This is a reasonable psychological drama in the style of 'Sliding Doors'. After a night out goes disastrously wrong, Joanna's life will be changed forever. To what degree depends on whether she does the 'right' thing or the 'wrong' thing.

I liked the way the parallel stories are written in alternating chapters in this book but I really disliked Joanna.
This is mainly because of her constant internal babbling and making up people's backstories in her head. This distracted from the story, I thought, and spoiled my enjoyment of the book to a certain degree. Her husband, Reuben, is a very good character though.

An okay read but not a favourite, unfortunately.

Gillian McAllister has created a wholly satisfying and complex novel. It is essentially two stories both of which have enough detail and depth to be sustained on their own. Joanna finds herself in a situation where she can follow one of two paths- either to run and leave the man she pushes, hoping he is unhurt, or stay and inform the authorities. In alternating chapters, we find out how both scenarios pan out and how the consequences of either decision ripple out, affecting so many people.

In the centre of both stories is Joanna, who before the accident has spent her life avoiding situations, never really feeling happy in her own skin. As a reader, you can't help but identify with her in every stage and think 'What would I have done?' I particularly admire how you are led to consider moral and ethical questions and also how the author shows that neither course of action works out smoothly. There is no black and white solution.

The relationships between the characters are detailed and beautifully drawn, and the decisions and actions in both 'Reveal' and 'Conceal' sections are the product of character. That is to say, the stories develop through the characters. This adds to the feeling of authenticity, together with the obviously painstaking research into the police and legal procedures. Although this is a psychological thriller with much tension and suspense, it is also a novel with plenty of light and shade. It has to be one of the most impressive books I have read this year.

In short: an original and thought provoking read.

I like to think that if I made a mistake, big or small, I would do the right thing, but when faced with what the consequences are, could I? Conceal or Reveal.......what would you do?

This story begins with Joanna and Laura, best friends on a night out, catching up and having fun. A young guy gets chatting to them and starts to get over familiar with Joanna, this makes her uncomfortable and the girls decide to leave. After going their separate ways Joanna hears footsteps behind her and, convinced it's the creepy guy from the bar she quickens her pace, but he does too. As he gets closer she turns and pushes him away, sending him crashing down the steps where he lies unconscious in a puddle. What should she do, call for help or make her getaway?

The story then splits into two scenarios, Conceal and Reveal, and the consequences attached to whichever path Joanna decided to take.

This is the first I've read by this author and the concept is pure genius, this book makes you sit up and really think about how you would react if you were faced with the same predicament as Joanna. I really enjoyed it and look forward to reading her debut novel which is sat on my ever growing tbr list. I would like to thank Penguin Books - Michael Joseph for the approval and will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

I absolutely loved Gillian McAllisters debut novel Everything but The Truth as you can see from my review HERE

So I couldn’t wait to read Anything You Do Say as I just had to find out if Gillian McAllister could match the magic of her wonderful debut. And you know what? She absolutely has! This is such a thought provoking read with an intriguing plot that has been very carefully crafted then given a very clever delivery. It packed an emotional punch that left me mentally drained by the end but I absolutely loved it. No other book has made my head ache as much this year as I had to ask myself…. what would I have done? We all like to think that we would always do the right thing in this type of situation but until we are actually faced with a dilemma of this magnitude, we can’t honestly say what we would be prepared to do. And we have all been there haven’t we? Just had that millisecond of hesitation before doing “the right thing”. But what if that right thing is actually the wrong thing? How do you know and more importantly, which path will it take you down?

I think the Sliding Doors comparison gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect from the plot here. That a decision made by Joanna, when she pushes her supposed attacker down a flight of steps, leads to two parallel timelines. One is the Reveal ….where she calls the police to tell them what happened and the other is the Conceal ….where she decides to leave the man laying where he fell and just goes home. Both storylines carry a fascinating insight into the mindset of our main protagonist Joanna as well as her relationship with her husband Reuben. Reuben was a complex personality and I was never quite sure whether I liked him or not. My feelings for him remained undecided throughout both sides of this moral dilemma as I watched this couple struggle to come to terms with the decision that had been made. The initial act of violence, although committed by a frightened woman as an act of perceived self defence, caused a ripple effect that became distorted by the underlying truth of what really happened and Joannas unexpected journey of self discovery.

I was gripped from first page till last here. Completely engrossed equally in each timeline desperate to see how Joanna copes with the fallout of both scenarios. Gillian McAllister emotionally involves her readers, immersing them completely in her own style and uniquely conceived concepts. Her ideas and the way she developed them made me love every single minute of this book This talented author has now become one of my very favourites, captivating me with her intelligent and well thought out storylines. Very highly recommended by me.

I would like to thank the publisher for the copy received for review.

After an evening out goes disastrously wrong, Joanna has to make a decision quickly. Being honest with the police and her family or running away from scene. Whichever path she chooses there will be consequences.
‘Conceal’ is the version where Joanna decides to stay quiet. Because she didn’t act the situation is worse for her and the man she leaves on the footpath. She feels guilty, loses a lot of weight and pushes away everybody she is close to.
‘Reveal’ is where she does act and gets help for the young man but places herself in a situation where she could go to prison.

