I actually enjoyed this book.  Although with it's dark, twisted and often decidedly disturbing accounts this almost doesn't feel the right thing to say.  But I did.

This book covers sex, rape and abuse and at times I did find it slightly difficult to read, but it is the main thread of the story and is relevant to the book.  It is also a character driven book, and a dual timeline story.  There are a number of characters and we see their lives pan out within this dual timeline narrative between their adult lives, now mostly married and with children and back in 1991 as students at Oxford University.

Most of the characters come from upper class, wealthy backgrounds apart from Holly who not only feels out of place amongst these new friends at uni but also out of place in her own home life with her parents.  The book opens with present day Julianne now married to James, with her son. He finds something on his computer that takes Julianne and the reader back to those years at Oxford and opens up a cavern of memories that are about to change her life completely.  Its hard to give too much away without spoilers but this book was nothing like what I expected it to be, with some hard hitting but believable topics.  A great debut novel however that I found I couldn't put it down and needed to know how all this would eventually pan out for all those involved.

This book really coaxes you in then......wham!  I was left slightly shocked but also so wanting to know what could happen next in this story and to what extent, if any, it affects the lives of all of the characters.

Some books engage you right from the start and this was one of them. Short, punchy chapters over a split time period telling the story of Holly in the 1990’s and Julianne, in the present day. I read this in a day.

As Holly goes off to Oxford University little does she know what the fates have in store for her. A sheltered upbringing leaves her out of her depth among the privileged and reckless. As her story unravels we find out just who she can trust and who is not what they seem.

Julianne lives a privileged lifestyle among the Knightsbridge set of influencers and her world is rocked when her son finds evidence of her husbands misdeeds. With both of them shocked to the core she finds out truths about him and herself that make her question the life they have lived together and whether she wants it to continue. Ultimately pushed to protect her son she fights back but with what consequences?!?

Although the start of the book seems quite slow, it soon speeds us and becomes a difficult tale, which is most absorbing. I was surprised by how quickly reading A Version of the Truth became compelling, until I couldn't put it down because I absolutely had to find out what happened. Sadly, the story is all too believable in the light of revelations in recent years. Definitely worth a read.

I did enjoy reading most of this book but was uncomfortable reading some of the scenes towards the end. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting and was a bit too dark for me. However, the novel was well-written and compelling, especially the first two-thirds. I liked Holly and wanted everything to work out well for her at Oxford, where she feels out of her depth with the wealthy students who befriend her. There was some very good dialogue - I particularly liked the conversations between Julianne and her prickly mother at the beginning. The book was definitely a page turner, I just found it rather sad towards the end and a bit too graphic.

I am reeling after the events in this book. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was different to anything I have read before. Set today in 2019 in Julianne's luxury life in Knightsbridge and then back in 1990 as Holly starts Oxford University. Holly is a scholarship student who is befriended by a group of elite, confident, rich kids.

Characters overeducated in the classics, so entitled and privileged. Many of these then go on to become our MP's - I don't think they are quite as bad as this lot (I really hope not!). Strong sexual content but needed to be graphic and included to bring this story to a shocking conclusion.

A unique story that I found a compelling read. I would love to know how the author did research as I truly believe a lot of this is very close to home. This book really resonated with me in todays political climate.

This was a harrowing story to read but very compelling and with probably a lot of truth in the storyline given the current publicity about such occurrences. The characters are well depicted and seemed very real. The storyline was non stop action and didn't let go of your imagination. great read..

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an independent review.
An uncomfortable subject matter which was not apparent for quite some time, but was well told and held my interest. Some of the characters were quite odious and the writer depicted them so well, to ensure that the reader found them distasteful.
Not sure that this is what I was expecting when I began reading the book for a review. But it was strangely compelling.
3.5 stars

We all see what we want to see…

2019: Julianne is preparing a family dinner when her son comes to her and says he’s found something on his iPad. Something so terrible, it will turn Julianne’s world into a nightmare and make her question everything about her marriage and what type of man her husband is or is pretending to be.

