This book was not what I expected. However, I just found myself quite moved by the story and it explores many deep themes/issues. I actually couldn't put it down near the end as I just wanted to see the outcomes. The two stories around one decision intertwine well.

The novel is about a split decision that changes a life. Do you own up to what really happened or do you flee and not face up to what's happened.
This is such a fresh and original book which I devoured. There's so much suspense, tension and uncertainty within the pages that it keeps you hooked until the very end.
We go down both paths in the book- the reveal or conceal and the effect that each choice has on her, her husband and her life. Each choice has a consquence which we explore in the novel. I loved this concept! This book really offers something different in the current book market and it was a pleasure reading this and wondering what my reactions would have been if it had been me. Fresh, intense and gripping- what a book.

The idea of sliding doors scenerio really appealled to me. At first I was quite enthralled with the situation Jo finds herself in and I was intrigued to read further. However, as the stories continued I found myself getting a little confused as to what I was reading,-Conceal or Reveal. I also became to dislike Jo and her treatment of people especially Reuben. By the end I had no sympathy for Jo at all. Disappointing, as it held such hope.

This is a thought provoking sory. Who hasn't said what if I had done that instead of .... This is the story of happily married Joanna and Reuben. They live a very happy complete life together. Joanna has nights out with her friend Laura. At one of these she is annoyed by the actions of a man and her and Laura leave the bar and go home their seperate ways. Joanna hears footsteps and fears the man has come after her and when the person comes up behind her she turns and pushes him but he falls down the steps and lies there. So what does she do - leave him or call the police. The sory then follows both scenario's hrough the twists and turns and finishes with a brilliant and unexpected ending. Couldn't put it down!

I have read Gillian’s first novel Everything but the truth so I was looking forward to reading this one.
While out with her friend Laura, Joanna gets harassed by a man. He grabs her and rubs up against her, not in a good way. But, she manages to shake him off. After they leave the bar, they go their separate ways. Joanna starts walking via the canal, when she senses that someone is following her. She assumes that it’s the guy from the bar. He even has the same trainers. So to defend herself she pushes him and he falls down concrete stairs and he lies motionless on the ground.
In all her life, Joanna has been an avoider. She doesn’t finish anything she does. Even if she gets a reminder for a bill she hides it away. So when this predicament presents itself, she doesn’t know what to do for the best and she hesitates. Then after a few minutes she decides to help the guy and rings 999 and starts CPR. But, before the ambulance arrives she disappears because she is scared that she will be arrested.
The rest of the book is set in too stories or scenarios. It’s like the author is asking yourself what one would you choose. The stories swap in each story, with every chapter.
I really enjoyed this book. It has me hooked from the start. I read this in two sittings. It was gripping and intense and it teaches you about what is right from wrong. Gillian McAllister is an author to watch out for.
Thank you Penguin Michael Joseph and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

I’m still reeling from just how great this book is. Having made a snap decision to push her pursuer down some stairs Joanna then has the dilemma of whether to call for help and face the consequences or to flee the scene and keep it to herself. The narrative splits into chapters headed Reveal and Conceal as we see how life turns out for Joanna and the other characters depnding on the choice she makes. So while this may not be a unique idea, it works particularly well here. I’m sure all readers will be asking themselves what they would do in the same circumstances and I wonder how many might change their minds as the narrative progresses. I have never read anything quite like this before and I admire the way Gillian McAllister made both of the alternative outcomes so different but so convincing. I highly recommend this one.

A very cleverly written book akin to the movie sliding doors . Joanna pushes a stranger down some stairs and the decision she is to make will change lives .. Told in alternating chapters “conceal “ and “reveal “. a thought provoking read making you question what would you do and the consequences of our actions and decisions . My thanks to penguin and netgalley for the opportunity to read

Wow this is the first book I've read by this author. It's a great thought provoking read of a moral dilemma. After a Friday night out with her best friend Laura, Joanna's life at that of her family and friends changes forever. It's a very clever read, as you are actually reading two books in one. A man is following you, frightened and alone you push out at him, and he falls down the concrete stairs. You look down at his crumpled body. The time has come to choose, and in that split second what way do you go. Stay ring for help and except the consequences, or walk away tell no one and hope your secret is never found out. Both choices have consequences on your life, it's just deciding which you can live with.

