This book started off very well but as the story divided into reveal / conceal and the two stories grew further apart I became confused and lost interest

Joanna spends her time avoiding her life, from confrontations to her career choices. Until one day something happens that she cannot avoid. She hears steps behind her and what happens next will change her life forever. Should she stand and face the consequences or try and avoid the fallout like she has been doing all her life.

This story is told in reveal chapters and conceal chapters. I reveal chapters she faces the problem and it conceals, she avoids the tragedy and hopes nothing will happen.

I loved this book. Joanna is a pathetic woman, who has a lovely home and family but she just cannot see it. Her story runs in alternating chapters telling how her life goes on depending on her decision that fateful night.

Surprising I found myself wondering which way I would turn because the correct way isn’t always the right and easy option.

I found this book quite harrowing at times as it seems Joanna just cannot get a break. I will not explain too deeply for fear of spoiling the plot, I will just say that you should not make up your mind as to what you would do until you have read to the end.

A fantastic and well-written book with lots of interesting moral dilemmas.

Shesat

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I'm sure we would all like to think that we would do the right thing when something happens but would we? This is the exact scenario that our main character Joanna finds herself in when an impulse reaction causes her to strike out resulting in her pushing her 'assailant' down some stairs. Should she stay and call for help or distance herself from the scene? This is the sliding doors concept that Gillian McAllister has written in her second book where in alternate chapters, reveal and conceal, we follow Joanna in the days, months and years after as she lives with the consequences of her actions and decision on that fateful night.

Joanna as a character was someone I really struggled to relate to, or warm to, so I have to confess I had little sympathy for her as to how things seemed to be panning out for her whilst reading. But at the same time I could also understand why she was the way she was as other than her husband Reuben, who I also had moments of doubt about, she didn't really have anyone there by her side... sure she had family and friends but they all seemed a bit superficial.

The pacing and structure of this book with the conceal/reveal chapters worked really well, and I will admit to making my own moral judgements as I was reading about the decisions she was making and the way she was treating those close to her especially her husband. But as a reader it is so easy to be judgemental but really we don't know how we would cope if anything like this ever happened to us. And that's what I loved so much about this book, we got to see how things developed and unravelled in both scenarios as it felt so realistic. Overall I found this a very intense, thought provoking read that definitely makes you think and extremely grateful that it's not you having to make the decisions!

My review as posted on Goodreads:

I like the use of alternating chapters entitled 'Conceal' or 'Reveal' as the vehicle to unlock the events.

In some respects this is a predictable book, in other ways it is full of surprises. I will try to avoid spoiling the story. The book is:

A story of love and loss.
A story of guilt and confession.
A story about the workings of the legal system

I liked the way in which the characters were developed. The book had pace and the ending(s) were credible.

I will look out for future books by Gillian McAllister on the strength of this novel.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) for a copy of this book in return for this review.

You are a woman walking home alone late at night when you realise someone is following you, edging closer and closer. What do you do in this terrifying scenario?

Joanna finds herself in this very situation, and in fear, she pushes her unknown assailant down a flight of stairs, where he remains face down, lying in an awkward position, unconscious. Should she do the right thing by calling an ambulance, explaining her motives for pushing her pursuer, or should she do what she does best, avoid the situation, by escaping the scene of the crime.

The author does a brilliant job by taking us into Joanne's two possible futures, spoiling the reader with two stories in one, in alternating chapters titled 'reveal', where Joanna reports her transgression, and the other story titled 'conceal', where she hides what she has done.

It is a story of fight or flight, right or wrong, with mere moments to decide which path to take. It's a story of how that one decision made in panic can irrevocably change the course of your life and the life of those around you. It's a story that examines people's beliefs and choices, forcing you to review your own morals, making one think, " what would I do?" But as we learn, there is no clear cut black and white situation of right and wrong, it's a situation that no matter which choice is made, each option has its repercussions and neither grants absolution.

With wonderfully descriptive writing, I could not help putting myself in each character's humanly imperfect shoes, feeling an array of emotions: fear; anxiety; sadness; frustration; anger; betrayal...you name it.

Intelligent, fresh and different, this thought provoking, frighteningly realistic tale had me wishing I could read faster in order to discover the outcome.

The Gillian McAllister did a brilliant job in the way she concluded this book, a true master of her craft, I am in awe at how she tied it up so beautifully.

