This was an exciting read and kept you in suspense right till the end.The characters were very believable and interesting and you could relate to them to them easily.The spooky atmosphere was delightful and it certainly kept me in suspense.I would most definitely recommend this book.

A haunted lighthouse in Scotland? A ghostly story linked to a real life disappearance and enduring mystery? A very creepy atmosphere and thrilling read? Then if you like all of these things, this book is for you.

Enjoyed this one! I won't sleep for a while but totally worth it!

I spent the first 45% of this book really immersed in the storyline and the atmosphere that the Author created. I felt the remote feeling of the isolated Scottish Island, the tension between the group of friends having a reunion and the secrets that were clearly being kept between them. But this book is marketed as a Thriller and so the atmosphere alone wasn't enough to hook me.


I struggled to feel a connection between the main characters and the underlying mystery. At times I found myself wanting more to happen, the creepy descriptions and the characters reactions to drama were over the top compared to the incidents happening. I wanted to know more about the main characters history and I wanted there to be more to the Islands secrets. A connection perhaps, between the Island and the visitors. Instead there was nothing.


The blurb for the book doesn't fit with the contents. 'No one expected them to go there...' Well, they all expected to go there for the break, plus the owners expected them to be there... I don't understand the tension that this tagline creates. The narration being told through a the view of a few of the main characters also felt strange. Why couldn't we hear perspectives from all of them?


There's no denying that the tension is there within this book, the Author is absolutely brilliant at creating an atmosphere. But content and storyline were very lacking considering the build up surrounding the characters.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started reading this book, a getaway for old friends reuniting, on a deserted island with an old lighthouse, what could go wrong!?

I read this at night and it certainly gave me the chills in parts, I think it’s supposed to have a theme of eeriness and spook to it and it certainly did the job 🤣!

Really liked how it was told through different characters, giving different insights to how things were unfolding.

Overall I liked the story, it was very clever although sometimes far fetched .. but that’s the good thing about imagination! Would recommend to someone who’s wanting an easy read with a bit of ‘spookiness’ to it.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon books for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Big Thank You to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review :)

This Book took me on a trip and definitely had it's ups and downs for me. I find it really hard to rate this book considering how much my enjoyment varied but I simply can't give it more than 3 stars if I am honest with myself. But let's take a closer look.
0-25% 4.5 Stars
25-50% 4 Stars
50-75% 3 Stars
75-100% 2 Stars
That is pretty much how I felt towards this book and as you can tell it completely lost me towards the end. We follow a group of characters who had me intrigued from the getgo but ended up being pretty lackluster to me. James and Genevieve were my favourites, followed by Moira but to be completely honest I don't think the characters were used to their full potential.

One thing that this book definitely delivered on was Atmosphere! I did truly feel the setting and the tension within the group - but sadly that wasn't enough for me to love the book. We played a bit of a "Is is paranormal or not"-Game, which was fine (personally to me the answer: not, is always what I am hoping for) but it was rather obvious that none of the characters we were following had anything to do with the mystery and the plot of the story - which was it's downfall for me.
I only care about the characters that you introduce me to and in here I knew that none of them were actually involved at all and we are just here for vibes and the vibes were well done but again that is not what I personally look for in a book. I wanted any of the 6 to be behind SOMETHING - it could've been a minor thing but alas... it was sadly exactly what I thought it was and I cared 0% about the ending.

All of this sounds pretty negative but If you take a look at my rating journey at the start of this review you'll see that I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book - because I still thought that there was a realistic chance one of the main characters was involved. But as soon as that glimpse died I didn't care. Which is a personal preference in storytelling and not inherently a fault of the book itself.
The writing, the atmosphere and the built up was really well done and I want to acknowledge that with this rating and say that if you enjoy spooky vibes and tension and don't need the main characters to be fully involved in the behind the scenes action that is moving the plot forward this book could totally work for you - sadly it didn't for me.

