I loved the setting and set up of this one, and though it took some very dark turns, it kept me gripped - Kelly is one to watch in this space!

Omg omg omg!! This book was just perfect! It was just so relevant to today and felt like a creepy version of love is blind or something. It was so down my street, I loved the social media element and the characters. And as for the twists and turns?! They were just awesome. This is such a breath if fresh air on the old fashioned, dated, thrillers and I was obsessed

I think Ruth Kelly is starting to become an auto-buy of an author for me. I devoured The Villa, a dark and sinister suspense take on reality dating shows like Love Island, and The Escape is just as binge-able and pulse racing; a propulsive thriller exploring the obsessive and dark side of social media.
The novel opens with a prologue. Adele - a YouTuber - is making a rushed video on iPhone. Someone is after her. The dream house is a nightmare, a lie. But what’s happened?
We then go into a now and then narrative structure following Adele in the past, how she made a video that backfired before a mystery benefactor offered to buy her and her boyfriend a French chateau in Burgundy which comes with terms and conditions including a NDA.
In the now arc we follow Erin, her older sister, who’s come to find Adele because their mother is in a hospice and doesn’t have much time to live.
The two arcs come together as stakes are raised and lives are endangered. I don’t want to give too much away, but this was such a rollercoaster ride. I had no idea where it was going. It was a bit far fetched at times with some pantomime baddies, but the chapters are so pacy and end in a cliffhanger that I was compelled to turn the pages to figure out the answers and it was indeed such a satisfying read. This is a grippingly unpredictable psychological thriller that is perfect if you’re in the mood for a destination thriller set in snowy France. Atmospheric and brooding.

4⭐️

The Escape is a tense fast paced thriller that follows Adele, a Youtube star, and her partner Jack who are gifted their dream chateau by a mysterious benefactor. But are things too good to be true? We follow the pov of Adele posting videos of her exploring the chateau and then in the future of her sister, Erin who comes there after Adele and Jack have gone missing. Many dark secrets are uncovered about the chateaus history and the atmosphere is very creepy and gothic. I read this so fast as I needed to know what happened and each page had new secrets unfolding that had me shocked! My first book by Ruth Kelly and I look forward to reading more from her!

Thank you to @netgalley, @panmacmillan and @ruthywriter for the opportunity to read this book early! All opinions are honest and my own. The Escape is releasing this autumn!

What Next..?
A seemingly perfect escape to an idyllic French chateau may not end well in this suspenseful tale of bizarre and twisted occurrences. A struggling influencer couple, an odd but welcome benefactor, an unwelcoming town… what next? When the couple cease posting online, their fanbase and families become concerned and when it appears that they have seemingly vanished… what then? The strange truth may well out. A compelling story with an underlying vein of menace, a deftly drawn cast and an atmospheric and well imagined backdrop.

3.5 Stars. This was a multilayered thriller told via two timelines that were clearly defined and easy to follow. The writing was very atmospheric with plenty of action and suspense. The plot moves through the sometimes uncomfortable exploration of the dark side of human nature, in addition to online fame and celebrity and the obsessions surrounding it. I felt that the story wasn't quite original enough although I did enjoy the vlog scenes which were well plotted. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

Probably nearer a 3.5.
A few weeks ago I read and enjoyed The Villa so I figured I'd give the eARC of this one from Netgalley a go.

While I enjoy the author's exploration of themes related to online fame and the kind of instant celebrity that people can experience in modern culture, I just don't quite get as engrossed as I usually do with crime/thriller.

With this particular book I found myself getting frustrated with what felt like overly long internal dialogue and ruminations. For me, it slowed the pace down quite a bit when one character kept thinking about her role in life, where she had let people down, and then more than once discussed how she felt about another character... but without saying anything new. I think she just lacked that dynamic quality I like in my characters.

I do enjoy the author's books so will continue to read them because the ideas and plots have something original, but I'm not quite at the "they're amazing" stage yet.

Omg this was an amazing book. First book I have read from this author and it certainly won’t be the last will be on the look out for more. It was a very intense thriller with a very atmospheric setting. It was a very unique thriller which I found fantastic especially as it had many twists and turns with every one of them I was surprised. I will definitely be recommending this amazing creepy thriller to everyone. Thanks to netgallery and the publisher for an advanced copy.

This was a good thriller with an intense plot and interesting characters. The sexual parts were a bit uncomfortable for me to read, however, it was all very well written.

A YouTuber whose offscreen life is far from perfect, a missing sister, an unpredictable boyfriend, a creepy chateau, hostile locals, a sinister benefactor - everything is here for the psychological thriller fan. Contains graphic sexual violence.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an independent review.

THE ESCAPE is a multilayered thriller with a much darker heart than I had expected. In one timeline, a mysterious benefactor offers to buy Adele and Jack the chateau of their dreams. In another, Adele's sister, Erin, turns up at the chateau to find no sign of her sister or her partner. As both timelines converge, it becomes frighteningly clear that the chateau is hiding a secret that will endanger everyone involved.

I can't resist a thriller with an atmospheric setting, and I loved the beautiful yet eerie chateau, with its mysterious owner and its dark history. THE ESCAPE is mostly set around New Year's, and although the temporal setting isn't so integral to the story that it can't be enjoyed at any time of year, I liked the way the icy conditions added to the sense of danger. I also loved the tight-knit community that the chateau belongs to, who clearly have secrets of their own that they're harbouring.

I found this one a page-turning read, and the alternating timelines worked well for me, keeping me hooked without dragging out the suspense. I liked that there's more to this one than first meets the eye, keeping me on my toes without resorting to too many implausible twists. THE ESCAPE wasn't quite a five-star read for me, as I think a little more could have been made of the setting, and I found the main characters a little damsel-in-distress for my tastes. Also, be warned that I did feel a little uncomfortable with the way the book explores some of its darker themes.

Full disclosure: when I requested this from
Netgalley, I guess I wasn’t paying attention because I thought it was the new Ruth Ware! ..fine, I cracked on anyway, and had a nice time with it. It’s a compelling read through the first half as the tension builds and you try to figure out ~whodunnit~ (kind of), then it all gets a bit mad and not especially believable but still pretty fun!

I liked the concept of this book, the darker side of social media popularity was interesting to read about. I'll be honest, I couldn't stand Adele, she was a spoiled princess and in my opinion deserved everything she got (more if I had my way), but she was definitely an interesting character to read about since I felt so strongly about her!

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the chateau, and following Erin's investigation into what happened to Adele and Jack. There were lots of twists and turns to the story and it was well paced.

I do think things got a bit over the top towards the end, but I'm happy to suspend disbelief on this occasion. Unless I missed something, I didn't really understand the epilogue?

I read a lot of thrillers and most are repetitive, predictable; the same story rehashed. This book was different to ones I have read before and the twists kept me guessing (and surprised) throughout.

I already want to read it again. Definitely one of my favourite books this year.

i had so many different theories during this and none of them turned out to be true. i thought the dual timeline worked really well for this narrative, and loved that the majority of adele's perspective was told through her YouTube vlogs. i think i would have liked a few more hints surrounding delphine's involvement, as she was somewhat forgotten throughout the middle of the book, but i understand this was maybe intentional to maximise the shock factor.

thank you to netgalley and pan macmillan for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you like a creepy thriller this is for you.
Sex, lies and mystery thrown into the mix.
A crazy but strangely addictive read which i found ranged from slightly predictable to off the scale twists.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.
Overall an enjoyable but slightly bonkers read.