4⭐️ What a ride this was! I thought I knew what was going to happen in the end but boy was I wrong - and I love that! I love a good twist at the end 🌪️ A great addition to your thriller TBR lists!
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Thank you Simon and Schuster Australia and Netgalley for this ebook to read 😊
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This book is a slow burn, but that doesnt take anything away from the book. It really picked up after the second half. What an ending which really made it a 4 star read for me.

The Heights is a tall apartment building. When Ellen sees Keiran standing on the roof terrace, she is shocked. How could it be him? After all, she's pretty sure she killed him....⁣
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For those of you that know me, you'll know that I prefer my books to be fast paced. This thriller was a slow burn and therefore it did take me a while to get into it. Once the story got going though, I really enjoyed it. There were a few twists and I loved the ending. This is my first book by Candlish and it won't be my last.

If you've ever saw Enough With Jennifer Lopez you might remember the phrase that goes something like: to protect our young is alike an instinct, a reflex...

I am so very much on the side of Ellen Saint. She is first and foremost the mother who lost her young. As the story in The Heights goes, Ellen started losing her firstborn son Lucas slowly but surely: to the undesirable friends, to drugs, to party lifestyle... Was it rebellion on Lucas side to avoid overprotective mum? Was it his attempt at breaking the mold of 'good boy'? We will never know. The Heights is not about Lucas, really.

The Height is the story of the journey of hate, hurt, horror and unfairness of the world and socium as a mother who lost her son perceives it.

Lucas dies in the horrible accident. His friend Kieran survives, but ends up in jail for careless driving and causing death. What entails is never ending search for justice, forgiveness, forgetfulness... peace.. for both sides.

Louise Candlish' book The Heights was impossible to put down. It left me gasping, pulling my hair out, nodding or shaking my head. Being an overprotective mum, I can see Ellen's point. Oh, I can see it well. .I hurt for her, for the pain her son death caused. But more importantly, I hurt for her when her son turned her back on her and pushed her away, when the system closed off on her and did not give her any answers, when she felt like hitting the wall,,, when her loved ones betrayed her in many little and not so little ways.

Well, in short, The Heights is the thriller in its best (for me) form. It hits so close. It pushes all the right buttons. It makes you scream. It makes you pray to all the Gods thanking them and the universe that you can put the book down and hug your children... but Ellen can't.

#336 The Heights by Louise Candlish. Page turning thriller about a mother’s obsession following the loss of her son. Compelling and 😳 Three and a half stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 I read an advance copy of this courtesy #netgalley @netgalley

@thegfcbookproject on Instagram

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Another great addictive thriller from Louise Candlish. When the boy who was in the car at the time your son died in an accident returns back into your life even though you arranged for his murder in retaliation of your son's death, you are left with nothing but questions. How can he still be alive? Why has he changed his identity and what do you have to do now to ensure his death? A twisty all is not as it seems thriller, it had me hooked from the start. A story about loss, revenge and hatred. Definitely one to add to your TBR. #netgalley #theheights #louisecandlish #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #amazonkindle #litsy #thestorygraph #thriller#bookqueen #bookstagram

The Heights is written by Louise Candlish is a psychological thriller.

Ellen Saint wants revenge and will stop at nothing after what happened to her family.

Ellen is married to Justin and has two children. Freya and Lucas. Lucas is Vic's son (Ellen's first husband). A happy family until tragedy strikes and Lucas dies in a motor vehicle accident, his friend Kieren survives to tell the tale. Who is at fault and what will Ellen do?

This is my second book written by Louise Candlish and I have mixed feelings about this book. It is a slow burn psychological thriller and it did take me a little longer to read it. With that being said I did enjoy moments in the book.

Thankyou NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Australia for the advanced copy for an honest review.

I've loved all of Louise Candlish's books, and this one is no exception.

It's a fantastic psychological thriller with an interesting premise. I love the way it was set out; we're reading someone's novel within the novel.

The characters were great, and I found them to be truly unpredictable at times.

I didn't know who's side I was on, as everyone seemed to be in the wrong at one point or another.

