I had such high hopes. When I saw the title and looked over the cover, I immediately went to the synopsis. I couldn't wait to read it, but unfortunately the story never came together for me. It is so slow moving and rambling. I adjusted the speed, the sound level, tried with a headset and with a speaker. I continued to try to listen to it (I had listened to almost 50%) and that didn't help. At this point I realized I wasn't invested. I didn't like anything about the story. The characters were less than appealing and I didn't have anyone to cheer on to the end. Finally I gave up. There are so many books unread, so many styles to be explored, and not every book is meant for everyone.

As always, I am appreciative for the opportunity

Catriona McPherson has written a twisty story in A Gingerbread House. She delves deeply into the backstory of the women's lives who she writes about in the story. There is Ivy who is lonely and only too ready to accept the ridiculous premise that she has just met her long lost sister. She will be the first to disappear but there will be others. Meanwhile on a totally different story line, Tash finds out that her families trucking business has a dishonest sideline. How will the author bring these two stories together?

For me, it took too long for the story to get rolling. By the time it did, I had only a little interest. Others have reviewed the book favorably so maybe it just wasn't the story for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

Thanks to Dreamscape & NetGalley for providing a free digital audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book is a bit of a slow start: Tash (Natasha) Dodd is the heir to a self-made transport fortune, currently run by her father, Big Gary. Her brother Baz is a worthless layabout who draws a check for doing nothing, but Tash is a go-getter. By pure accident, Tash discovers that her dad a) has a secret burner phone, and b) has been using that phone to do nefarious business, specifically, people smuggling using his fleet - but he's "out of it" now. Tash doesn't let Big Gary know that she knows, but sets out to gather evidence to put him away.

Meanwhile, Ivy, who's had a terrible, emotionally abusive childhood and is just now picking up the pieces after her awful mother's death, has made an online pal in a cat chat group and is meeting her at a cat rescue meeting in a local bar. Ivy's "friend" doesn't show, but she makes a new friend named Kate, who claims Ivy is a dead ringer for the woman's twin sister, the two born at the same hospital on the same day as Ivy. "You must come visit us at our fairy-tale cottage! My sister Gail would love to meet you! We'll all be sisters!"

Obviously, Ivy is making a terrible mistake, and there are others who follow in her footsteps. We follow along behind them, switching back and forth between Tash and what ends up being 3 single women with no real attachments (family, children, etc.), now trapped an a fetid basement under Kate & Gail's house. As you might expect, Tash is bound to cross paths, somehow, with the 3 women and their captors.

It is rather clever, how this is done, but I have to admit to not really getting how Tash's traveling to rival companies and doing brief stints at them gets the goods on her dad. Maybe I missed that part and never regained the thread? Likewise, the explanation for WHY Kate & Gail are keeping the women trapped is ... not entirely clear to me; that part felt a bit rushed and I might need to re-listen, as it was truly bizarre. I feel like McPherson was trying to make the reader feel like there was a supernatural element to the story (God knows I've seen this in other mysteries - looking at you, Sophie Hannah). I was relieved that it didn't end up going there but I still feel slightly dissatisfied with the wrap up.

The epilogue is satisfying, though, in a way that I wasn't expecting to like, but did. This book had some rough spots in narration (Mhairi Morrison has a great way with accents and a very pleasant voice but there's a lot of over-enunciation that's a little distracting, but better that than the opposite I suppose), but overall it was quite good, and I definitely wanted to speed through and find out what happened. Time to go back and check out that Catriona McPherson back catalog ...

A Gingerbread House by Catriona McPherson

The description caught my attention and I was excited to listen to this book. But unfortunately I could not get into this one, sorry. I usually don’t like giving up on books, but it was too slow and somewhat confusing to me.

Thank you Catriona McPherson, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio to listen to this book in return for my honest review!

I had such high hopes. When I saw the title and looked over the cover, I immediately went to the synopsis. I requested to review and thought NetGalley pick me. They did.

The story never comes together. It is so slow moving and rambling. I adjusted the speed, the sound level, tried with a headset and with a speaker. All I managed to do was change the level of nervosing. I bumped ahead (I had listened to almost 50%) and that didn't help. At this point I realized I wasn't invested. I didn't like anything about the story. The characters were less than appealing and I didn't have anyone to cheer on to the end. Finally I gave up. There are so many books unread, so many styles to be explored, and not every book is meant for everyone.

As always, I am appreciative for the opportunity.

Right around 3.5,stars

Okay, as a few other reviews have mentioned, the beginning of this one is a bit slow. It definitely got better midway through, though. The ending “twist” wasn’t particularly surprising; even though the plot was suspenseful (ish) for a good chunk of it, the conclusion was one that I kind of saw coming. That being said, I still enjoyed it, and I wasn’t disappointed with the end. Overall, this one was a fun, quick story that was good to have playing in the background while marking some assignments for work.

