This book is slightly predictable. It was a little bit confusing at times. The story is told over a dual narrative. The pacing is a little off.

Care For Me, seems pretty straight forward when you start reading it. The mum has a secret from years ago and daughter will uncover it. Book sussed. Except it's so much more than that. It has so many layers and twists that you find yourself not able to be predict it. Fantastic read!

I'm sorry, but this was terrible. The writing felt highly amateurish ("The dream I just had twists like worms inside my head.", "Outside, snow is tumbling from the sky like cotton balls" -- must be quite some snowflakes; "Last-minute shoppers buying presents to be decorated underneath their Christmas trees." – people decorate presents underneath their tree? Why? And what are they, two feet high?; "I sense an air of stress in the void." – yes, so do I; "Feathered wings spread and make a flapping sound", this to describe little “birds of spring” rather than, I don't know, vultures or pterodactyls), the pacing was weird, the characters were annoying and boring at the same time, with not a single person I could relate to; the author obviously wasn't much for research, to put it very, very mildly (the descriptions of dementia were as ridiculous as the attempts at describing what it's like to care for someone afflicted, be it at home or professionally in an institution), and logic-wise... oh dear. Oh. Dear.
The main character Amira, who's ostensibly a grown woman with one failed marriage under her belt, strikes up a friendship with some anonymous person on an online message board and agrees to meet them in the middle of nowhere, in the fog, under the most improbable circumstances imaginable... and then, when this person never shows up, she continues standing there like some utter nincompoop, waiting, and waiting, and waiting, like a particularly sheltered preteen. And that’s the *likely* part; it gets a lot worse after that. A LOT worse. A WHOLE LOT worse. It makes the most ridiculous shitty daytime soap look like CNN.
The psychology here is subtle as a ton of bricks; in the end, it boils down to a plot that's as stupid as it is hackneyed, complete with the requisite good-vs-evil showdown before the credits roll, with the good side imploring the evil one that, "I think all these years you've been under a heavy cloud of a terrible misunderstanding."
Wait, what? Who talks like that?! And in the middle of a spectacularly badly thought out Before-I-kill-you-Mr-Bond type situation where the Bad Guy gets to explain what drove them (at length), and then explain some more? Although, to be honest, I’m tempted to stow this away for personal use, as I’m sure there are plenty of situations where a killer line like this might come in handy. “I think you've been under a heavy cloud of a terrible misunderstanding." Think about it.

We get a teenage diary that quite obviously was not written by a teen -- I mean, the author doesn't even *try* to make it sound authentic. (The lack of even the most basic research becomes apparent when all of a sudden there’s a case of inadvertent time travel: people watch "Thelma & Louise" in March 1986, when it actually wasn't released until May 1991. A quick search for “1986 popular movies” would have done it, but like I said, research clearly is not high on Ms Cook's agenda.)

We get a care facility that's ostensibly top of the line as well as super expensive where residents get treated like they're in some Victorian-inspired boarding school for orphans. Other facilities might deal in therapy and support, but up here, they like to do things differently, thank you very much. As head nurse Myrtle Brown tells our MC when she comes to hand over crazypants firestarter mum Afrah: “There are certain things which we do not tolerate here at Ravenswood Lodge… Shouting and aggressive behaviour is out of the question.” (Once again, this is a care facility for people who suffer from *dementia*.) And when Amira apologises for her mum’s misbehaviour, telling the nurse that Afrah’s just a little upset, she gets this: “A little upset? What happens when she’s *very* upset? We are a highly respected care home. We have rules patients must follow.” Personally, my thinking was that dealing with VERY upset patients was kind of the FACILITY’S problem, as they were the professionals and especially trained to handle this kind of thing etc., but hey. They’re a highly respected care home, so there.
(Incidentally, Nurse Myrtle is given to speaking in a fairly weird way, spouting sentences like, “If she continues to behave in such manners, we may have no other choice but to consider give her medications”, so it’s quite possible she’s off her rocker herself a bit.)

