I just couldn't get into this book - I got as far as 21% but just couldn't engage with the characters, hopefully I haven't made a grave mistake!

Definitely gripping from the start.
Full of suspense and you can’t put it down.
Will look for future titles from this author.

When Caro's stepmother dies, she moves back to her childhood home that she ran away from as soon as she could leave for college. Confronted with past memories, Caro begins to explore what really happened when she was a child and unearths forgotten memories. What really happened between Caro, her stepmother and her estranged sister Steph - who claims to want no part of the inheritance, all that time ago and is Caro safe in the house now even though her tormentor is gone?

This was a very sinister psychological thriller with roots in creepy fairy tales - particularly The New Mother by Lucy Clifford. I definitely felt a bit unnerved while reading this book. I did like that Caro began to fall into the unreliable narrator trope as it appeared her mind was beginning to unravel and her memories were mixing up and as a reader I wasn't really sure what she was actually seeing versus what she was imagining. 

I didn't really get on with Caro though as a main character, I never really clicked with her or the story in general. This is a slower-paced thriller which isn't really my favourite - I much prefer fast-paced ones that leave me on the edge of my seat. I found a lot of Caro's actions a bit silly, and as a grown adult I couldn't quite understand how much she wasn't in the know about her own situation. There was an attempt at showing tha Caro was recovering from an abusive relationship but I definitely think this could have been explored more, and didn't quite bring much to the story besides fortifying Caro as a person who has been abused for most of her life by people she should have been able to love and trust. She never really comes across as a strong character, even when confronting people. The whole book she seems a bit cowed and I would have liked her to rise from the ashes a bit more.

I did think for a bit that Caro's mental unraveling seemed a little bit odd and out of place, as up to that point she had appeared to be fine. The drinking was also strange as at the start of the book, there's a couple of references from Caro that she wasn't a big drinker yet several times during the novel she drinks a bottle of whisky (the results of which do serve to bring the plot forward but I still thought it all an odd character choice).

This book was fine, it just wasn't one I really connected with or found myself really engrossed in.

I never received this book unfortunately so cannot provide a proper review - not sure why or if there was a glitch in the system at this point.

Thank you anyway! :)

Cuckoo is a spooky, twisty thriller that had me in it's spell from the first page! I can't wait to read Sophie Draper's next book.

It's hard to know who to trust and what is going to happen. A suspenseful read. Am looking forward to Sophie's next book

An attention grabbing thriller with twists and turns throughout. Enjoyable to read and I'll pick up more from Sophie Draper in the future

This is an exciting thriller which was quite spooky in parts. It had lot's of twists and turns and a really surprising ending.

This is a brilliant read! There are moments which will send shivers down your spine. An excellent narrative. A must read.

I enjoyed this book, basically it’s a good psychological thriller based around a house inherited by one of two daughters.

The 2 sisters haven’t spoken in years but then their stepmother dies unexpectedly. Steph moved to the USA at 16 & Caro stayed in the U.K.

Steph doesn’t want anything today with the house and Caro moves in, unexpected things keep happening at the house and some secrets won’t stay buried!

Great book look it up!

Caro returns to her childhood home after her stepmother unexpectedly passed away. The neighbours don’t hide their dislike for Caro or her family and Caro doesn’t know why. She has large gaps in her childhood memories but knows that her stepmother despised her. Not long after arriving there are a number of strange going’s on which set Caro on edge.

This book was a slow burner and I never really got into it - it didn’t grip me the way I thought it would. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

What a scary book! I loved the marketing and secrecy of the book release and it paired perfectly with a plot that will make your heart race and blood curdle.

This is the debut novel from Sophie Draper. After reading the book I seriously question that. How in the world can a book this brilliant be a debut?! Ms Draper has written an excellent book. If this is a glimpse into what she can write, then I cannot wait to read her next book!!

Cuckoo is not the typical psychological thriller. There are elements of horror, romance, and oh so much mystery. From the beginning there is an eerie atmosphere that kept me guessing.

The main character, Cato, has returned to the home where she grew up after her step-mother suddenly dies. As she starts to unravel the mysteries of her childhood she begins to question everything…and everyone.

This is a gripping and terrifying book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. When I finally figured out what happened I was in complete shock. As I’m writing this, I’m still in shock and trying to wrap my brain around what I just read. Not many books leave me feeling this way. I think this book isn’t leaving my mind for a long time.

If you are looking for a different kind of mystery, one that will keep you guessing until the very end you need to pick this one up. You will not be disappointed!!

Caro's unloved stepmother dies so she returns to the house to put her affairs in order. But who is telling her the truth about her childhood? There are mysterious photos and many of the locals don't seem to like her at all. Very gripping and the location is great.

This was a very dark story about family secrets and revenge.. Lots of twist and turns and an unbelievable conclusion.. Very disturbing story but compelling reading.

