Having thoroughly enjoyed Lesley Kara’s debut novel, The Rumour, I couldn’t wait to start this one. Although a harrowing read at times, I found it interesting, Astrid, a recovering alcoholic has had to move back home to her mother to recover, I found the story itself true to real life as I have seen first hand through a relative what alcohol addiction can do and lead to which made it all the more harder (personally) to read!

A different read to what I would normally go for but enjoyed it all the same, a story of addiction, guilt, shame, paranoia?

I didn’t finish The Rumour. So when this book came along I had higher hopes. This was an okay thriller. Not a must read.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this authors first book, and while I enjoyed this book, it just really didn't compare to the first. While being interesting enough to read on, it just didn't grip me enough to be a gripping page-turner.

Overall, enjoyable but could of been better.

After really enjoying 'The Rumour', I was really looking forward to this one!

The story follows Astrid, a recovering alcoholic who has moved back in with her Mum while she gets back on her feet after a stint in rehab. After being burned a few times before, Astrid's Mum has made it very clear that this is her last chance with her, so she is trying really hard to move past her demons.
While regularly attending local AA meetings, Astrid meets Rosie and Helen. Both want to help her in their own ways and Astrid can't decide who she is best sticking with. She also meets handsome Josh while walking on the beach and, despite falling for him big time, she can't bring herself to tell him the whole truth about herself. Add in the fact that she has a possible stalker who is taunting her about her old life, Astrid is not having the best time at the moment and is finding it harder and harder to keep herself sober.
This is a good and twisty, mystery story! I had no clue who was doing what and why until the reveal due to sheer amount of credible red herrings! Despite finding it a bit hard to warm to Astrid, I enjoyed following her journey and with several other well-written characters, this was a very good read!

My first book by this author. Interesting subject matter. Wasn't sure where the story was going at first but there were certainly a few twists as the book developed. Would definitely read more by this author.

Astrid is a recovering alcoholic, but she’s also running from her wrongdoings of the past. Having moved to a tranquil seaside town away from the temptations of the city to be with her mother and concentrate on her recovery, Astrid is trying to make amends for her past. However someone knows about Astrid’s past and the things she is trying to put right but soon lets Astrid know that something’s cannot be made right. A gripping and suspenseful read, which had me hooked from the first page until the last.

This book is so well written, I absolutely loved reading it. The story flows really well and had me hooked from the start. The main character has her issues but is very likeable. I did guess some of the plot, but it in no way detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I definitely recommend this book. Thank you #netgalley

**3.5 stars**
Astrid is a recovering alcoholic, she’s had to move back with her mother to a small seaside town after coming out of rehab. She attends regular AA meetings but she often thinks she’s being followed. Is her mind playing tricks or not?
I enjoyed this novel but I sometimes felt it was a little sluggish and repetitive. I didn’t like Astrid in the beginning but did end up warming to her and the ending did take me by surprise.
To be fair, I think this novel suffered from what was happening around me at the time of reading.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

From the Sunday Times bestselling author of "The Rumour" comes another cracking story from Lesley Kara.

I was looking forward to reading this after having read and enjoyed Ms Kara's debut novel "The Rumour" and I certainly wasn't disappointed although this was sometimes a difficult read due to the main character, Astrid, being a recovering alcoholic with a chequered history.

Initially, Astrid was a difficult character to like but as the novel moved on, I found myself rooting for her to succeed against the inner voices in her head pulling her back towards the demon drink and although I am not an alcoholic, recovering or current, it does feel authentic. The way Ms Kara describes the impact addiction has not only on the person themselves but also on the family and wider relationships is well captured in this book.

Astrid is trying to rebuild her life - moving back to her childhood home to live with her mum, attending AA meetings, trying to rekindle her gift of painting, rebuilding the trust of her mum but she is full of shame and guilt regarding events she recalls from her past drinking days; events that only she and her ex-boyfriend know about or so she thought ... someone is watching her, someone is sending her notes, someone is going out of their way to try and prevent her from moving on.

