Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for offering this ARC to me in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book even though it was dark and delicious. There are lots of twists and turns throughout and the story was completely brilliant and fantastic. The tension starts early and drew my full attention. I didn’t see coming and it gripped me and held my interest entirely. It threw me completely and I couldn't figure out what coming. Absolutely it's a unputdownable and definitely it's a complete page turner and compelling read. It would give you chills at night reading. The characters are well developed with a good plots. It's fast paced and kept me on my toes with some great twists. Alice Feeney is genius to keep her readers in enthralling and thrilled. I would say it's the best book of the year of 2021. I give FIVE stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐to it. Highly recommend to all of you.

Rock Paper Scissors is an interesting story, I didn’t see any of the twists coming which was good. It was an eerie setting; a Chapel next to a Loch in the middle of a storm.

I’m not sure what I thought of the ending, I think I wanted something better for Robbin and it was all a bit bonkers but I enjoyed it!

Reading a story that is significantly different to the majority of modern day thrillers, this writer uses her expert skills to guide the reader back and forth between the main 3 characters. The big twist is enormous and I didn't see it coming, but once you see it you'll wonder why you didn't.
Each chapter begins with a letter that was never sent and tells the background behind a relationship that moves from blooming to doomed quite quickly. I enjoyed reading this story, with the book being offered to me for free, but I now know I must seek out more by this writer because I was so pleasantly thrilled to enjoy this so much.
The premise of bringing a couple to a remote location in bad weather is good because it sets the scene before you meet their neighbour. The neighbour must be avoided at all costs, but you know this is not going to happen as the plot deepens and thickens. The second big twist is equally alarming and of course, I can't mention it here.
I found myself wondering whether Adam would be happy over the longer term and I still wasn't sure by the end of the book because the writer gives you the opportunity to think and explore and provide you with the means to think further ahead after the book is finished.
Adam’s illness (Prosopagnosia) is a strange one and I had never heard of it before, but a little research tells me it's more common than expected. It does explain while he behaves like he does some of the time, but not being able to recognise a person’s face doesn't appear to be his greatest difficulty when he's trying to get his screenplay finished and into the film world while he's continually distracted by writing screenplays for other people. The depiction of the film world is extremely accurate and you are left to the bitter end; concerned about the outcome of whether his screenplay would make it or not. This doesn't mean we always have to have a happy ending, but you'll need to read this book to find out which came true.
There's mention that this will become a film or a series. It will be interesting to see how the words I turned into a film in my head are depicted and whether they see it the way that I did while reading this excellent novel.

Genre: Thriller | Mystery | Psychological Thriller | Adult Fiction

Release Date: Expected 19th August 2021

Publisher: HQ

CW: Fertility Issues, Adoption, Death, Car Accidents, Alcohol.


Adam Wright is a sucessful screenwriter with facial blindness and a definite preference of books over people (don't we all?) His wife, Amelia, is fully aware that faces aren't the only things he can't see. On the surface, they're a perfect couple, but after years of marriage the cracks are starting to show in their foundations.

For their anniversary, Amelia surprises Adam with a weekend alone in the Scottish Highlands; secluded, remote, quiet and perfect for what they have planned. But no sooner than they manage to load their bags and dog into the converted chapel, something changes and their romantic trip is anything but. It's not just a failing marriage they've been holding onto for the last decade, but secrets.

And those secrets could prove fatal.

Told through both of our couples present-day perspectives, old letters written to Adam spanning years, and the occasional outside view, we're able to slowly peice together the puzzle that is their relationship - only to have several more peices removed every time we get one. The POV changes were easy to follow and not confusing at all, making everything perfectly fit together when we finally reached the dramatic conclusion.

Feeney managed to craft Mr and Mrs Wright in a way that made it easy to simultaneously love and loathe them all at once - snapping constantly between suspecting one, both or neither.

Atmospheric, tense and almost otherwordly in places - this story managed to truly keep me suspended in confusion and disbelief, not being able to guess that final twist by a long shot. Every time we turned a corner, there was as deepening sense of dread and unease in my stomach and several audible gasps. This was more than just a story about a couple on the brink of collapse - it's an entire web of lies and deceit years in the making. Truly genuis craftmanship throughout, and every single line was made to lead you exactly where Feeney wanted you to go and not a second before she wanted you there - she truly is a master of misdirection.

I went into this book with high expectations after Sometimes I Lie and I was not disappointed. Also I'm happy to inform you Bob the dog is fine ... although I can't say the same for everyone else.


