I absolutely loved this book. Cass Green is one of my new favourite authors. I loved Cottage in the Wood but thought this book was even better.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and Cass Green for the chance to read an arc of this novel.

Opening the door in the middle of the night Nina is shocked to see Angel, a young woman she’s met just once; earlier that day when the waitress saved her life when she started choking during an awful blind date. She’s even more surprised when Angel barges into her home threatening her at gunpoint. When Angel’s brother, Lucas, then shows up with a tiny baby hidden inside his coat and blood on his hands Nina fears how this terrible, long night will conclude.

This was the first book I’ve read by Cass Green and I loved the fact that the story immediately grasped my attention. The action and suspense started quickly and you don’t know anymore about why Angel and Lucas are there, what happened to the baby’s mother or what the plan is, than Nina does which puts you on the edge of your seat as she desperately tries to find a way to escape her captivity while ensuring no harm comes to the baby and he is returned home.

What starts as a seemingly clear cut story of two violent individuals committing kidnap and murder soon reveals itself to be more intricate as you see they are just two young, frightened people, trying to do the right thing in a nightmare of their own. As the story progresses you follow Nina in her quest for the truth about who killed Alice and if the stories her captors told her that night are real or just an elaborate ruse for sympathy and to evade justice.

I enjoyed this book but did find that the pace and excitement had a lull in the middle that made it hard to keep interest after such a strong start, which is why I’m giving it 3 stars instead of 4 (I wish we could pick half stars as it would be a 3.5). But then the story and momentum picked up again and had me on the edge of my seat right up until the climax.

Having only received this yesterday I read this in just a few hours. A well written, fast paced, exciting thriller which easily lives up to Cass Greens previous book.

Following a separation from her husband, Nina is trying to rebuild her life for herself and her (almost) teenage son. A strange encounter with a young waitress during a disastrous blind date, begins a terrifying ordeal involving a hostage situation and a young baby. Without giving away too much, this is a story of maternal instinct, emotion and unpredictability.

Don't You Cry by Cass Green
Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give it an honest review. I have read all of Cass Greens books so far and loved them all, this one is just as fabulous as the others. Cass Green has a wonderful dark sense of humor that she integrates into her stories that is so fun. But don't be misled by thinking that means her stories are not frighteningly thrillers. Don't you Cry keeps you in Suspense from the beginning where Ninas home is invaded by two young people , holding her hostage and a baby. Nina has to use her wits and her ability to connect with people to try and get out of the situation. Many twists and turns and hair raising moments. You will be sitting on the edge of your seat.
5 stars!

NO SPOILERS

This book is not one I would usually choose to read, not being my preferred genre and the cover not appealing to me. However, I often want something quick, entertaining and not too taxing…a beach or plane book, the thread of which will not be lost when I summon the poolside waiter or flight attendant! Don’t You Cry by Cass Green certainly fits the bill and I did enjoy it.

The action begins early and the pace never slows. The Who, What and Why questions are there from the start and little by little the answers and back stories of Angel and Lucas are revealed.

Cass Green is no literary wordsmith, there are no passages to savour, no beautifully crafted phrases but the simply told plot moves at a good pace with plenty, and I mean PLENTY, of twists which kept me reading.

It is written in the present tense which I find always increases suspense and heightens emotions. Each very short chapter is written from a single point of view; I like this, especially as the main character Nina’s chapters are written in the first person. Strangely though, the break between chapters felt very much like breaks for advertisements on television...perhaps this has been written with that in mind or perhaps as an audio book?

Talking of television, something which annoyed me was that every character referred to it as “telly”. It’s a minor irritation, I know, but it seems wrong, as if it had been missed by the editor. Surely some of us use the full word or say TV? Likewise the sudden shifting of location in one scene. In some parts the book reads like a not quite final draft.

All that said, I read this book in a day, not because I could not put it down, but because it is easy to read and yes, I did want to know the outcome.

If crime/thriller is your genre, then Don’t You Cry will give you a very good, no frills, fast moving tale but may not satisfy your literary cravings.

EDIT: I have just seen that this book was released as an audio book first, which explains quite a lot!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

I went into this blind. I didn't have any expectations because of this and I really enjoyed it.
Very early on I knew all wasn't as it seemed. I think probably because of the amount of mystery/crime books I've read before. But it didn't ruin anything for me. I didn't know the truth just yet. Although I had a feeling towards the reveal who did it.
I didn't expect to finish it in one day. I had expected to read just 100 pages the first day but once I started I found I couldn't stop, I wanted the truth. All my questions answered.

A twisty thriller with a great opening premise! Just when the date from hell can't get any worse, it does, and then boy does it...

No settings in this book but the remote house where the woman on the blind date lives, and where Angel comes knocking on her door (Angel is a clever name for this character!)is one of remoteness, woods and darkness all around.

And then all hell breaks loose. What should Nina do in this situation and just where is that baby from? It's a thrilling idea of a house taken over, a life taken over and just because of one act of kindness. Makes me never want to help a stranger again or accept not accept help from one! The twists and claustrophobic atmosphere throughout works well but I had a problem that Nina, once out of the house would go back in again. I'd have been running like Forest Gump to the nearest police station at that point!