Of course now you wonder what type of rules a world-class care home like Ravenswood Manor, er, Lodge has installed to keep their patients in check, so here they are in all their professional glory:
“First house rule. Patients are not to go into the basement or the kitchen at any hour of the day.
Second house rule. On three strikes of the gong, all patients must return to their rooms.
Third house rule. The gong goes off three times a day to serve breakfast, lunch and supper.”
So this is it. The magic bullet. The one correct way to deal with people who are unable to live on their own or under the care of family. Three gongs a day, no going down to the basement, no shouting or aggression, and the constant threat of “medications”. (And they’re so state-of-the-art at Ravenswood that they have an actual gong that serves meals. Three times a day!)

This Ravenswood place, which, with an über-gothic name like that, of course HAS TO BE located out on some hill in the boondocks "sleeping like a silent tomb" (still preferable to a screaming awake one, I guess?), also certainly has its priorities sorted, as the MC finds out when they call her to say there’ve been "several disturbing incidents [involving Afrah] now, incidents that put their reputation at risk and are highly disruptive to the other patients." Um, and here I thought it was the *facility's* job to make sure that every patient was safe and happy (because: trained professionals and all that), and any threat regarding their reputation would likely come from outside sources such as relatives dissatisfied with their loved ones' treatment, but what do I know.
Maybe it all has to do with the inherent glamour and privilege of living inside a grand old building instead of a lowly purpose-built clinic; as Mental Myrtle tells Afrah, “We do not tolerate havoc and patients smashing, littering and destroying the historic property of Ravenswood Lodge.” I *think* the owners might want to rethink their business model, or at least their clientele, as this approach does not exactly strike me as reasonable when it comes to caring for people whose reasoning is slowly melting away. But of course Ravenswood Lodge has a waiting list that’s three hundred miles long, and their solution to dealing with impertinent residents, er, patients, is apparently as simple as it is effective: “We make sure they leave and don’t come back.”
And you know what, not only are they murderers (I think?), they’re racist too, as Afrah finds out when Mad Myrtle gives her an earful: “Your daughter is as unreliable as you are. Perhaps it’s a thing in your culture.”
Now a novel about a care home filled with deranged nurses that routinely make patients disappear so they never come back could have been fun; it could also have brought in some social commentary. Even more interesting would have been an investigation into everyday racism involving the most vulnerable. But “Care For Me” is neither of these novels, it’s a crass little undercooked number that doesn’t really know where it’s going or what it wants, much like its characters.

Thank you, Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton, for the chance to read “Care For Me”, but unfortunately in my opinion this book is not all that great.

Amira is struggling to look after her mum who has dementia so finds her a place at Ravenswood Care Home.
Afrah is not happy there however and says her belongings, photographs and pill boxes are being taken. Is it her memory or is there something more sinister happening?
This book is told by both women as a dual narrative and kept me guessing through the story. I did find it a little slow to begin with but the second half really picked up the pace. This was an insightful read into caring with someone with Dementia as well as a good slow burning character led psychological thriller.

Amira is struggling to look after her mother, Afrah. So when they arrive at Ravenswood Lodge Care Home, beautiful and imposing against the background of the Scottish Highlands, she hopes it is the right decision for them both.

But soon Afrah insists her belongings are being stolen, her photographs, her jewellery, her pill boxes, Amira and the staff are convinced it's just Afrah's imagination, it's just her memory.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some secrets follow you wherever you go . . .

When Afrah arrives at Ravenswood Lodge Care Home for the first time, she feels far from home. Her daughter, Amira, didn't want to send her away from the comfort and familiarity of her surroundings but she's struggling to cope.

Ravenswood Lodge was meant to be a safe space for Afrah. But when her belongings start vanishing, her family photographs, her jewellery, her pill boxes, Amira and the staff say it's just Afrah's imagination, it's just her failing memory. But Afrah is adamant someone is playing games with her. She knows Ravenswood Lodge isn't safe for her. Someone wants her gone.