Which ever decision she took would have consequences on the rest of her life. Which would you do?

Both scenarios were fascinating but I found it easier to like and have sympathy for Joanna in ‘reveal’ . The reader is introduced to a character who has always felt that she has had to prove herself. Especially to her family, who seemed to take satisfaction in ridiculing her at family get togethers. She never stuck to anything, hung up on being a failed Oxford graduate. In ‘conceal’ you also saw a different side to her, the guilt and desperation taking over and her punishing the ones who loved her.

There were a few characters I liked in both versions. These were her husband Reuben, a strong character who loved her for who she was, her brother Wilf and her colleague Ed. All three were close to her and all could have helped if she let them.

It did take me a while to get used to the narrative. I have never read anything like it before. It is dual narrative with a difference, often the same scene played with the same characters, same time but a different outcome. You could easily enjoy both as two different novels. One of the more unusual novels that I have read this year.

What a clever book, everything we do has consequences and that is the crux of this book in conceal and reveal chapters we see how this is and how it could be.What a brilliant idea, and totally different to anything I have ever read before.I was a little slow on the uptake and had to reread some of the early part of the book to catch onto what was happening , but once I had got my brain in gear I loved it. I am not going to give much away but you really can picture your self in the situation of the main character quite easily, it could happen to anyone, wrong place, wrong time scenario and we could all be in this position, and that makes the decisions made and the alternatives all the more real and interesting.It is a page turner all right and I stayed up way too late reading it, I would recommend anyone starting this book to set aside a chunk of time because it will grab you and I honestly think this will be a massive hit and the sort of book that gets people thinking and talking about it.I am very grateful to the Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Oh wow! What Gillian McAllister has created here is nothing short of exceptional - two novels in one in only her second book! I'm sure many an established author would shy away from such a challenge with the others wishing they had written it.

If I had to describe Joanna in one word it would be 'imaginative', so when she hears footsteps behind her after a night out she thinks it is the man she spurned in the bar. As the footsteps get closer, Joanna reaches out and pushes her would-be attacker down the steps she is about to descend. His momentum propels him forward at speed and he lies bent and broken at the bottom of the steps. In that split second, Joanna must decide whether to run or call for help. In a rare treat for readers, Gillian McAllister shows us the journey down both paths that Joanna will follow if she reveals or conceals her crime.

I thought it might get confusing with alternate 'reveal' and 'conceal' chapters but it really doesn't. In conceal, Joanna is eaten up with guilt and her lie snowballs out of control and threatens to crush her under its weight like the boulder chasing Indiana Jones through the tunnel. Even when Joanna reveals her crime she still can't help getting tangled up in a web of lies and her whole defence revolves around the one thing she is lying about: how long she hesitated before raising the alarm.

I do firmly believe that we have particular paths we are destined to follow in our lives. Even though sometimes there may be a fork in the road or roadworks causing a diversion, we ultimately get back on the path we should be on. Joanna's journey is just like this as whichever path she follows, reveal and conceal will merge together at the end but will leave very different casualties in their wake.

Anything You Do Say is such a thought-provoking and hugely entertaining book. At her fork in the road, I felt Joanna's fear and truly believed that she was afraid for her life so I can completely understand why she lashed out like she did. It's easy to say that you would rush to help an injured person, but would you be in such a rush if you thought that person meant to do you harm and may still be a danger to you? It's hard to say how you would react in such circumstances; with that spike of adrenaline and a thudding heartbeat in your ears, what would you do? This is the question that I'm sure every single reader of Anything You Do Say will ponder for many days, weeks, months and even years after reading this outstanding novel.

Oh you've upped the ante now, Gillian McAllister! I'm not sure how you plan to follow this but I can't wait to find out. You had me hooked with Everything But The Truth but Anything You Do Say is so extraordinary that it completely blew me away. This book is going to be a HUGE success so make sure you pick up a copy and see what everyone is raving about.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Wow what a book! Loved this - Joanna is married to Reuben and is someone who likes to put her head in the sand about most things , she isn't sure what she wants to do with her life - starts things but doesn't see them through. Her life is changed forever after a night out, on her way home she thinks she is being followed and in her panic pushes the man when he comes close . Then the story starts its a bit like the film Sliding doors - there are 2 possiblilities that come about from her actions and each chapter alternates between 'conceal' and 'reveal' and follows what happens depending on which decision she made . I was completely swept up with this book it was so frightening how one little decision can alter the rest of your life. I raced through this book desperate to know the outcome. A fab read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the copy.

This is the story of a woman who is given unwelcome attention by a man in a bar. When her and her friend leave, they part, and she then feels she is being followed, probably by the same man. She turns round and pushes him, causing him to fall down a flight of stair, and fall face down into a puddle of water.
The book then starts being confusing - chapters are headed Reveal or Conceal. In the conceal chapters the man dies. In the reveal chapters he ends up brain-damaged, but does recover.
Alternating the chapters make it very confusing, and the end of the book leaves you in the dark as to what happens....does she lose everything, or does she get it back?
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.

