A great psychological thriller, even better than Lesley Kara's first book, The Rumour.

Astrid is an alcoholic who comes to live with her mother in order to try and change her life around. But she is grieving for her partner who was also an alcoholic and suffers guilt from the part she played in his death. While attending AA meetings Astrid meets two women, both of whom want to befriend her but are they all that they seem? She also meets a man and falls in love but daren't tell him about her past in case he dumps her ...

Lots of twists and turns and while there were times I felt impatient with Astrid when she was tempted to drink, she was a realistic character and there was plenty going on to keep me turning the pages. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random HouseUK for the opportunity to read and review Who Did You Tell?

Astrid is a recovering alcoholic. After losing everything, she moves in with her mum who lives in a sleepy town by the sea and starts attending Alcoholics Anonymous. She thinks she is being stalked by an ex-boyfriend, but he committed suicide, so who is following her and leaving threatening messages. As Astrid tries to re-build her life and move on in the romantic stakes, she finds that beating alcoholism is not the only demon she is facing.

Lesley Kara caught my imagination with the way she drip feeds what torments Astrid caused others to suffer when she was in an alcoholic fugue and this made me race through the pages at breakneck speed, that is, until near the end, when I went at a snail’s pace because I did not want to lose my connection with Astrid.

The author does not paint a pretty picture of how alcoholism invades every waking moment, thought and action which lends gravitas to this story.

Thank you #netgalley for an arc of this book.

Enjoyed her first book the rumour. A good premise but could not find empathy with the character who was whiny and self absorbed. Also found it just a little bit slow and I guessed the ending. That said I would definitely read her next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Really enjoyed this book. It was a very gripping read with some great twists. Just as you think you know what’s going on, it twists..
I really liked Astrid and felt myself holding my breath for her at times as she struggled through some difficult times.
Thanks to NetGalley for this copy!

Lesley Kara' second book couldn't wait to read it absolutely loved the rumour.
Thought the plot unfolded at a steady pace keeping you gripped and not wanting to put it down
Good characters, who all play there part by keeping you guessing all the way to the end
Lesley Kara is certainly an up and coming author.

Thank you netgalley, Lesley Kara and Random House for allowing me to read and review this book.

Brilliant. This is a really well written believable story. The characters and their lives seemed so real. I got totally caught up in everything that was happening.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Highly readable thriller that centres on Astrid, a young woman trying to overcome her struggles with alcoholism and rebuild her life. Her fragile grip on sobriety was movingly depicted, and as a reader, I felt a real affinity with her character, and desperately wanted to see her overcome her demons. The tension gradually ratches up, and there was a moment towards the end where I literally had to put the book down because it was so unbearable! A well-written, easy read that's a real page turner.

Who did you tell left me guessing till the last page, it was well written and I enjoyed it as much as the Rumour. The alcoholism in the story was refreshingly realistic, showing the struggle that Astrid went through on a daily basis. I would recommend this book.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author! I really enjoyed the first one but this one really excelled. It was fast paced with an interesting story line, believable characters and many many twists... I was only able to read it in short bursts, would loved to have read it in one go. Would highly recommend

This book was a slow read for me. Astrid is a recovering alcoholic and struggling with her life in many ways. She starts feeling paranoid and wondering who she can trust. While it did have some good twists I felt like there was too much in her head and descriptive writing. I like a book with more dialogue I guess. Still, solid book! Great writing overall.

This book beautifully (if that is the right word for something so troubling) describes alcoholism and the struggle that alcoholics go through to stay sober. The characters that Astrid meets at AA are very strange in their own ways, attributable to the alcoholic tendencies and they seem very keen to help her recover.
However Astrids dark past is catching up with her, despite moving away, returning to the family home to escape the past.
I swayed between liking Astrid for her brave attempt at maintaining sobriety and rooted for her every time she thought "vodka" but equally had moments of intense dislike for the way she behaved with other people. I think that is probably a true emotional gamut for someone who knows and cares about someone suffering from addiction.
The twists are incredibly subtle and clever, misdirecting suspicions among many before finally settling on the truth.

Well written thriller with realistic characters that keeps you interested.

I like that the protagonist isn’t perfect and the descent in to paranoia is well portrayed and at odds with the setting.

