I loved Baby Doll by Hollie Overton and could not wait to read this. I wasn't too sure about it to begin with but I am glad that I stuck with it as I loved it. It was an intense story which covers a lot of dark subjects.

Kristy Tucker has always been a single mum , with a job that has her dealing with the most disturbing criminals in Texas. She is the press agent for the Department of Corrections and works the inmates on death row right up to their execution. She meets Lance Dobson, her sons martial arts teacher and soon they are married. It is only then that she sees what a monster he is - verbally and emotionally abusing her and threatening to hurt her family if she tells anybody. She knows the criminal justice system and realises that she only has one option to be free - but how far will be she go to protect her family.

A dark and disturbing story about family and the lengths people will go for love. Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone Arrow and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are no way biased.

Although I felt this book taught me a lot about the prisons and justice system in Texas it failed to entertain me. I can see the vast majority of reviews are the opposite of mine but I agreed to do an honest review and that’s how I found it.
I got how manipulative and sneaky Kirsty’s husband was but could not go along with the plot that showed how she, a woman working within the legal system, decided to deal with him.

I am a massive fan of crime fiction in all its forms so naturally this appealed to me. What increased that appeal even more was that it took a look at the criminal justice system in general and highlighted how this system is open to exploitation if the person has inside knowledge on how it works. I have experience dealing with the fallout of domestic violence when a friend was going through very rough treatment at the hands of her boyfriend. I enjoyed the fact that the book mainly focused on the impact this has on the victim. I remember learning about Battered Woman Syndrome in law school and found it an interesting concept - this is definitely in play in this book.

As the main areas of the book are surrounding domestic abuse and death row this meant that at times it was difficult to read and became an emotional journey for me especially when it reminded me of those I know who have gone through such turmoil at the mercy of others. I appreciated that Kristy was a well developed, strong character and hoped that it would end happily for her. An easily readable style that flowed perfectly and was well judged in terms of pace. Suspenseful, gripping and a page-turning success - I am so pleased I didn't miss this one.

Many thanks to Random House UK - Cornerstone/Arrow for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book really was an eye opener for me. It covers the judicial system, death row, death penalty, domestic abuse etc. Although the content in places is hard going it really is a great book that makes you wonder about how far people would go to protect their family.

Kirsty, a single Mum, who lives with her teenage son and her ill father, is stuck in a rut. She works as a press agent for the Texas Departments of Correction, which whilst it pays the bills it is not her ideal job. But then one day she meets her son’s martial arts instructor and Love blossoms. But not everything is as it seems. Kirsty finds herself in her own prison, within the confines of her own home. How far will Kirsty go to escape her new life and protect her son and Father ?

This really is an interesting read and I found myself willing the pages to turn as quickly as possible so I could find out how everything turns out in the end. This book really makes you think about what you would do in Kirsty’s situation !!

Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

I wanted to read this as I’d read Baby doll by Hollie Overton and loved it.
I wasn’t sure at the beginning then I got in to it and couldn’t put the book down.
I just wanted to know what happened next.
Interesting and sometimes tough to read looking at death row and domestic abuse. Well written and great characters. Some real twists and turns and you’re not sure what will actually happen next.
A real page turner. Now cannot wait for her next book.
Thank you

Loved this book. Lots of twists and turns, lots of suspense. The characters were strong, interesting, scry, with lots of emotion to them. Loved the way it moved and how it all came together at the end.
Loved it

I really enjoyed this book. fast paced and totally enthralled me from beginning to end. Read it in one sitting. Looking forward to the next book from this talented author.
thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

I was in two minds whether to request this book but I read and enjoyed Hollie Overtons first book, Baby Doll so I I decided to ask for it. The book, The Walls is not an easy read because of its storyline. Death row and domestic abuse are not easy to read about or I would imagine write about. Hollie Overton does an excellent job of it. I really wanted Kristy to have her happy ending. She is such a strong character. She deserved to find peace.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy.

