I was really excited to read this book after seeing so much hype for it. Unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I read a third and had to just put it down. I didn't engage with any of the characters, found the plot too slow and thought the sex was overly-graphic. Sorry.

Thank you for giving me a copy of this book in return for a review.

I have chosen not to publish this review anywhere as it's not particularly favourable and, in fairness, I didn't finish the book. i also wasn't happy about posting a review with what could be seen to be spoilers. I gave up at 48% at which point, I was still waiting for something *anything* to happen. The affair had been given it's big reveal and it seemed like anything big which was going to follow the revelation was going to be too drawn out for me to care enough to continue reading.

In all, I was bored with the story almost instantly. I absolutely despised every main character and couldn't care less about what they did with their selfish, little lives.

Some may call this a slow-burn story but it was just a little too slow for my liking.

Characters too unlikeable for me to be bothered what happened to them in a story that was too long.
I would at least have liked to be able to side with one person or one couple but really couldn't.
If I missed the name at the start of a chapter it could almost have been any one of the four main characters.
Not for me I'm afraid.

It was difficult to know what was going to happen in this book. It starts out with two married couples. Carly and Rob and Jenni and Craig. There are so many changes and twists in the book. They each write in first person as if to each other. There is trouble and suspicion between all of them and then it gets really nasty and chill. The end intrigued me as it was like life - full of uncertainties and then misunderstanding and "what if....?" A sound read about the precarious interaction between these four people.

Obsession is a novel that does exactly as it says on the cover, leads you to obsession. You simply won't be able to stop reading until you've reached its conclusion.

It's an obsession that starts innocently enough. A conversation between a loving husband and wife. Carly asks her husband Rob who he would 'go for' if he was given the choice. At first he is reluctant to answer. Rob loves Carly he doesn't want anyone else.

Carly is persistent. 'Give me a name'.

And so Rob does. 'Jenni'. Carly's "best friend". The consequences are devastating.

Obsession is a novel where you won't find yourself with much sympathy for any of the characters.

Carly is dislikeable from the outset. Manipulative, selfish and sex obsessed. Rob her husband is okay, there's something unlikeable there but it isn't clear at first exactly what.

Jenni, Carly's "best friend" is married to Craig. On first appearances these two are more likeable, less self obsessed. But it soon becomes clear that all is not as it seems. These two couples are not like the rest of us, they don't think the same as the rest of us, don't act the same as the rest of us.

You can trust no one.

Obsession isn't a novel for everyone, at times it makes for uncomfortable reading, but it's a novel that has an important lesson for us all - obsession no matter how big, or how small, can be a very dangerous thing indeed...

Obsession tells the story of two couples. Glamorous Carly and steadfast doctor Rob, and devout Christian Jenni and her charmer husband Craig. Between the four of them there are unspoken desires. When those desires are acted on an already fragile status quo begins to crumble....

It's hard to say more about this book without totally spoiling the plot. What I can say is this is a tense thriller that keeps you hooked. It does veer into erotic thriller territory that would normally send me running for the hills but somehow it still stays an excellent read. The only negative really is that at over 450 pages it's just a touch too long for its plot....there is a brief period of lag towards the end. But the ending makes up for it. A compelling and thought provoking read, and also extremely enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this digital copy for an honest review.

It took a while to get in to this book, but in the end I quite enjoyed it. The story is told from the point of view of each of the 4 main characters, 2 couples who are good friends. The plot deals with infidelity, mental illness and, as the title suggests, obsessive behaviour. I must say that I didn't find the characters very likeable, and I think the plot was quite far fetched, but it was an ok read overall. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

Absolutely loved this book, a real page turner and I didn't want to come to the end.

This book i am shocked to see has some low rates reviews and I don't know how as this is a read that makes you think and then even question what you have read as you sway from who is the good guy and who is the bad.
I loved the short chapters as this made it very easy to pick it up quickly for 5 minutes or so, I liked how each short chapter was from one of the main characters getting their point of view and how it differed from the other characters.
Obsession is a domestic based thriller that starts off with a simple question and ends with lust, betrayal, lies and death. I enjoyed this fast moving book immensely and thought the characters were all in some way likeable even if not for long. This had me questioning myself over and over again because of the intricate thought process of the characters.
I haven't spoken about the storyline as I don't want to spoil it but if you like a book based on sex, lies and death then this is for you.
I would like to thank netgalley, Avon and Harper Collins for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book at the start but by the second half it all got a bit too far fetched. Nevertheless, quite a good read

What a page turner. Forget Girl On a Train this is the next movie deal. It will keep you turning the page, whispering in the wee small hours just one more chapter before bed.

Full of twists and turns each chapter is short leaving you wanting more.

Superb writing by a new novelist.

I had a hard time getting into the story. I expected a thriller and what I got was a lot of sexual innuendo and that made me stop reading a few times and starting over later. As the story progressed the thrilling elements got more and my reading pace picked up. But, still, I couldn’t fully enjoy this book. There is not one character in this story I feel a connection with, no pity or fury, nothing. They are just annoying, all of them. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK!

A story about two couples and how their relationship and friendship keeps changing! There are enough twists in their lives to keep a reader engaged !

I quite enjoyed Obsession. It had just the right amount of twists and turns and takes you on a white water ride trying to guess who did what leading nicely to you liking a character one minute and then being frustrated by them the next as the story builds.