At home, Amira is looking through her mother's belongings, tidying things away, bringing order to her house. Until she stumbles upon some strange newspaper clippings, stories her mother has become fixated on. Is it just a coincidence, or could her mother be telling the truth about Ravenswood Lodge? Does someone want revenge?
Thanks to Netgalley, Farah Cook and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I was so invested in this book, more than I thought I would be.
I was kindly sent and the first few chapters and then was able to read the full version.
Good character development and you go on the journey with both Amira and her mum. We learn more about their lives as Pakistani women living in Scotland.
Some parts were predictable but still a good read.
3.5/5

A few months ago I was given the chance to read the first couple of chapters of Care For Me and then I thought it showed great promise, a psychological thriller with the ultimate unreliable narrator, an elderly woman with dementia. The synopsis made it look like a really twisty story and after reading the book I think it was a bit misleading. Yeah, all the things explained there happen…in the last third!

My main issue with Care For Me was the pacing. More than halfway through nothing really exciting had happened yet. The first half was more a story about the struggles of people with dementia and those of the ones who have to take care of them. Granted, the portrayal of Alzheimer’s and the toll it takes in the families of those suffering from it are magnificently done, showing clearly the research the author must have done, but it just became a bit too much. I needed for the suspense plot to start moving!

Afrah’s chapters managed to make me really anxious. The fact you can’t really know if what you’re reading is really happening or just in her head was quite unsettling. Her chapters in the Care Home had a particular oppressive feel.

The last third had all the twists and turns lacking in the first two. Some were surprising but some were a bit predictable and required too many coincidences.

A good debut that could have been great if the pacing was more even all throughout the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

PD: how is it possible that a character writes on a diary entry from 1986 that they wanna go see “Thelma & Louise” when that movie wasn’t released until 1991? 🤔

Amira is carer for her mum, Afrah, who has dementia. Afrah deteriorates & Amira can no longer cope & takes the heartbreaking decision to move her to a residential care home.
I found the first half of the book very slow although the insight in to the Pakistani culture was fascinating.The second half, when the story really takes off, did feel a little formulaic but it was good. The setting of Ravenswood Lodge feels chilling & the blame being placed on Afrah’s condition is just wrong but that is what drives the plot.
A good, solid read which is well written, just not for me.

While not quite a 5 star read for me, I must admit it was one that kept me glued the pages and well written! A bit more domestic suspense than thriller, which I enjoyed! Very well written, but at times a bit slower than I love, but overall well worth the read! Hugely recommend to those looking for an intriguing and captivating domestic suspense book!

Solid domestic suspense involving a mother and her daughter living in Scotland that kept me engrossed. Well-written story, particularly the first half. I found the second half good but predictable. The characterization of Afrah, who has dementia, and the stress and challenges faced by her caregiver daughter, Amira, were believable and heartwrenching. Learning about the culture, customs and food of Pakistan was also interesting. Overall, a solid 3.5 star read.

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for an early reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’d’ been lucky enough to get an early look at the first couple of chapters of ‘Care For Me’ a few months ago, and I was hooked from the start. We’re introduced to Amira, a woman who has her fair share of problems: she is the sole-carer for her mother who has dementia, is divorced from her doctor husband, and her teenage son is now living with his father. Amira is lonely, confused and in despair. We also meet her mother, Afrah, who is equally lonely, confused and in despair. Afrah and Amira’s lives have been irreversibly changed by the effects of the Afrah’s Altzheimers Amira can’t care for her mother in the way that she knows she deserves, and struggles to deal with feelings guilt and hopelessness against the pressures of those who advise putting her into a care home.

The first half of this novel is a dual-narrative domestic drama. The characters are vivid and beautifully, sympathetically depicted. I wanted to get to know both of these women and felt compelled to continue finding out about both of their lives. Farah Cook writes with sensitivity and the women’s relationship is both heartwarming and devastating in equal measures. But there are hints that things will have to change, and about halfway through, when a big change happens in their lives, the novel enters a new realm of the psychological thriller.

