I really enjoyed reading this thriller. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time as I kept wondering who was trying to intimidate Astrid, but also as I wondered more about her past as well and what she was so afraid of. There were many different plot twists throughout the book, not just at the ending, which made me want to keep reading to see what was going to happen and ended up reading it in a day. I thought at one point I had guessed the ending, and then there was a plot twist that made me change my mind, and then the “bad guy” ended up being who I thought it was, but the twist as to why was great! So in the end, I did not see the ending coming and it was pretty surprising. I thought the book gave a great insight into the struggles that recovering alcoholics go through when trying to get sober. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading thrillers!

This was an interesting read for me. I actually enjoyed it. Astrid was dealing with demons from her past as well as trying to stay sober. All the twists in this book just kept me hooked. Really good.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t realize I had already read this book, until I started! Anyhow, I’ve read in the past, from getting an arc from UK site and thought it was a 4-5 star read! It had plenty of thrills, chills, and shocks, and an original spin on drinking problems, you normally don’t see in thrillers! It was well written and for the most part fast paced, but it was slower at times which is why I could not give the full 5 stars! I do highly recommend though!
Will make sure to buzz up on different platforms and use low amazon reviewer number when released!

This book had me looking over my shoulder all day...will probably continue to for a while, but I read it in a day, which is why that's the timeframe I gave it. This story deftly balances the struggles of addiction and how it can make you doubt yourself and your own reality with truly inspiring, and frightening, twists. A really fantastic (and crazy fast) read. Couldn't put it down!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Astrid is a young woman who is making strides in her sober lifestyle when ghosts from her past come back to haunt her. Dealing those those ghosts and her struggle to stay sober make for an interesting read. Good story line.

"What goes around comes around. And now it's time. It's time to pay for what you've done"..............

Astrid is trying to start over. Leaving a hard life behind and trying to find her way in a sober life. She’s lost so much. She’s made awful mistakes.

Living with her mom and attending AA meetings, she’s putting forth the effort. Course she has her doubts she can do it. Someone else is doubting her as well. Someone is slowly tormenting her. Dropping clues to her past.

Who could know? Who did she tell? What will happen to her new life if her old life is revealed? A great psychological game of cat and mouse.

I enjoyed this book. Well written. The ending not obvious. Something I always admire in an author. Don’t make it so easy for me that I already know the ending half way through.

Will Astrid really be able to start over? She may have to pay for her last sins. Her stalker insists.

Thank you Leslie Kara, Netgalley, Random House Publishing, Ballantine Books
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#netgalley #whodidyoutell

This was a suspenseful tale and Lesley Kara is a master at keeping the reader hanging on to see what happens next.
Many thanks to Ballantine Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars

This story started out a bit slow, but picked up a little as more details were revealed.

Astrid was newly sober and had just moved back in with her mother, but her relationship with her mother seemed a bit rocky to say the least. Even building new friendships and relationships were a struggle due to the secret she kept hidden. While Astrid tried desperately to focus on her recovery away from the temptations of her previous life, her past came back in the form of a stranger who new what she had done and wasn’t going to let her get away with it.

I thought the idea for this book was great, but I wasn’t blown away by the storyline or the buildup of the story. It wasn’t until the last few chapters that I was caught by surprise, and I was really impressed with the way the story ended. I wish more of the book had been that engrossing.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3286362816

Astrid is a recovering alcoholic that did some awful things when she drank, often with her boyfriend Simon. After her mother helps send her to rehab, she moves in with her mother in a small seaside town. She is going to AA meetings and trying to start her life over. She meets another man, Josh, but is scared to reveal her secret past. She befriends a couple of women in AA, Helen and Rosie, although she gets along better with Helen as they both don't agree with the religious aspects of AA.

Astrid is very jumpy and believes someone is following her. Eventually she starts to receive notes that someone knows what she did in her past, and since she knows she didn't tell anyone, she wonders who Simon could have told.

There are a lot of twists in this book... all the way until the very end. It gives a lot of insight into the world of alcohol addiction and the struggle with recovery. The battle that Astrid faces is real and affects not only her, but her mother as well.

