This was an ok read, I especially enjoyed the recovering alcoholic perspective. The thriller/mystery part was fairly obvious though. Nice final twist though.

I received an Arc from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Astrid, a recovering alcoholic, has moved home to live with her mom while she tries to get her life together. She hasn’t had a drink in 6 months but somebody is doing there best to sabotage that. While Astrid is trying to move on from the past somebody is intent on making sure she doesn’t forget.

I liked this book although I wouldn’t consider it a “thriller”. It gives a little insight into the struggles an addict faces once sober. I thought the storyline was great as well as the writing.

Dealing with a horrendous past is one thing, having that nasty past com back to haunt you is another. Although the location is lovely, some of the inhabitants of the town are not so much.
In attempting to put her life back on track, she attends the appropriate meetings but things are just not right, but not sure how or why.
The ending is a little disjointed, but this is a good read; I would not necessarily say its fun, there are some painful parts here, but an absorbing read.

In Lesley Kara's latest release, Astrid is a recovering alcoholic determined to start over. She moves to a small town outside of London and commits to a new path of sobriety. Soon she finds her AA group, a new job, and even a boyfriend. But someone is determined to not let her start over.

Astrid has a secret--and one she is not anxious to share with even her AA group. Their secrets may be horrible, but hers may have been deadly. And her secret may just be stalking her...

I loved this tale of new beginnings, and coming to terms with your past (or in this case, the past coming to terms with you!). The story had enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. As soon as think you know how it'll end, you're gifted with an ending you didn't expect. I couldn't put this book down. I haven't read her first published book, The Rumour, yet, and plan to put it high on my TBR list.

To me, because I had alcoholism in my family, this was a difficult book to read. Nevertheless, since I enjoyed THE RUMOR, I persisted and I’m glad that I did since I’m such a big fan of psychological thrillers. This one, because of the theme of recovering from alcohol addiction, is a very dark thriller that follows the main character Astrid in her quest to stay sober. Astrid is doing all that she can to be successful, but she has secrets that someone obviously wants to disclose in some kind of desire for revenge against her. The plot is well-developed, gradually pulling back a curtain on all of the secrets and twists. These plot twists definitely kept me guessing and absorbed in the story. I thought that the story had a slow start, sped up in the middle and slid satisfyingly to the conclusion. Fans of psychological suspense and Lesley Kara will enjoy this new book. I gave it three stars because of the dark theme and the slow start with a slow build-up to a faster pace.

Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I love finding a book whose story takes place in the United Kingdom. This one is even better- it’s in a coastal town on the North Sea. The homes, foods, habits, and phrases are all so endearing; I would love to visit an area like this one day.
Astrid has returned to her childhood home to live with her mother while she continues her recovery for alcoholism. This was an interesting facet of the story; Astrid’s demons and struggles are laid out bare, the horrible broken memories, the filthy mattresses, the sweats, shakes, and the unending desire for another drink. The author, Lesley Kara did a splendidly candid yet heartfelt description of Astrid’s daily struggles.
Astrid meets a nice young guy and begins doing a commissioned art project at his father’s home. She really likes this family but hesitates to be honest about her illness and why she’s back home with her mother. In her AA meetings, she’s met some interesting people, in particular Helen and Rosie. All along we know there’s something fishy about these two women but we just can’t put our finger on it. Then the threats begin showing up in the mail. Astrid lost her old boyfriend, Simon to suicide, something she feels she had an influence in. She also has a vague memory of a crime she and Simon committed. With the guilt of these memories bearing down on her, she knows somebody who knows the truth has gotten especially close, maybe even visiting her mother under false pretenses.
As the tension, guilt, and stress become too much for Astrid to handle, it becomes harder and harder for her to stay away from the numbing comfort of alcohol. And here’s where the story begins to lose me.
We have a beautiful setting, a believable and compassionate recovering alcoholic, a light mixture of a very few other people in her life, then the web gets slung a bit sloppily for me to enjoy. The ending is interesting but a bit chaotic. It felt rushed, cut to the chase, too many key players set on the tiny stage of this whimsical fishing village. I stuck with it but was a bit let down that the last 10% wasn’t as captivating as the first 90%. I will gladly read another book by Lesley Kara though. Her writing style is beautiful and most of her characters are relatable.
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for making it available.)

don’t know why but I had a really hard time connecting to the narrator and feeling the connection between her and the other characters. The relationships didn’t feel earned, I guess? So the emotional components kind of missed the mark for me.

The Rumor was one of my favorite mystery/thrillers that I’ve read last year. So when I was offered a copy, I instantly jumped at the chance. I ended up speed reading my last book so I could start this one. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Astrid made a rough start of her life. She started drinking at a young age and it spiraled her life out of control. She’s lied, cheated, and destroyed everything in her path just to get another taste of that amber liquid.

Now she’s trying to make her life better. After her stint in rehab, she moves in with her Mother in a small town where everyone knows your name and your business. Her Mother has eyes and ears everywhere to keep Astrid on the straight and narrow.

She believes the changes in her life will set her on the right path but temptation seems to be around every corner, breathing down her neck. She still attends AA meetings and decides to stick with it. Astrid even makes some dear friends along the way.

But there’s something from her past that keeps rearing its ugly head and now someone is tormenting her. She feels someone watching her and following her every move. Then she receives something earth shattering in the mail, now she knows that someone is out to get her.

Will Astrid fall down that black hole again? Or will she drag herself out of the deep?

