This book is the definition of unputdownable. It's a fantastic legal thriller which I will be recommending to absolutely everyone.

Main character Ava makes some absolutely terrible decisions, but you can see why they are made and the book is written in such a way that you still really root for her. All characters in the book feel real and the emotions really jump from the page so you can't help but be drawn in.

The plot was just brilliant, the story was so interesting to follow and there were just the right amount of twists and turns. The pacing was great, the story was propelled forward with every chapter without losing any of the emotional connection. I particularly enjoyed the courtroom scenes towards the end, and the ending itself was satisfying.

I would absolutely recommend this book and is definitely one of my favourites of the year so far.

A reassuringly taut written suspense set in a courtroom with dual timelines spanning the present and the past (18 years ago).
Annabelle Knight was a teenager who took her rapist to court, unfortunately he walked free and she was painted as a liar afterwards disbelieved even by her parents. Now she’s Ava, an accomplished barrister. A case comes her and she’s caught by the name of the victim - he’s the same man who raped her. A wealthy man he’s been stabbed by his teenage daughter’s BFF, who has pleaded guilty. But Ava knows there more to this than meets the eye.
I raced through one. Compelling characters and a gripping plot, I was utterly transfixed.

A terrific legal thriller perfect for the times of Me Too movement and showing just how difficult it is for a woman to get justice in a men’s world.

Ava was raped when she was 14 and Michael was found not guilty. How far will she go to make sure justice gets done when she finds out she in not the only victim. What will a father do to protect his daughter.
Thank you to Netgalley and Lia Middleton for an advanced copy of this.

4.5 rounded up

Eighteen years ago she was Annabelle King, in the present day she is Ava Knight, a crown advocate (prosecutor) for the CPS. At the last minute she is asked to prosecute the case of 15-year-old Lily who is charged with a stabbing incident with the victim proving to be Michael Osborne, Ava’s nemesis. What follows takes you on an emotional rollercoaster ride as Ava takes risks which deeply entangles her in the case.

Wow, what a powerful read this is as you lurch from heartbreaking sadness to shock and to such anger in this incredibly tense cat and mouse game. You think you’ve got a handle on it but the author has numerous surprises in this gripping and unpredictable read. You want to shout, applaud and weep with frustration in turn as the plot propels us from one twist to the next. The pace is perfectly pitched throughout and the plot is well thought out and very compelling. The tension on occasions is sky high, it’s hold your breathe in intensity and on several occasions I gasp in shock. The characterisation is excellent especially of Ava and Lily but they are all well drawn and easy to visualise though not all are likeable.

If you like legal based thrillers then this is one for you. A riveting and terrific read from beginning to end and one I highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This was a chilling read about Ava who was raped at 14 (when she was known as Annabelle), but the perpetrator was found not guilty due to key evidence being mishandled. Ava is now a barrister and finds herself thrown into a case involving the perpetrator who was stabbed by a 15 year old girl whom Ava is convinced is a victim. Ava is keen to delve more into the case even though she shouldn’t get involved and ends up getting increasingly wrapped up in it and acting more erratically, you can appreciate how she would want answers and I found her methods questionable but cannot deny this was a tense read with the perpetrator being quite a character and a few unexpected surprises were revealed too. There was a little predictability in the end but some interesting twists too and it’s a good pacy thriller overall.

Lots of books are described as gripping these days, but not many make you put your life on hold to race to the end like Your Word Or Mine did!

This exceptional thriller by Lia Middleton begins with Ava Knight, a brilliant prosecutor, facing the man who raped her eighteen years ago in court. Only he's the victim of a stabbing and a teenage girls stands accused of the crime. It's a fascinating premise . The book explores Ava's dilemma as she looks into the case and realises that there's more to defendant Lily's story than she's letting on, but Lily is pleading guilty. Ava's actions to bring justice to the man who attacked her and help Lily provide much of the action of the novel and the flashbacks to Ava's (then Annabelle's) life in the aftermath of the attack give an excellent insight into why Ava can't let this chance of getting justice go.

There are a number of genuinely surprising twists in this book, including one that was so clever I had to keep re-reading it! For me, the strength of the book was in the court scenes, where Middleton's experience as a barrister shone through. I've read many court-based novels, but very few which felt so authentic. Starting off with such a strong premise and fast pace, there was a risk that this book could fizzle out, but the opposite is true here. As Ava becomes more desperate not to let Michael Osborne ruin another teenage life, she takes more and more risks, and the novel builds to a incredible climax, one of the best endings of a thriller I can remember reading.

A thrilling, authentic and fascinating novel, Your Word Or Mine deserves to be a huge hit!

'...[W]hen you take everything away from a person...you transform them into someone else. Someone who has nothing to lose.'

