Walking home from work one evening, Jenna hears a woman yelling for help. Not giving it a second thought, she runs toward the woman in time to see a man running away. The woman has been stabbed in the neck. Jenna is determined to keep her alive until police and ambulance show up.

As scary as that was, the nightmare is only beginning.

The woman states that Jenna is the person who attacked her with a knife.

And worse .. her own family is not sure if she is innocent.

As the case against Jenna grows, her husband becomes distant. her older daughter is keeping secrets and hints that her stepfather may be having an affair with her mother's friend. Her mother in law is just looking for a way to separate her son from Jenna. And then Jenna's business is broken into. What the police find there is a real game changer.

This psychological thriller asks the question ... how do you prove you didn't do what you're accused of doing ... when all the evidence points directly at you?

This is well written ... a real page turner. Twists and turns will keep you guessing until the very last page. The characters are deftly drawn...warts and all. Secrets and lies are hiding in the dark .... does Jenna dare let the sun shine on them?

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This is my first book by the author and she weaved an interesting story of a family facing wrongful accusations. The book is an easy read, and it alternates between past and present. In the past, the author unravels the story of Jenna and how she met with Damien, her present-day husband. There’s something about Jenna I couldn’t point my finger on, but something she was hiding. It wasn’t related to the incident, but something was off. The book narrative is from Jenna’s POV.
Damien is a wonderful husband and a father. He appears distracted but shows concern about his family. But Jenna is secretive and has a compulsive habit of lying. She keeps hiding important family stuff (not related to the main plot). I could not come to like her but I had an intense urge to find out who and why were they accusing Jenna. I also felt that her reaction to the assault charges, that could lead to serious implication, was underwhelming. There was no tension in that situation.
I loved the writer’s writing style. She also painted the scenes and the reactions vividly, especially her teenage daughter’s behaviour. The central theme of the book is lies and secrecy within families. How can one small secret change everyone’s life around them?
The progress towards the end is slow and didn't feel fitting to the elaborate story. The reader and Jenna could connect dots only at the end.
The premise is intriguing and a onetime read. But the book could not live up to the expectations.
My star is 3stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A great psychological thriller that had me racing through the pages.
Jenna sees a woman being attacked on her way through the park and runs over to help her. She’s been stabbed so immediately calls the Police and an ambulance.
The next day Jenna takes the woman some flowers in hospital but is met with screaming and shouts that she stabbed her.
The Police interview Jenna and shortly release her but her ordeal is not over yet.
Further evidence is found linking Jenna to the attack do she is charged with hurting Charlotte and a court case is arranged.
Jenna’s family can’t believe this is happening but her husband is far from supportive when he finds out she’s been keeping something else from him. He questions whether he truly knows her which is a big shock to Jenna whose world is already crumbling around her.
This is a fast paced psychological thriller that I really enjoyed.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

** I received this book in exchange for an honest review **

This is a fantastic and cleverly written thriller, with engaging characters. I rate using Book Roast's CAWPILE system, and here's a detailed breakdown:

CHARACTERS 8/10

I found the protagonist Jenna very buy-in-able, and particularly enjoyed the characters of Amy and the Jenna's elder daughter. Jenna was introduced with a lot of showing rather than telling, and I quickly built up an image of her in my mind. The horror at being accused of something you haven't done was very well put across.

ATMOSPHERE 10/10

This book had my heart racing, and I made the mistake of reading it at night, meaning it took me a while to calm down and go to sleep! I very much felt Jenna's desperation and determination, and the author does a great job at ramping these up over the course of the book.

WRITING 9/10

Very good, and made Jenna easy to relate to whilst at the same time an unusual woman. My favourite quote:

"We all love so innocently, shielded in the bubbles we create for ourselves, watching the news with a sigh or a tut at the state of the world, comfortable with our cups of tea and plates of biscuits while we watch the unfolding of other people's tragedies. None of us really believes that any of these terrible things we see on our screens could happen to us. If we did, no one would ever leave the house."

PLOT 9/10

The author really plays fair with scattering clues around the book, and all the information you need to work out the big reveal is in the pages. Despite this, I didn't work it out, which was enjoyable. I made several wrong guesses as the frequency of clues increased toward the end of the book and was surprised by the final twist.

INTRIGUE 9.5/10

I didn't want to put this down - I felt the need to see if my guesses were close to hitting the mark, and I cared about Jenna and her children and wanted everything to work out well for them.

LOGIC 9/10

Almost perfect. There were a few things I thought were unlikely, but most were explained by the final reveal.
The only thing that I found unbelievable was the husband's reaction to Jenna being accused - I don't think the reasons given for his mistrust of her were potent enough for him to act as coldly as he did.

