I enjoyed Who did you Tell, the twists and turns were expected but not how I expected them. My feelings towards the characters changed as I read through which kept it interesting and changed my opinion of how I wanted it to end.
I read it in one seating as it was that good!

Who Did You Tell? follows Astrid on her journey of recovery from alcoholism. After spending the last few years in squats and bedsits in London, she's been forced into rehab and is now slowly rebuilding her life back in her hometown, back with her Mum, back in her childhood bedroom. Her drinking days are still fresh in her mind and very much a haze; there are whole chunks of time that she can't remember, things she did that remain unfocused, and a complicated relationship that ended in disaster. But Astrid is struggling to piece together her past, and with threatening notes and sinister messages being left for her all over Flinstead, it's a race against time as she tries to beat her stalker to the bullet and stop them from exposing her past and ruining any chance she had of a future in recovery.

I loved that this book was written from the perspective of someone in recovery. I don't think I've ever read a mystery or thriller quite like this; Astrid is an unlikely and somewhat risky protagonist, and I don't think you could ever guarantee that a reader is going to sympathise with a character who, to many, is responsible for the situation she's in. In many ways, Astrid is responsible for the path her life has taken and the things she's done. She's not obviously heroic or strong or brave, has done some terrible things, and yet as a reader I was on her side immediately.

This was a unique read, and one that I would recommend. At times it felt a little slow, but I think that's because, with thrillers, I'm used to waiting for an explosive ending or twist, and this wasn't that kind of story. Instead it felt real and raw, an honest account of a woman battling with herself and striving to make a new life from the rubble of her old one. Astrid has made some bad decisions and must take responsibility for the consequences of those, but the message of this book was that there is always the possibility of change and that no matter how dark things may seem, every day is brand new opportunity to change your life. Astrid was the perfect heroine and her story (albeit fictional) is a very important one.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

Astrid hasn't had a drink for 5 months and she is tryi g to stay dry with a new life back with her mum. But someone is watching her and taunting her. Who and why is the questions?
I like the premise of the book and the descriptions of Astrid's struggle not to drink are really well written and insightful about bei g an alcoholic. However I didn't like the way the book ended and found it hard to warm to Astrid which meant I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would

Astrid has returned to living with her mother in the small seaside town of Flinstead after a spell in rehab for her alcohol issues. Her boyfriend, Simon, has died in tragic circumstances related to his own alcoholism. Astrid meets Josh, a lovely and uncomplicated man, who befriends her. But then Astrid starts getting strange messages and seeing things. She becomes convinced that someone knows her dark secrets from her past life.

This is a really well written book which kept me engrossed the whole way through. I kept trying to second guess who Astrid should be able to trust and who she shouldn’t but didn’t manage to do that. It was a good plot and good resolution. This is the Lesley Kara’s second book and I will definitely be reading any future ones her.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book I have read by Lesley Kara, The Rumour being the first.

I struggled with the first 100 pages as it was quite slow, but I'm glad I persevered as I couldn't put it down. It is very well written from Astrid's point of view, as a recovering alcoholic. Astrid struggles with the guilt of her drinking days and the lack of memory during her intoxicated periods. It did pull on my heart strings at some points where Astrid and her mother are trying to cope and move forward. There are plenty of twists to keep the reader page turning right until the end.
Would highly recommend if you enjoy psychological thrillers and the first book, though i think Who Did You Tell is much better written.

This is a really intriguing book.

The main character and her mother are written spectacularly well. I believed everything about Astrid, especially her relationship with her mother. All of her relationships and interactions in fact are brilliant and for me that is the most powerful element of the story.

The actual plot, I think, is a bit messy and inconsistent. The first half of the book builds up the tension really well but this doesn't really continue into the second half and the reveals are bit....damp.

For me, the plot exists only as device to hang the redemption of Astrid on. this isn't a bad thing because Astrid, her story and her redemption are why you will stay with this book to the very end.

Well worth reading.

Absolutely loved this book and the twists!!! Lesley Kara did a superb job of making this book both normal yet different with one side of you enjoying some of the recovery and hopefully happy future for Astrid, then the other side wondering what the hell is going on!

This book had an interesting premise. It was full of questions and twists. Unfortunately, it just wasn't one for me!

If you're a fan of Lesley Kara's debut novel The Rumour, then I think you'll enjoy Who Did You Tell? just as much. For me, it wasn't as predictable this time and there were some surprising twists. I also really liked the main character Astrid.

The story is set in a small seaside town, Flinstead. 32-year-old Astrid is a recovering alcoholic who has moved back in with her mother. There are a lot of issues facing Astrid. She's grieving for her ex, Simon. She sometimes clashes with her mother. She's struggled with alcohol since her teens and has messed up her career as a set designer. She's fallen in love but is afraid to tell the truth about herself. And - here's the 'psychological thriller' bit - she has some terrible secrets but now someone has followed her to Flinstead and is going to make her pay for what she did.

