Invisible girl

This had all the ingredients of a great read yet didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I found it hard to like the characters although I loved the idea of the story being told from their perspective. I loved that the book dealt with our ‘misperceptions of people’ based on their looks/jobs/financial status etc. It very much highlighted how horribly wrong our misjudgements of others can be. A very accessible book dealing with a number of different themes.

Despite loving the author this one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The story is about a young woman who goes missing and is told from three points of view; Saffyre’s the missing girl with a troubled childhood, Owen a loner, and Cate the wife of a charismatic child psychologist.

As always I loved the author’s distinctive writing style which makes for easy reading. Likewise I enjoy the way she brings lots of seemingly unrelated different strands and characters together quite spectacularly by the end. And, this one had a great cast of interesting and troubled characters with some complex mental health issues that were well-handled by the author, and provided a fascinating sub-context.

Essentially the underlying concept was societal norms where misfits try to be invisible so as not to be noticed whilst truly vile characters simply mask their true nature to walk among us in plain sight. It really got me thinking, especially in these current times, about how easy it is to misjudge someone who’s different. For example, the “odd” loner who happens to be walking the same way as a young woman is creepy but the attractive runner brushing past somebody is overlooked. Although fiction it also depicts a shocking reality where people are shamed by public opinion, the names and life stories of suspects are widely reported and if they later turn out to be innocent well so what.

What I didn’t like, however, was the plot which contained themes that some readers (myself included) may find uncomfortable including rape and sexual assault. I also like a story where things are wrapped up neatly and the ‘bad’ people get what’s coming to them but without wanting to give anything away this one didn’t quite turn out like that. I also thought the epilogue should have been a bit later in time, as having handled the character’s mental health issues so sensitively this was kind of undone by the speed at which they seemed to easily overcome their issues at the end.

This book really grew on me. At first It seemed slightly disjointed by the accounts from different characters and the different timelines but once they began to mesh together I was hooked.
I enjoy books where there is no clear cut suspect from the beginning but the finger of suspicion goes one way then another.
A well written book that takes you on a journey and shows you how the events are seen from the point of view of the three main characters Saffyre, Owen and Cate. The reader gets a good insight into their thoughts and feelings.
A good read.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

A really good read. This story has three different families who all have many secrets and lead complicated lives and when a young girl goes missing they are all drawn into the plot, there are many twists and turns and all of them could have something to do with it but will the right person be caught. A thrilling read that keeps you guessing right till the end.

This was such a compelling read, told from a mix of viewpoints it really considers the judgements we make and how we view our own lives. The characters are a very interesting mix - the troubled seventeen year old, the wary and weary wife and the thirty-something guy who just can’t understand why women can’t relate to him. All offer an interesting insight into the events leading up to and following Valentine’s Day and how easy it is for random events to accumulate to build a whole different picture. This was very original but also thought provoking and I can’t believe how quickly I flew through it!

Lisa Jewell never fails to grab her audience and keep them in her grip until the end. All of her books are brilliant and Invisible Girl is up there with them too. Unputdownable.

Lisa Jewell, a name synonymous with great reads and so a new one comes with an expectancy, and it was met
‘Invisible Girl’ is a tense thriller/psychological/family drama, hard to define it as just one thing as it leaps from and between all 3 and cleverly has them all flowing to make 1 really interesting and thought provoking read
The action is all set in and around Hampstead where various characters have ‘ended up’ and as their lives, for different reasons, start to fall apart a string of sex attacks start to happen in the area, the story then leads you through the process of eliminating who it could be and ( without giving anything away ) there are many surprises, for the characters and for us as readers to discover!
Many subjects covered here, many sensitive and all approached in a different way to many current books, fascinating insights into peoples minds, lives, problems and fears
A good ending which made me think mmmmmmmm and re-read and then I was aaarghhhhh 😃
So well written, so enveloping you into the story and characters, it leaves you knowing you have just experienced a fantatsic book

10/10
5 Stars

17-year-old Saffyre Maddox has a secret. When she was 10, something terrible happened to her. Soon after, she started seeing child psychologist Roan Fours. Their sessions seemed to help, but she never truly felt like she was "healed."

College teacher Owen Pick is 33-years old and has never had a girlfriend. When he's suspended from his job for "inappropriate conduct" he heads online looking for reassurance and stumbles across an online community of lonely men who seem just like him.

Cate Fours, her husband and two teenage children are temporarily living in a flat in Hampstead, north London. When several women are assaulted in the local area, Cate believes she knows exactly who is responsible.

