As usual, Liz Nugent has blown me away with Strange Sally Diamond. It features a difficult and unusual main character that we shouldn't like (but we do) and a compelling mystery. It's another masterpiece that I'm recommending to everyone I meet.

I am a huge Liz Nugent fan - particular Lying in Wait so I couldn't wait to get reading this one. I was hooked from the start and at around 70% in I was singing it's praises to everyone that would listen.

The storyline is great and I was coming up with all sorts of potential endings in my head - but after I got into the final quarter of the book it just seemed to fall away a little. I felt like there wasn't really a punch of an ending and that left me a little disappointed. The first 75% of the book is really engaging and saves it for me but I would have liked a more dramatic ending.

Sally is a great character - she is one I will remember for a long time. Despite there being such a huge plot in this book I feel that this book is very character driven and without Sally and her uniqueness this book wouldn't stand out as much.

Will still recommend as I did enjoy a lot about it.

This book was phenomenal. From the first chapter it hold me engaged and entertained. I wanted to see how everything will turn out for Sally Diamond.
She hasn’t had your normal childhood like everyone else or what society deems to be normal. It was a traumatic experience and left her with a string of emotions that needed to be dealt with but nobody was actually there to help her. It’s quite a chilling read when slowly we learn about what Sally went through in her early years and where everything ends in the end. From the moment she did exactly what her father told her to do , to her being an adult and going through the public spectrum of things that she thought normal as she didn’t know different.
It’s emotional and it brings up a lot of topics, it made me think of other loved characters from well known stories.
It’s disturbing on one hand but brilliantly done overall and a book that i highly recommend.

There are almost no words to describe how spellbounding this book is.

Líz is a phenomenal writer, and the way she weaves her stories is breathtaking.

I will admit to being a little confused by the ending but Sally's story, her life in (and before) Carricksheedy completely gripped me.

I'm also not sure the Covid nod towards the end was completely necessary. It didn't feel it added anything.

Oh my word….what the hell did I just read?! This book is what I can only describe as flipping marvelous. It is dark, uncomfortable and so well written I couldn't tear myself away. I found myself totally captivated by Strange Sally Diamond. She is one hell of a character you cannot help but empathise with her and her strange ways and learn why she is like she is.

I cannot begin to tell you how well crafted this story is. It is one of the best books I have read in a while…If not the best it has totally blown me away. I love that it is character driven and when you can feel the emotion and uncertainty a character is feeling taking me on a whirlwind of emotions through the characters eyes that will give you goosebumps, you know that this is something remarkable and special.

It has left me wondering where the hell I have been, because this is the first book I have read by Liz Nugent. She is a very talented author and I will definitely be reading all of her books after reading this beauty. If you're looking for a book that is filled with tension and have you ripping through the pages to get to the end. This is the book for you. I cannot recommend it enough. It is without a shadow of a doubt a ten star read!

A heartbreaking tale of madness, violence and death set in New Zealand and Ireland, Strange Sally Diamond is a very tough novel to review without spilling too many beans about the plot.

It was a very difficult but fascinating read, superbly plotted and blessed with a terrific cast of exquisitely drawn characters but the subject of child kidnapping, forced detention and sexual slavery was far from making it an easy read. I was really moved by this sad and beautiful novel and Sally's incredible plight remained on my mind long after I finished reading it. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for this unforgettable ARC

4.5 ⭐️

‘I liked my face. I liked the faint crinkly lines that came from the corners of my eyes when I smiled at myself. I was beautiful.’

I don't even know where to start with
this one, I’d gone in not knowing much about it but it sounded like something I’d enjoy - and I loved it!

The plot was gritty & shocking, as well as being heartwarming & funny. I loved the dual timelines and POV’s - it built it such a strong backstory and understanding of the characters.

The characters were unbelievably well written, so much depth and personality too them. I adored Sally, her mannerisms & quirks make for such good read! She had such a wholesome, yet no filters, personality - some of her one liners killed me. The growth and development throughout the book is so well done as well.

