“Believe” gripped me from the beginning, and amused me with the never-ending plot twists.

Told from a dual perspective, we meet two women, both carrying different weights on their shoulders. Natalie was sexually assaulted ten years ago by her boss, but the court declared him innocent, automatically labeling her a liar. Despite him being dead now, Natalie is still affected by the trauma this caused her. When she finds herself in a stressful situation, she experiences blackouts, waking up after a few hours with no recollection of where she has been or what she has done.

The second woman we meet, DI Stratton, is dealing with her own demons. Her sister went missing a long time ago, and the police didn’t do enough to help, dismissing the case. Still looking for her missing sister, she joined the force, so she is able to have a better chance of finding her. Stratton is also having a difficult time with her mum. Suffering from dementia in a care home, her mum often has flashbacks of her daughter’s disappearance, causing a fresh wave of pain and hurt to the whole family.

Natalie’s husband comes home one day, revealing he’s been suspended from work, because his colleague accused him of sexually harassing her. And then, the very next day, this woman is found dead in the woods, making Ryan, the husband, the primary suspect. Natalie is overwhelmed with everything – after all, her husband is being accused of the same thing that happened to her. But there is one thing Natalie is not prepared to share – she had a blackout on the night of the murder.
And this is where the story starts, and I adored unraveling it, bit by bit.

With so many variables and secrets in play, I never knew where the story would go. I loved the “unreliable narrator” trope. The scenes where Natalie realises that it may very well be her that is the killer and the helplessness about it. The inner battle between – was it me, or was it my husband? Was my husband so heartless to do the same thing they did to me, after knowing the pain and trauma I suffered. Did he kill this woman? Did I do it?

It automatically makes it a thrilling read when you cannot trust any of the characters. And despite not trusting them, I still cared about them and their story.

When it comes to the ending, my feelings are mixed.

Some clues and revelations came a bit late and at a convenient timing. In a red herring kind of way. For me, this felt rushed and like taking the easy route out. That is the only reason it’s not quite a 5-star read. That being said, it was an incredible thriller, full of twists and likeable characters. A book that will definitely take you on a journey and perfect for book clubs and making predictions on who the culprit is and what really happened.

“But it’s true what they say about finding peace in nature. Plants rebuild themselves every year, coming back stronger, more vibrant. There’s a lot to be learned from plants.”

I so wanted to like this book, but .....
I got to 15% and unfortunately gave up - it was not going anywhere, all the characters blended into one, and I was to be honest totally confused.
I may try again but this has been set aside at present - if I do try again and complete I will update my review.

A fab debut crime novel / psychological thriller that kept me guessing, I really thought I’d figured it out and some points but there were a lot of red herrings! 3* as none of the characters were really very likeable and in the end I felt it got a little far fetched. But overall a good, enjoyable read that I found hard to put down.

This felt like too many characters being introduced at the start which all blended into the same person and I just got confused with who was who!

DNF'd at 15%.

Ryan and Natalie Campbell live a nice quiet middle class life. But their lives are dominated by a horrific event in Natalie's past.

Ryan is sympathetic to a point, but feels that he is lacking in his marriage and seeks comfort in a colleague.

Alice.

Alice is young, pretty and willing.

She and Ryan sleep together and that's where everything begins to go horribly wrong.

Ryan says it was consensual.

Alice says it wasn't.

Natalie is a lawyer who has struggled with life after being brutally attacked and raped early on in her career by a fellow professional.

The case went to trial, but the jury declared the perpetrator innocent and Natalie's life has never been the same since.

When Alice accuses Ryan, Natalie wants to believe that he is innocent. But she is so blighted by her past trauma that she just can't.

And then suddenly Alice is murdered...

Ryan protests he has nothing to do with it. Natalie doesn't know what to think, or who to trust. Least of all herself.

This is the adult genre debut for SM Govett and she's off to a brilliant start!

Natalie is a lawyer, after a traumatic attack nearly ten years ago her and her husband have moved house and she's trying to move on. It doesn't help though that her attacker was found not guilty, his wife hates her and she suffers from blackouts where she does things and goes places and remembers none of it. She'd remember if she did something truly terrible though, right?

