This was SO disappointing. The premise sounded great, and some of the reviews mentioned trigger warnings that had huge potential for a great book. But it took way too long to get to anything. There were no subtle hints about any of the trauma or secrets to keep me interested. A slow burner that crept along at a snail pace and just lost me for too long.

Wow!! It's not often I give a 5* review but this book deserves it. Massive thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this one.

The book begins with Edmund and Ovidia in their luxury house seemingly living the dream. They are shortly joined by the newly engaged Jasper and Holly and their friends John and Anne. Gradually as the book progresses we learn more about the 6 and the secrets that they are keeping. I can say no more on this because the discovery is part of the beauty of this book.

Zaza's dark writing style puts the reader on edge right from the beginning. We know something has happened and that that something is bad but it's not until the very end that everything is revealed. The reader is given just enough at just the right moments to keep the momentum up.

A truly fabulous read.

The Pretenders follows the story of 3 couples over one day, when one of the couples (Jasper and Holly) with their friends (Anne and John) visit Jasper's brother (Edmund) to celebrate his engagement to Holly without announcing his arrival. That day, Edmund and his partner Ovidia already had other plans, which they don't want to disclose to the other couples.
Although the story is told always in the third person, each chapter focuses on one character or couple, and each of them has some secret they're not telling to the others. It's a tense story, in which you're continuously expecting one of the characters to burst in some way. I won't spoil the ending, but I was surprised about the final secret being revealed.
The stories are compelling and I could definitely relate to one of the couple's situations, which really brought it home for me. I really enjoyed (if that's the right word) this book and will definitely be recommending it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a well-written book, and the idea of using the events of one day to gradually tell the story of the six characters is a good one. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the book. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, and they, and their relationships seemed unconvincing. I can't really fault the book, it (and its mainly unlikeable characters) just wasn't for me.

The book takes place in one day involving three couples that have come together to celebrate Holly and Jasper’s engagement. As soon as the engaged couple and their 2 friends arrive at Jasper’s brother’s house, it is clear there is something off with his brother Edmund. When Edmund’s significant other arrives Jasper is left astonished. He had no idea Edmund had a girlfriend. I can’t say much more without giving away some of the plot, but there are many dark secrets and pieces that fall together as you follow along on this supposedly celebratory Saturday.

A dark and emotional domestic drama with well developed characters. While it did not wow me from the beginning, it definitely had me hooked about half way through as secrets start to unravel.

The Pretenders is a dark, atmospheric, perfectly written character study. Tension builds as the unavoidable problems in their lives bubble to the surface over the course of one terrible day.

As the drama begins, Edmund, fueled by an early morning whiskey, is ripping apart a pristine child’s playhouse in the backyard of his eclectically decorated Victorian home. His partner Ovidia, planning to leave Edmund later that day, has left for one of her regular long runs. They don’t know that soon they will have a surprise visit.

Edmund’s brother Jasper, his new fiancee Holly and friends John and Anne, arrive at Edmund’s for an unexpected visit. Jasper wants to surprise his brother and celebrate his new engagement. Many other surprises follow. Jasper is at first shocked by the usually impeccably dressed Edmund’s appearance in dirty, blood-stained pajamas. If that weren’t unsettling enough, he sees a sweaty Ovidia in running clothes standing in the kitchen. Not everyone in the room knows that she was Jasper’s former girlfriend. John and Anne only know some of the story. They are busy concealing their situation from the others.

The Pretenders is a difficult book to read. You know something(s) bad has happened and you turn the pages with apprehension. The ending is far from satisfying but it is understandable. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Agora Books and Agatha Zaza for this ARC.

I saw this book netgalley and requested to read it immediately and OH MY GOSH.

I can't find any words.... The entirety of the book pretty much takes place in one dinner party. There are 3 couples, all hiding some huge secrets. Lots of betrayal, deceit and
shock factor!

Firstly, i spent most of the book thinking they spelt Olivias name wrong but turns out her name is Ovidia and secondly i JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THE SECRET WAS

I'm so not good with suspence. It's such a good book though, i read it in one sitting. The themes explored are SUPER important and frankly written so well! The characters are all interesting in their own rights and overall i just really enjoyed reading this!

Highly recommend to pre order or buy /read when it's released!

This book follows 3 couples and a multitude of secrets. And in addition to a multitude of secrets, there are even more surprises and twists in the plot!

It was brilliantly written, I was hooked on the plot, what was the huge secret Edmund and Ovidia are keeping?

You won't see the ending coming!

The only thing I will say is that it did end quite abruptly but it was still an immensely enjoyable read.

The synopsis for this book sounded so interesting. For me, it did not live up to its description. I was looking for some kind of thriller, especially from the opening scene. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out. I found that I wasn't all of that interested and the writing was awkward. The best part of the entire book was that it was fairly quick to read. I was hoping that the ending would redeem it for me but it did not.

This was a bit of a slow starter for me with some real vagueness about who was where, with whom and why.
However, once you get the complexities of the relationships and their interactions straight this was a fascinating book, touching on depression, grief, loss, family tribulations, abuse, misunderstandings and love.
In parts it is a difficult read from an emotional standpoint but the tough subjects are sensitively approached and are an integral part of the story so feel appropriate in their inclusion.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The day after Jasper proposes to Holly they make a surprise visit to this brother Edmunds house. Along with Anne and John the turn up at Edmund house but nothing is as it seems. All three couples have secrets from each other and have been lying to themselves. They all need to face up to the secrets and lies and face the consequences of them.

