This is the first novel that I’ve read that’s set in the COVID 19 lockdown and it was fantastic!

Ciara and Oliver get together before the start of the first lockdown and quickly end up moving in together so that they aren’t forced to be apart. Ciara sees this as an opportunity to settle into a blissful bubble without the interference of family and friends. Oliver on the other hand sees it as the perfect way to disguise his true self. 56 days later, only one of them is still alive whilst the other lays dead on the apartment floor.

56 days is fast paced and full of suspense and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it!

'56 Days' is set in the first 56 days of the Covid pandemic hitting Ireland. People are working from home, non-essential businesses are closing, there is a 2km travel limit and households have been advised not to mix. Oliver and Ciara, both new to Dublin, meet in the days before these restrictions come into place and realise that if they want to keep seeing each other, they'll have to become one household, at least for the two weeks that these restrictions are due to last.

Although I wasn't initially gripped by this, thinking it might be a more enjoyable read looking back on the pandemic, and not while we're still in the middle of it, once I got to about 35%, I just couldn't put it down.
I thought I had it all figured out but Catherine Ryan Howard threw a spanner in the works that made for a really clever twist.

Thank you NetGalley and Corvus for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had heard really good things about The Nothing Man by this author, so as soon as I read the blurb and saw that it was set during lockdown/the COVID-19 pandemic, I was immediately on board.
When I read the blurb I thought that it would go/end a certain way. But it soon becomes apparent that you really have no idea what to expect.
I will say, I wasn't a huge fan of when big chunks of dialogue were repeated time and time again.
Having just read these pieces of dialogue and even whole scenes moments or chapters before, it got pretty frustrating rather quickly. The first time it happened I had to double check that a whole chapter hadn't been accidentally repeated, given that this was an advanced reader copy.
For that reason, the timeline going back and forth didn't work as well as it could have in this for me.
I also didn't think the current day timeline, with the detectives investigating, was as strong as it could have been.
I found myself actively looking forward to when we got back to Ciara and Oliver's story.
But I did like how the story unraveled and you had no idea how things were going to turn out.
I found that it really came into its own once we find out that it is a man's body that has been found, as again, I wasn't expecting that.
This really was a unique story and one that kept me gripped throughout.
And I will definitely be reading The Nothing Man when I can and keeping an eye out for what this author does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mmmm I was unsure I how I felt about a book set in covid times but I'm glad I gave it a go.

I will admit I was a little lost to start with with the chapters set in the different timelines but once you get in the flow you will just glide though to the end.

This is edge of your seat reading I found this really enjoyable and had no idea what way this would would end, well you do but who??

Fantastic.

56 days is the book which has had me most invested in a book so far this year, It is contemporary, intriguing and full of mistrust between the characters.

Ollie and Ciara meet in the queue at Tesco, the beginnings of the covid19 restrictions meaning they are both a little wary of one another due to social distancing and all the other new rules being enforced by the supermarket. But is it just the restrictions which make them cautious of getting too close or is there more to their backgrounds which makes them so?

The chapters are told from the different characters' point of view and at various times between when Ollie and Ciara meet and the present day, 56 days later when it's obvious something awful has happened behind the closed doors of Ollie's apartment at The Crossings. But where are all the characters now? And more importantly - WHO are they?

I loved trying to work out which of the characters was the bad guy, who had what information about the other -and what did the mysterious woman across the courtyard have to do with all of it?

The reader gets snippets about each of the characters drip fed throughout, just enough to raise even more questions rather than answer any of the existing ones. The time switching set up won't suit everyone as you do need to keep track of the the chapter headings to keep with the story but I found it extremely clever and intricately woven. I do hope people don't let this put them off though as it is SO worth working with. You can feel the discomfort of the detectives as they attend the scene, including the very green (literally!) pair of newly qualified PC's who are first on the scene. The writing is descriptive enough for the reader to really imagine being on scene, and at times maybe even wish that they weren't!

