Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed the writing style and the character development. A darker storyline outlining the grip of alcoholism. The story kept me reading and I’d recommend to others, but not as a light read!

I really enjoyed this book but did have to escape from reality and credibility at the end but it did sort of make sense.

I found the descriptions of recovering addicts incredibly well researched and thought out.

I would like to investigate more by this author.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

A great story about a toxic friendship between two women and its consequences. Loved every second of this read!

I enjoyed this book. Kate is a recovering alcoholic. With the support of AA she has put her life back together and has a career as a teacher and a lovely fiancé. However, when she bumps in to her old friend Becky, she realises she has to find out what happened on the last night they spent together, after which Becky broke off all contact with her. Kate was drunk and high and can't remember anything. This is a great story and the ending was certainly not what I was expecting! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A twisty and haunting thriller that will keep you up into the early hours captured in its grip. The writing is very good and the MC's fascinating.
A good read.

A book full to the brim of twists and turns that I could never have anticipated!. Intriguing characters, a fast paced plot, and brilliantly written. A fantastic read from beginning to end.

Well this one was full of twists and turns that I didn't ever see coming. I could not wait to fly through each chapter of the story to see what would happen next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books on the arc of this book.

4 star read for me- this was a great book, a huge page turner had me hooked for hours, a quick read as well completed within one day.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Brilliantly written and captures the destructive force that is alcoholism perfectly.
Having family members that faced the same struggle it was a very personal read for me. Excellent.

A book with some truly incredible prose. It’s a challenging read, it’s very morose but a satisfying end.

I appreciated the style of writing and character development but the plot was too bleak for my current mood and I didn't liked it.
It's not my cup of tea, I will re-read it in the future.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Kate is getting married and everything appears rosy in her world. But then her old school friend turns up and she has to confront her past. Trouble is she was drinking too much at the time and can’t remember.
I struggled to identify with Kate and did wonder if that’s how she would react. I don’t know but it certainly got me thinking

Closure is a brilliant debut novel by Emily Freud.
Kate has everything to look forward to; she has reached a stage in her life where she is happy. She is a teacher, with a wonderful fiancé, Ben, she’s planning her imminent wedding and she has successfully maintained six years sobriety. When Kate has a chance encounter with her childhood best friend, Becky, whom she has not seen for ten years, she feels unsettled as she cannot remember what happened the night they last saw each other all those years ago. Although Kate was drinking so heavily at that time she often blacked out at that time, she believes that she must make reparations to her friend. Is Kate doing the right thing? Is Becky looking for revenge for what happened ten years ago? Will Kate be able to remember what happened that fateful night? Is Becky a threat to Kate’s current life and her sobriety?
An excellent thriller. One which kept me on my toes and really did not know which way it would go. Such a great read and would highly recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A book that reveals itself,as progresses,to be a corker
Kate is an alcoholic, 6 years sober, now a teacher and a wedding to organise, all is going well....but she misses her ex best friend Becky, the last time she saw her ‘something’ had happened, something terrible that caused their friendship to halt, problem is Kate just cannot remember and all the time she has been sober it has been on her mind, so when Becky re-appears in her life she sets out to find the truth
And trust me she wishes she hadn’t as the past hurtles back to both of them in ways Kate could never have imagined
A hardish read at the beginning, much talk of alcohol, AA meetings, being drunk and then being sober and you really feel ( by the authors writing ) the horrors of addiction, how it affects the person, their friends and family, obviously this is a running theme through the book but then suddenly you realise you are in the middle of a VERY tense psychological thriller and the book has you and from then on didnt let up until the end
Another book I almost overlooked ( there are almost too many at the moment to choose from ) and am really glad I didnt as the author has created a real gem here that if you stick with reaps many rewards for the reader

9/10
5 Stars

Emily Freud has delivered this season’s must read with her debut novel Closure.

Six years sober, Kate Sullivan is living the life she once only dreamed about. She’s a respected teacher and about to marry her handsome, wealthy fiancé Ben. However, a chance meeting with her old friend Becky plunges her into a nightmare world of doubt, suspicion and shadowy memories that threaten both her future with Ben and her newfound sobriety.

Soon Kate has invited Becky to move into the luxurious apartment she shares with Ben. Having her close by causes Kate to relive their drunken experiences but she can’t quite remember the last night they spent together. She believes something terrible happened although Becky reassures her that isn’t true. Vague thoughts and broken phrases flicker through her mind and obsessive thoughts about drinking distract her. As suspense builds, Kate puzzles through her memories of that night. Will she remember before she destroys her sobriety? Will something in her past shatter her future?

Not only is Closure a top notch, multilayered domestic thriller, it also shows the struggles alcoholics face in a society where drinking is socially accepted, even expected. Kate relies on her sponsor Clare yet still holds back. The secrets she keeps are the most dangerous to her, her sobriety, her relationships with others and her future. Please add this beautifully written novel to your “to be read” list. You won’t be sorry. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and Emily Freud for this ARC.