1990: Holly is a fresher student at Oxford University. Out of her depth and nervous about her surroundings, she falls into an uneasy friendship with a group of older students from the upper echelons of society and begins to develop feelings for one in particular. He’s confident, quiet, attractive and seems to like her too. But as the year progresses, her friends’ behaviour grows steadily more disconcerting and Holly begins to realise she might just be a disposable pawn in a very sinister game.

A devastating secret has simmered beneath the surface for over twenty-five years. Now it’s time to discover the truth. But what if you’re afraid of what you might find?

****

This book completely surprised me. It turned out to be not at all what I expected! But in a very good way!

Whilst it started off at a relatively slow pace, i could feel the tension simmering away underneath, so much so, my stomach started knotting as I knew something terrible was about to happen. But when all the pieces of the puzzle slotted into place... Well. I was speechless.

Highly recommended from me!

Really enjoyed this book even if the content was a bit uncomfortable at times. Easy reading that made me want to read ‘ just one more chapter’ before having several very late nights so I could reach the end.

Had I known how horrendous the story was, I would have never picked it up. This book is dark and I had to push myself to finish it. The slow pace is right for the story, the characters are well rounded but most of them are not very likable. I feel drained.

This is a compulsive read that I’d never have chosen if I’d known how truly horrendous the content is. It tells of people in privileged positions undertaking systematic and organised abuse. Not for the faint hearted.

This book came with quite a reputation re other reviews had read and wasn’t sure what to expect
It needs to be said that the book covers gang rape, gay sex and other subjects and yes whilst these things are covered they are relevant to the story and not just ‘thrown in’ for shock value.
The book reminded me, in parts, of a data age ‘Hostel’ ( if you remember those films ) and the whole book ( above subjects included ) is dark and chilling
The story revolves around characters who met at Uni, some from untold privilege and one girl from the opposite, they meet and terrible things occur and then the book splits as the characters decide
on various ‘versions of the truth’ to continue their lives.....until the past comes calling...alongside this a very unsavoury organisation that procures the disadvantaged for wealthy evil people to ‘ bid’ on for their horrible desires
Most of the characters are to be despised but thats the intention and it works well!!
Yep its strong stuff with very few light moments, the writing is tense and atmospheric and cleverly shows how some people will normalise anything to suit them
I found it a compelling story with a good ending but left me with a sense of unease about the world but then a good book does make you think!
Not a cosy read and probably not one for a book club!!!but a decisive piece of fiction from an author I am sure we will hear much much more from and in a ever growing sea of authors a name I will remember!

I have struggled with my thoughts on this book since I finished it. It's such an intriguing book. It's a heavy book. In a way, I can see (kind of, but not really) why people had a hard time reading it. It definitely doesn't fluff over "sensitive" subjects and how demeaning people are. No sugar coating with this book. In that aspect, kudos to this author.

This book goes back and forth between two time periods... what happened in the past that lead to where things are in present day. I admit I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where things were going to go and why the different characters. It was all revealed as the stories played out. The slow build to the real issues was wonderful. It kept me on my toes. I was right there with the story...

I will divulge that even though we get quite a bit of insight to these characters, I had a hard time connecting to them. Maybe it's because of who they are, how they act. They are the complete opposite of me. It's hard to connect to things you aren't or don't necessarily want to know. I am not sure what the cause of the disconnect with these characters is, but there was one for me.

I am sitting here trying to figure out how to convey where the story fell apart for me. I don't want to spoil it for others who plan to read this. It was definitely the big ending. I was so disappointed. There was this HUGE build up. This rage the author creates within his reader. The need for revenge and karma. And then that's the ending? I felt ripped off. I felt duped. I felt it completely took away everything that happened in the book in one fell, disappointing swoop. I won't lie. That ending completely ruined the entire book.

Would I recommend this book? Maybe. If you can look past the weak, dissatisfying ending and can stomach some brash subjects, I would suggest reading this one. The rest of the book was pretty darn good.