Having read the Nothing Man previously by this author and been impressed by the author I was delighted to have been approved to read 56 Days and I cannot thank you enough. I have already recommended this to a large number of my fellow reader friends who have added it to their reading lists and are keen for publication day to come around quickly. In my opinion this even better than the Nothing Man, which I didn't think the author would be able to top.

Catherine Ryan Howard - takes you on a journey during a Covid lockdown
The only thing you need to do is remember to breath

End to end suspense, the tension is electrifying, the twist and turns are plenty
and has always an ending you just won't guess.

I have read all of Catherine Ryan Howard's book, she just keeps getting better and better

Thank you netgalley, Atlantic books and Catherine Ryan Howard

Perfectly Timed...
The perfect opportunity for the perfect crime? With a slow but perfectly timed mounting of tension, a supremely well crafted cast of characters and a credible storyline this is a breath holding suspense which shows this author at the top of her game. An excellent read which should keep the reader engaged from the very first page to the last.

Ciara meets Oliver in a supermarket and he asked her out on a date. When the lockdown for Covid is due to start, she moves in with him thinking that this is an opportunity to get to know each other.
This story is told in two timeframes and I found it disjointed and confusing.
Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me and it failed to hold my interest.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

56 Days - Catherine Ryan Howard

A unique, brave and bang up to the minute premise.

A couple meet and start dating in the weeks leading up to the start of the first Lockdown. Lockdown speeds things up and they move in together.

56 Days later only one is still alive, the other lying dead in the apartment.

Wow! A perfect blend of in-depth fully realised characters, intricate plotting, police investigation, twists and tension.

The going into Lockdown experience is vividly told and relatable easing the reader in. I loved the use of the timeframe, and the retelling of certain aspects from more than one viewpoint, the weaving together of the past and present (even though only a few weeks apart) is simply sublime.

The plotting is faultless the tension keeps ramping up and the twists keep coming.

The is the first of Catherine Ryan Howard's books I've read but will be rushing off to read the others asap.

This book is a work of art and sure to be in my top books of this year.


Thanks to Netgalley and Corvus, Atlantic.

I read this before we were fully 100% out of lockdown,and you have to wonder,is it too soon to have a book with the pandemic as a backdrop?
In the case of this one,its definitely not too soon.
It was tense,with a good few surprises,a few gruesome bits,and some likeable characters that you felt you couldn't quite trust.
I paced myself on this one,and enjoyed every single bit of it.
Do yourself a favour and add it to the stack of books you are going to read this year

Catherine Ryan Howard is a writer at the top of her game. I have been desperate to read "56 Days" and it didn't disappoint. The growing suspense and tension is breathtaking. I love that it's set during Covid lockdown. The timeline zips about and we have different perspectives but it's well sign-posted. Oliver and Ciara are new Dublin blow-ins. Their fledgling relationship is immediately put under pressure by restrictions on movement due to the global pandemic. What ensues is carnage, secrets and lies. The novel is perfectly plotted and paced. I couldn't put it down, reading long into the night to finish it. Catherine Ryan Howard is an author whose work I will now happily blind buy. Top notch thriller!

56 days is the sort of magical story that comes along once in a blue moon, it has everything a reader could possibly want and then some! It’s clever, dark, thrilling and that’s just the few chapter!

I’ve seen coronavirus try to be inserted in a few books I’ve read recently and it just didn’t work but 56 Days does it perfectly. From the beginning to the end every word feels authentic and the twists will rip through your core! Emotional, fast paced and overall BRILLIANT! 5/5

56 Days is going to be a huge hit and you NEED to read it.

#56Days #NetGalley
Excellent novel.
Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin and start dating the same week COVID-19 reaches Irish shores.
When lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests they move in together. Ciara sees a unique opportunity for a relationship to flourish without the scrutiny of family and friends. Oliver sees a chance to hide who - and what - he really is. Detectives arrive at Oliver's apartment to discover a decomposing body inside.
Can they determine what really happened, or has lockdown created an opportunity for someone to commit the perfect crime?
Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for giving me an advanced copy of this book.