I’ve loved all of Feeney’s previous books and had high expectations for this one, which as expected, were met and exceeded (massively!). It’s fair to say that Feeney is in the elite class of authors that consistently manage to pull off jaw-dropping twists in every book. Armed with that knowledge, I love diving into one of her books all set for trying to piece together the puzzle and guess that sucker-punch final revelation. Part of the enjoyment of Feeney’s Rock Paper Scissors was absorbing all of the clues that are cleverly dropped throughout the narrative, deciphering the red herrings (of which there are many!) and trying to get one step ahead of the plot. This NEVER happens! Just when you think you’ve got it sussed, Feeney rips that literary carpet right out from under you and the plot spins in a whole new direction! It’s this that keeps me turning the pages and returning to Feeney’s novels.

Rock Paper Scissors is a fantastically taut and chilling story, which opens immediately with a sense of foreboding and atmosphere that could be sliced with a knife. This is very much a story of place and Feeney perfectly creates an unnerving sense of isolation and powerlessness. Adam and Amelia only have each other to rely on right from the outset and the remote location allows the themes of a toxic marriage to be explored in a space that heightens the tension and manifests the smallest of actions into potentially dark and untoward plans. I really enjoyed not knowing where the plot was going to take me, which made me untrustworthy of all of the lead characters. Similarly, none of them were completely likeable, which really helped make it unclear where the reader’s loyalties should lie. In turn, this helped make the narrative all the more suspenseful and it felt laced with dark undercurrents that were desperate to bubble to the surface.

The format of the novel is also perfectly constructed to maximise the impact of the various revelations and keeps readers guessing from first page to last. I really enjoyed the juxtaposition of the present day situation with the historical letters from wife to husband. The letters painted a picture of a fractious marriage that had glimmers of hope and genuine moments of love and tenderness. However, they were always shadowed with an impending sense of doom and the anticipation of this made the book really thrilling to read. I also enjoyed reading from different viewpoints, as it really helped heighten the sense of mistrust and unease. The introduction of Robin came as a surprise, but quickly her chapters became the most intriguing (along with the letter chapters), as I was dying to know who she was in relation to Adam and Amelia.

This really is a top-notch thriller that is one of this summer’s must-reads!

Rock Paper Scissors- Alice Feeney

Adam and Amelia, husband and wife, are setting out for a romantic weekend staying in a remote converted chapel next to a Scottish Loch.

The story is told using chapters from each of their perspectives, and there are also secret letters written but never sent.

It's fast, creepy and very clever, the characterisation is very good with depth to the characters. There are big twists and it ends very strongly indeed.

I can see what all the fuss is about and I'm certain this will be another hugely popular bestseller.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ.

I have read a couple of this authors other books and enjoyed them. Unfortunately I struggled with this one and I found it quite hard to read. The pacing was quite slow and nothing much seemed to happen. It just felt a bit boring. I did think the ending was good

This is probably one of the best books I have read for a while. Easy to read and follow that I just couldn’t put it down, in fact when I had to I was then desperate to get back to it. The twists were so unexpected I had to read those parts twice.

A must read this summer and sure to be a hit.

A really good read!

The imagery took me straight to the Scottish Highlands.

I loved the way it was written, it kept you reading and interested. The style was very pleasing and enjoyable to read.

The format of the book was interesting, switching between people in different chapters.

The mystery and intrigue of the story kept me reading right up until the end where the last twist was a good one. A definite recommended read!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

unputdownable from start to finish- Amelia and Adam are on a romantic break to try and re-set their marriage. They have a long drive to a remote Scottish loch weekend getaway that Amelia won in a work raffle, but when they battle through the snow and hail to get there, the welcoming guesthouse that they imagined is actually a converted and quite spooky chapel with locked doors and thick dust everywhere. They manage to get in but the inside of the chapel is no more welcoming, and odd spooky moments occur often enough to keep them on edge, doors slamming, lights going out and faces at the window
The story is told from Amelia's and Adam's perspective alternately, with some additional letters written on every anniversary for more background info
Really enjoyed reading it, would recommend to anyone looking for a good domestic drama to get stuck into
Thanks for the chance to read it.