I read The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell earlier this year and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to read more by the same author.

Invisible Girl is one of those books where you'll enjoy it more if you don't know too much about the plot. I'd describe it as a domestic drama/mystery rather than a thriller.

The first third of the book is a little slow in that the story doesn't progress much. However, instead, it focuses on developing the characters, and I did feel like this helped bring them to life. They were all well-written, especially the character of Owen.

I didn't feel like there were many "twists" or surprises, however, overall it was a compelling read, and if you enjoy Lisa Jewell books I think you'll like this one.

TW: sexual assault, self-harm

I do love a new Lisa Jewell. What a superb writer. Although her style has changed from the days of Vince & Joy and Ralph’s Party both of which were my top reads, Invisible Girl is a smash hit.

The characters are so well drawn and the story is superb. The loner in particular stood out for me as particularly finely drawn. Another five star read.

The book is told from the perspective of 3 different people – Saffyre (it took me a while to realise this was probably said Sapphire – reminiscent of Hermione in the Harry Potter books being Her-me-own in my head until the first film came out!) and Owen who are mentioned in the blurb – and then Cate. Cate lives opposite Owen with her 2 teenagers and her husband Roan – who’s path has crossed with Saffyre in the past.

The books starts slowly – and you can see that the 3 threads of the story are going to intertwine, but not necessarily how. It’s told over a relatively short time period – with these days being written about from different angles in a very clever way – with some flashbacks to explain the situations people are in.

The pace builds and builds and twists and turns in a brilliant way. Each of the main characters – and supporting characters – are explored, and you’re never sure whose team you’re on. And who’s a ‘baddy’ and who’s a ‘goody’ – in fact there is a total blurring of good / bad throughout.

I guess I empathised with Cate the most – as we’re a similar age and with teenage kids. However all of the characters are really well written and very different to each other. One review I read said you needed to be familiar with the geography of that part of London to fully appreciate the book – but that’s rubbish – not knowing the area did not detract from my understanding of the book at all.

I don’t want to give anything away about the storyline as you need to experience the twists and turns for yourself – and spoilers would totally ruin the pleasure of this book.

But I would highly recommend pre ordering it for when it comes out in August – it was really very good and kept me guessing right to the end.

This is the exact reason why I love Lisa Jewell. This book was dark, gritty and full of suspense - everything you want in a psychological thriller. This book is phenomenal, I thoroughly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lisa Jewell and Cornerstone Publishing for an ARC copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell knows how to grab you from the very beginning of a book and keeps you hooked until the very end.
Invisible Girl is no exception.
Roan a child Psychologist has been treating patient Saffyre Maddox for over three years for self harming and when he feels that he has 'fixed' her he stops the sessions, what he doesn't realise is that Saffyre still hasn't told him why she started self harming at the age of ten.
Saffyre has a deep dark secret that she can't tell anyone, not her therapist, uncle or grandfather.

Owen Pick is computer lecturer at college but he is a nobody, no friends, girlfriend but he then meets a woman on Tinder and they agree to go on a date on Valentine's night.
Little did he know that his and Saffyre world will collide through a state of sexual attacks next where they live. It will effect not just Owen's and Saffyres life but Roans family aswell.

Another fantastic page turner by Lisa Jewell, ‘The Invisible Girl’, is much more than a twisty page turner, although it is certainly that as well.
Saffyre, a 17 with problems seeks out help from psychotherapist, Roan. But what secrets does he or his family hide? Loner, college lecturer, Owen Pick has his own problems when he is suspended from work after accusations of inappropriate behaviour. And when Saffyre goes missing, these characters weave in and out of each other’s lives.
This is much more than simple police, procedural missing person/murder case. It is an examination of a marriage, the need to hide oneself and remain invisible, even from oneself sometimes, and much more.
A really satisfying read and thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy.

Another excellent book from Lisa Jewell. I really don’t know how she manages to be such a consistently good writer. I loved the premise of the story and how “invisibility “ means that we very rarely know other people.- even those closest to us. I liked the fact that the story unfolded from different perspectives. It is a very thought provoking book and I would thoroughly recommend it.
Thank you Lisa Jewell, Random House and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book and give my unbiased opinion.

I love Lisa Jewell’s writing so was thrilled to be approved to read her forthcoming novel on NetGalley. I’m so happy to say that it more than lived up to my expectations, it’s my new favourite novel by her!

