Having enjoyed the authors previous novel, I was excited to see what she would come up with next. I was not disappointed.

This is quite a strange one for me as the story doesn’t really feel like it’s going anywhere, yet it is. I know it probably sounds a bit odd but bear with me. The story focuses on a road trip of sorts where three grown grand children, are carrying out the request of their dead grandfather. The majority of it takes part inside the vehicle or at the numerous rest stops.

Flicking between the present day road trip and one that they took as children with their grandpa, it gives us more insight into the characters. Startling to think back on what I first thought about these characters and what I do now having finished it.

Although nothing really seems to be happening, I was so wrapped up in the present and past worlds. I was eager to know more about this family as to start with they seem like your everyday one. The author feed us little nibbles though, ensuring she keeps you hooked and turning those pages. All of a sudden I was nearing the ending and by heck do things start to get deliciously dark and twisted.

He Started It is brilliantly written and so very, very clever. This is hands down one of the most twisted reads I’ve ever read and I absolutely loved it! I am still in shock from what I’ve absorbed and still trying to process all those wonderful twists. This is going to be one much talked about book. Brilliant!

Parts of this book were superb. First, I loved the idea of these three siblings having to relive a previous road trip, and the reason they had to do this. It was a brilliant premise which promised to deliver a great deal.
We then start to learn exactly what happened during that initial road trip, and the way Samantha Downing drip-fed this into the story was clever and surprising. And then there were the bizarre attractions they stopped at along the way, which appealed to my love of adventure, travel and curiosity.
The author throws in so many jaw-dropping surprises along the way. Nothing is quite what it seems with this family! There is also loads of mystery: Whose Instagram account is Beth constantly checking? And who is messing with their car (and their minds) along the way?
I began quite liking middle child, Beth, but that soon changed. All three siblings turned out to be thoroughly unlikeable, and deserved to be stuck together for hours on end. I didn’t really get to know or understand Eddie; somehow his character never came alive for me. And I found bits of the story a little repetitive, which may be inevitable in a story about a road trip in which often the days are fairly similar.
My only real gripe was the ending. Somehow it didn’t work for me. Yes, it was very climactic and we knew that things could only end explosively. But for me the ending was maybe a little too excessive, and I was ultimately a little disappointed. 3.5 stars for me.

When Beth’s grandpa dies his vast fortune comes with one condition… Beth and her siblings must retrace their steps on a road trip that changed their lives forever – but will it do the same again?

After really enjoying Samantha Downing’s previous book – ‘My Lovely Wife’ (you can read my 5* review here: https://www.kindig.co.uk/post/my-lovely-wife) I was excited to get the ARC to read ‘He Started It’. Although still in the thriller genre it’s a very different plot and style to the first one which shows Downing’s talents and range as an author. The road trip makes for an interesting family dynamic and creates a claustrophobic atmosphere. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book along with an unreliable narrator in Beth – we never know what is coming next. Although that keeps things fresh and interesting, I did feel it becoming a little far fetched in places and the amount of secrets and backstabbing happening stretched the realms of realism a little too far.

It’s hard to get to know Beth as well as you’d like even though she narrates the whole story and you get her stream of conscious leading you all the way through. She keeps a lot back from everyone; her siblings, her husband and the reader which makes it difficult to trust her. I liked the portrayal of all of the characters and felt that they were nicely rounded although I didn’t actually like any of them. The road trip itself and description of various states, motels and museums is interesting and it did make you feel like you were there alongside the siblings on their journey. I did however feel like the entire book was stretched out just a little too long – edit around 50 pages out of it and it would have been a snappier and better read. I was also really disappointed with the ending, although it definitely qualified for the shock factor it ultimately made little sense and left a lot of questions unanswered.

Overall, He Started It is full of twists and turns but perhaps in this case there were just too many surprises to make for a realistic read. Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin UK – Michael Joseph for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what a read!!! It was chilling, thrilling, twisty, fast paced, riveting, tense, dark & scary. It had family drama & sibling rivalry which Samantha certainly takes it to a new level. it had it all!!!
I devoured this book in one setting, I could not get enough. If there was ever a book you wished you had written your self then this was it!
It was cleverly written, massive well done to Samantha. My favourite book this year, I finished it and just sat there after processing the plot.
‘Because I can’ has a new meaning to me now. Well done!!!

Three adult siblings are told they must duplicate a road trip they took with their grandfather at ages 14, 12 and 6. They didn't enjoy it then, why would they agree to it now? Ahhh, because crafty grandpa has insisted that this be a condition of each of them gaining their inheritance after his death! They must duplicate it exactly, no one can be thrown in jail (comes up more often than you think it would on this family's trip!) and they all must arrive at their final destination alive.

It isn't long before the reader realizes that Grandpa didn't want them to take the trip together to warm their hearts with the joy of being together again. Nothing and no one is what they seem in this dark tale of greed, evil, secrets, manipulation, lies and worse. This is a family you'll be glad you're not part of!

