Member Reviews

2.5 stars. This book certainly kept me reading, but I can't really say I liked it in the end. The twists were predictable and the characters not very compelling or enjoyable to spend time with. However most other reviewers have liked it, so if it sounds interesting it might work better for you than it did for me.

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Alexandra has the perfect life: she lives in a trendy loft with her adoring boyfriend in an idyllic town in the Rocky Mountains. One day her long lost sister, Ruth, appears at her door pregnant and in need of help. Alexandra offers to let her stay so long as she agrees to never talk about their past but when a local child goes missing they will both have to confront their secret.

Hurry Home is the perfect claustrophobic novel for those of us who love a good mystery revolving a family secret. The story is told from the point of view of Alex and Ruth, who are such different characters and of course have very different versions of what really happened. Do you believe perfect Alexandra who has always done the right thing or troubled Ruth who seems to only think of her family when she needs something from them? The answer is clear, or is it?

And all around 5 star read.

Disclosure: I would like to thank the publisher for my advanced reader copy of the book. This is my honest review.

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Loved this fast-paced domestic thriller. Sisters Alex and Ruth haven’t seen each other for 10 years, and have led distinctly different lives in the past decade. Alex, a successful child protection services social worker, is living the house life with her rich, handsome, generous boyfriend Chase. Ruth has been living on the edge, with drugs, homelessness and bad choices in men littering her story. When Ruth unexpectedly shows up on Alex’s doorstep, pregnant and penniless, questions surface. But as the weeks go by, long-held secrets threaten to break the surface of the current facade, and ruin everything.

Told in alternating first-person POV of Alex and Ruth, this book has a quick pace, and Nay offers tiny tantalizing glimpses of the past, and the truth, just enough to keep me flipping pages quickly. My favorite kind of unreliable narrator story, where you really don’t understand the truth until the very last page. As I read, I really wasn’t sure which sister I believed, or who I wanted to be right. This book offers a peek into the dynamics between sisters, and shows the powerful hold that secrets have for years, and decades, to come. Definitely recommend this for those readers looking for a quick, secrets-driven domestic thriller, perfect for those warm summer evenings ahead.

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Hurry Home is a psychological thriller that takes you into the minds of two sisters who share more than childhood memories. Which sister is telling the truth, and which one is lying? Is anyone telling the truth?

What I Loved

I love the creepy tone that two unreliable narrators set. I enjoy a good unreliable narrator in a psychological thriller, and Hurry Home tells the story through, not just one, but two of them, which compounds the pervasive creepiness and keeps me on edge. At first, it seems like the two narrators are a bit much and cause confusion, but I quickly adjusted and marveled at the lies upon lies. The perceptual differences and the lies also added to the tone, which was deliciously thrilling and creepy.

I loved to see how childhood scars and choices impact the characters’ adult lives - from career choices (and lack of) to neurosis – it all can be attributed to something that happened in the past that was not processed. The characters are intricately flawed and relatable, which enhances the complexities of the plot.

I loved that I felt sorry for the person that ends up being the antagonist. I felt so bad for the character once I figured out which direction the story was taking, but at the same time, I did not route for the protagonist. The scars are numerous, and it is hard for me not to want to help. That speaks to how well these characters are developed, which is not always easy in a psychological thriller.

To Read or Not to Read
If you like the idea of two unreliable narrators, this is the perfect book for you and an ideal vacation read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Although born in the United Kingdom, Nay now makes her home in British Columbia. This is her second book, her first being the 'Our Little Secret'. In 'Hurry Home' we are introduced to Alex who lives with her boyfriend Chase and works her dream job as a social worker. When her estranged sister shows up at their door and she is pregnant and asking for help, they take her in...but the secrets Alex has kept hidden for years soon leak out. This domestic thriller would be a good recommendation for fans of the genre and it's short length might appeal to customers wanting a quick entertaining read.

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I felt that this was more of a drama than a thriller. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. It is a fast read & I did want to know how everything was resolved.

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Sister's and Secrets

Alex is living her dream life, far away from her childhood memories. She has a good job, a boyfriend who loves her and a good friend to talk to when she needs someone to talk to. Dark secrets from her past a buried safely away...that is until her sister returns.

Ruth is Alex's older sister whom she hasn't seen for many years. Not since Ruth left with her boyfriend from the family home to never return. Now she is back on Alex's doorstep, pregnant and needing help. Alex offers to help her but she must never talk of the past to anyone.

