A little like Abigail Dean, this is psy-thriller with a focus very much on the 'psy'. Whether that quite works in this case (suspect there was an ambition to reach The Secret History levels of the campus-tale-gone-wrong), not so sure. As befits the subject, there's a lot of chewing of the scenery in parts for sake of drama over likely substance, That said, it's a heartfelt and sad exploration of loneliness and connection - a love story at its heart (so maybe not its fault for being mis-sold as a thriller?) - and for all the 'surely nots' it was a thoroughly page-turning read that I absolutely hoovered up.

I started this book expecting it to be a psychological thriller but in my opinion it turned out to be very different. I found it very hard to get into the story and I really didn’t like any of the characters. The topic of the book is something I don’t know anything about so I decided to give it a go in the hopes of learning more. I did find it very interesting to learn about method acting and if that is something you are interested in then I would recommend this book to you. In my opinion the book does contain some very good writing and I am glad that I gave it a chance. I have given it 3 stars.

This book was not what I expected. I thought it was going to be a gripping psychological thriller but I found it to be heavy going. I found it difficult to identify with the characters and overall, I found it disappointing. Views on a book are very subjective so read it and judge for yourself. I can only review it from my personal experience.

Manipulation at its finest. Swapping between the present and time as a student at the conservatoire. Characters overlap as the methodology of renowned teacher unravels the psyche of the pupils.
A heart breaking event at the conservatoire has repercussions on the present.
Read with your heart in your throat.

This book is marketed as a psychological thriller but the pace was just too slow for me. The reviews seem to be very polarising so i’d say read for yourself and make a judgement that way, as you may love it but unfortunately I didn’t.

I did not enjoy this book at all as it did not meet my epectations. I do have to say that it was a well written book about how hard the acting profession is and what stresses they go under to peform new roles. Life as an actor is crtainly not an easy job at all and I did like some of the descriptions but this failed to reach a thriller status for me.Adam was a bizarre character, as were some of the others, but Adam seemed to just go off the rails so easily and did things in a weird manner it seems to get attention and to be recognised as a good actor that felt the part. I looked at some of the other reviews and it seems that this was a book that you really liked or really did not get on with at all. I fall clearly into the latter grouping.

An ambitious actor, and a profoundly driven human being, Adam Sealey has always dreamt of winning an Oscar. So far, his attempts have failed, but his most recent film - for which he has received very special training in method acting from his eccentric mentor - has brought the award closer than ever, and now it is almost within his grasp.

Unfortunately, Adam's mentor Jonathan Dorr is suddenly in hot water over allegations that he and his controversial approach may be linked to an alleged disappearance of a female student from the Conservatoire where he teaches. Adam is unsure of the truth of these accusations, but he is concerned that this may affect his Oscar prospects.

To make things even more complicated, it seems that the acting method that Adam used, championed by Jonathan, has led to an additional problem of its own.

This method acting approach is based on drawing from personal trauma in order to improve the credibility of a performance. But now someone appears to know about Adam's experience from Drama School which he has used to fuel his acting. Since that is his darkest secret, Adam is worried about the possible fallout, because that may, of course, also impact his chances of Oscar success...

How far is he really willing to go in the service of his ambitions?

This is a really unusual story, offering a glimpse of a career and lifestyle that most of us know very little about. Adam's obsession, and the consequences for it, are drawn out beautifully. This book is a gripping read. I give it 3.5 stars.

This book appears to have received mixed reviews and I can see why. At its best this is a deep, intense, psychological thriller which draws the reader in slowly and never lets go.

At its worst, it can be overly pretentious and perhaps appeal to a niche audience.

All in all I did enjoy it but I don't think it will be a book for everyone

I liked how the plot progressed in both time periods revealing different parts. The characters were enjoyable, though the plot was a little obvious… but I did like this. Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book.

Adam Sealey is a method actor extraordinaire. Prepared to risk everything to give the perfect performance, he is a very loose canon.

Having read some of the reviews this is very much a Marmite of a book!

With dark, disturbing and unpleasant characters (except maybe Nina), this gives the reader an insight into the ruthless and cutthroat world of acting. Though a fictional thriller, it is easy to become so absorbed that it all appears far too real.

