven’t got around to reading any of their books. Well, this is definitely my experience of Taylor and so, I was totally excited to have the opportunity to read this book, a brand new release, as my first introduction to this writer. And I certainly was not disappointed.

This is a thrilling read and one that had me trying to figure out how three seemingly different characters would become linked. The novel opens with the three protagonists together; the rest of the story is set the week leading up to the initial chapter. Therefore, readers play detective, establishing at what point the paths of these strangers would cross. For me, I loved the ambiguity of it all and could not have predicted how the characters would come together. This raised my enjoyment of the story and the fact that it was so unpredictable has made me want to get hold of more of Taylor’s books.

All of the three characters are convincing and believable. Alice, divorced, lacking confidence and living with her twenty-something daughter, appears to have lost her path in life. She is determined to get back into the “dating game” and this is how readers are first introduced to her. On the other hand, Ursula is struggling to make ends meet and, after being kicked out of her flat share, things take a turn for the worse.

Finally, Gareth is caring for his ill mother whilst holding down a job as a security officer at the local shopping centre. One rash decision leaves him looking over his shoulder and question his own judgement. Each character faces problems that I am sure many readers can relate to – if not from their own experience, but seeing it in the faces of others. Consequently, I found I had a vested interested in all of these people, seemingly different, because I grew to care about them and wanted them to succeed.

I really enjoyed Taylor’s writing style. Despite the narrative shifting between the three characters, it was not confusing to follow. It’s a long story – around 400 pages – but don’t let that put you off. As soon as I was involved in the plot, I could not help but gobble up the pages. It is as if the story itself carries you through the chapters, building up momentum.

If you have been lucky enough to read other books by Taylor (and I understand that there are quite a few!), then I don’t think you will be disappointed by this new novel. Ok, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I think this is a fab read and one that was highly enjoyable. Just looking at the number of bloggers on this book tour reflects Taylor’s popularity and, here I am, a new fan of this writer.

With thanks to Avon books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely brilliant read. Compelling and quick movingly, I blasted through this in 24 hours including a 2am read. Genuinely unputdownable.

An easy read that kept my interest all the way through - I liked the characters although for quite a while I couldn't really see how they connected to each other. There was some suspense. A good book

Strangers was not the best book by C L Taylor that I have read but because it was by this author I persevered. I’m glad I did as it picked up and I managed to finish it. It was good but had it been by an unknown author to me I would have given up on it.

I’ve read a few of the author’s books by now and have loved them all. She is becoming a go-to writer for great thrillers. I have a lot of her books to read and I can’t wait to discover more of her work. Strangers grabs you by the throat from page one with someone stranding over a body leaving you with so many questions. Did she kill him? Who is he? What’s going on? The book uses unreliable narration and misdirection to the extend I had no idea what was happening, what the links between the three characters were and what would happen next. I loved the way the chapters alternate between the three characters, gradually revealing the links between them. This is the kind of book you can’t stop once you’ve started. A terrific read.

Alice meets and falls for a stranger who comes to her aid when she is attacked on a blind date. But is he who he claims to be?
After Ursula is evicted by her roommates due to her shoplifting tendencies she answers an ad sharing a two bedroom flat with a stranger. The price is perfect but the stranger behind the ad seems to have a secret.
Gareth a security guard by day home health attendant to his aging Mom at night. One day he thinks he sees his dad on a security camera the problem is he hasn't seen his dad in decades.

These three characters collide together forming an engaging well thought out story.  I appreciated the author's writing style and the voice he lends to each character.  I was engaged from start to finish.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK for sending this digital ARC.

Three people Ursula, Gareth and Alice don’t know each other but they eventually do.
Ursula thinks she’s killed her one true love she has lived with her friend but things got difficult and Ursula had to leave.
Gareth works as a security guard at the Meads shopping centre . He lives with his mum . Strange postcard turn up from his dad who left years ago and was presumed dead.
Alice is a store manager at the Meads centre . She is seperated from her husband and has just started dating. 
All these stories become one .
Love C.L. Taylor
Thanks NetGalley

This book, as the blurb says, introduces us to Ursula, Gareth and Alice. We then follow their stories through the book seeing the decisions they make, learning about their lives and how they came to be where they are at the point of the book.

The story moves between all three characters and shows how very different their lives are which adds to the intrigue of the beginning of the book when they appear to have been working together. There’s a lot of suspense and intrigue throughout the book. There were quite a few points where I was concerned for them and, in some cases not wanting to read the next few lines because I didn’t want to see the consequences of what they were doing.

It’s a book in which no words are wasted, everything that the characters go through/consider, etc is shown and while you might not agree with everything they do the reasoning behind their decisions is understandable given what we know about them.

