I was looking forward to One Step Behind after loving the authors previous book. I have to say that I was disappointed. This book felt a bit long, I didn’t like the main character at all and the ending was a bit of a mess and rushed. It started off well but it didn’t for me. The story was mostly good but could have been better.

Jenna is a mother and an emergency room doctor. She is also being stalked. Presents appear at her home, nasty emails are sent to her and she is forever feeling watched. The police are helpless unless she is hurt. And then he is brought into the hospital after being hit by bus. Was it deliberate and who did it? This is her chance to find out about him.

Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

When I read the premise of "One step behind" I found it pretty disturbing and I thought I was gonna find a cat and mouse story, with the hunter turning prey and lots of twists and turns. Instead the cat spent half of the story playing with yarn and not torturing the mouse enough.

Jenna is an A&E doctor. She's had a stalker for the last year. She sees him taking pictures of her, watching her and her kids when she goes out. He leaves her creepy gifts and sends her cruel emails. But one day he's admitted into her hospital after being hit by a bus and then tables turn.

While the beginning of the book managed to grab me quite easily because of the eerie feeling the stalking situation gave off, after roles were reversed it stalled quite soon. Initially I felt sympathy for Jenna and her situation, but she soon became quite self centered and, truth be told, a bit of a hot mess, bickering non-stop and alienating everyone around her.

It was not till the last third that things starting moving along, but they lead to an ending that didn't make much sense imo. I'm all in for surprising endings provided they are not totally lame, and this one was touching that thin line between credible and totally bonkers.

Although this one was only middle of the pack for me, I've heard that the author's debut was quite good so maybe I'll give that one a chance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers/Corgi for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really looking forward to reading this book after previously loving The Perfect Betrayal.(Has it been renamed?) I just couldn’t find anything to like about the doctor, Jenna. I expected to feel sympathy for an overworked, underpaid, hero doctor, but just felt she was a whinny insipid person who I could not drum up any feeling for. I was ready for plot twists at every turn and expecting to gasp and jump out of my skin. Instead the book just cried along at a very slow pace and didn’t end in a logical way. It was all too far fetched and the plot didn’t have any credible reason as to why Sophie would have behaved in the way she did. There was no history between the characters, the plot line seems to have just been plucked out of the sky and has no cohesion or ‘back story’.
Thanks #netgalley for the chance to read this book, I was really excited to begin reading, but by halfway through, just wanted it to end. Disappointed.

This was an interesting thriller that kept me guessing with many twists towards the end even if some were confusing and unbelievable. It started off really well and is well written as if in the form of a letter from Jenna to her stalker.

I found it a bit drawn out at times and contained some unnecessary chapters and some characters that I did not particularly care for. Overall it was an easy read and could be recommended for fans of The Silent Patient.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC copy in return for an honest reviews.

A psychological thriller. This is about two women. Jenna is a doctor working in an accident emergency department. She has a husband and 2 young children. Jenna is afraid. Everyday someone is watching and waiting. Strange offerings on her doorstep. Constant threatening emails.
Sophie is a personal trainer who works with her partner, Nick. Nick is constantly keeping track of Sophie and wants to know where she is every minute.
I loved every bit of this creepy novel. All the twists and turns. Swapping back and forwards from Jenna to Sophie.

This is a well written and plotted psychological thriller. Jenna, a doctor in Accident and Emergency, is being stalked. When the man she believes to be her stalker is brought into her department, after being hit by a bus, she is left with a decision; does she let him live or die? Alongside Jenna’s story is that of Sophie, a fitness instructor, who is in a destructive relationship with Nick the joint owner of the business. How are their worlds going to connect? I raced through this novel with the aim of finding out how that would happen.

Disturbing and sinister with a great ending I would definitely recommend this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Psychological thrillers are one of my favourite genres to read (I've read a lot!) and the description of this book, as well as many other fantastic reviews online, had me really keen to grab this one straight away!
However with a main character I didn't like much, a slower pace than I expected, taking too long for anything much to happen and not as much tension or emotion that I had hoped for in a great thriller to keep me on the edge of my seat and turning the pages keen to find out what was going to happen...this one wasn't what I expected and fell flat for me unfortunately.
Thanks to Lauren North, Net Galley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers an ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this book and will give it a huge thumbs up. With a great story line and excellent main characters - I would highly recommend this book.

Really intriguing. Definitely kept me guessing about who her stalker was. Is it her young colleague? The random guy? The woman from school? Or her husband trying to gaslight her.


