This one was mixed for me. I thought it was slow in places but enjoyed the different characters and how their lives were intertwined. Overall, a clever and enjoyable book.

WOW what an opener, Alice is standing over a body, at this point we don’t know who the victim is. I knew from the first paragraph this was going to be a late night for me.

The main characters are Ursula, Alice and Gareth. Ursula has to move out of her shared apartment as her flat mates discover she has been stealing from them, she moves in with a very strange man who has peculiar rules.

Gareth is a security guard at the place where Alice works in a boutique and is Ursula’s favourite place to shoplift from. They couldn’t be more different but are linked by the shopping mall.

I loved this book, three separate people getting on with their lives unaware they are all going to meet in a dramatic way. I loved how the tension slowly builds up and I really didn’t know how this amazing book would end!!

A must read, be sure to clear you’re diary as you won’t want to put this book down.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

I think it's safe to say that I now have a new favorite C.L. Taylor title. What a read! I'm glad I cleared my schedule before diving into this story, because there was just no way on earth I was going to stop reading before I knew how it would all end. What an absolutely masterful and simply brilliantly constructed psychological thriller!

I'm going to keep this review on the short side to avoid spoilers, but I absolutely loved the sheer complexity of this story. In Strangers, you get not one, not two, but THREE storylines for the price of one. Yes, you read that right, three completely different storylines with three different POVs and characters to follow... And you will only understand how the three will fit together in the story until after the final plot twist bombs. Each different storyline is developed thoroughly and realistically, giving us insight in the lives of Alice, Ursula and Gareth as well as truly making them come alive. Each character has their own set of issues, secrets and background, turning Strangers into a thoroughly complex, rich and utterly satisfying psychological thriller.

There are a lot of elements in play in Strangers, including infidelity, stalking, kleptomania, Alzheimer, abuse, violence and bullying. That seems like a lot to juggle, but each element is incorporated into the plot in such way that helps enrich the plot without feeling chaotic. They give the different characters extra dept and without doubt take the character development as well as the plot to the next level... The characters themselves might not be 100% likeable if you look critically, but you will find it quite easy to fully immerse yourself in their stories and root for them along the way. And as each character has their own issues, you will find your mind in overdrive as you try and juggle all those storylines and suspicions about motive and who could be behind it.

The writing is 200% engaging and combined with a fast pace and a fantastically constructed plot you will find yourself reaching that final page in no time at all. Especially as the suspense is starting to build up and things are getting more intense... Plot twists, secrets and POV switches are used to both keep you on your toes and send you off the wrong track, and I don't think it will be easy to guess the full truth about how the three storylines come together before you actually read about it happening. What a way to end a story! If you are a psychological thriller fan, you definitely need to add Strangers to your must-read list.

Loved it, loved it. The characters were so well drawn and each of their stories were a mixture of pathos and at times humour. The storyline bubbled along at a fast pace drawing the reader in further and further. A very satisfying read by one f my favourite authors.

#Strangers #NetGalley
Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with an ARC.
This novel is so good and twisty, this novel is talking about 3 strangers they don't know each other but there is one thing that connected them and you will deiscover it if you read the novel.
The first part of this novel is slow and you may feel bore but the last chapters are amazing , i felt that my heart will stop from fear and Epinephrine is so high that i am sweating from my head to my toes.
I loved Alice character the most of them, i don't know why but i felt that the chapters about her are interesting and excited.
I loved that Alice and Ursula are friends and how Alice sympathized and kept her at her home.
This novel is the first to me by C.L.Taylor but will not be the last because i enjoyed her way of writing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for this advanced reader's copy. I found this book a tad confusing at the start but as I've loved this author's previous books I stuck with it and I'm glad that I did. I loved the way the stories skilfully weaved together and enjoyed it immensely.

Three strangers have never met before and they are all dealing with their own issues in life.
Ursula thinks she killed the love of her life.
Gareth and his mum have been receiving strange postcards.
Alice is being stalked.
None of these people are used to relying on others, but when their lives unexpectedly collide, they have to stick together. Otherwise, one of them will die.