I loved the first book I read by Lesley Kara, The Rumor, so I excited to read this book. It wasn't on par with that one, but it still had some promise.

Astrid is our protagonist and the story is told from her POV. She is a struggling recovering alcoholic that has been sent to live with her mother after her boyfriend dies. She wants to turn her life around and is attending AA meetings to better herself but she has secrets and is struggling, big time. When she meets Josh and his father, things seem to be looking up. She may have a job and a love interest between those two, but she may have to lie to achieve those things. Secrets and lies will follow her around throughout the story.
There are a few "thoughts" in between chapters from a character we aren't familiar with that are chilling and keep the story moving. Those thoughts made me excited for what was to come, but they were troubling too.

"I'd go so far as to say it's normal to have the odd violent fantasy about someone you hate so much every muscle in your body contracts when you think of them. I mean, everybody does it sometimes, don't they?"

I found the beginning a little slow but it was laying the groundwork for what was to come. While the pacing was tad a slow, I liked the build up of the characters relationships. Even if I didn't connect with them, I was liking the potential of where some of the story could've gone. The end was rapid and a lot happened in a short period of time. I wish what transpired would've been included in the meat of the story. Too much, too late in the story made the flow feel off and I wish it was spread out more where we could understand the characters better. The story was ok, but the details could've been tied up together better. 3 + stars

Interesting and entertaining

I loved The Rumour! I did like this also though not quite as much.

I like the way this author writes. She creates great characters. The struggle an alcoholic wages every day felt quite real. This did have surprises and the ending was crazy which is always fun!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for a copy in exchange for a review.

I received an ARC of Who Did You Tell in exchange for an honest review. Astrid is a recovering alcoholic. She hit rock bottom and has moved in with her mother in a small coastal town in England. Astrid is really trying to turn her life around but trying to hide so many secrets makes it a struggle. One of the secrets is one she shared with her former boyfriend Simon. They both promised not to tell anyone the secret. However it seems that someone knows the secret and is tormenting Astrid with the knowledge. This was not an edge of my seat thriller for me. At times things seemed to move a little slow. However like most thrillers there is a lot that gets wrapped up in the end.

I must start by saying that I enjoyed this book and eagerly read it to the end. The reason I was surprised that I liked it was because I do not like romance novels and this started out like it was going to be one. Then it pulled me in as the plot went on and I was hooked.
Astrid is a recovering alcoholic who is forced to live with her mother, as her previous boyfriend. Simon, who was also an alcoholic, is dead. Astrid is trying to adhere to the rules of her AA meetings, but sometimes it is a struggle.
Then she meets Josh and reconnects with her love of painting. Everything seems to he going her way until her secret is discovered and her world comes tumbling down.
I thank the publisher, author and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Astrid is a 32-year old recovering alcoholic who has moved back into her mother’s house after the death of her ex-boyfriend Simon. After struggling with guilt and remorse about Simon’s death she’s finally trying to put her life back together but somebody in town is not happy with her progress and is intent on destroying everything she worked so hard to build

After enjoying The Rumor I was looking forward to reading Who did you tell by Lesley Kara and it did not disappoint. It takes you on an emotional addictive roller-coaster ride that does not let up .Highly recommended!

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

Who Did You Tell is the latest story by Lesley Kara. I loved her first novel (The Rumor) and couldn't wait to read what she wrote next. For whatever reason, I did not care for the main character (Astrid) in this book. I just didn't have any empathy or sympathy for her. I want to thank Net Galley and Ballantine Books for an early copy to review.

Astrid is a 32-year old woman living back with her mother in a small town after she hit rock bottom with alcoholism and her boyfriend, Simon, commits suicide. She’s so anguished about the past events in her life that she keeps smelling or seeing Simon, but she knows that can’t be because he’s dead. But then Astrid starts receiving notes from someone that knows about the things she has done.
Per the provisions her mother established for Astrid to live with her, Astrid must attend AA meetings in this small town. Right away she meets two ladies that want to befriend her. Astrid is very cautious of one and becomes very good friends with the other. Part of the process of AA is coming to terms with events from your past and Astrid has done some things she whole-heartedly regrets but she shares them with her new friend from AA.
Astrid is trying to get her life back together. She meets a guy that she likes, she’s takes on a job painting again, and she tries really hard to stay away from situations where she will be tempted by alcohol. But the notes she’s receiving are pushing her to places she never wanted to go again.
There are several suspects throughout the book and while I was able to guess the “psycho”, there were some interesting twists. This book is full of twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat. Definitely one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read lately.
I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Very solid for what this is, which is women's fiction with a dash of suspense, admittedly not what I expected. Kara's first book, The Rumor, had a tighter thread of suspense whereas this has comparably slow pacing and is VERY character-based. I had moments reading where I suspected it might be an earlier work and then was gratified to see in the author's note that, indeed, this was written before her debut and reworked for publication after.