But that said, the ending left me a little gutted. I wanted more (yes, I always do) but I felt like she deserved so much more. The epilogue was clever though, left me with so many questions too. Can I have another book about it all please? 😂

It really reminded me of a much darker version of Eleanor Oliphant. Definitely recommend this read, but do check CW/TW’s as there’s some very heavy content.

Oh good grief, where do I start?
This book has so many elements to it, I can't seem to fit into one genre.
At the start, I thought this was more of a general, literary fiction novel, but the second half of the book- holy guacamole. This is one of the darkest books I have read in years. By 20% I was completely invested and couldn't put it down.
Some scenes are extremely hard to get out of my head.
Last night, reading towards the end, I kept saying 'omg, what on earth' every few pages. Truly incredible writing, my heart was in my mouth. Some poignant scenes, but be warned, this book takes you on a journey you won't forget.
This is going straight in my books of the year.

“Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.”

How’s that for an opening?? (it’s also in the blurb so I’m not spoiling anything!)

To my shame, this is my first Liz Nugent book, but it most definitely will not be my last! This story had me hooked from the opening lines and it was so difficult to put it down. The protagonist, Sally, is a very naive and gullible woman and she takes things literally (no spoilers, but her father’s death sparks one of the most memorable elements of a book- one I will not forget!).

The characters all are superbly written (special shout out to Sally!) and you get sucked into Sally’s world and all of the terrible revelations that unfold after her father’s death. There are some difficult subjects dealt with in this story so be warned but Liz handles each of the elements with great tact. You can’t help but empathise with the strongly flawed protagonist and the world she finds herself in.

Go get your hands on a copy of Strange Sally Diamond. A quirky psychological thriller with funny, dark and poignant moments throughout. Out now in all good bookshops! 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK & Sandycove for the arc.

It's been awhile since I read a Liz Nugent novel and I'm left wondering why it took me so long. Strange Sally Diamond is one of those totally immersive novels which, right from the start, captures your imagination and I think Sally is certainly one of the most memorable literary characters I've met this year.

The story gets off to a harrowing start with Sally following her father's instructions by putting him out with the rubbish when he died. That Sally takes everything that people say quite literally is obvious from the start and although the small Irish community where she lives are both fascinated and repelled by her, there is also an element of acceptance as Sally has, despite her adoptive parent's protection, always been considered to be a bit odd. Now in her forties and, after her father's death, quite alone in the world, Sally has to learn to find her way but when sinister messages start to arrive from someone Sally doesn't know it opens up a whole set of secrets about her difficult past which have been hidden for far too long. These secrets are not an easy read and once exposed can never be forgotten, or forgiven.

Beautifully written, with no word wasted, and no emotion left unexplored, Strange Sally Diamond is a complex, and utterly addictive, story which shocks you to the core and which doesn't let go of your emotions until the very last page is turned.

This is definitely going to be in my top books of the year. Sally Diamond lives with her elderly reclusive father, and has never learned to socialise nor made friends. Only when her dad dies does she discover the secret of her early years and it's not a pretty tale. Traumatising even for the reader, this is a story of a kidnapping paedophile whose sphere of control spreads widely. He affects lives long after he's gone himself. Disturbing, black, gripping. #netgalley #StrangeSallyDiamond

Wow! What a book. There’s a note at the beginning from the author saying she’d done something different in that we might actually like the main character in this book. And god did I!

Sally Diamond was, without being cliche, perfectly imperfect. Having experienced untold trauma, she’s neurodivergent, and took her adopted dad a little too literally and tried to cremate his body when he passed away at home. What follows is Sally’s journey to finding a job and friends, but with a second narrative starting in the 1970s that leads down a dark path…

I loved this from start to finish, it made me laugh, cry, wince, gasp and I didn’t want it to end. Read this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I don't know where to begin.....

It was compelling, repelling, hideous, adorable, fucked up, heartbreaking, twisted, gobsmacking..and bloody brilliant...but awful... possible the most addictive storyline I've ever read!
I finished it in 11 hrs .. possibly a record for me...

