The story revolves around Leona, her daughter Beth and her live-in boyfriend, Graham.
They live in Church Langdon, in the Lake District, and Leona is fiercely over-protective of Beth. She has her own quaint business, a perfect cottage to call home and a loving boyfriend. Graham too loves Beth like his own daughter.
Leona does everything with her together, so much so that Beth is a loner in the outside world; and she not only has no friends, she’s the constant source of negative attention of the popular girls in her class, to the oblivion of Leona and Graham.
Enter Scott into Beth’s life, and her dull monotonous existence seems to be more meaningful. Beth continues meeting Scott without the knowledge of her parents; but for how long?

One day while shopping at the local mart, Leona thinks she spots a person she knew from the past – Ria. And then begin the panic attacks and sleepless nights, so much so the family start getting neglected.

At the heart of the matter, the question remains, why did Leona move to the Lake District? Why doesn't she talk of or tell Beth who her father is? Why does she refuse to officially marry Graham?
And most importantly, who is Ria? What’s her connection with Leona? And why and how does she have a hold over Leona to this extent?

Leona starts seeing a counselor to be able to cope with it – after all Ria has resurfaced in her thoughts after 12 years!

Told alternatively from the viewpoints of Leona, Ria and Beth – this is a mind-boggling psychological thriller. The twists are fantastic, the plot brilliant, the story-telling articulately done and the ending, though predictable, once you knew what was happening, was a perfect culmination to the plot.

You feel Leona’s fear, sympathize with Ria and empathize with Beth.
This was a brilliant read and I full recommend this to everyone!

There was so much about this book that I loved - the setting, the characters and the central dilemma - wow, it had me thinking about it for days after I finished - what an impossible situation!

The book is told from 3 viewpoints, Leona, Ria and Leona's daughter, Beth as we gradually learn about the past, while Beth and Leona struggle with their own problems in the present. It's a well written, clever story that has you engrossed, especially as the truth starts to be uncovered and the story gallops to a brilliant finale. The Lake District setting provided an excellent backdrop, with its wild mountains and dangerous terrain. Loved it and wil definitely read more by this author.

This book tells the story through the eyes of Leona, Beth, and Ria. The majority of Leona's story takes place talking to her psychiatrist. Beth focuses more on her growing attraction for a man named David, and Ria tells the story of her pregnancy with the love of her life, Gareth.



Leona is high strung, and that's putting it nicely. I could tell she has a past that was rougher than most. I could feel it in the way that she spoke. She kept alluding to Ria, and to telling a story that most people hadn't heard. She was the reason I was so tense. She would build up the story and then it would switch back to Beth or Ria.



Beth annoyed me. She was a stereotypical 15 year old, oblivious to the world. She met David near some caves she likes to draw at, and I had to keep from rolling my eyes. He was 24 or 25, way too old for her, but somehow he fell in love with her. I did think that was a little far fetched. We all had our older crushes as 15 year olds, but given that I'm not currently married to Justin Timberlake, I would say 98% of them don't actually work out. The way he was plugged into the plot did make sense in the end, but I'm not sure it justified pages of her obsessing over him.



Ria stressed me out. It felt like I was watching Sleeping with the Enemy. Like Julia Roberts' character, Ria thought she found the man of her dreams in Gareth. She soon spends all of her time with him, moves in with him, and is the mother to his child. Shocker-Gareth is actually a horrible piece of garbage disguised as a human. I will say that parts of Ria's story could be potentially triggering. As a domestic abuse survivor, I did have a hard time getting through some of Gareth's treatment of Ria. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, but it did hit the soft spot.



The book started a little slow for me because I had to get used to the switching between the three female leads. Once I did, I spent the entire time trying to figure out how their stories connected. About halfway through the book, a sense of dread came over me because I just knew something bad was coming. It was like it was in the air for them. It felt like watching a car accident with no way to stop the cars from crashing into each other. I was so tense by the end of the book that I could actually feel my shoulders bunched up. It ended exactly how I wanted it to. The girls all got their way, you could say. This book gives the feeling of stories like "Behind Closed Doors" or "Big Little Lies." It was very entertaining to read as everything unfolded. Solid book. I'm so glad I read it.

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

This is a well constructed and gripping psychological thriller that I really did find hard to put down as I really wanted to know what happened.

