I cannot stress how good this book was, I read it in one day and stayed up late because I couldn’t put it down until I had finished! I especially loved Ursula...what a brilliant character. The book was well written, fast paced and a literary rollercoaster ride. I recommended it to everyone and cannot wait for the next book!

I saw people raving about this book on twitter and I have a few other C.L. Taylor books on my TBR list so I was excited to give this book a go. Thank you to Avon Books UK and C.L. Taylor for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Book due for release on 2nd April, 2020.

Description 🔖

Three strangers live in the same city, all have their own troubles; all of them different. Ursula’s life has been on a downwards spiral since the love of her life died and she’s struggling to keep her life in control. Alice is a single parent, trying to get back into dating and is being stalked by who knows who. Gareth lives with his ageing mother who is suffering from dementia and suspects that his father who died years ago, is actually alive. All of these individuals will be somehow thrown together and become more reliant on each other than strangers ordinarily are.

General Thoughts 🤔

This book kept me guessing and questioning more than any book has for me in quite a while. I honestly had absolutely no idea where the story was going to go and how these strangers were going to eventually collide with one another. Once everything started to unravel I couldn’t stop, I had to keep on reading to wrap everything up in my mind.

I love the theme of strangers in this book. The age old classic is that it’s those closest to us that we need to watch out for but the frightening thing about this book is that strangers are probably more frightening. You have absolutely no idea what people are capable of; especially people you don’t know.

Characters 👫👭👬

There are a lot of characters in this book, but not too many that you can’t keep track of them all. The story is told through the voices of the three main characters; Ursula, Alice and Gareth. One of the underlying tones I took away from the story was that all three of them shared a common sense of loneliness which I’m sure resonates with a lot of real life strangers.

Another thing they all shared was standing in their own way. Alice refused to listen to the advice of her friends and family who were trying to help her. Ursula was living in the past instead of focusing on getting her life back together. Gareth was too afraid to go for what he really wanted. Frustrating to read when I just wanted these characters to pull it together and get their happy endings.

Writing Style ✍🏽

I adored the way this book just kept me guessing. I genuinely couldn’t even string together a theory on how the strangers were going to end up coming together. There were so many curve balls thrown in and so many red herrings I gave up on trying to work it out and just let it all unravel in front of me. Fabulous plot development I say.

Small thing I loved about this book is the last few chapters when all the tiny loose ends were tied off. As I got closer and closer to the end I kept thinking “but what about….and…but” yet everything came together.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

I’ve obviously been living on another planet as this was my first C.L. Taylor book. whilst everyone else has been enjoying this authors fabulous writing, I’ve been living under a rock. This definitely won’t be my last. Every bit of questioning and uncertainty I went through whilst reading this book was worth it!. Loved it.

Sorry I really didn’t reckon much to this one , obviously it was a group of people who were going to be linked at the end but it wasn’t enough to keep me excited I’m afraid . A bit disappointed as I love this author but this wasn’t for me

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for a free ARC of this book.

I first came across this author late last year when a supermarket had a twofer deal on a couple of her paperbacks. I grabbed them and quickly devoured them. I loved C L Taylor's writing so much that I put her other books on my Christmas list and now have a further five to read when I get the chance. So, when I saw this title available on NetGalley, I jumped at the opportunity to review it. Strangers did not disappoint.

As the description tells us, we meet and follow three very different people, who are strangers to one another. The writer weaves these three separate and disparate threads together nicely. I connected with each of the main characters, but my favourite was Ursula. To me, she seems to have the most character of them all and makes for a strong female lead.

The plot, pacing, characterisation, and scene setting are all done well, and I found this to be a quick and fun read, perfect for a dark winter's night. The identity of both the Harbourside Murderer and the Stalker kept me guessing right up until the end. I give this book a solid five stars and am looking forward to reading more of C L Taylor's books.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Alice decides she is ready to date after her divorce. She checks into tinder and meets a creep at the bar. Thankfully Simon comes to her aid. But then Simon, is full of unanswered questions and things start happening, notes sent to Alice, her car marked,
Who is stalking Simon and why?

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I really enjoyed it, I love all Taylors book and this one will not disappoint you. Love how it is laid out with the characters and keep you guessing all the time. Fab read fully recommended

This was an enjoyable read. I'd recommend but the actions of the main character were a bit far fetched. Basically stalking someone you've just met didn't seem like a believable way to act.

I seem to be in the minority with this one but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I have read quite a few books from this author but I found this a toil to read and was glad when I had got to the end.

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

Strangers by C L Taylor is the kind of book you recommend to your friends, a fast paced, action packed read full of twists and turns, it keeps you second guessing and gripped throughout.