Stratton is a detective, who joined the force to try and get answers for her and her mum about her sister's disappearance at 16 years old, decades ago now. So far she's come up with nothing, but this new case feels different, difficult, so she makes a deal with God that if she solves it then he gives her the answers she needs. Just because she gave up on church long ago doesn't mean it's not worth a shot right?

The story is told in first person from both Natalie and Stratton's perspectives, it's addictive and exciting and because the characters themselves are narrating, we have no idea if they're being completely honest...with us or themselves.

It's terrific, 5 stars, buy it now....believe me....

Believe is SM Govett’s debut adult thriller having written several YA novels under her full name Sarah Govett.

The story follows Natalie Campbell, a lawyer haunted by a violent sexual assault ten years ago and the injustice that followed, when her attacker was found not guilty. Suffering from severe PTSD which manifests in blackouts and memory loss, Natalie is barely existing in life, crippled with agoraphobia and relying on her supportive and understanding husband Ryan.

Her fractured life is turned upside when Ryan is accused of a similar crime, and the accuser is found dead near their home a few days later.

Believe is a real rollercoaster of a ride. It’s twisted and tense and with the dual POVs, the reader is taken on an emotional journey trying to work out who to “believe”.

Govett has a background in the legal field and this is evident throughout the pacing and structure of the story, so if you enjoy psychological thrillers full of tension and twists, grab yourself a copy now.

Trigger warnings for Believe include: rape, sexual assault, trauma, phsyical and sexual violence and PTSD.
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Natalie has spent ten years trying to get over the twin set of events which changed her life forever. The the moment her boss assaulted her. The the moment the jury declared him innocent - and her, a liar. The memories continue to haunt Natalie, and in her attempts to block out the past, she often wakes up with no memory of where she’s been – or what she’s done. So when her husband, Ryan, gets accused of the same crime, Natalie comes perilously close to the edge. Natalie wants to believe him. But when the body of the young woman who made the accusation is found in the woods near their house, Ryan becomes a prime suspect, and Natalie realises she can't trust anyone - herself included...
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I think I've read too many thrillers recently. I really wasn't very into this one. Psychological thrillers don't appeal to me very often as a rule anyway, but I've also read a lot of novels in this genre in the last month so they're not really doing it for me right now.
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Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of this book.

Despite enjoying this thriller it took me weeks to get through when I usually can't wait to grab my kindle so maybe it didn't interest me as some books do.
I sympathised with our main character despite getting frustrated sometimes with her. It was told from 2 perspectives and the detective Stratton was an interesting character who appears quite hard but it was nice to see her softer side towards the end.
I was surprised with the twist at the end and didn't see it coming, which is something I love as often thrillers "twists" can be so predictable.
I'd rate this a 3.5 star rounded to 4 stars , thank you #netgalley for the arc

I got so excited seeing this in the supermarket today knowing that I had already read it and was lucky enough to get a pre release version of it, I loved this book and have already bought a few copies of it for people as presents

Natalie and her husband Ryan live a quiet sort of life, Natalie works from home whilst Ryan works for a marketing company. On the surface they have a lovely life but Natalie struggles with PTSD following an assault some ten years previously when the perpetrator walked free and Natalie was branded a liar. When, out of the blue, Ryan is now accused of a similar crime, Natalie struggles to rationalise this information however, with the discovery of a body, the police are relentless in their search for justice and are determined to make this case stick.

This is a cleverly put together crime novel which is told from Natalie’s perspective alongside that of DI Helen Stratton who is in charge of the investigation. Both women are compelling however, it is Natalie’s unreliability which really makes this such an interesting story. Stratton has her own demons which surface from time to time and although it took me a while to warm to her character I couldn’t help but be impressed with her tenacity. There’s some interesting dynamics between the rest of the detectives, all of which could be explored more if this becomes a crime series. The plot is filled with surprises as you’re never quite sure who to believe, hence the title of the book. I found myself trying to fit the crime to a completely different person only to have my theory completely shattered with the final denouement, which I honestly didn’t see coming.

Believe is a fast paced crime drama which kept my attention from start to finish. I really hope we get to see more of DI Helen Stratton in future crime stories, I have a feeling this one could run and run.

Fast paced and gripping - I was hooked and read this in a matter of days. I loved that it is told from two perspectives; Natalie and DI Stratton. I loved the deep exploration of both characters and how much their trauma was portrayed. Plenty of twists and jaw dropping moments! What a great thriller.