I do think she should have buggered off to Canada with her kids a longtime ago... Everyone in her life is horrible to her and makes her feel like a failure.


My only criticism is that the middle of the book, with her visiting her 'stalker', meeting Sophie and talking to Rachel felt really drawn out.

A twisty thriller, that will creep under your skin and mess with your mind!

What a thrilling read this was, the story is so cleverly crafted. I was on tenterhooks throughout, constantly thinking who, how, what and why? With plenty of OMG moments, this suspenseful book is an absolute must-read.

The chapters of this book alternate between Jenna and Sophie. Jenna is a busy wife and mum, working as a doctor in A&E, she is constantly on the go. However, she is also living under the shadow of a stalker. Being constantly watched and followed wherever she goes, receiving nasty emails and even receiving some disturbing items on her doorstep, her life is consumed by fear and anxiety. Jenna reports every incident to the police, but there is never much for them to go on, so they just telling her to keep a diary.

Jenna has caught glimpses of her stalker near her home, work and the children’s school. Then one busy shift at work a trauma patient is rushed into the emergency department after being hit by a bus. As Jenna gets to work saving his life, she quickly realises who it is. Head spinning and hands shaking, she now holds the power! What would you do if you had your stalkers life in your hands?

Sophie lives with her controlling partner Nick, who she also works for. We meet her as she is heading to work one day and bumps into her brother Matthew. When she does her best to avoid a full conversation with him, we know there is some history here to unravel. Sophie’s chapters alternate between the present and her childhood. What happened all those years ago to this brother and sister? And how do Jenna and Sophie’s stories connect?

This book has been really well thought out and the description used is incredible. The spine-tingling feeling of being followed will have your hairs standing on end and have you switching the lights on at night! I had many scenarios in my head whilst reading this book and I wasn’t right with any of them. I absolutely loved the last page too, this book really will keep you in suspense from beginning to end!

Thank you to the author Lauren North, NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for my ARC of this book.

One Step Behind was entertaining, but at the same time a little annoying.
Too many characters that didn’t fit their skins, and a plot that’s far too unbelievably twisty, especially at the end.
After the last part of the drama the author drags out the last part too much, and then slaps a naff twist on the last page which has been way overdone for decades. It’s fine as a distracting summer read but it wasn’t what I expected from this author or the synopsis. Sorry, but not one of my 2020 favourites!!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

Jenna is a hard working doctor in a busy A&E department, she also has two children and a husband, so a busy, busy life.

But, she is living in fear due to a stalker, sending her bizarre gifts and constant emails, so she can never relax.

At work one day, the victim of an accident is brought in and it’s her stalker, she has to decide whether to save his life…….

Jenna decides to find out more about this man and just why he chose her to terrify.

One Step Behind is full of a tension that makes you look over your shoulder with some really creepy moments. A clever, twisty plot with well developed characters (not all of them exactly likeable) makes this one to read with the doors locked and the lights on. Brilliant.

Thank you to The publishers and NetGalley for an eARC of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

Told via dual narration and multiple timelines by Jenna and Sophie. The book begins with Jenna, a very busy mum of two and an A and E doctor, as she finds a dolls head on her doorstep and tries to protect her children from the fear of her stalker but fails miserably.

We then meet Sophie a fitness instructor in a controlling relationship with the business owner Nick, and her adopted brother Matthew who turns up as she is about to do a session to take photographs of, as he says, “everything and nothing”.

The police involvement with Jenna and her stalker seems to be just a matter of passing on evidence of the strange gifts that are left and copies of the emails she is sent. A few years ago this would be totally believable but I do wonder with the new laws covering stalking and harassment if this is still the case.

The tension was really palpable as the stalking intensified and I really did feel for Jenna as she feared for her safety and that of her loved ones. Not knowing who or why added to that fear and lead to insecurity and increased paranoia. Constantly on the lookout and being extra precautious, driving instead of walking. Her entire life changes and the fear is really felt by the children no matter how hard she tries to shield them from it.

So when she discovers her stalker is a patient after an accident and is in a critical condition will she let him die? And how will Jenna and Sophie’s worlds collide?

This is very much a book of two halves with the first half bringing the tension and creepiness and the second half is Jenna trying to work out her stalker’s agenda.

I enjoyed how the author captured how life is difficult for women, one who seemingly has it all both career and family but the guilt that comes with that and a husband who feels he can’t live up to her expectations. While on the other side Sophie who is controlled and tracked by Nick to keep her safe is also in an awful position.