Kate Sullivan has been sober for six years. She has a lovely home, a job she loves and her fiance, Ben. When her old friend, Becky appears in her life after not seeing each other for ten years, old anxieties surface and threaten to ruin Kate's life. Kate invites Becky to move in to her home hoping that this will help make amends. Kate remembers nothing of the last night they spent together when they were young as she had blacked-out from all the alcohol she had consumed.

I was pulled into this story quite quickly. Kate us an English teacher in a secondary school. She's on a night out when she bumps into an old friend she hasn't seen for ten years. Kate is desperate to make amends. I found this quite a gripping story and I wanted to know why the two women had fallen out, I wanted go hear it warts and all. There's a mixed bunch of characters, some you'll love others you won't. The story is descriptively written in places.i would have liked to have heard more from Beckys perspective. This is a good debut novel.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #QuercusBooks, and the author #EmilyFreud for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kate is a successful young teacher in north London who is living her dream and looking forward to her wedding day. That is until she experiences a rude awakening when her former life rears it’s ugly (well actually quite stylish) head. Kate hasn’t seen this face in years, so why has it chosen now to come back into her life?

Closure is the first novel to be published from new author Emily Freud, but you certainly wouldn’t know it from the quality of the writing. A psychological thriller which will grip you start to finish, whilst also shining a light on some very real and sadly taboo topics. Emily Freud paints an honest, authentic picture of a young teacher in London, who through much hard graft perseverance seems to have it all. The loving fiancé, a fulfilling job, a gorgeous flat in a trendy neighbourhood. However it hasn’t always been this way for Kate and as we soon discover, she has built her seemingly charmed life upon the sandy foundations of a troubled past that haunts her to this day. Foundations which, whilst hidden out of sight under the idyllic construction of Kate’s present-day life, threaten to once again become visible when they crumble away and raze her dream home life to the ground.

Previously a tearaway teen with a penchant for partying and drinking into oblivion, Kate has now managed to put that life behind her and build a life for herself. 6 years sober and in a loving relationship, Kate has worked for so long to reform herself and build a life for herself, and the thought of that ever going away (understandably) terrifies her.

Speaking in her Instagram posts Emily Freud ( @emilyfreud_ ) revealed how she drew on her real-life past experiences and her own struggles with alcohol to help her write Kate’s story in Closure. Emily was struck with the idea for the book on her own wedding day, after 5 years sober, when it occurred to her how different it could have all been for her if she hadn’t overcome her addiction. What if just as she was about to get her happily ever after, it all fell apart? You’ll be pleased to hear that Emily’s own happily ever after remains intact and filled with a husband, beautiful children, and a new writing career! There are however more twists in Kate Sullivan’s tale.

It is a brave thing to be so honest and vulnerable about struggles so close to home as Emily has been in discussing the topic of alcoholism in Closure. Her bravery has been rewarded though, as it has enabled Emily Freud to write a very authentic feeling account of a very realistic, flawed but likeable protagonist in Kate Sullivan. From the very beginning, I felt an affinity to her and her sense of humour, whilst also sympathising with her and her all too common fears of losing it all. Freud also successfully shines a light on an all too commonplace but nevertheless taboo issue of alcoholism. It’s refreshing to see alcoholism and alcoholics portrayed as they truly are and can be. Not just the stereotypical tramp in the gutter, but as people of all ages, from all walks of life, struggling against a very real, very dangerous disease. Thankfully as Emily Freud herself is testament to, it is a treatable illness and one can only hope that this book and Emily’s own personal story will provide a source of hope and inspire others to seek out help for their problems with alcohol.

The seemingly fragile state of Kate’s blissful life, and the fear of this unknown threat that could obliterate it at any given moment, means every chapter has a lurking sense of tension. The threat could strike at any moment, or it may not strike at all. We are kept on the edge of our seat with every page, as we join Kate in analysing, or perhaps over analysing every detail.

In contrast to some other hugely successful books like Gone Girl and The Woman In The Window, where the protagonist is another intelligent but flawed female struggling with her own paranoia and self-doubt, Closure is written in the third person. Early on in my reading, I wondered if Closure could have benefitted from a first-person perspective at times, to allow the reader to be more immersed in the central character’s experiences and train of thought (both rational and irrational). However as the story progressed I felt the third person viewpoint worked fantastically, and was a more versatile choice, as it lent the story a sense of objectivity that may have been missed in a first-person narrative. One of the aspects of Freud’s writing I enjoyed most was the beautiful imagery and poetic metaphors which she employs through the book, particularly in it’s calmer and more thoughtful moments:

“The evenings have become longer, the sky bright and hazy with a low-hanging sun. The white moon is already visible. It hangs there dormant, like an uncomfortably early guest.”