For the first few chapters I was lulled into a false sense of "Eleanor Oliphant" security.... Then the dual timeline story kicks in and as I read I had to hold my kindle slightly away from myself because it was so hideous a storyline.

I also NEED to talk to someone about the ending because I'm not sure I got it...

There are so many trigger warnings I don't know where to begin but if your love gripping, compulsive, dark, twisted crime stories then get this now (pub date 2/3/23)

Safe to say Sally Diamond stay with me forever ...the good, and the sad.

Liz Nugent is an extraordinary author who always lives up to the hype surrounding the publication of each of her books. She deserves every word of praise heaped upon her and the only fault I can find is that she doesn’t write books quick enough to keep up with my insatiable appetite to read more of her astounding work. Just when you think, oh she couldn’t possibly better her last book or that’s it I’ve found my favourite book by her then she just goes and outdoes herself once again and she has done that here with Strange Sally Diamond.

It’s a tour de force of a read which you will greedily inhale in one sitting and then be left bereft that you did so because you know an indeterminable amount of time is ahead of you as you wait for more stories from this incredibly talented author who is at the top of her game and just gets better and better with each book. I read Strange Sally Diamond long before publication day because I just couldn’t bare to leave it lingering on my Kindle and without doubt, I know come the end of 2023 it will be one of my books of the year. It’s a mightily impressive story that should come with a warning that you will not get any work done because once you pick up this book Sally gets a grip on you and you can’t bare to be away from the character for any length of time.

Every Liz Nugent book always begins with a killer opening line and this one is no different. ’Put me out with the bins’, he said regularly. ‘When I die put me out with the bins. I’ll be dead so, I won’t know any different’. Well those few words certainly had me sitting up and paying attention as that’s literally what Sally did upon the death of her father Thomas Diamond. By doing so she sets in motion a whole chain of remarkable, horrific at times and compelling events which have you gripped from beginning to end. Sally lives in rural Ireland in a remote area and it was just herself and her Dad ever since her mother passed away. From the outset it’s evident that she is a little bit different from everybody else but you love her all the more for this.

The further the story develops and we uncover her history and Sally starts to adapt to life without her father and to welcome in the outside world, the more you understand her social deficiencies and why she literally says and does what she thinks instead of always taking other people’s feelings or opinions into account. Sally craves routine and regularity. At school she was viewed as a weirdo and now when she has to venture to the village for supplies she pretends to be deaf so as not to have to interact with people. But all that is about to change as Sally is now on her own. Yes she does have the help of the local doctor Angela and her partner who become friends and in a way almost surrogate parents to her but Sally has to forge her own path now that she has lost her anchor. Will that be for the best or for the worst?

Sally gets anxious if too may people are around her and things are too noisy or if too many questions are being asked that she does not know the answers to. Her mind works perfectly but she is emotionally disconnected from people, so she finds this new stage in her life packed full of apprehension and fear and navigating her way through it is proving challenging to say the least. It’s never actually said that there is something specifically wrong with Sally or that she has a certain illness. It’s easy enough for the reader to read between the lines and I appreciated that no specific label was assigned to her. Sally’s actions regarding her father’s body at the beginning of the book inspire newspaper headlines around the country and it soon comes to light that Sally once made headlines before and for all the wrong reasons. To go into any detail regarding this would spew forth endless spoilers so I will say no more. Suffice to say this is where the story really gets going and its becomes so dark, depraved, cruel and twisted that just when you think you can’t be shocked again you start a new chapter and a whole new set of revelations and secrets come to the fore that leave you open mouthed in equal amounts of shock, horror, disgust and revulsion.

