Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Bookoutune and the fantastic author Helen durrant for an early copy of her book to read.

I really enjoy this authors crime books I think its her first psychological read which i really enjoyed. Donna recieved an e mail to attend a funeral,she meets a couple Max and Tara who has a daughter.shes shocked to discover her real name was on the coffin.who is behind this e mail? she doesnt have much money and is offered a job by this couple should she accept it to find out who behind it all or will her past come to light. A good read.looking forward to reading more of her books.

This book will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon.

Not having read anything by Helen H. Durrant for a while, I looked forward to this one and was not disappointed. Perhaps more so, as I read it in a day sitting it side in the sunshine. Helen rarely disappoints and this one has a good storyline and characters, making it a good read. Recommended.

What if you were invited to a funeral, only to find out it’s for yourself?

This book was quick with fairly short chapters and many twists. For those facts alone, I give this 3 stars. There really isn’t much development in the plot or characters. The story moves very quickly.

Some notes: First of all, this book was originally titled “The Other Alice”, which I think is more fitting. This story isn’t really about the funeral that occurs in the beginning of the book. Secondly, this definitely ends with a few details that make me think this will be a continued story/series.

Thank you Bookouture, Helen H Durant and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

It was a good read. I was a little confused till the half way because the progress was quite slow. After that the story picks up the pace and the most unexpected thing happens at the end. I will honestly like to give 3.5 out of 5 because at few times I felt the grasp in the story was missing. Overall it was a good one.

ARC REVIEW
Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC!

The funeral (Formerly known as "the other Alice")
3.5⭐

The Funeral follows Alice Anderson, who’s had a tough life plagued by a dysfunctional family, homelessness, and financial problems (she's now trying to hide from a loan shark).
One day, she gets a mysterious funeral invitation and is shocked to find that the deceased is...herself. But who’s the other Alice?

First of all I'd want to say, I feel that the old title suited the book better! I feel it did keep up the suspence atmosphere, "The funeral" is quite generic for me.

The story is full of twists and mind games. Lots of characters are quite bonkers, gaslighters and manipulators, and you never know who to trust. The pace is fast, and the suspense keeps you turning pages, but some parts were a bit far-fetched. The ending left me with more questions than answers, which was a little frustrating.

I enjoyed the suspense but I'm not sure I'd like to continue the series, as the ending leaves it open for more.

Love love lived this. Another fab read from Durrant with me screaming throughout for the main character to get out. Got my heart racing.

This story kept me hooked and was pretty suspenseful. I didn't really feel overly connected to any of the characters though and wasn't a huge fan of the ending. The writing style was easy to follow and I did care about finding out what was going to happen to the main character. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!!

Unfortunately I did not find this book or enjoyable at all. There was nothing to draw me in, and I didn't care to see how it ended. Alice/Donna shows up at a funeral with someone that has her name. She has no idea who this person is; just an email telling her to come. She gets sucked into people this girl was involved with and ends up finding out their secrets.

Psychological thriller.
She stole my name, now she's dead,I'm i next?
Donna Slade get an anonymous email, she is invited to a funeral,whoever has sent it wants her to pay for her past. Alice Anderson is the name of the decease, this was Donna's name before she ran away.
Property developer Max Marsden along with his wife Tara and daughter Hanna welcome her offering her Alices job and accommodation but is she walking into a big trap.
What is she doing? Will she find out who this Alice really was, and who these people are as well?
It took me a while but I did figure it all out, it's so mind-blowing, full of twisty subjects, excellent writing, excellent chapters,
Loved it.

A suspenseful mystery that had me questioning anything and everything. There are so many pieces to the puzzle. I had such an unsettling feeling throughout and enjoyed this twisty thriller!

Absolutely brilliant! Right from the prologue it's intriguing and suspenseful. Not everyone or anything is at it first seems. I loved all the drama, secrets and surprises. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and bookouture for approving my request to read this book.

I enjoyed this taut, fast paced psychological thriller in which nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. The plot doesn't let up throughout this book and I was quickly absorbed from the first few pages. There are definitely a few characters I loved to hate in this book but that only added to the enjoyment for me.

