Her Name Was Rose is a quick paced, engaging and easy read. I was really happy with how the story played out and the ending wrapped up nicely with an unexpected twist. Love discovering new authors and look forward to checking out Claire Allen’s other books!

Thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you for letting me review this book. I wasn’t really sure what to make of it when I first stared reading it, but I was hooked in the first few chapters. I did want to slap the silly out of one of the characters, how could she not see what was right in front of her!! Great read

Amazing!! Read it in one go on holiday. The characters are fantastic and by the end of the book you felt you knew them. Emily was my favorite character, i felt great sympathy towards her. There were so many twists and turns in the story, that as soon as i thought i could work out how it ended, there was another twist. Claire has done an amazing job in making the characters real and i look forward to reading her books in the future

Her Name Was Rose is the debut thriller of Claire Allan. The story starts with Emily. She lets a woman with a baby step out of a building in front of her. The woman gets hit by a car. The child lives, but the young mother dies. Emily’s first thought is that it should have been her who got hit by the car and she blames herself for the woman’s death. She thinks her ex-boyfriend Ben might be involved in the car accident that killed an innocent woman.
Emily searches for the identity of the young mother and soon she finds her Facebook page. The woman’s name is Rose and Rose seems to have lived the life Emily could only dream about. She has a loving husband, a cute baby boy, lots of friends and an interesting job. Emily gets a bit obsessed with Rose’s life, following the events that follow the car accident and everything that happens on Rose’s Facebook page. When Emily gets fired from her job at a call centre, she decides to apply for Rose’s old job at a dental practice.
Emily soon starts to find out more about Rose’s life. She gets involved with Rose’s colleagues and family and this isn’t without consequences. Was Rose’s life really as perfect as it looked like?
Her Name Was Rose is a fast-paced and engaging psychological thriller. I had a hard time putting this book down, even though I felt like the story was a bit predictable. But it’s an interesting read about domestic violence (trigger warning!) and vulnerability. Because of the engaging writing style I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a fast-paced psychological thriller.

On a personal note, I completely needed some mind-absorbing distraction at the end of last week because today marks the start of secondary school transition for my eldest – this is all new, and all a little bit unknown, he’s only 10 still and has additional needs, so this has both of us in an anxiety flood – and I am lucky that I chose this book because it delivered all of the above plus a “Well at least my life isn’t THAT screwed up” reality pill!

Psychological thrillers are everywhere now aren’t they, but still a firm favourite of mine as I love the drama and the suspense. I also love how the majority of the best writers within this genre are women writers, writing strong, believable female characters. This might be Claire Allan’s first book in this genre but she is a wizard at it and I could not put this book down (I took a 6 hour break to sleep and then one for a 4 hour shift but that was it!)

This is dark, disturbing, cringe-worthy and shocking. Like we know, social media is oh so good at portraying the perfect person, with the perfect life, and yet we learn time and again that perfection can be a mirage. It also daily gives us examples of public trials by media and everyone’s opinions & prejudiced views on tragedies and the victims. Who can you really trust, who is jealous of who, what are the hidden truths and who can you believe?

Emily really did worry me; vulnerable, lonely, a people-pleaser with a messed up history and likely an unreliable narrative considering the amount of alcohol and pills she uses as a crutch almost daily, her behaviour is reckless and yet you can see why as the truths come to light. Like in The Girl On The Train, this questioning of the sanity and actions of the main character really keeps you on your toes throughout this book and, tied to the social media serenity that Rose portrays, actually a really clever dichotomy employed.

Of course, being a thriller it’s virtually impossible to review much plot wise without revealing spoilers, which is a huge NOOOOOO so though this is a relatively short review this says A LOT about how good this book is and I urge you to add it to your bookshelves.

This book was granted via Netgalley to review honestly & in my own words.

Her name was Rose is a brilliant psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat all the way to the last chapter.Emily witnesses a horrific hit and run when Rose is killed and so the story begins.The story has several twists I didn't see coming,fabulous book,I loved every chapter ,so hard to put down.I liked Emily very much and wanted her to get her happy ending !
Many thanks to the Publisher,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review.

I downloaded this one because everyone was raving about it and it sounded like the kind of thing I would enjoy. It certainly was - I read it over two days in three greedy gulps!

Our heroine is Emily, slowly getting her life back together after the break-up of a relationship, when she witnesses another woman die after a hit and run. Emily feels horribly guilty because she'd let the other woman exit the building first. So over the next few days Emily devours news reports about the accident, and checks the dead woman's social media account, and soon learns Rose was everything Emily wanted to be. Beautiful and kind-hearted, she had a handsome husband, a gorgeous baby, and friends who loved her. And now there is a Rose-sized hole in these people's lives. A hole that Emily could fill...

