I made two mistakes with this book. The first was letting it sit on my NetGalley shelf for a few months. I have never read anything by this author before so in all honesty that’s why it was in my back burner.

The second mistake was that I started to read it at 10PM thinking it would do what some books lately have been making me do...fall asleep. Well the fact that I finished it around 5AM says I was not prepared to have my mind blown.

Fan freaking-tastic and going straight to my favorites list. Every single character kept off the page and I was so utterly eager to find out how a middle aged mom (Diane Keaton in The First Wives Club) a younger giant drifter( Brienne is Tarth) and a security guard( Garth from Wayne’s World) all became more than strangers.

And yes those were exactly how I pictured our three main characters.

Add in even more characters( omg Gareth’s mom 😭)a serial killer, and the Starcourt Mall from Stranger Things... and you get an insanely twisted, but oh so well done, novel!

Go into this blind and don’t be dumb like me and wait to read it! And also don’t start reading it late at night if you have to get up early!

Astounding and yet, as the writer of Sleep, I didn’t expect any less. Sleep was wonderful. This is different and, IMHO, has the edge on Taylor’s previous work. Three main characters, all very different but, as the story unfolds, not so very different. Alice who’s in fashion. Gareth in security and finally Ursula,, a bit of a misfit. Told from each characters unique viewpoint, the story unfolds to a dramatic ending. Magnificent storyline. super writing. Believable characters. 10 stars.

This book is very creepy!

There are three different stories all about people who in their own way are desperate and sad.

Alice is divorced and dipping a toe into the world of internet dating where people are not always who they claim to be. She’s so relatable and kind.

Gareth is caring for his mum who has dementia. He’s working as a security guard and struggling to keep his mind on the job after a postcard arrives from his long-dead father.

Ursula has lost everything following the death of her boyfriend and finds herself living with a complete stranger who has some very odd habits and sinister behaviour. She was probably my favourite character as despite her own anxiety and PTSD she is incredibly brave.

Each character is intriguing and empathetic. I was unsuccessfully guessing all the way through and did not anticipate the ways into which they all became entangled at all.

No spoilers from me, but the ending is really good! Lots of quick twists and excitement.

This is a fast paced and exciting thriller with lots of tension. I couldn’t put it down.

I’ve got her previous novel, Sleep, on my TBR pile and having enjoyed Strangers so much it is moving up the list.

Thank you Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review

This was a page turner for me. Such a disparate grou of people. I was looking for the link between the people followed, and when I found it - bam - it all came together.

Enjoyed it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

The book follows the lives of several different people whose lives are linked without them realising.
The single mothers, the son whos working full time but has to look out for his mum, the grieveing partner and the landlord. And the security Guard. At the start of the book I would never have guessed how they would all come together - but as usual Taylor creates a perfectly balanced story with drama, intrgue and realness to keep you turning the page. The characters feel like they could be your neighbours, and I like that kind of realism.
The last chapter is the best in my opinion, it feels like there was a background mystery that was almost forgotten - and I bet no one else guesses how that turns out. Love it.

A tantalising introduction gives us Alice standing over a body. We know not who or how. Snap back a short time and Alice is going out on a date. She has been divorced for a while and with the encouragement of her daughter she should start living again. The man she meets is drunk and abusive and she is rescued by a stranger. Ursula has been forced to move out from living with her relatives. They have discovered her shoplifting habit and then denying it and it has got out of hand. She finds a room to rent but the landlord is a neat freak and has some very strange ways. Gareth is a security guard at a shopping centre where Alice works and Ursula “shops”. He is seeing in his mother more and more of the dementia she was diagnosed with a short time ago. He thought his father was dead when he was a child but now finds a postcard from him with a recent postmark. Three characters linked by a location. I love Cally’s books. You always know that there is something, just something around the corner but not what. That tension and expectation that tantalises you keeping you between the pages and turning ever faster. A cleverly thought out plot, excellent characters and one I couldn’t put down.
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I finished this book last night and enjoyed each and every minute of it. I love all Cally's books and was once again thrilled beyond all expectations!!

While I enjoyed this, I also found it a bit disappointing. The writing was good & I liked how the three main characters were connected, but I felt that 3/4 of the book dragged. I liked the wrap up for each character & that last chapter was a surprise!

Strangers follows the lives of three main characters Ursula, Gareth and Alice as they each deal with the domestic dramas in their life’s relying on no one but themselves but little do they know that their lives will come together and they will need to rely on each other to stay alive.

This book is hard to review without giving away any spoilers but it is a good, easy to read domestic thriller which brings together the life’s of three likeable characters and finishes with a satisfying conclusion.

2.5 on this one for me. There were several things going on but I really thought they would tie together a lot sooner in the story. It was a fairly quick read, but I was mostly ready for it to be over. It didn't have that IT factor to grab and keep my attention.

I read the first 70% late at night and couldnt stop, i had to forcibly tell myself at 2am to put it down and go to sleep! The characters were fully fleshed and emotive, and the plot was fast paced and gripping. Everything i love and expect from a cl taylor book!

Clever, clever, clever!

Ursula, Gareth and Alice have never met before.

Enticed yet?

Three strangers, two secrets, one terrifying evening.