I would recommend this book if you enjoy this particular genre.

Synopsis: When I first heard about this novel it was titled “The Other Alice” however the name was changed. I feel the first title was better and certainly more applicable to the content. Alice Anderson has had a difficult existence, with a dysfunctional family and rocky start in life, and surviving homelessness only to be hiding out from a loan shark in fear of her life. She receives a mysterious email invitation to a funeral from someone who appears to know all about her. Suspicious and skeptical but overcome with curiosity she attends the funeral…and is shocked to see her own name engraved on the casket. Who lured her here, and who was the other Alice?

Thoughts: This was quite the whirlwind of a novel. If you are the type of reader who can calmly read a suspense novel and not have a clue what is really going on for most of the book, then this one is for you. The family that Alice works for in this novel is a collection of lunatics – they lie, they gaslight, they manipulate. None of them can be trusted and their mind games will have your head spinning. The unlikeable characters and antics tend to stretch credibility to the limit, although readers are probably not drawn to psychological thrillers for credibility. The ending was a to-be-continued situation.

First, thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

To be honest, I am really not sure what to think about this book. I have been looking forward to it after reading the blurb. But now I am confused and just like Donna/Alice I feel like having more questions than answers after finishing it.

Half of the characters are just... unhinged in some way (I am not sure if it is the right word, but I can not think of anything better) and also who does hire a person without any references these days?

It was all very fast-paced and twisty, which did make me keep reading. Yet, the end of the story was hardly convincing. It only explained half of the things happening throughout the book. I might still be willing to give other Helen H. Durrant a try, though. The premise was interesting enough, after all.

Absolutely loved this book ! I read it over 2 days which rarely happens but I was hooked from the beginning . Lots of twists and turns in the plot and kept me guessing until the end …… and beyond ! Can’t recommend highly enough - it’s a must read for fans of psychological thrillers !

Another great suspense book, I loved the outcome of it it wasn’t expected, always love her books and looking forward to the next one AAA

The character development seemed a little fast and ubpredictable. How she got hired so fast. The twists she uncovered were good but again didnt seem completely developed. The ending was little to vague for me. It wasnt bad jusr didnt wow me

Donna gets an email inviting her to a funeral. When she sees the name on the gravestone, it is her name. What is going on?

Totally unbelievable. I kept reading back to see if I missed something.
I am left with more questions than answers.
Who gets employed without any qualifications and job description?
How the heck did Hanna know who Donna was?
Tara and Max were so unpredictable. I can't imagine working for anyone who was normal one minute and manic the next, only to change five minutes later.
There was very little character development, but I suppose how can one describe a character that is so changeable?

Not my favourite book by this author.

Usually, when you receive an invitation to a funeral, it’s either because you knew the person in question or because they were close to someone dear to you. But when you receive one for someone you don’t even know, that’s a strange thing. It seems only logical that you’d be curious and decide to go.

This is exactly what happens to our main character. This unusual invitation immediately wraps you in a mysterious atmosphere that makes you question who you can or should believe or trust.

The protagonist is tossed back and forth between past and present, and her search for the heartbreaking truth is complicated by the unpredictable behavior of her housemates.

The setting is very intriguing, and the plot is full of surprises, though for me, the story’s pace could have been a bit faster.

Some people make choices at a certain point that might benefit themselves, but they don’t consider the consequences for others. Sometimes things turn out well, but sometimes they lead to tragic events.

4.5 stars
Thank you.

I was drawn in right from the start, with the suspense of waiting to find out why her name was being used at the funeral. It had me on edge waiting to find out what was ging to happen to Donna as she entered an obviously dangerous situation. I did find it a bit implausible that Donna would agree to stay so readily and that she would stay even with all the red flags going off all over, but learning about her background and current living situation made it a bit more believable. I think I held my breath a bit waiting to see how she would react to different scenarios with Max and Tara especially, and rooting for her to stand up for herself more. I found Hanna very irritating, she would have driven me mad living with her!
Overall, I did enjoy the suspense!
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.