This is my first book by Valerie Keogh but it will not be my last. i enjoyed the unique plot of the author writing her next book and it being about her life. You never knew what was real and what was fiction but it was done in a way that really flowed with the storyline.

Unfortunately this one wasn't really for me.

The letters weren't particularly threatening, the way the main character went from 0-60 in her actions was a bit unrealistic. I did however like the them of mixing fiction with reality. I just think it could have had more tension and could have been a bit more sinister.
I thought the ending was also a little rushed and abrupt.

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


The Writer by Valerie Keogh is a captivating and heartfelt story that beautifully explores the complexities of love, creativity, and self-discovery. Keogh’s writing is engaging and immersive, drawing you into the emotional world of her characters with ease.

The protagonists are wonderfully developed, with realistic flaws and relatable struggles that make their journey compelling. The dynamic between them is tender and authentic, making every interaction feel genuine and meaningful.

The plot flows smoothly, balancing moments of tension with heartfelt warmth. Keogh’s ability to weave together themes of passion and vulnerability kept me hooked throughout.

My only slight reservation was that some scenes could have been a bit more concise, but overall, the story’s emotional depth and rich character development more than make up for it.

If you enjoy thoughtful romances with depth and nuance, The Writer is definitely a must-read.



❤️shaye.readss

Valerie Keogh's "The Writer" is a suspenseful psychological thriller exploring the disturbing realm of Cara, an accomplished writer struggling with a debilitating bout of writer's block on her thirtieth book. The drama takes flight as Cara receives mysterious, escalatingly malevolent letters, giving her ghastly inspiration – but at what price?

The writer skillfully ratchets up suspense, drawing readers into Cara's spiraling paranoia. The dual narrative and unreliable narrator keep you guessing all the time, making you question what is real and what is just fantasy. Although some aspects of the underlying grudge may strain credibility for some, the constant tension and shocking twists keep you on the edge of your seat. "The Writer" is a demonstration of Keogh's talent for penning breathless, brain-twisting narratives, ideal for lovers of domestic noir and psychological thrillers.

Valerie Keogh returns with another twisty thriller, THE WRITER, keeping you cleverly glued to the pages to see how all will unfold, told from HER (author), HIM (stalker), Then and Now.

This one will keep you up all night with its intriguing premise and gasp-worthy twists.

Who will win in this wicked, twisted game of cat and mouse?

About...

Cara Jenkins, a successful author, is working on her thirtieth novel. As the pressure to deliver the next bestseller intensifies, she begins to receive unsettling letters, giving her the sense that she is being watched.

Her husband dismisses the messages as probably pranks, but she is concerned that it is linked to her past.

What happened twenty-five years ago? Is someone playing with her?

My thoughts...

THE WRITER exudes all the psychological vibes, as Cara's writing becomes blurred between fact and fiction.

The author cleverly creates an atmospheric setting, layered with an unsettling and lurking sense of unease, paranoia, and confusion, with every page turn. This psychological tension and threatening letters will keep you guessing and second-guessing every character's motives.

The HIM, psychotic stalker voice adds to the tension and uncertainty, making THE WRITER A spine-chilling and compelling read!

The author skillfully showcases a writer’s anxieties, pressure, deadlines, and obsessions, transforming them into a pulse-pounding, impossible-to-put-down thriller.

Cara is a well-developed character and the alternating POV of HIm and Her, then and now, keeps you hooked and in suspense as all the pieces unfold with unexpected twists, leaving you on the edge of your seat, eager to uncover the story's secrets.

I enjoy this author's unique writing style and her mind-bending literary twists, which are sure to leave you appreciative and excited about the reading experience!

Recs...

THE WRITER is a must-read for fans of the author and cat-and-mouse suspense, as well as readers who enjoy works by Julia Bartz, Robyn Harding, A.R. Torre, Keri Beevis, and Freida McFadden. Join this community of readers and immerse yourself in this thrilling journey!

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing a gifted advance reading copy for my honest thoughts.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pub Date: July 15, 2025
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Thanks to Boldwood for giving me an ARC for this book so excited to read it Valerie Keogh is one of my fave authors

Absolutely amazing the first half is slow going but the second half got me hooked.
I loved the teasers of some of valeries other books and the fact that this is valeries 30th book aswell as Caras made it even better.
Well done Valerie you have done it again.