This book connects three strangers, Single mum Alice, Gareth a security guard at the local shopping centre, and carer to his mother, and Ursula, a heartbroken lonely courier who shoplifts
The characters are likeable, and relatable.
You find yourself racing through the pages to find out what’s happening next... I couldn’t put this book down and thoroughly enjoyed every page of it.

5 stars


Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.

Love all this sign a books and this was no different. Love the suspense in the book. Couldn't put it down. I really do recommend you check out this book and the others by this author

I absolutely love C.L. Taylor's books, I've read all her thrillers and was so happy when I was approved to read Strangers.

This story was a bit of a slow burner for me. It follows the three main characters throughout alternating chapters. Ursula is in mourning, and has a shoplifting habit, Alice is a single mother, working as a shop manager and trying her hand at internet dating, and Gareth is a security guard at a shopping centre who cares for his mother who has dementia.

Each of their lives are unraveling, and while the reader learns fairly early on how they are all connected, I was curious to see how they would all come together, and who was behind it all. I really liked Ursula and Gareth, but found Alice so irritating, particularly the way she was with Simon. I felt like her storyline took over a bit, and I wish there could have been a bit more to Gareth's storyline.

There is a kind of subplot about a possible killer in Bristol which is told primarily through tweets. I found myself getting a little confused with this and couldn't work out how it all fitted in.

There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the story, and as usual, C.L. Taylor manages to tie everything together nicely at the end. I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I hadn't read all her other stories, which set the bar very high! The final twist in the story was great, and I absolutely didn't see it coming.

What an absolute Corker of a book, it was phenomenal.
I read this in 2 days (unfortunately life got in the way) but I couldn't put it down, I just had to know what happened next and everytime I've had a spare minute I've squeezed in a couple more pages.
I'm up for the school run in the morning, but I've stayed up til 130am to find out how it ended.
I found it a complete roller coaster, have been on the edge of my seat, and the way the story built up in the beginning it was so sinister and creepy and had me holding my breath and shutting my eyes.
This was my first C.L. Taylor book after I'd seen some posts on social media but it definitely won't be my last

Thanks for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Another solid read from this author. Devoured this in no time. The plot was great all the way through. Loved the ending. Will be keeping my eyes open for more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book so much. It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book.

Another gripping and complex tale from Cally Taylor. This must have taken some plotting and planning! It all comes together so well and grips you by the throat as the more you read the more pressure you can feel around your neck. Now THAT is a good thriller.

The fact it's all set in a (fictional) shopping center is good as it's familiar territory to us all and the three people whose stories come together could be people we all know. Alice is manager of a clothes store and she goes on a date from hell from which a man named Simon rescues her. Ursula meanwhile works as a delivery driver but also shoplifts. Then there's Gareth, a security guard who also cares for his mother who is suffering from dementia.

A twisty read which makes you want to turn the pages to see what on earth is going to happen and how on earth these threads are going to fit together!

I'm a big fan of C L Taylor so was delighted to get an early copy of this through Netgalley. Three strangers all have some kind of problem- Ursula has recently been made homeless, Alice is being stalked and Gareth is getting unusual postcards. They don't know each other but become connected through what is happening. I found that I preferred the Ursula/Alice chapters and found myself racing through Gareth's to get to them. As is always the case with Taylor's novels this is clever writing with excellent twists and makes for a gripping read!

This was a really great premise . The 'strangers ' of the title are exactly that , neither of the three know each other and are not involved in each others lives . Alice a single mother , Gareth a security guard and Ursula a loner with a secret . It was brilliant how all their stories were woven together to bring everything to a conclusion . I started the book not keen on any of the characters at all , Alice was drippy , Ursula , socially awkward with a shop lifting habit and Gareth still living at home with his mum . It was clever , though , the more I read and as their stories unfurled how I warmed to them all . Clever storytelling with great characterization .

Another fantastic read from C L Taylor. She is an absolutely incredible writer that really knows how to suck the audience in and to keep their attention throughout.

My favourite yet from this author. Brilliant characters and an intelligently twisted story. 

I love books like this that have ever unravelling threads of story - where connections are tentative and unexpected - then there's a coming together of everything you've discovered into one huge finale. Cally Taylor manages the layers perfectly and gives us a group of characters you engage with, both focused and peripheral, positively and negatively. I was invested in their outcomes immediately and read this fast, utterly riveting from first page to last. 

Beautifully done, you'll devour this and sit on the edge of your seat for those final scenes, there is a depth of character here that engages thoroughly and you won't be quite sure where it's going until you get there.

Loved it. More like this please.

Highly recommended.

I received Strangers by C L Taylor from Net Gallery, free, in exchange for an honest review
This author has a great track record of writing mesmerizing mysteries.
I loved her previous book The Lie.
There are 3 strangers
All of them have secrets.
And, there is one big lie which affects all of them.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers but this book will keep you awake late in the night
I really enjoyed it.