This book will most definitely make the cut as one of my favourite books of the year. Many thanks to the the author, Netgalley and Penguin UK- Michael Joseph, for the privilege of allowing me an ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

A Sliding Doors type tale. Joanna, happily married to Reuben, but something of an under achiever is on her usual Friday night out with friend Laura when events take a turn that changes everything. Depending which decision she makes her life will take a path she could never have imagined. This is a page turner, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It is somewhat scary to realise that a chance event could lead to your life spiralling out of control.

It's the end of the night. You're walking home on your own. Then you hear the sound every woman dreads. Footsteps. Behind you. Coming fast. You're sure it's him - the man from the bar who wouldn't leave you alone.You make a snap decision. You turn. You push. Your pursuer tumbles down the steps. He lies motionless, face-down on the floor. Now What?
And that’s the big question. Told as a dual narrative (reveal and conceal) the story explores what would happen in either scenario. A brilliant, captivating, thought provoking read, which will keep you up reading long into the night – at least it did me!

I am not sure how I feel about this book. It was like reading a story in parallel universes, same characters but different outcomes. Very interesting concept, well written with clearly defined characters. I needed to stay fully involved to stay in touch but definitely had to finish the book.

It's been a while since I was truly gripped by a novel and kept sneaking away from real life to read just one more chapter!

Anything You Do Say opens with a scene that could be from your life - a night out with a close friend, catching up on life, having a few drinks. You get hit on by a stranger, and a persistent creepy one at that, to the point that you and your friend decide to call it a night and head off in separate directions home. As you walk alone, you hear footsteps behind you. You pick up the pace...and so does whoever's following you. You're convinced it's the creepy guy from the bar. You're alone, it's dark, you're terrified. Eventually, he's right behind you. You don't look. You just push. He falls down the steps near a canal, and lies there motionless.

Now what?

This is the situation Joanna finds herself in.

The novel then splits off into two narratives - Conceal and Reveal. Like one of my favourite films, Sliding Doors, you see what happens in parallel to the same person if they had made a different decision.

In one storyline, Joanna chooses to call 999, hands herself in to the police and can only hope that the people she loves will stand by her.

In the other, she leaves the scene, panicked and numb, and tells no one what happened.

I was completely engrossed in this novel as the story played out and Joanna grappled with the aftermath of this incident in both scenarios. The anxiety, guilt and fear that she feels - in both storylines - is palpable and will have you turning the pages! Given what's been in the news lately about harrassment, I really empathised with Jo's reasoning that her action that night was likely brought on by decades of unwanted attention, feeling frightened and vulnerable. But the novel really makes you question your own morals too, and the sobering reality that the law is, as Aristotle put it, "reason free from passion" dawns on you...as it does Joanna. You can be a good person but still do the wrong thing in the eyes of the law.

I was shocked by how detached and unsupportive Joanna's husband seemed to be. I would have thought he would have lied to the police, done anything to protect her and keep her out of prison. My husband and I had a really interesting discussion after I read the book, about whether it is reasonable to expect your spouse to hide your guilt! It's the sort of story that certainly makes you wonder how you would react if you were ever in the same situation, for sure.

Anything You Do Say is a meticulously researched, compelling, gripping and heartbreaking book. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC.

Jo lives in a London bubble with her husband Reuben, working in a mobile library, starting projects, but never seeing them through, and generally avoiding anything that makes her uncomfortable.
Then on a night out with her friend Laura, she is approached by a man who won’t leave her alone, and on her way home she believes that he is following her.

What happens next changes her life forever, and the book then follows the two paths that she could take. In alternating chapters, we see how each path affects her life and relationships.

I disliked this book on so many levels.
I felt that the reader was supposed to have sympathy for both Joanna’s – I certainly didn’t. I found her extremely self-centred, with no real feel for the dreadful thing that had happened.
None of the characters were appealing, and I found it hard accept the way it trivialised the enormity of what happened into something to bounce off others people’s feelings.
I am sure the police procedure, etc were correct and found that part interesting, but did not like the book or its premise.
…….and the ending……for me, totally wrong.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read this book.