This was an interesting plot which interweaves the three strangers lives together. I liked the characters and the way they dealt with the issues in their lives. We learn a lot about each strangers and their backstories before they all meet in a thrilling ending. A fast read which I really enjoyed.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher AVON Books UK for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

With a fascinating array of characters whose lives become intertwined as the plot progresses, this book does not disappoint. It is fast paced and flits between each of the main players, giving an insight into their- initially -ordinary lives. And then things begin to become complicated! With a back story of missing persons, in conjunction with a man who professes himself to be psychic, a person suffering from dementia, a victim of abuse and one of bullying cleverly integrated, it leads us on a merry dance peppered with red herrings galore! The final denouement is well executed and one I did not see coming! I highly recommend this novel and would like to thank Avon Books UK and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

I just couldn't connect to any of the characters. The plot took a long time to connect but I did like the end.

A great plot, immensely readable and thoroughly engaging.
The characters and events are seemingly unconnected
There is Ursula who has hit hard times, she was a teacher but can now having lost her job, barely make ends meet. She works as a delivery driver and her sideline is shop lifting.
Alice is divorced and works in a local boutique, she is has just started dating and has met a mysterious new man who helped her during a drinker assault.
Gareth is a security guard who cares for his mother who appears to be getting post cards from his father who disappeared years ago.
Everything eventually comes together and makes perfect sense.
I raced through this and recommend you give it a go.

As someone who usually rates this author's work as first class I found this book disappointing. I didn't think the story flowed very well. It was as if you were reading three different stories which are then quickly linked together at the end. Not one of her best pieces of work..

This novel has a clever plot weaving together the separate lives of three strangers until they collide in one shocking event. The book opens with the three people looking down at a body in a fashion store in a Bristol shopping mall. Alice is the manager of the store, divorced and recently started dating again. Ursula is single and struggling mentally and physically after the traumatic death of her boyfriend. Gareth is a security guard at the mall, who lives with his elderly mother who has dementia. The mall is the only thing these strangers have in common, although their paths have crossed before but they little about each other prior to the death in the store.

Each of the three characters' stories are interesting and each was well developed as they faced and dealt with difficult situations. All three are lonely and have problems to deal with in their work or personal lives. The plot moved along at a good pace and the alternating story lines made for an addictive read. Even though the reader knows a lot about Alice, Ursula and Gareth before they are all brought together in the store, the events leading up to that were unexpected and made for a thrilling climax.

As usual an enjoyable book by this author. A little different and a bit confusing at first but soon became a can't put down book. Loved the characters,

I enjoyed the characters, plot twists, and the mystery behind it all. The only concern I had was the lull about half way through the book - it seemed to slow down for quite awhile before picking up again near the end

This book was spectacular because of the raw and real characters.
The story is told from the perspective of three characters: Gareth, Ursula and Alice. All three are incredibly damaged, very relatable and you'll find yourself rooting for them despite (or perhaps because of) their flaws. It's not just the main characters that make an impact. All the side characters are real written and will emotionally draw you in.

Now that I've talked about the characters, let me get to plot. Right from the beginning, I was sucked in. I wanted to know how all these storylines were going to converge because they were all so vastly different. When I thought I had things figured out, here came another curve ball. When everything connected together is was an adrenaline pumping explosion!

I'm not typically one for sentimental stories/ending, but I really enjoyed getting to know and caring about these characters, and I'm pleased with how each storyline ended. Very satisfying read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once again CL Taylor has cracked it. A book that keeps you guessing right to the end. Three characters and their stories come together with many twists and turns that will leave you guessing till the end.

I'd never read any of C.L. Taylor's work before, so I was unsure what to expect beyond what the blurb told me. Here's what I found: suspense. Lots of it. 

Oh, and questions. Lots of those, too, most of which aren't answered until the end. From page one, the book grabbed my attention. 

C.L. Taylor excelled at keeping the reader off-balance as the multiple moving parts come together. I pictured the people and events as gears fitted together, one turning another, which turned another, and another. But I didn't know how or what or (most importantly) why these things were happening. Just when I thought I knew something definite, Taylor threw a monkey wrench into the works and I saw that I'd fallen for a red herring. Even when I was on the lookout for red herrings (as I usually am), I still didn't guess the truth. 