Eddie the oldest, brings his insipid wife Krista along, whom none of the siblings have met before. Likewise, Beth, our narrator, brings her bland husband Felix. Portia, the youngest, travels alone. It isn't long before the spouses, tired of the meandering trip to destinations that appear to have been picked for their uninteresting or ghastly visitor's attractions, decide that they've had enough of the siblings and each quits the trip at different points. Or so their spouses say anyway. No one pays it much mind really, fed up with the trip and each other, they just want to complete the trip and be done with it.

This trip, like the last one however, has secrets and plotting. No one is telling the truth. And there are some people not so subtly following them, just like the last time. What are THEY after? The chapters are cleverly titled with how many days are left in the trip. They serve to ratchet up the suspense as the trip comes ever closer to its end and what awaits them all there.

Samantha Downing turns in another dark, psychological suspense story with this book. A most enjoyable follow-up to My Lovely Wife, I highly recommend it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Beth, Portia and Eddie had been directed to take a road trip after their grandad died. They have to make the trip before they can claim their inheritance. They have to take the same road trip they took together twenty years ago. They take their grandad's ashes with them. Also along for the road trip is Beth's husband and Eddie's wife.

This book is more than just your typical dysfunctional family. There is a large inheritance at stake and stipulations they have to adhere to: anyone who ends up in prison, or does not complete the trip or deviates from the original journey will forfeit their inheritance. Sounds easy I hear you say, but these siblings don't get along. Thenstory has a duel timeline from 5he present day and 1999 when they went on the original road trip that didn't convert well. The story is told from Beth's point of view. There's secrets, lies, rivalry and personality clashes. Thenstorynstarts of slow but it's not long before the pace picks up. The ending is mind blowing.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and the author Samantha Downing for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely loved My Lovely Wife and was so looking forward to this. However, I found it hard to get into and the flashbacks were at times confusing. The family characters were interesting but the story itself I just lost interest in.

This was cruising for all the stars pretty much all the way through until it all got a bit bonkers at the end... probably more my taste than anything the author did wrong but it did mar my overall enjoyment of what could have been a really cracking all round read.
So... Beth, Portia and Eddie are recreating a road trip that they did as kids with their grandfather many years ago. Why? Well, it's all to do with money - they have to do this under the terms of his will. It's very specific that they have to do EXACTLY what they did all those years ago. No deviation and no landing in jail either! So they do, and Eddie and Beth bring their respective spouses along for the ride.
It all starts off well, as well can be expected given the nature of some of the sights that they visit along the way - bit bizarre - but then things go a bit south. It appears they are being followed, and then there's the secret that none of them have even told... what could possible go wrong...?
Oh my - I pretty much hated every single character in this book. To a man they were all highly unlikable and had me screeching at the pages often as I turned them. So I guess I connected to them all - just in a major negative way. They definitely take joint gold for dysfunction!
I do admit to having guessed a few thing along the way and, once one major thing was divulged (no spoilers don't worry) I thought I had the rest mapped out. I was so wrong with that! Apart from this, there were parts in the book that did drag a tad along the way but the anticipation of an ending that would reward me kept me reading. An ending that, yes, fitted with what had gone before but also one that I was slightly disappointed with. Maybe too much was reliant on that ending and as it fell a bit flat (well, over the top really) for me, it took the shine off a bit.
All in all 90% brilliance but that final 10% just didn't make it special. But a good read nonetheless. Judging by the other reviews I think the jury is still out on that score. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Another great read by this author. This is a dark thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked with an ending that I did not see coming. Definitely worth a read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm finding it difficult to review this book as, for me, it read more like a guidebook to quirky sights in the US with a few murders on the way than a gripping thriller. I enjoyed Beth's knowing comments to the reader, but found it difficult to engage with the rest of the characters or care about their road trip.
I really loved " my lovely wife" and it's clever twists and turns, so am really looking forward to Ms Downing's next book.
Thank you to netgalley and penguin books for an advance copy of this book

This is a good thriller that centres around a road trip, which is something different...
Beth, Portia and Eddie have been left a few million dollars each by their Grandfather, but this is on one condition - they must complete a road trip together, following the same route they took with their Grandfather many years ago.
He wants them to scatter his ashes but it’s clear that none of them are keen, but they are all desperate for the money, so they go along with it.
Tension simmers as the trip goes on, and they are worried when they start being followed, and their car seems to be being vandalised.
We also get flashbacks to the original road trip and find out what happened when their Grandfather took them many years ago.
This book is full of twists and turns and is a good, fast paced thriller.
Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Siblings Beth, Portia and Eddie were due a large inheritance from their grandfather's estate. However their were stipulations 1) they had to go on a road trip to Nevada to scatter his ashes and 2) No one could be arrested during the trip. The grandfather's aim was to recreate a road trip he and the siblings went on twenty years earlier.

For moral support Beth took her husband Felix on the trip and newly we'd Eddie brought his wife Krista. Along the trip the group had to visit The same attractions as their original trip such as The Bonnie and Clyde museum and The UFO Watchtower.

