This is a very well written debut novel. It has a good plot. This book tackles some hard topics but this is done well.
The only negative that I have is the pacing was off in the second half.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A good debut novel addressing the big problem and buzz word of the 2000's, namely mental illness. Before anyone that had a mental illness were made to think they are crazy and suicidal people were laughed off. This issues were dealt with in a sensitive way, and I applaud the author for that.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advanced copy of this book
What an interesting read, not at all what I expected. Very well written and good characters and I would highly recommend.

Jenny suffers with her mental health, and while it looks like she is ok from the outside, she feels frail to me. Her old doctor, has been found murdered, and Jenny suspects she knows why. She and some other patients know a secret about Philip, that she suspects is why he was killed. Her own husband is a detective on this case, is Jenny being framed? I found it hard to keep up with this one; but it was a very enjoyable read


Thanks to NetGalley and publishers Hodder & Stoughton for letting me read this

Beautifully written, full of characters that are relatable and likeable. The twists and turns are great and had me hooked right to the end!

When Jenny came to know her psychiatrist was murdered, she was in a panic as in those dark times of her life, she had revealed many truths, and now someone out there knew it all. She had to contact her former roommates of the psychiatric hospital to know the truth.

This was dark and creepy for me as the past was told in the setting of a psychiatric hospital and that was so not my ideal setting. I was freaked out most of the time by the vibes the writing gave, and I wanted nothing more than to get to the ending.

Told in dual timelines, I realized most of them had secrets they wanted to bury and it was fun to see them seeing the light. With such unreliable characters, Nothing was the truth until it was laid out in the end.

Quite an entertaining read.

# Cracked # Netgalley
I have to say what a bloody good read this book is. It’s a can’t put down book. It’s on a different scale to what I normally read. I read murder mystery books. But this one there was physiatrist and a mental health unit involved. Wow what a fantastic description of what happens in a unit like that. It took my breath away. Jenny as to find the secret that Phillip was hiding as she is number one suspect for his murder it’s a hard knocking thriller that just blows you away I was totally addicted to reading this book and definitely did not want to put it down. The description of a physiaciatria ward was exceptional. So spot on it was brilliant you could tell the author had definitely done her research brilliantly. A must read

I read this book hoping that it would be a knockout thriller read, and these are my thoughts as to why I was disappointed.

Plot: Murder mystery set in England involving a psychiatric facility and two murders that happened there. It's told in a dual timeline of present and past days. 1st person point of view narrative.
Triggers: mental health - depression, suicide, self-harm

Opinion: This was mostly well written, I understand it is a proof copy but there were a few editing errors in the beginning of the book. Generally it was an okay read in terms of flow but I didn't like the content so much. I felt that the main character was not clearly brought out and she seems very narcissistic/self-centred. The characters weren't interesting and maybe this is due to the fact there was no actual character build that would make them likeable. They were literally the sum of their mental health issues, which gets repetitive and boring after a while. I genuinely appreciate the twist in who the culprit was but I more or less managed to figure it out myself which totally goes against the premise of a suspense novel.

Generally, I really wish the writer had taken a more interesting angle in tackling this story. It didn't keep me captivated and towards the end I was just scheming to finish it. Good attempt though for a first timer.

'Cracked' is the debut novel of Louise McCreesh and blimey what a debut it is. I read the synopsis for 'Cracked' and it certainly appealed to me and then some. I finished reading 'Cracked' and I was blown away by the book. I absolutely loved reading 'Cracked' but more about that in a bit.

Jenny was an interesting character although I can't say that I took to her that well. She had more layers to her character than you would find on a parcel during a game of 'Pass The Parcel'. Unwrap one layer and you uncover more. Jenny seems to be like two different people. We have the before treatment Jenny and the post treatment Jenny. Jenny had mental health problems back in the day which led to her admission to a psychiatric unit. A few years later she has been released and she has married a police officer. To start with the marriage seemed happy enough and they seem close. I can't say that Jenny has completely 'recovered' as such because I find that once you have mental health problems, you are at risk of having a relapse. I suffer from them too and I have found that to be true but enough of me and back to Jenny. When Jenny's former psychiatrist is killed, Jenny is taken back to a time that she had hoped she could avoid and she slowly starts to unravel. Jenny has been keeping secrets and they are at risk of being revealed.

