Picture the scene,I was scrolling through Netgalley (as most book addicts probably do every day) when I came across this book. It had no synopsis,no title,it didnt even have a cover yet. Very intreguing and mysterious and being a person who can't resist books that are intreguing and mysterious,I just had to request it. Sometimes taking a risk on something works and sometimes it doesn't. In this case the risk was most definitely worth it.

Cuckoo is a haunting tale set in a beautifully described isolated house. It was the perfect setting for a spooky mystery with gothic overtones,there was even a glass summer house in the overgrown back garden. Unfortunately there wasn't any hidden doors or passageways which was rather disappointing. I loved the descriptions of how alien the world becomes when the landscape is covered in deep snow and how everyday sounds become muffled. I loved the gothic tales that Caro was doing the illustrations for,I loved the graphic,vivid descriptions of the pictures that she painted to go with the stories. As for Caro herself,I had a lot of empathy and understanding about her feelings of being an outsider,I have also felt that way for most of my life. I could also understand her struggle to trust people,after you have let people into your life and they then mistreat you in some way,it makes you wonder if it is worth the risk trusting other people in the future. She definitely had some major issues some of which were understandable due to how she was treated when she was younger by her step mother Elizabeth and the fact that she had just escaped an abusive,controlling relationship. I thought she was a very frustrating character at times especially when she had her,I can't be happy unless I am with a man moments.

The longer Caro stays in her isolated childhood home,the more memories that she has buried for a very long time start to reemerge and she starts seeing and hearing frightening images and sounds. Sounds like the noise that the mysterious and sinister pear drum used to make when Elizabeth used it to terrorise Caro when she was a young girl. Is Caro losing her mind or is she being tormented by a unknown enemy. Does her sister Steph really want to make up for events that happened in the past? Can she really trust handsome neighbour Craig who conveniently appeared and helped her when she had a unpleasant encounter with Angus McCready? Could it be Angus or any of the other people who live in the village and treat Caro with contempt whenever they saw her. Or could her new American friend Mary Beth not be the kind,caring person she appears to be?

Cuckoo is a gripping gothic thriller that had me hooked in from the first page right through to the surprising ending that had just a touch of poetic justice. This is a enthralling story that contained untrustworthy characters,intense danger scenes,pagan rituals,murder,bullying,abuse and some unexpected twists and turns. Unfortunately I did figure out one of the major twists quite early in the story but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of this well written,debut psychological thriller and I look forward to reading more books that are written by this author in the future.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really creepy, frightening story and the psychological suspense was awesome the way it built up throughout the story.
It was very clever and well written and I look forward to reading more books from the author, Sophie Draper.
Highly recommended.

I enjoyed reading Cuckoo, found the storyline interesting and easy to follow. When Caro's stepmother Elizabeth dies, it's the perfect time for Caro to escape her life and tie up her Step Mother's estate. Her estranged sister Steff lives in New York and doesn't want any inheritance.
There's more to Caro's past that we first think. Why did Elizabeth hate her so much and why do the villagers look away when she arrives.
The story was full of plot twists and kept me interested. I did find the ending a little abrupt and I was left with some questions which was a shame.

First, I want to thank the publisher and Net Galley for the copy of this ARC. Cuckoo by Sophie Draper was an interesting read. I wasn't too sure what to expect but the ending did not disappoint! If you like mysteries with a "story within a story" style, this is for you!

I love reading books where the places are actually familiar to me and as I shop regularly in Derby and have visited the surrounding areas in the book many times, it was perfect. Caro wasn't so keen to go back there though but when needs must then it was better than the alternative. Caro's step-mother Elizabeth had recently died, someone that clearly had not taken to her as a child and now Caro was back there sorting the house to be sold. She felt, in a way, that she had fallen on her feet as her own relationship had come to an end so her home wasn't somewhere she wanted to be. She was also going to see her very successful sister, that she hadn't seen for years, who was also returning home briefly.
Caro's childhood was more than a little hazy but it was getting a pretty rough shaking up when things started to happen round the farmhouse. It took on a real spooky feel. The re-appearance of the pear-drum and its unforgettable tunes, accompanied by her step-mother's stories, that were really quite haunting. Although this had been her father's house and her home, the villagers were not at all welcoming with Caro. There is far more to this story than you first believe.
I found the story quite mesmerizing with each chapter promising answers but the more I found out, the more questions it raised. I was becoming paranoid with the other characters in the story too as the tension on the pages hotted up. Oh my, does this author know how to set a scene! It was literally like playing Cluedo with each disturbing discovery more shocking than the one before. Sophie Draper put me through a wringer with her story and squeezed every wow, OMG and take my breath moment from me. It was still spinning in my mind so long after I finished it. A cracking story, a belting didn't see that coming and a wow of an end!

