addictive as heck. i loved this so much. fast paced and always wanted more. i love the plot, nothing like ive ever read before.

This was a good book. Couple of twists, but not much excitement. There was a lot of rambling at certain times and a little anti-climactic. But overall, it was a good read.

Honestly I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down. This is Sarahs first book and I loved it so much. I honestly did not see that ending coming and was wondering who played what part in everything. I can not wait to see what’s next from Sarah!

Enjoyed this book right from the start. It gave me Gillian McAllister vibes. The story deals with dark morally grey issues and there’s an undercurrent of tragedy that kept pulling me through to the end. I love books that end up taking me down different, unexpected paths and this book certainly did that.

This story was a bit of everything. It is a legal drama with a great lead female character. I loved Justine! It is also a family drama, has some romance and lots of secrets and thrills. Now it is a bit of a slow burn, but that's definitely not a bad thing here. Justine is excited to take the lead on her first case. It's a murder case but she quickly learns that the suspect is her high-school boyfriend, Jake under a new name, who left her 18 years ago. Uh oh. She goes back to her small hometown after 18 years to see what she can find out about Jake's case. Her brother goes missing and she realizes that her family is full of secrets and her missing brother and Jake leaving could be connected. I enjoyed the past and present storytelling, and the ending is great. Hard to tell this is a debut I would definitely read more from Sarah Hornsley!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Sarah Hornsley and Zando for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Bad Blood is one of those stories that makes you keep guessing what the truth really is till the end, it's engaging, well-written, with the story being told from several points of view. Although everything is justified by the characters under motherly love (and in real life there might be people who think that way too), in my opinion, that's no justification when a crime is committed. The plot is well put together and I was happy to find a new author to follow.
I thank Ms. Hornsley, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book is too slow of a burn and I had to keep putting it down because I just kept losing interest.

This is the kind of book I like to use in my classes. A story, mystery of family secrets that my students will get sucked into and then lots of issues to discuss, some morality issues and issues of abuse and power. It doesn't wind up neatly so leaves questions to keep students thinking

what is the truth This is a multi-layered psychological mystery. It is told in various perspectives of the different people involved and two timelines. It packs a lot of punch and asks a lot of hard questions, what is truth, what do we do to protect those we love and who are we willing to abandon., how does guilt shape our lives. No one is quite what they seem in the beginning of the book and it left me with lots to think about. I appreciate that about the book and also that it was very original. A good solid 4.5 rounded up

I normally go for fast paced thrillers because I have a hard time paying attention. This book was a bit slower but it was so gripping, so I didn’t have any issues paying attention. I loved all the family secrets and drama that’s in this book. The authors writing style really worked for me and I enjoyed it.

I was hooked from the very beginning! This is such a page turner. I’m not much of a slow burn girly , I prefer fast paced thrillers AND THIS DELIVERED!!!! Will definitely read more by this author. Thank you for the opportunity

Delivered! Thought I had it all figured out, but I was wrong again and again. Packed with secrets and drama it had me hooked like a nosy neighbor. Great summer thriller.

Thank you For the opportunity to preview Bad Blood. Although the lead character is a lawyer I think this is not only a legal thriller but much more.
This is a family drama and a bit of romantic background.
All in all this is a good book and more dramatic family drama.
3 stars

I want to thank NetGalley and Zando Books for the ARC of Bad Blood by Rachel Hornsley

Bad Blood is a fast, easy to follow psychological mystery. From the very beginning of the book, you are given a peek at the surface of the family drama and mystery surrounding Justine. Justine is a hardworking Lawyer in London. She is married, has a house and lives an idyllic life. One she worked so hard to create. At work, she is given her first big break, defending a man who is on trial for a double murder. The only problem is that this man is Justine’s ex-boyfriend. From this point, the story takes you on many twists and turns until the very end.

Sarah Hornsley creates a great story with many characters whose stories blend seamlessly. The many twists and turns keep you guessing until the very end. I can honestly say I was a little shocked at the end of the story. This book is similar to It Should Have Been You by Andrea Mara, and First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston.

This is my first read by Sarah Hornsley. It will not be my last. With that being said this is a great book that I read in one sitting! Hard for me to do. It is a fast paced thriller that held my attention to the very end. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Zando Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC.

