This book started off a bit on the slow side. I don’t mind that though as long as I feel like I’m putting all of the pieces together and I loved the breadcrumbs that were dropped little by little. I think this really helped build up to the twists. Alisa and Jonah were childhood friends. Then Jonah’s brother Callum dies and Jonah is blamed. He leaves and now is returning for his Moms birthday party. Alisha hasn’t seen Jonah. What will it be like when they reconnect? Will secrets be revealed? Oh yes and then some. Did not see that twist at the end coming. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this.

A good read
Will get you hooked and you won’t want to put it down
Plenty of twists and turns to keep you turning the pages
A very good story
Thanks NetGalley

I felt like the first third or so was pretty slow but it did pick up and then it was really off to the races. Lots of twists and turns. I did guess Jonas' secret but I didn't think knowing it took away from the book. Maybe we were supposed to guess it? It's hard to tell.

Anyway, I think this would make a good vacation book, it really moved quickly and was easy to pick up and down again.

Pretty entertaining after a slow start

This took a while to really take off, almost too long. Once it did get going it was a fun ride. The setting and characters were quite interesting. The twists were good and the ending was appropriate and satisfying. Overall it was a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Bookouture for copy in exchange for a review.

It was a deep interesting thriller. I enjoyed it and was a page turner for me. Definitely recommend it

And Then There Were None meets Gone Girl in Wendy Clarke’s chilling and claustrophobic new thriller, Childhood Sweetheart.

Ailsa gets a blast from the past when her childhood sweetheart Jonah returns to the remote Scottish island she calls home. It’s been eleven years since Ailsa had last clapped eyes on Jonah and although it feels like old times to have Jonah living next door, a lot has changed in the intervening years. Ailsa no longer has fantasies about spending the rest of her life by Jonah’s side as he has changed a lot since the death of his brother eleven years ago. He is moody, erratic, unstable and there is something about him that is making Ailsa feel uneasy and unsettled – and then somebody starts knocking on her window in the middle of the night.

Ailsa is positive that Jonah is the one knocking on her window. But why? What does he want? And what does he hope to achieve by terrifying her like this in the middle of night? Ailsa’s trepidation continues to increase as she remembers the secrets she had told Jonah all those years ago when she had been young and in love. As she delves into the past, Ailsa finds herself wondering, might Jonah have been responsible for his brother’s death? Had Jonah’s secrets driven him to cold-blooded murder? And could she be his next victim?

Wendy Clarke’s Childhood Sweet is a gripping spine-chiller that will leave readers reeling from shocking twist after shocking twist. Wendy Clarke has written a gripping thriller dripping with menace, tension and foreboding that effortlessly draws readers into an eerie world where nothing is what it initially seems.

A nail-biting tale that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end, Childhood Sweetheart is the latest unmissable thriller by Wendy Clarke.

A dark and gripping physcological thriller. I loved every minute of this and I was gobsmacked by a shocking suprise twist that I didn't see coming. I will definitely be reading more of Wendy Clarke books.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of Childhood Sweetheart by Wendy Clarke from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. Lots of twists and turns that keep building until the very end. I did not see the ending coming in this one. WOW! Loved it.

I received a complimentary copy of Childhood Sweetheart by Wendy Clarke in exchange for my honest review.
This was an excellent book with an ending that was shocking and unforeseen! The twists and turns leave you wanting more and turning pages far into the night. If you love psychological thrillers that draw you in, then you simply must read this!
Alisa, and her friend Jonah and Jonah's brother Callum grew up on a Scottish Island. One night tragedy strikes, leaving Callum dead, and Jonah leaves the island vowing never to return. Alisa always thought that she and Jonah would grow up together, grow old together, share their lives together, but it was not to be. It's been eleven long years since Jonah has been gone.
Alisa has made a home for herself and her autistic son Kyle, on the island, helping Moira, Jonah's mother, run a vacation lodge. Life is hard, but good, and Alisa is happy.
Then, Moira tells Alisa that she has invited Jonah to come back to the island to help celebrate Moira's birthday. When Jonah returns, he is not the same person who left the island, he is moody, impatient and unpredictable. When Alisa tries to talk with Jonah he is distant and cool. Then Jonah starts knocking on the window, he wants in, but should Alisa let him? Alisa is starting to understand the secrets that were kept that summer night. Secrets that they swore they would never tell, are they secrets worth dying for? Was his brother's death accidental or did Jonah have secrets worth killing for? Alisa will do whatever it takes to keep her son safe on this remote, isolated island.

