Not my normal choice of subject matter, but I fancied a change.

This book deals with uncomfortable situations, is quite gritty in its descriptions and tugs at the heartstrings as we learn more about our main character, Caroline and the heartbreak she encounters as she tries to come to terms with the sudden death of her daughter, Jessica, who is involved in a terrorist attack in London.

This is a story about the quest for revenge but there are many twists and turns throughout the story and we learn that not everything is as it first appears.

One thing troubles me though - the title??? Rather odd!

One of my favourite authors that I discovered in the past couple of years is @bpwalterauthor. Walter has an amazing talent for drawing out the innate emotions and conflicts of being human, exploring our motivations, actions and the consquences, all whilst pushing the button of human pyschology just a bit more with every book. The characters are often not the most likeable, but rather they a complicated and relatable, which makes the window on their narratives all the more insightful. Not only that, I also love how he draws characters from each of his other books to create a connection between all his writing, almost exploring the butterfly effect; no man is an island, no?

Walter has done it once again with THE WOMAN ON THE PIER, a achingly poignant depiction of a grieving family in search of answers. I was pulled through every page, totally invested in the story. And once again, a fabulous twist is delivered halfway through that pulls the rug from under your feet and causes you to rethink everything you've read before!

Another stonking read from a stalwart of the genre!

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

was really looking forward to reading this, having enjoyed B P Walter’s previous novel The Dinner Guest, so I was excited to be approved to read this on netgalley. Unfortunately, it was a complete let down. It centres around a woman, Caroline, who is grieving for her daughter after she was killed in a terrorist attack. Caroline later discovers some messages on her daughter’s phone and gets it into her head that this boy her daughter was secretly messaging and had planned to meet the day she died is responsible for her daughter’s death and decides to track him down. It goes from there. Caroline is not a likeable character and she makes some terrible decisions. The book also features some heavy topics such as parental neglect and child sexual abuse. This had a completely different feel to The Dinner Guest and I didn’t enjoy it. It’s almost as if a completely different author wrote this second book. Not for me. I would not recommend this one.

The Woman on the Pier is an intense and often dark exploration of loss, grief, and abuse. And given that, it kind of feels wrong to say I ‘enjoyed’ it, not sure what the right adjective to use would be. This book may not be for everyone, but I will say I found the story quite gripping, often heartbreaking, and well worth my time. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Not quite sure how I feel about this book. The story started well and at first I really enjoyed getting to know the family and felt their tragedy. However, the book then started to unravel for me and the plot became more and more extreme, with the most unlikely scenarios. Too many sub plots that tried too hard. It really was a book of two halves. The family members were quite obnoxious and the identity issue totally out there. I’m not sure how the title came about, especially after reading the blurb of two strangers meeting on a pier and only one walking off the pier alive. Firstly, that scene was probably a couple of pages at the most, and by that time they were no longer strangers! Also, wasn’t there a lot of vomit 😬? Every upset, reaction, argument seemed to end in someone rushing to the bathroom.

The premise of the book started so well, but unfortunately it lost its way. A story for those who enjoy unbelievable, far fetched offerings, but not one I could recommend, sorry. However, the book appears to be well received, so please try for yourself as it might be that it just did not click with me.

Thank you NetGalley.

I absolutely loved The Dinner Guest by B.P. Walter so I felt I was going to love this one. This one fell flat for me and I kept asking myself why I am reading this. I did not feel this had much suspense or kept me guessing. I feel the story had good intentions but was missing something to piece it all together.

Ok, I don’t know where to start with this . I thought it was a different type of book altogether. I expected to read a thriller type book but instead found myself deep in a story of loss, heartbreak and other dark places. The cover and the title are quite misleading., so much so that I had to keep checking I was reading the right book!
This is the story of a couple who’s daughter Jessica is killed in a terrorist attack in London. Unable to cope with this terrible situation the mother Caroline, searches for answers.
I did feel it touched on a lot of differing themes without expanding on any of them and so, I wondered why they needed to be included at all. The characters are awful, every one of them. While I did feel empathy with Caroline at the start, the more I read the less I liked her.
Although it was not at all what I was expecting to read , it held my attention nonetheless. So I would say, don’t be swayed by the cover or the blurb on the front because it has very little to do with the actual story. Many thanks to #NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would give this book 2⭐️

I found this book to be confusing but I also couldn't put it down. The title is very misleading for a start. How long was she on that pier for? It isn't a dark thriller but a depressing story about a family who lost their daughter in tragic circumstances., There were parts that seemed utterly irrelevant to the story and perhaps just there to add some spice to the book. Sadly it seems an odd story but one that you find you must finish.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/ One More Chapter for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For once I was happy for a rainy day, and a tweenager who doesn’t want to do anything with me as it meant I could spend a guilt free day reading this book! This book is seriously addictive. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but what I will say is that this book took me to places I didn’t expect to go thanks to a couple of perfectly timed twists and turns. This is a very dark and disturbing psychological thriller but oh so good!

The synopsis is slightly misleading in my opinion. The pier scene lasts maybe 2 pages and isn't a massive part of the overall story.
The book is more about mental health, revenge and grief. Which I wasn't expecting.
Although I did enjoy this. I had no issue just sitting and reading. In fact I flew through this. The writing gripped me.
However the story itself had potential but was missing something.
This book had some dark themes including terror attacks, child sexual abuse, self harm and drug use. However most of these feels like they are mentioned them moves on like it isn't such a massive thing to happen. Especially Evan and Jessica's circle posts. How are you going to tell us those things at the VERY end and do nothing about it?
Speaking of the end I didnt like how it just ended. I felt there was a lack of wrapping things up. I had too many questions at the end.