Lia Middleton's second novel is a skillfully-plotted whirlwind of tension and emotion. Anyone who read her debut will remember the haunting inner landscapes of her characters. Your Word Or Mine is, if anything, even more intricate in its analysis of motivation and deception. It is also a gripping, addictive page-turner with an important message.

The novel spans an eighteen year timeline. Events past and present unfurl at pace, revealing how injustice and persecution led teenager Annabelle King to grow up as Ava Knight, a name change that has done nothing to remove the memories of what happened to her. Her family and personal relationships continue to suffer, and Michael Osborne - the man who caused it all - walks free.

Now Ava is an experienced barrister, adept in the workings of the criminal courts. So what happens when she finds Michael Osborne is back in court, but this time as the victim of a stabbing? And the accused is another teenage girl - Lily Hawthorne, who is strangely determined to plead guilty. Knowing everything she knows about Michael Osborne, Ava cannot believe he is simply the innocent victim in the case. What can she do about it?

It's a fascinating set-up, delivered in confident, inciteful writing. Middleton's own legal background lends the courtroom scenes a vivid authenticity of process and atmosphere. Indeed, in many ways this is a novel about interiors. Not just the inner psychology of perpetrator and victim, but also the physical locations that form the backdrop to many scenes. Thus, among others, we move through the spaces hidden behind domestic front doors, through courtrooms and hotel rooms, and - the metaphor is irresistible - down into a basement photographic darkroom. Hence beyond the thrilling story, there is a theme here of the façade and the hidden, reflected ultimately in the painful secrets Ava and Lily carry, and the impacted lives they endure.

Highly recommended - Lia Middleton has done it again.

Eighteen years ago Annabelle was the victim in an assault case and the defendant, Michael Osborne walked away not guilty. Her family as torn apart and her life changed forever

Moving forward to present day shes not Annabelle anymore, shes Ava Knight, a successful barrister for the crown prosecution service and when she sees Michael Osborne across a courtroom she knows she has a moral and ethical obligation to step aside and pass the case onto another barrister but he doesn't recognise her so what if she didn't?

There was a lot to like about this thriller, not only does it raise an interesting dilemma regarding the code of conduct, it was also a cleverly plotted and easy to get into read. The pace was good, it moved seamlessly between past and present and had a great ending.

Ava Knight, a brilliant young prosecutor, always follows the rules. Until she meets Lily Hawthorne - a troubled fifteen-year-old, accused of stabbing charismatic hotel magnate Michael Osborne in cold blood.
From the outside, it seems a tragic, hopeless case. But Ava suspects something everyone else does not: MICHAEL OSBORNE IS LYING.Wow what a rollercoaster of a ride… jaw-dropping and edge-of-the-seat… Instantly hooked… I literally couldn't put it down… I can't recommend this book enough!!!!

If you are only going to read one book this summer then make sure it's this one!! What a story!! This kept me completely hooked and just dragged me along for the ride. Its so fast paced with really clever and original twists that you absolutely do not see coming. Everything is just plottendout perfectly to make sure everything lines up and the that those lines blur and cross and honestly, this is just one of "thise" books!!! The characters are all really well written, and fully developed with their own complete personalities and histories. I can't speak highly enough about it, it was a complete pleasure from start to finish

Your world or mine is a really fast paced and highly gripping book. It has so many twist and turns on it and will literally have you on the edge of your seat. It is so well written and shocked me at multiple different points as I was never sure where the book was going to go. I raced through this book and absolutely loved it.

In this book we meet Ava Knight who continues to get herself in dangerous situations. She is a brilliant prosecutor and usually follows the rules to the letter. That is until she meets Lily who is a trouble 15 year old who has been accused of stabbing Michael Osborne in cold blood.

To everyone else the crime seems clear cut, tragic and completely hopeless. But Ava doesn't believe everything is as clear cut as it seems. Ava believes that there is more to this case then meets the eye. Why does she believe this because not long ago Ava was brutally attacked by none other than Michael Osborne. Ava now has to prove that Lily didn't do it and to find out what happened in order to not only help lily but to get justice got the horrific things that happened to her in the past.

Bloody hell talk about gripping! I found myself on the edge of my seat on more than one occasion as the main Character Ava puts herself in a fair amount of dangerous situations. The characters were all very well developed.

The storyline was so compelling, not always predictable and seriously fast paced. The second half of the story becomes ramped up and the characters become even more entwined in ways you probably wont expect. I devoured it! I couldn't even see a positive ending so when the book came to an end it was safe to say I was gobsmacked.

This is first book I've read by Lia Middleton but I can say it now won't be the last.
A well deserved 5 stars from me!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguine Random House for the Gifted E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! What a book! This novel had me holding my breath at more than one point, my pulse racing as I turned the pages. The main character put herself in such dangerous situations I really couldn't see a positive conclusion.

