I'm a little late in reviewing this, so some of the finer details have slipped away... but I wanted to at least say something about He Said/She Said as it is - and I expect will remain - the best thriller I've read this year. Erin Kelly is so excellent at writing books that use the typical genre tropes (in this case, the ever-popular dual character AND past/present perspective, a sinister girl from the past, characters who have changed their names and gone into hiding, etc etc) but managing to elevate them into something deeper and more compelling. The characters are appealing and well-developed - you totally root for Laura and Kit's relationship and for them individually and it's genuinely upsetting when their marriage is in complete shambles by the end, pretty much beyond repair. She also knows how to write a twist that's actually a twist - there were a few plot developments that I would never have seen coming, but that still make sense in the context of the story.

But possibly the best part of the book is actually totally unrelated to the mystery - it's the completely fascinating narrative backdrop of the eclipses. Kit and Laura are eclipse chasers, something I knew next to nothing about, but which threw me into one of those Wikipedia rabbit holes when I was finished. It's an unexpected topic for a book like this, and the detail provided gives the story so much rich atmosphere.

I'm also a sucker for a surprising or clever ending, and this one has a great little kick...

4 truly suspenseful stars

Read through the courtesy of NetGallery

“Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies.”
― Dorothy Allison, Bastard Out of Carolina

The author does a wonderful job presenting this tale of liars, deceivers, a possible rape, and psychologically deficit characters. This suspense introduces us to a cast of characters that oftentimes can not be taken at face value. For our two main characters, Kit and Laura, their journey into the realm of this gripping novel occurs at an eclipse festival. Kit has been following eclipses all his life and although this is Laura's first foray into eclipse watching, she is totally mesmerized. However, something happens that disturbs the beauty of the moment. During the festival Laura stumbles up on a couple (Jamie and Beth) and sees something awful. The man, Jamie, denies what Laura has seen and the story takes off from there. A trial ensues with Laura and Kit being called as witnesses. A conviction happens.

Fifteen years go by, during which we find that Laura and Kit have married and have changed their last name in order to escape from Beth. She finds them and the story then weaves an intricate tale where lines are blurred and circumstances are ever so twisted. Told through the voices of the main characters each chapter brings the reader deeper and deeper into their circumstances while the lies pile up one atop another.

How far would you go to conceal a lie? Can one be so desperate that they knowingly place someone they care about in peril? The lives of the four protagonists swerve and intermingle in a frightening
manner. The author manages to keep one guessing until we reach the conclusion where all that once seemed evident is now thrown into turmoil. Does anyone win this struggle? Can all these lies make something ever become right again?

This was truly a tale of intrigue, of broken promises, of love, of loss, and the results of what untruths do to us and the lives we lead.

Kit and Laura are a married couple that have spent most of their married years in hiding from the past. Kit had grown up with a passion for viewing eclipses and wanted to share the passion with Laura but fifteen years ago while attending a festival in Cornwall to see a total eclipse of the sun the pair came across more than they bargained for.

Walking through a deserted part of the festival Kit and Laura come across Beth and Jamie and what looks to be Jamie raping Beth. Calling the police Kit and Laura end up involved in the upcoming trial as the only witnesses and hope to get justice for Beth. But trying to do the right thing ended up haunting them for years to come when things weren’t always what they seemed to be in what was a case of he said/she said.

The first half of He Said/She Said had a very slow build time to it as the story begins to be told from the alternating prospective of Kit and Laura. They are living in current time expecting twins with Kit still following his passion of chasing eclipses. The story would switch from the current to fifteen years before telling of when they’d found Beth and Jamie and the following trial. During this time I was interested in what made them hide but finding the story more sad from what a woman would have to go through when reporting a rape.

The second half of this book however turns up the heat taking the reader on plenty of twists and turns that you would never expect from the plot building in the first half. I won’t mention any specifics but once you find out the whys and hows the author then continues to throw more into the mix that had this reader on the edge of my seat wanting to know just how it would all turn out. Quite the interesting end to this one and definitely would recommend checking it out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

What a thriller! So suspenseful! Did not see that ending coming

"Betrayal is subjective; proportionate to trust."

Kit and Laura are into chasing total eclipses. Passionately in love and certain of their future, they are ruined by an encounter they have with Beth on Lizard Point in 1999. After that, they change their names and try to avoid her for 15 years. Why? A trial and lots of secrets propel this narrative.

This book took me forever to read. Although the subject of eclipses was fascinating (especially given that I intend to be there for a total eclipse that is to have totality near my home in August), the story and conclusion left me cold. I found that I didn't care for any of the characters and the writing was not compelling. No tension, no suspense -- nothing but an empty feeling about 3/4 of the way through just wading through to the bitter end. Anyone who doesn't see the "twist" coming a mile away must be sleep reading. Although sort of about rape, it really isn't. As I said, the characters seemed flat and behaved in the most ridiculous fashion. It's funny that I did not find the magic within this as I did with BROADCHURCH, the other book by this author that I really loved. I wouldn't classify this as a suspense thriller, I guess a psychological domestic drama would be my label.