Gillian McAllister is shaping up to be a must read writer. I loved her debut novel but she has outdone herself here, a brilliant book structured to deliver 2 separate storylines which chart the paths of what happens if our protagonist, Joanna, had decided either to reveal her unintended actions and come clean or concealed them and left the scene. Joanna and her friend, Laura, are out on a Friday night, in an overcrowded pub, when a unprepossessing man presses for a selfie and harasses Jo. The two women decide to leave and make their separate ways home. Jo walks along a canal and hears footsteps following her, becoming frightened and certain that the man from the pub is after her, she makes the momentous and instinctive decision to push the man down concrete stairs. He looks dead, and it is at this juncture that we are given alternating chapters, delivered from Jo's perspective, giving the many and wide ranging repercussions on Jo's life and those close to her in the two different scenarios, of concealing or revealing. McAllister does a superb job in outlining the difficulties women face and just how vulnerable they are in social situations generally and out on the streets on dark nights, I imagine most women have experience of the fear of being followed at night, I certainly have.

Jo is a indecisive character who has struggled to stick to anything, often facing ridicule from her family circle, and is married to the supporting and loving Reuban. We come to appreciate the impact of Jo's decision on her entire life. It should be clear cut that Jo doing the right thing and owning up to her actions will benefit her, but as Jo is arrested and faces trial and the might of the British judicial system, her terrifying ordeal makes you question the wisdom of doing the right thing. Concealing her actions and running away brings with it the never ending and pressing guilt which Jo understandably finds difficult to handle. Each scenario is embellished with details that add to the plausibility of the story and lend overtones of reality. What is clear is that the old Jo is going to have to change and confront her issues if she is to survive in each scenario. For Jo, it is a journey of learning and discovering exactly who she as she expands her sense of identity as the stresses and implications of her situations hit hard.

McAllister writes an intelligent and instructive 'what if' novel with flair and style, it feels so real and authentic, and it could so easily happen to anyone of us as we ask ourselves what would we do? It is intricately plotted and her research is apparent in the presentation of the judicial system and the law. It is a gripping, compelling, and fast paced read that draws in the reader with ease. It is emotionally engaging as we invest in Jo's fate, waiting with bated breath to see what happens to her. The greatest strength of the book are the flawed and complex characters, not just Jo, but others, like Reuban, developed to feel authentic to us. This is a morality tale with no easy answers, and touches on just how an unintended act can lead to a life spiralling out of control. A brilliant and highly recommended novel. Many thanks to Penguin Michael joseph for an ARC.

I really struggled to get into this one, kept going back to it and giving it another go but it wasn't for me, sorry.

Not for me, I struggled with this if I'm honest. It's not what I thought it would be. Too much too-Ing and fro-ing like sliding doors, it didn't grip me at all.

Everything we think and say and do has consequences for ourselves and for others. Like ripples on a pond our actions spread out and affect others because everything is interconnected. And we need to remember that our actions are irreversible. Gillian McAllister has explored this concept beautifully in, Anything you do Say. This was a page turning and gripping psychological thriller with brilliant characterisation. The storyline was simple but well told. Very enjoyable read. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK Michael Joseph and Gillian McAllister for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. A brilliant debut that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, with twists and turns that keep you guessing right up until the final page has been turned. A thriller with a difference that I highly recommend.

A thrilling and surprising 5 stars.

Anything You Do Say by Gilliam McAllister gripped from the first few pages. It’s a fairly simple story, but told brilliantly, with the kind of page-turning suspense that make you go to bed earlier and earlier just so you can race to the finish.

It’s the story of Joanna, who commits a serious crime without intending to. In one thread of the story, she confesses and is charged (the reveal chapters) and in the other, she runs home and pretends she was never even there (the conceal chapters). This makes for an intriguing read that makes the reader squirm at how uncomfortable each situation is for Joanna, and without spoiling it for you, I can safely say that I couldn’t put this down, and didn’t want to.

This is the second novel from Gillian McAllister and all I can say is, put me down for the third one too!

Amazing from start to finish, loved it. Will be recommending to all my friends!

This is a truly gripping, expertly-executed thrilled with a brilliant conceit. So. Good.

Would you? Wouldn't you? Moral brain-scratching and a chance to see what would happen both ways...

4.5 stars

I loved Sliding Doors, and love the sort of novels that allow you to see different paths resulting from the same action (also see 'The Versions of You'). The premise here is simple - a woman, harassed at a nightclub, walks home and is followed. She pushes the man and he falls down some steps, obviously badly injured, possibly fatally. Does she stay, call the police and face the consequences or walk away and home, away from responsibility but laden down with guilt?