Sometimes you can appreciate a book and absolutely loathe everything about it. Sadly, this is one of those books.
We operate in a number of time frames and focus on a number of characters. Through the shifting narrative we uncover a truly grotesque and unpalatable story.
Julianne has a comfortable life in 2019. Son about to go to Oxford and a husband who showers her with gifts. Then, in the already tense build-up to Christmas Eve, her son asks to speak with her. He’s found files on the family Dropbox account. Files that suggest someone close to them is involved in something repugnant.
Julianne was the girlfriend of James while they were at university in Oxford. Being American she was always regarded as something of an outsider. Not privy to some of the jokes of James and his group of friends shared. Not part of some of their more extreme activities. Not part of, but complicit in, something awful they do and cover up.
Into this mix is thrown our everyday character Holly, a hard-working somewhat frumpy young girl who’s led a sheltered life and who can’t shake her fascination with James and his friends though she suspects their interest in her is not genuine.
As we start to piece together events there’s a sickening sense of powerlessness. You gain a horrible sense of what’s to come and it just keeps on coming.
Aside from the subject matter, the characters in this were either unpleasant or naive. The author seems to rely on cliched stereotypes in many instances, and the way the novel ended left nothing properly resolved. Frustrating.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for my thoughts, but this is not a book I’d recommend.

A tricky,difficult story both to read and to imagine. Some not very nice,selfish characters. A sudden rather inconclusive ending.

Following dual timelines, this dark and twisty tale explores the way our wishes colour what we see. In 2019, Julianne is married to James and living a wealthy, comfortable life in exclusive Knightsbridge when her teenage son brings her something disturbing he’s found on the shared family drive, something which will rock the foundations of everything Julianne thinks she knows about her life.

The timeline in 1990 follows Holly, an English student in her first term at Oxford University and way, way out of her social depth. Dragged into the glamorous orbit of Ally, her brother Ernest and their friend James, Holly finds herself witness to the kind of liberated behaviour this sheltered scholarship girl had only dreamed of.

And to be honest, this was where the story fell down for me. If Holly went to a state school in Essex, she saw plenty of sex, drugs and bad behaviour of all sorts going on. I started university in ‘93, so I’m supposedly just four years younger than Holly, i.e. of the same generation. She’d probably seen a lot more than the private-school brats who were supposedly so much more sophisticated than she was. And though I didn’t go to Oxford, there were plenty of smart kids I know who did, and it certainly wasn’t the exclusive enclave of rich kids leavened only by a sprinkling of scholarship types the author makes out, not in the early nineties. Or possibly the author didn’t realize that university tuition was free for all students in the UK at the time, making even the most exclusive universities actually a lot more egalitarian than they are today.

At any rate, Holly was easily the most sympathetic character in the book. She came across as a socially awkward 18-year-old, desperate to be included in the ‘cool kids’ gang, with an unrequited crush which backfires on her in a truly awful way I really didn’t see coming. Julianne, the other protagonist, was rich and clueless, and so poorly fleshed out she didn’t seem to have any hobbies of her own beyond shopping and arguing with her appalling mother. I felt sorry for her son Stephen, who at 17 was the one who discovered the truth of his father’s activities, only for his mother to try and explain it away.

The book’s Big Reveals are shocking and nasty in a way that feels all too real, considering how those in power manipulate the system to benefit themselves. Though rape and child abuse are themes in the book, and one rape technically occurs ‘on the page’ there’s nothing offensively graphic or titillating in the way it’s presented, which I appreciated.

In the end, nobody comes out smelling of roses, and some people are revealed to be genuinely vile but not necessarily going to get their comeuppance (though the ending is left open enough for you to imagine it if you need that). Which is kind of what makes this so realistic, because in real life nobody’s perfect, we all make bad decisions with hindsight, especially if scenes have been staged and people we respect and care about have been gaslighting. Well-written, this had a few plot points I didn’t quite buy, which is why I’m giving it four stars rather than five.