Sarah Hornsley has released her debut novel, Bad Blood, where Justine Hart is a barrister, and excited to be assigned a case that will put her in the spotlight; it’s a double murder case, and there is plenty of evidence against the suspect. However, once she starts to gather the evidence, she discovers that the suspect is her first love, Jake Reynolds, who left her 18 years ago and changed his name. She goes back to her hometown for the first time in those 18 years, tries to locate her brother, Max, who always protected her, and who she had kept in contact with, but only saw her mother who had sent her away after her father’s death. She knows her mother is keeping secrets, and that Jake’s disappearance, Max’s disappearance, her father’s death, and her mother’s secrecy are connected, but is trying to find out why. As the family secrets begin to emerge, suspense builds, and readers will find themselves on the edge.

Hornsley does an excellent job of telling the story, especially for her debut novel. There are a few places that are a bit hard to follow, but that’s partly because of the twists and turns that are unexpected. She also does a good job of developing her characters. Justine, the protagonist, is likeable, and is a woman who has had a difficult past. As the story progresses, more information comes out and things begin to be clear. The dénouement is definitely interesting and a surprise.

Anyone who chooses to listen to this novel as an audio book, will find that the narrator is excellent and with her British accent, makes readers feels they are actually in the UK.

All told, this is a unique kind of suspense novel and is quite enjoyable.

Y’all. This book ate me up and left nothing but vibes and goosebumps.

Bad Blood throws criminal lawyer Justine Stone into her first big murder case—only to realize the man on trial is her ex, Jake, who ghosted her years ago and is now accused of a brutal double homicide. Awkward doesn’t even begin to cover it.

To get answers, Justine heads back to her sleepy hometown—a place that reeks of sweet tea, old trauma, and secrets buried six feet deep. And when her brother goes missing? All bets are off.

This one’s got everything: courtroom drama, slow-burning suspense, a tangled past, and an ending that slaps. Hornsley serves up atmosphere so thick you can taste the tension. It’s moody, twisty, and unputdownable.

If you love complex families, morally murky love interests, and thrillers that keep you guessing—Bad Blood is calling your name.

Thank you to Zando for providing this advance copy via NetGalley for my honest, voluntary review.
#BadBlood #NetGalley

Well, this “Bad Blood” certainly ran deep. This well paced thriller held my attention, as I was anxious to see how the story unfolded, & determine who was guilty and who was not. It is evident from the very beginning that there is much more going on beneath the surface than the readers think.

Justine is a successful lawyer, on the brink of a wonderful career. Anxious to begin her first murder trial, she is taken aback when she opens a folder to review the case and realizes it is the face of her first love, with a new identity. When she returns to her hometown to investigate this case, her world is turned upside down as family secrets, deeply rooted traumas, and lies are revealed leaving her in a mental whirlwind.

Overall, a solid read that I would recommend for fans of family/domestic thrillers, with mind churning twists! Thank you Zando and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Publication 🗓️ : 07.01.25

DNF at 40%

I enjoyed this book, but I couldn't get through it. I was expecting it to be more of a court thriller, but was confused as to where the storyline was going. It was well written, but overall I felt it wasn't getting anywhere, and I didn't really see continuation of it.

Sarah Hornsley’s Bad Blood is a gripping psychological thriller that unearths the long-buried secrets of a small town—and the personal demons that refuse to stay silent. Blending courtroom drama with emotionally charged family dynamics and a slow-burning mystery, Hornsley delivers a compulsively readable debut that’s equal parts legal thriller and haunting homecoming.

At the center of the novel is Justine Stone, a criminal lawyer finally handed the reins to her first major murder trial. But what should be a career-defining moment quickly spirals into personal chaos when the accused turns out to be Jake Reynolds—her vanished first love. With Jake now on trial for a gruesome double homicide, Justine is forced to revisit a past she’s worked hard to escape, in a town that holds more than just bittersweet memories.

Hornlsey’s strength lies in her character work. Justine is a smart, capable protagonist whose emotional complexity makes her instantly compelling. Her return home is not just a physical journey, but an emotional excavation—unearthing memories of her father’s tragic death, the suffocating expectations of her small-town upbringing, and the unresolved ache of her teenage love. As her brother Max goes missing, the story tightens its grip, drawing the reader into a layered mystery where nothing is quite as it seems.

The narrative moves deftly between past and present, weaving a web of suspicion, grief, and betrayal. Hornsley excels at maintaining suspense without sacrificing emotional depth. The courtroom scenes pulse with tension, but it’s the psychological unraveling—Justine’s doubts, memories, and slow realizations—that truly drive the novel forward.

Thematically, Bad Blood explores the idea that the past is never really past. Whether it’s familial trauma, romantic heartbreak, or unspoken guilt, Hornsley reminds us that what we bury will