Not an easy read, with some very laborious passages, but there is some very good writing too.

A mixed bag for me.

2.5*

Thank you NetGalley.

Unfortunately I really didn’t enjoy this book. I gave up after 40% as i was struggling to understand exactly what was going on. I felt the language used was aimed towards a small percentage of the population who hold at least a degree in English language, not totally inclusive in my opinion which is based upon the vocabulary used. It included many words which i had never heard of, for example, quagmire, genocidal, coruscating, mired, nuanced, insouciance, ubiquitous, subsumed, gnarly, lothario, parried, munitions, mellifluous, soliloquy, purloined, and mewling. It became very frustrating to read, the storyline was not flowing for me at all. Sorry, but i gave it a go.

Thanks to Michael Joseph Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy to read in exchange for my open and honest review. As always, my reviews will also be posted on Amazon, Goodreads and Waterstones and interaction on Facebook and instagram where possible.

This is a difficult book to review as in parts I found it dull and pretentious, but there were passages which had me absolutely riveted.

I understand the concept of 'method' acting and here it is taken to the extreme with the trainee actors pushed beyond their limits by Jonathan. He at first appears charismatic and they are eager to please, but as time goes on his cruelty reaches unfathomable depths.

Adam becomes a fascinating character as the narrative progresses and more is revealed about the source of his neurosis. The others are less rounded, and Nina is I think the only likeable one.

I found the scene which is central to the plot deeply disturbing. If the book were to be made into a film I do not think I could watch it.

After all the traumatic events that have gone before the happy ending doesn't quite convince.

I struggled with this book. I didn’t warm to the characters and found it a bit boring.
I’m not a fan of bad language either. If you are interested in how actors learn their craft
then you will enjoy it but it’s not for me.

The premise of this book sounded really interesting. I got to 35% but
I couldn't continue. Adam was getting on my nerves and I didn't see much character development. Most of them made me mad with their attitude. For me is one of these books that if it was a tv show instead, it might keep me going. Thank you for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story of an actor’s journey to fame despite an event in his past. Adam is a ‘method’ actor - he believes in immersing himself in a part. This comes at a cost. His mentor, Jonathon is enigmatic and cruel - but Adam constantly seeks his approval. I’m sorry to say I lost interest about half way through. I wanted to slap Adam! I don’t think there was enough development of the characters for me. I did read the last chapter only to discover that Adam ends up somewhere very close to me!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a prepublication ebook , in return for an honest review.

Liked this a lot and how far people go for their own greed or need for adulation or just sheer passion or to please others that u admire with no sense of rationale . This is an author I wd read again
Good story and enjoyable ty

Everyone I turned, someone was reading this book and all I could see were positive reviews as far as the eye could see. This made me a bit dubious. No book is universally loved, of course it isn't. But this one seems to be. So I went in cautiously, as very often, the big books everyone raves about fall a bit flat for me. But I needn't have worried. This is as brilliant as everyone says.

I have never read anything like it. It chips away at you, at the surface, slowly, bit by bit, but very effectively. It wasn't anything like I imagined. I thought it was a thriller, and to begin with, I thought I'd made a mistake, thinking it was more of a literary piece. I thought it would be this straightforward thriller with some sort of crime that someone was trying to escape from. But it's simpler and more complex than that. It is such a brutal study of the human psyche, and is just so powerful. It is a thriller, and a horror, a literary piece, a forensic analysis, a contemporary fiction, a psychological thriller, a romance - it's just got everything thrown in, and boy does it work!

Adam isn't a particularly likeable character for me. I found him too arrogant and too...I wanted to say "hoity toity" but wasn't sure if anyone else would know what I meant. Like, because he's a method actor, his talent is worth more than others. But the other part of me feels sorry for him because there's obviously been some trauma in his life that still haunts him and it's hard to go day-to-day with that kind of paranoia. So I was conflicted. In the end, whilst I still felt he was a bit above his station, by learning about what things he went through when he was a child and in education, I could see many different sides to him and on the whole, he is a wonderfully created character.

