Cover Image: I Know What I Saw

I Know What I Saw

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Member Reviews

A perfect eidetic memory was what Nicola had. And when her ex was arrested for the murder of his father who had disappeared 35 years ago, she had to give her statement. Who better that her?

My first book by author S. K. Sharp, I loved the concept of the story. Nicola was interesting to begin with as she gave me the perfect shot of the events that occurred on that night.

The prose slowed off unbearably in the middle, where I felt I was not being given new information. But surely and carefully the plot dug itself out of the past and went into evidence mode. Nicola’s steady investigation soon brought out the secrets. And oh boy!! There were many.

This was an interesting tale, no doubt. A sharper prose with more suspense would have uplifted it. Nevertheless, a good read over breakfast.

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I absolutely loved this book! I will definitely read more of Sharp's work in the future. this was a fast paced and gripping read, that hooked me from the beginning and didn't let me go.

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Having a perfect memory seems perfect...but you start to wonder whether it comes with its faults too?

We follow the story from Nicola's perspective and it's great to see and hear what having a memory like this would feel like, especially if you have to solve a crime and help someone you love.

It's a bit of a slower-pace, but definitely worth your while. It's very intriguing and you have to stick out till the end to see what happens!

I love the concept of the thriller itself because there are so many thrillers out there that all resemble each other. This one definitely falls into the category of being unique.

Thriller loves, seeking a new tale, with a unique plot would enjoy this.

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What if you could remember absolutely everything? A curse maybe but what if it can help solve a murder case? This book was gripping, kept me interested and turning pages late into the night. I liked the writing style. If you want edge of the seat stuff, read this book. A great premise for a wonderful thriller

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I don't think I'd like to have a memory like Nicola, the main character, although it would definitely come in handy at times as this book shows. I loved how each chapter went from the present day to the past and explained the relationships between the characters. A surprise twist at the end that I certainly did not see coming. Well written and quite addictive.

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The premise was unique. What if you could remember every single thing that every happens? It turns out that you would be constantly losing your train of thought as you jumped from memory to memory. I was intrigued but it did not deliver what was promised. If you can remember every single thing but you never process those memories, what it the point? Instead of making revelations about what happened in her past the MC just continues to see the experiences as she did when she was 16. I just could not understand how 35 years later she couldn't see the experiences as an adult instead of the same exact way she saw them as a teenager. Once she apologized to her ex because he ONLY kissed his coworker, I was pretty much done with her. How dare she leave him for that! Here is a woman who could have been doing amazing things, but instead she is weak. I hate to not like a book and I really tried but there were just long descriptions of things that had nothing to do with anything except convincing the reader that she really could remember everything.

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This was really fast paced and draws you in from the very start. Very exciting throughout and really enjoyed it.

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Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. I couldn't put it down! My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

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A novel premise in this story - Nicola/Nix remembers everything that ever happened to her - is this a blessing or a curse? To be able to recall every conversation or situation sounds wonderful but do you always want to remember and relive everything that has happened to you, be it wonderful or distressing?
When her ex-husband contacts Nicola for help when he is accused of murder she is able to give him an alibi for the time she was with him and what she thought was happening in her life, but she can only remember what she thinks was happening at that time, her impressions of what was happening - and this leads to confusion and concern.
An interesting read over two time periods.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Random House UK/S.K. Sharp for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

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A good read with a fascinating plot with a heroine who has the strangest memory. I enjoyed it and read the book quite quickly, fascinated by what she was recalling and where it led. I would read more by this author.

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Do you ever think back to a time in your life and the memories are a bit blurry or someone asks if you remember a certain day and you just can’t? Well Nicola our protagonist in I Know What I Saw remembers everything, the good, the bad and the ugly. Nicola has a condition called hyperthymesia which only a rare few people in the world have, is not being able to forget a blessing or curse?

When Nicola gets a phone call from her ex- husband Dec asking for her help Nicola must try and piece together an evening from over thirty years ago to prove his innocence. She knows the basics, can remember everything that happened with Dec and herself that evening but she needs to piece together events that happened when she wasn’t there. Why was her mother arguing with Decs Dad? Did Dec really go back to the pub after he left her?