I almost always read the last few pages of a book first. Even knowing the ending, though, didn't help me guess the full truth, nor did it diminish the story's suspense. C.L. Taylor skillfully created a creepy vibe that reverberated even beyond the last pages. 

Twitter conversations are interspersed throughout the book. The dialogue felt authentically Twitter-ish and gave me a bit of background about events beyond the characters' immediate world. Plus it related the urban legend/rumor of a serial killer called the Harbourside Murderer, who might or might not exist.  

The main characters were mostly well-developed. I enjoyed watching Alice, Ursula, and Gareth grow as people as the book goes along. But somehow I felt a lack of depth to them. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong, though.

There were a lot of other characters. Whenever I put the book down--realistically, most readers have to do this!--I had to refresh my memory of what had happened in the previous few pages and who the minor characters were. Somehow the plot didn't stick in my mind quite as well as usual. This tends to be a problem for me in the psychological suspense category, though. 

The other issue was the number of flashbacks. Sometimes a chapter would open from one character's point of view in present tense. Then it would immediately switch to past tense and recount what had happened recently. For example, one character was in a pub. As he/she sat drinking, she/he remembered the events that led her/him to make the decision to go to the pub. Most of it was significant. But the switch from present to past to present again confused the order of events and felt unnecessary. Why not simply tell the story as the events unfold? 

There were multiple places where the location and time jumped to a different place and time. But other than a blank line, I didn't know that the location/time had changed. I didn't grasp the change until a few sentences into that section. Again, unnecessarily confusing.

Sometimes the author used an asterisk to signal the change, which I appreciated. But other times, there was only a blank line. My Kindle app sometimes throws in blank lines randomly; if these blank lines are intentional, the intention is lost in the reading. I hope that makes sense! I also hope that this issue is only a quirk in the ARC and will be corrected in the final version.  

Overall, Strangers is a good book. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological suspense. 3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4.

(This review will appear on my personal blog on April 8, 2020.)

This was my first book by this author and i'm happy to say, will not be my last.

Strangers had my head spinning and I’ll be honest, I had zero idea where this was heading. Loved how the plot was so different from many other thrillers I have recently read.
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Ursula is struggling with some emotional baggage which she tries to keep under control by stealing, which has caused her to get kicked out.
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Gareth works security at the mall and takes care of his elderly mother who has dementia. He has also noticed strange post cards being delivered to the house.
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Alice is a divorcee who hasn’t had much luck with her latest date and now it seems she has a stalker after her.
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Although these three strangers do not know each other, their lives are on a collision course where one of them might die.

I loved this twisty thriller which managed to confuse me, creep me out and second guess myself. Each character was unique and interesting in their own way and I enjoyed all of their stories. Definitely will be checking out her previous books.

Rating edit: 4.5 stars.

It's about three people, strangers to each other, struggling with their own problems, longings and agony. Then one day, they finally meet in a very dangerous situation, and now they have to be together, help each other or else any of them could die.

The book starts with a murder.

‘The police are coming. What do we tell them when they get here?’

‘We say it was self-defence.’

And then it takes you a week back: you follow the different lives of these three characters. Alice works in a mall, Gareth is a security officer in the very same mall and Ursula is a courier.

The story is, obviously, told from 3 different points of view and it's so skillfully done. Their problems, their agonies, their longings, their eccentricities are very convincing and well expressed. Every chapter delivers something significant. I mean you can't skip the pages. And every chapter ends with a cliffhanger that keeps you intrigued.

Even the secondary characters are intriguing and mysterious.

If I have to nitpick: I felt the second last chapter seemed unnecessarily stretched.

Overall, 'Strangers' is a very good, gripping and intelligently crafted psychological thriller. A fantastic read! I would love to read other books by this author.

Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC.

Great story. I was wondering how the 3 storylines would converge and its really only at the very end that it does.
Lots going on in this book. Excellent read.

Thanks for the ARC