This was my first K.L. Slater book though I have a few others of her on my TBR list already. It was a quick read for me finishing in about a day and a half. While the book was a slow burn of a mystery I still couldn't seem to put the book down. I thought I knew what was happening and had my world completely turned upside down.

The novel follows the view point of Emma, who has just split from her husband Shaun, Maisie, their daughter, Joanne, Shaun's new girlfriend and Val, Emma's mum. You find yourself wondering who is telling the truth, who is seeing things through slanted lenses and who's past is tainting their perceptions of the events of today.

The novel was a solid 4 star read.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC.

really enjoyed this! Full of paranoia, doubts, and secrets. Everyone had a secret and I just wanted to know what it was! Good unexpected twists too!
4 stars!!

Thank you #NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Closer is the story of Emma, whose husband Shaun, instantly falls in love with her boss, Joanne, and moves in with her within two weeks. Emma and Shaun have been separated for months, despite the fact that they still live in the same house, due to wanting to make their separation easier on their ten year old daughter Maisie, and to allow them to share house and childcare duties. Once Shaun meets Joanne, he wants out of their unusual living arrangement, while Emma is also having to deal with a boss who is living with her not quite ex-husband.

This is the first book I've read by K. L. Slater. It's easy reading and I enjoyed the tension concerning Maisie and her emotional and physical health. Joanne also has a ten year old daughter, who is spoiled and mean, something that Maisie knew even before she started having to spend time with Shaun's new "family". One of the most frustrating parts of this big change in the life of Emma is that Maisie changes too, losing weight very quickly, losing interest in all the things she used to love, and being unwilling to discuss what is going on. Shaun seems very dense when it comes to the needs of his soon to be ex-wife and his daughter and Emma's mother is willing to defer to Shaun's version of stories before believing Emma's fears.

The beginning of the book, which I won't disclose, shows that the stakes are deadly high in this psychological thriller. Joanne, for all her stellar accomplishments at work, despite her perfect-ness in all areas of her life, is hiding a big secret. Joanne also is willing to buy or force her daughter's way into any social situation at the expense of any other child. Shaun is blind to all that is going on and because of a past nervous breakdown on the part of Emma, thinks any fears or concerns she has are a figment of her imagination.

My only gripe with the book is the way it ended abruptly. It just stopped, at a place that, to me, left us with the need for more information, more closure, more book. I do plan to read more of Slater's books in the future because I did enjoy this story a lot. Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC.

Closer is yet another brilliant psychological thriller from Kim Slater,Emma splits up from husband Shaun and he moves in with Joanne which causes problems as she is Emma's boss at work.Worse is to follow as Maisie,Emma's daughter begins to withdraw from her friends and starts to starve her self and obviously Joanne and her daughter Piper get the blame.The story had me gripped from the first page and once again Kim Slater demonstrates that she really is up amongst the very best of authors when it come's to the psychological thriller genre,and wow what an ending !! 5 stars all the way.

Emma and husband Shaun were no longer a couple but still lived together under the same roof for the sake of their daughter ten year old Maisie. The arrangement was going well until Shaun started a relationship with Emma`s boss Joanne Dent.

After a whirlwind romance Shaun left to go and leave with Joanne and her daughter Piper who was also ten. Piper was a a spiteful little girl and a attention seeker. When Maisie visited Piper called Maisie fat and other nasty things out of the hearing range of Shaun. At dance school Piper turned all Maisies friends against her.

Within weeks Maisie stopped eating and became painfully thin. Emma tried to speak to Shaun about it but he dismissed her concerns and thought she was overreacting. To make matters worse worrying incidents were happening at home. First Emma`s bathroom window shattered, her tyres were slashed and her herb garden was destroyed. Then she received a note saying I'm watching you. When Maisie decided she no longer wanted to go to Joanne`s Flat, Shaun accused Emma of poisoning Maisie`s mind. Joanne then encouraged Shaun to obtain custody of Maisie.

When Emma asked Shaun about Piper`s real father he said Joanne found it painful to speak about. Convinced that Joanne was to blame Emma decided to dig into Joanne`s private life and discovered a disturbing incident.

The story was told from the POV of Emma, Joanne, Maisie and Emma`s Mum Val. The reader was also told the events at Emma`s last job which resulted in a colleagues suicide.

