This is the 3rd book I've listened to in as many months which is set in a ski/winter sports resort in the Alps. This one was different because it is set around the world of competitive snowboarding- a sport I knew very little about, although my knowledge is greatly improved after reading this book :-)

The setting is so atmospheric - a lodge out of season when everything is closed - and perfect for a locked room thriller. Five friends gather for a reunion ten years after one of their group goes missing, with the body never being found. This is a brilliant debut novel, and Ms Reynolds certainly knows her stuff when it comes to snowboarding. I could really picture the competitors doing their jumps and spins. The writing is great and as the suspense builds and I had several theories about who the culprit was, but I was totally wrong! I think this would be perfect for a film or mini-series!

Olivia Vinall did a perfect job with the narration.

The narration by Olivia Vinall in this audio book was excellent. A closed ski resort makes a suspenseful and atmospheric setting for 'Shiver'. Five friends get together for a reunion weekend ten years after meeting for a snowboarding competition in the same isolated ski resort. On arrival they discover that they don't know who really invited them all there. They become suspicious of each other and, alternating between ten years ago and present day, we soon realise why. Milla tells the story from her perspective and we learn of several secrets that she is trying to keep hidden, including her belief that she was the cause of a tragic accident a decade ago. As she and her friends start to realise they are in danger the tension ramps up. Lots of action and plenty of twists and turns makes this a compelling read. Thank you to Allie Reynolds, Olivia Vinall, Net Galley and Hachette UK Audio for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fantastic. I was lucky to have a paperback ARC of this so read along with the audiobook. I thought the narrator was great and the story was fantastic. Full of twists and turn and I did not see the ending coming. Highly recommended and cannot wait to see what the author comes out with next,

This is an audio book review for Shiver by Allie Reynolds. I was thrilled to to receive an advance copy to review this book as.I have had my eye on this for some time. Milla is a semi-pro snow boarder who returns to the French Alps for. a reunion with a circle of friends. Sadly, the last time they were together was ten years ago and their friend Saskia was with them - before she disappeared! But what happened to her and who is behind her disappearance?
This book is very clever and flickers back and forth from present day to the past giving you a good foundation of what happened between the friends that holiday. There are some pretty tense moments in this book where I couldn’t wait to hear what was going to happen next!!
This is a real murder mystery with plenty of twists and turns that will keep you’re heart racing and it is set in against a wonderful atmospheric snowy setting.
I googled Allie Reynolds and discovered she was a former freestyle snowboarder which explains the in depth knowledge - and because of this I now know a lot of snowboarding terminology and what a half-pipe and a crippler jump is!
The audio narration is by Olivia Vinall who brings this superb audio thriller to life - what a combination!! I can’t wait to see what this author writes next. Thank you to Hachette Audio Uk and to Netgalley for my gifted copy.

As soon as I heard the blurb I knew I wanted to read this one. I love an isolated location, locked door mystery thriller and boy this one delivered. A debut novel by Allie Reynolds and published by Headline Books, this book had everything I love, believable characters, questions that need answering, heart stopping moments and a story that builds to a satisfying climax.

Mila is invited to a ‘reunion’ by the one person she has never quite been able to say no to. Along with four others, she arrives at remote French Ski Resort ‘La Roche’ to confront and put to rest some long buried secrets. It’s been 10 years since they last saw each other and the events of that fateful winter they spent together on the mountain played out. There are people missing from that original group and one of them knows why. From the outset, things don’t feel right and Mila is pulled along in a series of events that will force them all to stop running from the past. Someone is orchestrating these events but who and how far will they go to uncover the truth.

This was such a great read for me! The writing style was pacey but didn’t feel rushed or overworked. Events built over two timelines, the present and 10 years ago, peaking (no pun intended) with a climax that answers questions and still has you on the edge of your seat. Throughout, there are twists and turns, red herrings and clues that keep the definitive answer just out of reach, leaving that little bit of doubt in your deductions.
Simply put….I loved it!

10 years ago, Milla, Curtis, his sister Saskia, Dale, Heather and Brent met and spent their winter in Le Rocher training in the lead up to a snowboard competition. Ultimately it ended in disaster when Saskia disappeared, and another competitor was left paralysed changing their lives forever. 10 years on they have also been sent invites to spend the weekend at the resort following Saskia being declared dead. Shortly after arriving, they realise they have been lured there under false pretences and find themselves cut off, with no way of leaving the resort. Suspicious soon turns to each other as accusations fly about what really happened that winter. As sinister clues emerge that bring into question what really happened to Saskia, the group find themselves struggling to survive the elements and each other. The question is who has brought them there and what really happened to Saskia all those years ago. Told in dual timeline from Millas viewpoint, we follow the events leading up to the disappearance and the present-day threat they face.  

