Clever, twisty, great sense of place and weather (almost a character in itself). Hard to put down and despite a small cast of characters surprisingly hard to identify "the villain. The action sequences were thrilling and clearly described the thrill of climbing and surfing. I will definitelitely look out for other books from Allie Reynolds. Thank you to Headline and Netgalley for a good read.

I absolutely loved Shiver so when I saw Allie Reynolds latest was out, I had to dive right in! She’s a master at writing women engaging in extreme sports, and I loved getting this deep dive into the world of high stakes surfing. I feel like I learned just enough about the sport without being overwhelmed, and my adrenaline was pumping alongside the characters’ in all of the challenges! I did not see the twist coming, and loved the set up with the other Tribe members voices interspersed. Brava, Allie!

Shiver was one of my favourite books of 2020 so to say I was excited for this one is an understatement. I adore Allie's writing style, it's so immersive and characters and locations really come to life. I liked how it was clear that the author has a really good knowledge of surfing, without making it too heavy and confusing for readers with little to no knowledge of it.

I really liked the cult-like vibes of 'The Tribe' and really enjoyed following Kenna as the red flags just kept coming. I liked that there were lots of mini reveals throughout the book so we weren't just waiting for one big moment at the end. I did guess who was behind everything but the way it all came together at the end was really clever. I would have liked a few more pages as the ending was left a little open for my tastes, but I can see why it was done that way.

This is hands down the best book I've read this month, and I'm really glad that it lived up to my high expectations. I didn't love it quite as much as Shiver, but that was always going to be a tall order and it was still a five star read for me.

Firstly the good parts - Allie Reynolds builds a very good little world in Sorrow Bay, the imagery is very strong and it helped me get lost in the book so well. It's easy reading and fast paced, and so I always wanted to keep reading.

The descriptions of surfing were also very good, I've no knowledge of surfing at all but it didn't matter.

I felt like The Bay reminded me a lot of one of my favourite books, The Beach, but where it fell down in comparison is that where The Beach had a slow burning descent from paradise to problems, I felt like Kenna saw so many red flags early on that it felt a little unrealistic that she stuck around so long - I appreciate that she wanted to get Mikki out too, but surely there comes a point where if your friend doesn't want to leave a cove where people are being bumped off, then you leave her to it? The same felt true for a couple of others, there's other places to surf, you'd think, no matter how good the waves, it can't be worth of the stuff they stayed and put themselves through.

The reveal at the end was very telegraphed too, for me. Maybe I've read one too many thrillers, but (mild spoiler alert), looking out for people who died in "accidents" earlier on, and checking who the one person you aren't supposed to suspect won't lead you far wrong and so it felt like that ending was coming a mile off.

All in all a good little read, excellent for a holiday read!

Wow. I LOVED Shiver - it's in my top 10 books of all time (a VERY hard list to make). When I heard Allie Reynolds was bringing another book out, I was so excited. I had high hopes for The Bay - it did not disappoint!

Above all else, I'd like to point out that whatever your view on this novel is, the writing itself is a masterpiece. Every single scene played out in my head like a movie. I could hardly tell at times I was reading. The words flew off the page and an entire world was built in my mind. I usually read a book in one go, but I spread this out over 2 sittings. I wanted to savour it.

Allie has a knack for taking a sport and explaining it in an easy-to-understand and enjoyable way. I knew nothing about surfing (or snowboarding previously) but I have a healthy respect for it now. The obsession of the waves and the addiction to the waves was powerfully portrayed. Reminder: YOU DO NOT NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT SURFING TO READ THIS.

Kenna was very human. That might seem obvious, but she felt so real to me. Even her flaws were so incredibly real. Extremely likeable, occasionally annoying and above all else, a devoted friend.
My favourite quote from the book:
"What is friendship but a sum of the memories if the time you spent with someone? And the better the memories, the better the friendship."

Mikki - Kenna's bestie - is a pain. I tried so hard to like her, to see what Kenna saw but Mikki always left a bad taste in my mouth. She seemed so insincere and disloyal. Jack... Jack, Jack, Jack. The man kept me guessing from the second he was introduced. The other characters in the tribe were a wild ride. All the twists and secrets and weird cult vibes kept me on my toes. No spoilers - but I'm glad to know my spidey senses still work.

The tribe... anyone else get 'The Beach' vibes? (Film, not book). In a good way! Gave my brain a good reference. The whole set up was so odd and freaky. Kenna is a better friend than me because I'd have run in the other direction. This group of mismatched people gave me SO much anxiety throughout!

There are so many twists and shocks throughout. It's all weaved together seamlessly. I'm starting to realise with Allie Reynolds there is never a straight forward whodunnit (thankfully). With each piece of the puzzle being answered, there's usually another piece that goes missing! The more answers I get, the more questions I have. As the reader, we're kept on our toes throughout. Even with some of the reveals I was reluctant to believe it, expecting another twist.