Invisible Girl follows three characters. Saffyre is a troubled teenager who has had a terrible life so far. She’s been in therapy for quite a long time but feels unable to open up fully in her sessions. Owen is a 33 year old man who lives in a flat with his Aunt. He lives an unhappy life, unable to find love and people are quick to judge him odd and creepy. Cate lives opposite Owen with her husband and two teenagers, and she is increasingly wary of Owen. One night Saffyre goes missing and the last sighting of her was outside Owen’s home.

I loved this novel. It’s a great thriller, it builds quite slowly and the tension as you wonder what is going to happen becomes palpable. It’s brilliant how you have the space to get to know each of the characters and to understand a bit more about why they are the way they are, and then the pacing begins to ramp up.

Cate initially seems very paranoid about quite a few things, and suspicious of her husband. She seems quite a nervous person so when her daughter’s best friend claims to have been assaulted just across from their flat Cate is immediately suspicious of Owen.

As the novel progresses we get to understand why Owen finds it difficult to form relationships with women, and I began to feel sorry for him. We also learn more about Saffyre and it turns out she has a connection to the street where Owen and Cate live!

I love how this novel really makes you think about the snap judgements we make of others: how quickly the media, and people in general, can turn on the person who looks a little odd, the one who keeps to themselves even if there’s no evidence of wrongdoing. I can think of a few prominent real life cases where this has happened and it’s shocking. The novel also made me think about how slow we are to question ourselves about the people in our lives when they may have a motive.

This is a real page-turner of a novel, I read it in a couple of sittings because I was completely gripped and I needed to know how it was all going to turn out for everyone. I felt so invested in some of these character’s lives and I needed to know if they were going to be okay. I loved this book and it’s highly recommended by me!

A complex intertwined mystery that had me guessing right to the end. An array of interesting characters that each had their own story, developing through the book as the whole sorry saga was revealed. A nice family of four temporarily move into a flat in Hampstead while their own house is undergoing renovation. The father, Roan a psychotherapist works hard and is often preoccupied with his cases while the mother Cate stays home looking out for their teenage children. Their new lives which showed such promise and excitement are soon made uncomfortable by sex attacks in the local area and some disturbing events seem too close to home. This book is a slow burner but never boring, as each chapter brings further revelations that has the reader rooting for some characters, despising others and sympathising with many. A well written story, told from several angles that eventually all make sense. I look forward to reading more from this clever author.

Lisa Jewell is an amazing author and this book adds to her wonderful repertoire. The story is classic - rape, adultery, teenage and family issues, sexual attacks and feminine insecurity. It covered so much in story where the situations and people are so believable. The story evolves in the format of being told by the main actors leaving the reader to piece it all together. I felt so sorry for Owen throughout the story as it was obvious that he had to snap out of his fugue and live a real life. I felt sad when I reached the ending of the book but each of the last few chapters brought everything so well together. A very pleasing end with all the little unanswered questions being cleared up.
Highly recommend this book and this author..

Lisa Jewell has fast become my go-to author when I want a page-turning, completely absorbing fast read. Invisible Girl does not disappoint. I loved the characters, the twists and turns, how we hear different narratives that give us part of the picture but not all. This is a fast read because it is quite simply unputdownable. The characters jump off the page and the events are edgy, dark yet grounded. Thrillers don't come much better than this.

17 year old Saffyre Maddox lives in a high rise tower block with her Uncle Aaron, the only relative she has left. But what happened to her when she was 10 that makes her wish she was invisible?

Owen Pick is a middle-aged man who fumbles through life. Living with an aunt who thinks he is a waste of space, going under the radar at work, he really thinks he appears invisible to everyone. That is until he is accused of abducting Saffyre Maddox.

Living opposite Owen are the Fours family. But what is their story?

Lisa Jewell has captured the essence of invisibility not only in how her characters feel within themselves, but also how their wider circle of friends and acquaintances perceive them. Her insight into how a person can be judged harshly and unfairly without even knowing their story is astonishing.

This story haunted me right until the last page. I found myself weeping with how Owen really tried to put himself out there to be seen, but in turn frustrated with how gullible this made him. My heart broke over Saffyre's story.

The ending......……….utterly believable and profoundly shocking!

This book makes you think, do you really know people? I loved the pace of this book. The story is told by different characters. It was very well written and very thought provoking. It has it all, secrets, deception, mental health, judgemental people. It held my interest the whole way through.