Member Reviews
An interesting and thought provoking read. Loved the "sliding doors" theme. What would you do? An engrossing read which had me immersed in the storyline at an early stage.
Such a good book! Joanne makes a mistake one night and from then on her future takes two very different paths.
This has hit all over it!
Wow, I absolutely loved this book.
Joanna is happy and content with her life and avoids anything that makes her life complicated. Every Friday night she spends with her best friend Laura, they head the a bar and enjoy some girls time. While in the pub Joanna is noticed by a male who makes her feel very uncomfortable, he flirts and grabs her, she is frozen in fear. Finally getting away and leaving the bar, Joanna starts her walk home, she hears footsteps behind her and thinks she is being followed by the same male from the bar. In a matter of seconds her life changes forever, she has to make a fast decision, will she stay or will she run?
This is a fantastic book, its keep the reader engaged by following two time lines in Joanna's life. If you're looking for a psychological thriller to keep you guess what next then i highly recommend this book. I look forward to reading more from this author.
I adored the concept of this book, I loved the characters etc however I found overall it was a tad underwhelming. It dealt with huge issues with sexual assault and murder, but it was overall just.. meh. Which is such a shame as I thought it had huge potential
I absolutely loved this book; a mash up of Sliding Doors and The Night Of. Joanna Oliva is heading home from a night out with her best friend when she believes she is being followed by a man who was bothering her earlier in the night. Convinced she is going to be attacked she pushes him away and he is left injured and unconscious. At this point the story splits into Conceal (where Joanna leaves the man and the lies begin) and Reveal (where she comes to his aid, calls an ambulance and must deal with the repercussions of her actions). I was gripped from the beginning and could not put it down; it was fascinating to see the differences in Joanna's relationships with friends and colleagues in each time slip. A book I would happily read again and I can't wait for Gillian's next!!
A clever and different concept but one I found difficult to keep track of
This is a story of Jo who makes a mistake in a single moment. The author explores the two options she has in the aftermath of the mistake.. both paths have serious consequences
This book kept me hooked throughout, the characters are warm, rich and likeable. The stories flow naturally and flipping between them is not at all disjointed as is often the case.
I would thoroughly recommend this book.
Can't wait for more from this author.
I enjoyed the 'sliding doors' angle to this book which i haven't seen before. I did find Jo a bit of an annoying character but this did not detract from the enjoyment of the story.
You do something bad, very bad, life-changing - but no-one knows: do you call it in and take the consequences, or walk away...?
McAllister has written a gripping page-turner which also forces us to probe our own consciences as we watch what happens for both of Joanne's choices. The Sliding Doors-style dual narrative makes this work but, at the same time, the 'reveal' narrative is the one which held me, the 'conceal' had me skimming impatiently. It's clever, though, how the two stories diverge then converge again.
The 'reveal' narrative, as well as making for disturbing and scary reading (we could all be there, couldn't we?), proves that twist-upon-twist and out-of-control plotting really isn't needed to make commercial fiction into a one-sitting read. Frightening plausibility, attention to detail, and meticulous research made this a winner for me.
Such a good story subject, one incident 2 ways of responding to it and their consequences. We like to think we would do the right thing in a situation but what happens if we don't.? Joanna made me cross with her flakiness and indecision, but then she grew up . An interesting way to explore different scenarios in response to a crime. My heart was in my mouth more than once, this level of involvement doesn't happen to me very often. Last time was with Girl On The Train. A book club choice definitely.
I found this a book that is hard to categorise. It is a story of a woman facing a choice about revealing or concealing and explores the implications of each. It is hard to see the point of it or to enjoy it as a story. In a different context the quality of writing and characterisation could have been good but not,for me, in this story line.
This has been the first time I have read the work of Gillian McAllister, but I hear her first book was very good, so I went in with very high hopes. Well I was not let down; I could not put the book down. I found the storyline gripping and couldn't help but feel sorry for the main character! The chapters were short and readable in between household chores.
I initially found the beginning of the book slightky confusing and I felt that I was unable to completely follow the story line,in the first 4 chapters.
It wasn't until chapter 5 that I realised that there were 2 stories within 1 book. The two stories were; reveal and conceal. The chapters that were named Reveal, told the story of what happened if Johanna rings the ambulance and stays with the stranger that she has 'assaulted' , being arrested and going down the legal route. Whereas the chapters labelled 'Conceal' tells Johanna's story as if she had hidden the incident and ran home to her loving husband. Brilliant way of writing a storyline, highlights how one small action can affect the outcome. I think in order to put the two storylines across more clearly, the two view points should be put in to two different fonts to help prevent possible confusion. After this realisation, I enjoyed the book more.
The story follows Johanna had visited a bar with a friend, only to be sexually assaulted by a man named Sadiq. After leaving the bar due to the innocent, Johanna and her friend go separate ways to their homes. Johanna walks down by the canals, she hears foot steps behind her, getting closer and closer, until she pushes the guy whom she believes to be pervert Sadiq down 7 steps. Now the book splits; in conceal when the incident is reported on the news that a seventeen year old boy is found, Johanna ran from the scene instead of staying, calling an ambulance and carrying out the resuscitation of the man like she did in Reveal chapters, this leads to the crime being committed as murder rather than assault. Whereas, in reveal Johanna is arrested for the assault, after ringing the ambulance and preforming CPR.
