Wow, what a read. Some really good twists and a clever narrative that keeps you guessing all the way through. I was gripped.

Compelling thriller and from the start of this book, you are immediately immersed within this dark and chilling storyline. Would recommend

This was a well-written and intense thriller that will leave you holding your breath until the end. If you’re squeamish or unable to read difficult material, it probably isn’t for you because it wasn’t written for the faint at heart. Everything comes together well in the end and overall I found this book very enjoyable. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Kittys family is not a regular family, but they do have a secret. Throughout the book the reader keeps on thinking they know the secret, but nothing becomes too clear, keeping you entertained until the end. Recommended.

Great title for the book cos that’s what’s you’ll be doing most of the way through this one 😂

Had me turning well into the night and didn’t stop for breath!!! Full of twists and turns and keeps you hanging like a worm on a hook!

Brilliant, loved it...! More please!

This was a dark, compelling and sometimes disturbing story, Told from the perspective of 10 year old Kitty, rushed from her home to a dilapidated cottage in the middle of the woods, she is aware that her mother's behaviour isn't normal.
When two strangers arrive to help "cure" her mother, Kitty is often forced to wander round the woods on her own for hours on end. She befriends two other children from unusual backgrounds, but with disastrous consequences.
In later life Kitty, now Katherine, writes a book about her childhood, with the express purpose of shaming her father and his new wife Amanda. However, is the book entirely truthful?
A great book.

Addictive, chilling, thrilling! I loved this book from beginning to end. Imagine moving with your family as a young child and moving deep into the woods. Strange things happen while you are there, things you don't understand and things the adults are keeping from you, and trying their best to hide you from it. Weird, right?

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. There was never a dull moment in the book and it was full of shocking twists and revelations, and keeps you interested the entire time. Young Kitty knows something strange is going on but the adults in her life keep her in the dark.

With shock after shock, and a big twist at the end, you will devour this book!

A disturbing and chilling thriller, I don't even know where to start with HOLD YOUR BREATH by B.P. Walter. From the beginning, the reader is immediately immersed within this dark and eerie read.

London, 2020: It all started with a telephone call that Katherine Marchland has been waiting for...and dreading.

"Katherine Marchland? Formerly known as Katherine Carlson? I need you to present yourself at Wickton Close Police Station, Newcastle tomorrow afternoon at 3pm to be interviewed under police caution."

Katherine then finds herself on a train bound for Newcastle, preparing herself to relive one of the most traumatic times of her childhood. She knows why they have called. They've read her book. They've seen the video. They know what she's said. What else is there left to say?

Northumbria, 1987: Kitty Carlson was just 10 years old when her father uproots her, along with her mother, from their home Grays in Essex to travel hundreds of miles to stay in a remote and very secluded cottage in the woods in Northumbria. Kitty's mother isn't well, suffering from paranoid delusions, and would have been best placed in a mental health facility rather than their secondment to the woods. Her father wants to avoid a mental institution but I fear is naively lead by a strange old man man called Father Tobias and his daughter Amanda. The purpose of this little "getaway" is to heal Kitty's mother of her mental affliction. But what happened in this cottage in the woods is, above all, shocking beyond words.

From the moment they arrive, Kitty is encouraged to roam freely about the woods on her own, leaving the adults to their business of healing her mother. Not entirely a people person, Kitty's friends usually consisted on little creatures and insects which she often colonises. But whilst exploring the woods she meets a girl of around her own age named Adah, who appears to have some strange theories about the woods, the stream and the cottage in which Kitty and her family are staying. She calls it "the witch's cottage" on account of the woman who lived there years before apparently a witch. And the stream is cursed - if you break the water's surface you will open yourself up to all kinds of evil. Whether Kitty found her ideas strange or not, I'm not sure, considering she was used to such words coming from her own mother's lips. Nevertheless, Adah appears to be Kitty's first real friend.

As a precocious 10 year old, Kitty does not always does as she is told. So when she is encouraged to remain out in the woods for the day, the adults do not expert her to return to the cottage. But she gets bored or cold or she's hungry. Whatever the case, she generally returns to closed living room doors and the sounds of muted voices coming from beyond them. But on one such time, she heard the screams of her mother that was not her mother and the words she spewed both fascinated and terrified her. Whatever they were doing to "fix" her mother, Kitty wasn't at all sure it was working.

Then one day, Amanda suggests Kitty bring her new friend Adah to tea and sends her off into the woods with the invite. It was to be the day that changed everything. What she saw and heard that day has tormented Kitty ever since...and none of it can ever be undone.

