What. Just. Happened?
This started off really slow and I had no idea how all the pieces would (if at all) fit together.
As as result I was completely unprepared for how great this ended up being.
I totally got sucked into all the characters lives and couldn't wait to find out more.
Much love to NetGalley & Avon Books UK for my DRC.

Thrilling, riveting, heart-pounding suspenseful… I am talking about the new novel by C. L. Taylor. What a rollercoaster of a read! It kept me on edge the entire time I was reading and full of questions when I took a break from reading. If you’ve read the author’s previous novels, you know how good she is to creating well-crafted plots that keep you glued to the pages and, with this new novel, she didn’t disappoint.

As the titles implies, this is the story of strangers, three people who don’t now each other. but whose path somehow crosses and becomes intertwined. There is Alice, a divorced mother who is trying to figure out the world of dating, but there someone is watching her. Gareth is a security guard who, when not a work, spends his time looking after his elderly mother and wondering who is leaving her mysterious postcards. And Ursula, a low-paid courier who found her own way to battle with her grief, a way that may get her into trouble. How are they connected? What are they hiding? And how will it end?

I adore this author. She manages to drag you into the story and keep you completely engrossed. Even though I didn’t always liked them, the characters are engaging, complex and well-developed. The story is twisty and you never know what to expect. What more would you want?

So to recap, in Strangers you will find fantastic characterization, brilliant writing, a gripping plot, slowly-building tension, and unexpected twists. It’s literally impossible to put this book down.

Strangers is the most unpredictable thriller I’ve read in a long time. An irresistibly dark thriller that is full of clever suspense and fascinating characters. Three main protagonists – Alice, Gareth and Ursula –all have very different personalities and are vividly portrayed with great care and depth. Each character carries a story thread that interacts with the Meads Shopping Centre in Bristol.

Alice is a store manager at a fashion shop in the Meads, separated from her husband and now actively dating again. There is a lot going on in her life with her adult daughter and her partner, plus the new men coming into her own life. Gareth is head of security at Meads and monitors all the CCTV coverage at the Centre. He is an older man with various work and family issues and lives with his elderly mum who has dementia. Ursula is my favourite character, unattractive and unusually tall, she is still reeling from a major loss in her life and her own life is falling apart. She is a delivery person with precarious employment conditions and often shops in the Meads.

What impressed me most within this novel were the characters that C.L. Taylor created, each individual, each bringing a new perspective and each wrestling with major issues in their lives. Taylor has an amazing way of showing contrasts in her characters and as the story progresses we see that first impressions can often be mistaken. Actions are often a consequence of some underlying issue and as these become apparent our view of certain characters change. Some of the scenarios I found a little unrealistic and wondered in particular about Alice’s behaviour and thought process.

Several other dubious characters add to the complexity and bring the threat and menace to the story. The plotting is great and the chapters are short and punchy, maintaining a great momentum through each thread until the climactic conclusion. The convergence of the three stories is explosive, and you can probably guess where that will happen.

An unpredictable and restlessly dark thriller that is full of surprises and one I would rate 4.5 stars and highly recommend. I would like to thank Avon Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

This structure was really well written. We follow three different characters, with distinguished voices. We follow their stories separately, but they all come together eventually with a surprise.
I loved it! Twisty and turny, with a good pace.

Strangers - opening with Alice at the scene of a death? A murder? Who knows but her description of the deceased draws you in as you imagine the twisted face. Shocked herself by the unpeaceful look on the face. Thrown right into the centre makes you scrabble to read more and find out who? Why? What?

Next we flip to a week earlier and Alice going on a date in a pub. We find out she is divorced, her partner left her. She has a 20 year old daughter and is clearly keeping herself safe after being burnt in her relationship. What then happens is how the lives of various 'strangers' are entwined and how they are at the scene of a death.

Won't give too much away if anyone is planning to give it a read. Unfortunately, this is not a book I would rate well. Started well then just felt it flopped. The main death which happens just didnt feel believable. Plus alot of loose ends. Also getting to the end and there are 3 male murders called the 'Harbourside murders' which gets mentioned as snippets throughout which feels rushed at the end to wrap up the book.

