Member Reviews

Fragile is a change in direction for Sarah Hilary as she leaves the police procedural behind for this well written and very absorbing stand-alone.

Centred around an ex foster home runaway this is an excellent book that draws the reader in and keeps the pages turning.

Recommended

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A dark gothic read which really kept me hooked and wanting to know more.

A slow burner which allows you to savour Sarah's briliant writing style. I thought the characters were really well developed.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Sarah's books in the future.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Nell was bought up in a foster home but is a runaway with a dark secret who just needs to belong.
She has a new home at Starling Villas as a housekeeper to Robin Wilder but is it the safe house she needs? He lives by rotas and rules but is her being there a coincidence?

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This is Sarah Hilary's first standalone book, and while it's very good, it didn't pierce my heart in quite the same way as her Marnie Rome series does. It's a beautifully written story, an exploration of damaged main character Nell. Hiding a guilty secret, desperate to escape life on the streets, Nell inveigles herself into a live-in housekeeper job with enigmatic Robin Wilder. This isn't the escape she'd hoped for though, and soon characters from her past re-emerge.

I wanted to love this, but didn't. It's dark, atmospheric, there's classic Hilary social commentary and character development, but I felt a bit detached from the story. Well worth a read though.

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For whatever reason, I just could not get into this book. I tried a few times but I couldn't keep the characters straight and lost interest each time. This is getting wonderful reviews and I'm very interested in the end but just can't make myself get through it. I won't be sharing my thoughts on social media.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

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"Fragile" by Sarah Hilary is a gothic novel in the modern style. It has strong links to Jane Eyre - an unfortunate girl who finds herself in the employ of a dark brooding stranger. It's more than that though - the back story of her childhood at Lyle's and the evil Meagan who ran the home through to the mysterious set up of Robin & Carolyn at Starling Villas. A good read!

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This is a stand alone novel, not a Marnie Rome book. The main character is Nell, who alongside addict Joe, has run away from the foster home they where they were both living in Wales, to the streets of London. They have been there for four months when Joe disappears with a woman who picks him up in a club into a strange hidden house. Nell waits for him, but he doesn't come back. She manages to wangle a job as live in housekeeper to Robin who lives in the strange house and finds the woman is Carolyn, who appears after a couple of days. There is no mention of Joe. Nell finds a phone and texts Joe asking for his help, but he has returned to Wales into the clutches of Meagan, their lazy foster mother, who feels that they ruined her life and is out for payback.
The book is written mostly from Nell's viewpoint, but sometimes from Meagan's. The timeline also jumps backwards and forwards between the present time and Nell and Joe's life in the foster home and what happened to make them leave.
I can't say that any of the characters are likeable, but I liked the story.

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I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading Fragile. Described as Rebecca meets The Handmaid's Tale, this is a dark, gothic thriller with an undercurrent which threatens to carry you away. The tension is unbelievable, the plot perfectly paced and the characters fully formed. Hilary has created a modern masterpiece.

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In a stark departure from her outstanding crime thriller series, Hilary has penned a hauntingly beautiful, evocative story that strips its characters bare. Nell Ballard and Joe Peach are throwaway children that find themselves at the foster home of Meagan Flack in Wales. Meagan is not overtly abusive but rather simply careless, neglectful and lazy, although she does have a mean streak. From the age of 8 Nell is acting as mother to the other children. When Joe comes along he and Nell become inseparable. And when little Rosie Bond is discarded by her family and ends up at the house, Nell takes her under her wing too. But tragedy strikes and Nell and Joe run away to London, believing in the fairy tale that love will conquer all. But Nell is riddled with guilt and Joe is weak.

Joe mysteriously disappears with a glossy older woman from a club one night and Nell haunts the area looking to find him again. She ends up, scheming her way into the house she believes he went into and gets herself employed as a housekeeper. The house is weirdly oppressive and the owner, Dr Robin Wilder is a strangely distant and controlled man. When his wife turns up days later Nell realises that she is the woman from the club. But where is Joe?

There is a really strange, brittle dynamic going on in this house. You are never quite comfortable with where things are heading. It is clear that everyone has secrets but just how dangerous are they? Still Nell settles in to a modicum of comfort in her routines and Robin’s work rota that he has meticulously itemised. This illusion of peace is shattered though when Nell’s past comes comes roaring back into her life.

