Cover Image: When She Fell

When She Fell

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Member Reviews

This book has a fantastic premise. It is fast paced and the setting is atmospheric. The ending was unexpected. A compelling read

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Such a thrilling and tense read in the best way possible. Quite eerie in some sections which just added to the drama of the book.

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A really good read, full of twists and turns and tension. Really good characters and plot, loved the interweaving of the book.

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A good read
Plenty of twists and turns
Will keep you hooked till the end
This author doesn’t disappoint
Thanks NetGalley

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What a spectacular physcological thriller with twists that you can't believe. I kept thinking something would happen and then I was blindsided when something completely different happened.

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This book is set in Cornwall and is a gripping psychological thriller. Alex is a struggling journalist who is desperately in need of a scoop to secure her job. She also reviews books and becomes intrigued when she receives a copy of a book by Avery Lewis. It is called Falling in which the main character dies after falling from a cliff. What makes it more mysterious is that is exactly how Avery herself died and her body has never been found. Alex decides to investigate as this may be the story that makes her. She travels to Cornwall with her sister Athena for further research and stays in a holiday cottage on the fam where Avery lived with her husband Joe. Everything seems similar to the book but it soon becomes evident that someone doesn’t want her there. There are plenty of secrets and lies which makes an intriguing mystery. An enjoyable read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for giving me the opportunities to read and review this book.

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Even though this was predictable, I still really enjoyed reading this book. It was fast paced , twisty and I couldnt stop turning the pages.

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★★★★ 3.5 stars (rounded up)

Did she jump? Or was she pushed?

Alex Georgiou is a young and ambitious journalist who fears her job is on the line. But when she comes up with an idea for an article with a sort of "life imitating art" concept, she has no idea just what a can of worms she is opening.

As a blogger in her spare time, publishers often send Alex books to review for publicity purposes. So when she finds a copy of "Falling" by author Avery Lewis on her doormat one morning, Alex is intrigued by this latest offering which she assumes to be "another run of the mill thriller". As soon as she begins the book she finds herself drawn into the story of a woman found dead at the bottom of a Cornish cliff and the mystery surrounding her demise. But when the story takes a dip into the past introducing a couple who have made the journey from London to Cornwall to begin a new chapter of their lives, it isn't long before all isn't as it seems and Alex finds herself all the more intrigued.

Arriving late to work and thus late for the morning briefing, Alex finds herself in the crosshairs under the watchful eye of her boss. There was an interview and article she was meant to have already handed in but she has been unable to garner the interview, hashing out a lame article in its place. She's no sooner sent it off to her boss when she decides to look into who this Avery Lewis author is and she uncovers a startling piece of information. Ten months ago, Avery fell to her death from the very same cliffs as her character in her latest thriller and her body has yet to be found. Alex is speechless. Coincidence, surely? Or surely not?

After pitching an idea to her boss, who reluctantly agrees it may be a good story, Alex packs herself and her sister Athena off to Cornwall for a week chasing answers which will hopefully see her write the article that will be the making of her career. The sisters stay at the farm on which Avery and her husband Joe lived that seemingly inspired the author.

Throughout the book, Alex finds many similarities between the character Rebecca and Avery's situations...right down to the move from London to Cornwall, the farm and guesthouse and the cliff from which both women fell. Both women had attentive husbands but Rebecca's became abusive when the money began to run out. Avery's husband Joe is nothing like that and appears to be heartbroken at the disappearance and possible death of his wife. But the more she reads of "Falling" and learns about Avery, the more Alex begins to think that this is more than a coincidence. Did Avery have a premonition of her own death and use it as a basis for a story? Or did someone take her story and make it reality?

What an interesting concept for a thriller! A story within a story. I found the premise fascinating and the story fast paced and atmospheric. Admittedly, Cornwall is always a drawcard for me in thrillers. There is something so atmospheric about it that if I see a book is set there I'm drawn to it.

This is the third Karen Cole thriller I've read and I always enjoy them, each of them including that Cypriot touch. WHEN SHE FELL wasn't really what I had expected but it was still a compelling and intriguing quick read that I read in one sitting. I liked Alex and adored Athena, but I really had to question some of Alex's choices and decisions. I mean, one of the key paths she took in the story screamed warnings at me - even Athena tried reasoning with her but Alex's mind was made up. However, had the story not taken that turn then it wouldn't have ended up the way it did I guess. There was a method to Cole's madness in the plot...

Overall, WHEN SHE FELL is an intriguing tale of two stories that are inadvertently entangled together and would appeal to psychological thriller fans. Certainly a compelling read if you like a quick thriller!

I would like to thank #KarenCole, #Netgalley and #QuercusBooks for an ARC of #WhenSheFell in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

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This was a very addictive read. Once I started it I couldn’t put it down. Very clever and very intriguing. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

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This is the first book i read by Karen Cole and it was quite a ride as it kept me on the edge and I was surprised by the twists.
A well plotted, fast paced and gripping story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

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A twisty, addictive psychological thriller about family, lies and the secrets we keep from those we love most.
Absolutely amazing read! Such a captivating read! Amazing cover art that was super eye catching would definitely recommend to all!