This book is going to be an enormous success but no more than you would expect from such a brilliant writer who does dark and twisty so well. If you have read the author's other books you won't be disappointed with this one.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more

CL Taylor is one of my "drop everything and read her new book straight away" authors. Her writing is tense and gritty.

Strangers kept me hooked from the first word to the last. It's dark, twisty, thrilling and creepy. These are things I have come to expect from this author. She has a way of drawing you in so deeply that the world disappears while you're submerged in the pages.

The characters are all very complex and multi-dimensional. No one is as they first seem and it's hard to tell who to trust.

The story is very well written and an easy read, in the sense that you don't want to stop until you've read the last page. I started around 10pm and finished at 3am, eyes burning and blurry. It's THAT good!

Bravo, Cally. Another stunner!

Anytime that CL Taylor has a new book out I know that I am in for a twisty and clever ride. In Strangers she has once again shown what a fantastic writer she is. I never hesitate to pick her books up and either should you. Strangers will have you binge reading and losing sleep in a need to see how it all plays out.

In the beginning I wasn’t sure at all how’s it would play out. 3 strangers, Alice, Gareth and Ursula. 3 seemingly separate stories. All of them are going through a hard time and have their flaws. AT times it is not easy to like them but through their struggles we learn about them and their lives. And they all have their secrets. Their stories will intertwine to an explosive ending you will not see coming.

Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

This was the first book I have read from C.L. Taylor and wow I was impressed to the point that I will be reading more of her books very soon.

I could not put the book down and the pacing and tension were page-turning, all of the stores were interesting and kept me hooked page after page and loved the way they all came together.

Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller this is one of the best I have read recently

If you’re looking for a psychological thriller to stay up all night reading then C. L. Taylor’s current contribution to lost sleep, STRANGERS, should most definitely be added to your TBR stack.

It has an excellent balance of a page turning plot, several unexpected revelations that will leave you dumbfounded and cast of remarkably well developed characters. Some of the players in this ensemble you will admire and readily relate to, while others you will execrate and still others actions will provoke feelings of exasperation.

This is my first C. L. Taylor read but it certainly won’t be my last. She is truly skilled at plotting and suspense building ensuring that the reader will continue being riveted - even after the primary villain’s identity has been revealed.

I really enjoyed this book and I think that you will too. It’s one of those that grabs you from the first page and never lets you go.

<b>A gripping and tense psychological thriller, which kept me guessing right until the end!
<img src="https://media.giphy.com/media/H88PTeoske3M4/giphy.gif" width="" height="" alt="description"/

Three strangers.
Secrets.
Drama and lies.</b>

Gareth, Ursula and Alice all live in Bristol, but are strangers to each other. They're also all lonely people, dealing with drama in their own lives. What connects them all though?!


Told from each of the three character's perspectives, each person had their own storyline, and distinct voice. Each character was flawed and desperate, and I worried for them! Whilst I enjoyed all three of the storylines, I had absolutely no idea how they would merge, but could definitely sense that they would collide in a dramatic way! C.L. Taylor definitely had me intrigued to how the three stories would come together! Strangers was creepy and at times sad, and had such a fast pace, with short chapters ending in mini cliff hangers! I found it addictive, and kept finding myself reading just one more chapter.

My heart was racing all the way through this twisty page turner!

Many thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a read. Totally gripping from the start until the heart pounding end. I loved the story of each character and how they all come together. Some characters I loved, some I hated and one completely shocked me but I won’t mention who! Strangers is a fantastic book that will have you reading late into the night, desperate to know what happens next.

This thriller was the perfect escape in these crazy times! I was hooked from the first page and the shifting perspectives built dramatic tension until the final page. I loved this book and it is a perfect read for fans of girl on the train and woman in the window: I can’t wait to read the author’s other books!

This was my first read by CL Taylor but will not be my last! The three stories that make up this novel all stand alone well but I loved the subtle ways they intertwine as the novel progresses until the finale when it all comes together with a bang. The short chapters and cliffhanger endings kept me turning pages quickly. There's not much to complain about with this one, although I do think the Harbourside murders storyline was unnecessary and detracted from the rest of the plot. But, overall I give 4 stars to this compelling thriller.

