Wow! And then again…..Wow! Erin Kelly has always been a favourite author of mind but with this book she has surpassed herself! Always an author that I know will be able to fool me with her twists (I still gasp out loud when I remember the one in The Burning Air) she has taken He Said/She Said to a totally different level here with twist after twist which also have their own twists! For a twist junkie like me, this book was my drug of choice and boy, am I coming down big time after finishing it!

I loved the way the narrative was split here, both between the characters, Laura and Kit, and also the timeframe. In 1999 Laura and boyfriend Kit go to Cornwall with Kits twin brother Mac and his girlfriend. They are there to watch an eclipse, a family hobby that borders on an obsession for Kit. Whilst there Laura witnesses a violent (and graphic in places so be warned) sexual assault which leads to a “he says/She says” rape trial where the jury has to chose who to believe. Fast forward to 2015 and heavily pregnant Laura is home alone whilst Kit is off eclipse chasing again. But what could possibly have happened in those years to make them both so paranoid and why are they in hiding with different names? This was where I got incredibly intrigued and gripped by the plotting. What could have happened that was so catastrophic as to cause such a difference in personalities in that lovely young couple? I started to get quite wound up about it! Surely they were overreacting, they did the “right thing” why are they so afraid? Laura especially was really annoying me with her messages and her treatment of Kit but gradually the story unwinds and that’s when we, as the reader, discover what a very, VERY clever book this is indeed.

Since Ruth Rendall died I have had a Barbara Vine shaped hole in my heart but no more! Erin Kelly fills that gap perfectly for me and with He Said/She Said she has now cemented her place as one of my “go to” authors, those that I am happy to re-read again and again. This book is deliciously dark, beautifully written and perfectly crafted from start to finish. I think it’s her best book so far. Highly recommended by me!

A brilliant book with intricately woven characters, each one an onion of many layers. I love how the story centres on solar eclipses and how their appearance can have such an effect on people, almost like mother nature's drug. However, that does not mean this story is full of flowers and fairies - quite the opposite. The story covers some very dark and sinister behaviours, tackling a truly horrific incident and it's subsequent consequences. Not everything is as it seems and there are plenty of twists to distort your train of thought along the way. Altogether, a very well written book.

This was an extremely well plotted and well written book. I particularly liked the use of different timelines and different people's perspectives. All the characters were well described and the tension was beautifully crafted. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thank the publishers for the opportunity to read this early.

The Sir Walter Scott quote “Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive” seems the perfect sentence to summarise both the theme and the plot of this spectacularly written psychological thriller. In 1999 young lovers Laura and Kit were at Lizard’s Point in Cornwall to watch the total eclipse of the sun. It is then that Laura witnesses someone being raped. This attack leads to Laura and Kit being crucial witnesses at the trial, where a conviction hangs almost solely on Laura’s testimony. Knowing this Laura makes a split, rash decision. One that will haunt her and Kit for the next 15 years.

The story flips between 1999/2000 and 15 years later when travelling to the Faroe Islands to watch another eclipse, leaving heavily pregnant Laura home alone. The alternating chapters are told from both Laura and Kit’s point of views which builds up intrigue and suspense as the story is slowly drip fed to the reader. The book is further split into four sections, each named after a section of a solar eclipse. This is an effective structure to give a glimpse of each stage of the rape case and the fallout that results from it.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this story, some even what I like to call a double twist, when something is revealed only for that to be turned on its head later on in the story. The story is not solely based on the court case, the verdict is given fairly early on, but focuses on the aftermath and the long-term psychological effects for all parties involved. We know that Laura and Kit are terrified of both the victim Beth, and the accused Jamie, but we do not know why they are so scared and why they have had to go into hiding.

The plot is so carefully planned out and intricately woven that it flows seamlessly. Sometimes I find a novel told from two characters points of view and past and present can appear disjointed, fortunately this wasn’t the case with He Said/She Said and the author goes between the two very skilfully. I wouldn’t consider this to be a fast paced plot, as the story is unravelled slowly building on the tension and suspense, but it’s one that will pull you in and keep you in its clutches to the very last shocking page. As the plot builds in momentum the author reveals more shocking events it’s then you realise what a well constructed and dark tale He Said/She Said really is.

There is such a great mix of characters and the author does a fantastic job in creating Jamie, the man accused of rape. He has every single attribute I despise most in a person. The man infuriated me the whole way through the book. Beth was by far my favourite character, unstable and unreliable, she might be a bit full on, but I felt for her in every way possible. Nothing is what is seems in this novel, especially with the characters. Erin Kelly pulls you in one direction and plays with your empathy, then whips you right back round again making you question everything you believe.