ENJOYMENT 8.5 /10

In summary, an excellent book with good pacing, invest-able characters and surprising twists. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I will be adding the author's other books to my TBR!

'The Accusation' by Victoria Jenkins drew me in with the description. The cover though beautiful, the thought behind it can be understood once you read the story.

Jenna, a mother of two, is walking back home after having a good time with her friends. She is immersed in her thoughts while walking through a park near her house when she hears a plea for help. She sees a lady being stabbed by a man and the man flees. She becomes a good samaritan and goes to help her, calls the emergency services and stays with her till she gets shifted to the hospital. Next day, when she goes to the hospital to visit her, the victim alleges Jenna to have attacked her. .....This then spirals down and Jenna's life goes into a turmoil.

Her relationship with her husband, her children and her friends go on a downward slope. To find out why and what happened with Jenna, find out by reading the story.

After a certain point in the story in about the middle of it the story takes on a rapid pace and a compelling feel that makes it difficult to put down.

Jenna's character is written well but the characterisation and her real character gets revealed in a few layers.

As a reader, I was almost seesawing between liking her and questioning her actions. Damien, Jenna's husband also is depicted in many shades. The characters are very realistically depicted.

I loved the way the author portrays the maternal love, maternal instincts and the unconditional love of a mother.

If you love to read fast paced mysteries that get revealed only at the end, then pick this one. If you also want to read about a mother's love and her instinct to protect her child, a mother's internal conflict about parenting and love then you will enjoy this.

This is one of those books that once you’ve picked it up, you won’t put down till you have read the final page. This is a blistering novel by Victoria Jenkins. Lots of twists and things you’ll never see coming.
Jenna is married to Damien and they have two daughters Lily and Amelia.
After a night out with friends Jenna takes a short cut home across the park. There she hears a woman’s cries for help. The woman has been stabbed. Jenna gets help and manages to save this woman’s life. However, things take a nasty turn the following day when the woman Charlotte accuses her of being the attacker.
Jenna finds herself locked up for a crime she didn’t commit. She doesn’t know Charlotte so why would she claim it was her. Jenna is then plunged in to self survival mode to fight for her life and her family.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review.
#TheAccusation. #VictoriaJenkins. #Netgalley

A very interesting book with a unique plot line based on the assumption of a "what if" scenario. How a random act might change the course of your life. What does it feel to be wrongly accused of something you didn't commit? There is also a mystery element to the story regarding who did what and why?

Jenna was walking home one night when she witnessed a woman being stabbed, she rescues her.
When she checks on the victim (Charlotte) the second day in hospital, Charlotte becomes hysterical and accuses Jenna to be her attacker.
Jenna's life is suddenly sent into turmoil as she tries to defend herself from a crime that she didn't commit.

There is a real life feel to the plot and this makes the reader think twice about the unpredictability of life.

Thank #Netgalley, #Bookouture and the author for an ARC in exchange for a fair opinion.

The Accusation By Victoria Jenkins

While walking home one night, Jenna witnesses a woman being stabbed, she rushes to help her, and calls an ambulance. She goes to hospital the next day to visit the woman called Charlotte, and on entering the room Charlotte becomes hysterical and accuses Jenna of being the attacker. Jenna's life starts to spiral out of control very quickly.
This book was a great read, a storyline that had you second guess the whole way through, and showed how life is when you are accused of a crime you didnt commit.
I liked Jenna, and liked the family element to the story. I always enjoy a book that has me second guessing what is happening and who is the guilty party.
I found this book was an easy read with a great level of mystery to keep me turning the pages.

Jenna is thrown into a terrible situation as she frantically tries to help a woman who has been stabbed in the neck in a park on her way home from a girl's night out. When she goes to check on the victim after saving her life at the hospital, the finger suddenly points to her. Mysterious letters show up, her car is caught on fire, and she struggles to keep her family together, and the reader is left wondering who has a grudge against her.
This book provided plenty of tense situations and suspense to keep the reader intrigued throughout the book, but once her big secret was revealed, I was able to figure out the rest on my own. Thank you NetGalley for another great book.

A fast paced unpredictable read.

Full of drama, drama and more drama mixed with suspicion and lots of twists and turns!

The Accusation is a fast paced psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, frantically turning the pages to see what happens next, It's an original plot full of unpredictable plot twists you don't see coming. A fantastic read,

A truly original psychological thriller! Jenna tries to help a woman in distress only to be charged with trying to hurt her. Everyone here has secrets - we just don't know how deep until the end. There are many false leads and red herrings which keep your brain engaged all the way through. Fast paced and tensely written.

