What a fantastic read shiver was. The locked room style thriller is right up my alley. This is a total popcorn thriller. It reads like a movie. The suspense is perfectly timed. The character sat well rounded and flawed just enough to create intrigue but still likeable. This was unputdownable. I read the first 200 pages in one sitting. That good.

This is so like an Agatha Christie murder mystery which is an amazing achievement for a debut author. Well done Allie Reynolds!!

We find a group of five, ex-professional snowboarders, who are invited up into the French Alps for a weekend out-of-season to catch up after 10 years and suddenly find themselves stranded. They don’t know who invited them and there are some very strange things happening that put them all on edge. Desperate to leave but unable to do so.....who can they trust, who is doing this, what can they do??? The characters are well developed and their complex relationships and tensions between them are explored as we find out about them in the present and 10 years ago when they last met.

It is cold in the snow peaked mountains but the atmosphere between the characters is also cold - talk about “shiver”! Great title.

A riveting story that holds you spellbound!

Although there is a lot about snowboarding, which I’m not into, this wasn’t an issue nor did it detract from the story itself. The competitive nature of this sport like many other professional sports was a strong feature of the story as well.

Highly recommended read.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Hachette Australia for a copy to read and review.

Shiver is a fantastic debut thriller by Allie Reynolds. A fast-paced novel that'll keep you guessing until the end, Shiver is told from Milla's perspective. A former competitive snowboarder, Milla drops everything when she receives an invitation from Curtis (the one that got away) for a 10-year reunion at a French Alps resort. Joined by Brent, Heather and Dale, the five friends haven't seen each other since the day Curtis' sister, Saskia disappeared. Isolated on top of the mountain, the group quickly realise they don't know who initiated the reunion and that they're not alone.

Shiver switches between the present day and 10 years ago, as we learn more about the events leading up to Saskia's disappearance. I loved the alternating timelines, as they helped build the suspense and shape the characters. With a well-developed plot that included quite a few shocks, Shiver is the definition of an unputdownable thriller.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for the ARC - all opinions are my own.

When Mills receives an invitation to a reunion at a lodge in the Swiss alps, she jumps at the opportunity. It has been ten years since she was an elite snowboarder, and ten years since the disappearance of a fellow snowboarder, Saskia, at that same lodge.

When Milla and the other four guests arrive at the lodge, they soon discover that not all is quite as it seems. They are forced to confront the demons of the past, and ask the question: what really happened to Saskia?

This book reminded me of 90s horror movies - think I Know What You Did Last Summer. I was completely creeped out at so many points, wondering what was going on and which of the characters were good and bad. I found myself questioning each of the characters as new information came to light, and was guessing until the very end.

If you like thrillers, I definitely recommend this one!

This book! Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Australia for the opportunity to read it. More importantly, thank you to Allie Reynolds, who has written a truly compelling and gripping story.

I could not turn (well, swipe) the pages fast enough. Our protagonist, Milla, was once an elite athlete, as were Curtis, Dale, and Brent (other reunion attendees). Dale’s girlfriend, Heather, is also in attendance and 10 years ago they were friends. Well, at least the type of friends who are thrown together under the pressure of elite sport, hectic training and competition schedules, close living quarters, snow, and the secrets that you can only have at that age. Their greatest secrets are their interactions with Saskia. Saskia is/was Curtis’s sister. She is/was beautiful, enigmatic, and addictive. She is/was the bane of everyone’s existence. She is/was a black hole. Saskia went missing 10 years ago. Saskia is dead. Saskia was murdered. Or was she?

A locked room mystery set on a snowed in mountain with no phones, no escape, and a bunch of people you have not seen in 10 years who you think quite possibly murdered a “friend”. Well, doesn’t this sound like the perfect reunion….

As the group are trapped and realisation sets in that one, or more, of them may be involved with Saskia’s disappearance and the secrets of the last time they were together come out, it becomes a dangerous guessing game as to the who, what, where, when, how.

Loved it. A brilliant debut.

What a debut!

Shiver is a tightly-woven, fast-paced thrilling ride (pun intended) that left me breathless, beside myself and wanting more.