There were many elements I admired about this book. The setting was so well-realised that I could smell the sea. The characters were all interesting and potentially untrustworthy. The plot was easy to follow and took place over several weeks. There are some heavy themes - depression, suicide, grief, belief, addiction - and I like that these are explored. The narrative voice of Astrid is easy to follow and very intimate. She's closer to my age than some other protagonists of books I've read in this genre, which could have been a factor.

A very good read which in my opinion improves upon the author's debut. Recommended!

Thank you to the publisher Transworld (part of PenguinRandomHouse UK) for the review copy via NetGalley.

Publication date: 9th January 2020.

NB: This post is scheduled on my blog for December 28th 2019.

I really enjoyed this book. Astrid has come home to her mother's in a quiet seaside town to try to recover from her alcoholism. It soon becomes apparent that her boyfriend has recently died and she somehow feels responsible. Then strange things start to happen, all connected to her previous life. There are some odd people at the AA meetings, and she doesn't know who to trust. This is a good read which will keep you guessing to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

This is Lesley Kara’s second novel and I read the first one, ‘The Rumour’, which was brilliant. ‘Who Did You Tell’ is just as good, if not better. A thoroughly enjoyable read with so many twists and turns so I couldn’t put it down.

Astrid is a recovering alcoholic who has returned to her hometown to live with her mother and she knows she is on her last chance with her so is attending AA meetings in this small town. It is the type of place where everyone knows everyone else’s business.

It is clear that Astrid has a dark past which she is not proud of although her memory is sketchy as most of the time she was drunk. It is apparent that she lost a boyfriend at some stage although, initially, the circumstances are vague. Her character is excellently portrayed as she stumbles to keep away from drinking.

However, it appears as if somebody in the town knows her past better than she does and is following her, as she smells the aftershave her former boyfriend used to wear. She starts to find notes, which begin to scare her.

This is a difficult subject handled with excellent skill, leaving the reader in no doubt that the addiction can ruin lives and the lives of those around them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam press and Lesley Kara for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Brilliant read and highly recommended.

Astrid is the recovering alcoholic who has returned home to live with her mother in a small seaside town. Having reached rock bottom this is her last chance to maintain sobriety, but it seems that her past life is about to catch up with her and challenge her efforts.

Astrid is a great unreliable narrator. She has a secret that even she is not sure on the details of, but it seems that someone knows what she did and is determined to take her down. There are threats made that relate to her previous boyfriend Simon, and allusions made to some of the desperate things they did to get cash for their next drink. Struggling with this threat Astrid is also trying to cope with the demands of AA meetings, a potential new boyfriend, a fractured relationship with her mother and trying to get a job.

There are a lot of plates to juggle, but Lesley Kara has a firm grip on them all, and the book races along at a thrilling speed, never once stumbling. She even throws in a quick nod to her previous book which was perfectly placed in the conversation between Astrid and her mother. There are plenty of twists and the tension Astrid feels as she fights her desire to drink whilst dealing with the threats against her is palpable. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough towards the end as I was desperate to find out if Astrid was going to make it.

My thanks go to Net Galley and the publishers for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Another triumph from Lesley Kara. I thought her first book The Rumour was wonderful and this is a good follow up.

This is a slow burner of a book that little by little creeps up on you and i found myself really caring about Astrid so this made for a very enjoyable read. The main character of Astrid is really quite sad she is a recovering alcoholic and is struggling to cope as her past seems to be coming back to haunt her, what did exactly happen when she was drinking.. is it just her paranoia or is someone really out to cause her her harm.
Lots of secrets emerge and there are many twists in the book ... who can Astrid trust and can she stop herself from falling back into her alcoholism. It’s a good 4 star read that I read quite quickly as I wanted to know the outcome and I wasn’t disappointed.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Bantam Press for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I know I'm going to love a book when I can't put it down and walk around reading it ... and that's what this book did. Really enjoyed reading it. Twists & turns, fabulous characters and a great story.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a free review.

I didn't think I could get through this novel, it felt like a tough one based on the fact that the main character, Astrid is dealing with alcoholism, but sometimes it can make for an interesting when you look at it from the idea of the unreliable narrator.
However, once I got past the first quarter of the book, I started to enjoy this novel a lot, it was very intriguing and the constant twists and turns kept me guessing as I read, nearly read the whole thing in one go. I was hooked, the writing is incredible and this is a brilliant debut novel. I look forward to seeing more from the author.

A fantastic novel with an engaging narrative and outcome. A thin line of tension, which makes this a page turner. Great read!

This is a brilliant page-turner that deals with alcoholism, recovery and life after loss. Our protagonist, Astrid, is a recovering alcoholic who is being tormented by someone who knows her darkest secrets. She doesn’t know who to trust and every day is a struggle to stay strong and not drink.
I found the writing powerful, even though I don’t drink alcohol I found myself craving it from the description of Astrid’s cravings.
Astrid is flawed but we’re still on her side and willing her to succeed.

I really enjoyed The Rumour so was really pleased to get an e-copy of Who Did You Tell? in exchange for an honest review. If you enjoyed The Rumour I think this will be right up your street. Twists and turns galore. I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong, it kept me guessing right to the end. Keep them coming Lesley Kara!