Wow! This book was fantastic and intense. I thought I knew who, what, and why but I was wrong and way off. I’m impressed.

There was a few parts of this that reminded me of Friday the 13th part one. Oh, you’ll know when you get there. It’s probably not what you’re thinking.

Who Did You Tell was an intense thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put this down and finished it in record time. It was that damn good. You must really think hard before you put trust in someone. People aren’t always what they seem.

An excellent book by Lesley Kara.

Astrid is a recovering alcoholic who flees to her mothers small England town, after alcoholism takes everything from her. She ends up meeting friends at AA, but can she trust them?

Astrid has someone who is stalking and haunting her, could it be one of her new "friends", is her boyfriend really dead? Is her new love interest for real, or is he out to harm her as well.

Read to find out! Highly recommend.

Thank you for the ecopy of this book. I will be posting a full review on Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram! Many thanks.

I love a good setting story, especially while locked down during the quarantine. It was nice to be transported to the coastal English town with an entertaining story to tell. The book is developed well and keeps you guessing until the very end (and beyond - don't forget the epilogue, it's critical). I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day.

I did have a bit of a hard time relating to the central characters fight with alcohol but having friends that have been through the 12 step program of AA, it helped me gain a greater understanding of the addiction. For that alone, the book is absolutely worth picking up.

Overall, very well put together and a fun book to read.

WHO DID YOU TELL is an interesting novel of suspense that give the reader a peak inside the mind of a recovering alcoholic. If you know someone with a drinking problem, this book could provide insight regarding what happens to them when they drink and the struggles those in recovery experience. The characters are realistic and engaging and there were some plot twists that I did not see coming. Good read.

DNF
Took too long to get into story.
Too slow
Nothing enticed me to turn the page. Just more slow gloom and doom.
I didn't like the main character

This book started out really slow for me I had a hard time getting into it but when I did at around the middle of the book it drew me in and I was able to finish it and really liked it!!

Six months sober and teetering on the precipice of failure. Thirty two year old Astrid Phelps is struggling to regain a semblance of stability to her life. She's had so many black outs there is no possible way to gauge the extent of misery or destruction she's wrought on innocent people. Is she responsible for her ex-boyfriend Simon's suicide? After discharge from Rehab she feels compelled to move in with "Mum" in a small seaside town ... where everyone knows your business. Just how many dreams and goals has alcohol stole from her life? She dreads attending the weekly AA meetings. While attempting to move forward, she is not only haunted by her past relationship with Simon, but someone is gaslighting her .... or is that only paranoia? Almost magically, a young man emerges from the sea in a dripping wet suit, while she is aimlessly strolling the beach. This burgeoning relationship with "Josh" causes much anxiety and apprehension as she is unable to own up to her addiction and reluctant to "come clean." In the mail she receives a picture of Simon and glued to the back is a woman's hand dripping with blood. Later she receives an envelope containing a page torn from the obituary section of local paper .... a deceased name has been crossed-out and neatly above it is printed her name.
Lesley Kara weaves a twisted claustrophobic and intricately plotted narrative punctuated with multiple gut punch reveals that escalates to unexpected exhilarating denouement. The multi-layered characterization of Astrid provides motivation and incite on her struggle to fight addiction while attempting to deal with guilt and achieve redemption. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine- Random House Publishing for providing an electronic uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.
( at readers remains.

Stylish thriller about a reforming alcoholic who takes shelter in a seaside village with her somewhat estranged mother. She has secrets of course and it appears someone else in town knows them. Knows enough about them to threaten her life.

I don’t usually care for books with such a flawed protagonist but the author manages to make her, Astrid, somehow relatable, somehow rootable. It’s well worth it to see how things turn out in the end.

Who Did You Tell? is a tough read because for each page, the reader is trapped inside the head of protagonist Astrid. Astrid is a 32-year old recovering alcoholic forced to move back to her hometown of Flinstead, a small coastal town in England. It's been six months since Astrid had her last drink, but only about six seconds since she last craved the oblivion that drinking brought her. Now she's living with her mother, and attending weekly AA meetings, but she can't escape her own demons and broken memories of her past life. Astrid lives inside her own head, and it's not a nice place to be. On top of all her other issues, Astrid is having disturbing flashbacks of her former lover and is receiving threats from an unknown person.

I felt such tremendous empathy for Astrid thanks to talented author, Lesley Kara. She so wants to re-start her life. She meets a wonderful man one day on the beach and hopes it could lead to a loving relationship, yet she's loathe to admit her truth to him. He introduces her to his father, and the father commissions Astrid to paint a trompe l'oeil in the beautiful old home father and son are remodeling. Everything is so promising, but before her new life can begin, Astrid needs to learn who is behind the threats she has been receiving and own her addiction.

As I said, this isn't an easy read; Astrid is such a haunted character. However, I thought it was a terrific book and would highly recommend it. My thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing a eGalley in exchange for an honest review. Who Did You Tell? will be available on June 16, 2020.

I loved this book! Written in first-person, with an unreliable protagonist, and a cast of interesting characters that had me wondering about identities and motives through the story. It was a twisty, easy read that held my attention.

This was a very easy read and I really loved Astrid, aka Hilary. You could feel her pain and live those AA meetings throughout this book. I recommend picking up this one, thanks Net Galley.

This book grabbed me from the start and I read it straight through in two days. Genuine characters, intriguing relationships, and unexpected plot twists Highly recommended