I honestly couldn’t imagine being able to remember everything, heck I struggle to remember what I did yesterday let alone thirty odd years ago but it was really interesting seeing how Nicola deals/or not with things. The way she just zones out of the world around her and gets totally lost in her memories.

Told in the here and now and then taking us back through Nicolas memories I was totally and utterly gripped with this story. I had an idea who had committed the crime but there was always doubt and I think I probably blamed every character throughout the book.

I Know What I Saw is a tense story and it’s one that makes you really want to keep on reading, you can’t just think I’ll read one more chapter because it’s impossible. I totally devoured this book and it kept pace right the way through which I love.

This is definitely a book to look out for, it’s original, gripping and one I’ll definitely be recommending.

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This was an average 3* read, it was okay, it was quick to read and easy to follow the plot line. I read it but it didn't stock with me, its not a story I'll remember in years to come.

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Thank you to Netgalley and Randomhouse UK Cornerstone for the arc of this book.

3 star read for me- this was a good read, quick one too, recommend to all whom like thrillers, well written, well structured loved the story line characters etc.
⭐⭐⭐

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An interesting concept behind the story. It was well told and I enjoyed reading it. The characters evolved as the story progressed.

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While I really enjoyed reading about Nicola's memory condition and I found the detailed descriptions of past events to be interesting, I just couldn't get into this book. I found Nicola quite difficult to like and this made the novel feel a bit slow. The ending was good - but not the shock/plot-twist I was hoping for!

Thank you to Arrow and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

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Enjoyed this book, thought the plot was different.
The main character remembers everything
So when her ex husband gets in contact to tell her he's been arrested for murder
She starts to unravel, what happened really happened in 1985

Believable characters
Plenty of red herrings
Overall a good read

Thank you netgalley, S K Sharp and publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

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I Know What I Saw is the first book that I have read by S.K. Sharp and I very much enjoyed it. Our protagonist is Nicola who suffers from hyperthymesia which means she remembers everything. She can recall emotions, factual details, what the weather was doing for her whole entire life. Some would call it a skill yet to Nicola it has often been a burden. Her special ability is brought into sharp focus when the police contact her and ask her to speak to her ex-husband. He is being accused of the murder of his father who disappeared many years ago. He knows that Nicola will be able to give the police his alibi as she never forgets and she was with him that evening. Nicola loved her ex and naturally wants to help him but it soon becomes apparent that although she remembers being with him that evening, she does not know the full story.

S.K. Sharpe splits his narrative between the present day and Nicola’s past so we get a very detailed picture of who she is and what has happened in her life. The story is very heavy on details as it magnifies Nicola’s ability to remember every single moment that she has lived. Nicola knows that what she remembers is factual but what about the events that were hidden from her, those details that she didn’t know about? By helping her ex-husband, is she putting herself in danger?

I loved the idea behind I Know What I Saw, Nicola has a natural skill and ability which you would initially think is a good thing. However, as the book progresses you begin to question it, whilst it must be lovely to remember the good things, it must also be awful to relive all of the negative or upsetting moments of life again and again. It left me feeling quite sad for her as a character as it is not an ability that she can just get rid of.

I Know What I Saw is a refreshing take on the psychological thriller genre, S.K. Sharpe has written a highly entertaining book.

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I Know What I Saw’ is the latest book by S.K. Sharp.

Only a handful of people in the world have a truly perfect memory. Nicola is one of them. It’s more of a curse than a blessing – every moment of sadness, embarrassment and unhappiness is burned into her mind forever – so she plays it down, and tries to live a quiet life. But a body has been found, a discovery that threatens to tear her community apart – and reopen old wounds from decades ago. Nicola was a child, but she remembers the night with perfect clarity. Despite that, she never discovered the truth of what happened. Now she must use her unique memory to solve the murder, or watch the man she loved be wrongly convicted of the crime.

‘I Know What I Saw’ is a tense thriller with a lead protagonist that you’re unsure to believe or not.