London 2019: Katherine (formerly Kitty) has received a message from her father insisting that she visit. In light of her book she has recently published inspired by the events that took place back then, she isn't at all surprised. After all, they don't come out of it too cleanly. But then, as she has clearly stated, it IS a work of fiction inspired by those events. The book was meant to be cathartic...but what Kitty has discovered is that is has simply opened up a whole new can of worms. And she has no idea how to put the lid back on them.

Kitty's tale is a disturbing one, to say the least. It's no wonder she became a traumatised adult. But at the same time, Kitty's voice as a 10 year old throughout appears to be one that is older than her years a she is incredibly perceptive for her age. And yet, she is a very lonely child. She has no friends and no siblings. No one but a distant father, a delusional mother and her colony of insects.

HOLD YOUR BREATH is told solely through the eyes of Kitty - as a 10 year old in 1987 and then as an adult in 2020. I've said at times she appears older than her years which is often reflected in her sometimes witty narrative...particularly when she has an offbeat thought that she chooses not to voice out loud, yet we are privy to it, makes it all the more amusing. She very definitely has a unique personality which makes her something of a quirky child.

The storyline is unique and atmospheric matching the creepy setting entirely. The whole thing is dark, disturbing and sinister throughout. It is a psychological thriller with several twists that builds with a tension that is palpable. There is a particular scene in the book that is especially cringeworthy involving a pair of rusty secateurs that would bring any man to tears at the mere thought. Even I cringed whilst reading it. However, I felt that the ending didn't really go with the bang I expected...and I found it sorted of meandered somewhere and stopped. Not what I expected considering the pace of the rest of the book.

It is, however, an addictive read. But I will say there are some trigger themes involving mental health, suicide, ritualistic elements, exorcism, rape and extreme language. I wouldn't recommend it to readers who are triggered by these or who are easily offended.

HOLD YOUR BREATH is definitely a haunting tale on many levels. It is atmospheric, it is chilling, it is dark and it is disturbing. It was very fast paced throughout until it neared the end, where it sort of tapered off.

Different and somewhat unforgettable, HOLD YOUR BREATH is not for the faint hearted.

I would like to thank #BPWalter, #NetGalley and #AvonBooksUK for an ARC of #HoldYourBreath in exchange for an honest review.

Once I started I finished reading this book in one sitting. I couldn’t wait to see how the past and present knit together. The ending was so sweet and unexpected. There were pArts of this book that were terrifying yet it felt so warm hearted at the end

I had been hearing the name of this particular author here, there and everywhere- BP Walter and always good things about his books, so when I was given the opportunity to read his latest offering I grabbed it. And I am happy to report that the book didn't disappoint.

Hold Your Breath is the story of Katherine Marchland, told from her perspective, as a 10 year old in a recently released book. The incidents relate to. a particularly difficult time that the Marchland family is going through owing to her mother's illness of a peculiar nature.

Walter writes a gripping tale of what goes on in the life of the 10 year old whose childhood and life are taken over by her family's circumstances. She sees and hears things which no little one should and that leaves a permanent scar on her psyche. The narration is solid and alternates between the year of the happenings that is 1987 and the current time where Kitty has been called in by the police regarding a death that took place at the same time, keeping you hooked all the time.

I think the subject of the book really sets it apart from anything that I have read ever. Kitty's mothers sensitive persona and the changes it undergoes having witnessed one of the terrifying act of terrorism in recent times, gives a message of how varied the repercussions can be of an event, from person to person. It helps in showcasing something beyond the obvious scare of such an act. The book also manages to show us how an entire family is affected when any member of a household suffers .

Most of all I liked the writing style of the author. Walter writes with a great deal of sensitivity towards a child of 10 who is at a point in time where she begins to understand things yet does not grasp them fully. She struggles with what she sees and what she understands and there is hardly anyone she can turn. to or who can help her make sense of things. The other characters are also written well and I could hear them in my head or see their mannerism, thanks to the depiction in the book.

I enjoyed Hold Your Breath and look forward to reading more from the author.

I would rate this book 3.25 out of 5 stars.

This was a book with an interesting premise that definitely delivered on the creepy, eerie vibes! The author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story and bringing them along on the journey to figure out what happened in Kitty's past.

I did find the very end of the story to be a little anti-climactic, but overall an enjoyable read.

Hold Your Breath is a creepy and absorbing thriller that explores some really dark and twisted themes. It’s definitely not for the feint of heart or those looking for a “nice” read.