This is an unusual story but it certainly had me on the edge of my seat.
Nina is at a restaurant and has a brief chat with the waitress, Angel, and she doesn’t expect to see her again.
In the early hours of the morning Nina is woken by banging on her front door, and is shocked to see it’s Angel and then later her brother Lucas arrives with blood on his hands with a newborn baby.
Nina is petrified but soon realises the baby needs milk so is told to get some but if she tells the police, Angel will harm the baby.
This was a bit unbelievable as surely once you’re out of the house you’d call the police....
Nina returns to the house and looks after the baby but begs Angel and Lucas to leave her alone.
It eventually comes out what happened to Lucas and who the baby belongs to but has the killer been caught?
The final few chapters really had me hooked and I was desperate to know how this ended.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

An interesting read with a likeable heroine and an unusual plot. I really enjoyed the first half but without giving any plot details away felt less than fully convinced by the second half of the book. Worth a read though.

I found this book a bit hard to get into. Although eventually finding it to be a good read, there was a lot going on.. maybe a bit too much. I was not totally gripped by the story and the plot seemed overly complicated in places.

Having recently read and loved Green's novel A Cottage in a Wood, I was more than keen to read her new novel, Don't you Cry. As with some 'second novels' I was worried this wouldn't live up to first book, but I was wrong, and I'm happy to report that I actually liked this book slightly more. I flew through this in a day, mainly thanks to the short chapters and constant tension. The three narrators were intriguing and well written, and all had their own tone of voice. I adore the way Green has managed to create characters who are neither wholly good nor wholly evil; it really made them seem like real people, and allowed me to understand their motivations and thus their actions. It's also important to note this book doesn't rely on the cheap plot twists that some psychological thrillers rely on; every emotional revelation seems to make sense in the context of the book and is inextricably linked to the characters and their individual journeys.

Hard to categorise, situational fiction

Nina, the heroine of the story, is in a mess. Recently divorced and with a son, Sam, who is fast growing up, she no longer seems to have a purpose in life. Her ex, Ian, has exchanged her for a younger model and appears to be getting on with his life whereas Nina seems to have been left behind.

This will be a familiar tale to many, but any similarity ends quickly because of a near-fatal choking incident in a cafe. Nina’s life is saved by the waitress but at what cost?

The lives of Nina, Angel, the waitress, and her brother Lucas become quickly entwined in this fast-moving story of abuse, murder and kidnapping. However, things are not always what they seem, and the sympathies of the reader are twisted this way and that as more facts come to light.

The characters are well defined and liked or disliked according to the information available. For the reader to feel something for the individuals in the storyline is the mark of a good writer. There is nothing worse than reading a book where one could not care less about the personalities.

Although it’s difficult to categorise this novel as a mystery or thriller, its unique appeal is the way in which the reader’s opinion ebbs and flows as the plot progresses. Even though there are several instances where Nina’s actions seem irrational and out of character I thoroughly recommend this excellent read. It takes a while to get into it, but the effort is worthwhile.

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I found this SO disappointing! I was a massive fan of in a cottage in a wood but this was just no where near as good. I had such high expectations but ultimately let me down and it is such a shame because I wanted to love it.

It starts of strong! I like the hostage situation, it's quite suspenseful, trying to figure out what's going on who you can trust and who you really can't. But after the first quarter, it got dull and boring.

It started to really drag. I wasn't compelled, I didn't care about the characters. Angel wasn't likeable at all, nor was Nina for that matter. It focused a lot on the back story of the characters, which ultimately made it not a page turner at all for me.

It's taken me a week to get through, which is so unusual for me because I normally speed through thrillers but this one I had to force myself to get through.


I was disappointed more than anything, after reading this. I will still pick up any future releases Green releases but unfortunately this one was not for me

This is an interesting psychological thriller which had me hooked right from the beginning.
Separated from her husband Nina is trying to make a new life for herself. When her husband decides to take their son to France on holiday with his new girlfriend, Nina goes out on an awful blind date in a local restaurant and encounters waitress Angel in unusual circumstances.
Later back at her house which is rather isolated she is surprised when Angel and then Angel’s brother Lucas turn up with a young baby in tow.
Nina is held hostage and forced to help them in fear for her own life whilst trying to protect the baby.
All her attempts to summon help fail and she is stuck with this modern day Bonnie and Clyde hoping against hope to be rescued.
However all is not as it seems and the author uses her great skill as a writer to tell Angel and Lucas’s story, but is careful not to reveal too much information as she builds up the tension.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the character development of the main protagonists. Cass Green really made them come alive and her descriptions from their different viewpoints in alternating chapters was a clever plot device.
Nina was great, a normal person caught in abnormal circumstances through no fault of her own. She really rises to the occasion and the reader is desperately hoping she will manage to escape.
Angel was also a wonderful character. I loved her devotion to her brother and how she swapped between toughness and vulnerability.
I’ve read Cass Green’s previous novels which are excellent. Her characters are always so vivid and her plot lines so interesting.
I thoroughly recommend this to all you psychological thriller fans out there! I was reading it on an aeroplane and enjoying it so much I didn’t want to put it down when we landed!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love Cass Green's books and this is so different from her others. The mystery of why someone has saved your life and is then threatening you in your own home with a gun sucks you in. Loved it.

A good read with a lot happening. There is a lot to the plot. There are a lot of reasons for kidnapping this particular baby and those become apparent as the story unfolds. I have given this book three stars as I was not totally gripped by what was happening and struggled to keep reading the whole way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I had really enjoyed the author's previous books and was thrilled to see that there was a new book.

This book was really enjoyable. I loved how the story played and the suspense was nail-biting. It was really good and one was not sure where the story would go.

I highly recommend this one for anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller, you will not be disappointed!

Found the book difficult to get into. Had high expectations as i really enjoy this author, but it just wasn't the read for me.

A great fast paced novel full of suspense.

Someone saves your life but then comes into your house, demanding your help. What would you do? This story was very well written, the characters jumped off the pages and I could not put it down.