Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. Got this book thinking it was a psychological thriller. It is more of a breakdown of why a character does something horrible. I did find the book well written and interesting.

Thanks to NetGalley & Scout Press for providing an electronic galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Liz Nugent definitely hits it out of the park in terms of providing numerous points of view about the main characters, but I don't know that that can be classified as character development. Her premise is a good one: a moneyed, well-respected children's author suddenly beats his wife/illustrator, Alice, into a coma. But why?

What follows is a tale that is compelling and wholly interesting: Oliver, our children's author, grew up unloved in boarding school; his ex-priest father provides the bare minimum for him but never visits, invites him home for the holidays, or provides even non-threadbare clothing for his firstborn. But his father *does* come to see his second-born son, the product of a loving married union post-priesthood. As a result, Oliver's rather lacking in loving feelings for his fellow humans.
The story moves quickly and Nugent is good at capturing little snapshots of life (the boy Alice dated prior to being stolen away by Oliver, the self-obsessed soap opera actress next door), but there isn't a whole lot of there there.

My main complaint with the novel is that the setup is brilliant but Nugent fails to deliver. Oliver shows capacity for "real" love outside of himself just once, with awful results, but it's not really clear why someone who's being painted as an utter sociopath suddenly has a sweeping upsurge of feeling (and he doesn't know why either, but maybe I'm expecting too much for a sociopath to have self-awareness). The ending feels abrupt, and though we're left with the teeniest glimmer of hope about what comes after Oliver, it's not enough to feel like his story is really complete. I guess it just left me wanting a little more than I got.

Interesting twist on the genre, though I find it hard to connect with the main character. Well crafted layers keep you turning the pages.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is ANOTHER of those books that I found languishing near the bottom of my TBR pile. I remember when I requested it, I was looking forward to reading it, but ???

When I FINALLY started reading it, I didn't stop. I read the whole thing in one day, because I just couldn't wait to find out what in the world was wrong with this man!! The book begins with Oliver beating his wife almost to death and then goes back to tell the story of his life, his wife's life, how they intersected, and what happened. It is very well written, the characters are very well fleshed out, and you just have to feel sorry for Oliver and virtually everyone who came in contact with him.

I had really high hopes for this book. It seemed like it was going to be twisted and one that could really take you for a ride. And maybe it does. I couldn't get into it enough to find out.

The very beginning definitely had my attention. It's not often a book begins with a man describing the first time he ever hit his wife. I immediately wanted to know what was going to happen next. But the further I got into the book, it just didn't hold my attention and I couldn't continue.

Great story by Liz Nugent. Really intriguing!! Fabulous story, that kept me turning the pages!! A thrilling plot, and characters.

Chilling, well written beautifully crafted psychological thriller that traces the development of a psychopath. This novel is a tragic and well wrought character study.

This was an excellent read. I loved turning the pages as I got to know Oliver and his wife and piece together the parts of this puzzle. Highly recommended.

i enjoyed this on so many levels! i really enjoyed getting deep inside a character and trying to understand and justify his behaviour. The sociopath that is Oliver cracks and beats his wife and what follows is accounts by several characters who thought they knew him they explain how they met Oliver and how ultimately they were deceived by Oliver and the character he had pretended to be. I loved the ending, I would love a similar book but with Alice telling her side.

Though I liked the book, I made the decision at the time I finished not to review it on my site. Maybe in the future I will include it in a book list post or another article.

The first sentence knocks you off your feet and has you latch on until the end. Oliver Ryan has just slugged his wife Alice and surprises himself but not in ways you may think. The rest of the story is a journey back in time to learn more about how Oliver and Alice arrived at this point.

It’s not always a traditionally linear look back but it’s never, ever confusing. Sort of like how someone would tell a story and take detours that matter and make the telling more engaging. There are quite a few characters taking the narrative and I’m so very, very glad multiple narrators were used in the audio performance. They all seemed to nail their characters (personality, attitudes, accents and dialects) and I always knew who was sharing. The story itself was just fascinating, challenging my opinion of Oliver at very juncture and ending with me having mixed feelings about him, even fighting with myself about where I landed.

This would be an excellent book for discussion and I wish I’d partnered with someone. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel as the writing is seamless and the charactizations are outstanding. While it’s pretty short, it definitely unravels Oliver almost perfectly as well as most of those who came within his orbit. I highly recommend this psychological thriller as it surpassed all my expectations. And, don’t miss the opportunity to listen to it if you decide to add it to your shelf. That experience was excellent and I finished it in one day.