Gillian McAllister has a triumph on her hands with ‘Anything You Do Say’. Suspenseful in the extreme and completely different to any other novel I have read – and I read a LOT! With a tag-line of Gone Girl meets Sliding Doors I was intrigued, having read one and never seen the other (too busy reading), I found the blurb too tempting to ignore and I’m so happy I chose this book.

Joanna is clever, smart and has a very overactive imagination while the practicalities of her husband, Reuben, allow her to live life in her own little bubble. Following an ‘incident’, however, Joanna has choices to make about which direction to follow and this is where the author – very cleverly in my opinion – turns the story into alternating chapters, each showing what would happen if she chose one path or the other. I read this book in under 24 hours, so desperate was I to find out what happened next and I was not disappointed. And if you too want to know – read the book, I don’t do spoilers!

The research for this novel must have been immense and it is meticulous. I don’t for one moment think the author wrote from experience. Even if I wanted to find fault, I could not. Completely original and gob-smackingly good. Having already read Gillian McAllister’s debut novel, I am thrilled that the follow-up has maintained the high standard she set for herself and have no hesitation in recommending this one.

My considerable thanks to publishers Penguin for allowing me to access an arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, original and unbiased review.

We often wonder how things would have panned out if we'd taken a different route, did things differently, turned left instead of right. Well, this story does just that. It gives you two versions of one event based on a split second decision. The author achieves this superbly through alternating chapters - Reveal and Conceal.

I really enjoyed this novel, I thought it was clever and unique, and worked really well. I loved all the modern references and enjoyed being told the story via Joanna, the protagonist. All the characters felt very fleshy and believable,

Overall, an engaging and beautifully written thriller - different and enticing. I'll definitely be reading more from Gillian Mcallister in the future.

Really struggled with this, I found it very disjointed with the back and forth, really couldn't warm to the main character, did finish though, but not a favourite of mine

The construct of this novel is interesting. It explores two potential outcomes of one event in parallel time frames. The narrative starts well and initially proceeds at a good pace. However, it soon degenerates into seemingly endless hand ringing and self absorption.to the point where I couldn't get to the end quickly enough. Ironically the pace of the narrative picks up again for the interesting denouement. In my opinion, the book could be readily be reduced in length by about 40% by omitting every other pair of 'conceal/reveal'chapters.

I nearly didn't get on with this book because I struggled to like or emphasise with the main character Joanna at all. However I kept going and enjoyed a fascinating tale of guilt and redemption, truth and lies. It's hard to say too much more without giving plot details away so all I would say is stick with it, it's worth it.

This was a great book to read as it really made me feel like I needed to reflect on what I would have done, how it would have made me feel and how I would have coped. There are twists and turns throughout and the ending wasn't very predictable,

"It's so easy for false thoughts to pass through the net of your mind, not being caught, and to become truths"
This book is like two books in one - Conceal and Reveal - two different outcomes to the same event.
This is a very well written compelling read that makes you think. What would you have done? A split second decision, tell the truth, lie a little, consequences, relationships and the effects of actions.
A very enjoyable read that I would highly recommend.

Great premise for a book - the two realities depending on what action was taken but both have their consequences.

Anything You Do Say is a well-thought out exploration of what could happen to any young woman after a night out with friends.  

Joanna is thirty years old and has been married to Reuben for two years.  She's on a night out with her friend Laura and is harassed by a guy in the bar they're in.  Walking home on her own later, she hears footsteps behind her and reacts blindly, causing a dreadful accident.  The book then splits into two (usefully signposted as 'conceal' and 'reveal') narrating what happens if Joanna calls the police, or doesn't.

Although there's detail in the book about the legal processes in this country, that's not really what it's about.  Joanna's journey in both scenarios is more of a deconstruction of a character who has been shaped by other's expectations of her.  At thirty, she's not really sure of who she is, and is envious of other 'proper' people who seem to have it all worked out.  She's easily swayed and certainly doesn't have a vocation, instead preferring to work in a mobile library with her friend Ed, and have a mildly chaotic lifestyle propped up by her conscientious husband.  While no-one would choose to be in the situation Jo finds herself in, it does serve as a means for her to discover who she is and her inner strength.  It also takes a wry look at the role social media plays in most people's lives these days and how it can validate people's sense of themselves.

Ultimately this is a really satisfying book.  It's well written and cleverly plotted and although it's billed as a psychological thriller, I'd say it's not really a thriller as there's not a denouement as such, more Joanna's gradual understanding of how she has reached this place.

This book put me in mind of Sliding Doors. The main character is Joanna, a mobile librarian who goes out every Friday with her best friend. Whilst out one evening she is hassled by a man and they decide to leave early.

The friends part and walk in different directions and Joanna is convinced that the main who hassled her is now following her. The story is about what she chooses to do next and the implications of that decision on her, and all those involved or around her.

I really enjoyed this story and thought it was extremely well written. It makes you think on choices you have made in the past and if they would have taken you on a different route to where you are now.

Again, an emotionally intelligent page turner from Gillian McAllister. Gripping, sometimes moving, and peopled with nuanced, believable, yet memorable characters. A fantastically enjoyable read.