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I’m a huge fan of Karen’s books and so was delighted to see she’d written another one. I loved it!

This is a very cleverly written book, with the premise of a young ambitious journalist, Alex, upon receiving a copy of an author’s book, discovers that the author Avery’s recent death is mysteriously similar to the way a character Rebecca died in her latest thriller. Alex cannot help but investigate, leading to dark sinister secrets being uncovered.

I loved how snippets of Avery’s novel were expertly intertwined within the story, revealing more and more similarities between the character in Avery’s book and Avery’s real life. The relationship between Alex and her sister, Athena was realistic and charming. The dramatic Cornish coast with it’s storms and sheer rugged cliffs is beautifully captured and fitted perfectly within the eerie setting.

Just as you think you have this figured out (and I thought I did, multiple times!) the author throws in another curveball!

Highly recommended.

Thanks to the author, Karen Cole, publishers Quercus Books and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Alex is a journalist on the edge. She's running out of money, her relationship with her sister is breaking down, and her job is on the line. Out of the blue a book turns up, Falling by Avery Lewis. She starts reading and is intrigued by the ending. Avery seems to have predicted her own death. She died falling off a cliff just as the character in the book did. She decides to investigate further. This could be the story that helps her break into big time journalism.

I enjoyed this book a lot even though at times things developed too fast to really be believable. I wanted it to slow down at times to let the characters have time to develop. One character in particular developed in a way that seemed to be a little unrealistic but it did make a good twist. I haven't read anything by Karen Cole before but I will look out for her now. Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the ARC

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I am a huge fan of Karen Cole and love her style of writing.

This was another fantastic book from Karen Cole.

This one is a twisty thriller which will keep you on the edge you will race through it.

Alex Fokas, a young and ambitious journalist. She receives a book in the post by a author to review she then finds out there is more to the author and the book she has received that she was banking on. Alex then decides to dig a bit deeper and go to where the book was based on and Avery lived. Which is where she realises that the book is very accurate to the life that Avery was living before she died. So was she pushed or not Alex doesn’t stop until she knows the truth.The book will definitely keep you up late reading will be reading more from this author in future.

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When She Fell by Karen Cole was so good I was hooked from the beginning till the last chapter which was a good page turner, I did not want this book to end, I loved it especially the main character Alex Fokas, who is a young and very ambitious journalist. She was surprised when a book by an obscure author is sent to her in the post. The book was Falling by Avery Lewis, it was a thriller about a woman who is murdered by being pushed off a cliff. The book was also sent with a newspaper article about Avery's recent death by accidental drowning.
She fell from the same cliff as the main character in her latest book and her body still hasn't been found.

Being and very ambitious journalist Alex asks for some time off and travels down to Cornwall to research this story for an article that hopefully make her in the newspaper industry. Alex and her younger sister stays in a holiday cottage on the farm where Avery lived. Everything there is eerily similar to the book and Alex begins to suspect that not everything is quite as it seems.

WoW this book is So good and I highly recommend it. 5 stars from me.

Thank you NetGalley, Quercus Books and Karen Cole for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This is my first read by Karen Cole and I really enjoyed this novel, full of descriptive and intriguing characters this will keep a reader engrossed.

The blurb reads

"Alex Fokas, a young and ambitious journalist, is surprised when a book by an obscure author is sent to her in the post. Falling by Avery Lewis is a thriller about a woman who is murdered by being pushed off a cliff.

Along with the book Alex is sent a newspaper article about Avery's recent death by accidental drowning. She fell from the same cliff as the character in her book and her body still hasn't been found.

Intrigued and disturbed, Alex travels to Cornwall to research the story for an article. She stays in a holiday cottage on the farm where Avery lived. Everything there is eerily similar to the book and Alex begins to suspect that not everything is quite as it seems.

One question keeps playing on Alex's mind - did Avery fall or was she pushed?"

We meet Alex, a journalist who has been sent a book by an author who writes about person who has been murdered by being pushed off a cliff, intrigued it pulls Alex into this story so she investigates further only to find out that the author has herself been murdered in exactly the same way as her main character in the novel. Alex decides to investigate further and finds herself in Cornwall where the book is set and also where Avery has been killed.

This novel is full of dark and twisty turns and is a good novel to get engrossed in. I enjoyed the writing and reading about the contrasting characters and will look out for further Karen Cole novels.

Thanks to Netgalley, Karen Cole and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

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Writer dies in shockingly similar circumstances to a character in her latest novel? It's such a good idea for a book, I was surprised I hadn't read it already.

Karen Cole's latest novel, When She Fell, has everything I like in a thriller. Moody, atmospheric setting? Check. Brooding and handsome male love interest? Check. Too-impossible-to-be-true hook? Double check.

We follow Alex, an ambitious journalist who desperately needs a good scoop if she's to keep her job. It also appears that Alex reviews books in her spare time - and that's where Avery's final novel comes in.

