I’d like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Fall’ by Gilly MacMillan in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Nicole and Tom Booth have had a big lottery win and moved into the home of their dreams, the state-of-the-art Glass Barn in Lancaut. After a day out Nicole returns home to find Tom lying face down and lifeless in their swimming pool. She phones for an ambulance and runs to get help from her neighbours Sasha and Olly at nearby Manor House. The police arrive and believe someone is responsible for Tom’s drowning but it’s a secluded area apart from Nicole, her neighbours and their housekeeper.

I usually enjoy this author’s novels so I can’t explain why ‘The Fall’ did nothing for me. I liked the descriptions of the houses and area but was overwhelmed by the number of characters who all gave the story from their own perspectives, and the plot was far-fetched and so unrealistic as to make it unbelievable. I tried to work up some enthusiasm to keep turning pages but kept thinking do I really want to spend my time reading about these shallow and unlikeable characters and I’m afraid the answer was no so I skipped chapters to get to the end. I’m so sorry that I can’t be more positive but this is entirely my own opinion and I’m sure I’ll be in the minority.

I read this as an ARC from netgalley in return for an honest review.

How perfect would life be if you and your husband won ten million pounds on the lottery, built an amazing home in a stunning location, and lived a rich life?

Well, Nicole soon finds out that the answer to that is 'not very perfect' when she arrives home to find her husband, face down in their pool, dead.

This book was a really good read! It's told from multiple pov's, although not in a confusing way.

Nobody, not one character, is who you think they are! They are all so complex, and all have their secrets, which are slowly exposed throughout.

There are so many twists, turns, surprises, and shocks along the way in this story, and it came to a satisfying, if slightly unbelievable end!

The settings are beautiful! The area, The Manor House and The Glass Barn are atmospheric and wonderful. You can easily picture them as you read.

I really did enjoy this and would definitely recommend it!

🌟Trigger Warning - Coercive control 🌟

This was my first time reading from Gilly Mcmillian and I was not disappointed. I will definitely delve further into her backlist

Nicole and Tim Booth won the lottery. They built the house of their dreams. After a day at a country fair Nicole drive home to find Tom floating in their swimming pool -he’s dead.

Lots of twists and turns in this one. Some nice red herrings to make you think you have now solved it, only to find you are on another path. I enjoyed the ending

A nice easy read with enough going on to engage the brain.

Thanks to Netgallery for the ARC

Great psychological thriller with great characters and a beautifully described setting that made you feel you were there. Cleverly drawn characters that really go you thinking are they all they seem.

I struggled a bit with the style of writing and characters in this book. Some good twists but not gripping enough. I skim-read or skipped a fair bit of it I’m afraid.

Not yet able to review on Amazon.

This sounded exciting but really its a story that has been told a thousnand times before. Couple win lottery, one of them end up dead, but in the middle who nowhere who did it.

Sorry but is a pass from me.

The main characters are lottery winners Tom and Nicole and their neighbours Olly and Sasha and Kitty their housekeeper. I did enjoy reading it to a certain extent but actually found the storyline quite far fetched and verging on the farcical.

One of the main characters is Nicole. She is Tom's wife. They won a lot of money in the National Lottery. Fortune smiled on them.
But can money bring happiness? Are rich people really happy? Do they do everything for show?
Another character is Sasha. She loves yoga.
She has a partner named Olly. They are neighbours of Nicol and Tom.
Another hero is Olly. He has been writing his first book for five years.
There will be a great tragedy. Tom will lose his life. Was it an unfortunate accident, suicide or murder? You will learn all this by reading this book.
Another hero is Detective Hal Steen. His work partner is Jen. They'll be investigating Tom's death. Hal believes that Nicol murdered her husband. Is he right? I like the way this investigation is being conducted. Is he playing the good cop or the bad cop?
We will also meet Kitty. Mrs. Sasha's maid and Mr. Olly. This character knows something, but he can't say it yet. Who's afraid? Is she in danger? She Liked Tom.
Currently, she does not know how to help the desperate Nicole.
Our story is intertwined with Anna's diary.
I was wondering who this mystery girl was.
She goes to Sasha's yoga sessions. She recently lost her husband, so these classes are helping her shake it off. I kept wondering what Sasha was up to.
While reading, I wasn't sure if she was a positive character. She likes rich widows too much. Does she count on their generous donations?
I was terrified reading this book.
Someone is trying to make Nicole hysterical. Will he discover the truth before it's too late?