Great read, it makes you think how the way you deal in certain situations can lead you down two completely different paths. Johanna is always a flight type of person in her life,running away from any type of responsibility. She needs to know make a life changing decision, will she tell the truth or hide away from it? Will she choose right or wrong?
If you are a fan of Gone Girl, and thrillers like such, Anything You Do Say will have you at the end of your seat, always wanting more! What a great read!
Anything You Do Say is not the best psychological thriller i have read this year but it had me gripped in places.Joanna is on a night out with her best friend Laura when she becomes the subject of some unwanted attention in a bar from a man,having giving him the brush off she leaves for home.But that is when her nightmare begins as she thinks she is being followed by the same man and as he draws near Joanna reacts in a way which changes her life.The story is told in a style of should Joanna tell the truth or should she conceal what has occurred ? her husband Reuben is a black and white kind of man and soon latches on to the fact something is troubling Joanna.Will the truth be revealed or not ? A steady 4 star read for me which did get a bit bogged down at times but i would still recommend this book.
A very clever story indeed! A snap decision - truth or lie, and the outcome of each choice written in alternate chapters. I loved this book it kept my attention and was cleverly and well written. The outcome of the choices we make and have to live with, how they on decision can shape your life and everyone around you!
Wow!! What a book. I honestly can't remember the last time a book made me feel the way this one did I could not put it down. I felt like I'd done something wrong by the time I'd finished reading it and for a book to have my heart pounding my nails bitten and my nerves shot, is amazing the story is brilliant it's an easy 'could happen to me' book and I really connected with the characters. I'd definitely 100% recommend it
I would like to thank Penguin UK-Michael Joseph and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Anything You Do Say’ by Gillian McAllister in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Joanna has never been able to come to a decision and has always procrastinated over every decision she’s ever had to make. One evening whilst in a bar with her friend Laura a man starts sexually bothering her. They leave early and during Jo’s walk home she hears a man following her. Believing it to the man in the bar she runs along a canal and up some concrete steps, but when the man gets close to her she accidently pushes him down the steps. When he doesn’t move she stands there undecided on whether to ring for an ambulance or run away.
Gillian McAllister has very cleverly written two books in one – of what happens when Jo conceals the truth and the consequences, and the other when she rings for an ambulance and the police arrest her for GBH. The novel moves easily between ‘Reveal’ and ‘Conceal’ proving that once a lie has been told even more lies have to be fabricated to avoid being caught out.
I was completely absorbed with ‘Anything You Do Say’ which I found compulsive reading. I was so involved with the characters that I wasn’t sure how it was going to end, therefore the conclusion came as a great surprise. This is an excellent novel and one I can thoroughly recommend.
This is the story of Joanna and Reuben, her husband. One Friday night Joanna goes out with her friend Laura. What happens later changes her whole life, and also the lives of all of her friends and family. The action then splits into two separate stories, telling the consequences of each decision as Joanna wrestles with her conscience, and Reuben has to live with her decisions, and make some crucial ones of his own.
The ending(s) draw together to a satisfactory conclusion. (I don't want to give too much away.)
I read on into the early hours, not wanting to put it down; this is a very well-written novel and one of the best I have read for a long time.
I wasn't sure I'd get into reading this book when I saw the "sliding doors" comparison but I'm so glad I persisted. Each chapter is gripping with Joanna's problems and dilemmas so easy to sympathise with. Incredibly well written and I can't wait to read others
With thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Random House UK for the opportunity to read this ARC. Opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Laura and Joanna. Enjoying a Friday drink as they do most weeks. A crowded bar. A swarthy bloke with a smart-phone. Pushes in for a selfie. Takes an aggressive fancy to Joanna. Grabs her, pushes against her. A frisson of fear invades the atmosphere. “Leave us alone…” The girls escape and leave the bar. They go their different ways. Joanna takes Warwick Avenue, away from Little Venice and towards the canal. She is being followed and her life is about to change - forever. A moment of panic, on the bridge over the canal, she pushes him. A bad fall - hits his head, lands in a heap at the bottom of the steps.
Two ways to go, two choices. Fight or flight. Call the emergency services or leave him and run? Parallel lines, different outcomes. Two stories in one book. Damned if she doesn’t, damned if she does.
Comparisons to ‘Sliding Doors’ are inevitable. Two stories, two outcomes, one final destination. But Gillian Mcallister handles this with tremendous skill. To develop two outcomes with such credulity and power is masterful. The pace, whichever route you follow, is relentless. Reveal or conceal. Beautifully written with a forensic eye for detail.
I cannot say much else for fear of giving away too much. I can say that you won’t read a better book this year…
The premise of this book was Good, an incident happens and the chapters after are conceal or reveal. Following what would happen if Jo fled from the crime scene thus living with her guilty conscience. Or stay and face the consequences of her actions.
I skimmed most sections as it dragged and I couldn't keep interested. Jo was a bit annoying but her boyfriend was even worse. I didn't feel like there were any strong characters to like.