I still have chills running down my spine. Mike has already served time in prison for grooming a fourteen year old girl. Now years later he is showing interest in thirteen year old Chloe. There is a lot of drama and a lot of surprises in this book. I would definitely recommend it. The ending is jaw dropping. The whole book makes you think about what people are capable of and wonder how well you know those around you. It is a terrifying look at grooming and its consequences and those who are capable of it.

This is a dark disturbing novel with clever twists and complex characters. Written from several points of view with flashbacks to the past, the author tackles a difficult subject and manages to hook you in before you realise it.
My thanks to Net Galley and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review .
The Fear is a brilliant psychological thriller .It is about an older man grooming young children but it is so much more than that ! The story is gripping and moves along at a pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more .Ultimately it is a story of revenge ,sisterhood,bravery and most of all fear !.A fabulous read which deserves 10 stars .

I have read a lot of positive reviews for The Fear by C.L Taylor and I have previous enjoyed her books so I was eager to track a copy down and see what thrilling storyline she has instore for us this time around.
Louise Wandsworth has reached the ripe age of 32 but she hasn’t fully embraced life as her past is still holding her back. When she was a teenager she ran off to France with her Karate Teacher believing she was totally in love with him but she began to see Mike had another side to him that frightened her.
When Louise heads back to her childhood town she soon discovers where Mike is now working but she also witnesses something that shocks her to the core and shows Mike has not changed his ways.
I was utterly hooked by this captivating read and at the same time I was also disturbed by it too. It really unsettles me to think that this sort of thing is going on in the real world and I often found myself thinking what would I do in the characters situation especially in the last few chapters. I was intrigued to see what way the verdict would go.
Louise was a very withdrawn and damaged character but as we begin to see what she went through I started to care for her character. I was shocked at her actions at time but in a weird way I accepted what she was doing and actually felt sorry for her when she realised she had done wrong but that she felt trapped like there wasn’t a safe way out. She needed to get her justice and have closure to be able to have a chance of living a fulfilled life.
I was a little worried that the storyline was going to be rather predictable as I thought the Wendy situation was very obvious from the start but there were other twists and turns that I didn’t see coming so my attention was still piqued throughout the book.
If you are looking for a fast paced storyline that will have your blood running cold then you will not be disappointed reading The Fear

Someone pass me some matchsticks to hold open my eyes today! Yep, it was a late one because I quite simply couldn't put this down until I finished it. If you have ever read of C.L. Taylor's books before you will know what I mean, and if you haven't, why not put it right by reading The Fear?!

Fast paced, dark and unrelenting, The Fear is a great thriller. It revolves primarily around Lou, who as a teenager was groomed by her teacher and ran away with him. Lou, now in her thirties, finds out that her teacher appears to be spinning his web again with another teen, and vows to stop anyone else going through what she did. The story flits between the past and the present as we travel back to the time to witness some of what happened to her, and understand just why she is so scared about it happening again. We also bear witness to the lengths she will go to stop history repeating itself, which gets messy and complex which could make for interesting discussions in book clubs!

The story is like the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz! You think that you are following a road that will lead to a certain ending, but just as you think you have it sussed, another character or twist jumps out at you and throws you off track. You get to know more, re-evaluate and on you go before whomph, another appears!

I want to say more, so much more, but I can't as that would be unfair if you are yet to read it. But oh my gosh I wasn't disappointed! Roll on C.L. Taylor's next book...I'll be at the front of the queue!

I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as The Accident or The Lie, but I preferred it to The Escape. It moves along at a commendable pace and its gritty subject matter is handled sensitively and doesn't feel exploitative like some similar narratives.

Wow what a story! So many different angles in this book with different perspectives and so much empathy to be had in a lot of characters. This story is so involving and hard to put down!

I was disappointed by this book, I felt it was a bit far fetched at times and the end was good but didn’t quite redeem it.

A shocking and thought provoking book with many twists and turns. I especially enjoyed Chloe’s story because it dealt well with her insecurities. Disturbing and gripping with a good ending.

