I loved the sound of this one, and it gets off to a flying start!
I sympathised with Elle straight away, she has a difficult life with her Mum who is forever scrounging off her and manipulating her. Her mum made my blood boil so many times!
Elle wants an escape, and The Trial seems like the perfect way.
Once the trial starts, the book does lose some originality for me but the intrigue stayed throughout and though the ending seemed a little rushed, I enjoyed the constant guessing and the unreliable and unworthy characters.

I was given a free copy of this book through Netgalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The main character Elle is at one of those points in life where you aren't sure where to go next, but a free holiday sounds pretty good, even if it comes with the catch of taking part in a drug trial, right?

This is the perfect holiday read for those who enjoy thrillers. A slow slighty edgy beginning soon leads to a plot full of twists and turns that became literally unputdownable by the last act. I don't want to say much more in case I give away any of the plot, but I genuinely enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

I had recently volunteered for a COVID vaccine trial so this book appealed to me. However I ended up skimming through it or it would have been a dnf. I wasn’t thrilled frightened or entertained by it but maybe just confused.

Elle signs up to participate in a drug trial that will allow her a vacation away from her mother and a large cash reward. The participants are told nothing about what the drug does or its potential side effects. Some of them start getting headaches, a goat is murdered, arguments break out, things start falling apart quickly. The beginning of this was good, but I don't know how I feel about the explanations for some things at the end. 2.5 stars rounded to 3

The Trial follows main character Elle after she signs up to a medical trial. It’s all completely unknown, what the trial is about, and even the location are a mystery. Elle fills in the original questions pretending to be her mum (not a spoiler it’s at the start) and so the whole way through she feels as though she doesn’t belong…

This book has many a twist and turn and I had NO CLUE what was happening but in the best way. You have no idea which characters you’re meant to trust and it just made me want to read even faster. The ending was a slight let down for me if I’m honest but overall still a great book!

There are 10 of them. 10 people who sign up for a drug trial that really seems too good to be true. The story starts with Elle. We meet her and her mother and find Elle's reason to join the drug trial credible. When the trial group begins their "vacation", everything seems above board. Then the creepy music starts in your head and you know that someone is about to die. The psychological jolts to the senses are just as traumatizing as the side effects that are showing up. As the suspense builds until the tension can be felt off the written page, you think, I am never signing up for one of these!!!!!

5 stars and a couple of restless nights.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The premise was brilliant and I enjoyed the ending. My main criticism was that it was a slow burner and then eventually got going a bit late and the ending felt rushed. I did also think the characters all lacked something. There were too many of them to always remember who they were without more background.

The ending wasn't what I expected and it did keep me guessing which I love. The last 25% of the book I just didn't want to put down because I just wanted to know how it was going to end!

Unfortunately, this wasn't for me. I was really looking forward to reading it as the description sounded very intriguing and exciting but it didn't deliver. One of the key issues is the sheer number of characters we are trying to keep track of.. I was confused all the time. Additionally, many of the things that happen are quite unbelievable. I'm sure there would be people who will enjoy this book.. but not me this time.

Interesting read. Great plot which is unlike most books lots of twists and turns. The book was exciting. Well written and flowed well

I read this as part of a readalong. Though I didn't actually take part because I read it weeks after the actual time.

Anyway really enjoyed the book it had plenty to get my teeth into and kept me guessing

Pretty boring and this book dragged on, super slow, and at times I debated on DNF it, but I did, and wish I had not!

The characters are boring, and there is just too much in this book, it could have been cut down a lot!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC of this book.
Sorry this book was not for me at all. I did finish it but felt very disappointed with the book in general but particularly the ending.
It started well and I was intrigued but when they got to the island it just got slower and slower. I don’t like giving up on a book because some of them do get better but , unfortunately, this one didn’t !
Not an experience I will be repeating, I don’t think I will be reading any other books this author writes.

The Trial

Opportunity of a lifetime. All inclusive luxury holiday and a cash payout at the end. All you have to do is take a pill every day and keep a diary. What's the catch, well you no nothing about the drug what it's supposed to do and what the side effects might be. First some get headaches. Then someone dies any one of them could be a killer !

This book started great and I had high hopes but then it just fell a bit flat it did pick up for the last 30% I was hooked but then the ending just seemed rushed and unfinished and I was disappointed. Overall even with the issues it was an OK read.


Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and S.R Masters for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest Review

After losing her holiday due to her mother’s lies, Elle searches for another holiday in the Canary Islands using her mother’s computer. When an advert appears for a months trial in the Canary Islands comes up with £20,000 at the end of it Elle signs up and soon she’s staying at a complex with 10 other people.
She knows nothing about the drug or the side effects she and the other participants are taking and soon they headaches start and then a body turns up and everyone is a suspect.
I thought this book was alright however I was very unimpressed with the end as it leaves you on a cliffhanger not knowing what happened in the end. It was slow to read as well. I was disappointed with the ending as it seemed to end very abruptly.
Thank you to netgalley and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book also has the title of The Drug Trial, but it has the same content.

I was lucky enough to be on the One More Chapter readalong of this book with some other lovely bookish people.
Would you sign up to a medical trial if you didn’t know the possible side effects?

18-40? PAID CLINICAL TRIAL IN THE CANARY ISLANDS – UP TO £20,000 TAX FREE

It seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. An all-inclusive luxury trip abroad, all you need to do is take a pill every day and keep a diary.

Except you don’t know anything about the drug or what its side effects might be.

The headaches start, a dull ache at first. Every day worse than the last.

Then a body is found.

You discover that a side effect is psychosis. You don’t know who has taken the placebo and who has taken the real drug.

It all seems too good to be true… the main protagonist, Ellie signs up as she is desperate for a break from her life. As the trial unfolds and strange things happen, she begins to question what really matters…

The premise of the book was really good and psychological thrillers are one of my favourite genres, but this just didn’t seem to work for me. To be honest, I’m not sure that what I got was what I was expecting. At the start, I was so invested in the characters, the setting and the storyline, but then from about halfway I felt that it became repetitive and at times quite unbelievable and very convenient as the story unfolded. I did finish the book as I needed to see what the trial was actually for and the outcomes of the research, although in saying that, the ending was for me, not at all as I was expecting.

Thank you to Netgalley, One More Chapter and Harper Collins UK for an e copy of this book, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

"They are taking our souls..."

What I love the most about this book is how it got me thinking. Throughout the book and long after finishing it some thoughts lingered around. Thoughts about society and our views (or my views?) on someone's personality. The concept and set-up were thought through. It's not something I am used to see in a story.

The prologue immediately peeked my interest. I felt like a child that had discovered a secret candy jar. Now and then it felt a bit boring but the author knew exactly when to spark my interest again.
Throughout the middle of the book things went rather slow. Perhaps it was needed for the ending. An ending that still got me thinking. I still have no idea what character to believe. I still have no idea what story to believe. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing. However I am not a fan of how the book itself ended, as in the things that happened on the last page. I myself needed a bit more of closure, but that is just a personal preference.

I didn't like this one. The blurb sounded interesting and the beginning of the book was promising, but I started having a hard time getting through it. I was easily getting bored, and I felt like I was reading short summaries of some stories with the same characters. This one was not for me, but still I wanted to finish it just to see what happened.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter for the ARC!

I have been reading a lot of variations of "stranded on an island with strangers and havoc ensues" lately. This one hit the ground running and then ran out of steam for a while. It's a bit like And Then There Were None and Survivor with a medical twist. Not the worst I've read in such a category but not the best either.

t seemed rather ironic that at the time I was reading THE TRIAL, I was popping pills like no tomorrow as I tried to do battle with Covid. Fortunately, I was quite lucky that my case was mild, but it did make me think just how trusting we are when we blindly swallow the contents of the medicine cupboard in complete faith that what we're taking will make us better.

Well, @srmastersauthor's latest novel THE TRIAL takes that concept and ramps it up by a squillion and asks, 'Would you sign up to a medical trial if you didn’t know the possible side effects?'

What this creates is an intense environment where a cast of varied and probing characters are put under increasing pressure, until it all goes horribly wrong! I loved this fast-paced thriller that throws up not only questions of morality and pyschology, but also presents an intense thriller and mystery that keeps readers guessing. Although perhaps there were rather a lot of characters to hold on to at once – I'll blame my Covid brain-fog for my confusion around these characters – my only critique of this novel was I wanted more! There was just a few more questions that I wanted answers as I turned the final page, but nothing that would dampen any reading experience.

A fast-paced and thought-provoking read that I would recommend to JP Delaney and Alex Michaelides fans!

This book will take you on a mysterious and thrilling ride. One that will leave you shaking.

This thriller, accompanied by tidbits of psychological elements, made the story way more intriguing.