The book is told mainly from Astrid's point of view with snippets included from the "stalker's" perspective. This, I think, was genius as it not only immersed me into Astrid's thought processes and daily struggles with addiction but also gave me an idea of what she was up against.

The story starts quite slowly but develops in intensity and pace with twists along the way and although you would think it would be heavy-going given the subject matter, it isn't as there are lighter moments sprinkled throughout. All of the characters are well developed and interesting and the setting of the small coastal town is perfect.

This is a compelling and engrossing read dealing with a difficult subject matter with sensitivity and one I would definitely recommend to readers who like to get their teeth into something a bit different.

Many thanks to RandomHouse UK, Transworld Publishers via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I didn’t have high hopes about this book, but the summary sounded a bit interesting.

It’s very slow moving in the beginning, and it’s boring. The relationship between the Astrid and Josh is moving to fast for my liking, and there’s no chemistry. The MC and some of the support characters are annoying. Nothing is really happening in the story. It feels like the authors doesn’t know whether to focus on the romance, the sobriety or the drama in someone knowing what Astrid did and the book ends up being a mix of them and not really good. The story is short and that’s basically the only reason I kept reading. This isn’t a crime/thriller book, more like women’s contemporary lit. I had a feeling about who was doing the stalking but I didn’t know why. The story was a disappointment. I expected something better

I loved The rumour and this was a very good follow up!
It has all the elements of a psychological drama..a protagonist who is a recovering alcoholic with shameful secrets in her past, a past that comes calling for revenge, threats, paranoia, suspicion of being stalked, seeing people who shouldn't be around etc.
Astrid is back with her mother who has given her an ultimatum that she has to quit drinking or forever lose contact. With a love/hate relationship with her own current sober state, she tries to move on by resurrecting her art career and beginning a new relationship and attending AA meetings.
But there are things she did when drunk that haunt her. She has at least one death on her conscience and is chilled to the bone when it is apparent that someone in that sleepy town knows too.
With a lot of is it this person and is it that person the story kept me hooked.

WHO DID YOU TELL, a suspense thriller/psychological drama is the second novel to be published in January 2020 by Lesley Kara the author of the Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller, THE RUMOUR, a crime thriller debut published in December 2018.

Every town has its secrets. Lesley Kara knows them all . . .

Astrid, an alcoholic is trying to turn her life around, focusing on her recovery. She has grudgingly moved back in with her mother, in a quiet seaside town away from the temptations and painful memories of her life before. She is going to meetings. And trying to get her life back in order.

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

Astrid knows someone is following her. But her memories are pretty vague due to her past drinking and blackouts.

Some mistakes, you have to pay for . . .Someone is looking for revenge.

Who Did You Tell is a captivating story of a woman dealing with fighting addiction and the mistakes of the past. Who is sending her menacing letters and how do they know about her past? Well-developed characters, believable plot with lots of twists and red herrings, and one story that will appeal to a wide range of readers. You won’t forget this book. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, Random House UK , Netgalley and THE Book Club Reviewer Group (FB) for my digital copy.

The set up for this was intriguing - recovering alcoholic Astrid leaves rehab and goes to live in a small seaside town with her mother. While there she starts to notice the smell of former boyfriend’s fragrance, and then notes start to arrive alluding to her past. Ultimately though, this one sadly wasn’t for me as the plot unrolled, which I found a bit stolid.

Wow! I was extremely excited to get my hands on a copy of this book. I enjoyed Kara's debut novel and this one was equally as thought-provoking. I was totally invested in the whole book and read it in two sittings. Literally could not put it down. The story is about a woman who is a recovering alcoholic, trying to rebuild her life... but obviously there are twists and turns at every angle. Someone wants revenge!

I loved the character of Astrid and could really feel empathy for her character throughout. I felt myself willing her to get through her struggles and be able to overcome the demons that were haunting her.

