My thanks to Michael Joseph publishing and NetGalley for a copy of “ Believe” for an honest review.

Wow what a brilliant debut book by S M Govett
This was a rollercoaster read that had me guessing right to the end , and what a total surprise it was !
The characters, in particular the two main women, were well written and the storyline was suspenseful and fast paced.
The book is equally as good as any other psychological thriller, written by well established authors,, and hopefully there will be more to come !

A fast paced crime procedural that kept me guessing til the end. The female protagonists were well written, their back stories interesting. An enjoyable read from an author I will look out for in the future.

5* A police procedural with excellent flawed characters, including the DC, and an 'I didn't see that coming ending'. Great intro to this author.

Well, I have to repeat myself - I didn't see this ending coming at all. The author had me convinced - trying not to spoiler here - that a certain person must've been out if their right mind when doing the things that a deceased had confessed to, to a person who very plausibly didn't turn up until the very end if the book. Things really went down to the wire here, especially where the actions of a certain detective were concerned.

You don't really get to know the characters well in this, just enough that you get a feel for their lives and I think that that's deliberate on the author's part, to make their supposed crimes/misdemeanours believable. Bottom line is he/she/they had me totally believing that a certain person had to have committed the crimes, only for the stunning reveal that in hindsight perhaps I should have had an inkling about. An excellent read, my first 5* of 2025.

A twist you won't expect!

Two strong female characters with stories to unfold.
Natalie, the victim? Stratton, the police investigator (with a past that is unresolved).

This is fast paced and makes you guess the whole way through as to who is telling the truth. The ending was a big surprise

Believe is a story about Assault and what it leaves behind.
While I enjoyed reading this, I did find it was dragging on a lot near the end, and I was hoping for a more original resolution

I have just finished reading the brilliant Believe by Sarah M. Govett, and the first thought that comes to mind is how perfectly this novel would translate into a film or a televised series. It’s that good, in my opinion. This psychological thriller is gripping, mysterious, cerebral, and full of surprises. Sarah Govett masterfully keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. I had to force myself to put it down at 1:45 a.m. this morning, as I was about 75% through, but the moment I woke up, I had to dive straight back in—it’s that much of a page-turner.

The story follows four main characters, each bringing a unique perspective and depth to the narrative. Alongside them is a strong supporting cast, including Pavarotti—who, incidentally, has got to be my favorite character. Ryan and Natalie appear to have the perfect life: a beautiful suburban home in an affluent part of London, successful careers, and a seemingly bright future. But scratch beneath the surface, and you’ll quickly realize that things aren’t quite as idyllic as they seem.

Then we have DI Stratton and DS Bradley, a newly paired duo investigating a murder near Ryan and Natalie’s home. Stratton is fiercely intuitive, relying heavily on gut instinct, sometimes to a fault, while Bradley is more methodical, leaving no stone unturned and meticulously following every lead. Their dynamic adds another layer of intrigue to the story, as their different investigative styles create tension and challenge assumptions.

What makes Believe so compelling is its ability to keep you guessing until the very last pages. Throughout the novel, I cycled through a few potential suspects, convinced I was onto something—only to have Sarah Govett completely pull the rug from under me. The twists and turns are expertly crafted, making for a thrilling and unpredictable ride.

Without hesitation, I’m giving this book a solid five out of five stars. If you’re a television producer reading this, please do us all a favor and adapt this into a mini-series or film—it’s that good. Believe is an incredibly strong debut novel, a triumph that is packed with tension, dark intrigue, and an utterly compulsive narrative.

A huge thank you to Sarah Govett and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review. If you love psychological thrillers that keep you guessing, Believe is an absolute must-read.

Believe by S. M. Govett is a novel due to be published in June 2025 and was provided as an advance reader copy by Netgalley pre-publication in exchange for an impartial review.

Natalie is a work from home legal advisor, married to Ryan, and has an almost perfect lifestyle. However, 10 years earlier, when working office based, she was assaulted and raped by her former boss. She reported the crime, which went to court but when a not-guilty verdict was awarded Natalie's life fell apart for the first time. Then when her assaulter died from a heart attack his wife commenced her vendetta against her, with a campaign of anonymous threatening messages which over time led to her suffering from PTSD as well cognitive blackouts. The blackouts are frequent and terrifying to Natalie as she not only loses consciousness, but she can also move and complete actions which she has no memory of. With medical support and the support of Ryan, she rebuilds her life, moves house and for a period of 10 years she is blackout free.

Then years later, out of the blue Natalie receives a familiar threatening anonymous message, delivered from a local post office, and Natalie begins to suffer her symptoms of PTSD again, accompanied by the blackouts. One example sees Natalie losing conscious awareness for some time, regaining awareness of her circumstances lay down in her garden filthy, having pruned her roses, which was a task she was planning for later, completely unaware of what she was doing. Then, when Ryan comes home from work having been suspended following an accusation of sexual assault of a co-worker, Natalie's world unravels entirely. Ryan is the centre of her universe, her rock, and with the accusation of rape against him, Natalie wants to believe he is innocent, but it is Natalie's firm belief that there's no reason why a woman would make such a false accusation leading her to doubt Ryan's innocence.

Natalie is working resolutely to back her husband, but when the TV shares the news of the discovery of a body of a young woman found in woods near her home, and the body is later identified as being that of her husband’s accuser, with Ryan the prime suspect then this pushes Natalie to the edge of her belief systems, where she not only begins to doubt Ryan, but also starts to understand that she can't really trust anyone, herself included!

The story is told jointly from the perspective of Natalie and also Detective Inspector Helen Stratton. Stratton herself has demons she is battling, having joined the Police herself after her teenage sister went missing years earlier and her and her mother felt the Police could have done more for them in their hour of need. After this, she is continuously battling to do all she can for every victim she comes into contact with.

