The one thing I will say is that this didn’t feel like a true ‘thriller’ and the ending was a little predictable, enjoyable but predictable.

However, Holly Hodden definitely knows how to write a character! Her imagery & background are second to none, I could not fault them at all! her writing is incredibly poetic and intricate and i would definitely read another of her books based off this fact

For a thriller, this was so s l o w, that I almost stopped reading at the one-third mark. (For a moment, I had started to think that my new medication had affected my ability to concentrate. Then I read some Goodreads reviews and found that all was well!)

It's an incredible set-up, but marred by the pacing. There were a few other things that didn't make sense. For instance, how could all three sisters have completely forgotten what had happened at the old manor house when they were children? Nina would have been at least 12, Lizzie perhaps 8, both old enough to have remembered the shocking/thrilling event of discovering what was behind the wall. Second, I found some of the decision-making, leaving one or all of them alone, to be contrived. Third, for all the build-up, the reveal was somewhat anticlimactic.

I also have a question: <spoiler>How did the sisters and Jane figure out that the skeleton was Jane's mother? Had Rosemary told her before she died?</spoiler>

What I really enjoyed was how the relationship between the sisters changed as the story progressed. And also excited to discover a new author. Even though I didn't enjoy this particular book, I love this genre, and I liked the style of writing, so I'm going to try her other books.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

The Short Straw is a standalone thriller by author, Holly Seddon. It’s my first read by this author. This creepy gothic style novel is based around three sisters who end up at Moirthwaite Manor after their car breaks down. This isolated mansion once was where their mother worked. The setting of the story is deliciously creepy and gothic and gives very Shirley Jackson vibes. The book starts of at a high point but quickly drags through the middle. I was tempted to give up a few times but the story was compelling enough that I just had to know what it was all leading up to. The ending felt rushed and after such a big build up, it was satisfying but not as gripping or shocking as I’d hoped. Each of the three sisters have their own voice and personality and it was fun to alternate chapters between them. The story was also interspersed with flashback segments narrated by the sister’s now deceased mother, Rosemary. I thoroughly enjoyed these chapters and found these the most engrossing and hard to put down. Overall, the story was good, it just could have benefited from the middle being a little faster paced. I will read more by this author in the future.

Three sisters are travelling in a car on a worst storm they have seen for a while. The car breaks down in a small village and the three sisters take refuge in abandoned Moirthwaite Manor. Where thirty years ago their mother Rosemary worked as a housekeeper there. They need to call for help. So, they draw straws the find out who goes to help. When the youngest sister goes for help. Secrets unfold for the remaining sisters in the Manor. There is something sinister going on in the manor. It may be haunted not by the people who once lived there but also the secrets held within.
Thank you, Orion for a copy of ‘The short straw’ by Holly Seddon. This is the first book from the author I have read, and I have mixed feelings towards it. It was well written, and I like the premise of this story. The story went back and forth in time with what happened at the manor and what they had to abruptly leave and the time in present where the girls are held in the manor. I found the tense and spooky. But I wanted more of it. As soon As I was getting into too it, it switched back to the past which I found irritating. For me personally, I thought it was too overloaded with the backstory and I found the ending disappointing. 3 stars from me.

This was a little of a slow start for me but the pace soon picked up and I found myself not being able to put it down. I need to go and read Holly's back catalogue now because she's a great writer, The secrets in this one, along with the familial drama element really made this a great read for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for a copy of “ The short Straw” for an honest review.

I must admit I nearly didn’t finish reading this book, but I’ve enjoyed other books by Holly Seddon so I stuck with it.For me the first half of the book lacked pace but the latter part made up for this.
Hints of unspoken horrific historical events and family secrets, added to the creepy abandoned house made for an unnerving read.
Well worth sticking out to the end of the book !

The Short Straw is just so amazingly tense and scary! I was quickly submerged into the pages and I was left almost breathless at times.
The idea of the story unfolding over a single night in and around an isolated mansion with childhood ties to the protagonists gave me all The Haunting of Hill House vibes.