Tom's friend Patrick annoyed me. He appeared out of nowhere. Was he after Nicola's money? I didn't like the Sasha and Olly couple either. The action is slowly gaining momentum. Everything was becoming clear.
You must read this story. You will find plenty of twists and turns here. The end of the book took me by surprise. I could not stop laughing.
A variety of characters and a great plot meant that I couldn't put this book down.
The Fall book kept me hooked until the very last page.
I recommend this story wholeheartedly.
This book is a good thriller.

I didn't like this book at all, just seemed very unrealistic and I started just thinking how ridiculous throughout. Sadly not for me and I did finish it.
Not a good or enjoyable book when you can't enjoy it for constantly thinking things wouldn't happen or well that's silly..

Tom and Nicole have recently won the lottery and bought their dream home in a new area, their neighbours are Olly and Sasha, who lives in the Manor House with Kitty, their helper.
But it is not all as it seem, and a tragic death will be the trigger to uncover all the lies.

Absolutely brilliant read: from the characters to the story. It is written with two different time lines and every twist is unexpected. You won’t put this book down!

I didn’t really get on well with it, but I can’t quite put my finger on why.

Thanks to NetGalley and to the author for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

The Fall has an interesting plot. Lottery winners we are all curious about, and a domestic noir thriller surrounding such a couple is intriguing.

At first I thought by the same token it may be a little ‘fluffy’ as a result, and I took a day or two to settle into the book. It proved me wrong, and the book was really enjoyable. A darkly humorous tale revealed itself, with a mostly satisfying ending (if a little abrupt in its final paragraph). Most characters are dislikable, but this really doesn’t matter much because of the subtle humour and irony behind the story. The writing is easy to get ‘into’, and I found myself picking this up more than others I have read recently.

I look forward to reading more from this author, and recommend it to others as a bit of a diversion from the more usual type of book of this genre.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A complex start with many characters to get to know then once I settled into the story found it well written if at times a bit too twisty to believe all that was happening,not overly likeable characters and the main one really needed a life lesson in life and not to be so naïve but a good second half and an acceptable ending made it nit a bad read altogether

My second Gilly Macmillan and probably my last - a similarly formula with an enticing setup that sounds plausible enough but quickly becomes silly as twist after twist reveals every character to be ridiculous. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

I honestly don’t know what to say about this book. It is supposed to be a thriller but it was far from it to be honest. Quite frankly I probably should have DNF this book before the 50% mark.

It lacked suspense, well pretty much everything that a thriller would require. I guessed the “twists” and where the book was heading from the start. I was not shocked at all during this book. Frankly it was just too predictable!

There was far too many POV, which for me felt unnecessary and meant that you couldn’t create more depth in the characters.

The journal entries whilst allowed some gaps in knowledge to be filled, was confusing and wasn’t really journal entries.

The was too much inner thoughts going on with the characters and less conversations between them.

I don't want to be harsh but seriously this book felt like it was written by my 2 year old nephew. No, actually my 2 year old nephew would write a better book than this, he's pretty imaginative.
But my God the prose was so amateur, paraphrasing here .....

I was looking out the window. I saw a man. I didn't pay attention to him at first but then I did. I got scared. I wanted to run and tell someone. Then I sat down again and told myself it's probably a hiker.

And what was up with the inner thoughts and monologues. There was little communication, things were playing out in the characters' minds .. OVERTHINKING 101... CREATING SCENARIOS AND THINKING NONSTOP...