I felt the cold of the Alps, the hardness of the snow, and the tension from start to finish. I found it very difficult to put it down.

The constant questioning is one thing that grated after a while, but otherwise I found this book to be wholly enthralling.

Thank you to Allie Reynolds, Hachette Australia, and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow wow wow!

This book is out on the 27th of January. I’m telling you about it early because I’m so excited for this book to come out, I know lots of you are going to love it!

This is a classic “whodunnit?” and in true whodunnit fashion I couldn’t pick who actually did it because all the characters seemed to be guilty of something.

Description from Hachette Australia:

When Milla is invited to a reunion in the tiny resort that saw the peak of her snowboarding career, she drops everything to go. While she would rather forget the events of that winter, the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can't seem to let go.
The five friends haven't seen each other for ten years, since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. But when an icebreaker game turns menacing, they realise they don't know who has really gathered them there and how far they will go to find the truth. In an isolated lodge high up a mountain, amid a looming snowstorm, the secrets of the past are about to come to light.

✨my thoughts✨

I always love a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end and Allie Reynolds found the perfect setting for it in the magnificent but eerie Swiss Alps. More than just a mystery, Shiver was the exploration of competitive sport. How being an elite athlete not only means being the best physically but being the strongest mentally in order to beat the social mind games.

I really enjoyed the past and present storylines, they both kept the pages turning as you tried to figure out what happened to Saskia 10 years ago and who was responsible for terrorising everyone at the reunion in present day.

There were two times my jaw literally dropped in this book, one of them being the very last line of the book. This is Allie Reynolds debut novel and she absolutely aced it!

Thank you to Hachette Australia and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This is an entertaining mystery that will keep you guessing - what happened to Saskia??

I enjoyed this book, I was hooked within the first few chapters and ended up devouring it within a weekend - it’s bingeable, with short chapters that make it easy to read just one more before doing anything else on your to do list.

The middle part is a slow-burn, with interesting backstory and references to snowboarding tricks but as the story unfolded the mystery builds and you don’t know who to trust in this dramatic #whodunnit.

It’s well written - it kept me intrigued, and I could picture the cabin and snowy mountain tops amongst an incoming blizzard.

The story switches between then and now, told from the perspective of Milla, which I enjoyed.

The ending was action packed and there was a final twist that I didn’t see coming.

There are a lot of references to snowboarding tricks but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment, even though I know nothing about snowboarding - I googled some and learned some new things, which I never try.

A great weekend read, preferably in a cabin by a fire with a red wine and a view of snow.

I would recommend this to readers who have enjoyed Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley’s latest books.

An excellent debut. I look forward to Allie Reynold’s next novel.

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Australia and Allie Reynolds for this ARC.

Shiver is a debut novel by new Australian author Allie Reynolds. It tells the story of friends who are snowboarders who are invited to come back to the place where tragedy evolved 10 years ago where another snowboarder lost her life.

What they dont know is that it is unsure whether Saskia actually did perish up there on the mountain. What follows is a series of incidents where not all will survive. The power is cut, their mobile phones vanish, even food is limited and any other form of weapon disappears from the accommodation which is spartan to say the least. Who is doing all these things, and what is their motive - is it Saskia or one of their own.

This book was quite good, the only thing that let it down was the middle part of the book which seemed to drag on a little and was bogged down with technical references to types of snowboarding tricks, this could have had a lot cut out of it without losing any of the story.

The conclusion was gripping and not what I expected and I believe this will make an excellent movie as a lot of the middle part can easily be condensed. I've given it 3 1/2 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Australia for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Categories: Beach reads but make it snow / High altitude thrillers / Freezing temperatures and chilling mind games
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Allie Reynold’s upcoming novel is a powerful debut, and I can see why it was the subject of a heated ten-publisher auction, and has already been optioned for TV by Firebird Pictures, a setup backed by BBC Studios. It follows a reunion of ex-pro-snowboarders a decade after some terrible events took place. And it looks like the past has joined the party too.
The narrative begins by carrying you to lofty, mountainous heights, the cablecar swinging occasionally with the gusts of wind. When you’ve gotten used to the vertiginous view, it’s a careening snowboard down through blizzard conditions where you take each twist and turn as it comes, hoping that you’ll make it to the bottom alive.
Reynolds deftly weaves the present day narrative with the events of that terrible winter a decade ago, and the short, alternating chapters ensure that the tension is kept all the way through.