I found the writing in this book superb, really beautiful. I loved the way it focused on the little things. There were no grand vistas in this story, rather an acute attention to detail. I loved the way that Nell found comfort in some of the very little things in her life. Small joys to be hoarded and treasured. This was not a fast paced book, it was all about the characters. They were all of them - Nell, Joe, Robin, the disturbing Carolyn (Robin’s wife) and the odious Meagan Flack so painstakingly drawn. None of them were that likeable, although you could not help but feel some empathy towards Nell - so humble yet resilient. But needs must and even Nell is not beyond a bit of subterfuge when necessary. If you need fast paced action in your reading this is not a book for you. But if you enjoy a deep dive into some very interesting and damaged characters and gorgeous writing you will enjoy this story. I’d love to say there was redemption at the end but I’m not going to give that away, I will let you make up your own minds. I received an advance review copy from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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I was really looking forward to reading this book. Sadly it didn't really work for me and I DNF at 40%

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Ok, firstly, I have to say how incredible the writing is. Honestly, it's just stunning how well written this book is, and Sarah Hilary is obviously a very skilled writer. Unfortunately the plot just wasn't for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and the tension and sense of unease just felt very forced and unrealistic. The beginning was really interesting, but it just sort of tailed off after that, and I struggled to maintain enough interest to finish reading the book. Sadly not one I'd recommend, although I'd definitely try the authors other work, as her writing style is phenomenal.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

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I can see that if you are into gothic novels, this is probably fo you, but for me I wanted to know what was going on but the book was just slow and I really struggled with it.

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amazing book, what a page turner! loved every minute of it, and the twist- wow! will defiantly read more by this author - cant wait!

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This is a strange one to review as I'm not sure it completely works for me. I liked the way the backgrounds of the foster children were examined, their stories were heartbreaking as was their treatment by the foster mother. I liked the description of the London house and its atmosphere of darkness and danger. However, the characters of the couple who lived there seemed too whimsical, not grounded in any kind of reality. Nell was portrayed as an unreliable narrator so I wasn't sure how much of what was happening was real or imagined. Would the homeowner really invite a girl who walked in off the street to live and work there? I think I would have liked to have heard more from Joe to get his side of the situation.
I

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Fragile is an intriguing, strange, well plotted and uncomfortable read.

Thank you NetGalley / Pan Macmillan for providing me with this arc for an honest review.

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This is my first read by Sarah Hilary and I really enjoyed it. The story is a powerful read and very thought provoking. If you like a really good phycological thriller then do read this novel.

We meet Nell who has had a colourful history as her mother rejected her when she was just 8 and possesses a secret, I enjoyed reading about Nell as I found her very likeable and relatable. Nell takes a job at Starling Villas as a housekeeper for the Dr Robin Wilder who is mysterious character and has a rigid routine. Dr Robin Wilder has secrets of his own.

This is a thrilling read and such a twisty and turning novel. Thanks to Netgalley, Sarah Hilary and the publishing for allowing me to have an advanced copy for my honest opinion,

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"I wanted to hold something fragile in my hands, to think very hard about what I was about to do. Lifting an egg from the box, I cradled it in my fist. If you apply pressure to the top and bottom of hte shell, finidng the points of greatest resistance, you can’t crush an egg no matter how hard you try."

Nell Ballard is homeless, a product of the care system, trying to find boyfriend Joe. She gets a live-in job as the housekeeper / personal assistant of Dr Robin Wilder, in faded and grimy Starling Villas, West London. Hiding her past from Dr Wilder, she soon discovers that he has secrets of his own.

A beautifully told tale of how childhood trauma is a heavy burden. I felt sorry for Nell and also for Joe. I did not feel sorry for Meagan Flack, yet in her own way she saved so many little ones from a worse fate. The story is dark and brooding, there is a constant air of impending doo. – even when things are good, or at least steady, there is a sense of darkness lurking, but I found it slow in places. I wished so much for Nell and Joe to be saved. Fragile is an authentic tale of what can happen to those that slip through the system. I found this intriguing but there was too much shade and not enough light, with a quiet pace. I liked this, but didn't love it.

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I love everything Sarah Hilary has written and Fragile is no exception. Beautifully constructed, heart-wrenching at times and yes, it made me cry.

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I have struggled to engage with this book and I'm giving up at Chapter 10. I can just insticviyrly tell that I'm not going to suddenly find it compelling.

I quite enjoy the almost sinister scene of the villa and the writing style but the plot is just not going anywhere. It's like the premise has been given and that is considered enough to then just spend the rest of the book dilly dallying around past memories which are superficial and lacking in context.

The mystery of Dr Wilder, Joe, Rosie and Megan are all fine but ten chapters in and I still have nothing deep to delve into. It is all just skimming the surface but instead of drawing me in and making me want to know more, it is just boring me.

Unfortunately not for me.

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Fragile is well written and I feel I should have liked it, but unfortunately I didn't. I couldn't relate to (or like) any of the characters in it and I didn't find the story particularly engrossing. Normally I don't like it when I'm interrupted when I'm reading - but with this book I wasn't bothered! I've given it 3 stars because it deserves it for being well written, but I couldn't really get into the story

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