There is SO MUCH happening here!… gripping and full of suspense and twists. And that ending is shocking. I never saw those reveals coming…

What can I say as this book was so good, it kept me gripped from beginning to end, the ending was just brilliant ..

Having survived a fire and escaped from a cult as a little girl, Lucy has blocked out her past and tried to move on. However, now the media have got their hands on her new identity she needs to look to the past for the truth.

Newly pregnant and at the mercy of her controlling husband and his father, the first part of Lucy’s story is deeply unsettling. The only thing that matters to her husband and in laws is the optics of her newly discovered past and the impact on their political careers. Meanwhile, Lucy is grappling with the idea of ever being a mother and the traumas of her own childhood.

Sent away to a remote cottage until the media coverage dies down, Lucy starts to dig into her past and revisits the remains of the manor. She soon discovers a terrible truth and finds herself in danger.

Lucy’s traumatic past, abusive marriage, and doubts and decisions about motherhood make for a compelling story. However, the final part of the novel strays too far into an impossible conspiracy with massive twists too hard to believe.

A pacy thriller which requires some leaps of imagination.

I wouldn't really call this book a "thriller" full of twists and turns, but it was suspenseful in spots. Lucy grew up in a cult where his mother was one of the leading members. She escaped during a fire and was then in foster homes. She has sketchy memories of her past. As an adult, she is pregnant and married to a solid man in a political family. Her past is outed and she is shunted out of the spotlight. She is injured and taken to a hospital where her past catches up to her. The book was interesting, but a little slow at times. I did enjoy the ending though.

Lucy Townsend recently discovers she is pregnant, and her husband is ecstatic but Lucy is not so pleased and can’t figure out how it has happened. Then out of the blue, the press reveals Lucy’s hidden identity and Marshall and his parents are shocked, though as a politician, seem more concerned about his fathers reputation. Lucy was the sole survivor of a cult which also dabbled in prostitution and exploitation, after a tragic fire. Lucy is packed off for a while while Marshall and his parents deal with the media.
Lucy is injured while sent off to a place near where the cult used to be based. She is injured and taken to hospital. Then things take a chilling turn and nothing is now what is seems. Lucy needs to escape but her past won’t let her go.
A disturbing sub plot which send chills up your spine reading this. An enjoyable plot which takes many turns. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and AvonBooksUK for the ARC of this book!

Lucy Townsend was the sole survivor of a fire that destroyed the commune where she lived. Lucy Townsend grew up in a cult and her mother was one of the leading members. After she escaped the fire, she grew up in foster homes. As an adult, Lucy married Marshall and works as an admin in a hospital. She kept her past from Marshall and only really has one friend at work, Ellie. Lucy has been in therapy, but she remembers very little about what occurred during her life when she lived on the commune with the cult. Then one day, her past comes back to haunt her – on the front page of the news. Instantly, her husband knows that she lied to him, and he and his politically affiliated family try to get ahead of it. At a press conference, she is asked questions about circumstances of the cult which stun her. Now it seems as if Lucy is running from her past, can she escape it?

This book was a WOW for me. It’s my first book by this author, but I will now be reading her other book. This book was intense, suspenseful and heartbreaking all in one. The plot was something new and interesting, and everything you can expect from a cult book. I devoured this book, I didn’t want to stop reading it. There were twists, betrayals and shocks included in this book, which always makes for a good book. I really enjoyed the ending. I was glad it wasn’t a typical ending and that the author went a different way. I was really rooting for Lucy throughout the whole book, and it isn’t often I actually root for a character. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading cult books.

This book comes out on June 23, 2022. You can pre-order it here.

This wasn't what I was expecting and definitely isn't your run of the mill thriller. It's dark and twisty and I spent a lot of the book trying to figure out what was going on and what wad going to happen next! It doesn't have the fastest pace but it did keep me engaged the whole way through and I was constantly second guessing and trying to predict exactly what was going on. Its one of those books that requires a level of thought, you can't just skim it whilst you're also watching TV. And you wouldn't want to! This will get under your skin and not let you go back to your normal activities until you're done

From a young age, Lucy was raised by a cult that her mother was a leading member of. She is now an adult and married to Marshal, who is from a well known family. When news comes out that Lucy was a part of a cult growing up, things become difficult for the family and Lucy is sent to a cottage to spend some time away and out of the spotlight. During her stay, Lucy has an accident and is taken to a hospital. But when she wakes up in the hospital she finds out her past is back to haunt her and that the members of the cult need her back, but why?

This was another page-turner! I have read several books about cults lately, but this one was very interesting and I liked the suspense of the story very much. I think Sarah Goodwin is a great story teller and you will find THE THIRTEENTH GIRL to be a quick and exciting read until the very last page!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be posted to my Instagram Blog (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

This one was right up my alley. Not only were there intriguing questions being asked that I was dying to find out the answers to-- I did and was totally shocked-- but this book was so dark. I gobbled it up.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought Sarah Goodwin’s debut was super good. Very original, and just overall excellent so I had considerably high hopes for this one. It’s not that I didn’t like it, I just wasn’t as hooked or intrigued as I thought I would be.

