A spectacular setting and an unpredictable plot make this a stellar read.

The vivid descriptions of this wild and beautiful landscape with its moorland and peat bogs had me longing for a trip back to Scotland. I could almost feel and hear the wind whipping along the coast of this isolated island. What a great setting for a psychological suspense! One doesn’t have to read too far into the book to get the sense of isolation and claustrophobia that the Bray Island inhabitants would feel being cut off from the mainland.

I loved the characters in this book - all of them, from Seth to Moira! Clarke absolutely captures the neurodiverse character’s essence. He’s the voice the Bray Islanders need to pay more attention to as he sees more than he’s capable of sharing.

I’ve yet to see the twist coming in one of Wendy Clarke’s books and this one was no different. The tension was high, the atmosphere was dark and foreboding and the ‘bread crumbs’ were spread far enough apart that it was a compelling read. At times, I couldn’t wait to get off the island.

Let’s talk about that gorgeous cover! The broken stems with the battered petals give an uneasy feeling and the tagline hooks readers. I love the design similarity in each of the six Clarke thrillers I’ve read - same font, dual colour, bright and bold. Fantastic!

I envy you readers who choose to read this fantastic psychological thriller - I’d almost give anything to have a chance to read it again for the first time!

I was gifted this advance copy by Wendy Clarke, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Choldhood Sweetheart was a fantastic read that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I really recommend this book to anyone looking for a solid read full of drama, suspense, mystery and fantastically written characters!

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…family dynamics…love and romance…children…friendship…this story is written by a talented author…although the story moves slowly at times, it comes to a satisfying end…some surprises…some red herrings…

Ailsa is living her life with her son Kyle at Loch Briona. It's a lodge owned by Moira, the mother of her old boyfriend Jonah. When they were in high school, Jonah's brother Callum dies in an accident and since then Jonah felt guilty it was his fault and has never returned to Loch Briona until now. When Jonah returns, old memories come back for Alisa, secrets are revealed, and truths about what really happened that dreadful day to Callum.

This was an interesting story filled with secrets, lies, and some surprises. I want to say it is more of a drama than a thriller. I enjoyed the past and present timelines and the story overall. It is a little slow to start, but picks up about halfway in. If you have enjoyed Wendy Clarke's past novels, you are sure to enjoy this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.