Thank you Dreamscape Media, for approving my NetGalley request to listen to The Gingerbread House by Catriona McPherson as an audiobook. I was a little confused with the narrator at first but I am so glad I stuck with it because it was well worth it. I think the confusing part was that the blurb about the book refers to Ivy but the first narrator we hear from is Tash. I love, though, how Catriona McPherson merges the storylines, weaving a gripping psychological thriller, and yet also, brilliantly folds in how women and girls can be treated and sometimes feel invisible in today's society. I gave it 3 stars only because I was pretty confused in the very beginning.

The description of the book really grabbed me and I started it right away but from the beginning I was so confused. The storyline of Tash was so disconnected from that of Ivy, Martine and then Laura. I restarted the audiobook three times because I felt like I was somehow missing something. As the book progressed and I fought the urge to mark it as a DNF, it did start to pick up and get interesting it still felt like I was listening to two different stories. When the storylines merged, it didn’t help to clarify anything and unfortunately still felt disjointed and disconnected. I think if the author would have written two books- one following Tash and one with the story of Ivy, Martine and Laura with a different heroine or hero then she could have had two really good books but written the way it was it left so many questions and felt so unfinished. I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher and/or author for allowing me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.. I’m sorry I didn’t enjoy it.

Rating: 4.33
Enjoyment: 8

Ivy is pretty lonely, vulnerable, and sad. All she wants is to belong and to be part of a family. Her prayers are answered when Kate mysteriously appears in her life, claiming to be her long-lost sister, and invites Ivy to come to stay in her cottage so they can get to know each other... Her isolated cottage. Ivy goes in and never comes out. The book promises us Ivy is the first, but not last!

A Gingerbread House was one of my most anticipated 2021 books, and it did not disappoint. McPherson's prose is so engaging. I just couldn't put the book down. I needed to know what was going on! I feel it's a book to go in blind as the story unravels slowly - kind of like one of those pixel puzzles that the image starts blurry and gets clearer as it goes.

I had previously read (and purchased) the book, but when I saw Dreamscape Media produced the audio book, and it was available on Netgalley, I knew I had to check it out. I am so glad I have. Mhairi Morrison did a phenomenal job narrating A Gingerbread House; her pacing intensified the tension and sense of foreboding and helped me understand the earlier Tasha's chapters better.

I do have to say that most characters were well developed. It's hard to name them and not spoil the book, but I am impressed with Catriona's character work. That is why I was a little disappointed that we didn't get more of Kate and Gail's background.

The solution also got me conflicted. Usually, I care a lot about fairness, and A Gingerbread's House wrap-up had some information previously not disclosed to the reader. Somehow, though, I did not mind. Since we knew the antagonist, I didn't care much about the why as long as someone stopped them! For this reason alone, I will be picking up more books by the author. She made me not care about my number one pet peeve! I thoroughly enjoyed this book—bonus point for a primarily female cast of characters, including the serial killer.

I was surprised by this book. In the beginning, the two storylines felt disjointed. Halfway through the book, the stories interconnect organically, and everything comes together. I will be lying if I didn't admit that I loved the Fairytale Cottage chapters way more, though! Kate was a fascinating character, as was everyone who ended up falling for her trap. (Won't name them all because, again, it might spoil the book).

Even though I felt like the end was a bit rushed, I enjoyed it at the same time. McPherson tied up all the loose ends and offered a tightly closed book. A part of me still wants to see Tasha again, despite knowing this is a standalone book!


Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of A Gingerbread House.

Unfortunately, I am a part of the small minority who did not enjoy this book. It is slow moving, Very slow moving. To the point that I thought I would become comatose. I couldn't connect with the characters and found it all to be a bit too much. I tried setting this one aside, reading another book, and coming back to it after time, but that didn't help. In the end, I chose to stop trying. Not every book is meant for everyone and this one was just not for me.

Thank you to Catriona McPherson, Severn House and NetGalley for an Arc of this audiobook in return for my honest review.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me review this audio.

My perspective a bit different from the other 2 reviews. I'm really not sure of what I was following along to. Really was a slow build up to connect the story arc. We have Tash, who narrates the story while investigating her father's business, Ivy, who wants a family, and Kate, who lures other women to her fairytale cottage that never leave. I found these women a bit naive to go so easily with this stranger. Good narrator. Not a BAD book. Just a bit confusing.

Ivy wants a family so much, she puts her doubts about Kate aside when the woman claims to be her sister. Kate has a beautiful cottage deep in the forests of Scotland, a cottage so “fairytale” it looks almost like something a witch would use to lure the unwary into her lair. Ivy enters into the cottage with a heart overflowing with love and hope. She never comes out. Kate has an agenda and nothing and no one is going to stop her. Then Tash enters the picture. A creepy, Gothic tale to listen to with the lights on

Such a creepy good read! It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did, I couldn't stop listening. I think this is one that will keep you turning the pages. I am one who absolutely loves well crafted characters and I that's exactly what I got from A Gingerbread House. I ended up getting through this audio in one day (which is quick for me). If you're looking for an intense and creepy suspense, you should try this one! I'll definitely be checking out other titles from this author. 4 stars