And the plot! That invisible fine line between love and hate and the deep and often complex feelings and resentment so many siblings have, was perfectly executed. I couldn't stop reading, I just had to find out their secrets.

Holly has a talent for writing complicated and layered characters like no one else. I have not stopped recommending The Short Straw. It's a five-star read without question.

Three sisters meet up, a car problem means that they end up in an area they used to know well and they end up sheltering from the storm in a large old mansion that used to be the home of one of their friends. The story gets quite spooky, but it is good. Well worth reading.

This was an ok book, nothing exciting or dramatic and definitely not a page turner, but I felt compelled to keep reading to find out what the big secret was and to what would happen to the sisters.
There really is no story in the present time, three sisters, Nina, Lizzie and Aisa have found themselves stranded with a broken down car and they seek shelter at Morthwaite, an old mansion that took centre stage back in their childhoods, now long abandoned. Aisa picks the shortest straw and so goes off to get help, whilst the other two wander about the house. Clearly they aren’t alone in the house, but just who could be there after so long and why.

Parts of the story go back in time to the girls mothers Rosemary and her time in the house. These parts where better as this is where the story was happening. There was mystery and suspense and I wanted to know why they had just upped and left all those years ago.

Sadly the outcome never amounted to anything, the big reveal after all that long drawn out plot, was nothing of any significance. It did bond the sisters somewhat which was good. It had irritated me the way Lizzie and Aisa would always second guess what the other sisters where doing and thinking they were plotting against them and leaving them out of things. It kind of made none of them all that likeable really.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Fiction for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was brilliant! I loved the setting of the derelict old house, the slow-burn reveal of all the secrets between the sisters, and their wonderfully nuanced and believable dynamic throughout. The mysteries and the different plot threads wound together to create a fantastic story with a gripping denouement. Highly recommended.

I found this an enjoyable, haunting drama about 3 sisters who get lost and find themselves at a Manor House that their parents worked at, many years ago.....yes, you have to suspend belief a few times, but, it's a well written tale with well rounded characters.

It's an atmospheric read that's told over one night and although it's a slow burn, it maintained my interest and the setting is creepy and scary. I enjoyed the fact that it's set in one night and also, the storyline from the different perspectives of the sisters and their mum.

The ending was a bit of a let down and I felt it more a drama than thriller, but, overall, a solid good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Orion, for the opportunity to preview.

Initially I found this a bit slow, but once it began to pick up pace I was gripped

I enjoyed the multiple POV’s and different time frames which I enjoyed as it brought the book together. The setting of the house creeped me out especially the dolls house and the hidden part of the actual house.

The sisters were all interesting and I loved seeing them becoming closer and their bond deepening.

My first book by Holly Seddon and I was impressed! I will definitely be picking up more by this author! I loved the short chapters, that's always a big selling point for me! Each character had a great personality and were likeable. I loved the creepy and eerie feel this book had with it being set in an abandoned mansion during a thunder storm!
A fast paced read which I couldn't put down!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. This is a thriller book that is set in an abandoned house and the author makes the setting very atmospheric. I also enjoyed her turn of phrases and writing style. Unfortunately, I found this book hard to get through mainly because of the plot - it was a bit drawn out in the first three quarters. I wanted to care about the characters but I just wasn’t as invested in them as much as I would like. Overall it felt a bit forced. I liked the structure though with the alternating perspectives and enjoyed the fact that it was set in Cumbria (where I’m from).

This didn't really work for me, the beginning was very slow and repetitive in parts I felt that nothing was really happening in the majority of the book. Most of the plot happened in the end, which was well written and interesting with some much darker twists, but by that time I felt disinterested and just wanted to finish the book, I feel like it could have been shorter with most of the first part cut out and I also don't think this realty characterises as a horror more of a family drama/literary fiction.

Nina, Lizzie and Aisa have been to see their father Bob on his birthday. Despite living in totally apart, the decision is made for them to be driven in various directions to their respective destinations by Nina. Traffic, a storm, running out of petrol, darkness, a mishap with a ditch all combine to make it a night they will never forget. Then, to cap it all they end up in a deserted Manor House and spooky woods that they knew as children. Well, you couldn’t make it up could you? But someone did!!!

