I wanted to read this one as I’d read ‘The Perfect Girl’ and loved it. This one did not disappoint! A really interesting storyline in that the main character is a true crime writer with some issues and a buried secret from her past. Along with a creepy, abusive husband. This is a pacy, well-written thriller, would definitely recommend.

If you are looking for an involving, atmospheric thriller which will keep you guessing until the end, look no further.

The novel moves between the protagonist, Lucy Harper’s, childhood when her younger brother Teddy disappears whilst on a clandestine nighttime adventure with her, and her adult present, where she is a successful author in a dysfunctional marriage. Hovering over both narrative streams is the shadowy Eliza Grey, Lucy’s imaginary friend who morphed into her novels’ protagonist.

When Lucy’s shady husband, Dan, disappears after an argument, the tension between Lucy’s past and present collide and you won’t want to put the book down until you know how the different narrative streams resolve. It really kept me guessing until the end.

Thanks so much to the publisher,Random House, Gilly MacMillan and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the book overall, and felt the short snappy chapters and going back and forward in time helped to engender a building sense of suspense. Yes, a solid read...thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to review this book.

The writing in this book was absolutely beautiful and the descriptions of some feelings and thoughts were a joy to read. This book intrigued me from the off ~ I wasn’t sure of the main character From the start and then that set the tone for not trusting any of the characters which kept the twists and turns coming again and again. An enthralling read, a right page turner with layer upon layer of mystery that kept me guessing right until the end. The ending however did leave me feeling a little underwhelmed. I felt the story didn’t really give me the ending I wanted or satisfied me and was a bit disappointing but overall enjoyed immensely and would highly recommend! I love the authors writing style and how she skews your perceptions of almost everyone and doesn’t shy away from having a difficult, slightly annoying, unlikeable main character, The idea of this book also was fun and unique and I loved how the story was parallel to reality in that you were reading a crime fiction novel about an author who writes crime fiction who just about ends up in one of her own making! Genius!

This book was well written overall but personally I found it difficult to get into the story line and by halfway through I was beginning to get less interested and I was disappointed with the ending.

I am not sure I will read more from this author but thank you to Netgalley and Random House (Cornerstone) for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Another fantastic book by one of the greatest writers out there. I loved it and I loved the premise of the book and its worked so well. Fantastic xx

I quite enjoyed this book but I spent a lot of the time reading it quite confused. I sort of get the imaginary friend but then I struggled with other parts of Lucy that had me thinking she was seriously mentally unstable. The story itself was a bit weak and I don't feel anything really got resolved.

The writing was good. The storyline wasn't. I did not enjoy the imaginary friend storyline or the flashbacks.

A cracking read which had me enthralled throughout. However I was slightly disappointed at the ending which felt too contrived and a little flat.

This is a unique, well written book that explores the subjects of Domestic violence, trauma, and mental health issues.
Lucy is a successful author, she has new found wealth, a seemingly supportive husband, scores of adoring fans, and an awful, terrible, dreadful secret that she must never tell anyone.
The book flicks back and forth from the present, where we see Lucys life slowly unraveling, to the past and that devastating event that changed her life.
A creepy tale of how sleepless nights and anxieties are the price we pay for keeping secrets.

Wow. A great story with lots of twists it had me guessing till the end. I will be reading more by Gilly.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I was given a copy of this book by New Galley in return for an honest review.

I requested a copy of the book without having read anything by the author before, but purely on the summary of it which had me hooked!

Lucy is a successful author, and her husband Dan is an aspiring but unsuccessful author. At the start you get a sense that he’s unhappy about the distribution of success within the relationship, particularly when it comes to money- and his choice of what to to spend it on, without the knowledge certainly points to that. I felt instantly for Lucy when she found out what he’d done.

Their complex relationship is compounded when he goes missing, and parallels are drawn not only with her books but the disappearance of her little brother when she was a child.

I found the first half of the book quite difficult to get into- whether it was the flashbacks or the character of Dan which made it hard I don’t know. The story picked up pace though and I read the rest in one go!

I’m not sure I was satisfied by the ending though- there were two threads to the story and I’m not sure either of them ended satisfactorily for me. For that reason, and the slow start, I’d give the book 3 stars.

Not sure about this one. Did not like the imaginary friend at all. Good storyline apart from that. A very disappointing ending. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Lucy is a successful author with a best selling police procedural series. She is married to Dan, a wannabe writer who has pretty much failed at that and now spends his time managing Lucy. That management gets a bit heated when Lucy goes off script with her next book. He has also started to be a tad controlling, surprising (shocking) her with a new place to live. A place that he knows will cause her mental pain due to her past. But is that just the tip of the iceberg with his shenanigans? And then Dan goes missing...
This was a good solid read for me which kept my attention nicely all the way through. It's a bit of a slow burn initially - necessary setting up rather than padding btw - but, once it really gets going, it's off like the clappers. As you would expect from a book of this genre, it's chock full of secrets, lies and duplicitous behavour and delivers punch after punch as it twists its way to an ending that I really didn't see coming. Not that it came out of left field, I just missed a few clues along the way - hindsight and all that...
The characters were great in this book. Most of the wholly unlikable and also quite dodgy. I wasn't sure who was on what side for pretty much the whole book - the author did keep me on my toes in that respect.
All in all, a cracking addition to an already impressive back catalogue. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Lucy is a famous crime writer but when she decides to kill off the main character of her novel, Eliza, things in her personal life start to fall apart. Dan, her husband and failed writer, decides to buy a house near Lucy's old childhood neighborhood. This causes Lucy great distress as she's been hiding a secret or two, when she was a child she took her brother into the woods and left him there, he was never found. Eliza, also happens to be Lucy's childhood imaginary friend who she still sees and talks to today. After an argument, Dan also goes missing. Is this just an awful coincidence or are Lucy and Eliza hiding something?

I'm conflicted about this one. I originally liked the whole idea of the imaginary friend but as the plot went on it did feel a little bit forced and perhaps unnecessary. I enjoyed how the story jumped back and fore between the two stories and overall, I think the ending was good.

However, I found it hard to connect to any of the characters in here so found I had lost interest by the end of the book.

Unfortunately, this one was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with a copy to read.

I really enjoyed this book, keeps you guessing, with lots of twists and turns. I didn't expect the ending. Good gripping thriller storyline.

I really enjoyed this book and it kept me guessing and wondering where it was going. Having said that, I really didn't like the main character Lucy very much.

I thought the end was a little disappointing as it left some questions unanswered. What did the landlady know? What happened to her brother Teddy?

Like I said I did enjoy the book and would recommend it..

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC.

This is the first Gilly Macmillan novel I’ve read and I’m not really sure how I feel about it.

Overall it is well written and the story was definitely intriguing. I particularly enjoyed the flipping between the past and present investigations but the ending seemed very rushed and inconclusive. It has left me asking many questions. Arguably that could be seen as a good thing but for me it felt as though there were too many loose ends. For example: what does the landlady know? Why does she want to blackmail Lucy? Was this just to make Lucy feel she had nowhere to turn? Does Lucy have a split personality? Why does Eliza have such a hold over her? Was Dan’s motive just jealousy? And what did happen to Teddy?

All that said, I would recommend this to a friend as would consider reading more Gilly Macmillan in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advanced copy of this novel

I think this is the quickest i have read a book in a while. Very unputdownable. Loved the characters, the setting th plot and the twists.