Oh, Valentina by S.E. Lynes — what a ride! I really enjoyed this one. The writing style is just so smooth and compelling, it pulled me in right from the start. There’s this really intriguing, slightly eerie vibe running through it that kept me flipping pages. The characters were layered, the tension built really well, and it had that psychological edge I love in a thriller.

If I had to nitpick, I’d say it maybe dragged just a touch in parts — like, it could’ve been a little tighter. But honestly, that didn’t take away from how gripping and well-written it was overall. Definitely one I’d recommend if you're into dark, twisty stories with strong character work.
Really fantastic narrators for the audiobook

This novel follows Shona, a Glasgow native and reporter, as she meets and falls in love with her partner Mikey. They move in together, get pregnant, and then move to a remote village so that Mikey can be closer to his work.

Shona is not adjusting well to being in a remote cottage and having her partner be on an oil rig 2 weeks of every month. She is lonely and isolated, until she meets a fellow new mom, named Valentina, who becomes her new bestie.

Shona and Valentina spend a significant amount of time together, and while Shona never 100% trusts Valentina (her stories just don't add up), she does enjoy her time with Valentina, and relies on her when emergencies happen.

Usually Shona isn't bothered by Valentina's shadiness about her personal life (her husband is a loser, she is sleeping with another man, etc.), but eventually she can't shake the feeling that Valentina is not being truthful...about *anything*.

The last 1/2 of this book was insanely fun and crazy. You just can't believe what you are reading! I couldn't put this (audio) book down and listened to the last 4 hours straight because I needed to know how it ended.

Shona was such a lovable main character. I was rooting for her the whole time. Five Stars!! I will definitely be reading more books by S.E. Lynes!

Thank you to Blackbird Digital Books, NetGalley and S. E. Lynes for my ARC!

I couldn't understand the audio of this. The person reading the book has a strong Scottish accent and I couldn't understand what she was saying.

Initially I was a little confused as this seems to be an older title, which isn’t unusual. however i discovered that it hasn’t just had a change of publisher but a revamp on the audio narration that had me desperate to press play.

Get this in your ear holes as soon as possible. It’s excellent. I was completely gripped by the story, I was in love with the characters and there were twists that completely blew me away. This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read in years!

You’ll never believe me when I tell you that my adored Helen McAlpine AND Tamsin Kennard are the narrators and they gave a stellar performance.

All the stars 🌟
#Jorecommends

Huge thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