I didn’t really gel with the characters but overall this was a well written thriller with plenty of tension and an ethical dilemma that would be great for a book club discussion.

A hooking blurb which had me thinking about the cat and mouse manoeuvres between a Stalker and his victim. Author Lauren North managed to convey the dread which the victim felt knowing even the cops couldn’t help much.

Jenna, a registrar in the ER, was being stalked by Matthew.

My first book by this author, I was quite excited when the Stalker became Dr Jenna’s patient in the ER after a bus accident. The days preceding the accident were spent in Jenna’s fear. Ever word conveyed the palpable tremble that she felt. Safety of her children was never more at risk.

The story had a winding course in the first half, and the second half raised the pitch of the story when Jena went investigating. Past and present with dual POVs were narrated well. They made me curious about where the the characters and their hidden darkness. The ending was quite a shocker. But it came with some niggles. More suspense, more twists, more mind games were needed.

Overall, it was a gentle suspenseful tale.

I’m thrilled to share my review for the new book by Lauren North. The Perfect Betrayal was one of my favourite books last year, so I was pleased to have chance to read and review her second novel, after taking part in the social media cover reveal a few months ago. Thank you to Transworld for a digital review copy via NetGalley – my thoughts are my own and not influenced by the gift.

My thoughts:

I devoured this story very quickly, wanting to find out who was stalking Jenna. As a mum of two, the thought of having someone watching my family was at the back of my mind as this story unfolded.

The suspense kept building as the main characters were introduced, until I was suspicious of almost everyone. This is very dark in places, as Jenna struggles to cope with the presents being left for her and the emails accusing her of being a bad mother and an incompetent mother.

Another tense thriller from Lauren North which I will be recommending to family and friends, which keeps you guessing until the very end.

This is a good read but I felt that it was predictable and it was too long. I found it hard to keep reading in places.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

When I was approached to read this arc, I didn't hesitate, Having been a reader of Lauren North's previous book, The Perfect Son, despite it being a book not of my usual genre, and really enjoying it, I was more than happy to read this new one, not least because it comes out on my birthday!
Gripped.
That's what I was, with this book.
Imagine being a busy, A & E doctor, as well as a wife, and mother to two young children, with the horror of a stalker to add to the mix?
That is the life of fear and exhaustion that the main character Jenna is facing.
Every time she goes anywhere, the feeling that she is being watched.
Each time she opens her emails to find threat filled messages.
Whenever she opens the front door. or goes to the garden, the thought that another 'gift' may be left.
At least she can keep her family safe in the house... until she finds out he's been inside.
Then, as she begins to piece together evidence, and works out who this person might be, she ends up having to treat him after he is brought in with life-threatening injuries.
I really enjoyed the book, and every time I thought I'd pieced together the mystery, something else was thrown into the mix to twist the story further.
Recommended read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A brilliant book! Jenna is being stalked, being left terrifying gifts on her doorstep and the stress is understandably affecting her work and relationships with her husband and children. Things come to a head when Matthew, the man she recognises as her stalker, is brought into A and E of the hospital where she works in a critical condition. This is an exciting book which brings in lots of outside elements to the story, as well as explaining the back story to Matthew. The first 20% focuses on what the stalker is doing and how it affects Jenna. If you want to give up at this point, I would urge you to skim to 20% when all the different elements come into play, as it really is excellent.

I read and loved Lauren North’s previous novel The Perfect Betrayal so I was excited to read her new one. This book follows two women – Jenna and Sophie. Jenna is a busy A&E doctor and mum of two. She seems to have a perfect life but now someone is stalking her. She is increasingly anxious about the stalker and tries to find out more about them. Then one day he arrives in A&E after a serious accident and she is the doctor in charge. She has to decide if she’s treat him like any other patient or take matters into her own hands. Sophie is feeling increasingly trapped in her relationship. She loves the apartment they share but her boyfriend is tracking her movements and wanting her to account for where she has been every minute of the day. I was curious if the two women’s lives would interconnect and what would happen with Jenna’s stalker. I was gripped by this one and found it a fast-paced read. The first half is quite a slow-build and then the book starts accelerating – I really liked this pacing, it made me feel like I was trapped in this situation with Jenna. I recommend this one!

Lauren North is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. I love the creeping tension and Jenna's ethical dilemma in this twisty psychological tale of power, obsession.and revenge. Brilliantly written with lots of twists - I couldn't put it down