Member Reviews

This was by far the best book I have read in 2018! The Orchid Girls by Lesley Sanderson is a gripping, brilliant, have you on the edge of your seat in suspense psychological thriller! From the very first page I was enthralled and hooked on what grand secret that The Orchid Girls, Grace Cavendish turned Grace Martin turned Grace Sutherland who is married to the successful, soon to be mayor, Richard Sutherland and Molly Conway could be hiding and their involvement in the 15 year old murder case of Charlotte Greene. For 15 years, Molly lived a drunken, lovesick, clouded head full of teenage images of her and her "best friend" Grace that were laced in fear and guilt behind the mysterious death of their not so mutual "friend" Charlotte. When a current disappearance of a local girl, Emily, makes headlines with eerily similarities to the cold case of Charlotte Greene, it sends both Molly and Grace scrambling to keep their "sister pact" secret just that, a secret. When anonymous threats to blow The Orchid Girls' cover starts surfacing and an internet blogger/journalist starts following the women around and digging into their past, the women realize its only a matter of time before their involvement with each other and the 15 year old murder will come to light. Is Molly's love for Grace strong enough to keep their 15 year old secret or will Grace turn on her just like she did when they were teenagers when the townspeople became suspicious of their "friendship"? This story was jam packed with varying degrees of emotions, lies, secrets, lesbian love affairs, homophobic tendencies from overprotective and close minded relatives, religious kooks, and the truth behind what it means to hide who you truly are from the limelight in order to protect the perfect image you want the world to see. This book really kept me guessing at who really murdered Charlotte Greene and the ending will knock you square off of your feet! Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this amazing 5 star read and bravo to the author for an outstanding read! If you love psychological thrillers that mess with your mind and play with your emotions, I highly suggest that you give this book a go!

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This book was a total surprise for me as it started off slow and just turned into a fabulous psychological thriller that really was difficult to put down. The story dealt with many issues making it a real in depth portrayal of the two main characters from teenagers to present day and was brilliant written and dealt with some of the issues using both sympathy and sensitivity. So if you want a great read then look no further you have it here ...4 + stars and my thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read the ARC.

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I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for the chance to read this advance copy. The book started out really good for me, but unfortunately I wasn't able to finish it.

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Thanks to #NetGalley for this ARC of #TheOrchidGrils

A dark story of secrets, manipulation, and obsession. Teenage girls, called the “Orchid Girls”, who were once three, became only two one summer. The two girls left behind took an oath to one another to never speak of what happened. But a decade later, they’ve fell out of touch and both live drastically different lives. When one woman threatens to disrupt the other’s perfect life, things start to unravel. How far will they go to get what they want?

This was my first read by this author. It started off very slow and I was attempted to stop. I did not find it engaging to have self-reflection dialogue and the drawn-out time frame in getting the two main characters entwined. It did pick up half way through but I prefer a faster paced novel with less direct dialogue, leaving the reader to summon a bit of their own perception. I want it to grab ahold of me at the beginning and not let go, even days after I’m finished. 3 stars.

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This is a fast paced gripping suspenseful novel about a young married woman Grace and the past she tried to leave behind. Things are slowly revealed about Grace's past as her old childhood friend Molly finds her and begins to "stalk her". I enjoyed the suspense and the slow reveals of old truths and lies but I didn't care for the character of Grace at all.

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Whilst I did enjoy The Orchid Girls, it didn’t blow me away. The plot line was good though I did find it slightly predictable although it did keep me entertained to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

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The exploration of female friendships has always been fascinating to me. How deep the bonds can go, particularly those formed in childhood or adolescence. Molly and Grace are bound to one another by a secret, and an act that changed the course of their lives. Years later, Grace is a celebrity food blogger, married to an MP, and Molly is a drifter, spending her days lost in a drunken stupor. How different their lives have become, and yet they still have their past in common. A past that is coming back to haunt them.

Sanderson tackles various key issues in this book, not least the theme of homophobia, and the struggle to accept oneself. She also manages to portray alcoholism with skill and sensitivity, giving Molly depth and enabling the reader to relate to her. Grace is, in her own ways, impeccably flawed. She hides behind the Queen of Clean facade, desperately trying to hide her true self. She too is an incredible character, one that is made up of various shades of grey.

The Orchid Girls is called a gripping psychological thriller, and that it is, but it is also so much more. It's evocative, engaging, and utterly enthralling.

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Great book.
Kept me interested. Will be recommending this time to family and friends.
Will be in the lookout for more book like this and by this author

5**** very good

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gripping book, read it within 2 days, good story about friendship, secrets and obsession. Although the ending wasn’t very surprising the book is still worth reading.

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An interesting, original dark thriller. This was quite a page turner with well developed characters. Managed to finish this book in a couple of sittings!

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