I had first read Claire’s debut thriller — Her Name Was Rose — earlier this year and was blown away. Of course I wanted to read the follow up. The premise did make me hesitate a little, though, as motherhood is something I feel strongly about and I was worried I would be really upset by the subject matter, but I took a risk and trusted Claire to handle it well. I’m so glad I did! This book is amazing. Engaging. Well crafted.
I read Apple of My Eve in a day and was hooked the whole way through. Couldn’t put it down. I’m still consumed with thinking about it even now. I think it’ll stay with me.
Brilliant twist!

Definitely a five star read!

Loved loved loved this book. Very unique plot and unusual shocking and surprising ending. Some of the books I've been reading lately have been so, average I suppose, that this one came as a terrific surprise. Highly recommend!

Enjoyable read although I did see where the book was heading quite early on. However, I thought the author built the tension nicely but I didn't really like the name Eli - I kept pronouncing it eee-lie in my head even though I knew it was el-ee. Small matter though! I probably enjoyed Claire's first book more but that is a personal preference.

Apple of My Eye by Claire Allan
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Publish Date: January 24, 2019

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Avon Books UK for the ebook ARC of Apple of My Eye by Claire Allan in exchange for an honest review.

Just how far is a mother willing to go?

When a mysterious not arrives for Dr Eliana Hughes who is six months pregnant. She now begins to doubt every aspect in her life - from her mixed feelings about motherhood to her marriage to Martin, who has become distant in recent months.
As the person behind the note escalates their campaign to out Eli’s husband as a cheat, she finds herself unable to trust her own instincts, and as pressure builds, she makes a mistake that jeopardises her entire future.
Elsewhere, someone is watching. Someone who desperately wants a baby to call their own and will go to any lengths to become a mother - and stay a mother.

I give this book a rating of 5 stars and I highly recommend it. This book kept me guessing from the beginning to the very end. There were many twists and turns An excellent psychological thriller. It was written in 3 points of view; Eli, Louise and Angela. This is the first book I have read by Claire Allan, and it definitely won’t be the last!

#AppleOfMyEye #NetGalley

When I read the synopsis of “Apple Of My Eye” by Claire Allan I knew it was a book I had to read!
It’s a cleverly written novel, though I did realise where the story was going well before the halfway mark, This didn’t however spoil the book for me, I very much enjoyed it. The characters are well rounded and written in short, packed full chapters.
This book kept me swiping at my phone to see how it was going to end. A great read and I’m really looking forward to reading her debut book “Her Name Was Rose 🌹” very shortly.

I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. Claire Allan is an outstanding author and her style of writing draws you in from page 1.
She manages to write a thriller that can also be touching and emotional which few writers are able to achieve.
It is fairly predictable but thats intended and doesn’t distract from the story.
I’d wholeheartedly recommend this book.

The characters I didn't feel for or connect with I have it 3 stars because of the major twist but I felt there should have been some sort of indication the kidnapped wasn't in reality

Apple Of My Eye is a creepy psychological/domestic suspense. I thought I had it figured out pretty quickly, but then things took another turn. I did figure it out before the end of the book (the author gives plenty of clues, including the title of the book), but it was still a satisfying and chilling read. It asks the questions, "How far would you go to protect your child?" and, "How far would to go to protect yourself?". Recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books and the author for the opportunity to preview this book.

This is a good read. It's a solid psychological thriller, where each chapter is written from the perspective of a different character and it moves with pace.

Eli is pregnant whilst working in a hospice and the description of her nursing duties is so realistic and sympathetically written.
She is receiving anonymous notes about her husband and the book builds the tension around who is telling the truth and who is manipulating things to their own end.

It's the first book that I've read by this author, but, won't be the last.

