Once I started this book I could not put it down and read it in a matter of hours.

Chilling and captivating it will leave you wanting to keep reading in a frantic bid to get to its climax.

You hear so many stories on the news and social media of children being groomed or coerced into running away with adults but I have never before stopped to think about how it may affect them in later life or those around them.

Eighteen years ago Louise was groomed by someone she trusted. She didn’t know she was being groomed she thought he loved her and her him. It has badly affected her and her ability to have a normal loving relationship.

I am not going to reveal any further details of the storyline as I think that you will enjoy it best going into it ‘cold’. It is told from various characters points of view and is fast paced almost from the very first chapter. There was more than occasion where I gasped out loud!!

Overall a fantastic read!!! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I found The Fear really unsettling – as I had expected it to be – and really well-written. I don’t know why, but I really like reading psychological thrillers where the lead character loses their control and is merely swept along by events, even though they make me very uncomfortable and tend to stay with me. This book was no exception as Lou, although starting out with a plan to confront Mike, very quickly turned back into the groomed 14-year-old that she used to be.

What makes this book so uncomfortable is that Mike is the villain, and yet he is a normal bloke. There’s no indication outside of his dealings with Lou and Chloe to suggest that he is a paedophile, and so when Lou tries to warn people, no-one believes her. I suppose as a society we like to think that we could spot a paedophile a mile away, but this book is a wake up call in that regard!

This is the first book I’ve read by C. L. Taylor, but I was lucky enough to meet her at YALC 2017 and have a signed copy of The Treatment, her first YA book, to read – I’ll definitely be starting on that soon as her writing is superb, conveying domestic drama and suspense in a way that makes it compulsive reading.

Manipulation, grooming and revenge. Who is the liar? A colourful cocktail which is fast paced and credible with characters spinning into each other so you never quite know what they are going to do next. It has a streak of craziness running throughout and I loved it. Who will win out in the end? Is Mike as bad as some seem to think or is he an innocent caught up in a teenager’s romantic fantasy?

CL Taylor has written another brilliant unputdownable book. Once I started reading I found it difficult to stop. Lou’s life is still being affected by something that happened when she was fourteen. When she discovers that Mike ,the man she was involved with then,is up to his old tricks with unhappy thirteen year old Chloe she decides she must stop him . The story that follows shows that obsessive behaviour of any kind can impact badly on lives ,even if the person believes it to be life enhancing. A dark twist thriller of a read that will keep you guessing right until the disturbing end .

A very twisty and gripping thriller from C.L.Taylor which is actually the first adult book of hers I have read. Earlier this year I read her debut YA novel The Treatment and really enjoyed it so i think a delve back into her adult books is very much required.
I absolutely loved how this book switched back and forth through different characters and from past to present. It was incredibly well written, there was mystery surrounding who one of the characters was and of course I didn't guess because I am useless at figuring mysteries out.
Mike, the man who groomed Louise when she was a teenager was incredibly manipulative and it was hard to read in places. A good sign of great writing.

Wow where do I start?! I have read some of C.L.Taylor's other books and have been left amazed by each one. The Fear is exactly the same! It's well thought out, keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. It's a hard subject to write about and even read, but the author deals with it brilliantly. The pace is fast, but steps up another gear at moments that left me chilled to the bone.

A seriously good thriller! Although after the first few chapters I wasn't convinced I would like it. I thought it a little unrealistic - I mean who would invite a dangerous and manipulative man back to your own home out in the middle of nowhere! BUT then the plot drew me in and I couldn't put it down. Really fast paced and I enjoyed the way the chapters came from the different perspectives of Lou, Wendy and Chloe. An uneasy subject matter but tackled well and very much a realistic problem in our day and age. I loved the twists and turns and the way each of the three main female characters had to weigh up their options and decide whether to follow their heart or their head. Finally, Mavis! What a star!!

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
This is a fact paced psychological thriller. Lou has carved a life for herself 18 years after having been groomed by her karate teacher Mike, however she has found it difficult to trust anyone she meets. Lou discovers that Mike is currently grooming another young girl, she is determined to stop this.
There is a lot going on in the story with many twists and turns and for me some of it was just unbelievable, so not my favourite book from this author.

