3.5 stars

Caro returns to her childhood home after the death of her stepmother, Elizabeth. Recently separated from a boyfriend, she decides to take on the task of clearing out the house as she waits for the estate to clear probate, as it will give her a place to stay, and a fresh start. After all, as an illustrator, she can work from anywhere, and she has just been commissioned to provide pictures for a new book of fairytales, “The Pear Drum and Other Dark Tales from the Nursery.”

But the neighbors do not welcome her back.

In fact, their hostile behavior forces her to ask the question...why did Elizabeth hate her so much?

As she begins to sort through her stepmother’s possessions, strange things begin to happen. Could the house be haunted? Or is she being haunted by bad memories of things that occurred there while she was a young girl?

A noise draws her up to the attic where she finds Elizabeth’s “Pear Drum”. Why does the musical instrument terrify her? Why is there so much of her childhood that she cannot remember? And can it really be coincidental that the book of fairytales she is illustrating contains the same story of a Pear Drum that her stepmother used to scare her with when she was misbehaving?

“HAVE YOU BEEN BAD ENOUGH, CARO?”

The beginning of this unique story drew me in immediately, but I figured out the antagonist, pretty quickly and was so frustrated by the decisions our protagonist made at the end, that I was left disillusioned.

But, the author won the Bath Novel award 2017, for this novel, so chances are I might find myself in the minority on this one, and other readers just might love the ending.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Avon books, UK, and Sophie Draper for the ARC provided in exchange for my candid review. This book will be available on Nov. 29th, 2018.

Caro, a broke children’s book illustrator, learns that she and her estranged sister, Steph, have inherited Larkstone Farm from their stepmother at the perfect time. Having just separated from her controlling and abusive boyfriend, she is homeless and needing a change. Steph, who lives in New York City, encourages Caro to move into the family home and start the cleanup process. As she sifts through her stepmother’s belongings, she starts remembering her murky past and is haunted by the pear drum, an organistrum accompanied by a harrowing story of sisters that her stepmother, Elizabeth, used to torment her. At the same time, working on new illustrations for a collection of fairy tales, Caro enters almost hallucinogenic states as she imagines the stories and how she will portray them. Although most locals are openly hostile to Caro, she begins a relationship with neighbor Craig and a friendship with fellow artist Mary Beth. But she doesn’t know if she can trust anyone, even herself.

Caro, the narrator is flawed and damaged, and though she makes dubious choices, is overall sympathetic as she tries to go beyond the “blank wall” in her memories of childhood. The other characters, Steph, Craig, and Mary Beth, are not as well-developed but they kept me guessing as to their motivations. The addition of fairy tales provided a dreamy, Gothic atmosphere enhanced by the snow and fog that isolated the townspeople during winter. Caro’s macabre illustrations add an additional element of horror and call her stability into question.

At times, I found the dialogue stilted, and some of the developments were slightly unrealistic, but the plot caught my attention. In the tradition of Sometimes I Lie and The Death of Mrs. Westaway, this is a gripping thriller that made me want to double check the locks on my doors and windows!

Absorbing - wild and crazy at some points, but could always relate on some level! Another book where I was so invested in the characters, and I didn’t want it to end a definitely read!!!!

I certainly didn't know what I was getting into with this book, I mistakenly thought it was going to be a thriller, but it was more than that.there was quite a Gothic horror vibe as well ,and I am not even sure what genre it fits into, maybe its a new genre.I am not adverse to reading horror so I did enjoy this element .There were all the usual suspects, a creepy old house, noises that can't be explained, a rather paranoid and maybe not the most stable lead character,and even a black cat.Handsome and friendly man in the cottage down the lane, and the plot thickens....My partner was away on a business trip when I started reading this in bed at night and I thought I should have chosen something a little less spooky,this was not a book to read late at night on your own,unless you are braver than me.I did enjoy being somewhat scared though and think it was a good read.thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET is a dark suspense novel. I had never read any novel's quite like this before. It hooked me from the first chapter.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I wasn’t impressed by this book. It was drawn out, boring and I had hard time connecting to any of the characters.
It took me awhile to get through it.
It could have been the writing style maybe it wasn’t my cup of tea.
Best of luck to the author.

I had no idea what to expect with this book as...

"We're asking you to be brave and request this book without knowing the title or the plot. If you're approved, you'll get to read a brand new psychological thriller and we ask that you keep everything secret until Halloween 2018 when we'll reveal all..."

But that was intriguing and different and I decided to give it a go and I am glad I did.

It has a slightly slow start, maybe gentle is a better word than slow but very soon things start to get more and more unnerving. I am not going to give away the ending but I will see that I didn't see it coming at all. Aspects of it yes but the person who was the real driving force managed to slip me by until it was revealed and the very final ending is deliciously chilling as you know that Caro is still not really safe.

