This was such an intriguing book to read, got hooked straight away and found it hard to put down. It started out as a stalker then grew from there when he actually managed to meet her and arranged care for his nan but there was something just not right. You need to read the book to find out more but I wasn't disappointed, a nice piece of writing

3.25 Stars* (rounded down)

“Dying to See You” by Kerena Swan has a sinister feel to it right from the start. It’s spooky and hair-raising and it will keep you entertained.

Sophie is a single mum who works for a care organization. Both she and her teenage daughter Tilly, feel like they are being watched. Two people can’t be imagining the same thing, can they?

Through her job, Sophie meets Ivy and Ivy’s grandson Max. Ivy needs a carer, thus Sophie is happy to step in. Max and Sophie immediately feel a connection - and Sophie knows its unethical but she can’t help herself as she has never met a good man and Max just seems so perfect. Little does she know that something is not quite right.

Things happen here. Bad things. Spooky things. Your attention will not wane. Of this, I assure you. Have at it friends.

“Dying to See You” is a psychological suspense novel that will keep you on your toes. It is not your typical mystery suspense, and for that, I must give it kudos!

This was a Sister Read with Kaceey! We had a blast reading this one together as it was completely unexpected. Thanks Ms. Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloodhound Books, and Kerena Swan for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on Netgalley and Goodreads on 4.29.18.

I'm sure many people reading this review have experienced that prickling uneasiness when it feels like somebody is watching you. Sophie suspects somebody is secretly observing her - but is it really the figure in the shadows she needs to fear?
Dying to See You is a dual narrative story; some chapters are told in the first person from Sophie's perspective, the others are written in the third person and mostly follow Max's activities. This means the reader is often ahead of the characters which makes for a tense and creepy read. I really don't want to give anything away about the plot other than to say the sense of foreboding slowly grows as it seems to become ever more inevitable that Sophie will unwittingly find herself in terrible danger.
Dying to See You is a sinister psychological thriller which cleverly examines the essence of evil and what drives people to perform terrible acts. However, it is also a compelling domestic drama with Sophie's personal life taking centre stage. There's been some criticism recently of violence towards women in crime fiction but Kerena Swan proves that authors can write thrillers in which women are victims or targets without the book ever feeling gratuitous. Sophie is a fully formed character, her fears and wants are fully explored and her character undergoes significant growth as the novel progresses. She is a single mother to two daughters, little Mia and teenager, Tilly and having been let down in the past is wary of trusting again. She is constantly wracked by guilt and anxiety as the demands of her job working for a care agency impact on family life but she needs the little money she earns just to keep their heads above water. Max is obsessively drawn to this strong and capable woman whose deeply caring, empathetic nature means she is ideally suited to working with older people. She is thrilled when he appears to be interested in her but has to balance her desire to get to know him better with her fear of being hurt again and the wishes of her children, particularly Tilly who has her own questions about love as she endeavours to discover more about her father. I would actually have enjoyed just reading about the dynamics of this little family as they adjust to new relationships even without the added bonus of a serial killer plotting against Sophie! Mia is delightful and although I felt that occasionally Tilly's character veers a little into stereotypical teen territory, on the whole she is a multifaceted young woman who contributes much to the story.
The relationship between Max and Ivy is equally as fascinating, at first glance it's hard to believe that such darkness could come from this apparently normal household but it gradually becomes clear that the past has much to answer for. Towards the end of Dying to See You I actually felt the tears pricking my eyes; it is undoubtedly a rather creepy story, which if it were a film I'd watch with my fingers over my eyes, but there's also something really quite poignant about it as it questions whether things could have been different should life had taken a different turn. The wicked acts perpetrated can't be excused and yet readers as much as characters will question their instincts and ponder forgiveness.
Dying to See You is a deliciously dark thriller in which the tension is allowed time to steadily increase until the suspense becomes almost unbearable, and the conclusion is absolutely shocking. Cleverly plotted, thoughtful and unsettling, I read Kerena Swan's gripping debut in a day and can't wait to see what she has planned next.