As Sally learns more of her family history and of certain circumstances, the reader is taken back to the past and from that point the story seamlessly flits between the past and the present and we hear from a new character's perspective which in turns shifts the readers perspective too. I was constantly guessing as to certain things and yes I guessed who was behind sending Sally an item in the post but as for the meaning and the entire story behind it well quite frankly it was simply mind blowing. The whole thing was so twisted and convoluted but in the best possible way that you feel like stopping reading and just applauding the sheer brilliance of Liz’s writing. You wonder how on earth does she come up with such scintillating plots and themes which are so disturbing yet you can’t help but want to read on. The mind boggles at how she does it but constructing brilliantly drawn characters and dealing with such raw, powerful and potent emotions is what Liz does best and this story was no different. Sally is creating a new life for herself and developing friendships and experiencing fun and happiness for the first time but when she learns the truth is this all about to come crashing down? Given the gnarled, hideous and nasty truths and secrets that come to the fore and Sally’s fragile emotional state anyway you’d wonder can she battle through?

I really can’t praise Strange Sally Diamond enough. Yes, you may think when you first read the blurb that this will be really dark and difficult to read and one wouldn’t blame you for thinking so. Yes there are innumerable dark moments, shocking scenes, horrific imagery, abject cruelty and unscrupulous twists and turns and revelations but thanks to the sublime writing of Liz Nugent she has you feeling empathy with ‘some’ of the characters and there are moments of hope and happiness amidst the appalling and ghastly main plot. There is so much light and shade intertwined in moving moments as Sally’s past comes back to haunt her and as the layers are unfolded and the truth comes to light the reader becomes engrossed in a story that will linger long with you once you have reached the final page.

This is a disturbing yet riveting read packed full of fear, trauma, manipulation, damage and mistreatment with a central character who will affect you in so many ways. As for that ending, wow is all I can say, the twists keep coming right until the finale and you are left stunned and almost numb upon completion. As soon as I finished this outstanding read I wanted to get on social media and make sure everyone would read it but as it was several months before publication day that wasn’t possible but now that time has come and I urge you get your hands on a copy of Strange Sally Diamond as soon as you can. You won’t regret it one bit. It’s masterful storytelling which deserves endless awards.

Oh gosh, this book simply destroyed me.  😞🥺
 
Thanks NetGalley and Penguin General UK Books for the ARC .  
 
Like the name suggests, everything about this book is far from normal. Disturbing, dark and eccentric can only come close to describing it.  
 
🚫No synopsis. Best to head in blind for the ultimate experience.  
 
Shortly into the book, I discovered how prolific the writing by Nugent is. She has done a phenomenal job of bringing the character of Sally into life. The character development, the multi-layered storyline, the plot complexity, the grave and heavy subject matters that are dealt with here, just show how accomplished this author is. It is not easy to tackle such topics and characters.  
 
Pretty early on, I had an instinct this was going to be a 5 🌟 read. I really wished it was. But, I have my reasons for rating it 4. 
 
Sally’s weirdness and anti-social behavior is only the façade. Behind this, there is a horrific past. What Sally experienced as a child is unimaginable and let me tell you, you just can’t digest it once you get to know. Trigger warnings galore, this book is not for everyone. In my view, you need to be mentally prepared and in the right mindset to take it all in - preferably with a lighter read accompanying it.  
 
I started this book over two weeks ago, but I had to take my time, struggling to get to the finish line. I just couldn’t handle it at some points. Seething with fury, I was spent with disgust, the enormity of the horror, the extreme injustice and unfairness of it all. I realized how precious our freedom was and how we take our life for granted sometimes.  
 
It was the ending that made me rate this book one star less. I mean I truly hoped that the author would bring in some redemption, retaliation and revenge for the past. But instead, all I got was more injustice and crimes going unpunished, though there was a very good opportunity for righting the wrongs as much as possible.  
 
No doubt, this is a masterpiece of a book, but I wished the ending was handled better and not left so open without a proper closure, after having put us through this ordeal.

This is an absolutely amazing read. the plot is dark and certainly raises the questions of natural versus nature, however, still manages to interweave some comical moments. The storyline never became slow and raced along keeping me wanting to read more.

I highly recommend this book you will not be disappointed.