The story is seen from the narrative of Nicola, who’s been called as a witness when her ex-husband, Declan has been accused of murdering his father over 30 years ago when his body is recovered. Nicola has an almost photographic memory, which she seems as more of a hindrance than a gift and is able to recall almost everything in the night in general that Declan’s father disappeared. But as she delves further into her memories that she begins to realise that a lot of people did not like Arty Robinson and there are many motives for his death.

This book is an interesting read with a lead character that I found myself almost reluctant to like. Right, from the offset Nicola seems like a cold woman and quite detached from the situation. Having said that, she’s quite fascinating in the skill that she’s acquired that allows her to remember minute details that could possibly help prevent her ex-husband and first love Declan from jail.

The story is written in past and present sequences and this makes for quite interesting reading as Nicky as she is known conjures up old memories and feelings as she reflects on happier times with Declan before things went sour in their relationship from being teenage sweethearts to eventually becoming husband and wife. These reminiscent moments make for tender reading as we read about first love. As the story progresses, we see that Arty, the victim of the story was quite a shady character with a lot of dodgy dealings in the background even though he is seen as quite a pillar of the community with providing funding to the local school. With new revelations coming forward with the discovery of his body, it seems that a lot of people didn’t like him, so there are quite a few suspects throughout the story, all this possible motives for his demise. It’s also quite fascinating to join Nicky on her own investigation into the night that Arty disappeared, as she begins to piece things together as well as doubt her own memories, a skill that she always been quite proud off and able to rely on.

A cleverly crafted and well plotted storyline with an intriguing protagonist, ‘I Know What I Saw’ is a thrilling drama that made for gripping reading.

You can pre-order ‘I Know What I Saw’ from Amazon and will be available to buy from good bookshops.

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Unlike the protagonist of this book, I don’t have a perfect memory, so I’m just going to jot my thoughts about this book down as I go along.

Narrator Nicola remembers everything that ever happened in perfect detail. This is a rare condition called hyperthymesia, and it’s a blessing and a curse, but mainly a curse. That’s interesting. Hard to relate, as I have a terrible memory, apart from things like song lyrics and useless trivia which occupy about 90% of my brain.

We’ve got two time frames, the present (February 2020 - wonder if anyone’s going to mention COVID at any point?) and the ‘80s, both from Nicola’s perspective. Present day Nicola is around my age, so that’s relatable. The story concerns Nicola’s ex-husband (and childhood sweetheart), Declan, arrested for the murder of his father thirty-five years earlier after the latter’s body is discovered. Nicola knows Dec is no killer, and she too was there the night Arty Robbins disappeared. Can she put her perfect memory to use to unravel what really happened?

This male author writing about teenage girl sexuality did make me a bit uncomfortable at times. I’m not saying it shouldn’t happen. People can write about anything. It’s just a bit... uncomfortable. I feel there’s a perception that most psychological thrillers are bought by women (probably accurate) so therefore must feature female protagonists (not necessarily).

At 12% in, I was 100% certain I could spot one “twist” that was being lined up. It seemed so obvious that I’m not even sure if it was meant to be a twist.

I know everyone does it now, but the constant use of the present tense grates on me sometimes.

Final thoughts, overall a good read, though as others have commented it did drag a bit in the middle and I found myself confused as to who went where when, etc, on The Night In Question. The end was satisfying, though.

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An interesting premise well used.

The main character in this book, Nicola, suffers from a rare disease that gives her perfect recall – a blessing or curse depending if you are sitting your A-levels or remembering a break up. This interesting premise really drives the murder mystery / detective story and allows the author to write about the past in Nicolas voice as though we are living those times with her. And we spend a lot of our time in the past as she remembers what happened the day her boyfriend’s father went missing in 1985 because it impacts on her present.

I enjoyed reading this book a lot; it is a great idea that is well executed. The flips between time periods work, although I sometimes wasn’t sure who the minor characters being referred to were, they did suffer slightly from being underwritten. My other small complaint is that the middle dragged a little and felt repetitive, whereas there were some parts of the story that could have done with more exploration - but overall it was an engaging and entertaining read that I sped through and would recommend.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the ARC.

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