“She hadn’t tried anything that tested her boundaries for years, stuck in a state of perpetual similitude, like a wasp trapped under a glass. Banging against the same wall, able to view the outside world but incapable of finding a route out to join it.”

It is imagery and writing like this which may have felt out of place had we been reading out Kate’s own internal monologue, as people seldom think in such poetic prose when faced with times of such stress and threats to their existence.

The tension ebbs and flows in waves as the book progresses, as Kate and the reader flit between being lulled into a sense of security and ease before being yanked out of it again as the next turn of events or revelation (or non-revelation) unfolds. Like so many of my favourite books, our protagonist is gaslit on numerous occasions, causing both Kate and the reader to question, is there really anything sinister afoot, or is it just her fear talking? The looming ghost of her addiction and secrets of her former life means Kate is terrified of losing grip of everything she holds dear, as she is helpless to stop it from happening. Although she may now be sober, Kate is increasingly falling under the influence of something that can ruin a life just as easily as alcohol can. As soon as the thought of a possible threat to her happiness arrives on the scene, Kate becomes ever more intoxicated by her most primal fears combined with her sadly all too familiar tendency to worry and fret over every interaction and consider every possible frightening scenario that could play out. Freud cleverly plays on our innate fear of the unknown leaving us to fret and worry along with Kate whilst we nervously will her to come out unscathed as we count down the days towards her wedding and her happy ending.

With this stunning debut, Emily Freud has served us a truly intoxicating thriller. I hope there is more to come from this author and I look forward to her next release!

4*

Closure is available on ebook and audiobook from Thursday 17th September 2020, and is also available on paperback in March 2021.

Available for pre-order now on Amazon


**I would like to offer a trigger warning, as this fantastic book does deal with some themes including addiction, suicide and assault which some readers may find distressing to read.**

Kate Sullivan has been sober for six years and before that she often drank herself into oblivion. She’s put her life back on track, she’s now an English teacher in a secondary school, a job she loves and is very committed to and is happily in love and engaged to American Ben Hamilton. On a night out she has a chance encounter with former friend Becky, who she fell out with ten years ago, something which still haunts Kate. She wants to make amends, after all its all part of her AA steps but letting Becky back into her life leads her into unexpected territory.

This is a well written novel which is easy to read. Kate’s addiction is depicted extremely well as is her constant battle not to succumb especially when things get tricky. The comparison between Kate of the past and Kate now is starkly different and as events unfold we can see the far reaching the effects of her addiction. The reconnection with Becky and all its potential pitfalls and dangers is very intriguing. You feel Becky awkwardness with Kate and sense there’s depth beneath the surface and that there is something ‘off’ but not what that may be. When that finally emerges it’s certainly not good but maybe not that much of a shock given Kate’s old behaviour. The characterisation is good, some are colourful like Becky’s mother (she’s not much of a mother) and some are very likeable like Kate’s dad Jonny and his partner Rhona. You root for Kate’s success to overcome her demons and applaud her dedication to her job. There are some very good descriptions especially of areas in London such as Camden and of Kate’s former life in all its messiness. There are some emotional sections such as later scenes between Kate and Jonny and I like the optimistic end after some dramatic discoveries and major changes in Kate’s life. I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of the book though there is a bit of repetition and some characters don’t quite ring true such as Becky’s sister Alexa.

Overall though, this is an interesting book which is well written and keeps your attention.

With thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the ARC.

The title ‘Closure’ sums up the plot of this novel beautifully. Recovering alcoholic, Kate, an English Teacher, is happily engaged to New Yorker, Ben. All is going smoothly until Becky enters the equation. Becky was the best friend Kate lost touch with 10 years previously, the friendship being a casualty of Kate’s heavy drinking. Kate is keen to make amends and invites Becky back into her life, and decision that causes Kate’s life to quickly veer off track...

This is a highly enjoyable psychological fiction. Ticks all the boxes of being highly readable, unpredictable and thoroughly entertaining! Those plot twists don’t disappoint. The ending felt appropriate and satisfying. This is a book I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend and I will actively seek out future novels from this author.

My thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

2.5 stars.
I was so excited to read Closure. This book should have been right up my alley. A little Single White Female meets a friendship version of Fatal Attraction. I wanted drama and paranoia but instead got dull and slow. Unfortunately, I really struggled to get into the story. Almost half way in and I was bored. There just wasn't enough happening to keep me engrossed. By the time the big reveal happened right at the end of the story, I simply didn't care what happened to Kate. There was too much nostalgia, of Kate thinking back about her drinking days. I expect a little background but this seemed excessive. It went on and on right to the end.
I would have loved to read a little from Becky's point of view. Maybe if there had been contrasting chapters between the two women or if the big reveal had happened earlier I might have been more forgiving. A slightly below average debut.
Thanks to Quercus Books for providing my review copy. I was unable to post a review on Goodreads as the book isn't on the website, however I will post on Amazon AU after the publication date.