A solid 3*

This is the first book I've read by Claire Allan, although I've had Her Name was Rose sitting on my kindle for a little while, I haven't had a chance to read it yet. When I saw that Apple of my eye was available on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read and review.
The difficulty with reviewing a thriller is that I don't really want to give anything away. I'll try to stick to what I can talk about.
There isn't a huge cast in this story, not that it really needs it. Most of the action takes place with either Eli, her husband Martin and her mother Angela. There are a couple of friends who take small roles and then some secondary characters that have very small roles in the story. There are also a number of people who don't really appear in their own right but are perhaps just as important as the other people in the book. This small cast makes for a tightly plotted book, with just about every tiny little incident being important in the whole story.
The book moved at a really good pace, I found myself sucked into the story and couldn't put it down. Like all good thrillers, I was willing everything to be ok and for things to work out while worrying for Eli and what was going to happen. I did guess what the twist was going to be, a little while before it was revealed, but it wasn't obvious right from the beginning.
If you're looking for a well written, exciting, thriller that sucks you in and makes you want to read on quickly to find out what's going to happen, then I really don't think that you can go far wrong with Apple Of My Eye. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Eli, pregnant with her first child and suffering continual sickness, is finding life difficult, not least because of husband Martin’s frequent absences. Luckily her mum, Angela, is there to provide support. But when Eli starts to receive anonymous notes alleging Martin is having an affair, she doesn’t know what to believe. Things get weird fast.

(As a minor aside, the main character’s name, Eli, initially confused me as it felt more like a male name with a different pronunciation and though I soon realised it was actually “Ellie”, short for Eliana, I still kept pronouncing it wrong in my head.)

Claire Allan’s previous book, Her Name Was Rose, proved very popular - while I enjoyed it and thought it well written, though, I did have some reservations. For me, Apple of My Eye felt like a big improvement on that - the story genuinely grabbed and intrigued me, even if it did all get a bit far fetched.

That said, I did guess about a third of the way in where the plot was going (though not the details), and I enjoyed the first half of the book slightly more than the second. I loved the strand about Eli’s job as a palliative care nurse in a hospice and felt this was realistically portrayed. I did find Eli convincing as a character who was generally independent and competent, but rendered more vulnerable by a difficult pregnancy.

A good read, recommended.

Could not put this down! Addictive read full of twists & turns one of my favourite books of the year absolutely loved it. Will definitely be reading more by this author in the future thanks for the preview highly recommend this book to anyone.

Could. Not put this down! I read this in one sitting, and it had be gripped from the first page.
Eli is heavily pregnant and not enjoying it - she is a hardworking nurse who is fighting nausea and anxiety every day!
When she receives a note implying her husband is cheating, she turns to the one person she knows she can trust - her Mum!
A shocking rollercoaster ride starts and my heart started racing a few times.
Well written, fast paced but not so fast that the characters lost depth.
Excellent - solid 5 stars - my one bug bear would be my mispronunciation of her name in my head - which made me think of a cuddly Jewish uncle ELI when I assume it was meant to be Pronounced Ellie! 🙄

Eli lives in Derry and is almost 7 months pregnant. Her husband, Martin, is a busy architect who is working on a big project. Yet, to Eli, it seems as if he is spending more time out of town than he normally might do. Eli is quite busy, herself, working at a hospice as a nurse. At work, she receives an anonymous note that states, "You shouldn't believe what he tells you." Since lately there was a type of disconnect between Eli and her husband, she begins to realize that maybe the "he" in the note is Martin. This is all on the eve of when Martin is working in London for4 days. Hmmmm… To help out, Eli's mum, Angela, is staying with Eli during that time. One night while Martin is out of town a brick is thrown into Eli's house with another note. Although later than planned, Martin arrives home after his wife calls in distress over this.

By Monday, Eli tells Martin to return to London. He asks about her safety. She assures him that she will be fine and he takes off. Eli and her mum decide to stay at her mum's place in Belfast for the remainder of the 4 days. There, she gets a third message. The police are called - when they arrive it appears to them that they are too non-committal about the whole thing. One says, "People like this do not do this unless they REALLY dislike you, want to hurt you and destroy what you have."

At the hospice, Eli sits with Mrs. Doherty - the woman does not have long to live and is in constant pain. Yet, her son is coming tomorrow to see her.Tired from too many shifts and the mayhem in her life, Eli gives Mrs. Doherty too much pain medication, and the woman passes on. Eli is not to go into work until an investigation is over. She feels horrible - is inconsolable - Angela helps Eli through this awful time. Please note that Angela can be quite domineering and controlling when it comes to her daughter. Eli finds out that she may return after her maternity leave which is effective immediately.

But Angela has 4 unopened e-mails that she is dreading to open.

And Eli has left Martin, moving into mum's house.

Is Martin having an affair?

