The Other Side of Night is a standalone novel by Adam Hamdy. This is my first book by this author, and I picked it up because the plot sounded interesting.

The book is difficult to define or select a genre without spoilers. Trust me, don't read spoilers going into this one, you will want to find out for yourself. The book is a bit slow and there were times when I felt unsure about what I was reading, but stick with it, it will all make sense. I loved trying to figure out the truth, despite feeling in the dark for most of the book.

Some parts of the book feel very philosophical, like the author is sharing truths about life and love. Other parts feel like a detective mystery with a down on her luck wronged Police Officer trying to find truth and justice. Trust me it all ties together in a strange and fantastical way which does not disappoint.

If you're like me and looking for something a little different, then give this one ago. It might just surprise you.

As a child I loved the choose your own adventure books. This feels a little like that, where it will be unique to each reader as they take different things from it. Thriller readers will see mystery, crime readers will see a murder and police procedural, romance readers will find poetry and a love story and sci-fi readers will see Elsewhere and something that feels otherworldly.

For some readers, that know no bounds, you will see it all. It won’t be clear at first and it will be like fog over a lake. You know the lake is there, you can hear the life on it and feel the breeze off the water but only when the fog clears will you be able to finally see each pebble at the bottom and every ripple on the surface. It will go from murky grey to glorious technicolour and it will imprint so visibly in your mind, that memory will stay there for all eternity.

This book holds a secret and it doesn’t give it up easily. It will only reveal itself when the time is right and you have heard from all the people involved. You will find yourself in a courtroom, a police station, a science laboratory and a prison. You will be privy to journals and letters and an unbelievable truth.

David Asha wants to tell you a story and trust me it’s one you want to hear. Just remember to keep the secret.

This book blew my mind once... well... once I got to a certain point. At which point I wanted to go back and start again. Definitely reward for holding onto so much that confuzzled me along the way...
Try to go into this book as blind as you can...
Cos we start with David Asha writing about losing his son. He is the narrator for our book. We meet Harriet, a disgraced police officer who was wrongly investigated as she couldn't prove her side of the story. Then we learn that David is missing presumed dead, having left son Elliot behind. Elliot being adopted by Ben Elmsy who, coincidentally had a few successful dates with Harriet.
Confuzzled yet - all's I can say more is that this book kinda reminded me a little of Serendipity... as it is a book that is the catalyst for all that followed... and with what went before...
So many questions.... but you will get answers... and your jaw will drop...
Just hold on to all the questions, enjoy the ride and the wonderful characters and all their interconnectedness.
Pacing is interesting - a bit all over the place - but it fits the narrative all the way through and that's what matters. Characters are also interesting - but you'll have to read the book to understand that comment. Suffice to say some were easier to get to grips with than others - and I changed my mind about a couple - sometimes more than once, along the way as more of their motives came into play.
And at the end, which I thoroughly loved, I just had to sit back and applaud the author for a job so very well done. For delivering the completely unexpected and impressing me with its cleverness.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I think everyone needs to read this book - romance, murder mystery, science fiction (?).

I’m struggling to put a sentence together about how much I enjoyed this book. Once I got stuck into it, that was it, I was hooked. There may be a bias with it being based in my home town and it’s centred around a very beautiful local landmark too.

I love the inclusion of transcripts from courts, emails and videos etc. it really brought the story to life and I had absolutely no idea where the story was going to go. I truly enjoyed reading about every single character and there was depth to all of them.

Just wow.

I’m all for a plot twist, but blind turns into completely different genres rather annoy me.

The first three quarters of the novel is a delicate combination of several mysteries. Told through several mediums, including really well written court transcripts, and from the point of view of several protagonists, the story is intriguing and has a great pace. There is David, who addresses the reader directly, his son Elliot, left orphaned by a series of unlikely events, Ben, Elliot’s poetry loving guardian, and Harri, a troubled ex-detective.

There’s a lot going on with these characters, and the action switches quite quickly, but just enough to the reader hankering for the next change. I particularly appreciated some of the shocking revelations that really left me wanting more.

However, towards the end there’s quite dramatic change in tone and genre. Without giving away any spoilers, I found the change jarring, and for me, the lack of warning quite spoiled my enjoyment of the whole thing.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

have to say i struggled with this one and found it hard going.... it wasnt really for me sorry

This is one of those books where it's best you go in blind without knowing a thing.

I was intrigued by it but it took me a long time to connect with it. But I'm very glad I stuck with it because I came to love it. There are moments that touched me and I'm already itching to read it again.

Thanks to Netgalley and PanMacmillan for the advanced readers copy.

4.5/5

The premise for this book was great and I was really looking forward to reading. It was just OK for me though.

The Other Side of Night by Adam Hamdy

3.5 STARS

An interesting, intriguing tale on a thriller genre. I'm keeping this review spoiler-free as requested suffice to say it's a good, page-turning mystery that will keep you hooked.