This book was fantastic, and it really did surpass my expectations. The premise intrigued me because not only do we have a mystery we also have some of my favourite tropes in the setting and set up. We have a snowy, isolated setting where the main characters are stranded and cut off. I just love this set up for a thriller or horror and this book used that setting really well. Everything that happened to the characters was as a result and every choice they had to make, made sense in the context of the setting. Often, they had no other choice but to do silly dangerous things that under normal circumstances they would not do. This somehow made the story feel so much more believable. I think this kind of set up is quite classic in a thriller, but this felt quite new and fresh.  

In the past timeline the setting is used in a slightly different way. We follow these young people who meet whilst snowboard training and I really enjoyed how much the story featured the snowboarding aspect. I have never skied or snowboarded, but I have always wanted to try. I really enjoyed learning about the sport and the competitive aspect of it. There were lots of references to different snowboarding tricks and techniques that I didn’t really follow. I found myself looking up pictures and videos online which I always enjoy when I am reading. However, if you aren't familiar with the sport and don’t want to be looking things up, you may get lost with some of what the characters talk about. It left me wanting to read more books that feature snowboarding and skiing as a subject, but I since struggled to find many.  

I also really liked the angsty drama that we followed in the past events. We have a level of quite new adult goings on in terms of people bed hopping and various relationships playing out. However, we also have a slightly more toxic level that Saskia brings, especially in her relationship with Milla. It's this that steers the story with rest of the drama playing out around it. Saskia was a great villain; She had that mix of being brutally cruel but intoxicating. Milla couldn’t help but want to compete with her but also be friends with her. This led to some frustrating moments as a reader because despite Saskias dangerous games Milla always seemed to let her guard down and underestimate her. It was such an interesting relationship with both Milla and Saskia being such intriguing characters. 

Both timelines were so compelling especially in the later third of the story. I always enjoy the dual timeline narrative and I found I was equally invested in both stories. I couldn’t wait to finish one section so I could return to the other. It's definitely a book that’s easy to fly through and makes you say, ‘just one more chapter’.  

There present day setting, and story was also done constructed so well. As I mentioned I found the actions of the characters plausible and could see them making bad decisions as they felt they had no choice. I loved watching the group implode, question everything and the secrets pour out. I didn’t predict the ending, I suspected everyone but equally couldn’t see how it could be any of them. Even down to the last few chapter's I had no idea how it would end. I also found it so creepy and atmospheric. One of the most surprising parts to me that there was coupling I really got behind. I wouldn’t call it a romance but there was this constantly simmering relationship where you never knew if those involved could trust each other.  

This book was such a compelling mystery with a real thrilling element. The setting was perfect, there were so many twists and turns in both timelines as well as so much to depth to the characters and relationships. I just couldn’t put it down and thoroughly recommend it to any mystery/thriller lovers and a great way to start my reading year.  

Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette Audio and the publisher Headline for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

WOW what a cracking book !! I listened to the audio version of this book 📚 and could just not stop listening! An original storyline that switches between past and present, each chapter is left on a cliffhanger!! An unusual storyline concerning the world of professional snowboarding which I found interesting. In the present, 5 characters from the past , are invited to a reunion, to try and find out who killed Saskia , the trouble causer from ten years previously, which from the first minute they arrived , became a tense cat and mouse , spooky thriller which had you on the edge of your seat! I thought the narrator was excellent and really brought the characters to life

I liked the narrator who had a gentle northern accent. The book ended with rather eerie music which left me feeling uncomfortable.
The story itself was good although the answer was a little too Death on the Orient Express. However I really enjoyed listening to this book and would happily read another by the same author

Whomp.

Unfortunately the writing of the characters and the "not like other girls" of the main character spoiled a lot of this for me. There was unnecessary monologues of love interests for a boring triangle...really there were too many monologues full stop. I didn't care about any of the characters and couldn't really tell them apart all that much. The treatment of the queer characters and villainising them was just...lazy. The present-day plot was a bit too unrealistic for me.

The whole things felt so teen drama-y - more akin to YA thrillers I've read than other adult ones - despite the characters being in their early-mid 20s in the flashback and early-mid 30s in the present day.

