This book opens with Cass sitting in a car with her son Ted, watching her husband Jeff swim. She sees him struggling with a woman, but he returns as if nothing has happened.
Nina is Jeff's student, who has developed a crush on him, and her story entwines with Cass and Jeff's as the past effects the present.
A great novel telling how emotional responses and reflexes affect our perception of people around us. Highly recommend and will be reading more from E.V.Kelly.

Slow moving, though it kept my interest fairly well . Set on the coast of Ireland near Dublin, the plot centres on Cassandra, a psychotherapist and Jeff, a married couple with a young son. Some chapters are written from the point of view of Nina, one of Jeff's post-graduate students. The connection is not obvious and as the book progresses, you get the idea that Nina is obsessively stalking the family.
There are a couple of twists in the book, moments of sadness and problems in the relationship stemming from these. All is not as it seems. The characterizations are done well, the plot quite intricate and the thought processes seemed logical, though maybe a little communication might have cleared some of the problems up. The ending does not clear up all the loose ends ..... I won't say more . I would have preferred it if a few had been sorted out.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book had so much potential. A great and thrilling premise. Unfortunately the writing was not strong enough to leave anything but a messy novel with desperately damaged characters.

<i> "It's a crisp spring morning when Cass drops her husband, a respected lecturer, to the beach for his medically prescribed swim. While waiting for him, something catches her eye. A young woman runs towards her husband and embraces him - until he holds his hand over her face and she falls down on the stones, dead."</i>

This blurb got me so intrigued, I couldn't resist to start the book as soon as I possibly could. After reading the first chapters about this event, questions started to form instantly. How can a man kill so swiftly and coolly? Know that he simply puts on his clothes and shoes and steps into the car! How can a wife stay silent about what she just saw? Who was that young woman, was she his mistress? I first got a glimpse of that and I sighted, afraid that I had fallen for a milked out "wife-husband-murdered mistress" trope. But the scene was so well rendered, eerie and mysterious, that I kept on reading. And pretty soon, I understood that there was much more to it, and I let out a sigh of relief. In every chapter, changing POV's each time, you get a snippet of information that leads to another path, and that kept me absorbed till the ending.

Now, I have to admit that I just hated the character of Cass. She isn't likable but she is also very flat. Even after finishing the book, I still don't know anything about her. What a contrast with the character of Nina, which the author describes very precisely. From her long black curls with a hint of copper, to every little thought that runs through her head. She is vile but also so likable and charming and vulnerable. As a reader, you get thrown in every direction with her which makes her very interesting.

I would have given the book a full well deserved 4 stars, but the end was too over the top for me. I understand that if you want to have twists and turns in a story, you might have to twist fate a little bit, but in this case it was more having to suspend all disbelief . It made a good story, that's for sure, but for me it's wasn't believable and I felt a bit cheated. But oh well, I enjoyed the previous 90% anyway and I'll keep the 4 stars, albeit rather borderline on 3 because of that ending.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Her Last Words - E.V Kelly

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me an advanced EBook copy of this book. This is in exchange for me honest review after reading it.

It started off with a great hook to get me engaged but sadly about half way through I found it tough to follow the story. The characters weren’t very likeable in places and it found me not overly caring where the story went..

It is written well and an interesting book but at certain parts it could be more engaging for the reader and possibly more about the characters, to make the reader like the characters more. Therefore, investing int heir story.

I will definitely read again from E.V. Kelly as I like the way she writes from multiple perspectives and the pace of the book was generally what I enjoy.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and it's called Her Last Words by E.V. Kelly.

I had difficulty getting through this book. The characters were not particularly likable all seemed to be having rather extreme problems. The story itself was a bit of a mess and sometimes I really had no clue what I was reading.

The premise itself is interesting but the execution is not very good. It took me almost a week to finish and that's saying something.

I was engrossed from start to finish; such a well-crafted, thrilling and moving story surely marks this author as an author to watch. I can't wait for more!

All I can say is wow what have I just read, loved everything about this book from the story to the characters and the ending was great x

There is a touch of Nicci French or Sophie Hannah in this talented author’s approach to setting the scene and creating the characters. An evocative setting and a very credible set of characters make this immersive and very hard to put down. I liked the writing style and the attention to detail, which added credibility to a very tricky set of plot lines.

Unexpected, Atmospheric…
Set on the Irish east coast, an atmospheric and unexpected suspense which is both immersive and compelling. When Cass drops her husband at the beach for a swim she sees something that deeply disturbs her. Inexplicably, she says nothing upon his return. She then makes it her quest to discover the truth. She has no idea of the web of lies and deceit that lie in wait. With a credibly crafted cast and a solid narrative this is both gripping and engaging.

Firstly, I am thankful for the opportunity to have received a free advanced copy of this eBook through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this story, told mainly from the perspective of the 2 main characters. After Cass drops her husband at the beach for his morning swim, she sees something shocking. 7 year old Ted in the backseat at the time. She says nothing when he returns to the car.

What is the mystery surrounding the events that have just taken place? We find out as the story unfolds in an unexpected way…

I rate this Ebook 4 stars and would recommend to those who enjoy their suspenseful thrillers.

#HerLastWords #NetGalley

A pacy thriller that kept me guessing until the end. The story was an interesting concept and the characters were well developed. I thought I knew where the book was going but I was wrong!
Well written, tense and heartbreaking.

This was a really gripping read, it was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. It was twisty, unpredictable but also emotive which I wasn't expecting. One minute I was on the edge of my seat and the next my heart was breaking. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book ,plenty of mystery to keep the reader engrossed until the very end .Full of emotions its a page turner .

This book has a really gripping beginning, we meet Cass who is dropping off her husband for his early morning swim at the beach. When suddenly a women Cass has never seen before comes running up go him. The worst thing is when her husband embraces the woman and then holds his hand over the women's face and drowns her.

Thinking that it was best to act as if she hadn't seen what had just transpired, Cass returns to the car with her husband and doesn't say a single word!!

But Cass decides to start digging into her husband's life, who is he? Why did he do what he just did? What on earth is going on? What Cass finds out is beyond anything that she could have imaged and the more she digs the more she finds out.

Although you do question what on earth is wrong with Cass to get back into the car so calmly with her husband and doesn't say a word returning to the house and their lives with her son after what has transpired. Putting that aside the author has done a great job with their debut novel. It is well written and full of hidden secrets and twist and turns to keep you guessing throughout.

#HerLastWords #NetGalley
Cass drops her husband, a respected lecturer, to the beach for his medically prescribed swim. While waiting for him, something catches her eye. A young woman runs towards her husband and embraces him - until he holds his hand over her face and she falls down on the stones, dead.
In the backseat of the car, their seven-year-old son sits quietly. When her husband returns, he says nothing. Neither does Cass. Afraid to speak up in the immediate aftermath, Cass embarks on a solitary quest to unravel what has taken place. Cass is quickly drawn into a web of lies that pulls her back to the previous autumn, when a beautiful Italian postgraduate student finds herself subsumed by an inescapable desire. It's visceral. It's destiny. But sometimes destiny can kill.
I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for giving me an advance copy.