Knightsbridge, London - 2019

It’s nearly Christmas and Julianne Knight is busily preparing for it. Julianne is married to James who works in a job handling rather confidential data. Their son, Stephen, age 17, worriedly shows his mother some files that have shown up in the family’s shared Dropbox folder. Both are rather shocked at the information in the files and wonder if it could have somehow come in via a computer virus or something.

Oxford - 1990

Holly Rowe has just started university at Oxford. Although her parents are not wealthy, she is very happy to have won a place at this prestigious university. The first person she meets is Aphrodite (Ally) Kelman. The girl is outgoing and speaks with a posh accent. Her twin brother is Ernest who is also attending Oxford. Turns out their father is Clive Kelman, Tory MP. Holly then meets their close friend, James Knight. They spend time together studying and having discussions. Holly has led a fairly sheltered life and is taken aback at times at some of the things the trio says.

This story switches back and forth in time to the actions of the characters during their college days and present time. Actions that happened in the past can come back to haunt you. There are some raw and ugly events that made me realize how naive I am even today. It also proves how those in political power can cover up anything. Due to the rawness of it, I can’t say that I enjoyed reading this book, but it did open my eyes about how some people live their lives.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest opinion, I believed it to belong in the mystery/thriller genre but although I was enjoying the story it was really quite a while before I realised where this story was actually going. Adult fiction would be a more suitable section in which to place it and it did in fact even include some vivid sex scene which, as we find out eventually, were actually quite pertinent.

It was an interesting book, if not a gripping one. I'm afraid I couldn't take to any one of the characters but surprisingly that didn't spoil it for me. I suppose it was a cynical if believable outcome which really left me feeling quite sad with regards to the world we live in.

This was one of those stories where I almost abandoned reading it, but it started to get a little interesting as I plugged along, so I’m glad I managed to finish it.

When Holly began as a freshman at Oxford University it was an honor for her to get in and she was eager to begin her studies and start her new life. However, she wasn’t the type to make friends easily partly because she was sort of awkward and a bit naïve. She ends up meeting an eclectic group of students who were carefree and extremely adventurous—more so than Holly was.

Holly ends up secretly falling in love with James who was a hunky type of guy, in her eyes, but the problem was he had a girlfriend, Julianne. Although Julianne sort of had a feeling that Holly was enamored with her man, she didn’t feel threatened at all because Holly was just a plain jane, so there was nothing she had to worry about. Or, was there?

As the reader continues to venture through the story, you will begin to see a much larger picture come into view and it will be startling to you, as well as the characters who discover that what they thought they knew about each other, isn’t quite what they know at all.

Unfortunately, this story didn’t start to heat up until about 70 percent. That’s almost the end, if you’re doing the math. I found the story to be quite boring and full of words and detail that wasn’t necessary to tell the story. So many times I started to give a DNF, but the writer in me and the fact that I’m nosey when it comes to reading, I just had to figure out what the hell was going on in this story? The problem I found is that the story is a bit confusing at first because I could not figure out what the past and the present had to do with anything? I knew there had to be some type of connection because why else write the story, but it appeared to take entirely too long to get to where the reader needed to go. This is when I began skipping over sections, and then realized I had to go back because I skipped sections I really needed to know.

At the end of the day, I struggled to get through it and I was saddened by that because once the story heated up, I absolutely loved where the author took me. It’s just too bad he couldn’t have found a way to get the reader there quicker. However, this is my opinion and may not be the opinion of other readers. This is not a bad story—in fact, it’s downright interesting once you figure out what is really happening. I just wish I could have gotten there so much sooner.

After reading this I looked at the reviews and saw a mixture of different views on this story. This is why I love reading. We all don’t like the same books and that can be a great positive.

I really didn’t like the characters in this story. It’s rare I find a book that I didn’t click with any of the characters.

This is one of those books that won’t be for everyone. Personally I love taboo reads so I enjoyed this story. The author knows how to push the readers. Take them out of their comfort zone. This is one of those reads. I’m refusing to rehash the story as I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. If your looking for a different read that may make the readers uncomfortable then this could be the story for you. I’ll certainly be reading more from this author in the future.