Whoa! What a wild ride. This was super twisty and kept me guessing! I love how it alternated between three perspectives. It kept the story fresh. It was also very well paced.

I am a big fan of C L Taylor so was excited to receive an ARC of her latest book.
The story is told from three different POV which all came together at the end.
I thought this was a great thriller and look forward to her next book.

4.5 Stars! Ingenious, riveting, and an astonishing page-turner!

STRANGERS by C.L. TAYLOR is an interesting, captivating, fun, tense, twisty, and brisk read that was an absolutely unputdownable entangled web of brilliance. The opening scene immediately hooked me and had me totally absorbed within this storyline. I absolutely had no idea where this story was headed and was totally stumped over how all of the strangers' lives were connected. I was totally gobsmacked with the direction that this story took and how things all came together in the end was absolutely jaw-dropping.

C.L. TAYLOR delivers quite the exciting, entertaining, and unsuspecting thriller here that is told from multiple perspectives of our three main characters here. We have Alice, Ursula, and Gareth. Each of their stories were all fascinating and engrossing in their own right and each had a strong voice and brought something unique to the storyline that kept me turning those pages.

I kept on thinking that their lives had to be connected in some way and somehow but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out the connection at all. I was pretty much in the dark the whole time until well the author so explosively brought all their storylines together. I absolutely love this technique!

Expected publication date: April 2, 2020.

This was my very first read by this author and even before I finished this one I grabbed myself a copy of SLEEP from Book Depository. I’m definitely a new fan of her work and absolutely cannot wait to read that one now! Would highly recommend!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Avon Books UK, and C.L. Taylor for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. I am so glad that I was given the chance to read this book!

I absolutely loved this book - I couldn't put it down! Right from the start I was drawn into the lives of the three main characters and I thought the way their lives ended up linked together was very cleverly done. I sympathised with each character, and felt especially bad for Ursula who seemed to have the worst luck!
The plot was full of twists that kept me hooked and I ended up racing through this. I really enjoyed the end scenes where the main characters were bought together, and I think it was all really well written.
I didn't want this to end! I'm definitely going to look out for this author's next book. Thankyou very much to netgalley for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve always been a huge fan of author C.L.Taylors, but when I first started reading Strangers the authors latest offering, I must admit I had some reservations,  I found the pace slower than her previous books, and the plot is one that’s very much character driven. As the saying goes ‘good things come to those who wait’ and ‘hallelujah’ as I turned the pages I became more intrigued by the three strangers stories, I found myself immersed in this compelling, twisted psychological thriller, and cursed myself for having doubts about this book. 


Strangers is told from three perspectives Gareth, Ursula and Alice, Three seemingly unrelated people, polar opposites, each with their own set of dramas and personal problems,  is it luck, misfortune or something far more ominous that brings the three together? I really appreciated the way the author has created three characters that are so different. First there’s single mum, Alice, who has recently got back into the dating scene, and boy does that cause her a whole host of problems! Then there’s Gareth, security guard and main carer for his mother who suffers from dementia, finally there’s the flatmate from Hell, Ursula, an ex teacher come shoplifter. Each one is flawed, each has their own complex story. The conundrum I found myself constantly returning to was how could the three possibly be connected? 

Another thing I really enjoyed about this book are the characters who, although not central to the plot, heighten the mystery surrounding this story. As I read on and the characters stories began to emerge, mistrust, fear, and paranoia grew, I sensed a storm brewing on the horizon. The sense of tension grows tenfold as the mystery deepens, and the threads of the stories meld together. I can honestly say ‘hand on heart’ I had no idea where the story was heading, and all my guesses were way of mark, but when I reached that all ‘enlightening moment’ where it all became clear, I had one of those ‘OMFG’ moments. For me Taylor is the queen of psychological thrillers, once again she gets the right balance between the psychological and thriller aspects of her books, which made this book such a hugely satisfying read. Strangers is very much like a magical mystery tour, you don’t know where the plot is going until you reach the final destination. I have a suspicion this book will be a huge success, and it’s a read I will happily recommend to psychological thriller lovers.