Firstly I give my thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for a copy in exchange for this review.

It took me a while to get into this novel. I found that I was frustrated by the characters and the style of the book.

However I stuck with it and found that the plot unfolded and that there is an interesting conclusion which I will not spoil.

I liked the Derbyshire setting.
On the strength of this story I will look out for future books by Sophie Draper.

Unfortunately, Cuckoo was not as spooky and amazing as I hoped. Most of the book was was rather dull. The beginning was really interesting: everything was new and exciting, and I got a feeling for the characters and the story. But then slowly but surely I started to drift away more often than not. The fact that every room, every place, and every feeling was described to the the tiniest detail didn't help much.

The scary "fairytales" that were probably used to make the story even more spooky didn't spook me at all. I found them rather odd and didn't know why they played such a big role in the story.
The plot twist didn't blow me away either, even though I didn't see it coming. However, the epilogue was another story. That was something really unexpected and totally crazy.

Although the epilogue gave me a WTF-moment, Sophie Draper couldn't convince me with her thriller, unfortunately. The initial idea was great and has potential but it wasn't enough for me.

Have you been bad enough?

An intense and haunting tale of family secrets and deception, CUCKOO is a creepy psychological thriller debut by Sophie Draper. It's very different in the sense that it is part psychological and part fairy tale, with a touch of ghost story. There are times the reader doesn't know what is happening or where it is going.

The story centres predominantly around Caroline "Caro" Crowther, an illustrator of children's books, who returns to her childhood home after the death of her stepmother Elizabeth. Her estranged sister Steph, whom she has not seen for 20 years, wants nothing to do with the estate and leaves it all in Caro's capable hands. So Caro, seeing this as a fresh start, leaves London and a past abusive relationship behind to move into Larkstone Farm in remote Derbyshire to get the house in order while the estate is undergoing probate.

Upon returning to her childhood home, memories begin to surface about her life there - and most are not happy memories - and the cruelty of her stepmother Elizabeth. Why did Elizabeth hate her so much? Why did she punish her and not Steph? And why did everyone in the village give her looks of contempt, with one store stating that her custom was not welcome? Is she really as bad as Elizabeth always said she was?

"Have you been bad enough, Caroline?"

Isolated on the farm, whilst sorting the house and working on her latest commission, Caro starts to hear noises that don't belong. Sees things that shouldn't be there. Feels things that begin to terrify her. A tapping in the attic. A little boy with a pear drum. A dead rat in her bed. Are these memories or is Larkstone Farm haunted? As Caro delves into the past, memories begin to surface and secrets are slowly revealed. Secrets that could potentially destroy but could also reveal just why her stepmother hated her so much. But is Caro strong enough to come to terms with those painful secrets of her past, or will they destroy her once and for all?

The scene of Larkstone Farm is set brilliantly on the outskirts of a village far enough to be cut off from everyone when the snow sets in. With only herself and, on occasion, a resident cat for company, it's easy to see how such isolation could start to play tricks on an already vulnerable mind. Though Lavendar Cottage - part of the estate as Caro was to learn - is nearby and it's sole occupant Craig calls in from time to time, the sense of isolation there alone in a house with so many secrets to give up can feel claustrophobic. Days could go by and Caro not see anyone, esepcially being snowed in and with no power.