Oh, I did love this book! I read a lot of crime fiction so I knew where it was headed, but the quality of writing was great, there were some fabulous twisty bits and the ending was very clever. I loved the character of Emily, despite her flaws, and was so involved in her story I was practically shouting at the book "No, don't do it!" every time I thought she was going to do something really stupid.

There wasn't anything I didn't like! Her Name Was Rose is now firmly on my 'favourites' list and I thoroughly recommend it!


Thank you to Claire Allan and Avon for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed.

I was lucky enough to receive an advance review copy of Her Name Was Rose, which will be published in the UK on 28 June 2018.

What a weird idea swopping lives with someone who you have killed!! Does it work, should it work - did it work - well .......

Emily and Rose have never met, but one day Emily witnesses Rose’s involvement in a hit and run accident. Tortured by what she saw, Emily looks Rose up on social media and discovers that her life is perfect, with a handsome Husband, an adorable Son and beautiful home rolled into the bargain. Emily’s life is pretty sad and lonely, so she decides that she wants Rose’s life for herself and sets about getting it. The plot unfolds as Emily begins to instil herself into her new life, but it takes a while for her to realise that the life she is working towards may not be as rosy as she once thought. I found a few parts of the plot predictable and figured out what was going to happen. This didn’t really spoil reading the book for me though, and I certainly didn’t see the twist coming at the end. This is the first book written in this genre by this author and is a really enjoyable psychological thriller.

Actually 4.5 stars.
This book begins as the story of Emily. How stagnant her life is, her non existent social life and a work life that leaves a lot to be desired; her best friend having upped and gone stateside. Then, one day, things change for he as she witnesses the death of Rose, a young woman, in a road accident. Due to a bit of an unsavoury past, Emily believes that she herself was the actual target as she stepped aside to let Rose go first with her buggy. She then becomes obsessed with Rose, her death and those she left behind; especially her widow Cian. She follows the news articles reporting on the hit-and-run, stalks both Rose and Cian on Facebook and even attends Rose's funeral. But then she goes a step further, this initial step leads to the next and before she knows it, she is embroiled in something that could put her at risk. It then become more about the life of Rose, who exactly was she and what was she really doing on that fateful day?
I do love a wounded character, especially when I connect to and am able to empathise with them right from the start and I did this here with Emily. She hasn't had the best life so far and appears to be searching for things outside her to cling on to since her best friend left to work abroad. I have to admit to being a little like Emily in the way that new things become obsessions, so I was well able to understand that side of her at least. She does take it to a whole new level I do hasten to say. Especially as she gets more and more embroiled into Rose's life. I alternated between wanting to hug her and slap her though as she was a bit crazy at times.
As far as the plotting is concerned, this was very well done. Relationships are hardly ever what they appear to be on the surface but here, the author takes that premise up a notch as she reveals layer after layer of secrets and lies along the way to a really explosive ending that I didn't quite see coming. There were twists and turns aplenty as I first rooted for one character and then another, changing my mind several times along the way as I, along with Emily, started to believe the hype of what was written on social media - a lesson to be learned there, believe me.
All in all, a cracking story played out by some very interesting characters which left me satisfied at the end. From what I can see, this looks like a bit of a genre switch by the author. A switch that I, for one, is very glad she made. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Wow, where to start. This book had me hooked from the very first page. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, a definite 5* read for me.

It all starts when Emily witnesses a hit and run, where unfortunately the result is the death of Rose. Emily is so caught up in the events that she starts to think it should have been her that died and not Rose. Emily becomes obsessed with Rose and her life as it appears on social media and decides that she would love nothing more than to live Rose’s life. But is everything as it seems ? Does social media always show what live was really like ?

I absolutely loved this book and the idea that not everything you see on social media is as it seems. The characters are absolutely convincing and I found that I was always telling myself ‘just one more chapter’ as I just wanted to find out what was happening.

If you love psychological thrillers you will love this book. Full of twists and turns that keeps you guessing right to the end. A must read for 2018 !!

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and not biased in anyway.

I was in the mood for something a little dark and twisty, and this book did not disappoint. The storyline was compelling and engaging. The author did an excellent job developing the characters - there were so many different personalities in this book, and I really got a good sense of who they all were. I’m usually fairly good at pretty good at figuring things out in these sorts of books, but Claire Allan kept me guessing the whole way through this. Excellent read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This one had me absolutely hooked. Clearly written by an author with a true understanding of abusive relationships and how people are drawn in and slowly destroyed. But don’t be too sure of your ideas on who is the bad guy here; this one truly is a tangled web.

http://bibwithblog.blogspot.com/2018/06/review-of-her-name-was-rose-by-claire.html?m=1


Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Review of Her Name was Rose by Claire Allen
2/5 stars

One sentence plot summary: After witnessing the death of a woman named Rose, the protagonist, who is so bland I’ve momentarily forgotten her name, tries to replace her in a desperate bid for happiness.