Anything You Do Say is a very sad and thought provoking Sliding Doors-esque story that shows how one split second decision can change lives so completely. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and although I didn’t come away feeling happy I certainly came away feeling like I’d had an immersive and emotive experience.
I was kindly sent a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The story parts at a particular moment of decision and then follows two different lines in alternating chapters, neither of which are easy or comfortable. In the end the story loops round to meld again into one future.
The lead character is likeable and her panicked misinterpretation of events is understandable, does she call for help or run away? From that point the experiences are very different but equally harrowing, equally destructive. The description of the psychological impact of her experiences seems realistic, as does the police procedural aspect. Their area of London and the different characters are well drawn.
I enjoyed reading the story, it would make a good film. I've given 4 stars because the alternating chapter format wasn't signposted clearly enough for me, and I found it a little confusing and strained at times.

I think it was the reference to "Sliding Doors" that got my attention enough to want to read this book. It's clear from the beginning that the book follows that format with headers to chapters of Reveal and Conceal to distinguish which timeline of events you are reading about. Did Joanna "Reveal" what had happened that night, or did she "Conceal" it. I still got a little confused at times with which story line I was reading, but not for very long.

Unfortunately I think the Sliding Doors reference does this book a big injustice as it is such a powerful tale, one I really didn't want to carry on reading at times. A little like car crash tv - you don't want to look but you can't help yourself. So realistic and thought provoking, as the situation Joanna finds herself in - it could happen to anyone. I'm still not sure what I would have done either.

All the characters are so believable they felt like people I've met and know, I could identify with them and some of their traits. They whole book plays out wonderfully and time and again I found myself thinking - all from those few minutes this happens. I will admit to shedding a few tears - especially at the end of the book. Who knew a thriller would have you crying?

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. I have the utmost respect for any one who can write a novel. But this is by far the best book I have read this year and I am in awe of Gillian's skill in telling this story - twice!.

Wow! Another winner from this author. One of THE best books of this year, an absolute must read.

I found myself to be quite moved by the story with all of its issues.. The two stories intertwine well and I could not put this down. This is definitely worth a read!

I very much enjoyed this book. It wasn't quite what I expected given the cover and title, but I enjoyed this exploration of how a single moment changes a woman's life forever. I wasn't sure that I would enjoy the 'sliding doors' concept but the author handled it perfectly, so that the sections married perfectly and gave this thriller a really interesting and different angle. I would highly recommend

How many times have you said to yourself "what would have happened if only I'd done/not done that....?" Obviously you can't know - but this book follows two very different paths that the heroine (?) could take when faced with a particular situation, and the "ripples" that result from each pathway.

Intriguing concept for a book - reminded me of a movie "Sliding Doors" in some ways. That's all I'm saying as I don't want to give away the plot.

This is an extraordinary book. It is sensitively and perceptively written. So very moving - it turned my emotions upside down. Joanna suffers sexual harassment in a public house. This unnerves her so greatly that she mistakenly mishandles a situation that occurs on her way home and continues to make cataclysmic mistakes. My first thought was - what would I have done in her situation. Food for debate on that one. I would have taken a taxi (night-time in London streets) from the pub and averted disaster or made out it was an unfortunate accident. She and her husband Reuben are a delightfully unconventional couple. Their characters are painted so vividly. I am ashamed to confess I didn't quite twig what was going on at first in the plot and became frightfully confused at times. Then I recalled the film Sliding Doors and all became clear to a point. What most enthralled to me was how Joanna invented lives for people. I do exactly the same usually examining eyes and body language. I try to guess what their lives are like, if they are sad, happy or lonely, going to a job interview, wondering how to make ends meet and if they are recovering from a sadness past or present. In the aftermath of the incident I was intrigued how it affected so many lives (family and friends) and the way they dealt with it. I couldn't help thinking a good title would have been "The Thing" as that was mentioned a lot. Fantastic read. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin. I shall post this on my blog or whatever is available when the new UK site is up and running after publication.

Sliding doors type plot where an incident happens and the book outlines what happens when the lead character reveals what happens and what happens when she doesn't. Couldn't get into this book at all. - the concept was a good one but I just couldn't connect with the lead character and didn't find her particularly likeable.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Anything You Do Say - I found this novel extremely hard to get into. The two narratives in alternating chapters pulled me out of each storyline in a jarring way. After a few chapters, I was so frustrated that I just read the 'reveal' narrative first and then the ' conceal' narrative afterwards and this was a way to finish the book. I didn't warm towards the main characters at all and I thought both plots were far-fetched in places. I was glad to reach the end each time. Although I found this an infuriating book that was trying to be different for the sake of it, I did like the author's writing style.and give three stars for this alone. I received a copy from net galley for a fair review.