I think one of the best things about this story was that it had the ability to well and truly surprise me. I wish I could go into more detail but I am going to try to be as vague as possible, let's face it no one likes spoilers! However I will say that Dying To See You definitely has some twisty and tense moments! There was great character development throughout the story as you get to see Sophie's daily life along with her struggles whether it be financially or her families home life with her two daughters. It felt realistic and made me want to root for her character even more.

The pacing of the story is pretty good especially once you hit the half way mark as I couldn't wait to see how it would all end. I loved that I was kept on my toes throughout the book with the plot taking a very interesting and different path to the one I was necessarily expecting. Kerena Swan's writing had a way of pulling me right into this set of characters lives and caring about what would happen to them.

Dying To See You is thrilling at times along with hiding some deadly surprises just waiting to jump out at the reader!

Four stars from me!

With thanks to Sarah at Bloodhound Books & Netgalley for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I have to admit this book really messed with my head. The first chapter really gets you hooked and you think you know exactly what is going on. Then a little later in the book I was completely thrown, not everything is as it seems.

I really enjoyed the book and I must admit I really liked the fact that there was a twist in the plot that I really didn’t see coming. It is definitely a book that will keep you hooked to find out what happens.

A great book with an unexpected plot.

I am pleasantly surprised by this book! After reading mixed reviews I started it some what apprehensive, the opening chapters immediately had me wanting to find out more. We meet Sophie who is a single mum to two girls and is struggling financially, I really empathised with Sophie and I liked her nature. We then meet max who is Ivy's grandson and he is introduced to Sophie who works for the care agency that is providing care for ivy, i was definitely not expecting the twist of the story line in this book we are led to believe max has a dark side and is stalking young girls but the real killer is hidden in plain site... I really enjoyed this book I'm so glad I gave it a chance after reading mixed reviews. I'd like to thank netgalley for my copy of this book I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Bloodhound Books and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Sophie has taken on a new position as a carer for Ivy. At first, she doesn't realize that meeting Ivy's grandson Max is going to change everything. But lately she is feeling like someone is watching her. As her relationship with both Ivy and Max deepens little does she know that is it is going to cause problems.


Ivy doesn't like that Max is growing closer to Sophie. She is jealous of it and Max knows that this is dangerous. So Sophie is blindsided when Max fires her company as carers for Ivy.


I know this is vague even by my standards, but there is a lot going on in this novel and I feel like revealing some things will take away from the story. That being said I also didn't like this novel as much as I thought I would. It was confusing because the story was told from a couple different points of views and alternated between first and third which added to the confusion.


For me this was a bit of a let down, I was not all that thrilled because I spent most of my time being confused as to what any twist would be, so when it was revealed I wasn't invested at all.

Dying To See You centres around a Sophie, a hardworking, financially strapped, single mum of a teenager and a 4 year old. During her role as organiser for carers for the elderly in the community she crosses paths with Max, the grandson of one of her charges. She has no idea of the strange and sinster background of these seemingly charming and delightful pair and how it will impact on her.

whilst i enjoyed this book i didn’t find it an edge of the seat thriller. a lot of the book centres on family drama within Sophie’s family life and doesn’t really impact on the main storyline however i do believe others will enjoy reading it.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dying to See You has an opening chapter that is both sinister and suspenseful, leading me to expect an edge of my seat thriller. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to those expectations. Parts of the story were good, and other parts - well, not so much. The book is marketed as 'a dark and deadly psychological thriller' and it is at times. It is certainly dark and there's plenty of murder, but the reader is given too many answers in the beginning for there to be much in the way of suspense. There is one big twist toward the end that surprised me, but there really isn't much build up to it.
The chapters alternate between four characters, but you have to read a paragraph or two to figure out which character has any particular chapter. A simple heading at the beginning of each chapter could have been useful, especially in the beginning. I'm still unsure if this was done intentionally to keep the reader guessing, but I found it more confusing and frustrating than anything else. I will say that the author does do a good job of giving each character their own voice, which makes it easier to tell who has each chapter, but that's only after reading far enough for each voice to take shape.
The most bothersome part of this tale for me was Tilly. A considerable amount of time is spent with this teenager and her normal teenage angst mixed with a determination to find her father. I kept wondering where that was going and how it would tie in with the murders, only to find that in the end, it doesn't - not at all. Tilly's part of the story doesn't even create a red herring for some sort of added suspense and just felt like so much filler.
This book started with so much potential, but by the time I turned the last page, I found myself more disappointed than anything else.