McAllister's book takes us down both paths at the same time, switching from one scenario 'reveal' to the other 'conceal'. We watch both scenarios affect her relationship with her husband, her peace of mind, her way of life.

Consequences is the heart of the story - what would happen IF... Both ways, I thought Joanna took decisions I wouldn't have done, and her character is a hard one to warm too, she's a procrastinator, someone who starts things but never finishes, takes up a habit then drops it, never fulfilling her potential or finding her passion. We get to see what a life might be like either charged with a crime or charged with guilt and regrets.

The structure worked well, and it was easy to keep apace with both storylines. The husband, perfect as he is for most of the book, annoyed me with his overwhelming love and adoration, though he does get an emotional scene to show his humanity, thank goodness.

Loved watching the plots unravel, making my own moral judgements from a distance - it's always easy to, isn't it? You can see though, how it would so easily happen to anybody and each of us would also be stuck in the same position, wondering if we do right by someone else or save our own skin.

A wonderful choice for a book group, and a fast-moving thought-provoking read for anyone who likes something a little different.

I enjoyed the development of Joanna in both scenarios, they both felt realistic in the ways she is forced to change and view herself honestly for once. It's the sort of story you are glad isn't your own, just as she feels another character is happy about in the book. Who knows when it might be, though....

With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

I was pretty blown away by this author's debut book Everything but the Truth when I read it earlier this year so I was pretty eager to get my hands on this, her follow up.
I say eager. I was also a bit scared as I always am when I am looking forward to something as there is always the chance it won't meet my expectations. I am very happy to say that not only did it meet them, it completely obliterated them.
So, Joanna is on a night out with her friend Laura and they get, shall we say, pestered by this guy who to put it in a nutshell, makes unwelcome physical advances to them, especially Joanna, although she does manage to shake him off. As the evening draws to a close and the two friends part company, Joanna starts to walk home via the canal and not long into her journey discovers that someone is following her. Coming to the conclusion that it is the guy from the pub and that he is out to avenge her spurning him earlier, as he nears her, she decides that attack is the best form of defence and he ends up at the bottom of a staircase. And here the book diverges into two discrete stories told in alternating chapters. One follows what happens if Joanna calls for help, the other follows the aftermath of her running away; each chapter being headed either "Conceal" or "Reveal"
It was at this point in the book that I started to really worry. I am not the best at concentration and following books sometimes and I was so scared that I would just get lost in who was who, and what was what and which Joanna et al we were talking about. Again, my fears went totally unfounded as with every chapter change, I was easily able to slip into the version of Joanna and the events that were happening to and around her without ever getting in a pickle.
I think that this was aided by the author's excellent characterisation. I would imagine that it could be quite tricky running two sets of near identical cast playing out different stories and keeping all the juggling balls in the air with respect to how they develop throughout the book. The characters were also all very easy for me to connect to / emote with. It was a bit weird, and admittedly, it did take me a little while to get my head round the differing thought and feeling I was having for the same character in the different threads of the book. Positive for one Joanna and negative for the other and then how these feelings switched as I went on the moral journey with the both of them, often several times through the book.
Pacing was excellent and attention to detail and research was evident. The whole thing came across as completely credible in every scenario presented.
All the way through I was trying to work out how on earth the author would end the book. How could she possible wrap all this up to my satisfaction? And you know what, without giving spoilers, she nailed it good and proper, leaving me not only completely satisfied at the outcome of both threads but, at the same time, leaving me with quite a bit to mull over.
Of course, those of you who are reading this review after having read the book will also know that there was a third option that Joanna could have taken that night. One whose outcome could have been a whole lot different to the two scenarios played out. I wonder how her life would have changed if she had taken that option.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. I really can’t wait to see what Ms McAllister serves up for her next course.

This book is like a breath of fresh air amongst so many current psychological thrillers about missing children and sisters, psychotic spouses and lovers etc. I have no idea why it is being compared to Gone Girl and hope it won't put off people from reading it. Yes, 'sliding doors' scenario is not the most original one (but hasn't everything been done before?), but it is written in a way that any one of us can relate to and imagine happening. This is a story that will make you think and want to discuss with others, which surely a sign of a good book. I can't wait to read more from this very talented author.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

4.5 stars. This gripping psychological thriller had me hooked from the first page. It is essentially two entire books told from two different viewpoints of how the main character reacted to a situation. It was so cleverly written and very easy to follow. Would highly recommend this book