((Attn Hachette Aus, I would very much be interested in collaborating or participating in some sort of Instagram giveaway/virtual book tour/author q&a/etc.))

Shiver is a debut novel written by Allie Reynolds and has been told perfectly from the beginning to the end. It is an amazing read and one I have given 5 stars to.

Milla and her snowboarding crew from back in the day have arrived for what they all assume is a 10 year reunion in the French Alps for the weekend. They all come to realise everything is not right and they are stranded all by themselves. The game is on to find out who invited them all here and what happened ten years ago that haunts everyone to this day.

I loved learning more about the characters and enjoyed the past and present flashbacks. I couldn't put in his book down and I wanted to know what actually happened on that terrible day ten years ago. I 100% recommend reading this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Australia for the advanced copy for an honest review.

Wow, was it the snowboarding and winter imagery that had me a little on edge and amped up towards the end of this book?

I read Shiver by Allie Reynolds over the last 24-48 hours of 2020 finishing just after midnight bringing in 2021. What a great way to do it, when everyone else had party pooped into bed!

Shiver is a tale of a group of five snowboarders, not necessarily friends, brought together by a reunion. The attendees are unsure who has arranged the reunion, but there are a few noticeable absentees - Odette who suffered a career and potentially life threatening injury 10 years prior, and Saskia who has been missing, presumed dead for that time. The group are mixed in their presentation and their careers and futures during the past 10 years, however they are inextricably linked together forever by their experiences. Milla has never snowboarded again feels a yearning for what's been lost, but she's scared the others will discover her secrets. Curtis, Saskia's brother holds steadfast to the belief his sister is still alive. Brent seems the most emotionally impacted and changed, for reasons unknown. And Heather and Dale, the barmaid and the snowboarder have been married for three years.

As the reunion progresses, it quickly becomes apparent someone has brought them there to lay bare all of their secrets and you wonder if they are going to escape with their lives. And some of their secrets are more damaging than others. All the while the question remains, what happened to Saskia?

The setting and subject of snowboarding was an incredibly interesting mix for me, having not grown up in a cold climate, and only having had passing exposure to the sport in the Winter Olympics. What was clear from the book was a real sense of competitiveness amongst elite athletes, and how this is taken to another level when extreme sports come into play. Snowboarding was life for this group and within this, an underlying struggle for power and control. The book looks at alternating time periods between the present and 10 years previous, the switch between them occurring as quickly as a change in thought or memory by the characters. This book is heavily dialogue laden, and it does feel a bit heavy or dense at some times because the dialogue does not seem purposeful. But baring with it particularly in the last quarter of the book provided the reward - a brisk, rapid fire ending where it all comes together. A great thriller to start of 2021 and one I think I'll remember.

Thanks to Hachette Australia and Allie Reynolds for providing a copy of this book to read and review.

It's out on 21 January 2021.