Before leaving London Caro was given a special commission of dark fairytales to illustrate, and the title of the main story she found disconcerting as it was "The Pear Drum" - the same story her stepmother would tell her throughout her childhood, leaving her terrified. These tales, though not much to do with the story as a whole, did create a sense of disquiet and terror within Caro as she struggled with the illustrations. They also gave a fairytale aspect to the story which made her question her own role in the bigger picture that was her family. The images also haunted her dreams and gave her night terrors, something which she hadn't suffered since she was a child - since she had lived at the farm. And then she found her stepmother's pear drum in the attic. Memories, images, hallucinations began to swirl in her mind - surrounding this wretched pear drum. The thing terrified her! It was a tool Elizabeth had used to frighten her. But why?

"Have you been bad enough, Caroline?"

Those words alone are enough to give one the chills, particularly once you know the story of the pear drum, and it really sets that creepy tone. The pear drum in this story is a musical instrument that has a significant impact on Caro and as the story evolves the significance and meaning behind the pear drum unfolds, becoming rather frightening. The story is based on an old folktale about two little girls who are promised a reward if they behave badly, but with any story like this there are consequences. Caro's story and that of the two little girls combine to create an interesting and incredibly eerie feel to the story.

And then there is the title itself - CUCKOO. If you are familiar with the traits of the cuckoo then the brilliance of the story will begin to make sense.

I won't say that some of the twists were predictable but I have to say that I did begin to wonder about certain people and certain aspects and, not so much HOW DID THEY fit in but rather HOW THEY DID and WHERE THEY fit into the story. To me, those questions I asked myself seemed to make a lot of sense to the outcome. So I wasn't surprised by some of the twists but they still weren't predictable. I just read enough psychological thrillers to question everyone and everything! But the very end does leave you almost breathless. And, I don't know about others, with one last remaining question. Who can you really trust?

CUCKOO is an incredibly creepy and eerie read. It is intense and at times chilling, full of secrets, lies, deceptions and twists that collide and leave you wondering what is real and what isn't as Caro's past slowly unravels. It is addictive and a compelling read.

Thank you to #SophieDraper, #NetGalley and #AvonUK for an ARC of #CUCKOO in return for an honest review.

Cuckoo is an atmospheric gothic mystery set in a rural English house, where even the heroine doubts her sanity. Is she hallucinating? Are ghosts present or is it her memories coming back of her horrible childhood?

Caro is a starving artist in London when she is informed her stepmother has died. Caro and her older sister Steph will inherit the entire estate once it leaves probate. Steph, now a wealthy New Yorker, gives her share to Caro. Caro, soon to be homeless in London, decides to move into her old family home to clear out her stepmother’s paperwork and personal items. While in the house, a snowstorm forces her to stay inside where her memories of her hateful stepmother during her childhood return with a vengeance.

Cuckoo is reminiscent of golden age mystery writers like Mary Roberts Rinehart with her Had I But Known school of naive and trusting narrators. Caro total lack of faith in herself and continual bad choices began to annoy me around the midpoint. Basically, the clues were all there in plain sight but Caro just ignored them all. I did enjoy the dark English folk and fairy tales sprinkled throughout the book. I googled some of them and they are real—no wonder the English have such stiff upper lips if this is how they entertain their children!

If you enjoy slow-burning gothic reads with most of the action in the unreliable narrator’s head, you will enjoy reading Cuckoo. For me, the annoyingly dense heroine and an obvious twist makes this a 3 star read for me.

Thanks to the publisher, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly I enjoyed the area descriptions in the book as set in Derby and Derbyshire and featured places I have known all my life ( family from Derby and most live there, again/still ) and so ‘Carsington Water’, ‘Matlock’ and Derby City Centre where natural to picture in the story

An unusual story as its 80% psychological and 20% fairy tale..ish,for me the 20% fairy tale parts added nothing to the story and I sped past them concentrating on the psychological part
And the psychological part was good, a clever story of 2 sisters, reunited after many years as their step mum has died, the old house they were brought up in has been left to them along with much riches and they seem to be getting on well, the past behind them and the future, happily ahead..
But of course this is a book and so nothing could be further from the truth! One of the sisters moves from London to live in the house, one stays in New York....and plots and well manages to carry out a very convincing double life, saying one thing, doing another which spirals into a very tense and exciting last few chapters, all culminating in a Eminem style chant of ‘will the real Cuckoo please stand up!’
The characters are vibrant and easy for the reader to get to know and fool the reader as well ( well they did me )
The writing is descriptive and flows well when on the psychological side and whimsical and almost like another author has joined in for the fairy tale side
I did enjoy it, its a good solid story with a tense undercurrent and dark theme, the marking down is only for the fairy tale side which I just didnt ‘get’ and imo was just not needed to add anything to this book
7.5/10 3.5 ( rounded up to 4 )