This book is engaging from the start to the finish. When the truth about the past comes out which sister is telling the truth? I didn't see the twist at the end coming and I never would have guessed the ending. I am still not sure which sister to believe.

I couldn't put the book down and stayed up way too late at night reading it. It was definitely a page turner. I would recommend it .

Thanks to Roz Nay, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book for an honest review.

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I absolutely loved this book! It got me hooked right from the beginning and I didn’t want to put it down. I didn’t know which character to believe or which one I was supposed to like that by the time I finished the book, I found out I had picked the wrong character to root for. 😂 I really enjoyed getting to read the multiple POV’s and how the characters personalities were developed throughout the story so I would definitely recommend this to all of my thriller lovers!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a free copy of this! All opinions are my own. 😊

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The tale of two sisters takes you on a twisty ride! Just when I thought I knew how the story would unfold, I ended up being wrong. This is my second book by this Author, and she is becoming an Author who I will read every book she writes.

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Alexandra (Alex) Van Ness,25, is a social worker with a Family Services agency and takes her cases to heart - especially those involving the safety of young children. She lives with her boyfriend of two years, Chase Kennedy, and feels pretty good about her life now; her work is satisfying and her relationship with Chase is going well.

An unexpected knock on their door late one afternoon will change that. Standing in the doorway is Alex's older sister Ruth, 30. The two sisters have been estranged for ten years. Their childhood had been tumultuous and painful. Ruth left at age 20 when her father disowned her, but it was an incident seven years prior that caused the family to fall apart.

Each of the sisters holds anger and resentment towards the other, and each is keeping secrets and telling lies. Told in each of their voices in alternating chapters, readers will find themselves changing allegiances between the two often.

A well-written and enjoyable read, this book rates 3.5 stars from me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read an ARC of the book in exchange for an unbiased review.

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This psychological thriller had me guessing and second guessing as I turned each page. The author, Roz Nay, does a great job of keeping the reader interested with her smooth writing and development of plot, setting, and characters. It’s fun to read a good book with such great flow.

It seems like a lot of stories start with the main character living a seemingly perfect life. We all know something is coming or there wouldn’t be much of a story. In Hurry Home, Alexandra Van Ness is living her dream life. She has a handsome boyfriend, a fulfilling job, and a beautiful loft in a small town nestled in the Rocky Mountains. She rarely talks about her past and that is the way she likes it. This is all good and well until the day her estranged sister, Ruth, shows up at her door homeless and pregnant.

From that day forward the story unfolds with each sister telling her point of view of what is happening in the current day and what happened in their past that caused each sister to take different paths. I definitely didn’t know who to believe or trust. I found myself hoping that good would prevail.

This is a story with twists and turns that carries the reader to a satisfactory ending. I definitely recommend this book.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books, Roz Nay, and NetGalley for this ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy). Hurry Home comes out July 7, 2020.

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WOW! This was one of those books that pulled me in from the very first page, and kept me glued to the book until the very end.

The author doles out details a bit at a time, and true to the psychological thriller/mystery genre, I wasn't sure what to believe. The tension in the story is well played with small details that show how the relationship between the sisters is--most of the time. At other times, they really seem to care for each other.

I enjoyed this; although, like I always say in reviews, I'd prefer not to have the sex and swearing.

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I had never read Roz Nay before, and I'm glad I gave this a try! It might seem predictable to some people, but when I'm reading, I usually don't try to guess the ending - I just let the book pull me along. This book hit me especially hard because I have two sisters, and sisterhood is really at the center of the book. It's a quick read with secrets and twists, and is a really enjoyable.

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This book is crazy! I feel like I said “What?!!” more often than not.
So we have two sisters. Alex is portrayed as the perfect, successful one. Ruth is portrayed as the crazy one who could never get her life straightened out. Right away you agree that Alex is a good sister. She's saving children from homes where the parents can't take care of them. Angel right?!
When Ruth shows up pregnant, supposably from her drug dealer boyfriend, Alex is reluctant to let her back into her life. It has been years since they have seen each other. However it's the past that holds them together. A secret they have to keep between themselves or else there will be dire consequences. Especially for Alex.
I went back and forth on which sister I thought was crazier. Alex is crazy! No! Ruth is crazier! I was over the back and forth thinking when by the time I finished this one. It turns out both are crazy, but one sister did it to protect the other sister from her demons of the past. That last page, those last words shouldn't have surprised me, but they did.