The reason I gave 4* and not 5*: I like the last chapter (I could talk about this for ages, I love the implications of this chapter but I don't want to give anything away). The chapters before it felt rushed, out of sync and I just didn't like the narrative. It felt so unfinished for me. I don't need a book to end in a nice little bow but this was just so abrupt. I remember getting to the last page and thinking 'WHAT!? Is that all I'm getting!?' I was SURE there would be more to it. It left me feeling a bit empty. Let's just say that the characters either end up in Plot A or Plot B. Plot B was finished beautifully. Plot A felt odd. Maybe it was intended as a bit of a cliff hanger, I'm not sure. Maybe I'm being pedantic and reading (hah) too much into it.

Regardless, a stellar follow up from Allie Reynolds. She is quickly becoming my favourite thriller author! The Bay was a great read and anyone who loves action, mystery and being sucked into a book - this one is for you.

This is going to be on every beach/pool area this summer.
It's fast paced, and has plenty of tension and twists.
It also has a cast of unlikeable characters, and for me, maybe too many twists.

I can see its going to be hugely popular, I just couldn't feel it myself.

Watch out for it on your holidays this year!

Kenna and Mikki grew up surfing and taking risks together but tragedy has sent them down opposite roads. While Kenna has settled down, Mikki is still living the surfers life.

Kenna is fairly sure there's something not quite right about Mikkis relationship so she flies to Australia to talk her out of her upcoming marriage.

When she arrives she finds Mikki caught up with The Tribe - a group of 30 somethings living for surfing and danger. In a bid to spend time with Mikki Kenna ends up living with them in The Bay.

The Bay is survivoresque. The group grow their own food, live on and take risks on the beach. Each member hides a secret which unfolds as the story develops. Backpackers have been going missing in the area. The Tribe will do anything for kicks. Does that include murder?

I enjoyed this. Felt pretty tense from the start. Though its mainly told from Kennas point of view each character gets a chapter which gives us more about their background and gives us clues about their involvement in the backpackers disappearance. Keeps you guessing to the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the chance to read an early copy.

After binging Shiver in a day, I was over the moon to receive a galley of The Bay. The setting, a remote beach in Australia, is promising alongside a cast of extreme surfers all plagued with vices and dark secrets. However, the overall story felt a bit all over the place and left me unsatisfied. The dialogue between characters was so cliché and lacked any emotion. We get a lot of information from Kenna’s inner dialogue but her thought process and reasoning didn’t seem logical. Too much was told to the reader through Kenna instead of shown to the reader with it all a bit too convenient at times, explained away in order to force situations to be plausible. The plot was choppy with some events feeling unrealistic - to have these characters move from one intense moment to another like nothing had happened was odd. The Bay lacked the atmospheric writing and tension-building pacing that I enjoyed in Shiver. We got a snippet of it when the storm came in with the pacing really picking up in the last 15-20% of the book. The twists finally started turning but the ending just left me with questions that I can’t ask without giving spoilers. Plus, everyone just moved on so quickly from some very traumatic events as the story wrapped up.. Are these characters all narcissistic monsters lacking any emphathy? We as the reader know more than the characters at this point, but they don’t seem the least bit unnerved or bothered. I honestly hate to give this negative feedback because I enjoyed Shiver so much and the premise of The Bay would make for such a great thriller movie/series. I just wish the author would have spent more time developing the characters, the plot, and the twists. Maybe my expectations were too high? I think there are many that will still love this book, it’s easy to read and binge. I know that without a doubt I will still read the next thing she writes.

I read this book in one sitting, It was completely gripping with good writing, well developed charcaters and an idyllic setting - asthetically anyway. It was twisty, unpredictable and I couldn't put it down. I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

#TheBay #NetGalley
Twisty tale.
Kenna arrives in Sydney to surprise her best friend, shocked to hear she's going to marry a guy she's only just met. But Mikki and her fiancé Jack are about to head away on a trip, so Kenna finds herself tagging along for the ride. Sorrow Bay is beautiful, wild and dangerous. A remote surfing spot with waves to die for, cut off from the rest of the world. Here Kenna meets the mysterious group of people who will do anything to keep their paradise a secret. Sky, Ryan, Clemente and Victor have come to ride the waves and disappear from life. How will they feel about Kenna turning up unannounced? As Kenna gets drawn into their world, she sees the extremes they are prepared to go to for the next thrill. And everyone seems to be hiding something. What has her best friend got involved in and how can she get her away? But one thing is rapidly becoming clear about The Bay: nobody ever leaves.
I adored this book, finished it in a single sitting. It's a twisty tale.
Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for giving me an advance copy.

Will Anyone Ever Leave…?
Sorrow Bay. Stunning, wild, incredible and dangerous, the Bay is a remote surfing spot known to but a few. Or is it, in fact, avoided by most? Kenna is unsure. Arriving in Sydney, a surprise for her friend it seems, she’s soon introduced to the Tribe and, in turn, the Bay. What extremes will these people reach to grab the next thrill? Kenna is about to find out, but not all is as it seems. Edgy suspense populated with a credible and interesting cast and a plotline laced with underlying menace. Will anyone ever leave the Bay?

This is such a great physiological thriller, filled with so many twist and turns, gripping and absorbing, this book is really well written, with great characters and a great storyline.