The is the first book I’ve read by this author and definitely wasn’t disappointed. Cara Jenkins is a successful author trying to write book #30. But she’s stuck, nothing is coming to her. Then she starts receiving letters, her husband isn’t concerned but it starts the words flowing. Soon, Cara is caught between the two, the story she’s writing and her own reality. Lines get blurred and the suspense gets high. The twists will leave you turning the pages so fast trying to figure out what’s going to happen next. The shocking revelations will leave you stunned. A true psychological thriller full of suspense, danger, mystery, paranoia and so much more. I loved the dual POV’s of Cara and her stalker. Absolutely a great read!

Cara Jenkins is a successful author about to embark on her thirtieth novel. But as she sits at her desk to write, she realizes that she has no ideas left. And as the pressure mounts for her to deliver, she begins to fear that her career is over. Then the letters start. At first, they seem harmless. But as the messages grow darker, Cara becomes convinced that someone is watching her, waiting for their moment to strike.

Her husband, Artie, dismisses the notes as stupid pranks, but Cara feels them pulling her back to a past she can't escape. With no easy answers, Cara does what she does best and begins to write. But the more words that come, the more fantasy and reality begin to blur and soon her imagination, and her accusations, begin to run wild.

Very unsettling. Gripping from the very beginning. I couldn't put it down. I loved this so much! 5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Cara Jenkins is a bestselling crime author stuck in a serious creative rut. She can’t get her next book going, and the pressure’s building. Then she starts getting these strange, anonymous notes—first weird, then threatening—and things start to feel off. As her real life starts mirroring the fiction she’s trying to write, it gets hard to tell what’s real and what’s just in her head.

I really enjoyed the meta vibe in The Writer by Valerie Keogh—how Cara’s life as a writer blended with the story she was creating. The way it blurred reality and imagination kept me guessing. It’s a solid psychological thriller with some twisty moments, and I liked how the ending brought everything together.

Read This If You Like…
• Psychological thrillers that slowly mess with your head
• Stories where the main character isn’t sure what’s real
• Writers writing about writing (with a twist)
• Unreliable narrators
• Twists and turns
• A satisfying, surprising ending
• Stories with themes about reality, imagination, paranoia, and creativity

My rating: 3.75 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this e-ARC that will be published July 15, 2025.

The Writer by Valerie Keogh

Cara Jenkins, prolific author of psychological thrillers, sits down to write her thirtieth book and is struck by writer's block. Sinister notes start to arrive at the house and Cara feels she is being watched and followed. As she weaves these events into her new book she becomes confused between fact and fiction, not knowing if her husband Artie and best friend Trinny are to be trusted.

A real page-turner, I devoured it! Not my usual genre but I love any books about writers so I made an exception - and I'm so glad I did. The twists and turns all took me by surprise and I gasped out loud at the ending. Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

The FMC Cara, is confused she has a stalker, but who ?
She finds herself thinking is it life or is it her stories ?
Can she trust anyone ?

Had she had a drink before she left home ? She remembered seeing an open bottle of wine in the fridge door earlier. Had she had a glass from it ? It was worrying thats she wasn't sure, maybe she'd had a glass, or two, and that why she was such easy game for her assailant.

I normally guess alot of plots in thrillers ! But honestly this one had me thinking 🤔💭 who is it and why ? is she going crazy ? Addictive, page turning ! Gripping. Having the prospective from the said stalker as well.. keeps you questioning who it could be ? So many questions...

If you love a good thriller thats easy to follow and an overall good read ! Then This little Gem is for you 👀.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed the plot of a writer using her life as a plot to her book. I liked reading along with her to figure out what was going on. A good mystery!

First book I’ve read from this author and I really liked it and will definitely be seeking out more to read.
With an unreliable narrator many may find it disjointed but I like this in a psychological thriller it adds to the tension as the story builds you then have doubts as to what is real or not.
Add in all the twists and this makes for a really good read. If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers you’ll enjoy this too.

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Cara is struggling to write her thirtieth book. She soon finds inspiration in the worst possible way... she is being stalked and someone is sending threatening letters to her, threatening to destroy everything she has worked for...

This was really well written. I liked that we get chapters from the dual point of view of him and her. The reason behind everything was so trivial and yet that festered and grew into much more. I thought the author handled the decline of him well although his chapters were repetitive it showed the decline.

