I found Two Wrongs a bit laboured and lacking in flow and I also found it hard to connect with any of the characters. The story begins with a young female student threatening to jump off a bridge. She is found by a stranger who contacts the girls friend, Nevis. Events centre around Avon University and questions of sexual assault, cover-ups and corruption. Nevis's adoptive mother is herself involved due to an incident involving Zoe, her best friend, and Nevis's birth mother. There were some smart elements where the past and present collide, but overall it was a little predictable sadly.

With thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC of this title in return for an honest review.

Covers some very delicate issues.
A very slow book lots of people have secrets but doesn`t give a hint of what it is and quiet honestly the characters are so weak you couldn`t care what the secret is, I tried very hard to like Nevis but didn`t get there.
It just wasn`t for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

I’d like to thank HQ and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Two Wrongs’ by Mel McGrath in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When university student Satnam takes her own life on Clifton Suspension Bridge her flatmate Nevis races to her side to try and save her. Nevis texts her mother for help and Honor drives from London to Bristol to be with her. As Satnam isn’t the only one, Honor is worried Nevis will be next and starts looking for clues.

I’ve no doubt ‘Two Wrongs’ is well-written and will appeal to a lot of readers but I’m afraid I’m not one of them and struggled to get into the story. I didn’t like the characters and couldn’t empathise with them, and was so disinterested in what happened to them I couldn’t finish the book which is a rare occurrence for me.

The very beginning of the book drew me in and I thought that I was in for a good read. The character of Sondra was well drawn and you could fully understand her anxieties when she comes across Satnam. After that the book failed to live up to my expectations. I was just not engaged with the characters as somehow `I felt they lacked depth, there was much written about them but it felt like it was two dimensional and only skimmed the surface.

A thriller about a group of young girls at a fictional Bristol University, Nevis an oddball outsider is left reeling when her flatmate and only friend attempts to commit suicide at the local suicide hotspot. This was really interesting as the event then seems to spark a spate of suicides among the group of young women. Dismissed by the university as coincidences Nevis simply can't understand why this would happen and seeks to find the truth. Nevis is described as an almost autistic character unable to read emotions or social clues and awkward in all settings but was a likeable character. Along side this storyline is that of Nevis and her adopted mother Honor and their backstory. I enjoyed the Bristol setting and the dual storylines but felt the the end was a little rushed and predictable and some characters could have been explored further. I think it would make a great tv drama.
Thank you to Negalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Two Wrongs was billed as a psychological thriller, a genre that I love and couldn’t wait to get stuck into. It’s a book about the lengths a mother will go to protect her daughter. In Bristol, a number of young women are dying in mysterious circumstances, it’s deemed to be suicide but it appears there is something more sinister occurring. Honor is terrified her daughter Nevis might be next, but can she find the link and will this all lead back to a secret she has been keeping from Nevis?

From the synopsis I was eager to read this book however for me it lacked the thrill and seemed quite average and predictable. I would rate this book 2.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review

I really struggled to get into this book and did not finish it unfortunately. I found that I just couldn’t connect with it and struggled with some of the chapters and topics in the book.

Honor needs to protect her daughter but how?
Young woman seem to be taking their own lives is Honor's daughter going to do the same.
As Honour looks into the deaths it suddenly becomes apparent that all is not what it seems she believes that they didn't commit suicide.
When Honor's past starts catching up with her can she be brave enough to face her past and save her family?

The story begins on Clifton suspension bridge in Bristol, with Nevis called to her friend wanting to commit suicide.
The book is based around the subject of suicide both historical and present and the dark side to life at university. The underbelly of dark goings on and the people in power manipulating others.
Although the book has many interesting ideas for a good thriller I felt it missed the mark.
It was very slow building, lacking the tension scenes such as the suicide scene should have had.
The second half did pick up and the writing style seemed to change and become more intense but I did find the outcome to be clichéd and not worth trawling through the first part.