That ending, wow. Those last few sentences put another chilling dimension on the story and completes the final twist in the tale. Erin Kelly is a highly talented author and I can see this book being huge in 2017. Overall rating five fabulous stars. Thanks to Erin Kelly, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

Laura and Kit are eclipse chasers, a young couple who travel the world to see the phenomena. But there is a dark secret. Fifteen years ago, Laura witnessed a brutal attack on a woman called Beth and now the couple live their life in fear of her. But why? And how did it come to this? The novel flits between the day Laura and Kit's paths first cross Beth's and the current day when, with Laura heavily pregnant, Kit sets off on a cruise ship to see the latest eclipse. But will this be the day Beth finally catches up with him? And what is it she wants revenge for? Gradually chapter by chapter, layer by layer, the pieces fall into place with the story told alternately from Kit's and Laura's perspectives. It is a superbly taut psychological thriller, which is absolutely gripping from the outset and has a plot twist which will take your breath away. This one was pure first class suspense and easily gets five stars from me.

I was sent an advanced copy in return for my independent honest review.
I was really looking forward to this as the premise sounded really exciting. I am a big fan of suspense filled psychological thrillers with a good unexpected twist at the end.
Unfortunately I felt that there were so many twist and turns it spoilt the plot for me. On this occasion it was a case of 'less is more'. would have enhanced my read. It is a slow burner to start with and due to this I nearly stopped reading it.
You get the sense that something awful has been seen by our two main protagonist's and may well be in a witness protection scheme. I found the crime somewhat perplexing. A very serious and important
topic is being covered here and I did not find the writing style gave enough gravity to it. A court case ensues which I found somewhat weak. The characters are well developed, however I personally couldn't form an attachment to any of them.
It is worth a try as many have loved it and Perhaps it is a matter of personal taste.
Sorry but not for me.

I found this very slow going and only got as far as 4%, thank you for the oppurtunity to read and review.

Slightly over the top after the first few chapters but an interesting read

Erin Kelly is an author who I’ve meant to read for years – I’ve actually had her debut The Poison Tree sat on my shelf for longer than I can remember. I finally got around to trying this author when this new release popped up on Netgalley, and I loved it.

The story starts as Kit, a serial eclipse chaser, is leaving his pregnant wife Laura behind to see the 2015 eclipse abroad. The writer takes us back in time, to the first eclipse the couple watched. At a festival in Cornwall years earlier, the two witnessed their first eclipse together, but they also witnessed a brutal attack on a girl named Beth, which changed the course of their lives forever.

Weaving back and forth in time, with the eclipse as the backdrop, Kelly reveals an intricate story of lies, deception and betrayal. Beautifully atmospheric with well-developed characters, this book is almost more of a psychological drama than a thriller. It’s all about the relationships; the romantic relationship between Kit and Laura, the friendship that forms between Laura and Beth and the dark secrets that eat away at each of the characters.

This is a book where everything really isn’t as it seems, in a big way. Erin Kelly’s characters lives balance on a knife edge, with secrets threatening to tear their relationships apart at any moment. The author completely lured me into a false sense of security, she had me convinced that I understood her characters, who I could trust, and who I couldn’t. In the final part of the novel the rug was swept out from underneath me, and her characters cut so deep that she left me with a genuine sense of betrayal. Highly recommended – this isn’t your typical thriller but it is a brilliant, slow-burning, atmospheric roller-coaster ride of emotions.

Kit, Laura and Beth meet during the eclipse of 1999. Their lives become entwined in a way that none of them could have imagined.

This is a great story, one with twists that I didn't see coming and an ending that made me gasp!

Although it was told in flashbacks (and I have become tired of this) it was done in an engaging way and didn't detract in a way it can in other novels. You think you have everything figured out when another twist is thrown at you that leaves you reeling!

I really enjoyed this book and stayed up til 1am one morning to finish it. I highly recommend it.

I feel quite ambivalent about this book, hence the three star rating. Whilst I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot and found I believed in the characters I didn't feel the eclipse narrative added anything other than unnecessary complexity. I'm sure this will be a popular book and i can see it as a film but I was left with an uncomfortable feeling, which may be completely wrong, that Beth, a rape survivor, is shown as needing to hide her past and for Laura to lie about what she heard in order for the jury to find James guilty. I'm not sure this is a helpful message to send to other people facing a similar ordeal.

Well, it's been a long time since I've been so enthralled by a story. I could not put this book down. The story was compelling, the writing faultless and the fact that I had no idea where the story was going to take me had me begrudging every minute I didn't have my kindle in hand. The story follows 3 people whose lives are irrevocably changed during one weekend chasing a total eclipse in Cornwall in 1999. The writer goes back and forth between the 1999 incident, to 2015, and the fear rippling through Kit and Laura due to the infiltration of Beth into their lives. From the get go, I thought I had the story sussed, then we would be thrown another loop and I'd rethink my theory and come to yet another conclusion. This review is so difficult to write, the spoilers would be huge, just know that I lay awake at night trying to work out what was going to happen, if there would be a twist at the end and if so, what it would be. Nothing could prepare me for each revelation as the story progressed. I spent so much time feeling sorry for each of the characters at different points, thinking maybe they had been wronged. One thing is true, as Laura's dad's crossword predicted......
The wrong thing for the right reasons - six, five, four - Little white lie.
The question is, at what stage does a little white lie turn into a big fat lie?
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. Highly recommend. Suspense at its best.