I don’t think that I’ve read another suspense thriller that allows the reader to get so involved in the characters before a dramatic shift of pace into the ‘suspense’ bit, and I really appreciated this - it made me really care about characters and I was gunning for them to have the outcome they deserved. I read the last hundred pages or so well after my bedtime, which has always been for me the mark of a great book.

My only criticism of this book - and don’t get me wrong, I totally loved it - was that some of the coincidences were just too unrealistic. I would happily get behind one or two of the villain’s fulfilled plans, but there were a few that were just a little too far-fetched, even for a thriller.

This is a well-written, well-characterised and deeply enjoyable suspense thriller. I’m delighted to hear that Farah Cook is now working on her second novel and look forward to reading it.

Poor Amira has to put her mother in a nursing home, Amira hates having to do so and her mother, Afrah has a hard time settling in. All of a sudden Afrah finds things are going missing but the home says she is wrong, it is just her memory problems making her think such things. Amira decides to check out things at her mother's old house and comes to find there is something not right at Ravenswood.

I found this story just sucked me right in. It wasn't just the interesting plot but the lovely writing style itself. There are plenty of surprises along the way as nothing is as it seems. Not all is well at Ravenswood. And Afrah is trying to let her daughter know the truth before it's too late. Such a wonderful twisty read about the past and the truth finally coming to light.

Something In The Air…
There is something in the air at Ravenswood Lodge. Amira takes her mother Afrah to Ravenswood Lodge, a care home in the beautiful Scottish highlands, to keep her safe, look after her, care for her. It’s the right decision isn’t it? Soon things are to take a dark turn. Nothing is quite as it seems in this slowly chilling, heart wrenching suspense.

When Amira has to place her mum, Afrah into Ravenswood Lodge Care Home, both mother and daughter struggle with the change.
Afrah doesn’t settle and knows somebody is taking her personal belongings but the staff blame it on her memory.
When Amira goes through her mums belongings at home, she soon realises there is more going on at Ravenswood than meets the eye.

This was an interesting read with some good twists. Great characters but some left a lot to be desired! The story has a creepy atmosphere that makes for good storytelling.

My thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Stoughton for a copy in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Amira is getting concerned about her mother, Afrah's developing dementia and manages to get her into a well thought about care home. Nothing is how it seems however and the developing story with all it's twists and turns is very compelling. Well done to Farah Cook for an absorbing read.

Ravenswood Lodge Care Home in the Scottish Higlands seems like a godsend to Amira. She really can’t care for her mother, Afrah, any longer. But Afrah hates the care home and insists the people who work there are stealing her things. Amira dismisses her mother’s claims as a manifestation of her illness. At the same time, Afrah is cursing her memory loss, she knows something is wrong at Ravenswood, she vaguely remembers something about a fire, something sinister. But someone doesn’t want her to remember, and they will do anything to make sure she she doesn’t. A creepy atmosphere permeates this story, made more intense by the terror of memory loss

I received in advance readers copy in exchange for a honest review

Really fun, few good twists, great summer reading

#CareForMe #NetGalley
Best novel you'll read this year.
Amira is struggling to look after her mother, Afrah. So when they arrive at Ravenswood Lodge Care Home, beautiful and imposing against the background of the Scottish Highlands, she hopes it is the right decision for them both. But soon Afrah insists her belongings are being stolen, her photographs, her jewellery, her pill boxes, Amira and the staff are convinced it's just Afrah's imagination, it's just her memory. But Afrah knows Ravenswood Lodge isn't a safe place. Could it have something to do with the past? She remembers newspaper clippings, hazy images of a fire years ago, a memory she's spent years forgetting and now she just wants to remember.
Someone wants her gone. But first, she needs to convince Amira of the truth.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straughten for giving me an advance copy.