C. L. Taylor is one of favourite authors when it comes to psychological thrillers, and so I dropped everything else I was reading to get started with this one. I raced through it in a day and it was certainly enjoyable, however I'll say it's definitely not one of Taylor's best works.

'The Fear' concerns the story of Lou Wandsworth who ran away to France with her teacher, and the repercussions of this left her life in pieces. Fast forward quite a few years, and she discovers that the teacher is up to his old tricks with another teenager. Lou tries to intervene, and what follows is a fast-paced story told from the perspective from a few different key characters. As much as I enjoy her writing style and the way in which each chapter is packed full of action and tension, I thought this story was quite far-fetched and therefore not as thrilling; I enjoy psychological thrillers with a relatable and realistic story, as it's this relatability that amps up the fear factor.

I'd recommend this if you're a fan of Taylor's work, but as a stand-alone piece I would say to give it a miss.

The Fear was such an addictive read that I did not want to to stop reading, it was so fast paced that kept me gripped throughout.

C L Taylor is definitely on my list of go to authors.... I have really enjoyed all of her books and this one was no exception. I was hooked on the story and finished it in a day. Great characters, all of whom had their secrets and reasons to not like them.

The story jumps between the past where a 14 year old Lou is groomed by her much older teacher who then takes her off to France., and the present 18 years later where Lou discovers that Mike is doing the same thing again with 13 year old Chloe. We learn just why Lou is the way she is now and why she is determined to stop Chloe going through what she has.

A great book, highly recommended. Thank you Avon Books UK and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and enjoy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Wow! This book has to be my favourite of the year! The story quite literally pulls you in so that nothing else exists apart from Lou as her past and present collide dramatically. All of the characters are totally believable and perfectly cast. Darkly terrifying, the suspense is at times excruciating. Excellent.

Another good thriller by C L Taylor. The Fear tackles the subject of grooming sensitively. I don't think this is her best novel but still enjoyable.

I enjoyed reading this book. When Lou was 14, she was groomed and thought herself in love with her karate teacher. Now, years later and finding it difficult to form meaningful relationships, she discovers that the man, who served time for what he did to her, is doing exactly the same to another young girl. Lou is determined to see justice done and put a stop to it. The plot is fast paced, but I found the story to be a little too far fetched for my liking. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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This book really gets under your skin. It’s dark and gripping storyline make compulsive reading. The essentially good characters are cruelly manipulated and eventually snap creating a dilemma for the reader who may still be sympathetic to their cause.
18 years ago and as a young teen Lou was taken to France and kept there against her will by Mike her karate teacher. She did not testify when he came to trial but he still went to prison. He has a different version of the story. Lou has reason to believe that he is insinuating his way in to another young girls life and is determined that history will not repeat itself- with disastrous outcomes.

Fantastic novel covering the very sensitive subject of grooming full of suspense I couldn't put it down

The Fear by C.L Taylor touches on the sensitive subject of grooming but does so in a gripping way which had me turning the pages well into the night,it is told in the past and present as Louise is coerced into believing that Mike is in love with her and takes her to France to what turned into a nightmare for her .Now years later and 32 she discovers that Mike is again grooming Chloe into what she believes is a repeat to what happened to her.Louise is determined to put a stop to it,throw into the mix Wendy Mikes' ex wife who believes Louise was responsible for the breakdown of her marriage and you have a superb psychological thriller that had me gripped from the first page,everything about this book is excellent from start to the unexpected brilliant ending.A stunning 5 star read !

The author has done it again! Another fabulous thriller, a hard hitting storyline, brilliantly written. You won't be able to put this book down.

Wow another fascinating book by miss Taylor. She never fails with her incredible stories. Loved this book and can't wait for the next

This was the best story yet by C.L. Taylor, and I have read them all. A contemporary story, told through the eyes of three different victims of the same predatory figure. Highly recommended.