This is one of the best books that I have read and has definitely entered my top 5 books for 2019. 100% a 5 star read.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for this book

a recovering alcoholic
seaside town
threatening letters


this book highlights the dangers for alcoholics and what they have to go through but this is more than that..its is about a young girl who has to go back and live with her mother and try and piece together her life after losing the love of her life,she has to attend aa meetings or else her mother will wash her hands of her...

but along the way she meets several people some at aa meetings and one special person at the beach, who she feels she can build a life with...

but then she starts to smell the aftershave her ex use to wear, and pretty soon threatening letters appear...

there are quite a few red herrings along the way before all is revealed but this i found to be a compelling story and one that i am beginning to recognise as the trademark with this author

This is one of those books that it will surprise the reader, the mystery is not the only interesting part of the book but Astrid’s life and fight for her addiction.
I can’t say that I’ve read a lot of books talking about addiction and how an alcoholic tries to fight the addicion, minute by minute, day by day. It was not an easy read, sometimes I wanted to hug Astrid and give her some hope that everything will get better if she takes little steps!
This is a really emotional book, it has a mystery, yes, but you can’t stop wondering if Astrid was as bad as she thinks she was. I don’t doubt she did many wrongs, but killing? I couldn’t believe it! That’s why since the beginning I was suspecting from everyone who Astrid was meeting. Someone had a secret agenda but there were so many possible suspects that I couldn’t stop guessing on who could be the one trying to scare Astrid!
Even if Astrid’s mum seemed a harsh and difficult person, I could understand her fear and protectiveness, she loved her daughter but was terrified that she could turn to drink again. I felt her love for Astrid all the time, but I don’t think she knew how to help her daughter anymore! And let’s be honest, I don’t think anyone would know how to help their son/daughter on the same situation.
During the story we have a mysterious voice that has vengeance on their mind, ready to kill and with a lot of inventive and horrible ways to kill. The main question will be, will they succeed?
This is a mysterious read with a human side that will keep the reader glued on the story till the last page! Ready to discover “Who did you tell?”

Who Did You Tell By Lesley Kara
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and easy read, although not an easy subject matter. I liked the characters and the plot, and felt the story progressed well.
Looking forward to reading more by this author, and recommend this book.

Astrid Phelps is a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for over six months. After ending up in hospital and spending time in rehab, she moves to the seaside town of Flinstead so that her mum, June, can look after Astrid and keep an eye on her. She attends the local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, where she meets an array of people, and tries to follow the 12 steps programme.

While walking on the beach one day, she strikes up a conversation with Josh Carter, who enjoys swimming in the sea, and they end up tentatively beginning a relationship but Astrid isn’t honest with him about her past and neglects to mention her problems. He helps her to get back into her painting and she ends up doing a commission for his father, Richard.

As the book progresses, someone from the past seems to be stalking Astrid and sabotaging her attempts to remain sober. Will she be able to resist the temptations or slip back into a downward spiral of despair, letting herself down again and devastating her poor, long-suffering mother who is desperate to help her.

As a result of her alcoholism, past events and the destructive path she was on with her ex-boyfriend, Simon, Astrid is paranoid and thinks people are talking about her and assumes everyone is out to get her. The story makes for uneasy reading as Astrid’s past life comes back to haunt her and strange things start happening: she smells Simon’s aftershave and receives strange letters and loses things that are significant to her. She’s an unreliable narrator though and I was often left wondering if she was telling the truth or had misinterpreted something or was even reliving false memories as a result of being drunk at the time.

Battling against alcohol addiction is a constant struggle and I spent the whole book on edge, waiting for Astrid to slip up as she was tormented by bad memories and someone from her past, who seemed intent on causing her to relapse. It was an intense, emotional read and made difficult reading as the voices in Astrid’s head kept telling to have a little drink to feel better. Her conflicted emotions and inner torment were well written and I really felt for her, despite all the hurt she’d caused others. She had a lot of guilt, self-loathing and unresolved emotions and kept punishing herself.