I definitely recommend reading this one if you're a fan of the genre.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a acopy of this ebook via Netgalley.

Thankyou NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Australia, and the author, Louise Candlish, for the opportunity to read The Heights in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Such a good read.
Well drawn characters and a gripping storyline keeps you hooked until the very last page.
3.5 stars.
Worth a read.

To what heights will maternal love drive a mother?

Wow Louise Candlish books just get better and better! The Heights is an intensely gripping read ! Discover the extraordinary lengths a grieving mother will go to in this domestic crime thriller that will have you devouring the pages!

Ellen Saint has a phobia, she suffers from ‘high place phenomenon’ which is a form of the fear of heights in which intrusive thoughts urge you to jump when you really don’t want to. She’s mother to Lucas and Freya and wife to Freya’s father Justin And ex-wife to Vic.

Lucas is a model student at school until the arrival of a new disadvantaged boy called Kieran who lives in a foster home. Ellen is concerned with the bad influence and power Kieran is having on her son and after a tragic accident involving the pair she is hell bent on revenge.

The Heights is a tall apartment building and looking out from her clients flat opposite Ellen can see the penthouse’s discreet roof terrace and that's when she thinks she can see someone she’d recognise anywhere. But she’s confused, because she knows intimately he’s been dead for over two years!

The story is mostly narrated by Ellen in the form of her memoir written in a class taught by a well-known tutor. Her ex-partner Vic is also introduced as a second narrator.

If you love psychological suspense you’ll love this, a winner for me, such an intriguing plot!

Ellen is the over protective mother of two teenaged children and she also has a phobia of heights but feels drawn to them. With her husband Justin and ex Vic sharing the parenting load and helping keep her sane, all is well until her son Lucas befriends Kieran. When tragedy hits, Ellen wants Kieran gone for good and sets out to make this happen. Kieran coming back into her life a few years later sets her on a downward spiral. This was a gripping tale with some twists that kept me guessing until the end. A great thriller as always by Candlish.

The Heights is a compelling read, leaving the reader guessing right up to the final page. Louise Candlish cleverly uses both multiple perspectives and a shifting timeline to withhold critical information, keeping us constantly questioning what is real, what is supposition and where our sympathies should lie.
The main narrative is occasionally punctuated with excerpts from a Sunday Times Magazine article by journalist Michaela Ross, a perspective that the reader is invited to accept as an objective commentary on the characters and events upon which the book focusses.
Part 1 of the book is told in the form of a manuscript written by Ellen Saint, recovering from a tragedy suffered by her family, the precise nature of which is unclear until sometime later. As the story opens, Ellen, a lighting designer, is consulting with a client in Shad Thames when she's shocked to spot Kieran Watts, a one-time friend of her son Lucas, standing on a nearby roof terrace. Ellen had believed Kieran dead, and, as she shockingly confides, by her own hand - so how is he still alive two years later?
We learn from Ellen's perspective of Lucas's burgeoning friendship with Kieran during his sixth form year, and Lucas's concurrent descent from high-achieving student to a recreational drug user exhibiting problematic behaviour and failing to live up to his own potential and his parents' expectations of him. A tragedy when Lucas is aged nineteen solidifies Ellen's hatred of Kieran, her blame for what has happened to Lucas focussed entirely on him.
In Part 2, the perspective shifts to Lucas's father, Vic Gordon, Ellen's former partner. While the fundamental events remain constant, Vic's story leads us to begin questioning Ellen's perceptions and her actions towards Kieran.
Part 3 takes us back to the story from Ellen's perspective, as events hurdle towards a dramatic present day (2019) denouement on Kieran's luxury penthouse terrace.
I found The Heights an intelligent and engrossing psychological mystery. I sometimes find multi-perspective and/or shifting-timeframe novels difficult to follow, but Louise Candlish uses these mechanisms skilfully and effectively to build and maintain the tension in her narrative. Ellen is a character who draws the reader's sympathies, even as we begin to question her perceptions. In Candlish's hands, her emotional turmoil is palpable and her extreme behaviour at least understandable, if not necessarily condoned. Similarly, we genuinely feel for Vic, who's trying to manage Ellen's reactions in addition to dealing with his own experience of helplessness and loss. The supporting characters, in the shape of Ellen's husband Justin and their teenaged daughter Freya, are also well-developed as they play their own rolls in the unfolding drama.
I have no hesitation in recommending The Heights to any and all readers who enjoy finely-crafted psychological thrillers and/or domestic dramas.
My thanks to the author, Louise Candlish, publisher Simon & Schuster Australia and Simon & Schuster UK, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