I found this book enthralling and would give it 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Amanda Robson for the chance to review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an arc.
This was a good debut for the author, tells the story of two married couples, Carly and Rob, Craig and Jenny who become entwined in, and obsessed with, each other's lives. There are some dark themes involved, affairs, jealousy, sexual obsession and mental health issues are explored along with suicide and murder. I did enjoy this book but I felt it went on just a bit too long and seemed to go round in circles at times. None of the characters had many, if any, redeeming features and I did feel sorry for their children who were sidelined while the parents played out their dramas!

A really interesting story about two married couples.

A catalogue of events is set off one day, when one husband casually makes a remark to his wife.

It's hard to say much more without giving it all away.

A real gritty and sometimes uncomfortable read.

Will be looking out for more books by this author.

One rainy night on holiday Carly asks Rob a question and doesn't like the answer. A whole chain of events then begin to unfold from this conversation. Be prepared to ride the rollercoaster of emotions reading the points of view of Carly, Rob, Jenni and Craig, who are all so appalling that you'll hardly dare to peek at the words! I wouldn't like to meet even one let alone all four of them - a terrible foursome indeed. This book certainly kept me gripped the whole way through and I was very glad to get to firmer ground again afterwards. The constant description of "eyes" was a bit tiresome otherwise I would have given this the full five stars. After this book can't wait to read something else by this author.

I think this will be a very popular read to many people but, sadly, it wasn't for me. Obsession started with promise. I liked the refreshing writing style and the first person voice of the narrator drew me in and kept me intrigued. But then the second voice game in and then another two were added and I spotted something that didn't sit well with me ... every character spoke with exactly the same voice! The only reason you knew another character was speaking was because his or her name was at the start of the chapter. I think it would have added a dimension to this book if each you could tell whose head you were in if there was something characteristic in the way they spoke rather than the things they did.

The plot was a relatively good one and the author kept you guessing when it came to the outcome but I had lost interest in any of the characters by then. Largely because of my first criticism about voice but also because I didn't find them all that believable.

At the end of the novel the author acknowledges various research sources. To be honest I was never convinced by some of the police procedures, especially forensics which made me question the author's knowledge of mental illness. I like to feel as if I am in safe hands when I read about subjects I'm not expert at but the author didn't convince me because of one or two slip ups that made it into the novel. I finished it for review purposes and to see if my theory about what would happen in the end panned out.

I never like to give negative reviews but I just wasn't convinced or entertained by this novel.

This story starts with a wife asking her husband a question... "who else would you go for, if you could?" It's a game a lot of couples play but the answer is usually along the lines of a celebrity or other "never in a month of Sundays" person. The husband shocks the wife by answering with someone closer to home. This answer send the wife on a mission. She now sees this person as a threat as this person happens to be her best friend.
After I got over the stupidity of Rob, the husband, actually admitting this to his wife Carly, which I though was a little far fetched, I managed to settle into the rest of the story. I did have to sit with this incongruity for quite a while though as it just didn't seem to work for me. What happens next was like watching a car crash as all four lives were horrifically affected by this admission. All four lives spiralled out of control. There's not much else specific I can say here about what happens next as anything I do mention would be spoilery but I do have to mention that I thought that some of the subsequent decisions that were made also didn't sit right with me along the way, especially towards the end of the book, even taking into consideration the mental states of the characters at the time. I did a fair bit of accepting during this book I can tell you!
I am struggling also to say something nice about the characters. They were pretty much all as bad as each other and acted way out of character quite a bit along the way. You know the old adage of good people doing bad things, well I thing these people were just bad people doing bad things. Especially those who claim to be God fearing Christians! As I read, I sympathised with each in turn, several times changing my allegiance, so many times that at the end, I just despised the lot of them! Although I was definitely emotionally involved and that's a good thing.
But you know what, all these niggles aside, it was a stonking good ride. I do love it when characters implode, especially in the ways depicted in this story. I guess what I am trying to say that despite all my misgivings about character and trigger point, the story stood up well enough to get me over all this and still keep me interested and intrigued along the way. Albeit a little OTT in places! And like the car crash I likened it to earlier, uncomfortable to witness but you just can't help but watch it all play out.
Each character tells their own part of the story, picking up where another left off or telling it again from their perspective, but not in a repetitive way. More like a relay race at times, passing over the baton or "talking stick". I found this method of storytelling quite well done although a couple of times I did have to go back and check who was talking as they weren't always distinct.
And then the ending, oh my! That's all I can say here but it did initially shock me somewhat but then how else can it end?
All in all, as a debut book, it's not a bad one and I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Truly full of twists and turns and kept me guessing what was going to happen next right to the end. Even after I finished, I found myself questioning whether I really knew what was the real truth. A story about two married couples and how a plausibly innocent question about 'who else do you fancy?' breathes life into jealousy and turns into a living nightmare for all concerned. The story unfolds with chapters told from the view of different characters, giving more insight into them as individuals and layering the miscommunications and misunderstandings of all of them. In many ways, none of the four main characters are particularly likeable, and Robson uses this to good effect. Terrifyingly, this shows how easily and quickly the wrong thing said or done can create tendrils of mistrust that soon spiral out of control. A gripping read.