There was one scene where Kitty - the househelp made us think she wasn't happy with the owners and that she had found SOMETHING very incriminating a week earlier that rocked her world.
Hold your horses ladies and gentlemen because what she was talking about was Olly ( owner who is an author, writing a book for the last 5 years.. oh and it reads like a classic incase you cared *rolls eyes*) writing a passage about a certain maid ( remember its a classic ) who was so plain and dull it was infuriating. And he goes on to describe the maid in vivid detail ( her entire emsemble) and goes on and on about how irrelevant and disgusting her existence is. Remember the emsemble that was vividly described in his draft well well well you guessed it, it was the exact same emsemble that KITTY wore everyday...
Kitty gasping and feeling hurt did what? Did she let it go? Did she plot revenge?
You bet your ass she plotted revenge and how did she avenge herself. She cut some passages from his draft and added them to different locations in the book.

A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR MY POOR SOUL....


THIS IS A THRILLER NOVEL YOU'RE TELLING ME THIS IS WHAT YOU DID. KIDS IN KINDERGARTEN DO THESE TYPE OF THINGS OMG I MEAN YOU'RE A GROWN ASS WOMAN IN A THRILLER NOVEL.

THINK BIG ....

AND,
GUESS WHAT BIG SHE DID.

She well basically plays a huge role in bringing them down but it isn't something that hasn't been done already. In fact this plot has been exploited and done so many times that it's no longer fun and unpredictable.
The plot, prose and the characters were all AWFUL.

I couldn't sit down and read each character playing out scenarios in their heads or the author building things up with literally no direction or writing skills, so I had to improvise and skim through this book.

Do yourselves a favor and DON'T READ THIS.

And what's up with the small print on the e-arc seriously not cool....

The Fall by Gilly Macmillan

This is the first book I’ve read from Gilly Macmillan - it won’t be the last!

The Fall tells the tale of lucky lottery winners Tom and Nicole who are living their best lives in their bespoke dream home built to the highest of standard with new technology. The occasionally catch up with the neighbours, Olly & Sasha, who live in the Manor House next door. Nicole returns home after visiting an event to find her husband Tom face down, dead in the pool.

From here, the plot begins to catch fire and we learn more about the characters through multiple POV, timelines and some journal entries. Everyone has an agenda, and something to hide and we get to know the main players and their motives without it becoming confusing.

The location sounds like a dream and it’s detailed so well you can actually picture the Glass House and the Manor House. The plot continues with twists and turns, golden nuggets of information and developments that help everything tie in well. Nothing is as it seems and the punches keep coming, keeping you gripped as to how this is going to end.

This writing style reminds me of Lisa Jewell so if you’re a fan of her, you’ll enjoy this book.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for a fair review. It was my pleasure

5 big massive shiny stars!

A real page turner of a novel. It is almost a shame when you finish it. A compelling story about a couple who win the lottery and build a new house on land originally own by a couple living in the 'Manor House'. The husband is found dead in his swimming pool and the story unfolds from there. Told by many different points of view over a couple of timelines.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

Tom and Nicole win Ten Million Pounds on the lottery and decide to build a luxurious house called ‘The Glass barn’ on the Lancaut peninsula. Nicole has slotted into her new life with ease and loving it. But poor Tom is struggling to come to terms with it and often wonders if things were different.
When she arrives home one day, she shocked to see Tom lying dead in the pool. She straight way goes to her nearest neighbours Sasha and Olly that live in the manor with their housekeeper Kitty. Olly goes to her rescue and goes to the Barn but finds Tom, but he is already dead.
When the Police are called and the examination on the body shows that Tom had a bump on his head. Was it an accident or was he murdered?
Thank you, Random House Cornerstone, for a copy of The Fall by Gilly Macmillan. I have read several books from this author, and they are usually a bit of a mixed bag for me. But I think she has outdone herself with her latest offering. Told in many points of view and perspectives and the most bodies in a book that I could ever count. This is a great addictive and challenging thriller with lots of red herrings that kept me engaged through out. I loved the twist at the end. 5 stars from me.