I’m not even going to look up her name. I’m just going to see if it ever comes to me or if she’s so forgettable that I literally cannot come up with her name three minutes after finishing this book.


As you can probably tell, I did not like this one. Yes, it had it’s compelling moments. The ending, for example, was very strong. For most of the book, though, it was like reading a less well written version of The Girl on the Train. Speaking of which, that triggered the memory for me: the main character of this book is Emily, which is, coincedentally, the name of the actress who plays the main character in The Girl on the Train. At this point, you’ve probably caught on to the fact that I think this book was way too similar to GOtT and let me just say, I’m not suggesting this book was plagiarism or anything like that, just that it wasn’t original. It relies way too heavily on tropes that are super overused lately: unreliable narrator. Scorned woman desperate for the attentions of another woman’s fella. Potential mental illness. Substance abuse that perpetuates the narrator’s unreliability. Just too much of the same and not done nearly as well.

In additition, the pacing was god awful. There was way too much love and lining over the abusive husband, Cian. Almost kissing. Hands on the arm. Ugh, it wasn’t even fast paced as smut, but for a mystery/thriller book, stuff just wasn’t happening fast enough.

Look, I’m not saying this book was the worst. I’ve read worse. I’m just saying if you’ve read five mysteries this year, skip this one because it’s just a composite of what you’ve read.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC I was provided in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Her Name Was Rose will pull your emotions in every direction possible! Was it perfect? No. But did it hold my interest? Yes. I also didn’t guess the ending, which is always a he plus in my book, so to speak.

This is a classic example of things not being what they seem at the surface, and people’s social media and outer appearances only reflecting the highlight reel of their lives, not what’s going on beneath the surface. After Rose steps off a curb and is hit by a car & killed instantly, will it come to light that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side?

The writing was well paced, and I felt for our protagonist, Emily – even though, without revealing too much, girl has issues! I also cared about the outcomes of even some of the more unlikeable characters, such as Rose’s husband, Cian. For those who mentioned it wasn’t believable that he behaved the way he did sometimes, I felt like he was written very well, and the emotions were extremely representative of his situation.

I recommend this book, however don’t expect instant action – it’s more of a slow burn and buildup at first, but towards the second half of the book it really picks up. I don’t feel like every single piece was perfect – I had my questions, but overall very well written and put together. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Thank you to the author & publisher who provided an advance copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Emily is the lonely character who is witness to the death of the titular Rose. It is an event that is to have a profound impact on her life, as she becomes more and more obsessed with Rose and the life that she left behind. Emily sees what she wants to see; a happy, adored woman with a beautiful family and a successful husband and wants to shake off her troubled past and start afresh in someone else's shoes. Interspersed with Emily's dreams for a brighter future are odd chapters that reveal the truth about Rose and her life before she died. The subtext of the book is that a life portrayed on social media is, at best, a means to suggest a perfect life, at worst, a way to hide abuse and cruelty.
I found the book to interesting, but not gripping, and a little predictable in places.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Her name is Rose, is a gripping psychological thriller that kept me hooked all the way through.

We meet Emily, tortured by the death of a young women who she witnessed being killed in a hit and run. Emily becomes obsessed with Rose’s life and decides that she can fill the void that was left behind, but was Rose’s life as wonderful as Emily believes.

The story just gets more intriguing the more you read. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the next.

I was intrigued by the cover and the title, that was why I wanted to read Her Name was Rose. The plot seemed a little creepy. Why would you want to take over another woman's life that you never knew? As I was reading through it got more exciting and I knew expected the ending at all!

I took a long time to get into the book and felt that t did not flow until nearly half way through however I do have to say that when I reached that point I could not put the book down as it became so intense. It is a story of love, strong emotions and twists and unexpected turns right until the end. The whole story is thought provoking- how social media can give the wrong vision and how easily controlling situations turn into domestic abuse.
The author has described Emily as a depressive person with many issues and I felt sorry for her not being able to know the truth or where reality lay. This depicts many victims suffering with different complaints in a truly humanistic way and escribes clearly how easily people fall into bad situations that they then cannot see the way out of.. I could easily visualise all the characters and the picture the scenes. A well researched and written book.

One word AMAZING....

It’s hard to believe this is Claire’s first novel in the psychological thriller genre. It’s awesome! A true fast paced, compulsive page turner that will have you hooked form page one.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a thriller as good as this, lost my reading mojo in this genre. But now it’s back thank to Claire.

Please keep writing and I look forward to the next one.