The general gist is that Astrid is a recovering alcoholic and her ex, who was also an alcoholic, killed himself a few years prior and Astrid is battling a lot of demons/guilt now that she's back at home with her mom post rehab and attending AA meetings. She meets a hot new guy who's into clean living and agrees to do a mural project in his house, but then someone starts leaving her threatening notes indicating they know something awful she did in the past. The primary thrust of the first half is "I like this guy and we have a good thing but I can't tell him I'm an alcoholic" with some moments of tension when a new note arrives, as well as some conflict with mom and moments where Astrid almost gives in and drinks.

I'll admit I wasn't really sure where the book was going for the first third--there is not even a hint of suspense until the 30% mark, and then it's still pretty light until about the 70% mark. From there, things do "tumble down hill" appropriately and become very high stakes, with plenty of fun guessing about who is lying about what and who knows what about Astrid, and a high stakes conclusion. But regardless it has a heavy women's fiction feel throughout, and readers who prefer straight up suspense/thrillers and are less interested in the recovering alcoholic/stakes of losing a great guy aspect may not enjoy this as much.

BUT those who do enjoy women's fiction with some suspense I think will find this book hits the spot. The romantic stakes are solid (I quite liked Josh and his dad and wanted to live in their house), and there are some strong emotional punches especially toward the end. Astrid is a compelling main characters who finely walks the line of whiny/self-destructive/frustrating but in a good way--you're rooting for her while also yelling at her to pull her head of her ass. I was also pleased to finally read a Kara book actually set in England and allowed to be British (unlike the transplanted version of The Rumor I read)--I loved the coastal British town feel. Generally Kara is good with emotional immediacy and complex character relationships, so that is again on display here.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bantam Books and the author, Lesley Kara for a copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review.

From the beginning, it was hard to not start yelling at the book and saying NO...don't take that path, don't do that, stop leading that way. However, the story line was great and it was extremely easy to resonate with the main character and the fight she goes through day by day.

This was a great book about how someone who has battled addiction (no matter what type of addiction) goes through each day, and the in's and out's of battling that addiction.

I have added this author to my favorite list of authors, and can't wait for the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC.

I read this in two sittings, it was that addicting. A strong storyline that had a few twists and turns. I did guess whodunit from the beginning, but it didn’t make the reveal any less exciting. The way everything came together was like that satisfying last puzzle piece clicking into place. I really enjoyed Astrid’s character. We’re affronted with a lot of unreliable female narrators lately, but there was a lot of depth to Astrid that made her character stand out. I highly recommend this speedy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC of “Who Did You Tell?” by Lesley Kara. I read and enjoyed “Thr Rumour” and was excited to read her latest thriller.

Astrid is a recovering alcoholic who moves back home with her mom in Flinstead, a quiet seaside town. She attends AA meetings and is trying to atone for her prior sins. She wants to move on from her past, but someone has has found her and is taunting her with threatening messages. Who wants revenge? Who knows what she has done?

This book realistically depicts the journey of a recovering alcoholic searching for sobriety. Astrid is self-loathing and haunted by how her actions as an alcoholic have negatively effected her loved ones, especially her mom and boyfriend, Simon. She is plagued by spotty memories that she doesn’t completely trust. She must do her penance and hope for redemption. The guilt that Astrid feels is so palpable and relatable. There are many twists and turns that kept me engaged through the book. I kept thinking I knew who was threatening her, but then there would be another surprise. The book is well-paced and very well-written. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

4/5 stars