This is well written and timely, with a focus on the now all-too familiar he said/she said narrative of sexual assault, although the twist here is that, on this occasion, there was a witness. It's gripping and I read it quickly. I did find the narrator's reluctance to come forward hard to believe, especially given her own experiences, but of course nobody knows how they are going to react in a situation like that until they're in it. I think the title ended up bugging me because the very idea of 'blurred lines' is damaging to victims, but I appreciate that it's also a snappy and attention-grabbing title that will probably play well - plus the book's focus is very much on the ways in which women have to fight to be believed.

This is very much a question of: what would you do? Becky walks in, accidentally, on her boss with a woman who isn’t his wife, and she decides to say nothing. Matthew has been very encouraging of Becky’s burgeoning career in film and she feels she owes him. Until the same woman accuses Matthew of sexual assault and Becky feels in a quandary. What did she see and who is telling the truth? Her own traumatic past comes back with a bang as she tries to make sense of the present while facing up to what happened to her as a teenager. A very powerful read that will make you think how you’d react in similar circumstances.

I unfortunately, found myself drifting, every time I read this book.
It didn’t seem to go anywhere fast.
I got the gist. Then nothing much seemed to change and I felt it wasn’t moving.
So much so it sent me into a bit of a reading slump.
As I don’t like, to not finish books. I kept trying to get into it.

I did not finish it. Just wasn’t for me.

There have been so many books and TV programmes recently, and over the last five years or so, on METOO or rape or historical rape. So much so, that when I received this book, I wasn't that bothered about exploring the subject matter again. However, I thoroughly enjoy this book and it does make you reflect and consider what you would do in similar circumstances.
I found this novel gripping and I wanted to read on, so much so, I read it quite quickly. Human nature is an odd thing and the importance of how past trauma shapes you and alters the course of your life and how we see things, is explored really well by this author. Some of the plot lines were predictable and I guessed the twist, but it didn't take away the fact that I wanted to reach the end of Becki's story and have her find peace.
I would recommend this novel.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Netgalley for the arc of this book By Hannah Begbie.

This follows Becky as she battles with her conscience after seeing her boss with Matthew with another woman to whom is not actually his wife. She ends up keeping it to her lonesome until in which she ends up finding out the woman whom accuses him of rape and then ends up requesting that the witness is to come forward. thing is that She doesn’t know if she is telling the truth or not or is itto get attention.... Was it actually rape that she saw or what?.....

This was a gripping thriller which had me gripped start to finish

4 stars
Totally Recommend

A great story and very in time with the Me Too Movement. I think anyone who reads this would think 'What would I do'. A real roller-coaster of a story. Highly recommended xx

This book had me questioning “What would I do?”. Thought provoking and well written, I enjoyed following Becky as she wrestled with her conscience after seeing her boss with Matthew with another woman (not his wife). She keeps it to herself until she finds out the woman accuses him of rape and requests the witness to come forward. Becky is torn. She doesn’t know if she is telling the truth or if she is trying to get attention. Was it rape she saw? Coupled with this Becky’s mental health is suffering, and she is worried that her job will be in danger.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and thought it was a well developed plot line - I didn’t see the twist coming but once it came, I did work the rest out. The book deals with difficult themes of rape, self harm and suicide which might not be to everyone’s taste but I would recommend it nonetheless.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley. This is a new author to me and wow ill definitely be reading more in the future.This book is amazing and so culturally relevent today in 2020. Deals with sensitive topics and written expertly. I loved Becky and all of her problematic ways due to a traumatic event. This has made her the woman she is today .This is thought provoking and will make you question your moral compass.Highly recommend if you enjoy gripping psychological thrillers .Published 20th August

Blurred Lines is a prescient novel that really makes you think. It follows Becky who is on the verge of real success in her career but one night she walks into her boss’ house and sees him with a woman who is not his wife. Later the woman accuses him of rape and Becky is forced to think that what she saw may not have been consensual and is paralysed over what to do about it. The novel also goes back in time to Becky’s past and the awful thing that happened to her as a teenager which altered the course of her own life. I found this to be a really gripping novel and one that makes you put yourself in these women’s shoes and think about what you would do. It’s not always black and white especially when past trauma is still affecting you. I did find some aspects of the novel to be predictable but that didn’t stop me being gripped because I just wanted to know if Becky was going to be okay. I recommend this one.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

This book had such a promising premise but it was all - just ok.
It was a decent enough storyline but the characters were not easy to empathize or connect with.
The book had some good moments that kept me reading on.
The ending was also easily predictable.

I have just finished reading Blurred Lines and have to say I very much enjoyed reading it although, contrary to some other reviewers, I didn't find it suspensful. In a lot of ways it is a sad story for Becky and Adam although their daughter, Maisie, is nothing but a joy to them both. Everything hinges on the night of a party where Becky ends up in a walk in wardrobe with Scott after a game of spin the bottle. From then on we are absolutely in the midst of the drama. Becky was an unbelievably wise girl who became a strong woman who did the right thing in the end. The background setting of this book gives you a teaser into the world of British film making, one that is as false and glitzy as we imagine. I was disappointed with the ending, there is only one revelation which Becky seems unable to accept so the future of Maisie and Adam is affected monumentally by her decision. I realise that not all books have a fairy tale ending but I did feel that Becky chose to forget all the wonderful things that Adam had brought into her and Maisie's life for a very long time.

