Some books I can devour in 24 hours, this wasn't one of them. I really struggled to get into it and it only took off about 80% of the way through. The idea was sound enough but the delivery not so much so.
Not for me.

This is an intense and dark story.
The premise of this book was interesting but it wasn’t delivered very well
I couldn’t connect with any of the characters
The ending was good but it was too little too late

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

What happened?!
Started so well and I was really into this book and then it just went downhill and totally lost momentum. I was enjoyed the plot, the characters and the storyline generally and then ..... I'm not sure where this went. So that is why I have only given it 3 stars - sorry!

I found this one really interesting. The story flowed well and kept my attention. I really enjoyed the writing style and the twists and turns. I’ll definitely be following this author to see what other ones they have written! I would recommend this one to a friend.

I’m afraid I was quite disappointed by this book, it really didn’t work for me. I just couldn’t connect with the characters and the story seemed to be lacking something.

Once I started this book I had to finish it. The victim was a terrible person. She wrote all these nasty comments in her diary about people, but was too much of a coward to say it to their face. She also gave them mean nicknames. She was the mean girl that is a bully, but pretended to be this sweet innocent girl. She was manipulative and enjoyed the harm she caused. Her mother wasn’t any better, she thought her daughter was all sunshine and rainbows. She finds out her daughter is doing heroin because she got bored one day and she still tries to justify how great of a person she is. The mother was also weirdly jealous of college kids, and attacked them with the whole the ends justify the means kind of mantra. There was nothing to like about both of them, it was very disappointing that they didn’t get the ending they deserved. Once I started reading it I had to know what happened. I did like how the side stories thrown in kept you guessing which was important to the disappearance and which wasn’t. I liked the slow unfolding to the conclusion. I will be generous and give it 2 stars, more like 1.5

Enjoyed this one. I felt like there was something missing though, something I needed to love it. Well thought out plot and easy to read.

This one was not very thrilling. It’s a mystery about the disappearance of Stephanie, a 19 year old girl and her mother, Georgia's, investigation into it. I lost interest in it about half way through.

I have given it 2 stars.

I have read a book by this author before and really enjoyed it, so when I was offered the chance to read this, I was excited!
The premise for this story was intriguing and I couldn't wait to dive in. Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations, the story kind of rambled along and there wasn't really much to keep me interested. It was disappointing!

This book started off really well but it lacked momentum in the middle. It picked up again in the end. It was a slow paced book and I found that I didnt connect with the characters. I loved the plot so I expected a bit more I think. Having said that I still liked it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There was so much potential to this story but unfortunately it fell short for me. The characters were thoroughly unlikeable. The story starts of really well, but the middle just drags on. It picks up again at the end thankfully. It had such a slow pace that even the good ending couldn't quite save it.

The whole premise was intriguing one about a mother going in search for her daughter in the college town nearly two years after she went missing when an old diary had been unearthed.

The concept was great, I loved the tenacity if the mother, the sheer desperation to dig deep into fact swhich she had been unaware of right up to this point. I had to give it to her that some of the facts about her daughter were downright shocking, yet the mother didn’t care. She inky wanted her to know what happened on that night.

The story went into the underbelly of the town where traditions were upheld covering the darkness underneath. There were many twists; I was completely caught in the web. But…

My niggles too caught up with me. The mother was abrasive. From her mannerisms I wouldn’t say she was a doctor, let alone a grieving mother. Characters in the book did tell me that she looked like a woman whom grief had eaten inside. But I didn’t get that vibe. She was quite crass at times, forgetting the basic idiom – you catch more bees with honey. And she was pure vinegar.

Some characters could be so abrasive to the point that the skin felt raw, but they had the determination of a bull dog. I was pulled into that one quality of hers. Rest of all the characters were icky and horrible.

The ending was explosive, and many, many culprits of many, many crimes came to the surface. Now that I reflected on the story, I had to admit, all the characters in the book had committed a crime in one way or the other.

Overall, an okay read

I really did try to like and finish this book but I just couldn’t. I didn’t like or even relate to the main character but I persevered until 80% when I realised I didn’t even care what the truth was so sadly I shelved it. This is my opinion and I know others have loved the book but it’s not for me.

I loved this.
I could not stop reading from the first page and I was so hooked.

I am shaken by the twists and the turns the story had and I didn't see the ending coming

Any mystery/thriller reader will want to read a story about a mother desperately searching for her daughter in a cold case style. Who doesn’t root for the mother and feel her grief. Except this mother Georgina is brittle, avenging , unpredictable and grows more nasty as the story progresses. If I respected her, then I would love this book, but her character was hard to grasp and I doubt she really would have acted in some of the ways the author suggests. The ending was a surprise right out of left field though!

With its interesting premise, I was very keen to give this book by P.R. Black a whirl.

The Long Dark Road follows Georgia Healey as she returns to the town of Ferngate two years after her daughter's mysterious disappearance. Armed with new information, she is intent on finding out what happened to Stephanie, a university student. The story tracks Georgia's investigation as she talks to suspects and revisits key places from Stephanie's final days. A plethora of dark secrets and concealments of the town, Georgia and Stephanie are gradually unearthed...

The story introduces characters and sets the scene, all the while progressing towards a surprising finale. The pace picks up somewhat partway through and the suspense and twists build. Georgia's fact-finding with friends, uni students, lecturers and ex-boyfriends give rise to surprises, shocks, drama and suspicion.

The great plotting and character development by P.R. Black allowed me to become addicted to this compelling, drama-style thriller. The clever writing muddied the waters but that resulted in an even more compulsive story and my need to establish precisely what befell Stephanie became more urgent. The Long Dark Road is very highly recommended and a worthy read!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request, from Aria and Aries via NetGalley, and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

The synopsis sounded like a perfect thriller, it had such high potential but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. It felt very bland and I feel that it dragged a bit. Couldn't finish, had to DNF.

These are all my observations throughout the book:
-the opening scene was so intriguing for me
-this book is so detailed in terms of surroundings
-each character in this book is so interesting and unique. The author wrote really well of giving each of them a motive
-Georgia's character is a little pushy and obsessive but not in an annoying way. It's just showing the readers a depiction of a mother grieving and trying to find answers
-i can really tell the grief and sadness of Georgia with the way the narrator portrays her thoughts
-Georgia is a bit blunt
-I like how the narrator narrates the mystery of this book. Like I am also asking myself what happened to Stephanie on that road. And I want answers immediately
-there are so many terms and slang the author uses and I can't relate to each of them. It's really annoying
-Georgia's character acts like in her early 20s. If you take away her grieving for her daughter, you can't make out that she's a mother, and not in a good way

Overall, this was only a 3 star read for me. I've read a bunch of thrillers lately, so maybe that is the issue. I did become confused a lot in this one. I didn't like the characters and the pace was just TOO slow for my taste.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria&Aries for the arc of this book.