"Books can be mirrors for whoever holds them, and people don't always like what they see."



RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Alice Feeney, HQ & Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Rock Paper Scissors is a CURLY WURY of a read!
Ten years of marriage, 10 years of secrets, an anniversary they'll never forget.

Set in the Scottish Highlands at a remote location....picture this: the snow falling, freezing temperatures, creeping old buildings, stag heads on the wall..... for a psychological experience - READ ON!. Lots of twists and turns, some I guessed but not others. Thoroughly enjoyed this novel, my first book by Alice Feeney and I liked it!

I give a 4 star rating and would recommend this book

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REPLY

It seems like every thriller these days is marketed for “fans of Gone Girl” and invariably falls short. This was the exception. I was totally gripped, and while I saw one of the twists coming the main one totally blindsided me.

I accidentally started reading at midnight, and I finished it 4:30am. Suspenseful, twisty, keeps you guessing. Brilliant.

It wasn’t perfect, but it did exactly what it said on the tin and I’ll definitely recommend it.

Adam and Amelia are married. He's a workaholic. Every year on their anniversary Amelia writes him a letter but he's not allowed to read them. The story is told from both points of view and also a third person. After winning a weekend away they head up to the Scottish Highlands where things don't run smoothly.

This book has lots of twists and I was kept on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what twist will happen next. Brilliant read. I throughly enjoyed this book. Great plotline. Great characters. I loved it

I’d like to thank HQ and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ by Alice Feeney in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Amelia has won a prize in a raffle, a weekend away for herself and husband Adam, in a converted chapel in Blackwater, a remote part of the Scotland Highlands. Amelia thinks she’s being watched and they find the chapel strange and menacing but when they attempt to leave all four tyres on their car have been damaged. Then their dog Bob disappears …

This is the fourth novel I’ve read of Alice Feeney’s and enjoyed every one of them, but for some reason I couldn’t get into ‘Rock Paper Scissors’. The chapters are written alternately through the eyes of Amelia and Adam, and letters from Amelia to her husband on each of their anniversaries add more background, but the plot seemed a bit far-fetched so that although I read a good part of it I found I was skipping some of the sections in the middle. I didn’t like the characters, much preferring the dog Bob, and thought the story confusing. There’s nothing wrong with the novel which is well-written and has had a vast number of compliments from readers, but I think it’s not what I was expecting so didn’t get as much from the story as I’d expected. Sorry, I’ll do better next time.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, but I was a little confused throughout and I wasn’t blown away by it. The concept was interesting, but I am not quite sure how believable. I found the relationship between Amelia and Adam confusing, and I didn’t warm to any of the characters. I found the writing a little jerky and the storyline seemingly disjointed. It did all come together in a very clever way at the end though, and made the story make a whole lot more sense, which I appreciated. I almost wanted to read it again, knowing the ending! I think I may almost find it more enjoyable a second time around!
I liked the letters from the wife, and the setting was suitably remote and creepy. It is packed full of twists and turns, and is most certainly unpredictable. I think anyone would be doing very well to guess the ending! Thank you @netgalley for the opportunity to review this one. Publication date: 19/08/21

What a great book! Amelia and her husband Adam take a trip to a converted chapel in the Scottish Highlands. Amelia won the weekend in a Christmas raffle at her work. Adam has Prosopagnosia, the inability to recognise faces. What follows is a very well written, fast paced book that throws red herrings and surprises at you right up until the end - some of which you may not see coming!! I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and would recommend it to anyone else that enjoys a good page turner.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of this book.

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My true rating for this book is 4.5 stars.

This is the story of Adam and Amelia. Adam is a successful screenwriter who has a condition called prosopagnosia (face blindness). Amelia is feeling neglected by Adam so when she wins a weekend trip to a converted chapel in Scotland she thinks it is the perfect opportunity for her and Adam to spend some time together and save their marriage. The chapel is a lot creepier than either Adam or Amelia expected.

This story is told from both Adam and Amelia’s point of view. There are also letters that have been written on each wedding anniversary that are in between chapters. I really enjoyed this story it was equally creepy and mysterious at the same time. Neither Adam or Amelia were likeable characters. As a seasoned thriller reader I didn’t see any of the twists coming which is quite unusual for me. This was definitely a page turner and definitely my favourite read of the year so far.