Closer is my first book by K L Slater I have not given five stars. This book was a slow burner and took a long time to get going. I felt so sorry for Maisie and I half wanted to make her eat and the other half wanting to wrap her in a hug. The characters were well drawn even though they were not nice. I disliked Shaun who was so wrapped up in his new life he refused to accept what was happening to Maisie. I also disliked Val who thought Emma was having a breakdown and was speaking to Shaun behind her back.

Once the story got going I could not put my Kindle down. The story had me on the edge of my seat, and I enjoyed the twist which I did not see coming. However in my opinion I thought the story ended too abruptly. There were certain aspects of the story which were not explained and I did not enjoy the cliff hanger ending.

With thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutre for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

If you are looking for a well written, can't put it down psychological thriller that will hook you in from the very first page to the last then look no further.
The characters are well drawn, some you will hate with a passion and some you will empathise with. There are plenty of red herrings thrown in to keep you guessing and the ending came as a surprise.

KL Slater is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Whilst this is probably not the best one I’ve read, it is still worthy of 5 stars.
There’s plenty of twists and turns and the characters are developed well. I’d definitely recommend this one if you like this genre of book.

Unputdownable!! I did not see the end coming at all. This book is spectacular!! This had an ending that just left you open mouthed and thinking no!! There has to be one more chapter! Endings like this are what good psychological thrillers are made of!

This book was good - right up until the very end. I liked the story; I felt bad for Emma for constantly being judged. As a mom, you know when something is wrong with your kid(s). I never thought anything bad about Emma; I thought poorly of Shaun for not seeing how conniving Piper was. I felt really bad for Maisie, and I had no idea who that real perpetrator was. So in that aspect, the story got five stars...

And then the standard plot twist, at the very end.

And I don't know why but somehow, this book simply just does not pull it off. To me, it would have been perfectly concluded after you find out who was behind everything; maybe with the twist of Joanne having some sort of schizophrenia that caused the accident that occurs before the book happens. Having the very predictable twist at the very end cheapened the whole book for me. Had the twist not been there, it would have rated a solid 4 stars; as it is, now it's down to a 3.5 and being rounded down to 3. HOWEVER, this author has great potential and I do want to read more of (her? I think) her body of work.

Final verdict: 3.5 stars.

I have most of Kim Slater's novels and I can honestly say that I always find them to be of a consistently high standard. Needless to say this is no exception.
This is not the fastest paced novel the author has written but the book is absorbing and builds to an exciting finish.
Emma and Shaun are still living together but no longer together as a couple. They decided to continue living in the family home for the sake of their 10 year old daughter Masie. But when Shaun meets Joanne all their plans change. Joanne is a single and just happens to be Emma's boss, she also has a 10 year old daughter named Piper who is not the nicest little girl in the world. Masie does not like either Joanne or Piper and Emma is convinced that Joanne is hiding dark secrets.
This book is full of interesting characters, many of which are not very pleasant but great entertainment.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

It was a slow burn but that doesn't stop me from devouring this new KL Slater offering. I was so absorbed with the story despite despising some of the characters. There are just so mean and selfish. My heart goes out to Maisie, the only character I care about. 80% of the book and I am still not sure where things are going and yet I can't let go and just keep going until the shocking albeit somewhat disappointing ending. Not that it's bad. I just feel so invested that I need closure. Overall, a great read.

I enjoy K.L Slater's books. I find them easy to read with a good sense of "what's going on"! This book was no different, lots of building of tension, confusion and mystery with a good twist at the end.

I absolutely LOVED K.L Slater's new book Closer. When I open a S.L Slater book you know I will be hooked! I will be stuck to my chair and it will be a beans on toast for tea! So Turn your Phone off, as you will need no interruptions, get comfy and open your Kindle and enjoy the latest book By this fantastic author!
The beginning of this book just had my 100% hooked and it was just Brilliant. If you want a book that is filled with so many twists and turns and a fast paced gripping psychological thriller that will have you saying OMG I didn't see that coming.

This is a book for you. You will be in for a treat.