Jenna hears a cry in the park one night. She goes to see if she can help. A woman has been stabbed and Jenna is pleased that she helped the womans life. But the next day, Jenna is accused of the stabbing.

The pace seemed to be slow, then it would speed up, slow down and speed up. The story is told in the past and present day. Its told from Jenna's point of view. The story kept my interest throughout. There were many twists and gou wont want to put the book down. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed but apart from that, I enjoyed this story.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Victoria Jenkins for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Accusation is bestselling author Victoria Jenkins’s latest standalone psychological thriller which addresses how far people will go to achieve justice. Jenna Morgan is on her way home from a night out on the tiles with her girlfriends when she decides to take a shortcut through the park as it will take several minutes off her journey towards home. She is suddenly filled with fear when she hears the words ”help me” but like a good samaritan, she moves towards the voice and discovers a woman who has been stabbed and covered in blood. Naturally, she picks up the phone and frantically calls for an ambulance using her first aid knowledge to help as best she can until the paramedics arrive on the scene. Once they turn up the woman is swiftly taken to hospital and Jenna continues to walk home; she is shaken given what she saw but tries to push it to the back of her mind. The following day Jenna visits the victim, Charlotte Copeland, relieved that she managed to survive her wounds. However, Charlotte accuses Jenna of being the perpetrator sending Jenna into a tailspin. And when evidence supporting Charlotte’s accusation appears Jenna realises she is being targeted but why?

This is an absolutely riveting and addictive read and from the very beginning, I was fully absorbed and invested in the story. It starts as a slow burner but soon picks up the pace and provides plenty of exciting developments and a twisty narrative to keep you glued to the pages. Jenkins is at the top of her game and having read all of her previous thrillers I can honestly say that this, in my opinion, is her most accomplished and entertaining to date. I couldn't help but wonder what Jenna could possibly have done for someone to target her like this and it seems very much like a personal grudge. Our protagonist, Jenna, is hiding some rather large secrets from the world and as the story progresses her past unravels right before our very eyes. Nothing is quite as it seems here so you need your wits about you to work out what's going on. The conclusion was so unexpected and completely shocking yet satisfying that I sat and went over it in my head to attempt to come to terms with it. This is a quick, easy and thoroughly enjoyable page-turner that I read in one nail-biting sitting. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

This was a great fast paced easy to read novel. It was a real page turner. I really needed to find out what Jenna was hiding.

Imagine walking home from a night out and hearing someone screaming for help, and when you run to help there is a lady who has been stabbed. You do your best to keep her alive until the paramedics arrive.
Then imagine going to visit the victim in hospital only for her to turn around and accuse you of being the one that attacked her!
Well this is what happens to Jenna, and her life just spirals out of control from then on.
Lots of little twists and turns - most of which I didn't see coming at all.
Really enjoyed this from start to finish - like a lot of my reviews, this author was completely new to me but I will without a doubt be looking for any future reads

Great book! I’m going to have to look into this author. This book will keep your guessing from beginning to end & is FAR from predictable. When you think you’ve finally caught on, be prepared to be mistaken 😊.

Would you go to help someone you just witnessed being stabbed?
Of course you would, the least you would do is call the ambulance
But would you be so keen if a few days later, whilst visiting the woman you helped she lets out a blood curdling scream and shouts to anyone that will listen that it was you that ‘did it’

For Jenna, this has happened and now she is awaiting trial for the apparent motiveless stabbing of Charlotte, her hubby is wavering as to wether to believe her and then things start to happen that just dont add up

Jenna is on her own to find out why this has happened to her and just who is Charlotte and why would she hate her so much to go to such lengths to frame her

Exciting in tempo and well done in the 1st person, you could feel the ‘what is happening to me’ and imagine your reaction, I read this book quickly and my interest didn’t wane and wanted to see what the ‘crunch’ was, and when it ‘crunched’ it was believable, not far fetched and made a good story finish with a pleasing if quick end

8/10
4 Stars

Jenna had no way of knowing that helping a woman in the park would lead to her life completely unraveling. She's got a secret but is that why Charlotte- the woman she saved - accused her of the assault? This is told from Jenna's point of view and moves back and forth in time so that you will slowly learn what's really gone on in her life. Jenna's family- especially her husband Damien- will make you shake your head. It's twisty and no spoilers but know that you might not like the end. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a page turner.

Nothing in this book is as it seems. It starts off innocently with a woman doing her neighborly duty and helping an injured woman in the park, and the twists and turns that follows after that, will make your head spin! This was really another thrilling read by a very talented author that I'm very glad I've been privileged enough to have met.
TB