I did finish it eventually and was glad to close the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the e-book ARC to read and review. Not recommended.

This was a great thriller of a book! So many twists and turns. I really liked how the book went from present time to the past to explain everything that is going on in the book. There are so many secrets and lies in the past and the present that keeps the book very interesting and keeps you guessing until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

WOW! What a fantastic book. This is the first book I have read by Erin Kelly, and certainly will not be the last. This book took me a little bit longer to read than usual, but not because it was a slow book. In fact, it is quite the opposite. But the topic is weighty and the plot is so good and the characters so well developed that I often found myself needing time to “digest” what I just read after every few chapters.

I think that this book is being marketed as a “psychological thriller”, but honestly, I do not think that is the right genre for He Said / She Said. This is literary fiction, a domestic drama, a love story, it is how one decision in a single moment changes your life forever and how you go on after. The topic is dark (rape), but it is not a dark, twisty type of book. And it is not a “Gone Girl” style of book where you can’t trust your narrator. Laura and Kit are very likeable and reliable.

The plot is thick and constantly has you wondering, what could have possibly happened to affect Laura and Kit so deeply? The story is told in alternating time lines, past and present, and I was fully absorbed in both. There are twists and turns along the way as the full picture comes together. Some are subtle and some are down right “gasp out loud” worthy. Don’t read too much about the plot, the book synopsis tells you everything you need to know before you dig right in.

I would highly recommend this book. I was captivated from the very first page and stayed that way until the very last sentence. Do yourself a favor and get this book.

Started off hard to get into. The story itself was great, but it took a long time to get there. A lot could have been left out to get the same result. I also found myself annoyed at some of the language used - "We eschewed the stages and bars for the shade of trees".

The author did have a good ability of making me feel agitated and creeped out throughout the story - I knew something was coming but just wasn't sure what was going to happen. I changed my mind several times throughout the book, and couldn't wait to get to the end (though I didn't particularly want it to be over) to find out what was actually going on. I was not expecting the ending at all, which is awesome, its rare to be blindsided.

Overall, a great book.

This book was so much more than I expected. Erin Kelly knows how to write suspense in a way I have hoped to see from so many other books that had such large hype surround them. In fact, this is exactly what I was hoping to read when I was reading books like Girl on the Train.

He Said/She Said is a story about perception. And depending on who you listen to, you will get a completely different story. We as readers and society are easily swayed. The main characters of the novel, Kit and Laura, witness a sexual assault in the minutes following a solar eclipse. This encounter forever changes their lives, as they are called to testify in the subsequent court case. And here is where I make the book sound really cheesy by saying “it all comes down to what he says versus what she says.” If I had read that before reading the book, I would have rolled my eyes and moved onto the next book. And that’s where you would be mistaken. I just can’t say anymore without giving anything away. Just trust me, and give it a shot.

This book was well paced and kept me wrapped up in the story, always curious to know what developed next, in order to get the complete story. There were points I thought I knew where the book was going, and I got so mad on a personal level that I contemplated putting it down permanently, but I am so glad I kept going. The execution of the plot was perfect.

I guess I should not have been surprised that such an accomplished author could write such a well composed novel. Kelly is, after all, the mind behind Broadchurch, a book I have been meaning to read for ages so that I can then watch the show (which just happens to feature the best Doctor ^.^ )

I just couldn't get into this book. Didn't seem interesting to me

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Good Psychological Suspense book. Highly recommend.

After seeing a brutal attack at a festival during a solar eclipse, Laura's and Kit's lives are changed forever. But whose version of events are true?--Laura's, Kit's, the victim's--or the accused?

Told in alternating chapters, story covers the present and fifteen years earlier as well as each character's version of the truth. Secrets, lies and misconceptions abound.

OK, I'll admit I was skeptical at first--the back & forth/past & present thing is hardly original anymore, but I will say Erin Kelly is still at the top of her game. This is not a fast-paced thriller, but rather a slowly building darkness that creeps up on you as the reader. Just when you think you know what's going to happen, Kelly throws in another twist.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for a copy of this book.