Of course there are a lot of other characters, in his past and present. I won't name them all as we'll be here for hours. But I suppose you've got Nina, his best friend from drama school who has equally gone through some things, and is trying to be friends with Adam the person, as well as Adam the actor, and it's the latter that is causing all the problems. And then Jonathan, his sort of mentor at school. He continues through into the present scenes, and he is just a dream of a character. That's not to say I liked him, because I didn't - I won't go into the whys and whatfores - but he is so juicy, I could imagine he would be the perfect character for an actor to actually get into and explore, as there's so much more underneath the surface with him.

The main narrative is linear and in the present, leading up to that year's Oscars (where Adam is nominated), and just after. But unsurprisingly, it's not as simple as that, and chaos ensues. Every other chapter is a flashback of when Adam was at drama school. I thought the present scenes were psychologically brutal enough, but the flashbacks are even....I was going to say 'worse', but that makes it sound bad, which this definitely isn't. But it's harder in the flashback scenes, the characters, the action, the emotions, everything is very fierce. I felt this format was a great way of showing how the past, present and future are all interlinked, and how you can use your memories to impact your current actions, for better or for worse.

It is a slow burn, a slow thriller. The very definition of a psychological thriller, which I love. It feels good and enjoyable and you're having fun reading it, but when you think deeply about it, you can feel it really getting under your skin and it becomes this really powerful story to read. It becomes more than a page with some words, those words hold a strength of their own that you're battling with.

As well as its main thriller elements, it is a real discovery of human nature, of love, grief, dreams, the extremes you will go to reach them, and what you're willing to sacrifice.

It's not the easiest book to read by any stretch of the imagination. It's raw and harsh and sad and powerful and angry, but it has this...it has this aura about it. It's a book where you forget you're reading a book and instead you're living with these people and feeling what they're feeling. It has a power over the reader that you want to escape from but stay in. It's a really beautifully written piece.

How to really give justice to this book? I think you get the most out of it by reading it yourself. It's the kind of book that'll grab you, and mean something different to every reader. So I've said my bit, it's now time for you to meet The Actor.

Wow! Wow! Wow! I love thrillers in general but my favourite ones are the ones which give you a real life insight into a preciously unknown industry and this does exactly that. Its not all bright lights and glamour like most actor based books, it's grass roots of the stepping stones in an actors journey and to say it was fascinating would be an understatement. The book is really well written and plotted out. It goes at a good pace and the characters themselves are so well written and crafted. I was so invested in their lives and struggles that I just couldn't put it down. And there most definitely is still a huge thriller side to the book aswell so don't worry. The twists in this are masterfully done and I walked into them blindly each time! Absolutely outstanding read

Adam Sealey is an actor who takes his craft seriously. A former student at the London Conservatoire, where his mentor, Jonathan Dors, taught him, ‘the method,’ he believes in inhabiting his characters to the cost of his – and others - physical and mental health. This novel sweeps the reader along, moving between past and present. There is Adam now, the actor on track to get his first Oscar, and the younger, uncertain, ambitious drama student, who would do anything for success.

Adam’s success is likely to be derailed by a story concerning a student at the Conservatoire, said to have vanished around the same time that Jonathan left the drama school. Scandalous rumours abound, as Adam recalls a tragedy during his time as a student and considers whether Jonathan could be involved. His investigation into what happened is hampered by his current fame, as he weighs up whether his current success needs to be paid for.

This is a fascinating account of Adam Sealey’s life and career, with which the reader becomes invested. What happened, all those years ago, which has followed him and for which he feels a price will need to be paid? His desire for acclaim, for awards, for that main part, follows through from his need to embody Hamlet in the final year of his time of drama school, as students jostle for central roles and agents. This is also a pertinent story of the importance of teachers, of all sorts, on young people. A reminder of how the young often follow without thinking, accepting those teaching them have their best interests at heart and of how important the validation of such mentors can be.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

This was an absolutely fascinating read - I loved learning more about the world of method acting, and felt the twist was incredibly satisfying. A behind the scenes look into a world many readers will be very curious about!