Omg wow this book is amazing it's full of twists and turns it will keep you up all night I really enjoyed this book

Mags is on her way from Las Vegas to London to see her brother who is in a coma and is not expected to live. Abe it seems, has apparently tried to kill himself jumping over a balcony stairwell where he lives.

However, cracks are begin to show in her brothers life and Mags is sure that he did not jump but was actually pushed. Mags has to pick up where the police have left off to find out the truth about what happened to her brother.

Gripping with twists and turns

Oh my word what an absolutely fantastic book this was. It’s been a while since I’ve had such a wow factor from a book. Loved it.

I chose to read and review an eARC of Tattletale but that has in no way influenced my review.

So this book was a whole lot darker than I ever expected it to be! I like to read fiction that errs on the dark side but with this book, I had to put it down and take a break a couple of times. It's a great book and I enjoyed reading it, but it got under my skin. The way the best fiction does.

Mags returns to the UK following her brother's horrific accident. He's on life support and she's been told to prepare for the worst. She goes to the hospital, meets her brother's devastated fiancee for the first time and tries to come to terms with what has happened. Mags and Abe were never close as children. More like rivals really, out to get the other in trouble as much as possible with their controlling and aggressive father. The divide between the siblings seems too wide now though, and Mags wants to change that before it's too late. So she moves into Abe's flat, spends time with Jody, his fiancee, and starts to discover things she never knew about her brother. But not everything fits. Not everyone is telling Mags the truth. Then she discovers something which makes no sense at all. Who is lying to Mags and why...?

The chapters are broken down into sections and told from one of four perspectives; Jody - Abe's fiancee, Mags, Mira - a neighbour, and an unknown young female narrator whose chapters are harrowing and difficult at times to read. This is probably the most appropriate point in my review to do something I don't normally do, and that's issue a warning. This book contains some very distressing scenes of sexual abuse and rape against children. For that reason, it's not going to be for everyone.

The plot doesn't stop moving from the moment you open the book and I was immediately sucked into the story. The opening packs a punch with its vivid imagery and intriguing characters. There's a feeling though that you, as the reader, aren't party to everything that's going on, or gone on before. You're missing.....'something', but what is it? It's a very intriguing start and the book had its hooks in me from then on. The wonderful sense of impending doom helped as well. I do love a sense of foreboding!

There isn't a lot I can say about the characters without putting my foot in it so I won't go into detail. But I will say, I couldn't decide if I liked or loathed Mags. Mags is the character we spend the most time with and at times I think it may have been a bit of both. She was quite judgmental and superior for a large proportion of the book, which riled me. She rubbed me up the wrong way and I don't think there was any going back from that point.

Would I recommend this book? I would yes, But please heed my warning about the abuse if that's something you like to avoid in your fiction. It has its place in this novel but it's a tough read. Tattletale is a multi-layered, intense read for fans of the psychological suspense genre and one I enjoyed. I did find the ending a smidge far-fetched but as I always say, if you can't stretch the limits a little in fiction, when can you? I also saw one of the twists coming but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of this book as there were plenty more twists and turns coming my way that did surprise me. Recommended.

I chose to read and review an eARC of Tattletale. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

I really really wanted to like this book, but to be honest, I struggled with it, and it took me about a month to finish, which is really unusual for me.

As a few others have said an little confusing in the beginning but well worth sticking with.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Tattletale by Sarah J Naughton is an intriguing and clever psychological thriller and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I found Tattletale to be an intriguing read. I disliked Mags initially but was curious enough to read on, and was slowly drawn into the mystery surrounding Abe’s life and fall. I was gripped by the end, and thought the way the story unfolded was great. The book was well-written and I'll definitely look out for more from this author.

Published by: Trapeze (23rd March 2017)



ISBN: 978-1409170228



Source: Netgalley



Rating: 4.5*



Synopsis:

One day changes Jody's life forever. She has shut herself down, haunted by her memories and unable to trust anyone. But then she meets Abe, the perfect stranger next door and suddenly life seems full of possibility and hope.



One day changes Mags's life forever. After years of estrangement from her family, Mags receives a shocking phone call. Her brother Abe is in hospital and no-one knows what happened to him. She meets his fiancé Jody, and gradually pieces together the ruins of the life she left behind. But the pieces don't quite seem to fit...



Review:

Tattletale is one of those books I've been meaning to read for ages but for some reason I just overlooked. I've promised myself that this year I will read as many books as I can that have been on my TBR for a long while for one reason or another.



I was so impressed by this novel that I looked the author up on goodreads as soon as I finished reading to see how many books she'd written before this one. I was so impressed when I discovered this was her debut. It's intelligently written with such an eye for detail. The author has a real knack for holding the reader's interest and taking them on a journey.



The two central characters here are wonderfully complex, full of personality, flaws, anguish and all that that entails. The plot weaves around them beautifully, and just when you think you know what is going to happen, Sarah J. Naughton throws a curve ball you really weren't expecting! There are twists on top of twists! Brilliant stuff!

A great book with a very unexpected ending.
Mag's has received the upsetting news that her brother Abe, who she has had not contact with for a very long time has had a bad fall and is in a coma. She has been called unexpectedly to his bedside where his devoted girlfriend Jody maintains a vigil. The police believe that the fall was an attempted suicide.
Mag's realises she knows nothing about her brother's life, and as she delves deeper into the circumstances surrounding his accident, she begins to suspect that there is more to Jody's story and resolves to find out exactly what happened.
This is a disturbing story with some unexpected twists and turned, but it was also a compelling read in that as the reader, you find you really want some answers yourself.
I give this book 4 stars.