When Lou’s father dies, and after a bad break-up with her boyfriend, she decides to up sticks, leaving London and returning to her childhood home, one she hasn’t been back to for 18 years.
Given what happened when she was last there, it’s possibly not the smartest idea, but she feels she needs to to confront her demons and start living her life again.
The what happened is she ran away with her teacher, a much older man. Or at least that’s the cliff notes version. As The Fear unfolds, so does Lou’s story, which is much more frightening than it first appears and explains a lot about why she is who she is.
When she finds the teacher, determined to tell him how much he has ruined her life, she finds him with another young girl. Believing history is about to repeat itself, Lou feels she must act, and act she does. How, I can’t say as that would mean spoilers but I will say that the story didn’t quite go where I expected it too – in a good way.
What else can I say without spoilers? That this is a really good book. It is well written, throwing me straight into a fast, tense, plot and not letting me go till the end. Also, and this makes a bit of a change for me and my recent reads, I liked all the characters. Yes, they are flawed but they aren’t eye-rolling-ly silly. It was refreshing to read strong female characters, ones with baggage but ones with a bit of smarts as well.
To say I devoured this book isn’t much of an understatement – I read it in two sittings, with only sleep in-between, and I loved every minute of it.

Unusual plot, Lou returns to her childhood home following the death of her father and has to confront the fact that the person who blighted her teenage life is still there and worse still up to his old tricks.
Good read that will keep you turning the pages

The Fear produced extreme fear, and a strange kind of icckiness in me, I was scared to read, yet I was fascinated with the story. I have always enjoyed C. L. Taylor's novels, but this by far, was the most different amongst them, dealing with a difficult topic. Kudos to her

Taylor's characters, her story, and her character development, their complexities have a strange eerie quality to them. You know something is going to happen but you just don't know when. The story is narrated in multiple points of view, the ladies who form the main characters.

Lou the main character, who at the age of 14, ran away with her teacher Mike, who had 'groomed' her in the weeks prior. The story starts by following Lou's present life with excerpts into the past. She is still haunted by the so called 'love' of her childhood, the horror of it all. Mike made my skin crawl from the beginning to the end as he preys on young girls. (he is 49 years old now, just eeuu)

To take charge of her life, she decides to confront Mike, but she sees him kissing another 14 year old child Chloe. The story follows her life too along with her feelings for Mike.

Then there is Wendy, an unknown character, who is almost stalking Lou. What, in the wide world, is happening in this book??

I am going to write my review as I finish parts of the book

At 25% of book completion, Lou has met Chloe, warned her, her family, and the police. Wendy has met Lou under false pretenses, and is almost savage in her action. Lou has met Mike, and something drastic happens.... The atmosphere of the book is so intense that I am forced to put it down, take a deep breath, write this review, and then continue reading. At this point, I don't know where the book is going, and I don't care. I just want to follow the characters to the end.

At nearly 50% : Amidst the strange happenings and unforeseeable circumstances, Lou now knows who Wendy is and how she is connected to the plot. Omg I had goosebumps!! It looks like I am too involved in this book. Moving on....

At 100%, I am just amazed at this story, this story is just insane. I read the book with my heart in my mouth. My breath hitched, my heart raced, my palms sweated. I had to literally calm myself down after reading the book to slow down the adrenaline flow to complete this review.

The Fear by C. L. Taylor, deals with a difficult subject about a predator, but the story was paced fabulously with the right amount of tension filled scenes to make it the book of the day. Sighhhh... What a book!!!

P. S. I hate Mike, absolute loathe him.

This book wasn't for me unfortunately. As a reader, I am prepared to suspend belief when reading fiction, but this was just too far fetched and unrealistic. I didn't like the writing style and the characters were quite cliché, constantly explaining how they were feeling in more or less the same words. I did finish the book and enjoyed it in places, but I have read much better thrillers recently.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Avon Books. I previously read The Escape by the same author and if anything, this was better. I genuinely couldn't put it down and was desperate to know the ending! Lou, as a teenager had been groomed by her karate teacher and after the pair had run away to France, he had been captured and jailed. Her life became tormented by her earlier ordeal and found relationships would not last because of it. She decided the only way forward was to confront her demons. Her journey finds that facing this manipulate man is not as easy as she thought and discovers she is not the only one whose life has been torn apart. A fast paced thriller that has the reader fearing not only paedophiles in our midst but also that you can never be certain who you are speaking to on social media. The story is told from several characters perspectives and this works very well, especially as more is understood as more information is revealed. An excellent read and I can't wait for the next one by this author!

Excellent from start to finish!