Allie Reynolds debut novel Shiver is an isolation thriller which, on that description makes it sound perfect for these Covid times. Set in a mainly deserted glacier-top ski resort before the start of the season it also draws heavily on Allie’s own past as a freestyle snowboarder to flesh out its group of characters and their sketchy pasts.
Milla is a former competitive snowboarder. Ten years have passed since a tragedy-filled season that changed her life. So much time has passed that Milla feels comfortable attending a kind of reunion with four of her fellow boarders from that time. She feels a thrill of nostalgia as she once again sees Brett, Dale, Heather and Curtis. But right from the start, as they board the bubble cable cars that will take them to the summit, things feel a little off. And it is not long before things start to go wrong. They find the hotel completely empty of staff, their phones disappear and then during an “icebreaker” game mysterious accusations about their time ten years before emerge. All of this goes back to the event that they have come to commemorate – the disappearance of Curtis’s sister, and Milla’s main rival, Saskia.
To talk too much about the plot from there would be to spoil this well crafted, tension filled thriller. Reynolds carefully intersperses the present day story with its rising tensions and suspicions with detail of the season ten years before. In particular the dangerous competition between Milla and Saskia, each trying to find ways to nobble the other before big competition days, and the shifting sexual allegiances between the five and a number of other boarders who are pulled into their orbit.
The aspect of all of this that Reynolds captures particularly well is the single focussed drive to be the best no matter what. The young Milla is constantly driving herself to do more and more dangerous stunts in order to get ahead. Trying to prove her worth to a family who do not believe in her and sponsors who require constant success. She carries the guilt over the way she behaved back then, even while recognising she would not change. And even ten years later, Milla can’t shake her need to prove herself even if those decisions put the others in danger.
And she is not the only one. All of the characters, particularly Saskia but are all fairly awful, both in the past and in the present. Much of the tension between this so called group of friends comes from the fact that while they are seeking connection, they are also trying to beat each other in competition, and prepared to injure themselves (and possibly each other) to do so. But Reynolds, by digging into the psychology of high level competitive athletes, makes them relatable, or at least understandable.
Shiver is a high concept thriller that works. Reynolds effectively builds the tension while doling out tantalising hints from the past. The reveals, when they come, are clever and the action that follows is well handled. For those in the southern hemisphere, despite its sub-zero setting, Shiver is a great, page turning beach read.

This was such a good book to be stuck inside with. I enjoy reading locked room mysteries & this took it to the extreme - an isolated lodge in the French Alps. I liked the then & now chapters, and thought they added to the confusion in guessing who the villain is. This had me guessing right until the end!

Apologies I accidentally downloaded this thinking it was an audiobook! Unfortunately I will not be able to review this book at this time but I will definitely be looking out for it in the future.

A reunion like no other - five ex boarders who knew each other at the height of their careers come together after 10 years for what they all assume to be a commemorative occasion but it soon becomes obvious that someone knows each of their secrets - and one of them is murder. Each of them think another has organised the reunion but all five of them deny being the one to have organised it .... but somebody had to have and they’re obviously lying ... right? Isolated in a snow storm The tension and suspense in this one is next level - definitely a “who in the hell are you supposed to trust type scenario”. Jumping between past and present the end of each chapter feels like a mini cliffhanger making the “just one more chapter” near impossible 😅. It was @em_digs_books review on Instagram that had me racing to @netgalley to request an eARC - a huge thanks to @hachetteaus for approving said request! This one is out in January and well worth keeping an eye out for!

‘It’s that time of year again. The time the glacier gives up bodies.’

After ten years apart, five friends reunite at a resort in the French Alps. Last time they were together, Milla was at the peak of her snowboarding career. Last time they were together, Saskia, one of their friends, disappeared. She has not been seen since. Milla would prefer to forget the events of that winter, but the invitation from Curtis intrigues her.

The friends arrive: Curtis, Milla, Brent, Dale, and Heather. But what is going on? No-one admits to sending the invitations, the resort is deserted, and the weather is about to turn ugly.

Five people, mistrustful of each other, confined within the resort. It is too dangerous to leave and, it soon becomes apparent, too dangerous to stay. Who can Milla trust? Who invited the friends to the resort, and what really happened ten years ago? Six friends, ten years ago, until Saskia went missing. All professional snowboarders. Close but competitive. Supporting each other, but always looking for a competitive edge. And now, isolated in the French Alps, it seems that someone wants revenge. But who, and for what?

Ms Reynolds, herself once a freestyle snowboarder, has written a very impressive debut novel. There is plenty of suspense to keep you turning the pages.

Highly recommended.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Shiver keeps you guessing from the very first instance with a cracking intro that sets the pace of the story; 'It's that time of year again. The time the glacier gives up bodies...'.

Milla is invited to a reunion in the tiny resort where 10 years ago she was at the peak of her snowboarding career. While she would rather forget the events of that winter, the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can't seem to let go so she drops everything and attends.