Tattletale is a complex story of obsessional love, murder and revenge and is filled with secrets and lies.

It took me a while to get into this psychological thriller, I admit, but once everything clicked into place I raced through it, even though it wasn't a comfortable read at times. The book is filled with suspense and covers some dark contemporary themes.

Much of what happens occurs inside the character's heads, and there's also plenty of reading between the lines. Mags, Jody and Mira are all unreliable narrators, so it was difficult to know whether any of them could be trusted. I was intrigued to discover how Mags and Jody's pasts that led to the present day - and how early memories and events can shape children into the adults they become.

Several other characters in the book are also harbouring secrets, which was heartbreaking in places. Clever plotting meant that there were several surprises (although I did guess some of the twists along the way), and one scene in particular made me gasp out loud. The tension builds up to a dramatic ending and a satisfying conclusion.

Bloomin heck!! Great story but this is NOT a tale for the faint hearted. You have been warned. Very enjoyable though.

When I began reading the book it seemed a little disjointed, I couldn't fathom out what was going on and how did it all fit together. I stuck with it and then the main plot of the book took hold of me, and although I had guessed a tiny part of what was happening, there was so much more that I hadn't guessed. I don't do spoilers so I will leave it to see if you guess the same part too.

I think that the characters live in a converted church really added something to the story - I could just picture it all as it was well described but not overly so. Little by little we get to find out more about the main characters and how they became who they are today. There were some quite upsetting scenes mainly from flashbacks as the story is told from different perspectives. I can see they were necessary for the premise of the book story line but I did read them very quickly. The characters are very well drawn and this added to the rawness of what I was reading.

Towards the end of the book when I thought everything was done and dusted, something happened, and I thought aaah!!! that is what happened at the beginning of the book, which I had completely forgotten about. So when I finished the book I went back and read that part again to get the perspective of the complete picture.

A sometimes unpleasant story but overall I really enjoyed reading this book and it kept me guessing to the end. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars and my thanks go to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for a copy of the book to review.

An enjoyable read-needs a bit of concentration at the beginning, but persevere it is well worth it.

A brilliantly twisted story that keeps you guessing until the end

A good enough modern thriller. I found the storyline a bit confusing, sometimes mixing up my characters. However I stuck with it. Mags returns to London after 14 years. She has received a phone call saying her brother Abe has had a fall and is in a coma. Abe's fiancée, Jody, had found him and seems devoted. But does Jody know more than she is letting on? Mags is determined to get to the truth!

Gripping read from the start. Real page turner! Highly recommended

I found this a little confusing with the characters in the beginning, but once I got my head round who was who, I was hooked.

Abe is in a coma after falling over the 4th floor bannister where he lives. His sister, Mags comes over from the US to be by his bedside and when she arrives she meets Jody his neighbour and girlfriend. Mags tries to piece together how it happened with the help of Jody and Abe's neighbours, all is not as it seems though.

A great psychological thriller, 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Two very, very different women star in Tattletale by Sarah J. Naughton. Both have suffered through miserable childhoods. One fell in love with her neighbour, the other fell in love with her career. And now they meet, after a shocking moment of violence that ricochets through both their lives, and changes everything for both of them.

[book-info]

First Line of Tattletale by Sarah J. Naughton

“On a clear morning the sun shines so strongly though the stained glass it looks as if the concrete floor is awash with blood.”

My Thoughts on Tattletale by Sarah J. Naughton

I’ll be honest this book is very confusing at the beginning. And I started it once, set it aside. Then picked it up months later to give it another chance. This time I pushed though the initial stages, and what a difference it made!

It’s a puzzling read that kept me guessing and guessing. Once I knew who the main characters were, and how their stories slotted together I was gripped.

Things I loved about Tattletale by Sarah J. Naughton

Disturbing setting! Jody and Abe live in an old church that has been converted into flats. Think stained glass windows, high, high ceilings filled with dusty air, a dingy foyer and lots of unhappy residents. This set a dark tone that really added to the atmosphere.

Complex Family Relationships: Through flashbacks we grasp just why the characters are messed up, estranged from family, and wary.

Puzzling, well executed plot: I didn’t guess what was happening until the some major foreshadowing spelt it out for me.

Characters that crawled under my skin, even though on first impressions I didn’t like any of them very much. By the end, I admired their tenacity and bravery.

Conflicting themes: There is a theme of making peace with the past, and paradoxically revenge.

Things that didn’t quite sit right with me

Melodramatic: There were a lot of events, and some of them pushed the boundaries of what’s believable. I didn’t over analyse and just went with the flow. But it does feel off, and detracts slightly from my enjoyment.

Overall though, an exciting read that makes me very glad that I gave this book a second chance. Do be aware that it’s not a light read, and it deals with some very heavy subject matter (abuse).

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Who should read Tattletale by Sarah J. Naughton?

I’d recommend this if you like psychological thrillers that focus on why characters behave as they do. Fans of authors such as C L Taylor, Tina Seskis, or Sophie Hannah should also enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration. As always, no matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion

I really enjoyed this book.

I didn't find the characters the most likeable, but that didn't prevent me from becoming eager to read more and uncover the mystery within the novel. And while I didn't particularly like the characters, they were all really interesting with their own back stories enabling you to really get to know the main characters and delve deep.

The whole story was written really well and everything was tied up with some unexpected twists and turns along the way. Naughton's writing is clever, suspenseful and emotive, all making for a very enjoyable read.