You know those jaw dropping thrillers that you are anxious to get your hands on? The ones that make you second guess everything you thought up until the last minute when it changes in a thrilling instant? The kind that have characters who are as intriguing as the story line itself? Well friends, this one is it and I couldn't recommend it more to my fellow book lovers. This is the first novel I have read from the author and I can promise you that it won't be my last. In fact, after reading this one I feel that I need to go back and read the authors previous work because they are just too good to look past. Now you can count me in as a fan girl because this book was everything I wanted and more. Highly recommended!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Kit and Laura, two students, are in Cornwall for the 1999 solar eclipse (I went to Devon for it!). Immediately after the eclipse Laura comes across Beth being raped by Jamie. Laura intervenes and later gives evidence at Jamie's trial. However, 15 years later (so 2015) Laura and Kit have changed their names and live in constant fear of Beth. Despite this, Kit is off to see another eclipse, leaving Laura, pregnant with twins, at home. Laura has begun to wonder if what she saw was really rape.

The story constantly flicks back and forth between 1999/2000 and the "present" of 2015 and varies between Kit and Laura's perspectives. The chapters were very short and, perhaps because I am now so old that the year 2000 seems to have occurred relatively recently, it was a constant struggle for me to keep track of where we were in the time line. I found the novel to be well-written, although the first half dragged a bit and then the second half contained so many twists and turns I got quite dizzy. I spent the first half wondering why Kit and Laura seemed to have reacted in quite such extreme ways to what had happened. Although some of this was explained during the "big reveals" towards the end, I was left with the feeling that SPOILERS most people could do what Kit had done without throwing away an academic career and instead working snapping lenses into frames. Also, how did they afford their trip to Zambia when Kit was doing said lens-snapping and Laura was too ill to work? SPOILERS END

The way the author reveals more and more of the truth of what really happened while preserving ambiguity where it matters was very clever, but I'm only giving this book three stars because it was ultimately joyless and squalid somehow. All the characters kept secrets and believed their secrets were more important than the truth. As the narrative made clear, they suffered for the decisions they made, but it was really depressing having to hear about it. The very ending made my stomach turn. I can see that for a lot of readers, this would be a very good book, but the characters were all too morally compromised for me.

He Said/She Said is a slow building psychological thriller filled with crazy characters and some surprising twists and turns.

The narrative is divided up into parts that correlate to the stages of a total eclipse of the sun.
In 1999, college sweethearts Kit and Laura attend an eclipse festival in Cornwall where they interrupt a rape. Laura befriends the victim, Beth. After testifying at Beth’s trial, Laura and Kit think that they are though with this horrible event. However, Beth inserts herself into their lives creating havoc. She scares them to the point where they question whether or not she was truly a victim. Fast forward 15 years later, Kit and Laura have gone to extreme measures to hide from Beth.

Told from Kit and Laura’s alternating POV’s, it eventually becomes clear that all is not what it seems.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; I thought I had things figured out, but I got totally taken in by one of the characters and didn’t read between the lines to see the truth. Then there was that unsettling last sentence!
This is not an action packed read, rather it is fueled by an undercurrent of tension that gradually builds to reach an explosive point. I would definitely recommend!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A great read, well-written and entertaining, with an original plot.

A fine, spooky, and intriguing thriller. I love it when I think I've figured out what's going on only to figure out I didn't have a clue. Wonderful, but honest, misdirection in the service of the story.

Really tried to stick to this book but after 150 pages gave up. Too much of going nowhere.

When Jamie is accused of raping Beth, Laura and Kit come to her aid. But in the years to come, Laura's lie on the witness stand haunts her. Jamie sends threatening mail from prison and Laura is powerless to prevent her life, Kit's, and their unborn twins lives from spinning out of control. This is a great mystery with a few twists that will keep you guessing. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Just as there are different phases in an eclipse, so are there different phases to this book!
Eclipse chasers Kit and Laura are set to experience their first eclipse together at one of many festivals held around the world. For the couple this will be the adventure of a lifetime, special memories to be shared between them both. Perhaps even some day with their children. (If they make it that far). Instead, what they witness will change their lives forever.
Told from both Kit and Laura's p.o.v, the story incorporates two separate time-lines. Present day and 15 years earlier, when everything began spiraling out of control. Sounds a bit complicated, but as the book progresses things begin falling into place.
Cleverly composed, it is divided into sections that parallel the different phases of an eclipse. So in keeping with that theme I’ll to divide my review into 2 separate parts.
1st half: Started a little long-winded and never quite held my attention. A great premise, but it didn't feel like it had either focus or direction. I had a hard time relating to the characters, wondering if I’d actually be able to finish it.
2nd half: literally half-way through, gratefully, things took a 180 degree turn and was finally off and running. I was rewarded for my patience! The suspense dialed up and I couldn't put it down. Suddenly there were curves I never saw coming. (Actually gasped twice!)
Sorry to say I can't reveal much more about the story-line without giving it away. Just know there are many sides to a story. Don’t forget – what may first appear straightforward may be anything but…

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Erin Kelly for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


To be posted on Goodreads under Kaceey 4/6/17