Five people meet on the mountian who haven't seen each other since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. When an icebreaker game turns menacing, the friends realise they don't know who has really gathered them there and how far they will go to find the truth. Secrets are revealed and shocking truths exposed.

The twists and turns on the page rival the tricks the book's characters compete with on the snow. I was wondering if I was going to miss something by not being a snowboarder when I first started reading this book but quickly realised it was far more than a story about sport.! It's a story about loving and loathing and the lengths people will go to 'win' not just in competition but life.

The story alternates between the present day reunion and life ten years ago when the group were young competitors. in various elite snowboarding events. Both the modern day and younger characters are relatable in their hopes, dreams, fears and imperfections.

This is a mystery/thriller that keeps you on your toes. I actually got very creeped out at various points throughout the story as the tension builds in a very sneaky and effective way.

Would definitely recommend this book if you're after an edgy thrill ride.

Edgy closed-door mysteries are a joy to read, and SHIVER fell firmly into this category – it’s hard to believe that this is Allie Reynolds’ debut novel!

Firstly, we have an atmospheric setting, a ski retreat high up in the French Alps. This seems to be a popular theme in mysteries right now, but so far no one has pulled it off as well for me as Reynolds, because she has kept it simple and believable without trying too hard to fit in 100 plot twists. A lonely glacier, five friends who share a terrible secret, and someone who is out to get revenge. An old but trusty theme that never fails if it’s executed well.

With her insider knowledge into competitive snowboarding, it was no surprise that Reynolds was able to evoke that scene very well. I loved the way the friends, who are all professional snowboarders, are close and supportive, and yet also very competitive, a mix that will ultimately get them into strive. And whilst each and every one of them is flawed in some way, I felt I could relate to all of them, even the “villain” of the story, Saskia, who is the most ruthless and driven of them all.

Reynolds knows how to build suspense, which had me glued to the pages for hours, reluctant to put the book down. It all played out movie-like in my head, and my travel deprived self was divided between wanting to be in the ski lodge and running for cover, screaming. In a movie, the scenes would be heavily foreshadowed by creepy music, but Reynolds achieves this just by cleverly constructing her story and knowing how much to reveal at just the right time. I have found that these types of mysteries seem to work best for me if told from only one POV, and I was happy to find an enigmatic protagonist in Milla, who was just enough of an unreliable narrator that I wanted to trust her but also never believed all she told me. A perfect mix!

SHIVER will come out early in 2021, just in time for the European winter. The perfect whodunit to curl up with in front of the fire, best with all the lights on and the doors locked. As far as armchair travel goes, it was the perfect setting! Seeing that this may be as close as I’ll get to travel for quite some time yet, I am very grateful to the author for taking me on this journey. A great debut and highly recommended!

It’s that time of year again. The time the glacier gives up bodies.
-Allie Reynolds, Shiver
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I’m so grateful I was able to read an early copy of this book thanks to @netgalley and @hachetteaus 😊
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Shiver is a fantastic thriller set in the snowy French Alps, which creates a really great atmosphere for the story.
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We are following Milla as she returns to the same place that saw the peak of her snowboarding career for a reunion. It’s been 10 years since she was last here, 10 years since the disappearance of one of their own, Saskia.
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It quickly becomes apparent that things are not quite as they seem. There is no staff at the resort and everyone is denying the fact that they are the one who sent out the invites. So who brought them here and why?
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So many things happened 10 years ago. It seems they all have secrets to be told and who ever is responsible for stranding them here is going to find out.
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I really enjoyed this one. It was highly engaging and the characters were really well written. I loved following Milla. Her personality was quite unique and I loved her competitive nature. This truly was a case of who done it, not knowing who you could trust the whole time. Each timeline we followed (current day and 10 years previous) was equally well done, neither parts dragging or feeling unnecessary. It helped me fly through the book wanting to know how it was going to end. While I guessed the ending, I still really enjoyed the execution and the final words actually sent a little chill through my spine.
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If you love a good thriller then I would definitely pick up Shiver when it is released in early 2021!