In 1987, when she was 10 years old, Katherine Marchland’s father moved her and her mother to a cottage in the middle of a dark woods to try and cure her mother’s mental illness. What happens in both the cottage and the woods over the course of the next week or so is horrific.

In 2018 Katherine has written a book about her experiences which she describes as “fictionalised”. And it’s really upset some people. In 2020 her book has caused the reopening of a police investigation into a death that occurred in the woods.

The novel is told in 3 time periods and moves back and forwards between 1987, 2018 and 2020 as the pieces of the puzzle are put together. At first I took the story at face value, but after the first half I realised the 1987 parts were not what they seemed.

The story was absorbing and gripping, if a bit disturbing, for the first 80%, but the ending felt rushed and there were so many themes that weren’t explored properly. We are left to make assumptions about the happiness of the ending, but I felt it needed a bit more information before I could feel satisfied with what happened.

If you’re after a nice Summer read, this is not your book, but if you’re ok with dark themes then you’ll find this an absorbing story and worth the read.

This was an easy to read thriller thaylt kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend! Love this author's work and will be reading more from him in the furture!

This book was... I don't know... It was good in its moment and was leaving me lost in the others. So I think it's a proper 3 out of 5 stars.
Katherine had written the novel that was her fictionalized childhood. And this is where the turn of events starts - police had started an investigation once again and wants to find the truth what had happened in the woods.
This story is told in dual time - past & present. I don't have anything against that, but I think here time changes should have been minimized for the sake of flow.
Characters and style of writing worked fine with me. I was rather invested in the history that was happening in the woods.
After reading the story I'm still not sure what is what there and I think that was the author's idea as we can never be sure what is true in the middle of lies and fog.
Overall it's a nice story that had great potential.

Awesome book! I absolutely loved it! It definitely wasn't what I was expecting but in a good way. I normally wouldn't like a book like this but this one drew me in and had me hooked. I've never read any of B.P. Walter's books but after reading this I'll be watching for more.

Kitty is ten years old when her Father, Nathan, wisks her and her Mother off to a cabin in the woods for an extended autumnel break.

Kitty's Mother, Marjorie, is unwell and paranoid. She believes she's possessed by a demon. Nathan is struggling to cope and is very conflicted in how to continue as a family. He wants to help Marjorie, but promised he wouldn't institutionalise her. In a sinister twist of events, acting on his friend Amanda's advice, Nathan recruits Father Tobias to try and rid Marjorie of her Demons.

Kitty describes the events from her perspective. She's told to wander the woods and keep out of the way. But inevitably ends up witnessing the "help" given to Marjorie.

This book was not what I expected from the back cover (it was a substitution in my ASDA click and collect so I didn't know much about it at all). The story is rather disturbing, but even more so being told from Kitty's point of view. The time line jumps between present day and 30 years ago when the events took place. It's easy to see how Kitty's life has been scarred by the events she witnessed as a child.

I'd give this book 2 stars ⭐⭐. It was well written, but other than that I didn't like much about it. I didn't find the characters relatable (or particularly nice). The storyline didn't really appeal to me, it was quite disturbing and I would explain it as a horror story written from the perspective of a thriller. I prefer my thrillers to be a bit more "real life" but I found this plot too far fetched🙈

I have such mixed feelings. This book started out so good, I was totally hooked from page one and found myself not wanting to put it down. It was dark and scary, really building a brilliant picture of events. I really felt for the young Kitty, I just wanted to scoop her up and keep her safe. However, it all started to go around around about 70%. Things started to not make sense and it all got a bit stupid. I really disliked adult Kitty and found that I didn’t care what happened to her. I understood that she’d had an awful upbringing but she was just so selfish and cold. I have no idea what was the truth and what wasn’t, so it just put a really bad finish on what had started out with great promise. I was really disappointed by the end and was left feeling throughly unsatisfied.

A wonderful read! Full of family drama and deceit! The trauma of a young girl living in a dysfunctional family! Taken away from all that is familiar she witnesses horrors that will shape her for life! Unputdownable!!! Brilliant read!

This isn’t my usual type of book. It was well written, but a bit disturbing for me. Not one for night time reading if your prone to nightmares!

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

When Katherine (KItty) Marchland was 10 years old in 1987 her father moved himself her mother and Kitty to a small cottage in a remote woodland in Northumberland.
What happened there traumatized Kitty and affected her throughout her life.
Now as an adult in 2020 she decides to write her version of events in a book.
Taken up by a publishers she claims it is a work of fiction.
Now the police want to talk to her about the events in her book.
I found this a slow laborious read that left me cold, it just didn`t gel for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for the chance to read this as an ARC