There were so many things I loved about "Knowing You" by Samantha Tonge and many that made me feel very uncomfortable. Surely, the main character, Violet's transformation is a good thing and well over do? This is undoubtedly a sign of a great book when you start to question yourself. There are characters who you will love and hate.. Story lines that tackle real subjects without glamourising them, but within a well written romantic story too.
I liked the publishing setting and learning more of this cut throat world. It is difficult to say too much, without putting spoilers in this review. Give it a read and you won't be disappointed.

To me this is a book of two halves - the first half gives us a feel for what Violet is normally like, how her break up for Lenny is affecting her, and about her job in publishing. We get to meet her friends and there is a lot of talk about books which I l always like.

Then the second half well from about 60% onwards I knew I couldn't put the book down, had no idea what was going on around me, as I was so utterly absorbed as everything seemed to move up a notch, and some of the things I was wondering about became slightly more confirmed, but at the same time shocking me.

Depending on your circumstances there are themes in this book that could be upsetting, but at the same time most likely will ring true for anyone going through the same things. I am not going to mention that big themes of the book though as I have no intention of spoiling anything for anyone.

In fact this is a hard book to review given to me all the best bits, the most impressive sections and the bits I'd love to shout about are all in the second half of the book, and work best if you have read it all, so rest assured its absolutely fantastic, and had me completely and utterly gripped.

The best comparison I have is to liken this to Amanda Prowse - in terms of really getting to grips with a tricky issue, writing about it in an accessible and sensitive way, making you really feel something for the characters involved, If this is the direction that Samantha Tonge is moving in, and it certainly seems that way after the last two books, then I can only look forward to seeing what she tackles next, as this was really impressive.

I loved the Violet worked in publishing, anything that gives me an insight as to how books are made / acquired etc.. always fascinates me, and I loved her friends at the retirement home book club that she runs have decided to set up a blog.

All the lighter moments of the book were equally well described and I really felt as though I was getting to know Violet, her new flatmate Bella and all of her friends and colleagues really well.

There were times where I really disliked Violet, she is someone who seems as though she is too easily led by others and seems to struggle to know her own mind. At times I wanted to, knock some sense into her,, and at others just give her a hug as she seemed so inexperienced too.

Interspersed with the present day story we get flashbacks of what life was like for Violet in 2001, when she was only 7. They added a lot of the book, and gave an idea of where some of Vi's personality traits evidently stemmed from.

If like me you love reading women's fiction, but also quite like reading darker books too - then this new dark women's fiction genre - and Knowing You in particular could be just what you are looking for. I certainly glad that I read it.

Thank you to Canelo and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Found this book a bit hard to follow at times but did enjoy it. Strong characters which are relatable would recommend this book.

Kind-hearted Violet has never fitted in, but despite being bullied at school is now content. She is dating ambitious Lenny, has her dream job in publishing and runs a book club at the local retirement home.

However, when her relationship with Lenny begins to falter, Violet seeks the advice of her new flatmate, Bella. She changes her image and with her head held high aims to show that she doesn’t need Lenny in her life to be happy and successful. Her long-term friends Kath and Farah worry about Bella’s influence and slowly Violet starts to distance herself from them.

When I started this book it was a slow start... I would put it down and pick it up again a few days later, but it picked up and I'm glad I continued with it! This was just an unsettling, secretive book with well written characters.

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #KnowingYou
Pub Date: 14 Mar 2019

Another absolutely stunning read from Samantha Tonge!
I really loved Samantha’s previous novel (Forgive Me Not), so when I heard she had a new book coming out I couldn’t wait to read it, and boy it didn’t disappoint.

The three things that stand out for me with Knowing You are:
1. It is quite simply a fantastic page-turner.
2. The characters are wonderfully developed from all walks of life, and all shapes, sizes and flaws. I was arm in arm with Violet for every turn she took in this book.
3. (And this is what really makes this author stand out in my mind) It delves into incredibly difficult subjects with class and sensitivity in a truly spectacular way.
I won’t go into any more detail on the subjects the novel covers as I would hate to spoil it for other, but I would like to say that once again I’ve come away from reading a book by this author with my eyes opened a little more to the difficulties people face.

Thank you to NetGalley, Canelo and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read this fabulous book!

An unsettling read about honesty and secrets. I felt so much empathy for Violet throughout.

Samantha Tonge creates a strong sense of both character and place in her latest novel, a thought-provoking book which would make an interesting book club choice.

Slow start but lead to a fast middle and finally, an ending I didn’t see coming!?!
A much weightier subject matter than I initially comprehended. I would say however that the author “rushed” the last chapter a bit too much. When dealing with a delicate subject matter such as this (without giving away a spoiler), note care and consideration could have been taken to wrap up this book! While it ended up being an engrossing read, the ending may make me second guess recommending?
Thanks for the advance read!

Samantha is a new author to me but I am sorry to say this book wasn't for me. I couldn't get into the storyline and couldn't get to liking any of the characters.

Unfortunately I did a lot of skim reading and was relieved when I got to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Canelo Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I had been looking forward to reading this book. I like the author very much. This book just didn't do it for me.
It was very hard to follow and get into this book

I am a fan of this author and love reading her work. This book was somewhat different, however, to her usual work.

The story starts well and I quickly become emotionally involved in Violet’s story. She is a complex character going through a difficult time in her life due to a breakup. We see her life as it is now as well as flashbacks to her childhood. The flashbacks contain clues as to what is going on and I had actually guessed where the story was going before the author gave it away. However, this did not spoil my enjoyment of the story.

This is a well written story which, I believe, gives a fantastic insight into certain elements of many people’s lives and which may well help those struggling with the same issues as the character in the book.

Huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy,

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

What was that? No, seriously, I’ve reread the last few chapters over and over, and I still don’t understand. Fairly flat 2-D women’s fiction until the end goes off the rails. You can pass