This book took the longest time to get going. Repetitive, rambling and crazy, it was a struggle to get to grips with. However, it did get a little better and POVs of the characters were interesting.

It was a story of relationships and struggles, with a dark background.

The ending was a bit limp, but did tie things up. The book needs a good editing before publication and some off the “fluff” needs to go, honestly how many times does the bridge of a nose have to be pinched?

Not a riveting read, but will be better when tidied up.

2.5*

Thank you NetGalley.

3.5 rounded up

There’s a terrible, worsening storm and Nina is at the wheel of her car with her two sisters, Lizzie and Aisa as passengers. Petrol is low, water is cascading down and worryingly, there’s no phone signal in the remote Eden Valley. Nina decides to head from Moirthwaite Manor where their mother Rosemary once worked. When the car becomes stranded in water the sisters head on foot and they see the Manor looming before them, unlit, unwelcoming and forbidding. They take shelter inside and it’s clear it’s been long abandoned. They draw straws to decide which sister will go for help. It’s going to be a long night ahead and one which none will forget.

First of all, I love Holly Seddons books and this one has many strong elements. The characterisation is very good, giving each sibling a unique personality so they are easy to imagine. Each tells the story in the present day along with their Rosemary from the past, and I like the duality which blends and works well

The novel is very well written and I like how the drama takes place across one action packed night, in which the past and present fuse together. The chapters are short and sharp, there are some staccato sentences, which effectively builds the suspense and tension, highlighted with stark imagery. The setting in the Eden Valley is very good and the author conveys it very well. As for the creepy house, it’s chock full of atmosphere, there are some really excellent descriptions with the past and present day house being such a contrast to each other. I could’ve done without the many spider references though, thank you! The house, the siblings and their mother all convey some pervading and disturbing memories that are intriguing but which are clouded in the fog of time. Nothing feels real on occasions, it’s ghostly, spooky and there is the conundrum of the real versus the imaginary. It becomes patently clear that there are many undercurrents and layers, especially from the early timeline but which linger well into the present day.

However, despite the many obvious positives, it is so slow at the start, although it’s also clear that the author is constructing layers beneath the watery, stormy surfaces. Some of the sisters actions make me want to yell, they do such silly things that make them vulnerable. Considering you are in such a creepy house, why would you? ! It’s also a bit protracted in places, and the ending is an anticlimax, I expected more after all the buildup.

Overall though, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives and it’s without doubt a very well written novel.

With thanks to NetGalley, and especially to Orion Publishing Group for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

It’s rare to come across a novel with so few characters but Holly’s latest novel really works. Three sisters are trying to get home, via an airport for one, on a dark and stormy night. Feel free to insert forboding music as their car breaks down and they must seek safety at Moirthwaite Manor. Not to worry, they do know it in a way – their mother once worked there and they all have memories of the place. But the isolated mansion has been long abandoned and someone needs to go for help. Drawing straws – a game they played as children – one sister heads into the darkness with very little phone battery and a hope they’ll find support (and petrol). For the two remaining, the house begins to close in as secrets are revealed… We don’t want to give too much of the story away but it’s a good one, and will definitely surprise a reader.

I found the beginning to be a bit slow and repetitive, walking along the woods, should we go should we stay. However, halfway through it began to pick up and the plot thickened and the thriller kicked in. There was a much better understanding aswell and I began to speed read, wanting to know more, wanting to see if the sisters were in danger. The personality of the sisters strengthened and the back story became clearer and I enjoyed it.

There was multiple POV’s in this book, alongside different time frames which I enjoyed as it brought the book together.

There was a few issues with the layout of the ebook, however this did not effect the star rating. layout issues included the title and authors name constantly popping up in the middle of text.

3.5 stars

This book felt very much like a horror story and in many ways it was.

The book has a dark (very dark) atmospheric plot that focusses on three sisters and their relationships between each other. That was a quality feature as the story unfolded.