K.L. Slater is one of my favourites and I can’t wait to get my hands on her next book. Just Awesome!
I would highly recommend this book and all her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and K.L. Slater for a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Emma and Shaun have decided to end their relationship but stay living together to coparent their ten year old daughter Maisie. Suddenly Shaun meets Joanne, Emma’s boss, and they move in together with Pippa, Joanne’s ten year old daughter.
Maisie struggles with this and her behaviour changes. How can Emma find out what is going on without looking like the jealous ex.
The story was written from the POV which pulls you into the story as you try to decide what’s happening to Maisie and who is causing her massive behaviour change.
I have read all of the K.L. Slater books and this is just as good as the previous. I look forward to reading the next.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC.
#Bookouture #Closer

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Closer’ by K L Slater in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

When Emma realises that her marriage to Shaun is falling apart, she suggests that they come to an arrangement whereby they continue living in the same house and have equal time with their ten-year-old daughter Maisie. This arrangement seems to work until Shaun meets and soon after moves in with another woman, Emma’s boss Joanne Dent, and her precocious and vindictive daughter Piper. But Emma doesn’t trust Joanne and thinks she and Piper are responsible for Maisie not eating and rapidly losing weight. Can Emma discover the truth about Joanne before Maisie’s life is put at risk?

‘Closer’ is a gripping psychological thriller where the story is told from the perspective of the different characters. It has spine-tingling twists and turns, compelling characters, and a plot that at the beginning seems simple but soon becomes chilling as the story progresses. As the tension escalates it’s impossible to stop reading although you really don’t want to know what’s going to happen next. By the time I reached the conclusion I was open-mouthed with horror and had to read the beginning and then the final few pages again. K L Slater is a brilliant writer who’s able to weave excitement and suspense into each novel. Thank you for yet another fantastic novel and I look forward to the next.

Good storyline, I always enjoy K L Slater’s books. Maisie, one of the main characters in the book seemed to be a lot more mature than 10 years old. I felt that she should be a bit older. But that aside, a really good read.

I'd like to thank netgalley and the author for an advance copy but unfortunately I wasn't able to read this book.

Emma and Shaun have decided that their marriage is over. For the sake of their 10 year old daughter Maisie, Emma thinks they should continue living in the same house and sharing the child care arrangements. That is until Shaun returns home one day and says he is moving in with another woman, Joanne. Joanne is Emma’s boss and whilst she reassures Emma that Maisie and her daughter, Pippa will get on like a house on fire, there is something that Emma can’t put her finger on….

I love this author’s books and have read all of her previous ones. They are all of the same genre – a psychological thriller that sets your nerves on end – and this one is no different!! The story revolves mainly around Maisie, Emma and Shaun’s 10 year old daughter. I imagined it to be a story of how a young girl feels when her parents split up, and particularly when the dad moves in to live with a ready-made family. It was, to a certain degree, but when Maisie begins to be told by her dad’s new girlfriend and her daughter that she is fat, it begins to take a dark, sinister turn to it. I felt absolutely heartbroken for Maisie, and to be honest it made me feel really uncomfortable reading it. Briefly being on the receiving end of bullying at school, I could totally empathise with Maisie and how she must have been feeling.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where I’ve had so many different emotions about the characters! In the course of the book I’ve felt sadness for how Maisie has been treated, hatred because of how nasty Pippa was, suspicion because Joanne is obviously not what she seems, understanding because it must be really difficult for Shaun to keep two families happy (even though it was his own doing!) and frustration at Emma for not seeing what was going on with Maisie and doing something more about it!! It has certainly sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions and I’ve been on the verge of tears throughout most of the book!

There are a lot of difficult subjects covered in this story, but as usual the author has handled them sensitively. It is a fantastically written book which had me mesmerised from the first page. I couldn’t quite work out how it was going to end and had so many different ideas in my head as to what was going on. It twisted and turned right to when I thought it was all over….and then it gave me a little bit more (by this point, I was shouting at the book!!)

I read this book in just over a day, so I think that gives a pretty good idea as to how good this book was!! A fantastic psychological thriller full of tension and suspense!! Highly HIGHLY recommended!!

Excellent book with a great storyline. Characters that are so well written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

This book sent shivers down my spine. It is really well written and the plot cleverly leads you one direction and then totally shocks you. There are so many secrets and lies in this story. It is definitely worth reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.