Tense, gripping, and emotionally charged. I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely look for more from this author.

Lies will catch up with you every time.

This is a story of lies, deception and murder.
It’s about a mothers love for her daughter and the lengths she will go regardless of her own issues to protect her child from anyone who is a threat.

I think the author did a good job with this story up to the epilogue. There is no mention of what happens to one of the main characters who was very important to the story. What think the epilogue could have been a little better written by adding a bit more to the ending.

Synopsis was interesting and grabbed me but then i started the book as was a little disappointed some twists but not enough to keep me enthralled

Thank you Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

This book was hard to swallow. I didn’t agree with the characters actions and it dictated the entire book. The premise seems like it would be a great read, but the frustration from Sophie not being helpful compounds. In the end, it didn’t live up to its hype but had some good parts. I rate this book a 2.5

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

Based on the synopsis, I thought this book would be a great fit. Unfortunately, as happens in life, this reader's sensibilities did not connect with the author's writing style and I had to put the book down. Thanks for the access to an early copy.

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

I have loved the opportunity to spend time researching novels to re-stockl our senior bookshelves in the school library that plays a central role in the life of the school. When I first took over the library was filled with dusty tomes that were never borrowed and languished there totally unloved.
Books like this, play a central role in ensuring that the library is stocked with fresh relevant fiction that appeals to the readers. It has a strong voice and a compelling plot that ensures that you speed through its pages, enjoying both its characterisation and dialogue whilst wanting to find out how all of its strands will be resolved by the end.
I have no hesitation in adding this to the 'must buy' list so that the senior students and staff of the school can enjoy it as much as I did. This is a gripping read that will be sure to grip its readers whether they are fans of this genre or coming to it for the first time through our now-thriving school library recommendation system. Thanks so much for allowing me to review it!

I really liked the sound of this book but after only a couple of chapters I was really disappointed. I didnt like either Sophie or Karen and didnt find the way they behaved very believeable. The portrayal of the police was almost comical.

I was surprised that this book was a debut as it had me hooked right from the first chapter, where Sophie is enough home by the police. It kept my attention all the way through after that.

Saving Sophie is a gripping psychological thriller. A great plot with many twists and turns to keep you guessing. I highly recommend this book.

When a seemingly inebriated Sophie is delivered home by the police, so begins a tangled web of lies, half-truths and deceit that will impact on all around her.

I have to be completely honest and admit that I found I needed to employ a willing suspension of disbelief with elements of Saving Sophie as some of the ways in which the characters behaved seemed highly unlikely to me so that the plot was a little shaky at times.

However, this may well be because Sam Carington obviously has a better understanding of the psychology of the human psyche than I do, having studied it and worked with offenders. And despite some flaws, I still enjoyed the read very much. At the beginning the structure is a little fragmented but becomes more fluent as the story progresses, which I found a brilliantly clever way of reflecting what is happening to Sophie’s memory and its gradual recovery. Even though I thought parts of the plot felt slightly unlikely, I still was gripped and wanted to know what the outcome would be. I felt the story would make an absolutely cracking television series and often found myself thinking ‘Oooh!’.

The three perspectives of Sophie, Karen and DI Wade gave added depth so that it made me consider just how many people really are affected when a crime, or the perception of a crime, has been committed. It was as if a pebble had been dropped into a pool and the ripples of effect spread far and wide. I didn’t feel a deep emotional connection to any of the characters, although I found Karen’s agoraphobia elicited my sympathy and made me wonder what it might be like to be similarly afflicted and I’d really like to find out more about DI Wade in future books as I think she has real potential for development.

Alongside the twisty plot there were some weighty themes explored extremely well that made me think – the consideration of collective memory, grief and guilt, the idea of trust and deception, the exploration of family relationships and what constitutes adultery were all concepts woven into Saving Sophie which made for an interesting read.

Saving Sophie is a twisty, thought-provoking thriller and shows that Sam Carrington will certainly be an author to watch.

I received a free copy of this book, from the publisher and author, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins, Maze, the author, Sam Carrington, and NetGalley.

I am still not sure what to think about this novel as a whole. There were parts that I did like. But overall my reaction to it was "REALLY!?!" and "that would never happen." The promise that the plot line held drew me in but it did not hold up. I put the novel down too many times to count. It could not hold me to the story.

I would recommend this novel to some, but not to others. It would depend on the type of novel you like

Karen was on the couch and then Mike answered the door. Karen went out to find Sophie between two cops. Sophie was Karen’s and Mike’s seventeen year old daughter. Sophie wants to be her friend Amy. Karen had been attacked two years ago and why Karen was how she was. Karen has agoraphobia she only leaves her house for counseling. Sophie had no memory of what happened after 7:00 pm so she says. Karen had texted Liz -Amy’s mother the night before and found a text from her the next day saying Amy hadn’t come home and was not answering her phone. Amy is now missing and Karen feels Sophie is hiding something. Then a body is found but it’s not Amy but Sophie’s other friend Erin. Karen and Erin’s mom are best friends but Karen can’t go to her to try to offer comfort because of the agoraphobia. Then Sophie admits she is being stalked could it be the person who killed Erin . Sophie is also getting creepy messages and photos on her phone. Also Sophie’s friends are acting weird.
I had mixed feelings on this story. It had a pretty good plot but I had trouble reading and following the story. Also the story just doesn’t ring true and i don’t find it believable. Why weren’t the cops called there had already been one murder especially after Sophie felt she was being stalked and getting weird things on her phone. But this story did have: intrigue, lies, deceit, family situations, panic attacks, agoraphobia, secrets, murder, weird things happening, and a lot more. I felt Karen and Sophie could have done more to get out of the situation.I also didn’t like Mike at all. But this did have a lot of twists. Just wasn't quite for me.