A suspenseful novel that keeps you guessing as you're learning all about the bits and pieces to piece it all together. This is a great novel. I've read other books by Louise Candlish and I will definitely read more. I highly recommend this to those who enjoy thinking and reflecting as you read, it's a page turner.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT: Craning to glimpse the man who has come out onto the terrace and stands at the clear glass balustrade, my first thought, as it always is when I witness someone poised inches from a sheer drop like that, is, 'He's going to throw himself off.' He's going to lean forward, look down, and hear the call of the void, exactly as I would. Then he'll jump.

I say as much to Selena, and she exclaims in horror, 'But why would he want to jump?'

'Not him. Me. If I were standing where he is. Don't worry. It's nothing to do with feeling suicidal. It's a condition. They call it high place phenomenon.'

'What, it's like vertigo?'

'That's more a sensation of spinning - like in the movie. This is a kind of irrational impulse. But not everyone has it.' I gesture to our man on the roof terrace, as still and poised as an elite diver about to go for gold. 'He obviously doesn't.'

'Well, it wouldn't be the best place to live if he did,' Selena says with a smirk, as he turns and walks the length of his terrace to its river-facing corner. That's when it happens. The impossible. The grotesque. There's a self-consciousness to the way this man lifts his chin, an exaggerated bounce to his step, that I recognize. That makes me put my hand to my mouth to muffle a gasp, my heart punching a savage rhythm in my chest.

It's him.

ABOUT 'THE HEIGHTS': He thinks he’s safe up there.
But he’ll never be safe from you.

The Heights is a tall, slender apartment building among the warehouses of Shad Thames, its roof terrace so discreet you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren't standing at the window of the flat directly opposite. But you are. And that’s when you see a man up there – a man you’d recognize anywhere. He’s older now and his appearance has subtly changed, but it’s definitely him.

Which makes no sense at all since you know he has been dead for over two years.

You know this for a fact.

Because you’re the one who killed him.

MY THOUGHTS: Geez, Louise! What happened? I have loved your previous books. I enjoy the 'slow burn', BUT ..... The Heights is just slow.

I took four days to read The Heights, for no other reason that I kept finding other things to read/do. I would put this down, and just wasn't motivated to pick it up again.

The Heights lacks drama, suspense, which was a real disappointment after the wonderful opening chapter. I was excited by opening chapters, but as the novel ground on, I lost interest.

I felt nothing for the characters, which surprised me as I expected to have great sympathy for Ellen. Instead I actually disliked her. I tried to put myself in her place, but I don't think that I could sustain that level of hatred and vitriol.

And the twists? Sorry Louise, but I saw them all, bar one, coming a mile off, and I wasn't really surprised by that either.

I would like to point out that I am very much alone with my thoughts on The Heights, and that just about everyone else has loved this book. But sorry, it just didn't work for me. However I will be right there in line for whatever Louise Candlish writes next.

⭐⭐⭐

#TheHeights #NetGalley

I: @louisecandlish @simonschusterau

T: @louise_candlish @SimonSchusterAU

#contemporaryfiction #crime #familydrama

THE AUTHOR: Before writing fiction, I studied English at University College London and worked as an illustrated book editor and advertising copywriter.