A story about trust, loyalty, and about doing the right thing when accidentally witnessing a scene that might, or might not be rape. But when a birthday gift to her daughter reveals a horrible truth Becky must also decide whether her own life has been a lie. An odd blend between Danielle Steel and James Patterson.

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley UK for an ACSM proof of this novel.

With #MeToo firmly in its sights this is an interesting, timely novel about loyalty and telling the truth.
I found it very fascinating reading as I think most of us would like to say we'd speak up straight away but realistically are more like Becky than we'd really like to admit.

This was a surprisingly great novel. It's a very interesting topic as the protagonist is faced with a huge moral dilemma that might just ruin her career. I found it to be a quick read, and throughout the book I wasn't sure how it would end. It was written brilliantly, and I enjoyed it very much.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

An interesting read about a powerful topic although I felt the characters lacked depth and likeability.
The story felt hurried in places although at other times gripping and made me want to keep reading. An enjoyable read but couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't quite as good as it could have been!

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for this arc. I was intrigued by the timely premise of this, so excited to delve into Blurred Lines.
Blurred Lines is told from the POV of Becky, narrated in a close three-person narrative. Becky is 32-years old and working for Matthew Kingsman, a successful film producer. The opening scene of this novel is a superb one with Becky buying a £65 bottle of wine that she can't afford for her boss - Becky has worked has his assistant for years and her dues are about to pay off big-time when she pitches Matthew her idea of retelling Medea in a contemporary #Metoo era which he greenlights and plans on taking her to Cannes for some meetings so she can start putting her project together - being judged silently by the cashier. Her fortunes could potentially change if everything goes alright with the movie. At his house Becky can't find anyone, so she leaves the wine on the kitchen counter when she hears a muffled scream. Worried someone might be hurt she follows the sound to the living room where she sees Matthew having sex with a woman who is not his wife. She can't tell if the expression on the woman's face is of pleasure or pain, and when she lifts her arms and Mathew pins them down if this is just how they like to have sex, a little rough. Before Matthew sees her Becky quickly leaves, not without making a brief eye contact with the woman. Becky is torn about Matthew's infidelity, but she nonetheless decides to keep quiet. After all it's not any of her business and speaking out will jeopardise her movie.
Becky lives with her 15-year daughter, Maisie. Becky co-parents with Adam, with whom she has a lovely relationship. Becky got pregnant as a teenager when she went to a party. But through her flashbacks we see that something isn't quite right and something traumatic happened to Becky, the effect ripples into her adulthood with her self-harming and not dating anyone.
So when the woman, Amber Heard, whom Matthew slept with comes forwards about her rape Becky's own old trauma resurface and she's torn between doing the right thing or risking everything she's worked hard to build...
This was an interesting novel, perfect for a book club. There's so much to discuss with this one. I enjoyed the writing, although I did feel the choice of using third-person kept the reader at a distance from Becky, which considering the POV follows exclusively her, felt a first-person narrative would've lent it an immediacy. Nonetheless I did quite enjoy the behind-the-scenes of Cannes parts of this, and the intricacies of being a film-maker, and all the office politics.
My only gripe was that the first half of this book was quite slow and it took the first 50% to set the story up. Also I felt the flashback scenes slowed the narrative down, and for me specifically I could guess what had happened, so for me it lacked suspense. I think had these flashback scenes been set up differently then this subplot could've worked. Overall this was the weaker element of the story and I did find certain actions of the characters, such as Adam's decision to lie for Becky when they were young, implausible and had the story been set-up differently with Adam's character fleshed out more earlier, and it being more apparent that he was in love with Becky, on it would've been more believable. Also, I wanted to see more of their co-parenting. How did it work, and how did their relationship evolve because of it.
The Matthew-Amber story-line, once it kicks off, in the second half was gripping and I thoroughly found the wrapping up of this plot quite satisfactory and moving. This was the stronger aspect of the story and I wanted more of it.
Nonetheless, this is a provocative novel that explores the messy and more grey elements of rape and feminism through a protagonist who could be any one of us, torn between doing the right thing which comes at a cost, and what is 'right' for her family and career that she's worked hard to build and risks losing.

Becky sees her boss having sex with someone who is not his wife. Then he is accused of rape and she isn’t sure what she saw. Should she come forward to give evidence? Her choice is determined by something that happened to her in her teens.
I’m not sure what I think about Becky. I switched between thinking her a survivor to her being quite selfish.
I did however find it a compelling read.

I found this book too slow. The premise sounded amazing but it was just not gripping enough for me and I expected more from reading the reviews