I chose this book because the story line sounded interesting and it didn’t disappoint. I know someone who’s an alcoholic and a lot of what was written rung true, especially the destructive element and how it spreads so far and affects every level of friends, and family.

The storyline was a bit too slow to develop for me, but it had some good twists. I think, on balance, I preferred The Rumour, but a good book overall.

I have enjoyed previous books by this author and I was really looking forward to this one. It was excellent. A brilliant thriller. Highly recommended

Many thanks to Netgalley and Lesley Kara for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion.

Astrid a recovering alcoholic has moved in with her mother at Flinstead a small seaside town, where everybody knows each other’s business.

Astrid hasn’t had a drink for 190 days and attends AA meetings, where she meets Rosie and Helen. We know she has a secret and it is to do with her ex Simon. She becomes paranoid, she feels like she is being followed, then menacing notes appear.

The story is full of secrets and twists that keep you guessing until the surprising ending. I was so engrossed and sure where this book was going, that I didn’t see the twists coming and was left guessing again!!

This opened my eyes to the world of addictions. The topic of alcoholism was told in a frank and honest way, explaining how the daily battle can affect everyday life and how close family can be affected too!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I really enjoyed Lesley's first novel - The Rumour, so was looking forward to this. It didn't disappoint.
It had the same fast heart rate inducing twists and turns. I noticed the 'nod' to the first novel. A great read.

I kind of enjoyed this book but think The Rumour was better. Astrid is a recovering alcoholic who moves back home with her mother to focus on her recovery from her addiction. I won't go into the whole plot here but the story was fairly engaging though predictable - I'd guessed the ending well in advance. The writing was good, plot a bit far-fetched, the setting was well described etc but my main gripe is the main character herself - Astrid. Golly, what a self-centred moany person! It was hard to sympathise with her and in fact I ended up not caring a whit what happened to her:( . Good enough read but nothing that hasn't been done before. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It's been 192 days, seven hours and fifteen minutes since her last drink. Now Astrid is trying to turn her life around.

Having reluctantly moved back in with her mother, in a quiet seaside town away from the temptations and painful memories of her life before, Astrid is focusing on her recovery. She's going to meetings. Confessing her misdeeds. Making amends to those she's wronged.

But someone knows exactly what Astrid is running from. And they won't stop until she learns that some mistakes can't be corrected.


There have been many excellent reviews of Lesley's Kara's latest book - The Rumour - but 'Who did you tell?' is the first book that I've read by her so I'm excited to go back and read her books that have already been published. This one was a firm four stars for me. It's a gripping, dark and exciting book - there are some very tense moments and very real problems addressed. The author does an amazing job of building up a frankly lovable character who you want to root for - but also reminding you of her past and the battles she has faced when drinking. The twists are good - I don't think I had worked out who was at the centre of it all until the end - and Lesley Kara gives you hints and steers you in different directions just to keep it fresh.

This is the story of a woman called Astrid. She is a recovering alcoholic who struggles daily with her addiction whilst dealing with the grief and guilt over the death of her boyfriend, Simon. Astrid moves to a quaint village to live with her mother after leaving rehab. It doesn’t take long until Astrid starts smelling Simon’s aftershave or seeing his clothes in charity shops. Little brown envelopes of blackmail start to turn up at her mothers house. Astrid is trying to move on with her life but someone is hell bent on dragging her back down.

This book was a slow starter for me but once it got going I couldn’t stop reading. The character development and strength of Astrid grows through this book, she has the confidence to face her demons head on. There were a few twists in this book which I really liked and didn’t see coming. I felt towards the end that I was really empathising with Astrid and rooting for her. IT gave me a frightening insight into alcohol addiction and how it can wreck havoc for people.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lesley Kara, Random House UK and Bantam Press for an eARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This story captures the tribulations of a recovering alcoholic Astrid, who is forced to live back with her Mum as a final chance to get herself straightened out. Astrid is faced daily with the temptation of alcohol and attends local AA meetings where she meets fellow addicts who are eager to take her under their wing.

Astrid is also tormented with her past leading her to be suspicious and untrusting of others, even those who genuinely want to help her.

Who Did You Tell is a novel with plenty of mysteries that kept me interested throughout.

My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC this is my own view on this book.