Oh my word, 'Cracked' was an amazing read and then some. I was drawn into the story from the synopsis alone. I think part of the attraction was the fact that part of the story is set in a mental health unit. I realise that that sounds odd but the whole topic of mental health and its history is a particular interest of mine. I won't go into the reason why but it's an issue close to my heart. As soon as I started to read ,that was it. There was no point talking to me because I could not tear my eyes away from the story. I had my own suspicions as to what was going to emerge and I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or whether or not I had the wrong end of the stick entirely. 'Cracked' was one of those books that you wanted to finish because you needed to know how the story ended but at the same time you don't want to finish the book because you are enjoying the story too much.

'Cracked' is simply brilliantly written. The author grabs your attention from the start and draws you into the story. The chapters are written from the point of view of the present day and chapters that describes events as they happened in Jenny's past and when she was a psychiatric patient. This way of telling the tale really works, the chapters interlink well and the story flows seamlessly. I had real problems accepting that this was a debut novel because the author's writing style is so polished and so confident. I was blown away by the quality of the story. I found this to be a gripping read, which held my interest throughout and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Cracked' and I would definitely recommend to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Louise's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers Hodder & Stoughton for letting me read this in exchange for my thoughts.
Cracked is something of a conundrum. The majority of characters in it are, or have been, affected by quite serious mental health issues. Jenny is our main focus, and though she seems to have her life together it doesn’t take much to tip her back to a dangerous place.
Jenny was part of a group of six patients under the care of a respected psychologist. When he’s found murdered, Jenny starts to receive strange emails and they are linked to her time at Hillside and something that she desperately wants hidden.
Her partner, James, knows nothing of her past and as a police officer linked to the investigation is put in quite an awkward situation. We can see she’s hiding something, and the book looks at the investigation and it’s impact on her and the attempts to work out what she’s trying to avoid dealing with.
This was a well-paced story in the main, though the story of the past wasn’t quite as interesting as it was made out to be.

Interesting premise for this title. Jenny has a past of mental health problems that she has not shared with her husband. Set with Before and After the story unfolds a past that Jenny is ashamed of and that she believes would have sent her to prison. When her past catches up with her when her old Psychiatrist is murdered and her husband, a policeman, is investigating Jenny begins to unravel again. The pace is good and the possibilities as to who did what are intriguing. Descriptions of mental health problems sympathetically portrayed.
Three and a half stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Louise McCreesh/Hodder & Stoughton for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ah I feel so disappointed in this book. It had so much potential but just didn't do it for me. I did like the dual narrative of the book going from Jenny's past in the psychiatric ward to the present were she's a suspect for murdering her old psychiatrist. Jenny's husband is a police officer who is doesn't no the full truth about Jenny's past. I alfeel that mental health was only in the book so that the story could be set there, there could have been more around mental health which would have added to the book. There is also a lot of characters in the book which can get a bit much a times. I did get through the book pretty quick,I enjoyed the style of writing and short chapters but over all I didn't love it.

I never repeat the blurb. Loved this. Really sympathetically written with characters you can actually relate to and believe in. Unusual plot and the mystery maintained to the end. May be a first novel but I certainly hope it won't be the last. Bravo!

One murder and seven suspects. A slow burner to start with but I just had to keep on reading. What happened at Hillside all those years ago to make one person kill??? Told in time periods, then and now. You get glimpses from all the suspects and they have reasons to kill. It is upto the reader to decide who is the guilty party but be warned it will not be easy as I found out for myself. Misdirection, heartbraking in places. A new author for me and what a debut, a really good murder mystery and so much more.
Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

<I>3.5 stars — I liked it.</I>

Cracked by Louise McCreesh is a bingeable mystery/thriller, whose protagonist is forced to confront her less than idyllic past when her ex-psychiatrist is found murdered. With a dual timeline narration and vivid descriptions, McCreesh’s debut novel is a quick read.