This had so much potential if things were focused on a little more. So I'm interested to see how the authors writing grows in future books.

This is a good book, but I was left with too many unanswered questions. Also, be warned, it ends at 96%, just when you think everything will be answered! Caroline and Alec’s only daughter, Jessica, is supposed to be in Somerset when she is caught up in a terrorist attack in Stratford. While their already shaky marriage falls apart, Caroline’s focus is on why Jessica was in Stratford.
There are lots of unhappy people in this book, with many toxic relationships. There definitely needed to be an epilogue in my opinion. Overall, a good read.

I received a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter.

I’m honestly struggling to write a review for this book.

It started off quite well even if I did hate the characters. But then about half way through the plot takes a rather weird turn and i’m not sure why. Like, what was the reason for it as it didn’t make sense with the start of the book. I ended up skim reading just to finish the book.

If anyone else has read this book, i’d love to discuss it!!

Also, if you do decide to read it - please check the trigger warnings!!

Two strangers meet on the pier and only one walks away.

My second B.P Walter book the Woman on the Pier is a story about a grieving mother wanting to find out all the answers.

Caroline Byrne wants to know why her daughter Jessica was at the train station on that terrible day when a terrorist attack occurred and took her life. We get to follow both before and after the terrorist attack.

Caroline finds Jessica’s mobile and quickly finds that her daughter was meant to be meeting a boy – Michael at the train station and he never turned up. Caroline blames Michael for her daughters death and wants revenge. She tracks him down and leaves her home to stay in a motel in the same town. Caroline meets Michael a few times and goes to tell him why she tracked him down when she was kicked out of the house by his Mother. The story takes a turn when Caroline was in a car accident and she looses most of her memory and doesn’t understand why she is in the town.

This is definitely a well written dark suspense thriller. It had me wanting to know what happens next especially when Caroline looses her memory. I can picture this book as a movie or a TV series. If you are looking for a dark suspense then don’t go past picking up The Woman on the Pier.

Thank you Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the copy for an honest book review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I was very excited to receive this as I absolutely loved The Dinner Guest by BP Walter however I will say this one just didn't do it for me. I don't like to leave negative feedback on a book but I had a tough time with this one. I almost didn't finish as the topics it dealt with were tough. I will for sure read more by this author but was disappointed with this.

I have several problems with this book, I'm afraid to say.
I really enjoyed Walter's first book so was looking forward to seeing what this one had in store, but I am just left confused.
The title and cover were mostly irrelevant, which irks me. I find myself becoming frustrated and distracted waiting for them to become important, and I feel like I miss the point because I'm looking for the relevance.
The characters were hideous and I struggled to find sympathy for their grief. This does sometimes bother me and affect my rating but if they are twisty and shocking, then I can improve it!
I also wonder if there were too many genres thrown into this book so it lost it's way a little. This had great potential but I was disappointed.

What a read!!! I was kindly gifted an early e-copy in return of an honest review. I loved this! The cover immediately caught my attention & I couldn’t put it down! I would certainly recommend.

2,5 stars.

A couple who's marriage is based on betrayal, secrets and manipulation loose their only daughter in a terrorist attack. The mother, Caroline, loses her mind and desperately seeks for closure which she didn't feel she got as the terrorists died during the attack. Therefor, she searches for another culprit.

This is the second book I've read this year where the main voice is that of an hysterical woman and I'm not into a character that is screaming and shouting and making bizarre and illogical decisions all the time. Maybe I just cannot image just how hurt a mother who lost a child could be, and how she could behave. But in this instance, I couldn't sympathize one bit with Caroline, nor with her husband Alec.

I know that B.P. Walter can write a good book, as I enjoyed The Dinner Guest, and this one isn't badly written either, but I couldn't stand the characters and the story didn't make sense.

A sincere thanks to Goodreads, the publisher One More Chapter and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The book was well written, but the plot was SO OUT THERE that it was truly unbelievable and for that I never truly got into it. I more rolled my eyes at times like...yeah no not possible.

Beautiful, thrilling and captivating. And oh so very heart breaking.

I really enjoyed The Dinner Party but The Woman on the Pier is even better than that. As before, the writing here is accomplished and taut, the plotting is excellent. The setting of the sea side town off season is wonderfully depicted. You can almost feel the salt air blow across your skin.

But what makes it magical for me is the emotion the characters evoke in the reader. I cried at this, was shocked by this and emphasised with everyone in it. Except one. I despised that person.

I felt Caroline's pain as if it was my own and I felt so very sorry for her. But then I was also distressed for the boy and his set of circumstances. But I won't say anymore about that and let you discover it for yourself.

This is a thriller yes that will keep you hooked to the page with its intelligent twists and turns but it is much more than that. It has an emotional depth and rawness that is seldom seen in this genre and a set of characters that are so realistic and layered that they may even be your neighbours.

The themes of grief and finding someone to blame is sensitively and beautifully captured. I wish I could discuss this more but to do so would give too many spoilers.

Highly Recommended.

This book was very different to what I was expecting. I am afraid that I found it quite depressing, and hard to read. It was well written, but it didn't make for an easy read. I am so sorry but it wasn't a great read for me.