Firstly, thank you to @adventureswithwords and @michaeljbooks for having me on this read along, I really enjoyed being part of this group and loved this book.
 
Natalie has spent 10 years trying to get over two of the worst events in her life. The first was when her boss assaulted her, the second was when a jury found him not guilty. The memories haunt her and she often has black outs and loses periods of time. Her husband is then accused of the very same crime. This brings her close to the edge. Who does she believe? Can she trust herself?

Wow, this book was such an addictive read. I ended up not sticking to the read along schedule towards the end as I just had to keep reading.

I love a book with scenarios such as this. Your husband, your partner in life accused of a terrible crime. You should know your partner but all that doubt that creeps in, how do you go on being together when you don’t know what to believe? Do you believe them unconditionally? But then it is so rare for a woman to lie about something like this. I really felt for Natalie and the situation she was in. It was heartbreaking for her.

This book did a brilliant job of exploring the effects of trauma. It showed how much it affected Natalie’s day to day life, even 10 years later. You feel her pain, you feel for her and the way she is living her life, avoiding socialising and being around lots of people due to the impact the assault has had on her.

I really enjoyed Stratton’s character. She was interesting and complex herself, she wasn’t just another police officer on a case. She’s strong, witty and I enjoyed reading her chapters. I feel like we could see more from Stratton and maybe there could be more stories for her. I’d love a Stratton series.

This book really has you on the edge of your seat. You don’t know who to believe and the twists and turns will have you unable to put this book. Highly recommend this one!

Believe by S. M. Govett is a gripping psychological thriller that hooked me more than I expected. The story follows Natalie, who’s dealing with PTSD and memory blackouts after a traumatic assault. Her world falls apart when her husband is accused of a similar crime and then the accuser turns up dead near their home. As suspicion circles around him, Natalie is left questioning everything, including her own memories.

The story is told in two perspectives: Natalie’s vulnerable, unreliable voice and DI Helen Stratton’s focused, determined investigation. Stratton quickly became one of my favourite parts of the book, she’s sharp, driven, and navigating her own past trauma as she pieces things together. The switch between personal chaos and police procedure adds a lot of depth and keeps the pacing dynamic.

I really appreciated how the book handled trauma and doubt, Natalie’s internal struggle feels raw and believable, and the way the tension builds through her uncertainty is compelling. The pacing picks up quickly, and once it does, it’s hard to put down. The short chapters and constant sense of unease make it easy to keep reading “just one more.”

The twist, when it finally lands, didn’t totally surprise me. I thought I had it figured out, but then I kept second guessing and changing my mind so it could have been anything. .

Overall, Believe is a strong, character-driven thriller that blends emotional depth with a smart, twisty plot. If you enjoy psychological crime fiction that doesn’t shy away from difficult questions and moral ambiguity, I definitely recommend this one. I’d love to see more of DI Stratton in future books.

Wow what a read this was!

The misdirection in this read left my head in a daze!
Loved the character development
Dual povs
It was written beautifully and had such a great pace
Thank you for this experience I had the best time

This felt like a slow burn of a book to start with but overall it delivers on twists and turns. You truly don't know who to believe throughout it.

As each character is introduced you don't know who to believe and you find yourself playing detective as the book progresses. You remember little tidbits from previous chapters and try and piece it all together whilst Stratton and Natalie are doing the same.

I usually don't like books that start as a slow burn but in this case that was a necessity to allow you to fully understand the scene the author is setting out.

Overall it's a great book and makes me want to find more by this author.

An amazing story, I love going from one person to another in chapters, builds the suspense.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Totally stunning! This book is mainly about truth and relationships. The plot is incredibly clever and flows smoothly throughout. All of the characters are credible and well constructed by the author.

I was 72% through the book when I realised I did not know who to "believe". I was very surprised that I was not even able to construct potential ending scenarios.

Move on to 92% and I am no clearer. Again totally surprised and running out of any ideas

The ending was creative and probably in the style of Agatha Christie!

I really enjoyed reading this entertaining book and recommend it to others without hesitation.

What a clever author!!

I am not a fan of reading books where the chapters are from different characters points of view. I find it repetitive. The story was quite good apart from that.

Enjoyed this story each time I read it my thoughts or opinions would change good read that gives you plenty to think about. I enjoyed the plot and the twists and turns.