This story shows that it doesn’t take a lot to change someone’s life, small actions can sometimes have huge consequences and we should not judge people because we don’t know what they are dealing with behind the face they present to the world.

I really enjoyed this book, it kept me coming back to find out more, even when I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the consequences. As a result of reading this I’m now looking forward to reading more by this author.

The start of Strangers easily grabbed my attention and I couldn’t wait to see how it would all turn out. Even though quite a bit happens in those first few pages I would class Strangers as a slow burn kind of a story. However C L Taylor weaves a story that will make you wonder what will happen next!

In this book we are introduced to three very different characters. Alice, Ursula and Gareth who at first glance appear to have no connection. Is that really the case though? Now the characters are flawed but to be honest I thought this was a good thing. It gave them a realistic edge and I guess in a way made me root for them even more. Especially as they struggled through their various situations. Gareth was definitely the most likeable out of the trio. I really felt for him and his home life. Alice was trying to start dating again but ends up caught up in a dangerous situation. Then we have Ursula who I was probably drawn to the most. This was mainly because there were so many sides to her personality. This for me made her a more complex and interesting character. The alternating chapters really help to showcase each character bringing more depth to the book. This all helps to increase the tension within the story as all aspects of their lives are revealed.

Throughout the story snippets of information are released which both intrigued me and made my curiosity build. I couldn’t help but try and work out what was going on but after a while I decided to just sit back and enjoy. Mainly because I just didn’t have a clue! So I let the book do its thing as the tension ramped up until the intense conclusion.

Three and a half stars rounded up to four.

A fast-paced, gripping thriller where the lives of a group of strangers collide in unexpected ways. This is the first book I've read by the author and I found it highly entertaining. The multiple POVs and short chapters made for a fast read and kept my attention. I liked the mundane descriptions of the characters' lives where their concerns are real. There's a running theme of loneliness and survival, and I found myself wanting these characters to have a happy ending. 

While the buildup of the story is intricate, I found the resolution too neat. Everything fell cleanly into place but I would have loved for a little more punch. I also wish the setting of the shopping mall is explored further. Still, I was left satisfied especially with a final reveal at the end. Perfect for readers who love a fast read with plenty of surprises.

C.L. Taylor is one of my favourite authors, so when I hear she has a new book out, I’m always excited!
I’ve been sitting here for a few days writing, then deleting my review just trying to talk about this fantastic book!

The best way I can describe Strangers is it’s one of those books where you think you know what's going to happen but you really don’t.

We follow three strangers, Alice, Ursula and Gareth, seeing how their separate lives intertwine in the most shocking of ways.

The storyline was expertly crafted, I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen throughout the story, it really kept me guessing!

Ursula was a stand out character for me. I felt so sorry for her and wanted the best for her.  She’s had a tough old time of it throughout her life and I can tell you C.L Taylor does not make it easy for her through this novel!

I have to be honest most of the story was utterly believable but there was the odd thing that I thought defied logic a little.

Strangers is an engrossing and tense novel that had me gripped from beginning to end.

Strangers was an absolutely thrilling read. So many things that I didn't see coming! I'm a CL Taylor fan now.

This is the twisty story of three strangers – Ursula, Gareth and Alice.  Ursula has been kicked out of her home by her housemates after they found out she has been stealing from them.  After renting a room in a house, Ursula finds herself more and more uneasy around the man she is sharing the house with.  Gareth is a security guard in a shopping centre.  He also cares for his mum who suffers from dementia.  Alice is a manager of a clothes shop in the shopping centre and is looking for love.  None of them know each other, but one day their lives collide!

This story is told from each character’s perspectives, devoting a chapter to each one.  The three main characters are all completely different to each other, and whilst their paths have crossed at some point, they obviously don’t really know each other.  Ursula was a very strange character.  Having been thrown out of her home by her best friend because she has been stealing, it becomes apparent that she can’t stop herself from taking other people’s belongings.  Initially she didn’t come across as a very likeable character, but as the story moves on you begin to understand her character better.  I really liked Gareth’s character and he was the one I felt most sorry for.  Holding down a full-time job in times when his boss is just waiting for an excuse to get rid of him must be difficult and then having to care for his mum who is suffering from dementia.  It was hard to read Gareth’s part of the story, particularly with having his mum living at home and knowing the risks of leaving her in the house.  Alice, who is looking for love, goes on a disastrous blind date.  This leads her to become involved in the situation which eventually ties all three people together.