Rock, Paper, Scissors is a great psychological thriller. Alice Feeney has done it again! Married couple Adam and Amelia have won a weekend away in a remote Scottish property. Amelia hopes that the trip will help mend the cracks in their marriage. Peppered through the narrative are letters written but never sent to Adam on each marital anniversary. There are many twists and turns in this enjoyable gothic thriller and I recommend it highly. Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the opportunity to read and review Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney is a disturbing twisted tale of people who marry and tell lies, big and small. This book is a psychological thriller with many twists and turns in the storytelling and has deeply disturbing characters. I found it extremely engrossing and intriguing and thought all the characters worthy of being in a horror movie of the Hitchcock variety.
Highly recommended

I have a little confession to make. Yes another one. Although I have Alice’s other books on my ever increasing ‘to be read’ mountain, I haven’t actually read one before…………..until now that is. I read the synopsis for ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ and it certainly sounded like the chilling, psychological thriller that I particularly enjoy reading. So without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my copy of the book and settled down ready for an interesting afternoon of reading. I did enjoy reading ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ but more about that in a bit.
I can’t say that I really took to the main characters of Adam and Amelia. There was just something about the pair of them that set little alarm bells ringing for me. I got the impression that both had their own secret that they wanted to keep hidden. Of course it could just be that I have read far too much crime fiction and I just suspect everybody and believe nobody. Despite the fact that I wasn’t exactly keen on either character, I was interested in what happened to them.
It didn’t take me long to get into ‘Rock Paper Scissors’. In fact by the time I got to the bottom of the synopsis I was intrigued and I had to keep reading to see if the story panned out as I thought it might. I would pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters but I would become so wrapped up in the story that I would still be reading several chapters and an hour or two later. The pages turned over increasingly quickly as I worked my way through the story. Even when I didn’t have the book in my hands, the book stayed with me in the sense that I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters and the issues that were raised in the story. I found ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Rock Paper Scissors’ is very well written. Alice certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and then she reels the reader in- much like a fisherman reels in a catch. She then takes you on one hell of a journey through the lives of a couple. For me the story hits the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. As the story continues, the pace gathers momentum before ending in a tense and dramatic conclusion. Reading ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ felt like being on one hell of an eerie, unpredictable and scary rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way.
In short, I really enjoyed reading ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Alice’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

Rock Paper Scissors by @alicewriterland is one of those difficult books to review without giving too much away - what I can say is that its a fabulous book and I recommend you read it when you can put everything else in life aside, because it’s a book that had me hooked and I struggled to put down (my family were rather hungry by the time I finally put dinner on the table as I just had to keep reading). It’s a book that lulls you into a false sense of security as you think you know what is happening and then a twist comes along that makes you want to go back and check what you have read.

Adam and Amelia are a couple whose relationship is in crisis - they win a weekend away in Scotland and it feels like it is their last chance to salvage their marriage. It soon becomes clear that their prize is not all they expected. And to further complicate things Adam suffers from face blindness, a condition that means he doesn’t recognise people, including his own wife.

This is a truly cleverly constructed book - told from alternating points of view in short, engaging chapters, interspersed with letters that Adam has never seen, written annually by his wife on their anniversary. I loved that each letter not only referenced the relevant anniversary gifts for each year of marriage but also included a “word of the year”. It's a book full of unlikeable but intriguing characters and the atmospheric, almost gothic, setting adds a tension that builds throughout the book. Add to that twists that genuinely made me gasp and you have all the ingredients for a must-read book that blew me away and confirmed Feeney as a must read author for me.

This is an excellent book filled with many twists and turns.
There is so much tension in this book. I loved the isolating setting which added to its creepiness.
The ending was perfect and I didn’t see it coming at all.
This is the first book that I have read by this author but it won’t be the last.
A 5 star read.

I really enjoyed this book, it was the best I have read for a long time. Exciting, frightening and quite unique. I would recommend to anyone who wants a story that keeps them guessing.
Thank you Alice Feeney, Netgalley and General Fiction for giving me the opportunity to give my unbiased opinion.

Without a doubt, the best book I have read in a while.
Honestly, all I can say about this book is WOW.
What.A.Book
It had everything I love in a thriller and just delivered twist after twist that I did not see coming.

Omg this is such an amazing read I could not put it down and every time I thought I had worked out what was going on something else got thrown at you. It's twists and turns all the way. Loved it my best book of the year.