I’m always pleased to pick up new mystery stories set in Derbyshire, although not all authors manage to satisfy my requirements for both a setting that feels familiar and also characters who behave like real people. My standards are set particularly high when it comes to the northern part of the Peak District. This story is set further south, towards Ashbourne, so the setting issues ought to be less of a problem, assuming the characters feel right to me.

Caro, an illustrator of children’s books, who is our protagonist and main narrator, has recently escaped an abusive relationship and is staying in a friend’s flat while she decides what to do and where to live next. Before she has time to make any firm plans, her estranged stepmother dies in a fall over the bannister in the family’s farmhouse, and Caro travels back home to Derbyshire to attend the funeral. There she meets up with her older sister for the first time since childhood, and learns from her that under the terms of their father’s will – he died when Caro was very young – the house passes from his wife to both his daughters.

At her sister’s suggestion, Caro moves into the house to sort through their stepmother’s belongings prior to the house going on the market, while her sister returns to her high-flying job in New York. Caro has a new commission, which she can complete as easily in Derbyshire as in London, and she only has a few more weeks’ grace before the lease on her friend’s flat runs out. Arriving at the house, she finds the interior to be more neglected than she would have expected from her previously fastidious stepmother, and the locals in the nearby village are distinctly hostile towards her, referring to her sister as ‘the flashy one’ and Caro as ‘the nutcase.’ Although Caro initially has no real thoughts as to why the villagers might feel that way – her childhood memories are patchy – she begins to have flashbacks, some so real as to make her think she is being haunted, relating to both her stepmother’s cruelty and to a small boy, who was obviously a companion to the girls, even though Caro doesn’t know who he is or where he came from.

Caro tries to piece together her memories, aided by one of the fairy tales from her new commission, which is very similar to a story she remembers her stepmother telling, regarding her organistrum or Pear Drum, a precious possession, which Caro was not allowed to handle. Caro is not entirely alone in her investigations. She is befriended by one local man, who encourages her to attend village events, and she is able to speak to her sister over the Internet. However, neither of them seems to be telling her the whole truth about their activities, and Caro can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching her from both outside and inside the house.

I really wanted to like this book. The snippets of fairy stories appealed, as did the bare bones of the central mystery. Too many of the details, however, relied on Caro being oblivious to falsehoods she had held to be the truth since childhood, and on her continuing to believe various people’s reasoning and motivations, even after they were shown to be duplicitous. What really spoiled things for me was the ending, which introduced a whole extra level of deceit and turned a lot of what we’d been told back around again. Sadly, that let-down means I’m going to find it hard to trust the author again.

This book gives a new perspective on the concept of family drama... this was a thrilling great read, recommended.

What a great read, spooky and haunting. Real page turner. Really liked the main character. Would definitely recommend this book

Pretty decent book, I enjoyed the writing. This was the first that I'd ever read from the author, so I was positively surprised that I enjoyed the book as much as I did. The plot was great, and the characters were interesting. It kept my interest, more so than a lot of other books I've read recently.

I'll be honest here, I actually only started reading this book on Monday ready for the blog tour today but do you know what, I flew through this and really enjoyed it. I will say, and this is not meant negatively at all, but how many books just lately are about women on their own in creepy houses? Or is just that I keep reading about them because that's my favoured genre?!

Anyway, our central character Caro (never Caroline) learns that her evil stepmother Elizabeth has died tragically - an accidental falling over a banister (as if!) and she and her estranged sister Steph have inherited everything, including the old farmhouse that was once their family home in Derbyshire. Caro is currently living in a friend's flat in London but with the tenancy up soon this seems to have come at the perfect time. The house needs sorting out and as she is an artist she can work from Derbyshire as easily as she can from London so she travels up instantly. Her sister lives in New York so Caro is on her own to deal with Elizabeth's belongings and it isn't long before living in the house once again starts to trigger some peculiar memories.

The villagers aren't particularly warming towards her, and Caro can't figure out why, but the young and handsome neighbour Craig seems to have taken a shine to her and takes her under his wing. After recently ending a relationship though, Caro is more than a little wary but as things in the house continue to go bump in the night, and stuff is moved around seemingly on its own, she soon realises she needs someone on her side.

Some of the book reminded me a little of Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber as Caro is illustrating a fairy tale book called The Pear Drum and other dark tales from the Nursery, which the reader may not be surprised to learn her stepmother also had a pear drum with which she used to taunt Caro when she was younger. There are some snippets of the stories within the book and they are equally as dark as the ones Carter writes about.

Is some of Cuckoo predictable? Yes, probably. However it kept me turning the pages throughout and actually I thought it had a pretty good twist of an ending which if you know me, I love. I can't stand a poor conclusion to a book. Cuckoo is also only 99p on Amazon Kindle in the UK so surely that makes it worth a read?