Drew me right in from the first pages kept me reading long into the night.A tense chilling thriller.#y #lakeunionpublishing.

What a book. I was hooked just from the cover and description. Thankfully I was not disappointed. This is a fast paced read. Easy to read. Your on the edge of your seat wondering which way it’s heading. Fantastic read

Raven Lane started out strong but for me, it quickly derailed. Esme and Benedict were really interesting characters and I enjoyed that both of them had past careers that were cut short and they had to evolve and become a new version of themselves. It felt like the author tried to cram as many shocking things into the plot, instead of focusing the story on a few issues. It became extremely unbelievable that murder, adultery, drug use, sexual assault and other "shocking" things happened all in one story. The timeline also kept jumping around and it felt very disconnected.

I did not enjoy the part of the story in which Esme was reading pages from the dead author's book. Not only did I not enjoy the dead author's story but I also felt that it kept taking me out of the narrative. While I understand why Amber Cowie included these snippets from the dead author's book, it was the weakest part of Raven Lane. And the ending? Normally, I can get on board with a somewhat ambiguous ending. But this one just made me sigh and roll my eyes.

The beginning of this book was really good but then it turned boring and mundane
It was not for me

An accident occurs in a close knit neighborhood and divides friends. The question is the criminal case, and what a jury will find. A wife watches her husband put his car in reverse and back out of the driveway, only to run over one of their best friends. A man who is a successful author. Great book!

I was really excited for this book but it fell a little short for me. The story felt underdeveloped, the twists were fairly obvious and the characters were lacking for me. It was engaging enough to finish but wasn’t my favorite.

I couldn't get into this story. I wanted to and I tried but I had to give up. While I don't mind a slow pace, I prefer it with a slow burn. I also lost interest in the characters pretty quickly. I had no problem with the writing other than the pace. Some may like the story but its not for me.

The characters were really hard to get a good read on and figure out personality and it was alot of characters to have to remember. It felt kind of like an old time ish book to me.

This was okay.
I found myself becoming distracted whilst reading, which is never a good thing.... you know, have I left the tumble drier on? And other mundane things.
I persevered with the book because I wanted to know what the ending was, but in all honesty it was a bit boring.
A great shame after a good beginning to the story.

If you like stories with unreliable narrators, this is the book for you. Raven's Lane is a coveted enclave of beautiful homes and tight-knit friendship, but when one of their own is accidentally killed by another, the decidedly unpretty underbelly of the neighborhood is exposed. The story focuses on Esme, former starlet-turned-chef and her husband, Benedict, who misses his glory days as a model. When Benedict is accused of murder, Esme resolves to do everything she can to get him off. Or does she? Intriguing read with a surprise ending. I really enjoyed it.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I found it difficult to engage with, perhaps as the pacing was quite slow and none of the characters were very likeable, but the ending was rushed and seemed to leave everything unanswered. I agree with other reviews saying it wasn't intended to be a mystery, but I didn't feel the plot really went anywhere.

This novel was okay for me. It was a romantic suspense that at its core had good promise.
While I did enjoy the story, the characters seemed one dimensional to me and the plot
was quite predictable. The twist did not seem like much of one, in my opinion. Having
said that, I would read another book from this author as the story line was intriguing .

Sorry but I just couldn't get into this book and I gave up on it.

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

Ugh I hate to do this because I liked the previous book by Amber Cowie, but this one was just okay. I kind of struggled to finish it as it didn't hold my attention a lot. Maybe it was my mood or the timing, but this one fell a bit flat. I was expecting more of a thriller/mystery kind of book.

But I'm often in the minority when it comes to reviews. Maybe others will appreciate the amazing writing.

I thought this book was very interesting. Isn’t my normal type of book, but I liked the characters well enough and the storyline kept me wanting to read more.

Raven Lane by Amber Cowie is a dissection of the secrets, lies, infidelities, and betrayals of a group of individuals who live on the tiny and close-knit titular cul de sac. How well do we really know those who live their lives in such close proximity to our own? In fact, how well do we really know those who are living under our very own roof? This is a compelling read that held my interest throughout.

Esme and Benedict are living a seemingly idyllic life with their daughter on Raven Lane. But when a tragic accident shatters a peaceful summer evening, an accident for which Benedict is responsible, life will never again be the same for the residents of the cliquey enclave. Secrets and lies are exposed, causing the formerly friendly residents of the street to take a closer look at those with whom they are sharing a neighbourhood.

This novel is well-executed, and the primary characters are well fleshed out. I would recommend this read as a strong character-driven narrative, rather than a mystery or thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! The full review will be posted to my Instagram and other social media on November 01, 2019, in order to be closer to the publishing date.

At first I wasn't sure that I was quite vibing with this book, although I wasn't quite sure why. The main story starts right away (I think the accident happens only within the first or second chapter), so it wasn't an issue with the pacing. There is a good amount of detail throughout, and the narration jumps back and forth throughout a timeline of a few years leading up to the main time and events of the book, so there were definitely some chapters that were much slower to get through than others. All of the characters are really interesting, and deliciously flawed, which I also loved.
And then once I was about halfway through the book whatever the issue was that I had in the beginning had vanished, even though I still couldn't put my finger on what it had been. I was invested in the characters, and the story was moving along quickly and in an interesting direction, and I was definitely hooked.

I will say that there are a few times that they way things are presented can be a little bit difficult to get used to. As mentioned it does jump around in the timeline, and when doing so it doesn't specifically say when you have jumped to, but instead gives more general clues such as "at this summer party" or "the night before this thing happened" and the like. Because the whole story is cohesively told through Esme's perspective, almost as if we are inside her head, that didn't bother me too much. As I said, it just took a little bit of adjusting to. In addition to that, one of the other main characters is a writer and Esme reads bits of his famous book all the way throughout the novel, and there isn't any distinction between when she is reading his words and when we are back to her own narrative, at times not even spacing out the paragraphs to show that there has been a shift. I'm not sure if this is something that will be changed before the official finished copy is released, but it was just something that I had made note of.

Brief side note, speaking of the book she is reading, written by the other character, Torn - holy crap, I want to read that book in it's entirety! Maybe we can convince Amber Cowie to release that one next, yes? But I digress. Over all by the end I was fully captured by this book, and I will highly recommend that my friends that are thriller/mystery friends grab their copy when it comes out!

I found this story flat, drawn out and boring. Pretty predictable too. I just didn’t like the writers style of making the story so one dimensional, everything is from Esmes point of view and she drones on about the past that has very little to do with the current situation she’s in. Thanks #netgalley but not my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to review this book.

I enjoyed Raven Lane. I felt that it moved well, and the characters were interesting. It was very easy to get caught up in the narrative, and the world on Raven Lane, where nothing and no one is what they seem. Esme was an interesting character, and seeing the world through her eyes was intriguing.

I felt the story unfolded at a great pace, and the twists were just right. It was a slow build to an interesting ending that actually took me by surprise.

Now this is what I call a thriller! Outstanding novel by Amber Cowie. I have not read one like this in a while and I am very glad that I was able to. I recommend going out and reading this book!