A slow starter for me but it picked up pace and and a bit of a Rollercoaster Ride for the latter part of this novel which kept me gripped. Some parts a bit spooky but not too much as horror is not my genre. However all in all a good read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Firstly, I’d like to thank Avon Books UK for the ARC of this novel. I’d like to thank NetGalley for facilitating, and also (last but not least), Sophie Draper for a deeply engrossing read!

As usual I will not have any spoilers in my review as I feel that is unfair to the authors who put so much time into weaving their tales.

This is one of those books that you don’t see coming. In the sense that it hooks you and you haven’t realised it’s doing it. I read a couple of chapters and then put it down to do the school run, make dinner etc. But found that I was thinking of the book throughout my daily chores. And at the first opportunity it was back in my hands and I read it until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore.

The storyline is full of confusing episodes and twists. I had most of the characters sussed before their “big reveals” but without all of the crucial pieces it still caused me to doubt my assessments and couldn’t quite see the big picture. Which was perfect. It added the right amount of suspense and reader interaction to the experience without ruining the FINAL big reveals. And I pluralised that because there are a few where you think “ohhhh... I get it now” and then realise that you actually don’t get it because there is more to come. It was really quite thrilling. And the style of writing was beautiful. Very descriptive without coming across as patronising or too “artsy”.

The characters were really well written and very well rounded and I connected well with Caro (which is perhaps the most important thing to do when reading a book like this). I thought it very clever that there was only 1 character in the book who was exactly who they were initially portrayed to be, which shows how far the poison spreads from one family secret.

I really really loved reading this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone enjoying this particular genre - it won’t let you down (as long as you’ve been bad enough that is)!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but I really enjoyed it.
Caro returns to her childhood home when her stepmother dies suddenly. Her sister Steph works in New York and says she’s happy for Caro to sort the house out and live in it or sell it.
Caro has an unhappy childhood and old memories start to haunt her when she’s back in the house.
Steph keeps in touch via Skype but something or someone is playing with Caro’s mind.
Things start to go missing around the house then windows bang open on their own. She even finds a dead rat in her bed...
Life is made a bit more bearable with the help of Craig, who lives down the road. Soon they become more than friends but when something happens to someone in the village Craig keeps his distance, which confuses Caro.
This is a great mystery thriller and full of dark family secrets.
Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Avon Books advertised this on a book reviewing platform without revealing any detail many months ago. A sucker for both devious marketing plots and psychological thrillers I leapt in and received an electronic copy of the book billed Can You Keep A Secret... and I wasn't sure if that was a question of we reviewers or the title.

Of course as it wasn't due to be published until November, by the time I got around to reading it, it now had a name (Cuckoo, though it's also listed as A Stranger in Our Home in some places - the latter not exactly making sense to me, but whatevs...).

At her stepmother's funeral we learn that Caro and her step-mother Elizabeth were estranged. Caro had left home to study 10 years earlier and not returned since. Adding to the mystery is her older sister Steph, who she hasn't seen for for 20 years (when Caro was 9 and Steph 16).

Caro never knew exactly what happened between her sister and their stepmother and it saddened her as she felt she and Steph were united against Elizabeth following the death of their father. She's happy then that Steph, now living in the US, reaches out and wants to rebuild their relationship.

A talented artist, Caro's life is a bit of a mess so when Steph says she doesn't want any part of the house the pair inherited Caro heads to Derbyshire to ostensibly pack up her stepmother's life and decide what to do with the place... thinking the proceeds from its sale could give her the new start she needs.

Unfortunately Caro's not greeted with any warmth and is a bit of a pariah on her arrival in the nearby village. Her only ally is a man who's been renting a cottage from Elizabeth and Caro's immediately attracted to Craig, despite having come out of an abusive and unhappy relationship.