University student, Satnam Mann is at the end of her tether. Confused and disorientated , she ‘s clinging to Bristol’s Clifton Suspension Bridge. Sondra, a tired cleaner going home after her shift, tries to persuade her to come down but Satnam is determined. After persuading Sondra to call her flatmate and best friend , Nevis, Satnam collapses and is taken to hospital in a coma.
Nevis is shocked by Satnam’s actions and, as she heads for the bridge in an Uber, she texts her adoptive mother, Honor, leaving an enigmatic message. Honor is awakened on her houseboat by the text, immediately knows that something’s wrong and that Nevis needs her help. They haven’t spoken in months and she is upset by their estrangement. But, without thinking, she gets dressed and drives down to Bristol in her trusty old van, Gerry.
Christopher Cullen, the Dean of Nevis and Satnam’s faculty at Avon University, is a desperate man.
A serious whisky habit doesn’t help and he feels that he’s at the mercy of the two woman in his life; Amanda, his mother and Veronica, his trophy wife. Amanda’s care home fees are mounting up and Veronica’s desire to have a child is all consuming. But he owes Amanda for covering up something from his past when he was 15 and she has never let him forget it. And then as he’s driving he sees a person who he never expected to see again and never, ever stopped hating………

This is a suspenseful, dark, twisting tale of revenge and a mother’s love for her daughter. Honor has protected Nevis from birth and adopted her after her birth mother, Zoe’s suicide when she was 3 months old. It’s seamlessly told from 3 perspectives; Nevis, Honor and Cullen and the consequences of a despicable action years ago at another university that was covered up. Sometimes this type of narrative can feel disjointed but here it worked very well.
I thought it was interesting to have a main character who is on the autistic spectrum. She sees things in numbers, has no social skills and yet knows that something is wrong at the university. Nevis cares deeply for Honor and Satnam and wants to discover the truth.
It’s a novel concerned with cover-ups with one of the major plot elements was that of female students having affairs with faculty staff in return for good grades. Cullen sees it as one of the perks of the job and once #MeToo has died down ‘things would revert to normality again.’ This made for a disturbing, plausible and thought provoking read. Cullen gleefully gets a member of staff sacked over allegations of him having affairs with students. However, Cullen was a very unsympathetic, cruel character without any redeeming features and he was almost too much the villain.
There was also a supernatural subplot involving Zoe, Nevis’s birth mother which I would have liked to have been a stronger element.

TW: rape, suicide

3.5 stars

Two Wrongs follows the perspectives of 3 people - Nevis Smith, Honour (Nevis’ mother) and Cullen (the Dean of Avon University where Nevis is a student). Nevis is witness to a fellow student attempting to jump off the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.

The author takes on some very serious topics in this and I applaud her for that. The prologue to this was really good. In fact the first few chapters were the best part of this book.

I’ve had to mark it down slightly for two reasons. I didn’t quite understand the characters. Particularly the “villain”, it just felt too one dimensional. I also thought some of the twists were too easy to guess so the big reveal was a bit of a let down.

The climax was good and well paced. The ending was satisfying.

I think this is a good book but there needed to be more red herrings or the plot twists hinted at less.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my advance reader ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two Wrongs follows Nevis, Honor and Cullen as an apparent string of suicides and attempted suicides plague the local university in Bristol, England. There is a strained relationship between Nevis and Honor, her adoptive mother and Cullen is slowly destroying his life with lies and alcohol. Why are the suicides occurring? Is it a rare occurrence of the suicide contagion phenomenon or is something within the university causing the girls to kill themselves?

I really struggled with this book and it took me far longer to read than I would usually with a thriller. There are a number of reasons for this which I will explore:

1) There are so many inconsistencies in this book that it just became frustrating. Nevis is 19 and the discovery of a letter that causes tension between her and her adoptive mum apparent occurs the year before, when she is 18. However, later down the line, the incident is referred to again and Nevis is 16. It then switches to the year before again. This is not the only issue with the timeline. Veronica is said to be 6 weeks pregnant when the showdown at the end of the book occurs, yet 6 months after the event the baby is born as if he were full-term. That makes no sense.

2) I also found the ending to the book incredibly annoying as there were no signs to it. Usually, that would be brilliant as you would be shocked and wondering how you didn't see it coming. In this instance, you didn't see it coming as there was nothing to suggest it and it makes no sense. Throughout the book, Cullen just refers to Ratner sleeping with all the students and worrying that he will get in trouble as he didn't stop him having affairs, yet it turns out HE'S been doing it too? It makes no sense and whilst Cullen is clearly a complete nutter, he would not think in that way when he knows what the reality is.

3) Many of the interactions between characters are very unrealistic. The university staff are too involved from the start around the initial attempted suicide for no reason: going onto the girl's social media, having full conversations about every aspect of the girl's life. There is also a couple of references of a paramedic being the daughter of one of the university staff who keeps telling her mum things that happen which clearly should be confidential - like what happened in the ambulance and at the hospital with the first girl. She also apparently knows who the Dean is and is told her mum about him turning up at the hospital even though she wasn't there. Again, it makes no sense.