I previously read Our Little Cruelties by Liz Nugent and really enjoyed it. When I saw her upcoming book, Strange Sally Diamond on Netgalley I had to request it!

It starts off introducing Sally Diamond who at first I thought was going to be yet another Eleanor Oliphant type character. Trust me when I say it's not that at all and this book takes many dark twisted turns that I was not expecting!

Sally is someone who takes people at their word, so when her father tells her to throw him out with the bins when he dies (which I think is a bit of a plot hole here because he raised Sally and knew she would take that literally) she does exactly that. And then tries to burn him in their incinerator.

This brings a lot of attention onto Sally from the police and media and then it comes to light that Sally has this dark, mysterious past she has no memory of.

And it gets pretty dark!

Plot hole aside I absolutely loved this book and flew through it in a matter of days. I was just completely addicted to it and raced through the pages to uncover what happened to Sally. I loved her as a main character and was rooting for her the whole way through!

This is a really well written, enjoyable ,dark book with strong characterisation, heart and soul and a little bit of humour thrown in. It's not a fast paced, in your face thriller but it is a mysterious and gripping read.

WoW, This book Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent was superb from start to finish.......I loved it. All her books I have read have been a 5 star review but this one......Just took my breath away and I had to sit there with a coffee at the end and take it all in! WoW!!! Liz writes from her heart and always her characters are brilliant. This book was no different!

Sally Diamond is the main character and she is in her early forty's She cannot understand why what she did was so wrong bit so strange. She only did what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died. Thats normal isn't it!

All of a sudden, Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also a sinister voice from a past who she has no memory of. She begins to discover the horrors of her childhood.......Sally is a recluse and has just started to do small steps into the world for the first time, after her dad died. By making new friends, finding her independence, and learning that people don't always mean what they say. - Sadly she found out the hard way!

Then, messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself,

Who are they??

Sally's life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .

This book was Excellent and I highly recommend it.

Massive Thank you to Penguin UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read and review.

A new novel by Liz Nugent is always a mouthwatering prospect, and Strange Sally Diamond was precisely the literary feast I expected it to be. Beautifully layered, and with an unforgettable lead character, it is for the most part a dark and disturbing read, but one thankfully leavened by splashes of light and gentle humour.

Forty-two year-old Sally Diamond is not like other people. Neurodivergent, a social recluse and inclined to a literal understanding of the world around her, it should come as no surprise when, following her widowed father’s written instructions, she puts his dead body “out with the bins.” Suddenly the police are at the door and Sally is all over the media. But the event is a trigger for something much more momentous: the total unraveling of her roots, her identity and her already precarious life.

What follows, when Sally discovers the awful truth about her origins, makes for utterly compelling reading. You cannot help but warm to her, as she determinedly tries to adjust to this new reality, while seeking to acquire the skills to live independently. I cheered her on as she transformed in front of my eyes from Strange Sally Diamond to Amazing Sally Diamond.

All of this takes place, however, interwoven with a second plot strand. A deeper, uglier layer, filled with menace. A voice that reveals in brutal detail a historic tale of cruelty, tragedy and irrevocably damaged lives. The voice of someone from Sally’s past, who is about to come crashing into her present.

I absolutely loved the masterful blend of light and shade in this novel. Yes, it makes for very uneasy reading at times, but it is exactly this that elevates the story beyond the mediocre. The themes of mental and physical abuse are graphically explored but handled with sensitivity.

It is the ending, though, that had the greatest impact on me. Cleverly balanced, it is hauntingly sad but at the same time redemptive and leaves you with a lot to process and ponder. A book and a character I will not forget in a hurry.

My favourite word PHENOMENAL, PHENOMENAL, PHENOMENAL. I can't tell you how good this book is, apart from saying it's bloody PHENOMENAL. What a strange but lovable character Sally Diamond is, she is definitely strange but awesome. It's a mysterious, creepy, twisty, one more chapter read. I loved everything about it. I can't wait for my pre-order to come so I can read it all over again. Liz Nugent is brilliant author and her books need to be made into films or series. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED IT.