I live in a South London neighbourhood not unlike the one in my novels with my husband, teenage daughter, and our fox-red Labrador Bertie.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Simon & Schuster Australia via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Heights by Louise Candlish. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for this early reading copy of The Heights by Louise Candlish. Widely known as one of the Queen’s of the psychological thriller Louise has upped the ante with The Heights and I think it is my favourite to date.
The story will resonate with parents and caregivers alike as we are taken on a truly emotional roller coaster, that sees the main protagonist Ellen Saint tell her story together with her ex-husband Vic Gordon. Their son Lucas is buddied up with school newcomer Kieran Watts who has been placed in foster care in the area. Watts is a less than desirable young man and instantly sets alarm bells ringing for Ellen as she sees her son Lucas rapidly spiralling out of control.
Strap yourself in for some uncomfortable eventualities as you see just how far a mother who is hellbent of revenge will go. The Heights is woven with deceit, anger and dishonesty and will leave you gasping in parts, especially the sting in the tail that Louise is famous for. The Heights is unputdownable and will have you turning pages long into the night, a big five stars from me!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Interesting book that asks "What would you do?"

Ellen and Vic are faced with the ultimate tragedy and this story follows the years leading to and after that. Told mainly from Ellen's perspective with some insightful chapters from Vic, it has enough twists to keep the reader entertained.

Would recommend for lovers of twisty stories.

I was very excited to receive this advanced reader copy of The Heights by Louise Candlish. She is fast becoming one of my favourite authors and she did not disappoint with her latest offering. In her usual style of 'slowly slowly' with feeding the reader information, this book was a real page-turner. It was mostly told from the main character's point of view, and I can't really say too much more regarding the narrative as I don't want to give anything away. You'll just have to read it!

Publication day for The Heights is 2/6/21

Thanks again to Simon & Schuster, Louise Candlish, and NetGalley for a copy of The Heights to review.

The Heights is a psychological thriller. For the last two years, you thought you killed a man. However, one day looking out your window, you saw him again across the road. The readers of The Heights will continue to follow Ellen to find out what happens.

The Heights is the first book I have read by Louise Candlish, and I enjoy reading this book. Louise Candlish had an exciting writing style that hooks her readers to continue reading her books. I love Louise Candlish portrayal of her characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. The Height was well written and researched by Louise Candlish. I like the Louise Candlish description of the settings of The Heights that complimented the book's plot.

The readers of the Heights will learn about the historic area of London called Shad Thames. Also, the readers of the Heights will understand the consequences of revenge on families and friends.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for my ARC for an honest review. I recommend this book.

The Heights is another brilliant psychological thriller from Louise Candlish. I love a book where we are drip fed the details of the past as the present is happening. It is a really hard book to talk about without spoilers so I am not going to say too much plot wise.

Ellen Saint is obsessed with revenge and will stop at nothing to get it. Her family is everything to her and nobody messes with it. But how far is too far? Is justice ever enough for the victims families? That is what this books looks at and it really makes you think. I could absolutely relate to her fears of heights, although the feeling of wanting to throw yourself off them is terrifying!

This was a book that I had trouble putting down, it w=is not one that you want to start late at night as you will want to stay up top keep reading it. I made that mistake, but I finished it off the next morning.

Easily all the stars for this one - check out the blurb below and tell me you don't want to read it. Out in Australia June 2nd.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read.

Synopsis:

The Heights is a tall, slender apartment building among the warehouses of Shad Thames, its roof terrace so discreet you wouldn’t know it existed if you weren't standing at the window of the flat directly opposite. But you are. And that’s when you see a man up there – a man you’d recognize anywhere. He’s older now and his appearance has subtly changed, but it’s definitely him.

Which makes no sense at all since you know he has been dead for over two years.

You know this for a fact.

Because you’re the one who killed him.

I was immersed in this book from its blurb and the first few chapters, however that is where it ended.
Personally I couldn't connect with the main character Ellen Saint. As much as I tried to understand what she went through and how she must be feeling now, I felt she was over paranoid..which of course she should be, considering she saw someone who was suppose to be dead...he was suppose to be dead because she killed him.

I will try to attempt to read this book at a later date, as it sounded very promising.

Thankyou to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster Australia, and to Louise Candlish.