My advice is to persevere with this book. I really wasn't sure whether a story about some people obsessed with eclipse chasing was my thing. When Laura and Kit, a young couple descend on Cornwall in. 1999 to witness an eclipse they had little idea that the repercussions of this trip would stay with them for life. A chance discovery of a young woman being raped led them through years of torture, lies and severe anxiety. The true version of events takes a long time to unfold, way beyond the initial court case. This well told descriptive story reels in the reader and with its various twists and turns becomes impossible to put down.

Wow He Said/She said was a fab book I read it in 24 hours I could not put it down.
It centres around a festival in Cornwall and what happens changes the lives of a few people involved. A great sensitive insight into rape and how it is handled by the criminal justice system and is he consequences that led from it. Just when I thought I'd sussed it another twist came that threw my ideas way out. A fantastic read that deserves more than 5 stars.

Laura, Kit & Beth

I am of two minds about this storyline. I really liked the way the book flowed and I couldn't put it down!
It tells the story of a couple: Laura & Kit who chase eclipses across the globe. During one eclipse festival a crime is committed and witnessed by Laura. The victim, Beth becomes attached to Laura and the creepiness that ensues is griping. However everything is not as it seems.
Lies are told, mistakes happen and all three lives hang in the balance.
The twist towards the end made me quite angry actually. I think Laura handled it badly and the ending was just awful. Laura acts like she is above reproach yet the lies she told do matter- even though the end result is the same. And the way she made Kit the fall guy turns me right against her and makes me believe she is not psychologically sound either.
90% of this book was great. The end... not so much.

This is a very good read, with a very clever plot. Kit and Laura attend an eclipse in 1999. Laura witnesses a violent act and the story flits forward 15 years. The book is about rape, lies, secrets and is a very good psychological thriller with plenty twists to keep the reader interested.Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads.

4* from me. Top notch psychological thriller. Well written, great characters with interwoven stories. Will keep you guessing right until the end with a real OMG ending. One to recommend. My thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm sorry to say I was really disappointed in this book.I found the story line over-blown and the writing a little pretentious. I had been informed that Erin Kelly was one of the writers of Broadchurch (which I find compelling) so was very interested to read this, maybe I set my standards a little too high?

The story is told in different timelines (which would alternate and lapse which I found confusing) by Kit and Laura, who love the solar eclipses and travel to a musical festival revolving around an eclipse. There they come across Beth during what looks like a rape. The story then revolves around the charcaters involved, the court case and a lie told in court. I did not find the court case or lie convincing, I think the lie would have been picked up on during the case.
Beth then becomes "friends" with Kit and Laura and become a little obsessive.

To the author's credit, I did think Erin Kelly portrays the embarrassment and humilation the victims of rape are subjected to in court and the way the truth is perceived by different people. I also think she did a good job of showing what anxiety can be like for someone suffering.

There is a lot of information regarding solar eclipses and although I love space I found these parts really boring. I think Kelly was trying to do something clever with the darkness and light of the eclipse marking the darkness and light of the story but I am afraid it just didn't work for me.

The ending of the story does become more interesting with tensions rising to a crescendo but it is completely overzealous! Despite all of this, I would still consider reading this author again.

If you are looking for a story full of twists and love solar eclipses then this is for you!

It was never going to be easy to write a book about rape and still manage to turn it into a twisty and successful psychological thriller but Erin Kelly has done just that.
Kit and Laura are eclipse chasers (a world I knew nothing about) and after a disappointing cloud out at a festival in Cornwall stumble upon what appears to be a rape in progress on their way back to their tent. The police are called and after the trial Beth, the victim, becomes a close friend to Laura but is she as much of a victim as she seems?
I've already given a bit too much away with that synopsis suffice to say that nothing is quite as it seems in this book and no one gets away without a small portion of guilt. It is full of smoke and mirrors and has a fierce sting in the tail. Recommended.

Psychological thriller of the year! Absolutely outstanding. The ending is jaw-droppingly good. The plot is clever and unpredictable. Erin Kelly's writing draws you in while consistently entertaining, so it truly never lets you go. This atmospheric story is one of those filled with twists, secrets and lies. The four main characters are deeply complex and not particularly likable, but that is exactly why I loved reading about them. I would be surprised if He Said/She Said is not THE thriller of 2017. It's incredibly impactful, full of emotion, and it makes you think. You will be floored by this book. Make sure to check out He Said/She Said on April 20th.