Slow Creeping Menace…
Six friends, a reunion, a remote Scottish island and a lighthouse. The lighthouse dominates the island, a glorious edifice which was once notorious for deaths at sea, and when the group arrive on the island they revel in its glory and the sheer beauty of the place. Things are soon to take a bizarre turn, however, with unexplained events and inexplicable occurrences. Tensions soon escalate. A wonderfully atmospheric, slow creeping menace of a read with a credible cast and a chilling edge. Perfect for this time of year.

The Lighthouse by Fran Dorricott

First time read by this author and going by this book, it won't be the last.
I got a creeping build up to what was part suspense , part horror and a feeling that something else bad was about to happen.
Kira and her friends go off to an isolated island that has a lighthouse she wants to photograph and a place being advertised as a boutique place to stay.
One member of the party goes temporarily missing and comes back different. The weather and storms blast the island keeping them on the island and emotions run high.
Lots of twists to this story and it keeps you guessing until the end.
.

This is an average thriller. The plot was interesting but the different narrators made it a little confusing at times. I struggled to keep up at points but I persevered and wasn’t disappointed.

Not to sure about this one?! I kind of felt lost at times?! This book had suspense, intrigue, and a very twisted tale! But I didn't really know what was going on at times lol maybe it was just me?! I did like the story but it wasn't my all time favorite! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Avon Books UK......
Thank you so much for this eARC!

I loved Fran's book The Final Child if you haven't read it you should! Awesome story!

I want to read Wild and Wicked Things next by Francesca May & Fran Dorricott.... That book sounds amazing!
(PS... If you dish out any eARCs for WAWT book I would appreciate it 😉)

The Lighthouse by Fran Dorricott
A twisty, creepy, and impossible book to put down.
The plot is tightly woven and pulls you into this mystery like a magnet. There are so many secrets and lies that it was impossible to guess who the perpetrator was. Just as I thought I had it sussed another curve ball appeared to blow that theory out of the water.
So well written. And the story is very good. The description of the story was great.
The characters are all so interesting and very intriguing! Your head will spin by the time you're done reading this phenomenal book!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you again for the opportunity to read this eARC!
I will post to my platforms closer to pub date!

This was so creepy it kept me awake!

When Kira arranges a trip away for her old uni friends, they end up staying in a refurbished lighthouse and cottage. Then James goes missing and when he reappears things start to take a turn for the mysterious.

This was part ghost story, part psychological thriller, and a lot of issues between friends! Great location, the lighthouse felt like another character in itself. And the way the tension built throughout really kept me turning the pages.

Brilliant.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read and review.

This is a very good suspense and thriller novel. The premise of the book is what really interested me. The author expertly wrote this novel drawing the reader in to the many characters and overall plot and story of the book. Looks of what if’s, twists and turns, and nail biting suspense made this a very satisfying read. Highly recommend!

Kira, a travel photographer, brings five university friends with her on a weekend assignment to an isolated island. There will be a long awaited reunion while Kira photographs the lighthouse and nearby cottage, scheduled to open soon as a boutique getaway. On the first alcohol fueled night, James wanders off to find matches and returns the next morning, visibly upset. The weekend progresses, marked by storms and mysterious disappearances as long buried personality conflicts bubble to the surface. And then comes the question they have all been thinking:

“What if we’re not alone here?”

The Lighthouse, a creepy thriller, pulls you in from the first site of the tall, strikingly white structure rising from the mist and doesn’t let you go until the unexpected conclusion. You’ll wonder what is true and what has really happened. Its part ghost story, part horror, part psychological thriller and a 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Fran Dorricott for this ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This is the second lighthouse novel I have read in the last month or so, while not the same, they have some similarities. This story follows a group of friends from university having a weekend away without the distractions of everyday life, but when one friend goes missing and other off, strange things start happening, the group wonders if they are on the island alone like they were told. Told from different viewpoints, this story was both interesting in setting and characters. Overall an interesting read.