"You never know who is going to become your friend. Friends are always chance meetings."

-Steve Guttenburg


Sentenced by Victoria Oak and Andrew hawke is a dual narration memoir that tells the story of two unlikely friends. A chance encounter brings together a London Housewife and British prisoner being held in Thailand. Over the course of many letters these two strangers learn that "being sentenced" can mean many things and that they aren't so different after all.


I really loved reading this book! I am quite a fan of memoirs but this was the first one I have encountered with two narrators. I thought the stories flowed together well and I enjoyed getting to know both protagonists. Their friendship, though shocking, was beautiful and inspiring.


I loved that both the letters as well as photographs were included in this book. I personally felt by including them it allowed the reader the opportunity to see their penpal-esc relationship grow into a meaningful and lifelong friendship.


The only downfall for me personally was I would have liked to have read more about the prison/ prison life. Totally not necessary and stellar book without it, but a girl can wish right? Maybe someday Andrew will write another book focused more on his day to day life in a Thai prison.


As always, thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.

I was expecting this story to be something along the lines of older woman meets man in prison, falls in love and gives up her current life to be with him. I couldn’t have been any further from the truth. Instead I enjoyed a true story about Vicki a woman with faith in humanity and Andy the prisoner she may have saved from going down the wrong path again.
The letters they wrote to each other seemed very honest and open. They also provided real insight into the lives of two very different people and what they are like.
This book felt like having two life stories in one and it was handled tremendously by the writer. Vicki amazed me with the strength of her faith. I was also impressed that Andy managed to avoid re-entering the correctional system.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

This is an original and engaging book. Starting with the details of Andy’s crime and imprisonment, as well as how Andy and Vicky got to know one another, this definitely hooks you in and brings lots of questions to the fore.

This is definitely a book that forces you to put prejudices and assumptions to one side. To outsiders, it may seem that Vicky has it all and Andy is the one who is worse off, but their narrative perspectives reveal some interesting comparisons in terms of lack of liberty and connection to others around them.

You get a great insight into both lives from the structure of the story, the way the back stories develop and the use of factual information, letters and pictures.

There are times when reading that the book reads like fiction, both in the descriptions of prison life (can you really allow men to spend months in what I pictured as essentially a filing cabinet for months and get away with it, on the brink of the 21st century?!) And the way that some elements of the book are quite literary in their written style, which makes it flow nicely and adds another layer of engagement.

Overall, a shocking, moving and important memoir that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading.

This true story follows the remarkable and unlikely friendship that develops between two strangers – a London housewife bringing up four children and a British prisoner incarcerated in Thailand. As they begin to exchange letters, each tells a personal story of being sentenced – Vicky in a desperate and loveless marriage; Andy within the walls of one of the world's most notorious prisons. What unfolds is a moving tale about entrapment and freedom, love and friendship, and the human capacity to withstand and overcome immense pain and suffering in the face of adversity.

A huge thank you to the publishers for sending me a copy of this book.
I thoroughly enjoyed it!
The book was written a dual memoir, which was original.
The book was very shocking to read in parts, but both narrators remained true themselves
This book is very unique and highly recommended

Thank you for inviting me to be part of the tour

Sentenced by Victoria Oak and Andrew Hawke is the story of the unlikely friendship between two strangers. Both authors tell their own story which I found to be what makes this memoir so appealing. Their letters, over the years, are also included.
A middle-aged, middle-class, heartbroken housewife from Putney, London writes to an old con in a South-East Asian prison for 7 years and then on his release offers to share her home with him to help him get back on his feet.
Both are entirely dissimilar yet there are points of commonality such as one year apart in age, both raised Catholic and love of the English language.
Both have been sentenced, one behind bars, the other not. Yet the kindness of strangers built a lasting connection supporting each other's lives.
Their story is very touching, realistic and had me believing that quite possibly there are angels watching over us.
Thank you to Victoria Oak and Andrew Hawke for sharing your story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Grosvenor House Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve often wondered why some people get caught up writing to people on death row for example- what compels them to do this? What do they hope to gain? Is it a macabre interest? This book goes some way to answer those questions, focusing on the true story of friendship between a London housewife and a prisoner in Thailand. At times very poignant, this was a very interesting read.

I was surprised this was a true story as it just seemed so unlikely that two people would find each other this way. It’s a fascinating story, showing how two very different people can find a point of connection and enrich one another’s lives. While some may find the dual authorship a bit ragged in style, I think it served to emphasise the apparent vast difference between the two people, adding poignancy to the ultimate relationship which was built.

A really interesting true story a truly unlikely friendship between Victoria a mother of 4 and Tony in a notorious prison.This is a strange long lasting friendship.I was involved from beginning to end really interested in how this friendship began both their points of view and life experiences.#netgalley #sentenced.

I did enjoy this book. Both stories are very interesting. I did get the analogy about two people imprisoned but in different ways. The only slight downside was that it was slightly disjointed and not totally clear what was happening and with who. To be fair as the book progressed it became easier to follow the thread. Would recommend.

Whilst I enjoyed parts of this book and the sentiment behind it is lovely, it shows that there really are some truly kind people out there, I just couldn’t help but feel that this book was a little disjointed at times and I had hoped for more of an insight into prison life but I felt that there really wasn’t that much mentioned about it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

A true story following the remarkable, long-lasting and unlikely friendship that develops between two strangers - a London housewife bringing up four children and a British prisoner incarcerated in Thailand.

As they begin to exchange letters, each tells a personal story of being sentenced - Vicky in a desperate and loveless marriage; Andy within the walls of one of the world's most notorious prisons.

What unfolds is a moving tale of entrapment and freedom, love and friendship, and the human capacity to withstand and overcome immense pain and suffering in the face of adversity... with the right people on your side. Also love a great book especially when it’s a true story. This story had me enthralled from the beginning. Recommend reading ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️