This follows Kristy who is a working single mum who also has to look after her ill father. She works at as a press officer for the department of corrections in Texas handling all the press releases and interviews for the Prisons; including the inmates that are on death row. She meets Lance, her son’s martial arts teacher and things start really looking up until they get married and things take a turn for the worst and then Kristy starts wondering if she can get rid of Lance . . . for good.
Wow this book was amazing. To start with, Kristy’s job was so interesting, and we were actually told a lot about her job within the book itself, without it sounding too much like you were reading a Wikipedia article or job description. I knew that there were still states in the US that had the death penalty, but I didn’t realise that there was such a job as Kristy’s and it really was a fascinating insight into that field. She has to arrange interviews and talk to prisoners on death row to see if they want to give interviews and she also has the difficult task of trying to deal with the protestors against the death penalty and trying to make sure that the death penalty and what was happening at these prisons wasn’t seen in an entirely negative light (which is a difficult task!). We also got to see her form a relationship of sorts with one of the men on death row, Clifton Harris, who starts writing letters to her and they both become ‘friends’ or as friendly as you can become in that situation. We also get to hear Clifton’s story and why he’s on death row and I really feel like al of this could have been a story within itself that I would have been happy to read about!
The actual main storyline of the book was also a great story. Like mentioned above, we follow Kristy who is a single mum and is looking after her father who is ill whilst also working full-time to hep support her family. Her son starts secretly going to a martial arts class and when she finds out, she confronts his teacher; Lance. It’s from here that Kristy and Lance develop a relationship that turns romantic and they eventually get married where things go south, and Lance starts to abuse her. I would like to first point out that I have no experience with domestic abuse and so I cannot comment on how it is portrayed in this book and I obviously do not condone Kristy’s actions in this book. I really liked how it eased into the abuse and I could see the progression as his abuse got worse. I really felt for Kristy and although I wanted her to leave Lance and get out with her family, it was easy to understand why she couldn’t just up and leave. Lance had managed to insert himself into every aspect her life and had everyone fooled. I found myself rooting so badly for her to win and get out of the relationship and the entire situation that she was in.
The characters were all developed really well. We got to hear plenty about Kristy herself; obviously it mentioned the job and we also got to hear about what happened with her when she was younger in order for her to become a single mom and also with how she got her job. We heard lots about Kristys’ son, Ryan and also her sick father who become an integral part of why she can’t Lance within the story. And we obviously get to deal a lot with Lance and wow I really got to hate him. He seemed great at first; he treated Kristy great and not just that, he treated her family great and was a real family man. He was romantic and loving and made Kristy feel amazing but there always seemed to be someth8ing off with him. And of course, he turns into an arrogant tool who is horrible and you just ending up rally really hating him and I’m glad of what happens in the end. Clifton Harris, the inmate was also a great character. We got to hear his story of why he’s in prison and it really threw some questions up on whether he’s guilty or not and made you really think about the death penalty and also the justice system in general.
I would 100% recommend that you pick this book up and it has definitely become one of my favourite books of this year so far. It’s a griping read but not just that, it’s interesting as well and you just don’t want to put it down. I have Babydoll by Hollie Overton sitting on my shelf and it’s definitely going to be one that I pick up sooner rather than later because of how fantastic this was.

This story was absolutely amazing.I could not put it down and read it in 1 day.An unbelievable page turner. I was totally gripped from the first page until the last. You are taken on a roller coaster of emotions throughout and found myself willing Kristy on. An absolute must read. Thank you to Random House and NetGalley.

A perfect book to read in bed when it is dark. Deliciously fast paced and full of thrills and tense moments.

Where to start with this book? A brilliant read which I had no idea where it would take me. I am glad to say that I didn't read the blurb on the book before I started (think there was too much information supplied which would have spoilt it for me). I just picked it up and started to read and couldn't put it down. Well-crafted, well-written, I definitely recommend it. I will find a copy of Baby Doll and read that too.
Very many thanks to Netgalley/Hollie Overton/Random House UK, Cornerstone for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the second book that I have read by this author and I have to say that I loved it. It has a really tough central subject and the execution of the story is told very well, I read it in a day and just needed to see what was around the corner, the twists and how the plot played out. The pace was great and the characters really grew on me and took me through so many emotions. I really wanted to see that Kristy got the ending that she deserved and I wasn't disappointed. 5 stars from me and looking forward to the next book from Hollie.