What an exciting read I’ve had to mark
This review as containing spoilers as it is very hard to write a review without giving away some of the fantastic twists and turns of the novel
I tend to read without reading much of the blurb beforehand and was pleased that I did this as it made the twists and turns so much more unexpected
I was very quickly caught by the novel and didn’t want to put it down I could see early on that it was going to be an exciting read there are clues that something I’d unusual in the story from the start with multiple narrators some of whom it is unclear initially who they are .it is all explained ok a highly satisfying fashion in the end of the book with an unexpected double twist .I love it when I don’t see plot twists coming .i did suspect after a while that there may be a time travel element but wasn’t sure and the naturalistic modern style of the story telling didn’t initially suggest this would be the end point
The story of the families relationship and of loss of a mother is touching and entirely believable,the mystery element to the story is suggested cleverly with anachronistic poetry from one of the characters .
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable read combining both things I like in a book naturalistic relationships and a touch of sci fi .
I particularly loved the acknowledgements section the final note to an unnamed man met ob a walk in the woods was beautifully poignant
I read an early copy on NetGalley Uk the book is published by MacMillan on 16th September just time for you to pre order now

I finished this book with a great big gulp and tears in my eyes and I can’t tell you why as you will have to read the book for yourself but ohhhh it was a stunning read and nothing like I was expecting.
It’s starts out as a thriller but there are hints here that make you unsure what is happening, secrets are hinted at and connections that don’t seem to add up are there but did I guess what was going on NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS !!
It’s a beautifully written story about many things grief, pain, loss and love are just some of them but it also has the most amazing twists that shattered my brain as I began to realise what I was reading and what was happening.
I can’t say more except please give this one your attention it’s so amazing and all credit to Adam Hamdy for a book like no other I loved everything about it and it will stay in my mind always, 5 massive stars and I wish I could give it more.
My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is one of those books where to give something away is to give everything away. There’s a core idea here that underpins the story and in consequence nothing makes sense until suddenly it all does. So I’m going to provide scant detail of the plot so that I don’t trip over my own words and spoil it for future readers.

At a very basic level it’s a mystery surrounding a message found in a book, a romance that didn’t work out and a death in mysterious circumstances. In truth, I found the early part of the story pretty hard going: I didn’t quite buy the romance – it felt too intense too quickly – and I found that some other elements also felt a little forced; it was all a little overemotional and with lots of what felt like half-hidden elements lurking in corners. In addition, there were a number of storytellers here and this ever changing perspective meant that it felt more complicated than it could have, which in turn made me feel that an attempt at reader manipulation was taking place. Such was my early struggle with this book that I almost gave up before I reached the half way point. But I was keen to discover the twist, to reach to moment it was all going to come together and make sense, so rather reluctantly I ploughed on.

This book should really have worked for me, it had many components that would normally add up to something I’d enjoy. So why didn’t it? Well, firstly I failed to engage sufficiently with any of the main characters – they didn’t feel real enough and, for me, many of their interactions failed to hit the right notes. Secondly, the big surprise wasn’t really so surprising by the time I reached it. I wouldn’t say that I’d worked it all out (I definitely hadn’t – I seldom do) but there were enough clues spread throughout to give me a general shove in the right direction. And thirdly, the whole thing felt significantly over-engineered, particularly towards the end and I feel that this added complexity reduced the emotional punch I think the story should have delivered.

I’m not sure if I’ll be an outlier here, I’ve seen quite a few very positive reviews of this book. Time will tell, it’s due for full release on 15th September 2022.

I am afraid I didn't take to the style of this book, and it stopped me from really enjoying it. Hopefully this won't put off other readers.

If you ask me what I just read I couldn't even tell you. There are not words or sentences to define this story of love, of loss, of grief and hope.

And honestly it's best I don't divulge too much you need to go in blind.. don't even read the Blurb.. not even just a skim just pick it up and start at the beginning and you will be transported into a mysterious, Sci-fi, love story Full of suspense with an added twist.

Whatever you think this story is.. it actually isn't and thats what I loved.

Such a brilliant story that will stay with me for a long long time.

Thank you to the author, to Netgalley and to Atria books for the advanced copy.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

An intriguing tale with magical mystery thrown in for good measure, a story (or is it) told through the eyes of David Asha, a grieving father and husband. The author has requested no spoilers in his acknowledgements so I will respect this by only saying read this book if you want to be astounded by the depth of power and science

I loved this book, it has a story that takes your attention and keeps you reading until you turn the final page.

This is something totally different to the author's previous books. At heart a mystery, but also thought-provoking, moving and magical.

There really is no good way to write a review about such a book without giving away the clever and twisty story line. Written from all the different characters' perspectives, interspersed with court transcripts, letters and diary entries, I started to write down notes to keep track of what was happening as I found myself thinking about this book a lot while working or driving and was always eager to get back to the story to see if my theories would play out.

If you like a book that makes you think and ask yourself questions about just what you might do in the same circumstance then this is a must!

Whoa what a book! So surprising and, for me at least, completely unpredictable. The last third of the book especially was just so unexpected but absolutely unputdownable! I really loved it. It was well written and the characters were relatable. It was the type of book that while I was reading I was completely immersed in the story. And when I finished it I stayed up really late just thinking about it. I’ve never read anything by this author but I definitely will now.

This book is something else and something special. It stars off as a mystery, turns into science fiction but also has a tad of romance. Sounds crazy, right? Trust me this book is brilliant. How can a mystery be magical and romantic? You'll have to read it to find out. I refuse to talk about what is mentioned in the blurb or plot because the less you know going in the better. Let me just say that the writing is phenomenal, the story is enthralling, the twists are surprising and this book will stay with you long after you finished reading it. It is the type of book you want to read again after finding out "the secret". All. The. Stars.