Ever read a book that you are enjoying and you think is good and there are a lot of 5 star reviews on the book and you think the book is good but not THAT good - not 5 star good and then you turn the page or swipe that kindle and have that HOLY CRAP moment because the Author just knocked it out of the ball park? That happened to me while reading this book. It went from good to great. Brilliant even.

Ursula (who BTW, I couldn't stop envisioning as Ursula the sea witch from the Little Mermaid.), Gareth and Alice are the three main characters in this book and they each have a whole lot of sumthin' going on in their lives. All have interesting story-lines, but I enjoyed Ursula's the best! Each is flawed and trying his/her best. Their individual POV chapters really drive the book and kept the pages turning. Their story lines are interesting and yet, I was left wondering how is this all going to come together?

In a reading slump? This one is for you! I was hooked in the beginning but once the Author brought it all together, it was fantastic!

Woohoo! This was a fun ride. Go in as blind as you can folks!

Riveting, Interesting, Captivating and Entertaining! What more could I ask for?

Highly Recommend!

Thank you to Avon Books, UK and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

A story is a world created by the author featuring a main character, their motivations, secrets and the people which feature in their little world. It can be so hard to create one world but what Taylor did here was create three little worlds all containing those vital aspects and expertly bring them together in the most crazy and thrilling ways. Each of the three strangers were well written, fully rounded characters with problems, needs and wants. Nothing was lacking in their development or individual stories and as the plot progressed and the story brought them together, wow. This is definitely going to be in my 2020 top ten. Taylor is amazing!!!

From the very beginning of C.L. Taylor's Strangers, the reader knows that the lives of Alice, Ursula, and Gareth will intersect, but we don't know until very near the end of the book exactly how this will happen. That's not a problem, though, because each character is so interesting, I wanted to keep reading to find out how each character's story would develop; the inevitable overlap of the three strangers' lives was just an added (very good) bonus at the end.

Each character brings a whole host of issues to the table. First, there is Alice. Her daughter has major boyfriend problems. Alice, in fact, has major boyfriend problems herself, and possibly a stalker. Then, there is Ursula, who has lost the love of her life. Also, she can't stop stealing things, has been kicked out of her house, has massive issues with her new landlord, and has gotten involved with the wrong customer on her delivery route. Finally, there is Gareth. Gareth has an ill mother to watch after, and problems at work with both his boss and a subordinate. Gareth might be interested in the lady next door, but she's got her own set of concerns with her bullied daughter. The narration moves smoothly between each character, and each of our three strangers is very well developed. Despite their issues, each strangers is surprisingly appealing.

Each stranger is dealing with loss and lonliness; but, in the end, they make their way to each other. It is a very satisfying ending. And then, just when you think the story is over, there is one more thing! It was a perfect ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, C.L. Taylor, and Avon Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I will certainly be seeking out other C.L. Taylor books. I hope you love this one as much as I did!

I absolutely loved this book. The tension really builds quickly and I had to read every spare minute!! Read it!!!

CL Taylor’s BEST ONE YET. I know I say that pretty much every time I read one of her books, but seriously. What. A. Belter.

Of all the faces bobbing around in a crowded shopping mall, Ursula, Alice and Gareth grow into a trio with utterly memorable personalities. They may exist independently of one another, yet they are interconnected by a carefully targeted curve ball that is thrown into the problematic lives they’re already juggling.

The plot sinks its teeth deep into our trio by taking alternating bites out of them. Their individual struggles may be slices of a much larger cake, but each is brilliantly layered with unease and curiosity. And that ending was simply the icing on top.

It’s the perfect representation of just how deceptive first impressions can be and how people’s motives and actions may surprise us, or trigger shrill alarm bells everywhere!

If you haven’t read this author before you can’t go wrong if you start RIGHT HERE. Great stuff.

Ursula is a delivery driver as well as a kleptomaniac.
Gareth is a shopping centre security guard who cares for after his elderly mother.
Alice is a store manager looking for love.
Three strangers who’s lives are about to collide.

The story is told in alternating chapters and each character has a completely different story to tell. After just a couple of chapters, I was totally absorbed, and every time I finished a chapter, I was dying to get straight back into their world again, it just meant reading the other worlds I was so invested in beforehand. This made the book completely additive from start to finish.

Something I love about Cally is how easy her books are to read. There is no waffle or overly in depth description, which means I am left to run wild with my imagination. I can still picture Ursula, Gareth and Alice in my mind now, and I bet that when you read Strangers, you will create a totally different version of the characters too, now you cant ask for more than that!

Part of me is so excited that I have already been lucky enough to read Strangers, but part of me is also gutted that I wont get to read it for the first time again - does that even make sense!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
I have always enjoyed reading books written by CL Taylor and Strangers was an intriguing story.
The storyline was about three strangers who come together and overcome a man who threatens their lives. The story tells the stories of Alice, Ursula and Gareth and how they come together at the end of the book. It was a crime novel and it was very clever how it all linked together at the end.
Highly recommended.

I want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, it was a very good read easy to follow along with storyline and characters. This was a new author for me but I very much enjoyed it, thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to reading more by this author again. I highly recommend this book to everybody.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.

Strangers is a quick read with lots of suspense about three strangers whose lives become intertwined. Not to dark or creepy but a fun and suspenseful beach read.