I don't want to give too much away about the rest of the story as there are some twists and turns. I thought the ending was really well done.

Cara's character was all over the place she was jumbled in her thoughts and could easily be swayed. She was gullible and lacked confidence which I thought worked well. Cara was a contrast to 'him' as both had social hang ups but one had made a success of their life and the other was bitter and downtrodden.

Overall, an enjoyable well-paced read that had me turning the pages.

📱E-Book Review📱

The Writer
Valerie Keogh

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I feel like this is the first book I've read by this author, yet when I scan their backlist, every single one jumps out at me and they all look like books I'd love to read!

This was a perfect book to start my journey with and I was hooked from the first page!

Cara is setting out to write her 30th book and with a hugely successful career behind her so far, she is suddenly struck with blank page syndrome.
She has no stories left - until theetters start to arrive and open up reminders of a last she can't escape.

I loved that this was a bookish read and have often thought about what happens when the ideas dry up or where authors keep getting new ideas from!
Cara was a great character to explore and I loved how her story unfolded gradually through the book and through her writing too.

As Cara writes though, we find the real story and the fictional start to blur and this totally messes with your head as you read too.
I started to wonder what was real and what, and who to trust.

This was twisty thoroughly and I didn't see the ending coming - which is always the best sign of a good thriller.

I really enjoyed the writing style and will be sure to check out more books by this author in the near future.

Successful thriller writer Cara Jenkins is stuck for an idea for her 30th novel when she starts receiving threatening letters. Her partner Artie and best friend Trinny think it’s just a prank, but Cara becomes convinced someone is following her. She starts writing it into her next story to help her process, but as the lines between fact and fiction start to blur, will Cara be able to keep track of what is real and what isn’t?

This was a definite page-turner! I liked the dual narrative aspect that meant that as the reader I knew there was a real threat even when the characters weren’t sure. Without this I maybe would have struggled to follow Cara’s thought processes as she jumps from conclusion to conclusion. I didn’t entirely like Cara as a character but I really did want to know how her story would turn out. The slight breaking of the fourth wall was a clever tactic - Valerie is a thriller writer writing about Cara who is a thriller writer writing about Bronwyn who is a thriller writer. This really added to the blurring of reality that Cara experiences. I guessed a couple of the twists but not all of them, which is how I like my mystery novels! All in all this was a fun and fast-paced read and I would definitely pick up other books by the author.

My brain is still trying to process what I just read. This book was a real twister.

I’ll start with my cons as there isn’t many, the pacing felt off a little in some parts it seemed to really drag and in other I couldn’t turn the page fast enough with how good it was. I did find one major plot point a little predictable but it didn’t ruin the book

What I loved was how the author kept you constantly guessing of what was going on especially the last half of the book. Although my question was never answered of what actually happened at the dance, I think this was intentional by the author leaving the reader to decide which I loved.

Overall a great book, I highly recommend it and I can’t wait to read more from this author

The Writer by Valerie Keogh.
I love this author. This is the 5th book I've read and thoroughly enjoyed. I love the writing style and the story. Twisty and gripping. Kept me thinking and reading on. I was hooked from page one. I wasn't sure how I felt about the characters. I didn't have any favourites but I didn't hate them either. I did like the cover. The woman in the window is interesting. It certainly got me to sign up for this tour. I would definitely recommend this book.

Another great book from Valerie Keogh. This book was full of twists and turns that were totally unexpected.

I found it a little difficult to get into at first, and found the FMC a little bit unbelievable and struggled to connect with her, but that did not take away from the book and I still enjoyed it. The ending was very unexpected.

“Do penance for what you did”

Thank you to Love Books Tours, The Murder List & Valerie Keogh for an ARC copy of this book. *All thoughts and opinions are my own*

Cara is a successful author, about to write her thirtieth novel. But unlike her last twenty nine books, the idea for this one is a complete blank. Unable to think of any ideas, she starts to fear her writing career may be over. Until the letters begin arriving - providing the perfect idea for her book.

The suspense created in this book had me hooked from the start and I finished it in a single day. I absolutely adored Valerie's writing, and the dual POV kept me guessing who the writer of the anonymous letters was. This is possibly one of the best thriller books I have read this year, I couldn't put this down before I found out exactly what was happening. No spoilers, I loved the ending, and I cannot wait to pick up more of Valerie's books!