It’s a very unusual story where initially it makes you wonder where it is all going.  Obviously, the characters lives will link at some point, but from the very beginning it makes you wonder how, why and when!  As each character tells their own story, you are left in suspense at the end of each chapter whilst it moves onto the next character, having to wait until their turn comes back round again.  The story is dark and twisted and grabs your attention from very early on in the book.  As the book moves on you begin to get little inklings as to what may happen and you are drip-fed small pieces of information to help you along.  Some of the characters are genuinely weird, some just plain horrible and others are interesting and help plump out the main characters storylines.  I was a little puzzled as I read about the interspersing chapters of social media chat about men who were going missing, but believe me don’t be put off if some of it seems a little weird or confusing as it will definitely be explained by the end!!

The reveal at the end is perfectly timed and wraps everything up nicely, tying up all the loose ends.  Full of dysfunctional characters, family relationships and plain old chilling storylines, this book will definitely keep you interested right until the very last page.  Clear yourself a couple of days of no distractions, as once started, you won’t be able to put it down!  Would definitely recommend.

My Thoughts: I’ve read a couple of C.L. Taylor’s books before and absolutely loved them, and this one was no exception, the story was told from 3 different perspectives which left me a little worried at first, would I be able to keep up? would the differences confuse me? – I should’ve had more faith in the authors skill, it was so easy to follow and the end of every chapter left me excited to get to their next chapter.

Ursula has a problem with taking things that aren’t hers and sticking her nose into places where it’s not wanted, but through doing that she could change the life of more than one person for the better said it always a bad thing?

Gareth is a security guard who lives with his mum, she has dementia and needs caters in to help her during the day. Gareth’s life changes when his mum starts receiving postcards from her husband who has been presumed dead for many years, but then Gareth thinks he sees him on one of the cameras at work, has he been lied to his whole life? is he dad still alive?

Alice has been pushed by her daughter to start online dating, through which she meets Simon at first she’s smitten, but then things start happening which make her doubt his intentions and his honesty, what is he really after? Is he hiding something?

I honestly could not put this book down, I just had to know how their lives were going to pan out and what was going to happen to bring them all together!

If you love a thriller that keeps you guessing and makes you doubt yourself several times along the way, then I highly recommend this one, I promise you won’t be disappointed

🐧❤️

There are three main characters in this book whilst they do not know each other personally their lives intertwine on some level throughout the book.

Each are leading lives they would prefer to be different. Ursula’s life has been going downhill ever since the death of her partner Nathan. She misses him and has become cut off from friends and family. Alice still has her daughter, at least sometimes, since Peter left and work fills in a lot of time but in those days when she is by herself she finds it difficult. Gareth looks after his mum, she has dementia and it’s getting worse. He’s just about managing financially as a security supervisor at a local shopping centre but he has no social life any more.

They are each struggling with being alone. They are each trying to fill a void. Ursula tries to help Nikki and her baby. Gareth decides to ask his neighbour out. Alice is looking for someone to spend her free time with.

As we follow each of them their circumstances bring them in a spiral of events that culminates in a tragic, fatal meeting.

This is a book in which I found myself liking all three lead characters who, for all their faults, are decent folk making their way in life as best as they can. Life doesn’t throw them many roses, that’s for sure! Still through everything that happens they are battlers.

I liked that the author ensured that everything had a conclusion, sad or happy, liked or not.

Oh, and – terrible and rather sinister though it was – I couldn’t help enjoying the solution to a particular mystery which runs through the book!

This is the second C. L. Taylor book that I have read, the first being Sleep, and I have enjoyed them both. With her unique style the author keeps you gripped in the unfolding story. It moves along at a good pace and is eminently readable.

I would certainly recommend The Strangers and indeed Sleep to all you psychological thriller lovers. In fact, I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good book to read.

Thanks
With thanks to Sabah Khan, Head of PR at Avon for the invitation to the BlogTour and to Avon via NetGalley for an eCopy of Strangers by C.L. Taylor. All thoughts are my own, I have not received any payment. I purchased Sleep by C.L. Taylor.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for asking me to read and review. 
This story was a wonderful, gripping read.
 It is well written with some great characters and as a reader you feel you are right there with them. The plot draws you in and keeps you turning those pages.
A brilliant read.

I have loved all of her books.  This book is a fabulous read from start to finish.  Loved it.  Can't wait for her next one keep up the fantastic work.

Alice, Gareth and Ursula were damaged individuals because of events that had occurred in their respective lives. This certainly does not make them strangers but kindred spirits searching for peace and some sort of happiness. Their mundane jobs allow them to encounter one another plus others just as needy as themselves. Complex circumstances and situations result in these characters meeting one another .Alice finds herself being stalked after involving herself in a relationship with a strange man she meets in a bar. Ursula gets involved with a strange landlord and Gareth lives a strange life with his mother who suffers from dementia. For me these situations , the rushed ending and unrelated details made this book not one about Strangers but a strange one to read.