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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

'The Escape' is a psychological thriller that sees twenty something social media influencer, Adele, 'go live' asking her followers to crowdfund her purchase of a French chateau. Opinions and feelings run high following this controversial plea, leading Adele to remorse as she receives more than her fair share of trolling. In a surprising twist of fate however, a mysterious donor offers to fund Adele's dream purchase - in return all that is required of Adele and partner, Jack, is that they agree to a few fairly standard conditions. Next thing we know, Adele's sister, Erin, is visiting the chateau in a mercy mission to take Adele home to visit their dying mother before it is too late. Erin discovers the chateau is deserted, with no sign of Adele and Jack having resided there at all.

This book features 2 distinct timelines, one is Adeles' pre new-years eve timeline documenting her new life in France. The second is a post new years eve timeline in which Erin reports Adele as missing and goes on her own mission to locate her sister.

This book reveals some dark secrets, and delightfully there are some plot twists along the way. I found the book to be well written, intriguing and have finished the book feeling thoroughly entertained!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

"The Escape" by Ruth Kelly is a suspenseful and captivating thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Adele and Jack's journey from struggling influencers to the owners of a French château takes an ominous turn as they disappear, leaving Adele's sister Erin on a quest to uncover the truth. Kelly masterfully weaves a web of mystery, secrets, and a hostile town that adds layers of tension to the narrative. The novel explores the dark side of online fame and obsession while delivering a gripping and unpredictable plot. As Erin delves deeper into the château's history and the enigmatic benefactor, readers are taken on a thrilling ride filled with twists and turns. "The Escape" is a page-turner that will keep you guessing until the final revelation.

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!

Rating: 4.5/5

Ruth Kelly may well be a new name to many readers. It certainly was to me, until I read her previous (debut) novel, "The Villa". However, she is already an experienced and award-winning journalist who has also been responsible for ghost-writing a number of Sunday Times bestsellers. Having read "The Villa" I was so glad that Ruth Kelly is now publishing books under her own name and there was never any doubt that I was going to be coming back for her next book.

"The Escape" builds on the promise shown by this author in "The Villa" and delivers something even better. Adele Davenport is an online influencer - not an entirely successful one, but that doesn't prevent her from dreaming big. When she hits upon the idea of using crowdfunding to pay for a luxurious French château in need of renovation, she doesn't anticipate how poorly it is going to be received on social media. However, her surprise at the vitriol she is subjected to pales into insignificance compared with the shock of a mysterious anonymous benefactor offering to buy the château for Adele and her partner, Jack. Surely this is an offer that is just too good to be true ... isn't it?!

The setting works wonderfully well and even though it is a contemporary one, there is a sense of the Gothic about it and the supporting characters have a distinct du Maurier-like sinister menace about them. The novel deals with some quite dark themes and at times it put me in mind of something that might have been penned by Dennis Wheatley, such as "The Devil Rides Out". As in Ruth Kelly's previous novel, the characters are well-drawn and credible. The scenarios, whilst unusual, are still believable, which makes the growing tension are the more palpable. The pace of the novel is close to faultless. Yes, there are times when events develop a little more slowly, but only when it is appropriate for them to do so. At other times it is genuinely edge-of-the-seat stuff.

If Ruth Kelly continues to deliver entertaining reading material of this standard then she is definitely going to become one of my "must read" authors. Her first two books have already set her off on that path.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

Ruth Kelly's novel, 'The Escape', follows the story of Adele, an influencer going through a rough patch with her partner, Jack. They receive an offer from an unknown benefactor who provides them with a French chateau. Adele and Jack see this as a chance to start fresh and escape their troubles. Adele intends to document the process of renovating the chateau for her followers on social media. However, the dream quickly turns into a nightmare as Adele's videos suddenly stop, and she and Jack vanish.
Erin, the sister of Adele, delves into the couple's disappearance and uncovers unsettling truths about the chateau and its surrounding town. The story is enthralling, filled with surprises that keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters are intricately crafted, and the plot is perfectly paced, with the tension steadily increasing.
Although some aspects of the plot may appear improbable, like the sudden gift of a flawless French chateau, the narrative is good, making it effortless to disregard these minor discrepancies. The Escape is an exhilarating piece of literature I recommend to anyone who appreciates a compelling mystery. Ruth Kelly has achieved a remarkable feat with this book, and I am excited to explore more of her writing in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this thriller. The characters and the plot were well thought out. The plot was well paced with a few twists.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Escape. I wasn't sure about the book at first as I have an immediate aversion to anything that starts with social media talk. However I'm pleased to say it soon developed into a cracking story. Adele who seems very dissatisfied with her life, and her partner Jack are 'gifted' a château in France after she sets up a GoFundMe site to buy one! Unsurprisingly certain, distinctly dodgy clauses are written into their contract by their rich benefactor. Alarm bells ringing for anyone??? For the first few months things appear to go well then the benefactor wants to throw a New Year's Eve party, moving them out for the duration much to Adele's disgust.
Now the trouble really starts!! From this point the story goes from strength to strength with the surprises and twists coming thick and fast! A thoroughly enjoyable read well deserving of 5 stars.