The main character Leona lives in the beautiful English lake district with her partner Scott and teenage daughter Beth. Although Leona makes a good living making silver jewellery for sale at the local markets while Scott leads hiking tours in the local area, she suffers from anxiety about the past. Twelve years before Leona fled London with Beth when a woman called Ria did something shocking and now she worries about Ria re-emerging into her life. On top of that her daughter Beth is deeply unhappy, being bullied at school and playing truant. Ria's story is told in parallel with Leona's and it is not a pleasant one as she was lured into marriage by a charming but abusive and controlling man who watched her every move and didn't allow her to see her friends or leave the house.

Skillfully written and culminating in a suspenseful climax in the very rugged and atmospheric lake district landscape, I did not see the very clever twist coming. Highly recommended if you enjoy this genre.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and of course the author for this digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book is a twisted psychological thriller and while I did enjoy the story I found it slow in parts but the twists and turns were plenty and made this a very enjoyable read

A fantastic debut and I will look forward to reading more from this author!

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Leona and her partner, Scott, lead a happy and quiet life along with Leona's teenage daughter Beth. Leona and Beth have always been close, more like best friends than mother and daughter. Now that Beth is a teenager, she has become more secretive, especially after finding an envelope hidden underneath the floorboards of their house. Beth has no friends and has social anxiety and her mother has always been a bit smothering. Now the contents of the envelope have her questioning everything she knows about her mother. Hang on for the main twist, it was a doozy! I enjoyed this book very much and stayed up way too late to finish it!
Thanks to Wendy Clarke, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of this fantastic book!

This rapidly fast novel, What She Saw by Wendy Clarke, is a beautifully written story of love, miss placed love and desparation. It's story of a young woman fooled by an older man into a trap he calls love.. This young woman, Ria, tells a story of an unnevering circumstances that end up propelling her to another and new life. She now must keep this vicious horrible secret from everyone in her life. It becomes a race to now save her family. The book moves fast as you find yourself rooting some and despising others. I would totally recommend this book! Thank you #NetGalley #WhatSeeSaw #WendyClarke #Bookouture

What She Saw

Such a compelling read!! I was absolutely engrossed throughout. There were no slow parts for me, I was thoroughly engrossed!

I liked how the author laid the story out between Leona, Beth, and Ria. It makes the twist that much more enjoyable when it comes about. And wow, what a twist! I honestly didn’t think that was where the book was going, but it did!

The characters were believable, but I struggled to “like” them. Especially in the beginning, but that’s a very minor aspect. They weren’t meant to be very well liked. So they suit the story quite well.

All in all, a very impressive read from Wendy Clarke. I look forward to reading more from her.

I definitely recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a riveting read for me. It's one of those books that you think you'll just read a couple of pages and before you know it you've got too engrossed to put it down.
Great debut novel, hope she writes more.

I read a fair number of psychological thrillers and this was one of the better stories I’ve read recently and the main twist definitely caught me by surprise but made complete sense. The setting plays a big role and it’s obvious the author has a huge love and knowledge of the Lake District. Leona was a complex character who you felt more frustration than empathy with at first until the reasons behind her sometimes puzzling actions were gradually revealed. She will do anything to protect her family and her teenage daughter Beth doesn’t appreciate this and is railing against her mother’s protectiveness. When Beth discovers a lie her mother has told it sends her down a path that might destroy everything.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. There are lots of twists and turns in this book but it was just alright for me. Parts of it got boring but I was able to keep some interest in it. When you try to hide your past, things will cone back to haunt you.

Leona and her 15-year old daughter, Beth, used to be more like friends, rather than mother-daughter. But not that Beth is in high school, their relationship has suffered and Leona doesn’t feel like she knows her daughter at all anymore. Beth struggles with being bullied at school, but she doesn’t tell her parents about the constant struggles she faces. Instead, she skips class and hikes in the wilderness, sketching the views around her.

One afternoon, Beth meets a stranger, an older man—David—who says he’s a photographer for a wilderness magazine. Beth feels immediately drawn to David. She starts lying more to her parents and sneaking out in order to be with him. But strangers aren’t always to be trusted and Beth could be getting herself into a world of trouble spending time with an older man.

Leona doesn’t have any idea what Beth is getting into these days because she’s caught up in her own personal problems. After 12-years, Leona is haunted by the mysterious Ria. She hasn’t thought about her for years, but now Ria is all Leona can think about, causing her panic attacks, reminding her of the hatred she feels for Ria. So Leona seeks out the help of the therapist she used to see over a decade previously to sort out the cause of her anxiety attacks and Ria’s haunting return. To sort out her feelings, Leona goes over the events that led up to what happened 12-years ago.