Adam and Amelia Wright win a free weekend stay in an old, remote converted chapel in the Scottish Highlands. They hope see if their marriage can be saved. He is a successful screenwriter who longs to publish his own fiction, but kick-started his career adapting the stories of his hero, Henry Winter for the screen. It's midwinter, with deep snow and they do not receive a warm welcome. In fact it's downright creepy. It feels a lot like one of Adam's creepy stories... They and their dog Bob try to make the best of the first night but weird, unexplained things keep happening till the power goes out and they're left with no heating and only candles for light.

They decide to leave the next day - but someone has other plans... Bob goes missing. Answers begin to creep in, slowly like a drip feed. The past is explained through a series of letters written on their Wedding Anniversary to Adam from his wife, but never given to him. Some answers lead to other questions. Then when you least expect it, other interpretations, truths and circumstances come flooding in when the story does a total flip leaving the reader to reassess everything. A good read.

Brilliant!! I was gripped from the very start and I was at times definitely a little freaked out!
Fabulous plot with unexpected twists, right until the very end.
Highly recommended!

A marriage in trouble, a remote Highland home that may or may not be haunted, a snowstorm that cuts a warring couple off from the world - what could possibly go wrong? This tense and creepy tale will keep you turning the pages as Adam and Amelia Wright's weekend away to repair their relationship turns into a nightmare scenario. But what has gone wrong for the couple?
The highly original plot relies on successful screenwriter Adam's prosopagnosia - or face blindness - which means he cannot recognise the most familiar of faces. That, coupled with his burning ambition to see his own original writing recognised, causes trouble in his relationships. Add to that the hints that he and Amelia are hiding secrets from each other, and the scene is set for trouble and strife.
This would all be thrilling enough, yet the drama comes not just from their marital tension, but from the setting they find themselves in - in the converted chapel where they are staying, lights go on and off, doors open and close, faces appear at the window, and there's a near tragedy at the bat-infested bell tower!
Just what is going on? Who is threatening who? Could there be supernatural forces at work?
As the tension ratchets, neat changes of pace give us a series of letters offering more clues to the couple's present predicament. But be prepared for shocking twists, too.
This is a real page-turner - haunting, dramatic and wholly convincing. I loved it.

Slow to get going, I found it hard to like anyone in this book at first - they're all harbouring secrets, seemingly unable to be honest with each other and generally up to no good. Not necessarily a bad thing in a thriller where not knowing who to trust is a given - but then everything turns on it's head witha twist that genuinely made my jaw drop, and the pace picked up to a rollercoaster ending! This one will definitely get people talking!

Amelia and Adam Wrights marriage is in trouble so when Amelia wins a break in Scotland she hopes that this trip away from everything will mend their broken relationship. After a fraught journey they arrive at a creepy old renovated chapel in the middle of nowhere and with strange events occurring and the worsening snowy weather this trip can only be a recipe for disaster.
This story is very mysterious and intriguing throughout and just when I thought I knew where the plot was going it turned leaving me guessing again. The three main characters Amelia, Adam and Robin are all rather odd and often revengful but they are key to keeping this story interesting and entertaining.
My thanks to Net Galley and HQ for the ARC of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

I am speechless. What a book! I might need good few days to recover from this book hangover. Another phenomenal thriller by Alice Feeney, full of mystery and twist.

I thoroughly loved this book. There was so much tension at the start as I really didn't know which direction the book would go down. It was the type of story which I haven't read before (a new idea). There was so much suspense and twists and turns. I would recommend this book to anyone.

This a book with many twists and a creepy story line. Adam and Amelia are spending the weekend in a very remote location in Scotland as Amelia won the weekend break as a raffle prize at work. The accommodation is a disused chapel which is creepy from getting there as one minute the doors are locked and then, having circled the building, they are mysteriously wide open.

The tale is told from the viewpoints of Adam and Amelia and also Robin who is living in a tumbledown shack within walking distance of the chapel. We also get to see ten annual letters that Adam’s wife has written on their wedding anniversary with no intention of his seeing them unless one of them dies. Each reveal something else about their history.

Adam has prosopagnosia which means he cannot distinguish features on faces. He’s had help in learning tactics to cope with this but he can’t even distinguish his own face or that of his wife’s so has to rely on other features such as voice, hair colour and height. This adds some interesting elements to the story.

I found the pace a little slow at first and the references to the rock paper scissors game seemed a little forced. I wasn’t overly keen on the ending as I was unclear on some aspects and some was left hanging. I may go back and reread some section now I know the ending. The pace certainly picked up towards the end and kept me turning pages.

With thanks to NetGalley and HQ for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the story had a good germ of an idea, and the last third certainly picked up but it just wasn’t a complete novel for me - it was slow and dull in parts, I sped read through the mid section as it was quite a drag.