4) The 'twist' at the end with the big reveal (not the one regarding the suicides) is also poorly executed. I think McGrath thinks that we haven't figured it out yet, but we all figured it out halfway through the book and it couldn't have been more bleeding obvious.

I enjoyed the book and its mix of interesting, individual characters, but I did find it a slow read and hard to get into the narrative at times. That said it is a mystery well linked between it's characters. I'm always a fan of reading books set around this part of England as it's local to me, and I did find the descriptions acurate and absorbing.

Honor adopts her best friend Zoe's baby, Nevis, when Zoe dies. She has never told Nevis the circumstances around what truly happened back then. They live on a narrow boat on Hackney Marshes and recently Nevis has gone to university in Bristol.
The story begins with Nevis's flatmate and best friend, Satnam, about to commit suicide by jumping off Clifton Bridge. As Nevis tries to work out why, she realises that Satnam's friends are hiding something and the university don't seem to be doing anything.
I cared for all the characters and wanted justice for them. A real page turner.

Thank you to Net Galley and HQ stories Harper Collins for this ARC.
This is the story of Nevis and her mother Honor. Nevis is a student at a Bristol university. One night she is unexpectedly called to the Clifton Suspension Bridge's suicide spot to rescue her flatmate who is threatening to jump. There follows a raft of good characters and secrets...can they all possibly be linked together?
I thought this book a little slow starting and wondered how many people in the same orbit could really have such dark secrets. The plot unfolds cleverly however and the story gains pace. I really cared what happened to Nevis and Honor in the end.
I know Bristol well and the descriptions and atmosphere of the city is captured perfectly. I will definitely read more by this author in the future!

A dark and atmospheric thriller. Unlike some reviewers I enjoyed the slow pace at its onset as it set the background before the pace picked up.
Honor has brought up her adopted daughter, Nevis as a single mother following the death of her best friend and birth mother. Their relationship is shaky she would do anything for her so when a call comes from Nevis following an attempted suicide of her best friend Honor races to Bristol to help. Nevis is at University there, a bright student who is unhappy with the way some of her friends are behaving to increase their grades. As events unfold there appears to be a link between Honor’s past and the current situation.
I liked the characterisation of the lead players even those who turned out to be totally flawed had some endearing qualities at the start.
Worth trying, I’d definitely read more from this author

There was a fair bit to like about this, it just didn't wow me hence the three stars.

I really enjoyed the characters particularly Nevis. I found them to be unique, flawed and interesting with distinct personalities which made the pov changes easy to track.

The story sucked me in and I found the writing to be immersive and easy to read. I will definitely be checking out more from the author.

I was very intrigued in the beginning but unfortunately I just started to predict the second half quite easily. That's not necessarily a downside but did curb my enthusiasm for the story.

This story is about university student suicides, set in Bristol around fictional Avon university and is from the perspectives of the three main characters: Nevis, student at the university, Honor, her adoptive mother and Cullen, Dean at the university. The book starts with Nevis's friend Satnam, also a student at the university, about to commit suicide by jumping off Clifton Suspension Bridge, Whilst Nevis is trying to work out what drove her friend to this point by digging into her life, two more suicides follow and Nevis realises there is a link and uncovers some shocking secrets. At the same time Cullen starts to come undone, failing to prevent his past and present secrets surfacing.
The characterisation is good with some back story on the main characters, it took a few chapters before I really got into it but an enjoyable mystery.

This is a good, pacy thriller that has you rooting for the main characters and for the antagonists to get their comeuppance.

I did find the portrayal/implication that one of the main characters had autism a bit cliched though, in the way it's depicted. I live with two people on the spectrum and these cliched behaviours are really unfair. Every single autistic person is different and unique.

This was a good thriller which kept my mind wondering what was going to happen next. Although, I wasn't staying up at night to finish it. I have mixed feelings towards this book. I did enjoy it and it kept me guessing. However, I feel like there was also something missing. I would have liked if some of the characters could have been expanded on more to give different dimensions to the story. The book also ended quite abruptly which was a shame as there was so much detail throughout the book and then it just ended.
Thank you to Mel McGrath, NetGalley and HQ for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.