Everything comes with a price. When Adele uploads a video to a crowdfunding site asking for money to buy a French château, the first reactions are derision and contempt. Then a lawyer contacts her offering the château for free. Of course, there are rules. She can create a vlog about her life in the French countryside but she can’t have guests or do major or unapproved alterations. The costliest price has been left unsaid. So Adele and her partner Jack move to France and the massive, historic and somewhat creepy château. The villagers are sullen and resentful, the gardener not so secretly spies on Adele and Jack is preoccupied with…what?

This is Adele’s story. Her sister Erin, narrating alternate chapters, has come to France to search for Adele and Jack, missing since New Year’s Eve. Not surprisingly, no one wants to help her. The villagers are, of course, unfriendly and the local police ignore her. She must unravel the mystery of Adele’s disappearance by herself. She will discover that the château holds many secrets. Most should stay hidden.

The Escape is a fast-paced wild ride full of surprise and tension. Who thought “Escape to the Château” repackaged as an influencer vlog would have mystery, terror, sex, drugs and murder as themes? Don’t miss this one! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Ruth Kelly for this ARC.

The Escape was my first read by author Ruth Kelly (at least I think so, she is a prolific ghost writer!) and I knew from the first few pages that I would be in good hands. The Escape tells the story of Erin whose sister has disappeared shortly after moving to her dream-home: a fairytale castle in France. However, there are lots of questions to be answered - such as how has she managed to afford to live there, why has she stopped her regular vlogging and where are her and her husband now?

The book jumps between two main perspectives – Erin in the present on her quest to find her sister and sister Adele in flashback telling how she moved to France and her discoveries in her dream home. This is also intercut with Sky News transcripts which are happening in the present day and this worked to drip-feed information and keep the tension high. I found myself immersed in both timelines; the plot is perfectly paced to keep you hooked and I finished it in just a few sittings.

A lot of Adele’s chapters are written as transcripts from her Vlogs as she is a social media influencer, which also includes ‘stage directions’ in bold. I thought this really worked well and was an interesting mechanic. The book in general shows the darker side to social media and the price of opening up your personal life to be an Influencer which I thought was well integrated into the plot.

The plot itself took a turn into a place that I was very much not expecting (no spoilers!), but it was an interesting twist. Although the ending ties up the main story, there is a bit of a cliff-hanger and potential for some of the characters to work together on solving the over-arching threat that is introduced in this book. I will certainly keep an eye out for more books by this author and would be very interested to hear more about the characters of this book as well!

Overall, The Escape is a perfectly paced and gripping read – highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley & Pan Macmillan for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Influencer Adele dreams of a new life in a French chateau with her boyfriend Jack and is shocked when a mystery person offers to buy them their dream home. Adele believes filming her new life in the chateau will kick off her influencing career, however when she arrives the locals are hostile. Suddenly her videos stop and it’s down to sister Erin to travel
To France to fight for the truth about what has happened to the couple and why a random investor would gift the home in the first place.

I enjoyed The Villa, the author’s previous work so was looking forward to trying The Escape. This was another enjoyable read. There is a dark, foreboding atmosphere throughout the book and I enjoyed the cold, French setting as this added extra tension to the story. The characters were well written and I liked the two perspectives, including the chapters written as vlogs. The story starts off fairly simple but then takes a strange turn which adds an interesting, unique element. There were plenty of twists and turns which made the book very entertaining. Overall this was another fun, well written (although slightly crazy) story by this author which I will recommend. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this copy in return for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ruth Kelly has undeniably become one of those authors whose works I instinctively purchase. After immersing myself in "The Villa," a chilling suspense that delves into the murky world of reality dating shows, I found "The Escape" equally riveting, masterfully capturing the menacing aspects of social media.

The tale begins with an intense prologue. Adele, a popular YouTuber, hastily records a video, hinting at lurking danger. The once dreamy mansion now seems like a web of deceit and horror. What exactly transpired?

The story then adopts a dual timeline - taking us back to Adele's past, recounting a video mishap and the intriguing offer from an anonymous benefactor: a majestic chateau in Burgundy, laced with strings attached, including a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Meanwhile, in the present timeline, Erin, Adele's elder sister, searches for her, compelled by their ailing mother's waning days.

Both timelines eventually converge, escalating tension and peril. While the narrative occasionally veers towards the dramatic with some over-the-top antagonists, the book's brisk pace, combined with cliffhanger chapter endings, ensures readers remain hooked, eager to unravel the mystery. In the end, it's a thoroughly satisfying and unpredictable psychological thriller. If you're craving an evocative journey set amidst the snowy landscapes of France, this book is a perfect pick. Hauntingly atmospheric! 📚❄️

Loved this book!!!

4.5 starts really good mystery didnt see the ending coming and kept me wanting to pick the book up another great book by Ruth Kelly.