As a debut novel it is highly accomplished and demonstrates a very good ability to build a story and to hold tension through the twists and turns. There's also evidence of a strong attention to detail and some interesting reference points into police procedures. The character interaction is excellent and there is a real atmosphere and tautness to the storytelling as a result. There are no easy give-aways leading the reader to obvious plot twists, and it does keep you guessing right to the end. However, there is a BUT. There are a couple of pet hates of mine, which are included within the book. When Ryan admits to Natalie what he has been accused of, it is clear that this is going to have a devastating effect on her, however what isn't plausible, in my view, is her immediate reaction. Yes, her unlikely reaction did allow the plot to develop in a certain way, but in my view, it could have been handled in a much more realistic manner. There's also a further example of implausibility towards the end when explaining the rationale for one of the perpetrators acting the way they did. Whilst these didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book, they are personal vexations, which I occasionally come across and to be honest, I can't excuse them as they do point towards lazy writing and plot development and in this case reduced what could have been a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to just a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ psychological thriller. However, as a debut writer, this is definitely on to watch and follow.

Utterly compelling to keep reading, it was impossible to put down towards the end!

I loved this book from beginning to end.

It was a great format, bouncing between the two main characters from different perspectives of the same unfolding events.

The back story gracefully filtered into the main story..

So much is suggested and you try to work it out, but I did not see the end coming at all.

Superbly crafted and highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an absolutely fantastic read—my best book of 2025 so far! The story is told from two points of view. First, there’s Natalie, who, ten years ago, survived a traumatic rape. When her husband, Ryan, is accused of committing the same crime, she begins to question everything. To make matters worse, she’s experiencing blackouts and lost time, leaving her unable to remember crucial details. Then, the accuser is found dead the day after making her allegations, and Natalie starts doubting the man she thought she knew so well.

The second perspective is from Stratton, the detective leading the murder investigation. I don’t usually enjoy books where the police play a central role, as they can be too procedural, but this one is anything but—it’s deeply personal, and Stratton is a very likable character.

I 100% recommend this book! A five-star psychological thriller that will stay with me for a long time.

4.75 stars rounded down. Told in alternating viewpoints, we see cop Stratton and wife/victim Natalie tell the story of how Natalie’s husband is accused of rape and then the accuser turns up dead… to say much more would spoil the surprises I think, but this had twists and turns and yet more twists. Really enjoyed it and would recommend.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

Natalie has been having blackouts since a terrible incident in her past.
Her husband has just been accused of a crime and Natalie’ sets out to prove him innocent.
Helen a detective is looking for her sister who went missing as a teenager many years ago.
A slow moving story told in alternate chapters from two different characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what can I say, if you love thrillers you will love this book. You think you have worked it all out and then the clever author throws in another twist. I loved Stratton character and her back story which made her so relatable as a character.. i do hope there are going to be more books featuring Stratton as I will be purchasing.
Cleverly written, hooks you from the beginning to end.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I love a psychological thriller, and this one hit just the spot. Very glad to have picked it up.

The story itself kept me hooked all the way through. I found I could trust no one completely, and that only heightened my "one more chapter" mentality because I wanted to discover who the real criminal was! It was hard to read it times due to the subject, but not at all in a bad way. I think it was written in a way that showed the true horrors of cases like this, how gruesome they can be, and how malicious people can be.

S.M. Govett's writing is good, and I felt that everything was very cohesive and well planned out.

Overall, I had a good time reading this, and I recommend it to fell psychological thriller/crime lover.

WOW!! What a book. I haven’t read such a fast paced, intriguing book in a very long time. I’m usually quick to figure out what’s going on but this book gripped me until the last few pages! I’m pretty sure my mouth flew open when it was all revealed. I absolutely loved the writing style and the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a free advanced copy in return for an honest review

DNF @25%

The writing was so disjointed, I actually found it quite hard to read. I will come back to another time but I found the switching of the voices difficult.

What an absolutely fantastic debut. After a fair few fantasy (some more disappointing than others) I needed a good strong thriller to grab my attention. I read the blurb on this one and knew instantly this one was for me
In this book we are introduced to Natalie and Ryan who on paper seem a very strong couple. However. All is not what it seems when Ryan is accused of rape and especially when the victim is found murdered just a few minutes from their home
I thought I had this book all figured out. I genuinely thought the author had made it too easy and was thinking “it’s obvious”. Then a couple of red herrings were thrown in and I changed my mind again but still felt “it’s obvious”. The actual culprit was never on my suspect list nor the motive. A very clever, gripping legal thriller.
This book is very easy to read and took me little over 24 hours to read. It really was a page turner.
Thank you to the publisher for the netgalley.
This one is out in June and one to Defintely add to your wishlist

Believe - S.M Govett

Loved it! This is one of the best books I’ve read for a while.


I thought I had an idea from the start who the antagonist was and I kept believing I was right, right up until the end when I was wrong, very wrong. 😑


Cleverly written and I’d definitely recommend.


Bravo! 👏

A brilliantly messed up story that you can't get enough of as you read through. So many questions, so much potential....

This book started just a little slow for me but when it took off I was thinking that I knew where the story was heading but how wrong I was. I was left kicking my self because the clues had definitely been there!

When Natalie's husband gets accused of rape , she doesn't know who to believe.
This an extremely well written, thriller. In fact the quality of the prose was a little distracting and slowed down the first half of the book . The 2nd half of the book the pace really picks up and you will constantly be changing your mind about who done it. The ending was a complete surprise.
Whilst there are two narrators, I did get the feeling that Govett was setting up potential for a "Stratton" series and I would definitely read a follow-up novel.