Jenny becomes the prime suspect when at the scene of her ex-psychiatrist’s murder, her patient file is found missing. Past, darker secrets about what really happened all those years ago at the psychiatric hospital comes bubbling back up when she starts receiving emails warning her not to open her mouth. The only others who know are the people who were her fellow patients who were institutionalised at the same time as her.

With her husband being on the police force and investigating the past, Jenny needs to get to the bottom of things before she is arrested, or worse, her husband finds out what really happened nine years back.

The dual narration of the book made for an interesting read, alternating between Jenny’s time at the hospital in 2007, and her present life in 2016. The supporting characters that we get to meet add flavour to the story, because we also get to see how they’ve grown since then.

The narrative style initially reminded me of Shalini Boland’s works, whose stories often follow the same formula — an unreliable narrator, a dual timeline, and a plot based on murky secrets from the past. This endeared me to the book instantly, and I largely finished it in just one sitting.

Seeing as half the story is set in a psych ward, this book comes with a host of trigger warnings, which I’ve listed in no particular oder here: depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, suicide, rape, murder, schizophrenia, sexual assault and abuse, self-harm, self mutilation, anorexia, body dysmorphia. It’s important to note though, that as someone who’s faced eight of the TWs mentioned above in real life, I wasn’t particularly triggered by it.

McCreesh has done a fantastic job of portraying recovery realistically, and nothing is graphically exposed in order to “shock” the reader. Rather, it is written very maturely, and I felt a sense of understanding for the characters, and absolutely no judgement for what most of them did.

The pacing of the book was so good, I didn’t quite realise how quickly I was going through the chapters. As the story went on, there was an urgency that built as well; a gripping need to see what really happened in the past.

The only downside for me was the resolution of the plot. I kept expecting a twist at the end, but unfortunately, the narration was rather straightforward, and the ending felt anticlimactic, considering how the tension was built up. I think this was a major let down for me only because I enjoyed the first 95% of the book so much.

The book felt incomplete because I kept waiting for a plot twist that never quite came. But it did conclude in a way which makes me now wonder if the book was ever really about the murder — I think it was more about Jenny’s mental health journey, and how she reconciles her mental issues with who she is, and accepting it as a part of her life.

While I’m okay with the conclusion the author chose, I wish there had been a twist. It would have been a 4-5 star read for me, then. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable book! I will definitely be reading McCreesh’s future works, thanks to her engaging writing style.

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. This book comes out on Aug 20, 2020.

Lots of twists and turns in this book I found it an enjoyable read the storyline was good tho I will definitely read books again by this author thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this

Secrets from a past hiding mental health problems is the thread in this book. Varied characters, but a strange relationship between the main character and her husband was difficult to adjust to for me.

I enjoyed this book to a degree, I was not totally blown away by it, partly due to the complexity of characters involved in the story of the murder of the mental health doctor who had been treating them all at one point.
The insight into mental health was useful and informative and I am sure it has education many people to their plight.
I am not sure I would want to read another one like it though.

This had me hooked within the first chapter. I was totally engaged through the whole book which is a rarity in my case.

A totally original story that felt real, plausible and believable in every sense.

Written in alternating timelines of 2007 and now, you get to relive Jenny's time as a resident of the hospital.

I loved the story behind everyones mental health struggles, bringing to light that everybody can suffer in so many different ways.

Extremely well written. The character development flows brilliantly and each character is brought to life cleverly with their own story in both the past and present.

It's definitely a chilling read at times and is full of twists, turns, shocks and a clever ending.

I really enjoyed the setting withing the psychiatric hospital, Louise McCreesh manages to bring it to life with the variety of patients and staff personalities.

I was really shocked when I read it was the authors debut novel! I will definitely be looking out for the next book and would highly recommend this one over and over.

4.5*

Huge thanks to netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the ARC.