Why does Leona harbor so much hate for Ria? Once best friends, Ria and Leo grew apart when Ria moved in with and had a baby with an abusive boyfriend. And the longer Ria waited to flee her dangerous situation, the harder it was for her to flee, leaving her isolated from everyone and anything she loves—especially Leo.

As readers, we’re left wondering, why is Leona so haunted by Ria over a decade after they parted ways? Leona believes Ria’s return could be a type of premonition, that maybe there’s doom in Leona’s near future. But the more Leona focuses on her own problems, the less she sees that the doom may instead lie ahead of her daughter, Beth. And that’s when Leona’s last could truly come back to haunt her.

What She Saw by Wendy Clarke is a twisty thriller that had me engrossed from start to finish. For a first release, I was impressed with Wendy Clarke’s writing style and cleverness. I was enjoying both perspectives of the story—Beth and Leona’s. And I was wondering how the two would intersect. The twists were perfectly timed and I didn’t see them coming. I definitely would be interested in reading more by Wendy Clarke—3.5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Wendy Clarke for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't love this book unfortunately. It was an easy ready but I did get a bit bored at times and didn't really connect with any of the characters. There was a good twist that I didn't guess so the book didn't head exactly in the direction I thought but I found the ending a bit unrealistic (and I work with similar people to the character in question). I didn't particularly like the switching of characters voice in this case but I did like how the past was interwoven throughout. I also enjoyed the setting of the Lake District and I thought the author conjured up the beauty of this part of the world very effectively.

I would have given this 3.5 stars if i had a choice of a half star. This was a good book with a good story line albeit somewhat predictable. The characters were decent and the story was reasonable suspenseful. It was worth the read but lacked the wow factor. It definitely was not dull nor was it slow. It just didnt stand out alot to me.

Great debut novel, can't wait for more from this author. Kept me interested loved the ending.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book.

Leona and her partner, Scott, are having some teen growing up problems with her daughter, Beth. She isn’t making friends and is being secretive: Leona is struggling with issues from her past that somehow could cause her world to come crashing down.

Wow what can I say! I should be sleeping now but I was so gripped by this I just couldn’t put it down. Wendy thank you for this book it was bloody marvellous! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was tough to get into at first, but worth persevering. The charecters were portrayed really well and I really enjoyed the way the plot unfolded. Glad I kept going!

Wendy Clarke is a new author for me and she has a new fan. I loved this book and although it took me a bit longer to read than normal due to my shift at work, I found it impossible to leave down when I got home. The story while slow at the start draws you in and as I've said grips you. I would definitely recommend reading this book to everyone and I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own views and are completely unbiased. #What SheSaw#

Excellent debut thriller by this author I absolutely loved it. Don’t want to say to much in case I spoil it but what a twist.

Wendy Clarke's debut novel "What She Saw" is cleverly plotted and skillfully written. Fans of women's fiction will appreciate the careful, piercingly accurate character studies. Devotees of the psychological thriller are sure to appreciate the surprise twist. If you've ever lost a sister, a friend or neighbor, or even yourself to a guy who starts out charming but gradually escalates into an abusive, manipulative, controlling, flaming narcissist, this would be a good novel to recommend. The longer a woman delays fleeing, the harder it becomes to flee.

From the opening pages, we know Leona is haunted by a woman from her past, the dreaded Ria. What could Ria have done to have Leona hating her so much? After a while I started thinking Leona was hard to like, and I wondered how her husband could be so patient with her. Her daughter Beth isn't patient with her at all. The synopsis describess them "more like best friends than mother and daughter," but that was before Beth turned fifteen, getting bullied at school, developing an attitude toward her parents, and forming a friendship with a mysterious stranger who could be really dangerous and she'd be too naive and trusting to keep herself out of harm's way.

The hiking scenes are beautiful, and I love Leona's artistry as well a the photographer's sensitivity.

Leona suffers anxiety attacks and increasing fears that Ria will somehow come back to haunt her, which leads Leona into counseling. Finally, in small, teasing increments, we come to know what Ria did. What we don't know is how Leona will put the pieces back together again.

The climax is dramatic and riveting. Fans of the genre will not be disappointed. I keep trying to find thrillers that are literary as well as tightly constructed, but so far, I gravitate toward literary and find thrillers to be too predicable. That's just me. And I have to confess, I did not anticipate all the twists and turns in this story.

Thank you, Net Galley, for an ARC of this novel.

#WhatSheSaw #NetGalley