This had great potential, and I would love to rate it higher, but the ending left me flat. I was intrigued for the majority of the book and expected something more at that point. All the characters telling their story and involvement with Oliver was done very well. However, as designed, all the character flaws of Oliver appeared slowly, leaving the ending to just sit there. So, I enjoyed the process more than the actual book in its entirety. I am encouraged to read her next book, though. :)

I really enjoyed this book. I liked that it told the story of a not-very-nice-person who I knew was not-very-nice, but still couldn't help liking. I liked Oliver as a character, despite his faults (and there were many) and I enjoyed the perspectives of the different characters in Unraveling Oliver and the insight they provided into Oliver's behaviour.

I really enjoyed the backstory of Oliver's family tree and the consequences of it, particularly in Laura's portion of the story and the impact that had, especially given the time period and the social expectations of the time.

I like the premise of this book a lot—a domestic thriller with multiple points of view that forces the reader to determine what kind of man the main character, Oliver, is. I love a book that forces the reader to do a bit of work to make the plot come together. UNRAVELING OLIVER makes the reader just as much of an active protagonist as the other narrators in the text.

However, I found myself disappointed by the ending. I expected the conclusion to be more dark and twisty than it actually was. The author wanted to cultivate a certain perception of Oliver to readers at the end, and it didn't work for me. I felt let down. But if you're looking for a light, beach read-esque, domestic thriller for the summer, this the book for you!

I didn't find "Unraveling Oliver" a thriller but more of a character study but it was enjoyable all the same. A successful children's author does the unthinkable and puts his wife into an irreversible coma and the novel tries to uncover why he may have snapped through the recollection of various people in Oliver's life. It was interesting to see Oliver's psyche peeled like an onion but I was never able to feel compassion for him at all simply because he obviously knew right from wrong and chose to do the wrong things over and over again mainly with how he viewed and treated the people in his life. The main point I understood from the novel was how nature and nurture really shape a person but at the end of the day you are responsible for your own choices and actions. It really is a tragic and sad story all around and really is thought provoking. I received a copy of the book from the publishers through Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

I could not put this book down! It was excellent! Each chapter is the viewpoint of one of the characters (even Eugene); most characters have more than one chapter. It took me a while at the beginning to settle into this groove and get used to whatever perspective I was reading, but it didn't take me long to understand. I love how supporting characters get their chance to tell their side of the story and what they thought of Oliver in various settings. I will definitely read more from this author!

Book Review: Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent
Review by Dawn Thomas

273 Pages
Publisher: Scout Press / Simon and Schuster
Release Date: 8/22/2017

Irish/British, Mystery & Thriller, Suspense, Psychological, Family Life

This is a dark story written from different points of view. Each character tells a story about Oliver and their relationship. The majority of the book is written in the past tense as if reliving memories. Oliver hits his wife Alice and goes to a bar to think about this single action. Oliver is the author of a series of children’s books. His wife, Alice, is the illustrator.

As we hear the story told by the different characters, Oliver’s own character begins to develop. We see him grow from a young boy in a boarding school to the man he becomes. We also learn about Alice and her relationships with Barney, a boy she dated and her mentally challenged brother, Eugene.

We hear from Michael who went to school with Oliver and whose sister, Laura, dated Oliver. The three of them went on a summer trip to Bordeaux to learn about the wine making process. There they meet Veronique, her aging father and her six-year old son. Something happens during this summer that changes their lives forever.

The book is very well-written and the characters are complex. I enjoyed reading and getting to know all of them.

3.5 stars. The first line of this book tips the reader off to what type of character Oliver is. But WHY is he that way? Each chapter is dedicated to an acquaintance /family member who gives insight into why Oliver is the way he he is. A character analysis of a disturbed person more than a psychological thriller, and I enjoyed it.

Warning this story could be upsetting for some readers in the first chapter...

This story starts out brutally but has such a strong storyline you be glued to the story. Brilliant from start to finish...
There is much to add without giving the story away sorry so I will leave it brief.

UNRAVELING OLIVER by Liz Nugent is one of the best books I read this year. It kept me turning pages late into the night; glad it was a quick read or I would have lost entirely too much sleep.

We are introduced to Oliver on the first page of the book when he's just put his wife Alice in hospital through a horrific beating. Oliver lets us know he expected more of a reaction from her the first time he hit her. Our first glimpse into the depraved personality of Oliver. The book continues in chapter form through Oliver's life; people he has met, people he has loved, hurt and destroyed.

The stories of the people in Oliver's life are wonderfully done, you get to know the narrator as well as how they see Oliver. The way all the characters intertwine towards the end of the book is one of the best plot twists I have had the pleasure of reading.

Though this book IS a psychological thriller, it is also a character study and a good one at that. I will be recommending this book to all my bookworm friends and family.











A unique and enthralling, engaging read that delves into the psyche of one man/monster and the spiders web of people that he has touched/trapped over the years. I felt mixed emotions about him as a character overall, changing with the flow of the book. I have known men like Oliver, you might have too. You have to watch for those ones you know.

A fantastic and interesting, refreshing book. (less)