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney


A psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Adam and Amelia’s marriage is struggling and their couples councillor has advised some time away to fall in love again. As luck would have it Amelia wins a weekend retreat in a Scottish hideaway which would be perfect to get away and rekindle their relationship but not everyone wants them to have a happily ever after. The cottage is old and when creepy things start to happen they look to each other for comfort but they can’t seem to trust each other.
Told from both partners perspectives the narrative unfolds about their marriage and the struggles they have both had growing up. Interspersed with her letters to Adam that have been written every year on their anniversary, allowing a real insight into how she was feeling during the marriage. The characters are not particularly likable, he’s a workaholic and she seems to resent his success, they both have secrets and although on this getaway to rekindle their relationship they seem to be at arm’s length from each other. This doesn’t detract from the engagement of them though as the plot is cleverly twisted to draw you in to find out what their secrets are.
Easily raced through this, as the plot begins to thicken the atmosphere created is tense and when the truths comes out, wow!
I highly recommend this thriller to those who love a surprise twist, a good psychological drama. It’s very difficult to say anything else without ruining it, so read it 5*

Thanks to HQ and Netgalley for the ARC

What a crazy, creepy, twisty story this is! Set mostly in a converted chapel by an isolated Scottish Loch, it gave me Stephen King vibes - I believe this is going to be made into a Netflix series and if it’s done right it will be so creepy! I enjoyed the different perspectives in the story and how they flashback to tell you more about the characters (sometimes I felt like I forgot who was talking, but I think that says more about me and my mental state than it does about the book!). I also loved the feeling of the jigsaw falling into place and the twists and revelations that just kept coming in the last quarter of the book! It was a really easy read, too - I felt like I flew through it. If you enjoyed Alice Feeney’s other books, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one.

Think you know the person you married? Think again…

Adam and Amelia Wright have been married for ten years and the cracks are starting to show, so when Amelia wins a weekend away in a raffle at work, it's a perfect opportunity to try to save their marriage. Adam is a screenwriter and a workaholic, suffering with Prosopagnosia, more commonly know as face blindness, a condition that means he can't recognise people's faces, not even that of his own wife! They are both hoping that this trip to the remote Scottish highlands is just what they need, but things are never as clear cut as they seem and it would appear they both have secrets they don't want the other to know about.

Rock Paper Scissors is told mainly from the perspectives of Adam and Amelia, interspersed with the letters that are written to Adam each year on their anniversary, by his wife, letters that he has never received, detailing what they have gone through during that time, I love the letters, and the unique anniversary gifts they exchanged each year, and I especially enjoyed reading the word of the day/year. The setting for this story is perfect, a creepy old chapel in the middle of nowhere with a loch as a backdrop, the stuff thrillers are made of. This latest story by Alice Feeney is expertly crafted, with seamless chapters and twist after twist after twist, this author certainly knows how to keep the reader guessing and in true Feeney style she hits you with an ending that you could never have seen coming. Pure genius! I can't wait for this to hit the big screens.

I'd like to thank HQ and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Holy smokes!!! What a book! I’ve seen this book everywhere so was so chuffed (nobody under seventy uses the word “chuffed” anymore, do they 😉) when NetGalley approved my request.

I rattled through this book, drawn in right from the beginning. By the time I had got half way through the book, I still hadn’t a clue what was going on!! Total head scratcher.

Then, around 75% in, things started slotting into place. I had it all figured out. I was delighted. Then, out of nowhere, came a belter of a twist, followed by a whopper! And oh my god… that ending??!! Can you get whiplash from reading a thriller, cause I’ve never experienced a book like it!

Compelling and utterly immersive, Alice writes suspense like no other. Her characterisation is sophisticated and expertly executed. Her writing style is edgy and sharp. And I’m absolutely experiencing a book hangover.

Cannot recommend this book enough! Just brilliant!

Wow was it a good book! I’ve read some other books by this author and really enjoyed them so I was hopeful this would be as good. It’s a fast paced thriller written with each chapter a different perspective which I really liked. It enables you to get to know the characters and almost try and decide whose side you are on. I was really torn throughout the book and then boom…the twist came. I have read reviews of this book before I started it which I don’t usually do, it instantly made me feel it would be an ok read but I was very pleasantly surprised as I really enjoyed it. I also won’t be able to think of Rock Paper Scissors in the same way!
🪨 📄 ✂️

Creepy and totally compelling, a very clever psychological thriller.
How well do you know your spouse? Adam and Amelia go to a creepy converted chapel in the remote Scottish Highlands to save their marriage.
There are so many twists and turns in this story, a fantastic book.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, to the publisher and to the author for the advanced copy.