I genuinely loved this book! I can't say too much as per the publishers request but I was utterly hooked by this gothic thriller. So creepy and atmospheric, beautiful writing. Cannot wait for her next one!

This book didn't grab me at all and I gave up on it. Not kind of book. I'm sure a lot of people will love it though . Just not for me . Sorry !!

There’s a stranger in your home…

Or is there?

Coming back to her childhood home in Derbyshire for her step-mother, Elizabeth's funeral, Caro is happy to see her sister who has been out of touch for a long time.

When she is told that the house and everything her father had was left to her and her sister. When her sister tells her she has no interest in any of it and wants Caro to have it all. Coming off a bad break up it seems perfect for her to live in the house and have a new start.

But as Caro begins to go through and sort out all of Elizabeth's belongings, things start getting weird. Is there a ghost in the house or is someone trying to harm her? The trouble is Caro can't remember a lot of her childhood and what she is about to find out will shock her to her core!

This was one twisty, wicked good tale! Even I wasn't sure who the bad people were. 

Well Done!

Netgalley/November 29th 2018 by Avon

A clever and absorbing psychological thriller! Read in one sitting, very addictive with some great characters and an atmospheric story. Very much looking forward to reviewing it when the time comes.

This book started out slow but actually turned out to be pretty good. Caro and Steph, two sisters, have just buried their stepmother after she accidentally fell off the second floor landing of her house. This is just beginning with Caro's story, her getting settled in her stepmother's old house and where Caro had grown up was super creepy and way outside of town but she goes there alone anyways. Caro has all bad memories of her stepmother treating her terribly after the death of her father and her sister up & leaving her when she was 7, having not spoken to her since (many years). Caro slowly starts to reconnect with her sister over the internet while cleaning, organizing the house and going through her stepmother's things. She meets Craig the neighbor and starts dating him. This part of the story was slow but around halfway through the book, the action picked up. Thus far Caro has had tons of nightmares, hallucinations and is kind of freaked out about things from her past. She finds out she had a step brother who died when they were little. Steph gives her some info but Caro delves into it on her own. The second half is really good, so many clues start to fit together and Caro starts to see what is really going on, and who is behind it all....piecing it together slowly. The end is really great because I did not see it coming at all. Surprising and well worth sticking out the beginning part of the book to get to the end. This is definitely a great suspense, psychological thriller--a little too wordy here and there but all in all a great story.

I'm not sure if I can give an "official" review of this one, but I absolutely will when I can! It was an awesome book and definitely gave me gothic horror vibes while I was reading. It was one that was tough to put down and even when I did, I found myself thinking about the story and wondering what would be happening next. This was fun to read and put me in the mood for fall, Halloween, and everything spooky!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for letting me read it early!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon books UK for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I’ll keep my review short and sweet. It took me 2 weeks to read this book, and I’m usually a fast reader. It wasn’t that it was bad, it just took so long to really get to the point and was overly descriptive. I will say though that it was very creepy and the release date is perfect for it.

Thanks NetGalley and Avon Books for my ARC! Not sure what I was getting into with this "secret" book, but luckily I was very happy! I love creepy books and this was it! I will keep the secret til October!!

Wow! This is what a horror story is supposed to be! I can’t say much because I can keep a secret but this was super awesome, super spooky and absolutely wonderful in all its gothic glory.

I would like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Cuckoo’ by Sophie Draper in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
As this novel is a secret I will only say that I enjoyed reading it. It has all the ingredients for a Halloween thriller, it’s spooky, chilling, with twists and unexpected turns and characters double-crossing each other. I admit to missing out some of the ‘story’ paragraphs which seemed at times to be inessential and I was keen to get on with the actual story. The ending caught me by surprise, it wasn’t what I was expecting at all, and it wasn’t until I reached the last pages that it tied up with the prologue. It had a promising beginning, slowed down at times during the middle, but had a chilling and gripping end.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

It was exciting to apply for a book that you could not see the cover, author, or title on! I hope that there are more of these in the future.

This book was off the hook! Going into it, I wasn't sure what the title had to do with the story...but as it unfolded, it made perfect sense.

I especially loved the twists and the ending was a nail biter. I will definitely be recommending this to my friends!

I can keep a secret until 31 October 2018, can you guess what’s coming?
All will be revealed when our review will be published on Halloween 🎃
Thank you for advanced copy and trusting us with your secret publication

This book had a good twisty plot line, and I didn’t quite see the end but I kind of had an inkling. The plot was solid as well as the writing, and there was some suspense and definitely more than a little creepiness. I’m not sure if I was just expecting it to be more, but it was still a good read. I'll keep the secret and wait until Halloween to post my reviews publicly.