Like Astrid, I wasn’t sure who to trust either! Both Josh and Richard seemed to be hiding things and Astrid’s AA acquaintances were all rather complicated characters too and they were obviously all battling their own demons and weren’t very reliable. Even her mum’s and her mum’s friend, Pam, acted strangely at times.

The suspense built throughout the book and I wasn’t sure how everything was going to be resolved and whether Astrid was going to have a happy ending or not. I was hopeful, but not entirely convinced, that she would find the strength to survive.

Overall, I really enjoyed this well-written, tense, foreboding book and I whizzed through it in a couple of days. There were a few twists and turns and red herrings to catch me out! It was another great read from Lesley Kara. I really enjoyed her debut novel, The Rumour, which was also set in Flinstead, and I’m already looking forward to her next book.

Lesley Kara's second novel Who Did You Tell? features Astrid, a recovering addict, who has been given a last chance at a fresh start by her mother. Astrid knows that she has put her family through hell over the years and following recent events, which are unknown to the reader at the start, she's finally at the stage where she wants to battle her demons once and for all and get totally sober. But it seems that someone else has other sinister plans in store for her and she feels like her life is unravelling once again but she's determined not to fall apart this time... only time will tell whether she can truly trust those around her.

It was clear from the start that Astrid was trying really hard at getting clean, she has moved away from London to cut herself off from temptation, but with no job to occupy her time and her mother watching her every move, it's hard to totally feel free and ignore the flashbacks that haunt her. The more we learn of her past, the more we can see that she really is trying to follow the steps to recovery and make amends for her past mistakes but it's not easy when there are things that she'd rather forget.

Fortunately alcoholism, or even addiction for that matter, is not a topic that has affected me personally so I don't have any experience as to how it affects an individual and those closest to them, family, friends or colleagues, or how hard the recovery process is for all involved. But this topic was handled with sensitivity by the author to give the reader more of an informative understanding of how it affects behaviour etc. Grief is another subject that is tackled in this novel, in fact several characters are dealing with their own experiences of the death of a loved one, and the pain and guilt that they were feeling... you'll have to read the book to find out why the latter.

With its sensitive topics of addiction, grief, regret, obsession and revenge, Who Did You Tell? was the perfect read as it lulled me in slowly until I reached the stage where I simply couldn't put my Kindle down as I wanted to know more. I was wanting answers to the questions that kept popping up in my head, and constantly second guessing as to who the mystery person was that was taunting Astrid with reminders from the past and their reasoning for doing so, but at the same time I was wanting Astrid to stay strong and resist temptation and beat her addiction once for all.

A compelling read from start to finish so I really should go back and read Lesley's debut The Rumour that I bought last year but never got around to reading.

It's such a treat and I feel incredibly proud when I am asked to take part on a blog tour for an author whose debut novel I loved.
Lesley made her mark in the book world with her debut The Rumour so her second novel had much to live up to didn't it.
Oh but she didn't disappoint with it......
A slow starter for me I will admit but then it suddenly took off an almighty pace.
We meet Astrid who is a recovering alcoholic. She is back home living with her mum having hit rock bottom.
We see snippets throughout of a love lost and Astrid laying the blame completely at her own door.
But she was in a drunken haze back then and her memory keeps letting her down.
She's trying so hard to piece it all together.
She wants her life back but there is so much temptation for her.
She has found a nice person in new boyfriend Josh but someone out there wants their revenge and she begins to suspect everyone in her life.
She wonders is Josh really as lovely as he comes across or is he hiding something from her.
I found this to be quite an emotional read about a person battling her demons.
Lesley gave us such an incredible insight into the life of a recovering alcoholic, the cravings, the demons, the self doubt.
Her characters are solid and interesting....
Her storyline superb.....
A brilliant and quite a gripping read, well worth taking the time for this one.