Avery died after walking along cliffs during a storm, in a death that closely mirrors that of her final novel's protagonist. Spurred on by the potential article in the similarities, she travels to Cornwall and stays at the guest house of Avery's widowed husband, Joe.

The longer Alex spends at Avery's home, the more she suspects that not all is as it seems...

Cole quickly establishes the parallels between Avery's life and death, and those of her fictional counterpart. This hook kept me reading, but Cole wisely takes her time getting Alex to Cornwall and into the thick of the plot.

I find sometimes with high-concept thrillers that the protagonist gets swept along all to readily. There is an element of that with Alex, but Cole spends long enough building up our understanding of her, and her current circumstances, that the whole scenario of the novel feels plausible.

It was also really refreshing to read about a character who needs to take time to unwind... by reading. As someone who reads for pleasure and to de-stress all the time, I realised I rarely come across that in novels.

Overall I thought the opening was well paced and did a great job of establishing Alex as our central character.

On the character front, there are surprisingly few players and suspects in the novel. I didn't mind this, but I did find myself wondering, at times, whether Cole was going to pull a deus ex machina and produce a very minor character as key to the twist.

I can't say too much without giving away major spoilers, but the way relationships develop and the tensions between Alex and others feels very natural, if sometimes a little compressed in its timeline.

I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Alex and her sister, Athena. It gives us a much-needed voice of reason, and their sisterly conversations provide a great deal of insight into Alex, and her past.

Whoever wrote the blurb for When She Fell wasn't lying when they said it was twisty! I did find myself falling foul of a few of Cole's red herrings, and the high-stakes ending did have me up late and rushing to finish.

Again - I can say frustratingly little without giving the game away, but it was a very satisfactory ending. I would also say a lot of the things I found to be very convenient about the book were clearly deliberate by its end - always a strong way to end!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed When She Fell. I thought the setting and the characters were excellent, and it delivered on its high concept art-mirroring-life hook.

I've long been a fan of Quercus - the imprint that bought me Dr Ruth Galloway - and this is another smash hit from them.

I think When She Fell would make an excellent audible listen and I look forward to reading more from Karen Cole in future!

I was given a free advanced-reader copy of this book, in exchange for a review.

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Ooo... this was something a little bit different for me to get my teeth into. And I blooming loved it. We start with Alex Fokas, journalist, who is confused when she is sent a copy of a book by an obscure author. It's called Falling and it is by author Avery Lewis and from what she reads on the blurb, is about the murder of a woman who is pushed off a cliff. Her confusion is compounded and her interest is piqued more by what accompanies the book. There is an article about the author. Her death. From drowning. From falling off, yes you guessed it, the same cliff... Dum Dum Daaaa!
So, journalist, interest piqued, she does what everyone else would do... ups sticks and travels to Cornwall for further research... and that's all you're getting from me! No spoilers. But suffice to say that madness and mayhem ensue, as well as a slice or peril. And, interestingly enough, a splodge of romance... Nothing is what it seems, let alone why Alex was sent the book, and by whom...
This hit the ground running for me. held me captive throughout, spitting me out at the end exhausted, but wholly satisfied. I really did get all caught up in the shenanigans and, although on occasion a tad predictable, kept me guessing the majority all the way through.
As you would expect, we have secrets lies and more than a healthy dose of dysfunctional behaviour, all wrapped up in rather interesting and intriguing mystery. With a cast of suspects all well drawn and acting their parts well. Alex herself is easy to connect to and, apart from being a bit naive on occasion, does well in her task. And the ending, when it came... shocking!
All in all, another winner from one of my go to authors. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

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Alex Fokas, a young and ambitious journalist, is surprised when a book by an obscure author is sent to her in the post. Falling by Avery Lewis is a thriller about a woman who is murdered by being pushed off a cliff. Along with the book, Alex is sent a newspaper article about Avery's recent death by accidental drowning. she fell from the same cliff as the character in her book and her body still hasn't been found. Intrigued and disturbed, Alex travels to Cornwall to research the story for an article and stays in the cottage where Avery lived.

This is quite a predictable read but that didn't spoil my enjoyment. It's well written, east to follow, with a great plotline. I like the authors writing style. The characters were well developed and likeable. The pace is steady throughout this twist filled read.

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📚BOOK REVIEW📚

When She Fell by Karen Cole

Publication Date 10th November 22

Thank you to @netgalley and @quercusbooks for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've not read anything by this author before so.waa delighted when I was approved for this book. I was really drawn to the cover as I just found it intriguing.

When London based journalist, Alex receives a copy of a book called "Falling" by the deceased author Avery Lewis she finds she can't put the book down. Upon further reading the book seems to mimic details of the author's death. As Alex researches and investigates further she finds there are too many similarities for this to just be a consequence.

The book is easy to read and goes at quite a fast pace to keep you guessing throughout. It's an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. A fab mystery and a who done it.

#whenshefell #quercusbooks #netgalley #kindleread #earlyadvancecopy #goodread #whodoneit #bookstagram #booksaremyescape
#booksread #booksmakemehappy #lovereading #lovetoread #fabread

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