However behind the nostalgia there is a dark side. On the original trip The grandfather had actually kidnapped The children. On this trip The group is followed across the country by two men and their grandfathers ashes are stolen.

The story was told from the POV of Beth who was the middle child. The story also flashbacks to the original road trip. The book also shows excerpts from a journal.

The Morgan's were dysfunctional and showed absolutely no loyalty to each other. Out of the three siblings I think Beth was the most normal compared to the other two. I enjoyed reading about the quirky museums and sights they saw on the trip.

The plot was so twisty turny it was impossible to predict what would happen next. I enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. However I was disappointed by the open ended finale which I dislike.

I read the author’s debut novel and wondered how she’d follow up. No worries - what a superb ride full of twists and turns. I stayed up too late on 2 nights and couldn’t put it down

When I read Samantha Downing's debut, My Lovely Wife, I'd been in a mood with the thriller genre for a lil while. It was all getting a bit samey, twists weren't that twisty, the characters were all the same. My Lovely Wife brought me screaming back into the genre with a unique story, likeable/unlikable characters, and everyone and nobody to root for.

So imagine me, a chronically picky-bitch, going into Downing's next novel with expectations based on the first and actually coming out of the book JUST AS impressed. Lemme tell ya, it does not happen.

It's a story about a long-ass road trip and so full of drama and twists that you feel like you're being dragged along on the road with them, bouncing and bleeding. It's stifling and confusing and yet somehow the pacing never feels off. Also, it is nothing like Downing's debut - but still just as fucked up. Samantha Downing, are you okay??

It's due for release in the UK on the 30th April and the US on the 28th July and you should absolutely pick up a copy.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph Books for the Advance Copy.

My Lovely Wife is certainly a tough act to follow. For that reason I was both excited and hesitant to read He Started It. Once again I tore through this book. It was dark and twisty and I couldn’t get enough.

This is the road trip from hell! This dysfunctional family are reunited when their grandfather dies. In order for the 3 kids, Beth, Eddie and Portia to receive their inheritance they must once again travel across the US on the same trip that they did with him as kids. The family are. It close and they all have their secrets so this was never going to be easy or fun. Along the way the truth of that first trip rears its ugly head. We travel with the family on their original trip as well as the present. Once again there is an ending that will shock you, I would have been disappointed if there wasn’t.

Thanks to Penguin UK, Michael Joseph and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

It took me a while to get into My Lovely Wife, but I was intrigued to see what He Started It had to offer - and I really, really enjoyed it. I loved the collected calmness of the narrator (very Gillian Flynn), and the parallels between then and now as Beth and her siblings take a road trip across the country to replicate one they did as children. I think part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was because a few years ago I went on my own American road trip, and whilst I only saw one of the sites that’s in this book (the Cadillacs in the desert), it still brought back memories of eating junk food on the road and staying in (maybe slightly nicer) motels! This book had some ace twists and more books should have endings like this one! If you liked her first book (and even if you didn’t), you should love this!

Personally this wasn't one of the best books I have read and I did find it hard to get involved in the story line. Mostly the characters were good and the book was well written, just not a favourite for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Firstly I need to say that I absolutely loved and adored Samantha Downing's debut novel My Lovely Wife (read my review here) so when I saw she has a new book out I was very, very, very excited.

He Started It features the most messed up, dysfunctional, despicable family you will EVER meet and I absolutely LOVED them.  Beth is our main narrator and I was completely smitten within the first few chapters.  Some may consider her slightly bat-shit crazy, but I loved her dead-pan, dark humour and every now and then she speaks directly to the reader which tickled me!

Beth is the middle child, she has one older brother Eddie (also known as an ass-hole) and one younger sister Portia who is pretty messed up and spends most of her time stripping or drinking.  When their grandfather dies he leaves a fortune to them, but in order to claim their inheritance they need to get together and complete a two week road-trip across America and believe me this really is the road-trip from hell.

The story is told over two timelines, both narrated by Beth - the first in 1999 when the siblings and Grandfather went on the original road trip across the States and then present day when the siblings are reunited with Grandpa's ashes on this final road trip to claim their inheritance.

I raced through the story and devoured each page - there were some really dark and sad moments and some absolute OMG scenes too and I was pretty confident I knew where the story was taking me... BUT obviously someone unplugged my SatNav as the ending did surprise me and slightly disappoint me which is why I can't give this the full 5 stars I wanted.  However, despite that minor speedbump in the road He Started It is a very entertaining thriller and I look forward to reading many more books by Samantha Downing.

He started it - Samantha Downing
Secrets, betrayals and lots and lots of lies!
Three siblings have to undertake a repeat of a childhood road trip in order to claim their inheritance. The middle sibling Beth narrates us through the current and past trips while they drive across the USA, l found it all a bit underwhelming which is such a shame as The lovely wife was fantastic.

A deliciously dark and twisty rollercoaster ride of a novel that keeps you gripped from beginning to end, it would rival any fair ground ride. It's intense and thrilling, an utterly consuming read that you won't want to put down until you've finished reading it.