A topical and relevant storyline told in a very sensitive but authentic way. There are sections that I found difficult to read due to the subject matter but they were all necessary and although I don't have any experience in this area (thank goodness), it came across as being an accurate reflection on just how easy it can be for some despicable people to seek out, manipulate and take advantage of the most vulnerable children in our society.

There are characters that you'll love and characters that you'll love to hate but all believable; my personal favourite was Wendy which might seem a little strange given how she is introduced to us but give her time, she will definitely grow on you! The setting felt right for the story and I was pleased that it didn't take place in a city; it helped to add an even more sinister feel as it felt more "normal" somehow.

There are twists and turns that had me on edge and I went through all manner of emotions during the course of this book ... sadness, disgust, anger, frustration, anticipation ... that I didn't want to stop reading.

Overall, a disturbing and chilling read but thrilling and gripping and although the subject matter is distasteful and difficult to stomach at times, this book certainly isn't and I highly recommend it to any psychological thriller fans.

My thanks go to the publisher, Avon Books UK, via NetGalley, for my copy in return for an honest review.

The Fear by C.L. Taylor is a marvellous contemporary psychological thriller. It grips from the start as the reader holds on for a nail biting read.
This is not a pleasant read as the main theme is the grooming of teenage girls. There are no intimate details but the reader reads on with a sense of fear and in trepidation. We feel horror as we witness and recognise the manipulation techniques. Everything in me was screaming "don't fall for his words." Whether anyone did or not, you will have to read to find out.
The novel messes with your mind as it alternates between who has the upper hand.
The action is set in 1989 and 2007. Each chapter has a unique voice and is written in the first person. It is not confusing as each chapter is headed by the voice.
As I live in Worcestershire, it was wonderful to have a novel set here. I recognised places mentioned and was really in my element to see Kidderminster mentioned in the story!
The Fear shows there is a fine line between love and hate. "A longing for love... wrapped up in guilt, fear and regret." It is a scary read as we see how easy it is to ruin lives. The fall-out has far reaching arms. We would like to believe that people change but do they? Or is history destined to repeat itself?
Broken homes produce broken people. Professional help is needed to recover. "I feel... permanently broken."
Abuse produces some unlikely allies. See if you can guess who will band together?
The Fear is a compulsive read. It will consume, have you on the edge of your seat with your heart in your mouth as you read towards the conclusion.
C.L Taylor is a new author to me but I certainly intend to read more by her.
I received this book for free from Net Galley. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I absolutely loved this story, it’s different than the latest books I’ve been reading. Based around Lou who’s now in her 30’s and was taken to France by Mike a man who abused her. Years later she finds out he’s involved with another young girl and we follow her mission to stop him. Full of twists and turns this story kept me gripped from start to end. And the end is shocking!

So I made the error of starting this book late in the evening and from page one I was hooked. And I couldn't stop reading. Not until I'd turn the last page.

This was a compelling read that was filled with so many twists, turns, and unexpected moments that meant that there was more reveals that you can shake a stick at. This is a really dark story  that while most of it felt unbelievable actual came across very real. The story of being groomed at a young age is handled with care and the after affects on all involved seemed real. 

The story is told from three different perspectives - Lou who was originally groomed by Mike, we flit between the past and the present while finding out more of her story. There there is Wendy, she has a small obsession with Lou and looks to be after revenge. Then there is Chloe, she is vulnerable and in a dangerous situation. 

This was an intense read, and it make me really glad to not to living in Malvern because I would have to look constantly over my shoulder. This felt so real and I was super caught up in the story that I felt like I was living alongside Lou.  Honestly you all need to read this book because it will have you gripped!

Wow! What a fantastic read, I loved it! A dark subject but totally absorbing. Pacy, twisty with a chilling ending - a compulsive read. I cannot recommend this book highly enough - just read it you won't regret it.

“The book follows the life of a girl that was groomed by her Karate teacher who now in her thirties regrets not speaking out more against him at his trial. After only serving 5 years he his back to his old tricks. She endeavours to warn the girl and her family but they don't believe her.
As the story unfolds it involves his ex-wife who bares a grudge against her for splitting up her marriage when he got sent to prison.
This book had me grabbed from beginning to end. You will become immersed into her story as the book goes from past to the present and how in the end they all come to terms with it. I will look forward to reading more from this author.