The first half was very promising, but I found myself a little bored as I exceeded the halfway mark. Still, I’m going to give this another go when it eventually comes out, and see if my opinion changes!

I’ll always be on the lookout for future Sarah Goodwin books as I truly love the writing style, and original storylines!

Thanks again!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the copy of The Thirteenth Girl by Sarah Goodwin. I loved the writing and the story started out great! I loved books about cults, and there seem to be a number of them being written now. The story took an unexpected and dark turn, and it became harder for me to connect to the story. I didn’t really like or trust any of the characters. Lucy was obviously damaged and was handling it by trying to hide it. Her husband and in-laws were horrible. I will continue to read Ms Goodwin’s books because she is a good writer, this one was just not really great for me. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I had high expectations for this book, since I loved stranded. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to the anticipation. The premise was promising; A girl who grew up in a cult, not remembering what had happened. In the beginning I liked the book, even if I found myself annoyed by Lucy’s ambivalence towards figuring out what had happened to her. I felt the unsettling vibe from the relationship she was in, and looked forward to what would happen next. After the first chapters, I sadly felt disappointed. The story unfolded to slowly, there was far too many details which halted the suspense. I liked the ending which made it worth reading the rest of the story. Hopefully Godwin’s next book will again have me sitting on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, not wanting to miss a single page.

Disturbingly Credible..
Lucy is a survivor. She escaped once but can she escape again? A dark and disturbing suspense although a slow but menacing burn as the reader is taken along on Lucy’s journey from the cult and back again. With an immersive plot populated by a credible cast and a theme that is as distressing as it is disturbingly credible.

Lucy was the sole survivor of a fire that destroyed a building that housed a cult of which her mother was a leading member. Lucy was then taken into foster homes for the duration of her childhood. In the next stage of her life she meets Marshall and marries him, not because she was totally madly in love , more because she felt safe with him and did care for him. She remembers little of her life after leaving the cult and is not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but her past does catch up with her and the consequences of this leads to some tragic circumstances.

I found myself feeling quite emotional regarding Lucy's character. She never had any parental love nor was she really given any guidance regarding life and what to expect of her future or what opportunities may have been open to her. Just like marrying a particular kind of man to feel safe, Lucy did the same with her job, never really exploring her potential.

The idea of a cult is always an interesting theme, I think many of us wonder how life would be if this were to happen to ourselves and how people become victims of this lifestyle. Too many of us this seems incredulous, but sadly this does occur, even in todays society.

I do have to say I found the first half of the book more enjoyable, after such an interesting start it seemed to slow down quite a bit in the second half. In saying that I did enjoy this story and would recommend this book to others, 3.5 rounded up tp four stars. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book, this is review is purely my own thoughts.

This book is a thriller that is dark and descriptive. The author has woven a story that is difficult to read...that being said, it will appeal to those who like trying to determine what is going on????Who is the horrible person? Who is the girl? What really happened to her? Was she stolen? Or Not? I enjoy thrillers, but this was just too dark for me. Others will like it better. This book was sent to me electronically for review by Netgalley.

An exciting read that was hard to put. There are many twists and turns as the protagonist Lucy tries to come to turns with her past. Lucy investigates her past through her memories and once again is caught up in the evil of her mother's cult. The story keeps the reader enthralled as you travel towards an unexpected ending. Highly recommended read and well worth five (5) stars

This was an intriguing book with an interesting plot. It had some very dark parts too it which I struggled with. The twists were good and the characters were rather captivating. I look forward to further books from this author.

Haunting and memorable ! A vivid riveting story you won't soon forget ! Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read and review this book ! Opinions are solely my own ! #Netgalley #AvonBooksUK
#TheThirteenthGirl

I had so much fun reading this book, I loved how it twisted a bit in ways I did not see coming.
The main storyline moved swiftly. There were many twists, turns and misdirections in the plot that quickly captured my interest and kept it through the entire novel. 
A very intriguing story.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Avon,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my platforms, blog, B&N and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Sarah Goodwin's debut Stranded was excellent, original, tense and it had a great momentum. I was really looking forwards to this one.

Lucy lives in the shadow of her childhood secret, her early childhood was spent living in a cult. As an adult she has a highly respectable husband and a comfortable middle class life, until her secret gets out.

I enjoyed the setup, and the first half was very promising. Lucy has depth and has an anxious paranoia which got me involved. My favourite parts were the fragments childhood memories of life in the cult.

I would class it more of an in-depth, fairly dark themed character story than a thriller, I found the second half slow, I wasn't deeply involved enough with the character to carry my enthusiasm through the slower sections.

Sorry to say I was a bit disappointed overall.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK