Confession time. I've had this book on my TBR since Harrogate last year. Knowing it wasn't out until this summer, I put it on the back burner for a 'closer to publication day' read. Second confession - this is the first book I've read by Holly Seddon. I can happily report that, having now changed that particular situation, this will not be my last read by the author. Not at all.

I am not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this book. I must admit to not really having read the blurb (common for me), or at least not absorbed any particular detail, before I started reading, and, to be honest, that's not a problem. This is a dark and slow burning mystery that is perhaps better read cold, allowing the story to wrap itself around you rather than coming expecting any specific story. All that we really need to know is that we join three sisters, Nina, Lizzie and Aisa, who are journeying home on a dark and stormy night. Thinking she knows a short cut to avoid flooded roads, Nina drives them all across the Cumbrian countryside of their childhood, with dwindling fuel, worsening conditions and perhaps the only expected outcome. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, they seek shelter at Moirthwaite Manor, a sprawling estate that they haven't seen in decades.

And that is where the fun really begins. This, for me, sat somewhere shy of being a true psychological thriller, more family drama drawing from a troubled past, with elements of tension that keep us, as readers on edge. And that is not a bad thing at all. Told from the varying points of view of the three sisters, and with chapters set in the past which give context to Moirthwaite Manor's dark history, this is a slow brooding mystery, that has, at times, a hint of the gothic about it. Certainly the setting lends itself to the shadowy side of literature, a long abandoned manor house in varying states of repair, triggering a gamut of memories and emotions amongst the three sisters that even they fail to fully understand, at least to start.

There is a tension to the narrative, an unsettling feeling and the sense of a truth just out of reach, one that the author slowly reveals to readers, whilst keeping us on our toes with a more than slight hint of direct threat against the three women. Often the danger is kept just left of our field of vision, the hint of something being there, a sense of the sisters being watched. This is the part of the story which got under my skin, more so than when the sisters were faced with a direct threat. It's the fear of the unknown that triggers a sense of panic in all of us, and Holly Seddon captures this perfectly in the way she has framed the story.

I actually enjoyed the exploration of the family dynamic between the sisters perhaps a shade more than the mystery that surrounded the manor house and their collective pasts if I am honest. Being one of three sisters myself, (plus a brother who is an honorary sister really), I could identify with the way in which they are truly different characters, the disconnect between them and the distance which that can be felt between them which is driven from far more than just the distance between their home cities. The author takes us deeper into the world of each of them, using the scenes from the past to slowly inform their actions and personalities in the present. The relationships felt authentic, the distance understandable, and the more we learn of them, the more I actually came to like them as it's fair to say, with the possible exception of Lizzie, they are hardly a sympathetic bunch to begin with>

I liked the narrative structure, the movement from past to present well handled. The author uses the history of Moirthwaite Manor and the sister's childhood to good effect, and whilst we don't initially understand the link between the two, the context quickly becomes clear and the more I read, the more certain I became of what tragic secret remained to be uncovered. I wasn't quite prepared for what happened, the truth of the past far more shocking than I had expected. It is kept largely off the page, but makes what we have read before all the more stark and impactful when considered with this particular gift of hindsight.

A dark, brooding, character driven story of families and secrets. My first book by this author, but won't be my last. Recommended.

4⭐️

Loved the family lies and drama that this
Book focused on and having the povs of all three sisters; Nina, Lizzie and Aisa allowed the reader to see more deeply into the dynamic of the family. The setting of the book being the Manor gave off an eery gothic vibe, adding to the tension and overall I really enjoyed reading it!
“Leaving isn't safe...
But staying would be deadly.
Three sisters find themselves lost in a storm at night, and seek safety at Moirthwaite Manor, where their mother once worked. They are shocked to find the isolated mansion that loomed so large through their troubled childhoods has long been abandoned. Drawing straws to decide who should get help, one sister heads back into the darkness. With the siblings separated, the deadly secrets hidden in the house finally make themselves known and we learn the unspeakable secret that binds the family together.”

Thank you to @netgalley, @orionbooks and @hollyseddonauthor for the opportunity to read this book, all opinions are my own. The Short Straw is releasing 14th September!

After being terribly ill I was able to devour this book in one sitting, The Short Straw by Holly Seddon a gothic styled novel is about three sisters who get lost and seek refugee from a storm at Moirthwaite Manor which is where their mother Rosemary worked. What was once a creepy large mansion is now an abandoned building. The sisters draw straws to decide who is going to go off and find help

The characters were described really well and the setting and atmosphere made it as if you can see picture where they are. Relatively a fast paced, thriller that throws in secrets, skeletons in ones closets and an overall air of mystery.

A good read that I enjoyed and would recommend. I also always look forward to Holly Seddon’s novels and what may come in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

I have a bit of a soft spot for old fashioned horror thrillers. It’s therefore no surprise that I was excited to read The Short Straw, which tells the story of three sisters whose car breaks down in front of an old, abandoned and crumbling mansion that they used to visit when they were children in the middle of a dark and stormy night.

The setting for the story is certainly atmospheric and Holly Seddon does a great job of helping the reader picture this creepy house and its many empty rooms. Although there’s no ‘jump scares’, the book is certainly unsettling, and I could easily imagine the scenes throughout.

The story alternates between the perspective of the three sisters; Nina, the eldest who feels a lot of pressure to be the responsible one, Lizzie the flighty middle child and Aisa, the youngest who has the most to prove. There are also flashback chapters from the perspective of their mother Rosemary, which gives some of her backstory as well as providing crucial information about the childhood of the sisters. These chapters tell of their time in the mansion when it was back to its full glory, as their mother worked as a cleaner and they played with the slightly creepy daughter Jane under the watch of her fearsome father. Each of the sisters felt like well-rounded and distinct characters with their own personalities, secrets and developmental progression as the book went on. The book is nicely paced, and the change of perspectives are frequent, which meant you weren’t racing through one chapter to find out what happened in a different storyline or getting bored of one thread of the plot.

There is a certain amount of convenient plot points which hurt the realism of the story at times. You have to suspend your disbelief to believe that the Nina’s car would break down right in front of the mansion gates during a storm, or that none of them can really remember what happened to them at the house during their childhood. The end conclusion also has a rather big coincidence – it all makes for a good story, but it takes away from the realism somewhat. My only other comment would be that particularly towards the end there are a lot of points where the reader alone is kept in the dark with a some of the big reveals which made me try and jump to conclusions or feel like I had missed something. The reveal then happens later, when it makes for a bigger impact, but it left this reader with some confusion in the latter half of the book.

Overall, The Short Straw is a pacy, atmospheric horror/thriller – one not to read on a dark, stormy night! Thank you to Netgalley & Orion Publishing Group for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book and it certainly started well.
It is an engaging style and I quite quickly familiarised myself with the characters.
However, I got to 47% and just had to give up as nothing was really happening. I hate to say it and it's rare that I do that but I just felt it wasn't going anywhere.
Having reread the reviews this morning it appears that it all kicks off 'halfway through' so I'm annoyed with myself that I removed it now and possibly would have persevered if I'd known.
Anyway, not for me unfortunately.

The Short Straw is a book I would not class as a thriller but more family drama/mystery.
Three sisters travelling back from visiting their father have a small accident in horrible weather. Unable to drive anywhere they walk up the road and arrive at Moirthwaite Manor. This is where their mother used to work when they were young. They decide who goes for help and who stays at the manor but the manor isn’t what it used to be. The last time they were there it was all grandeur but now is unlived in and rundown. Who stays who goes and is it really unlived in?
The book isn’t a thriller and that’s my only gripe really as the book had quite a good storyline and I enjoyed the dynamics between the sisters. The characterisation of the sisters was really good each thinking very differently from the others and being thought of very differently by their sisters was a different twist but so true. I enjoyed the is there someone there or not vibe which spiced things up a bit and how everything came together at the end was well written.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT: (AISA) She finally reaches the driveway and looks past it up the road towards the car. It seems like a joke that there's a car right there but they just can't use it. This whole night seems like a prank. Some kind of elaborate hoax being set up by an unseen puppet master. Come on, a storm, then a closed garage, then a car running out of petrol and then a spooky old house . . . it's almost too perfect. She seeks comfort in this as she pushes herself up the drive and finally reaches the front door. She is just in a story. A nice cosy mystery.

ABOUT 'THE SHORT STRAW': Three sisters find themselves lost in a storm at night, and seek safety at Moirthwaite Manor, where their mother once worked. They are shocked to find the isolated mansion that loomed so large through their troubled childhoods has long been abandoned. Drawing straws to decide who should get help, one sister heads back into the darkness. With the siblings separated, the deadly secrets hidden in the house finally make themselves known and we learn the unspeakable secret that binds the family together.

MY THOUGHTS: It's the characters that are the stand-out feature of The Short Straw. Three sisters, all very different from one another and who barely tolerate one another are thrown together after their father's birthday.

This is a brilliant study of family dynamics and sibling relationships. Each has preconceived ideas about the others and how the others perceive them. I loved how easily they fell back into the patterns of childhood behavior, that is until the shit hit the fan. Then their individual strengths come to the fore and they surprise themselves and each other.

The actual mystery (THIS IS NOT A THRILLER despite what the marketing executives say) is a bit meh. No surprises here folks, except perhaps for how this person died. Very inventive. Slightly creepy when put into the perspective of what had been happening in the house in past years.
The story is told over three timelines: The teenage Rosemary - Rosemary is the mother of the three sisters; their childhood; and the night following Bob's - their father - birthday.

I'm not going to go into the plot at all, except to say that it will require you to suspend some belief. It's not a strong plot. It could have been a lot more suspenseful than it was. There are a couple of good twists and one at the end that seemed to have been thrown in as an afterthought as anything leading up to it was omitted from the storyline.

I agonised over my rating for The Short Straw, but the characterisation of the three sisters is so great that I felt it merited being closer to four stars than three. Although some of the other characters left a little to a lot to be desired.

I enjoyed the author's acknowledgements; she talks about her relationship with her sister, their bonds and memories. She stats that she hopes The Short Straw captures some sense of those private sibling universes. It did. She also talks a little about her personal circumstances during the period The short straw was being written. There is enough material there for a novel.

⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheShortStraw #NetGalley

I: @hollyseddonauthor @orionbooks

T: @hollyseddon @orionbooks

#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #friendship #mystery

THE AUTHOR: After growing up in the English countryside obsessed with music and books, Holly worked in London as a journalist and editor. She now lives in Kent with her family and writes full time.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Orion Publishing for providing a digital ARC of The Short straw by Holly Seddon for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Three sisters find themselves lost in a storm at night and seek safety at Moirthwaite Manor, where their mother once worked. They are shocked to find the isolated mansion that loomed so large through their troubled childhoods has long been abandoned. Drawing straws to decide who should go and get help, one sister heads back into the darkness. With the siblings separated, the deadly secrets hidden in the house finally make themselves known and we learn the unspeakable secret that binds the family together.

This story is told from multiple points of view. The sisters were returning home for their father's birthday meal when they became stranded during a storm. The story has a dual timeline - the past is set when Rosemary, the girl's mother, used to work at the manor house, and the present day. The characters were well rounded and there's a few twists along the way. It was quite a creepy and atmospheric read that's also descriptively written. My only criticism and the reason I took half a star away my rating is the pace was far too slow.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #OrionPublishingGroup and the author #HollySeddon for my ARC of #TheShortStraw in exchange for an honest review.

#TheShortStraw #NetGalley
All the wows!!!
Three sisters find themselves lost in a storm at night, and seek safety at Moirthwaite Manor, where their mother once worked. They are shocked to find the isolated mansion that loomed so large through their troubled childhoods has long been abandoned. Drawing straws to decide who should get help, one sister heads back into the darkness. With the siblings separated, the deadly secrets hidden in the house finally make themselves known and we learn the unspeakable secret that binds the family together.
Enjoyed it thoroughly.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me an advance copy.

Thank you Net Galley and Orion Fiction for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three sisters end up stranded after running out of petrol. They manage to find shelter in an creepy, empty house, once lived in by their childhood friend. Whoever draws the short straw, has to leave to seek help.

This was an okay book for me. It started off really strong but then as I carried on, I felt it became a bit repetitive and boring.

I’m glad I carried on until the end as it did improve again towards to ending and had a good finish to the story.

Returning home from their dad's birthday meal, 3 sisters become stranded during a storm, near the old Manor house where their mum used to work. They seek shelter but the spooky ambience freaks them out for their own reasons. What happened in the past to make the house so foreboding now.
I found this an OK read, I didn't really find it a thriller, more of a family drama. The storm created a bit of an atmosphere but I found myself frustrated by some of the girls decisions and communications.

I found this to be a book of two halves and both were great reads in their own ways. The first was a tale of sisters reuniting and finding who each other are again after years of limited contact. There seemed to be no real reason for the estrangement, just different characters living their different, preferred life. The second was a relatively fast paced, creepy mystery where we learned if the skeletons in the families closets were metaphoric or physical ones!
The second story really needed the first so that we had all the atmosphere that it had created and so we could understand the finer details of the relationships between all of the main characters. We are told the story through different voices and mostly over the one night but there are also flashbacks to another time which expanded on the sisters memories and helped explain the truth behind them.
I really enjoyed this read and will be looking into the authors other books in the future.

I liked it but I didn't love it. Too much running around and going back and forth in circles.
I liked the back story better than the current one.

This was an enjoyable story that I enjoyed reading despite a bit of a slow start. There were quite alot of bits where the actions of the characters were a bit far fetched but to be honest the family dynamic was so good you don’t notice that much until you think about it afterwards.

This was probably more of a family drama than actual thriller but that was the part I really liked. The voices of the sisters are quite distinct and the dynamic between the three of them changes throughout. Initially they fall into their childhood roles of the oldest Nina being in charge but as events take over the roles must diversify if they are going to survive the night.

The Hit List and the Woman on the Bridge were fantastic 5 stars for me, so I was very keen to get my hands on a new Holly Seddon!

Unfortunately I've had to abandon The Short Straw at 38% and I'm really disappointed. While the back drop to the story and the character dynamic could've been so great, it feels so stagnant and like the story isn't going anywhere.

What I will say is that the descriptive writing is spot on though, as I can clearly picture the manor house and the surrounding area. I just wish it was more thriller than it is - there's a lot of peering round corners but to nothing exciting.

I'm still a Holly Seddon fan so there's no doubt I'll pick up the next release and hopefully this is just one that didn't gel well with me.

Three sisters, Nina, Lizzie, and Aisha are stranded in Cumbria as they have run out of petrol. It's the middle of the night and a storm rages.They find their way to Moithwaite Manor, where their mother Rosemary used to work.
I didn't find this particularly atmospheric. I wasn't scared for the sisters every time they wondered off on their own in a manor with no electricity.
The story goes back and forth to when Rosemary worked at the Manor, and I have to say I enjoyed that part better than the present day.
I can't say that there were many secrets, and I guessed what the sisters saw.
It was a bit predictable, but it was an ok read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately this was not one that I loved!

The story took too long to get going and I wasn’t particularly interested in the sisters thoughts as they were wandering around.

However I did love the flashback timeline and the twist at the end!

Fab book, really enjoyed it. Not read Seddon's work before and definitely will be in the future! The joy of Netgalley is finding new authors to then buy books from and share with others. Highly recommended.

The Short Straw is a dual-timeline thriller that follows the lives of Rosemary and her three daughters, while in Moirthwaite Manor. One stormy night, Nina, Lizzie, and Aisa find themselves on a dark road near their old village. After their car breaks down, they find themselves at Moirthwaite Manor, where their mother Rosemary worked when they were young children. Their previous time there starts to come back in bits and pieces as they try to piece the history together... but was everything as it seemed?

I really enjoyed reading this book, and struggled to put it down. Through every twist and turn, I found myself questioning everything, just as the characters were. At no point did I know what would happen next, and was surprised until the very end. I found the characters well-developed and the plot was able to grab my attention from the very first chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished this book. I admit I stayed up to find out if the sisters would all be ok. The characters were described well, along with the type of personality they had. The way they interacted and had drifted apart as adults reminded me of my sisters. I did guess several parts, but not everything, and so had to read just a little more......then a few more pages, until I'd read it all.