Extremely powerful! Was captivated by this riveting, dark tragedy of the domino effect of psychological abuse suffered by Max by his nan, Ivy, that destroyed his life and any possible relationship he wishes to have with Sophie. Could not hold back the tears in the end. Highly recommended!

If you like fast paced gripping thrillers, this is the right book for you!

Wow, what a read! I could not put it down and I had to keep reading until I was at the last page!

Wow ! if you like psychological thrillers which keep you on the edge of your seat then Dying To See You is a must read ! Sophie is a working single mum with two daughters trying to make ends meet. When she starts to care for Ivy she meets Max,Ivy's grandson who unbeknown to Sophie has been watching her from afar,but is Max the dangerous stalker you may think he is, or does he just want to look after Sophie and her family ? When women start to go missing the police become involved and Max is under suspicion from all sides but is it Max they should be looking at ?This is a superb book by Kerena Swan with a great ending which had me guessing which way it would end ! If you enjoy this genre of book you will not be disappointed.A 5 star read without a doubt.

Enjoyable thriller with a twist I didn't see coming - realistic characters with a good plot!

When I saw this book come up for request on NetGalley I immediately requested it because of the cover and then the blurb promised a stalker and for me that's book perfection. I love me a good stalker.

Sadly this book does NOT deliver. The book is being billed as "a dark and deadly psychological thriller " but there are no thrills or chills to be found here.

The first chapter was excellent and I was so excited to keep reading but sadly any excitement I had waned after that first chapter. While it does start as a stalker story it evolves into something much different. Something I didn't care for. Maybe it's just me.

I'm not even going to go into the plot because it's completely absurd. You'll have to read it for yourself - My apologies, I assure you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A thrilling ride with a twist I never saw coming. Well developed characters and I found myself easily relating to Sophie, one of the main characters. I loved how the author really helped me get into the minds of the characters. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Great thriller! I'd rate it 4.5/5 . This my favorite genre to read and it delivered. Twists and turns ... completely taken by surprise - not at all what I was expecting. A few of the parts were repetitive (Ivy's history) but I couldn't put it down. Highly recommend.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Bloodhoundbooks for the eARC. This is my honest review.

What a rollercoaster of a book, gripping from the start fantastic twist which I didn't see coming ! Highly recommended!

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is fast-paced, creepy and filled with dark corners (literally). I think I usually go for more psychological thrillers with the emphasis on the psychological and less on the thrillers. This for me borderlines with horror at times. The chase for answers is out there - keep reading.

I won't say more. But if you, for example, are the kind of person who likes dark autumn evenings where every leave that rustles makes you jump, also subsequently sending a stream of adrenaline through your bloodstream...making you look back...wait...look back again...excitement building, what's there...will it happen again...and again...then this book is for you.

Unfortunately, this was not the book for me. I didn't think it was very interesting and I just struggled to even read.

I have to say that this book held some nice surprises as it didn't go quite how I expected.

Sophie is a single mum to two girls, Tilly and Mia. I loved this family. All the characters you really warm to and what is going on in their lives affects you also. You are really routing for them through out.

Max and Ivy it is hard to say too much about them without giving a lot of the story away and wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone but believe me, you won't be disappointed!

Dying To See You is a story that I think will take a lot of readers by surprise, it certainly did me. The author grips you from the start and keeps you there until the very last page. The suspense and tension builds throughout to a finale that I thought was extremely fitting. I also like how the author wraps everything up nicely so there are no unanswered questions. I really can't believe that this is the authors debut novel. Her writing is confident of someone with years of experience. Really looking forward to reading more by the author.