Just underwhelming with the whodunnit making sense to a point but also a bit over-the-top.

Would watch as a trashy film/show.

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<p>I first read <em>Shiver </em>almost two years ago sitting on the tube, having decided to get some submission reading done on my way home, and put it down at 2am the following morning because I couldn't stop until I'd reached it's chilling conclusion. Whilst I'm gutted I wasn't able to record it myself I was delighted to revisit Reynolds debut in audio.</p>
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<p>Set high up in an isolated ski resort in the French Alps during the off season, <em>Shiver </em>has both the perfect location and premise for the ultimate locked room thriller. Having been apart since an ill-fated snowboarding season ten years prior, five friends reunite at the place it all began, each hoping to put the past to rest. Though after an ice breaker game goes sour more questions are raised than answered. Each of them are are holding a secret about that winter, and one of those secrets might just reveal what happened to Saskia - their friend who disappeared without a trace on the very mountain they are trapped on. </p>
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<p><em>Shiver </em>is filled with twists and misdirections from the first chapter making it a satisfying re-read as I spotted the clues Reynolds had peppered throughout the narrative. I rarely read thrillers a second time for once the outcome is known a lot of the tension is lost. This was not the case with <em>Shiver</em> and I practically jumped out of my skin when my lamp timed out whilst listening, leaving me in darkness. If anything, knowing the ending ramps up the tragedy tenfold as each wrong decision leads the friends closer to their fate.</p>
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<p>The story is told through the perspective of Milla, spilt between her in the present and her ten years ago. Back when she was an ambitious young snowboarder with nothing to lose but everything to prove. As the group's underdog Milla is both an endearing protagonist and approachable confidante for the others, making her her perfectly placed to unravel the many hidden strands of their shared past.</p>
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<p>Olivia Vinall does an incredible job bringing Milla to life, with her warm Northern accent and clear distinction between the naïve, fiery young woman at start of her career and the jaded, tired woman she has become. However it was her characterisation and accents of the rest of the friend group that truly impressed me. With London, Northern and Geordie accents explicitly mentioned for the main cast, in addition to two of the group being raised with silver spoons in their mouths, <em>Shiver </em>is certainly a casting challenge. And that's not even mentioning the French and Australian snowboarders that are a recurring presence throughout the earlier timeline. Yet Vinall delivers each of these accents with ease, accompanied by an unique delivery to match each character. The lazy almost drawl of Brent to the hypnotic, self-assured softness of Saskia creating a vivid image for each character from the sound of their voice alone.</p>
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<p>Having had ten publishers battle for publishing rights, you're going to be hearing a lot about <em>Shiver </em>from it's main publication at the end of this month to its subsequent paperback release. Whilst I normally avoid such hyped up books for fear of disappointment I assure you that this one truly deserves the noise that its created. </p>
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Wow. This was one of the best and most enjoyable thrillers I’ve ever read. Great plot and loved the inclusion of technical snowboarding jargon. It was well balanced and flowed nicely.

Once I started I couldn’t stop listening. I’ll be telling a lot of people to give this a read!

This is an absolute belter of a book. A sensational twist on the locked room type mystery and one which, as an audio title, has kept me awake almost right through the night. Truly exceptional.

The story centres on a group of friends, 30 somethings who are keen snowboarders. Events switch between past and present; when they were last together 10 years ago, tragedy hit the group and the reasons for this are explored throughout the story, in addition to this being a thriller/ murder mystery, Allie Reynolds explores numerous themes. Love and loss, anger, jealousy, rivalry, revenge and more. And she does so incredibly well. There’s a genuine sense of place; the ice cold is almost palpable and when the action moves to a deserted ski resort building, there’s a real sense of isolation and threat. It’s heart racing stuff and with short sharp chapters, each ending on a knife edge, you keep reading/listening.

I’m over twice the age of the central characters and know nothing about snowboarding, but it didn’t matter. The plotting is complex and in the second half of the book, there’s one twist after another with a final unexpected turn at the conclusion. The other reason I liked the book is the detail around snowboarding. Having watched half pipe and other competitions with fascination on tv coverage of the Olympics, I now have a better understanding of the dangers and complexity of the stunts. Woven into the tale, this detail takes the story to another level and having looked up the authors background, I see how she’s able to write so knowledgeably. It comes across in every detail of weather, place, clothes etc etc. This is a writer with genuine talent and I urge you not to miss this twisty thriller.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

a great storyline with many twists and a great ending, liked the narration which was very compelling.