Good first book from Agatha.

The Pretenders follows the story of 3 couples over one day, when one of the couples (Jasper and Holly) with their friends (Anne and John) visit Jasper's brother (Edmund) to celebrate his engagement to Holly without announcing his arrival. That day, Edmund and his partner Ovidia already had other plans, which they don't want to disclose to the other couples.
Although the story is told always in the third person, each chapter focuses on one character or couple, and each of them has some secret they're not telling to the others. It's a tense story, in which you're continuously expecting one of the characters to burst in some way. I won't spoil the ending, but I was surprised about the final secret being revealed.
The stories are compelling and I could definitely relate to one of the couple's situations, which really brought it home for me. I really enjoyed (if that's the right word) this book and will definitely be recommending it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jasper is ready to surprise his brother; Holly is ready to celebrate their engagement.

Anne tags along for fear of missing out, and John might just be going for another drink.

But Edmund and Ovidia had other plans for their Saturday.

Over the course of one day, these couples must own up to the secrets they’ve been hiding from one another and the lies they’ve been telling themselves. And face the devastating consequences.

Three couples. Two exes. One day. One reckoning.

I found this book to be a great debut! I will certainly look out for more by this author in the future

The author tackles some unique subjects but she does it great and I raced through the book in one day to find out what was going to happen!

At first I didn’t like the characters, but I knew there would be a reason for it!

The book is not suitable for people who do not want to read about child abuse, miscarriages and domestic abuse. But if you are okay with these subjects, I highly recommend this book!!

Thank you to the publishers for an advanced review copy of this book!

The Pretenders, a debut novel by Agatha Zara. Out on the 5 November 2020.
Three couples. Two exes. One day. One reckoning.
Jasper and Holly are just engaged, they are on their way to surprise Edmund and Ovidia, Jasper's brother and partner with their news, they are travelling with John and his wife, their friends to tell Edmund the great news. When they arrive, it is clear that all is not well between Edmund and Ovidia.
The entire story takes place over one day. As the day advances, dark secrets are revealed.
Domestic Violence, Deception, Depression, Alcoholism, and Miscarriage are just a few of the topics touched on.
In terms of the characters, they are either weird or horrible. Their relationships with their partners are bewildering and complicated. The plot from the beginning felt disjointed, unclear and chaotic. I found it consequently challenging to read.
I want to thank NetGalley, Agora Books and author Agatha Zaza for a pre-publication to review.

Three couple get together all with painful secrets and over the course of one day their worlds are shattered. This is a slow burner of a novel that reveals itself page by page. At the start of the novel you will never guess the ending and when you get to the end you want it to continue and know more about the lives of the couples involved.
I was invested in the main characters early on in the story and wanted to know what their secrets were. I read late at night and again early in the morning to get to the end of this fascinating tale of love, loss and intrigue. Well worth reading.

This book is well-written but incredibly dark and depressing. There really were no moments of light and the subjects it deals with are potentially triggering. Edmund starts the day demolishing a playhouse in his back garden. When his brother Jasper turns up unexpectedly with his fiancee Holly, and friends John and Anne, a whole pandora's box of secrets and lies is opened. Each character is hiding something, and as the secrets are revealed there are devastating consequences for all involved. I won't talk much about the nature of the plot, as it would spoil it for other readers, but I will say that this book deals with domestic abuse, and it does not sugar coat the effects of such abuse on those who are on the receiving end of it.

A complex and original story, it was absorbing, but far from an easy read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I found this an interesting read but I struggled with the characters. I just couldn’t believe most of the things that happened and the way they were all behaving

This story slowly unfolds. It really keeps you hooked. It’s quite claustrophobic and I felt it’s quite slow but you really can’t put it down. The characters though, I didn’t find believable and more than one of them I wanted to shake. On balance I did enjoy it. it’s cleverly done and well written. The story slowly unfolds until the ending which to be honest I found quite depressing.

The Pretenders is the debut novel from Agatha Zaza, a simmering dark and shocking domestic dramatic thriller. Three couples, two brothers and two exes come together on a Saturday and by the end of the day all their lives will be changed forever. Jasper and Holly got engaged the previous evening and are going to celebrate by visiting Jasper’s brother Edmund. John is Jasper’s best friend, so together with his partner Anne they go along for the celebration. Edmund and his partner Ovidia are not expecting Jasper and his friends and don't want them to stay, They have an appointment to keep and something is obviously wrong. Over the course of the day secrets are revealed that have catastrophic consequences. 

This is a good debut and it’s clear that Agatha Zaza has a lot of talent. She has created a interesting domestic thriller where you don't know what's going to happen next. There are some shocking revelations which will catch you off guard. All the characters have secrets and some of the secrets are HUGE. The characters of Jasper, Edmund and Ovidia are fleshed out but Holly, Anne and John not quite as much. The storyline does take a little while to get going and it is a slow burn but it’s worth staying with it because it really revs up and becomes gripping as the book goes on. I found the book enjoyable and look forward to Agatha Zaza's next novel.

I enjoyed The Pretenders - a clever story of three couples and their relationships told over one day. When Jasper and Holly go to his brother Edmund's house to announce their engagement they arrive with Jasper's best friend John and his wife Anne in tow. The first surprise that Jasper encounters on their arrival is that Edmund is in a relationship with his ex, Ovidia As the day continues the secrets of the three couples are revealed and the ending is a tear-jerker. Many thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for the opportunity to read and review this unusual book.