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This was my first book by this author, and it certainly won't be my last. As soon as I heard about this book, I just knew I had to read it. Alex has the perfect life, the perfect job, and the perfect boyfriend. Her sister Ruth, is the complete opposite. Growing up, Ruth was always a trouble maker, and as Alex's older sister, she was a horrible role model. Alex thought Ruth was dead, so when she showed up at her door, of course Alex had to let her in. Only this time, their relationship comes with rules, Ruth under zero circumstances is allowed to EVER talk about their childhood. The longer Ruth stays with Alex, the quicker Alex's life starts spiraling out of control. Luckily, going into this one, I wasn't expecting a thriller but more of a family drama, and family drama is exactly what I got.
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There is something I just love about a character driven novel, and this one did not disappoint. This is filled with multiple puzzle pieces, that we slowly have to put back together, to understand exactly who these sisters are. This was such a fun mystery to try and solve, while also, learning how messed up the girls childhood was. Would you carry your sisters lies to the grave? Even if it meant taking you down first? Which sister is going to break first? So a fun little mystery this one was, predictable at times, but fun nonetheless!

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Told in alternating POVs by sisters Alex & Ruth. Completely unreliable narrators both telling their own version of the same story. Crazy! I couldn't decide which sister I liked more or who was authentic. I found myself rooting for each sister at different times throughout the book ... I can tell you one thing for certain, the synopsis is 100% correct, this story is claustrophobic!!

Hurry Home is a well executed family drama! Great character development and a plot that will keep you guessing ...

Huge thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for my review copy! Hurry Home is out July 7th!!

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This book was a wild and twisty time.

It's told in the perspective of Alex and Ruth, two estranged sisters who find each other after ten years, when Ruth arrives at Alex's doorstep. Alex has the perfect life, living with her boyfriend in a beautiful flat and working as a children's social worker. But Ruth has always been the troublemaker, the one who has nearly ruined Alex's life multiple times. So when Alex agrees to take Ruth in, it's with the condition that they will never speak of the past.

This book has so many twists and turns, and contradictory stories about the past--your perception of the characters changes wildly from beginning to end, which was fantastic. I saw at least one twist coming, but it still blew me away how it was used and revealed. An awesome, twisty, fast-paced thriller that I devoured in one day.

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There is a story here, but it's in a format that I hate, with changing first person POV in every chapter. That means you get confused about who is who, and it's not an easy read.
The book is labeled as a thriller, but there are no thrills, just a lot of misery. The writing itself is OK, but I don't like the plot and story.

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Nay's first book Our Little Secret left me speechless, but to be honest, I don't really remember much about it. I've read so many of these kinds of thrillers that they all start to blur together.

I am struggling with what to say about this. It was a quick and easy read, more of a drama than a thriller, though, in my opinion. Even with the twists and turns, they were kind of predictable and didn’t give much of a shock. I didn't feel very attached to the characters or moved by the trauma in their past. I didn't feel much of anything, to be honest.

The one interesting aspect was the dynamic between sisters Ruth and Alex, and how their remembered experiences from childhood were vastly different. Same events, different perspectives and different repercussions. The dynamic was fascinating, though the tension it created in the present wasn't enough to carry the whole book. We see the unlikeable sociopathic female character here, but she doesn't seem as deeply developed into what I think she was supposed to be. It felt like something was missing.

I finished the book, something I don’t really do anymore when books aren’t holding my interest, so there was enough of something to keep me going. I felt like I was just reading through the motions though and wasn't really invested at all in where I ended up and I don’t expect to be able to recall the gist of it in the future.

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Hurry Home is a story of family, of flaws, of all the ways we remember the past, but sometimes our memories aren't as real or accurate as we tell ourselves they are. Roz Nay develops characters that are real, believable, relatable, and with quirks flaws just like most of us have. This book addresses a topic that we hear about often, the world of child protective services. Alex is a devoted CPS worker, tirelessly working to save the endangered child. Enter her pregnant sister Ruth, the black sheep of the family. If you love a book with tension that will have you love and hate characters at the same time, you need to pick up this book. I appreciated the twists that kept me wondering whether I really knew any of the characters as well as I thought.

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