Ava Knight hasn't always been her name. The events of one terrible evening led to her changing everything about herself, even her identity. But as terrible as those events were, Ava decided to channel her experiences into becoming a stronger person, someone who would fight for justice every single day. All within the rules of course, because if you break the rules that's when things go wrong.

That is until that same man who turned her life upside down, Michael Osborne, turns up in Ava's new world eighteen years later. In a courtroom where Ava wasn't even scheduled to be. In a twist of Fate she is called in as a substitute barrister to attend a plea hearing in the case of a teenage girl charged with stabbing Mr Osborne. Her gut feeling is that the young girl is under duress to plead guilty for reasons unknown. Ava makes it her business there and then to find out more so that Michael Osborne does not escape justice a second time.

From that moment on Ava breaks just about every rule in the book on both personal and professional levels. She puts herself in ever more precarious positions, lying to her friends and family about where she is and with whom, building a relationship with the one man she once vowed she never wanted to set eyes upon ever again. I did ask myself a couple of times whether a professional person would really risk everything they've ever worked for purely on the grounds that they had a suspicion that something wasn't right. I suppose none of us could say for certain unless we had gone through all that Ava and her family had experienced.

The characters are all expertly drawn, the plot is tightly woven and I was shocked by the eventual conclusion. Suffice to say it's not just Ava who is withholding the truth of who they are. I very much enjoyed this novel from start to finish. The author's background in the legal world shines through and gives the whole story so much more credibility. This is the first of Lia Middleton's books I've read but it won't be the last. She joins Imran Mahmood in the heady ranks of strong new voices in the world of the legal thriller genre.

An outstanding 5 stars from me.

Every so often, there's a book that just pulls you in from the very first page, immersing you entirely. Your Word or Mine is one of them. I gulped this book down, hardly coming up for air. It is tense and emotional with characters so real they almost step off the page, and one of the most tightly plotted and pacy thrillers I've read in a while.

Wow, what an absolute five star read. Emotionally-gripping, tense and timely.
This follows a defence barrister called Ava. One day a colleague asks her to fill in on one of her cases - a rich hotelier was stabbed by a 15-year old, who plead guilty - and to her horror she finds that the “victim” is the man who raped her eighteen years ago. Switching from Ava’s POV and the POV of Lily, the 15-year old, we discover there is more than what it seems and it is breathtaking tension we see the story unfold.
I couldn’t put this down. This is my first time reading a Lia Middleton novel, but I will definitely check out her debut novel.

The author does it again.
I read the authors first book in lockdown, when on furlough, devouring it and literally not putting it down. I absolutely loved it.
When I saw her latest novel go up for request on netgalley, I instantly requested in
24 hours after being accepted, I had more or less the same feelings as when I finished her first book, but this one was better!!!!
In this book, we meet Ava, a successful criminal barrister, who is called to a plea hearing. She recognises the defendant. It is revealed that the man is her rapist, her cleared rapist.
Ava should tell her boss she cannot take on the case, but she develops an obsession to bringing her attacker to justice and soon that is all her world is
Ava puts relationships at risk, her career and breaks All the rules to uncover the truth about Michael.

The book is full of twists. The book is fast paced, Particularly in the second part when things start coming together.

Ava is so likeable; but such a hard nut to crack. The reader asks themselves “what would I do”

From the first chapter I was hooked and raced through the book in anticipation of the jury’s verdict

This is a legal thriller at its best, with all the required elements. The only downside to this authors work; they cannot write quick enough for me!

This book would be perfect for any fans of Gillian Mcallister, Jane Corry, Jackie kabler, Claire Douglas, Sarah Vaughan Jodi Picoult and Kia Abdullah

I read this book straight through as it was so good, I was gripped with it, what a great psychological thriller it was, loved it ..

Your word or mine is a novel that isn't easy to read.

We follow Ava, who changed her name from Anabelle after suffering at the hands of a man, who pops up again years later

The story flowed very well, but Ava came off a bit grating, she made a lot of dumb decisions and that was annoying

#YpurWordOrMine #NetGalley
Tightly plotted.
Ava Knight, a brilliant young prosecutor, always follows the rules. Until she meets Lily Hawthorne - a troubled fifteen-year-old, accused of stabbing charismatic hotel magnate Michael Osborne in cold blood. From the outside, it seems a tragic, hopeless case. But Ava suspects something everyone else does not: MICHAEL OSBORNE IS LYING. Because eighteen years ago, Ava was brutally assaulted. She identified her attacker; the case went to trial. But the jury let him go. His name? Michael Osborne Back then, it was Michael's word against Ava's. Now another girl's future hangs in the balance, how far will Ava go to be believed?
I loved it. It's very tightly written thriller. I adored her When They Find Her but this is more interesting than her first one. Characters were awesome and plot was brilliant.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for giving me an advance copy.