For me, Saving Sophie was a below-mediocre mystery/thriller. The premise was intriguing enough, it was the execution that was sorely lacking. Decent suspense but, in the end, when everything finally comes out, the mystery angle of this story was just too ludicrous to take seriously.

2.5 stars
It's a wonder that I finished it, but I put that down to short chapters. Such an infuriating read.

I hated the characters of Saving Sophie more than any other characters in any other books that I've read in recent months. Not a single character was likeable in any way. Every one of them I wanted to slap some sense into, not just at single points, but for most of the story.

The MC Karen and her daughter Sophie are both so infuriatingly stupid! Karen's husband needs a massive kick up the arse! All of Sophie's friends probably don't have a brain cell between them, and the villain is probably the most pathetic antagonist I have ever read.

It did start to look promising about halfway through, but then dropped the ball again pretty quick. I was looking forward to reading this book, but it greatly disappointed me.

Karen and Mike Finch are upset and appalled when their seventeen-year-old daughter, Sophie, is brought home by the police. She was found drunk and wandering lost and confused around town. But Karen is also concerned and feels as if something is off: Sophie has no memories of most of the evening, and one of her friends, Amy, still hasn't returned home by morning. An agoraphobic thanks to an attack two years ago, the events with Sophie trigger Karen's intense anxiety. And soon, the Finch family will find themselves embroiled in a dark series of events that may threaten their own safety and sanity.

This was a strange novel. It definitely sets up with a well-done twist that hooks you. However, it then sort of slows down a bit, and it is burdened by some very strange and unbelievable storylines. For me, I found that I really didn't like or have a lot of sympathy for anyone in the Finch family, even with all they had been through. Sophie was a rather hateful teenager, who treated her parents with complete disdain, and she showed very little rationale in her decision-making. Karen's endless musings went on too much, and she was even worse in the decision area. And Mike was just hateful and rude. Sophie and her friends just seemed clueless and really hateful in their actions (without giving away too much).

Overall, the book was definitely engaging, and it certainly kept my attention; it was a fast read. Still, I found myself appalled by the characters' actions; people made some of the dumbest decisions and had some of the worst motivations in this novel, from the "bad guy" to the Finches to Sophie's friends. This made some of the story difficult to believe and buy. There's nothing really bad about it, I just found myself annoyed with the characters and frustrated by the story.

Saving Sophie by Sam Carrington is her debut novel, a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley (and the author and publisher) for providing me with this book in return for an honest review.

Karen and Mike Finch are having some marital issues. Karen, a parole officer who has barely left the house since she was attacked two years ago, hears again and again how she is to blame for their problems. Mike is frustrated, and showing it with his ignorance. Their love for their daughter Sophie has kept them together.

When 17-year old Sophie is brought home by the police after a night out drinking with friends, her Mom is upset that Sophie doesn't seem to remember the evening. However, when Sophie still remembers nothing the next day, Karen becomes concerned. Sophie's friends say that she was put in a cab and sent home. So how did she end up coming home in a police car, and why did one of her friends end up missing? When another is found dead, things start to get complicated, for everyone. Sophie is receiving emails that may implicate her in that death. Her other friends are acting strange, and her Mom, stranger than ever. Who can she trust?

Karen is sure her daughter is hiding something. Karen, however, has her own secrets, and is battling her own issues. Her constant state of panic and anxiety prevents her from even visiting her best friend, the mother of the dead girl. When she realizes her own daughters life may be in danger, will she be strong enough to fight for her, or will her agoraphobia prevent her from even leaving the front door? Could her own past be coming back to haunt her and her daughter?

I really enjoyed this book. Twists and turns abound. Although a little choppy, suspense builds due to the fact that it is written from the three viewpoints (Sophie, Karen, and the police officer DI Wade), none of which share information. As well, the short chapters bring about a fast pace. The agoraphobic aspect was very well written, and although you want to shake Karen, it is more about the secrets that she is keeping than the fact that she can't leave the house. You can understand the kids not sharing information, but Karen acts more like a child than an adult (most of the time).

Moral of the story....secrets can get someone killed.

I am wondering if her next will book will include the same detectives. It was a nice change to see that the police work was done more in the background than up front, but DI Wade seems interesting.

Worth the read!

I was looking forward to this thriller. Sadly I was disappointed . It's a good enough storyline but goes off on a tangent. When Sophie begins remembering about her friends murder, she tells no one at first, then she eventually tells her mum. Ok. However no one goes to the police with the information, Sophie and her mum play detectives themselves. That's when the story really gets far fetched. I just expected more.

I was given the opportunity to read an electronic copy of Saving Sophie via NetGalley. This is my honest opinion of the book.

17 year old Sophie Finch is brought home, visibly impaired, by the police, although she insists that she does not know what happened. As she starts piecing together her evening from texts that night and the morning after, Sophie realizes that she is not the only one in trouble. When her friends Amy and Erin do not make it home and the police get involved, will Sophie be able to remember the details of her missing night and figure out where everything went so horribly wrong?

Saving Sophie was given many 5 star reviews, but my experience with it was quite different. Some of the dialogue seemed awkward and forced, which led to some conversations that did not ring true. Karen's condition, severe agoraphobia brought on by a violent act, was a little too convenient for the author to pull out when needed. Although the police were suspicious of Sophie and her friends, they dropped the ball when it came to surveillance. This did not seem plausible, as the police would most certainly follow the loose threads to see where they lead. Having been a victim before, it did not seem likely that Karen would be an accomplice in hiding the truth from the police. For these reasons, I would not recommend Saving Sophie to other readers.