There are so many twists in this book that could easily be spoilers. Believe me, you do not want to miss this read. The story captures you from the start until the very end. HIGHLY recommend !

Many thanks to AVON Books, UK and NetGalley for another rollercoaster!!!

Having read Claire Allan's novel "Her Name is Rose" I was excited to be accepted for an advance review copy of "Apple of My Eye". From the first chapter fo this book I was totally gripped, I was reluctant to put it down and looked forward to having time to continue reading it. I love physiological thrillers and this thriller for Allan definitely didn't disappoint. The mother and daughter relationship is beautifully written and the twists and turns just kept me turning the pages. I have no doubt this will be a No1 bestseller. Thanks to the author, her publisher and also to Netgalley for allowing me the privilege of getting my hands on an arc. thank you.

Just how far is a mother willing to go?

When a mysterious note arrives for seven months pregnant nurse Eliana Hughes, she begins to doubt every aspect of her life. As the person behind the note escalates their campaign to out Eli’s husband as a cheat, she finds herself unable to trust even her own instincts, and as pressure builds, she makes a mistake that jeopardises her entire future.

Elsewhere, someone is watching. Someone who desperately wants a baby to call their own and will go to any lengths to become a mother – and stay a mother…

I've read quite a few books in this genre so for me to give out five stars is a big deal for me but this book had it all! Kept me guessing up until the end. I was so engrossed with it before I knew it I was turning the last page.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #AppleOfMyEye
Pub Date: 24 Jan 2019

I finished reading this book this afternoon and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Not because I finished reading it, but because I’d been on tenterhooks the whole way through. This is a slow burning gripping psychological thriller that had me gasping for breath on numerous occasions. It takes you deep into the mind of a tormented soul who wants to find nothing more than happiness and peace.

The story progresses really well and from about 60% things take a huge turn. So much is happening, so much to panic over, and so much to keep you glued to the pages. I recommend making sure you don’t try reading the second half of this book when you don’t have a lot of time because you won’t be able to put it down.

The Apple of My Eye has three different points of view. We have Eli (Eliana) our main character, Louise the mystery character, and Angela (Eli’s mother). From the very start, I got the feeling that this book was going to take me to some very dark places and I wasn’t wrong. Eli is pregnant and struggling with daily sickness and not bonding with her baby. Instead of blooming she’s feeling drained. Add to that, she’s a nurse that works in respite helping others to die pain free and comfortable. Things go from bad to worse when a note is delivered to her in work claiming that her husband is cheating on her. This sets a lot of things in motion and with her husband Martin having to travel to London for a few days, another note arrives claiming he’s not there for work.

Eli doesn’t know what to think. The evidence is there and when her mother comes to stay and help, she convinces Eli to go back to Belfast with her. This is where things really take a twist and I’m not going to have any spoilers in this review but I will say, be ready for some great reveals.

Character wise, it took me a while to warm to Eli as I didn’t really find her believable at the start and there really wasn’t any reason for her to doubt her husband but as the story continued she really came into her own and showed her strength. She endured an awful lot and her confusion and conflict was really well written.

Louise as a character was brilliant and so well written. Her pain flowed off the page and she was so easy to sympathise with. Louise's chapters were raw and she kept me guessing right up to her big reveal. I didn't see that coming at all.

Angela, Eli’s mother, was a little harder to get to grips with and her point of view only comes once Eli moves back in with her. She's a doting mother and will do anything for her daughter. She was well written and she shocked me when her story unfolded.

Overall, this is a twisted story of love and death and grief, and it’s very well written. I had tears in my eyes towards the end and felt that it was beautifully done and finished the book off perfectly.

I didn’t see the twists coming and couldn’t have guessed what the big reveal was which was great and the tension towards the end of the story was excellent. All in all, I’d give this book 4.5 Stars. Another great psychological novel from Claire Allan.

Eliana has it all loving husband and a suportive mother i am still in shock what a story still have tears in my eyes Eliana is expecting her 1st child someone wants to wreck what she has got no more spoilers but very very good book you will be adicted to finish gripping and very very twisty

I really enjoyed everything about this book.
Would recommend it to others! Great story plus great author left me wanting more

I was delighted to get the chance to read this book early as Claire is one of my favourite authors. I have read all her books and this one didn't disappoint! I read this book in two nights.