I absolutely adore Wendy Clarke. I can safely say, every book gets better and better. I always know I’ll need a couple of free hours because I’ll be unwilling to put this down.

Childhood Sweetheart is every bit as tense and suspenseful as I had hoped it was going to be. I love a trip to the dark side with Clarke.

Jonah is a bit of a douche and you really can’t help but dislike him. He’s unstable and unpredictable. I have loved finding out the secrets between the pair in this one. I have felt my heart pounding and been completely captivated.

Clarke has managed to transport me to the pages of this one. I feel as though I’ve know lJ the setting and been watching the events play out. This is a book that will completely hold you hostage until the very last page.

This is every bit as dark and twisty as I had hoped. I adore Wendy Clarke books and this is another gem to add to the collection. I can say nothing negative about this book. It’s a book worthy of all the stars and a definite recommendation from me.

A slow-burn with multiple POVs (in 3rd person) - I guess that's the reason this one did not work out for me as much as I wanted it to.
The plot otherwise was thrilling and the twists at the end really threw me off-guard.

Lots of fun twists and turns! Fell in love with the characters. Looking forward to seeing more from this author.

Firstly let me just say, that yes this story is a bit of a slow burner, slow start but in my opinion it has to be, so as to build up the characters to really get a feel for them, and for us to see said characters background, history of them growing up, as it all forms part of the bigger picture for where the story takes you.

So despite the slow burner of a start, I really did enjoy this story, I liked getting to know the important characters of Alisa, Jonah, Callum and Moria, seeing how they interact with each other and each of their behaviours/characteristics which gives you insight into the story.

I also liked the character of Kyle, the young boy who has autism and how that played an intricate part in the story. It also gives the reader an insight in to what it’s really like for a person/child to have autism if they don’t already know.

The author has definitely written this story well, creating lots of intrigue, plot twists, shocking moments, leaves us guessing and sitting on seat in eager anticipation of what might happen next.

Most of us have a childhood sweetheart and this was a great play on that theme. Alisa hasn’t seen her first love Jonah in years when he appears in her life again. Sweet Jonah isn’t the same though. This started off slow but it got really good as the secrets from their childhood began to be revealed and you get to see exactly who these two really are. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC!

I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and held my attention. I will be reading more from this author :)

This book had a lot of back and forth such as then and now. It was a good book I just wish it had a lot less of the then and now, and focused more on the now.

Wow ! Creepy , shocking and just plain outstanding ! Loved this book ! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book ! Opinions are solely my own ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #ChildhoodSweetheart

🌼BOOK REVIEW🌼

Childhood Sweetheart by Wendy Clarke
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Meet Ailsa, a single mother to her young son, Kyle, and housekeeper at the picturesque resort at Loch Briona. Ailsa grew up here on the loch, and 11 years ago, her world was turned upside down.

Now, meet Jonah, the son of Norah, the owner of the resort at Loch Briona. He is returning to his childhood home for the first time since the accident that took his brothers life. Back to the home where his abusive father ran rampant for years before disappearing himself.

Ailsa once loved Jonah and thought the world of him, but the Jonah that returns isn’t the same sweet, caring boy that she fell in love with all those years ago.

Follow Ailsa and Jonah as they face the dark past whose memory lingers there at the loch. Will these two finally find the peace they have so long desired or will they only find more darkness.

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

This book was a wild ride. It is multiple POV, which at times got tedious, but man, when that twist starts to unravel, you get HOOKED because you just cannot believe the author is taking it there! When all of the loose ends start to come together and the big picture begins to reveal itself, you will be left stunned. If i have said this once i have said it a thousand times, i like to pride myself on being able to guess the endings and the twists, and what i thought i knew, i was dead wrong. You wont see it coming. I will say this book can be a little slow at times, but i think it is very very worth sticking it out to see what happens!

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

Thank you to @netgalley for the advanced copy!

#bookstagram #bookmom #bookstagrammer #bookclub #whatimreading #bookies #bookish #readwithme #ilovebooks #booksbookandmorebooks #bookishlife
#bookishthings #currentlyreading #bookrecs #thrillerbooks #thriller #didthatjusthappen

Childhood Sweetheart by Wendy Clarke was a very good psychological thriller. However, it did start off very slow, but stick with it you will not be disappointed. It then has lots of good twists and turns and very dark secrets that the main characters are hiding.........I found it hard to out this book down. once these secrets started to come out! Hence why I said stick with it

I recommend this book and great for a holiday read

Big Thank you to Bookouture, Wendy Clarke and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review

Really amazing book loved it so much plenty plenty of twists and turns in nearly every chapter well worth a read