However... no sooner has Caro moved home when she starts to have flashbacks and is besieged by memories of the way her stepmother taunted her and of course the house doesn't help, with only bleak memories on offer. Added into the mix is Caro's dream commission - illustrating a book of dark fairytales - one of which is a threatening and menacing tale relayed to her by her stepmother.

The story took a while to get going but I actually didn't see some of the twists of this book coming. I had absolutely no idea. Things didn't add up obviously so we're not quite sure what's happening but I was quite shocked when things take a turn. I had been worried we were heading into some gothic tale of sorts with ghosts and spirits (stuff that goes thump in the night), but it was nothing like that.

I was probably a bit disappointed in the ending but more in that sense of foreboding - which I think many will like.

So I really enjoyed this book which centres around secrets and lies. The weakest element (other than the slow start) was probably the character development as I didn't engage with Caro as much as I should have. She's meant to be a bit confused and troubled (cuckoo or crazy as someone in the village puts it) and it's good to understand why, but I still wanted to slap her around the head on a few occasions. The book gets bonus points for its twist/s though as they're better than most.

Really well written book with plenty of twists and turns. Really enjoyed the fairy tales twisted around the story. To be honest, I guessed most of it although that didn’t detract from the suspense. I really wanted more after it had ended though.

This book had some genius marketing behind it. There was no title, no author attached to it and no description of what the book was about. Only asking you if you can keep a secret. That peeked my interest. Once I received the book I was asked not to tell anyone about it until closer to publication date. So many people were talking about this marketing ploy that I had to see for myself if this book would be worth the hype.

Let me tell you, it was. This was fun, thrilling read. The Cuckoo by Sophie Draper (which is the real book) is a creepy tale of untangling twisted family secrets. Just when you think you have one secret figured out, the author cooks in another one that leaves you guessing at what you think is real, fairy tale, or made up in a child's mind. But still deliciously satisfied with what you just read. My only drawback for not giving this 5 stars is that the first half of the book is a little slow. The author builds on so many blocks that all make sense in the end how they fit together. The second half of the book I had a hard time putting down. And I promise you will not regret sticking with it to find out what happens. So, can I keep a secret? Yes, I won't tell you the ending. What I will tell you is this book is spooky, dark, creepy, intriguing, nerve wracking, sinister, fun and thrilling all bundled into one.

My thanks to Sophie Draper, Avon Books UK and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cuckoo was very intriguing from when it was marketed as Can You Keep A Secret. Daring readers to take a chance even without knowing what the story is about. Naturally, I was curious and deeply interested. Only, I was disappointed. It started real slow and took its time to picked up and by then I already know what's going on. Caro is unreliable and is someone that's so hard to feel sympathy with despite what she's going through. The repetitive statements can be tiring, too. The ending is not as shocking as what its trying to accomplish and ended up being a let down. An okay read, overall.

After her stepmother's sudden death Caro discovers that the house she grew up in in Derbyshire has been left to her and her sister Steph whom Caro has not heard from in years. Steph has a successful career in New York and wants nothing to do with the house. Caro spent an unhappy childhood in this house with her psychologically abusive stepmother but she has just broken up with her boyfriend and needs a place to stay to get away from him, so she moves into the house where her stepmother died. This is a very creepy book. Sopie Draper is excellent at painting a dark gothic house in a dark gothic village with creepy suspicious villagers and dark and stormy weather. She developed the characters as much as she needed to and makes you feel sorry for Caro while liking some of the characters and doubting others. This book is part gothic thriller, part love story with a lot of psychological suspense. It will pull you in, leave you doubting everyone and wondering what just happened. I loved it! I am grateful to the publisher for tempting me to request this book without knowing the title because I might not have chosen it otherwise. Great marketing strategy! Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for a review

Was very intrigued to read Cuckoo, originally promoted as "Can You Keep A Secret?" until the title and cover was released. The description was right up my ally with spooky, gripping, heart-stopping. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it...

Unfortunately the plot was slow moving and felt very repetitive. I don't know if it's just me, but the pear drum and "have you been bad enough" just didn't do it for me.

Oh Wow !! what a fabulous read !
I absolutely loved it ! Just the right amount of suspense to to keep me hooked.
I loved the way that it was marketed at the beginning asking if you’d ‘dare to read’ it !

I give this a very well earned 9/10