This was one of the more messed up books I have read in recent times. The book is promoted as a fusion of The Silent Patient (which was good) and Misery (which I loved). But I was sorely disappointed.

Dr Emma-Jane Glass is a psychologist who is often disturbed by her patients' problems. She regularly breaks down and comfort-eats to get out of the funk.

When she writes an article about matricidal filicide, stating that women who kill their children are altruistic, she is (gasp!) surprised that everyone is angry at her for her views!

Then she starts getting threatening letters (which she doesn't think necessary to report to the police).

And then she gets kidnapped.

Once she is with the kidnapper, instead of feeling angry, she wants to help them. Why?

Kat is a side character who "talks with her brother snake by flicking her tongue." Why was this detail important, I'll never know.

Lucy is Emma-Jane's friend and is a fatphobic nutritionist. There is a totally unnecessary plot with an overweight woman who is fond of detailing her sexual fantasies with her partner to Lucy (WHY???)

Drew is an idiotic MRA.

The prologue was so convoluted that I was confused just reading it. It didn't fit in with the rest of the story all that well, either. The first chapter begins with the death of a child (about which Emma-Jane writes later) and then everyone is caught up in their own worries. No mention of the child or the mother or anyone relevant.

P.S. I was confused by the whole AJ thing at the end. Why did he do what he did?

So, as you can see, I was asking myself "WHY?" quite a lot of times while reading the book. In fact, I also questioned myself as to why I was reading the book at all.

A redeeming feature about the book - it was short and quick.

1.5 stars rounded up to 2.

Thanks to Netgalley and TCK Publishing for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and TCK publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a DNF at 30% for me.

For a book that compares itself to Misery and The Silent Patient on the cover (among my favorites), I expected much more Perhaps that was part of the reason I couldn't get through it.

Louise Worthington brings beautiful prose from the get go, and continues to weave it through the rest of the story. That said, at times I feel it is a bit disconnected from the meat of the story. I really wanted to like this book, but it just couldn't hold my attention.

Crossposted to goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4667834907

This one took a bit to get into. It starts off with a bunch of different story lines, so I recommend having a solid hour to read and get into the book before putting it down. Story is more of a slow burn. I actually really liked the subplot of the nutritionist and her client Jennifer. Made my mouth gape! At first I thought it was completely predictable, but I enjoyed how the story shifted a bit. No mind blowing twists here, however the end was satisying.

There’s a damn decent plot here, but the characters are stupid and badly written. Surprisingly, this wasn’t enough to ruin the book for me, and I can’t put my finger on why. In the end it was just ok.

Thank you for this opportunity.

The author of Doctor Glass, Louise Worthington, is a former English teacher who studied psychology before becoming a writer.  From that interesting evolution comes a taut, well-written, character-driven book about a spiralling psychologist,  her patients, and co-worker (and her patients).
The opening of this book turned a lot of people off if you scan the Goodreads and NetGalley early reviews. There's a plethora of content warnings needed for this book but it's also exactly what it says it is - a psychological thriller. 
I am very glad the author invited me to read this great novel and I look forward to the trilogy.
Thank you to the author for an advanced copy, but please consider getting rid of that first chapter, it's really not necessary.  Three stars, four if you skip the prologue.

What what a story… Psychotherapist Emma-Jane Glass has prioritized work over leisure for far too long. She does whatever it takes to help her clients, and it's bordering on professional obsession. When she publishes a controversial article about unstable mothers murdering their children, an anonymous letter arrives on her doorstep:
I will expose you.
Then, I will mutilate you…
Wait for me. This book had my heart racing… It took me a while to calm down and go to sleep!…

3.75 stars
I enjoyed that the book was written from multiple perspectives, the pace the story read/was written at, and the overall plot line. I felt it could’ve went more into Drew and Evie’s relationship (possibly via journal entries from Evie). I also felt they storyline could’ve delved deeper into Dr Glass’s PTSD at the end. Although I felt the middle to end was a bit wordy at parts, at the same time I felt the ending was a bit rushed.

Note: I’m not sure if I was missing some pages? Some pages were printed twice and some areas it appeared like a chapter ended and a new one began but there was no chapter identifier and the page seemed to pick up in the middle of a thought. This occurred usually by what I interpreted to be page breaks?

I would like to thank TCK Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this book! It was just the perfect level of creepy, which I love. It hooked me and kept me hooked the entire time!

3.75*
"Think of me as an uncensored voice in the graveyard of your head. I am that feeling of hunger that keeps you awake at night. I am the umbilical cord, the noose, the tow-rope pulling you ever closer to the truth so you will see yourself as you really are."

SUMMARY
Doctor Glass by Louise Worthington is a psychological thriller that follows the therapist Emma-Jane Glass and nutritionist Lucy (forgot her last name) as they treat their patients. Dr Glass begins to receive hate mail which has her constantly looking over her shoulder, whilst Lucy struggles with her confidence as a professional woman.


OPINION
I absolutely enjoyed the storyline in this one. There were so many layers to it, it felt so well thought out and deeply interwoven. I was pretty shocked by the ending too which doesn’t happen very often and is such a welcome surprise!
I’m not entirely certain how I feel about Dr Glass herself, however, this is the first book in a series and character development may flourish yet. The growth for the MC didn’t stretch as I think it could have. But that may be due to the series element of the story so I would definitely give the second one a read.


RECOMMENDATION
This story suits any fans of psychological thrillers, particularly those who enjoy strong, professional women, and those who are interested in the field of mental health.

This was slow, like ninety year-old man on a power scooter with a held dead battery slow. It was bogged down with characters and subplots that went nowhere. And, uh, the writing. I had no idea you could shove so much purple prose into one novel. It's not horror, that's for dang sure. Very disappointing.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF at 70% as I was really not enjoying it & felt that continuing would put me into a reading slump! I was hoping for a fast paced, dark horror-esque thriller - especially given the tag line comparisons to Misery - but I found it to read more like a slow contemporary. There were lots of storylines & characters that felt unnecessary to the plot & the writing was overly descriptive which I felt slowed the pace even further. I never felt scared for the main character & the kidnapping all very watered down & tame. I think if it was marketed less as a dark horror/thriller & more as a contemporary drama, it might find a more suitable audience but as it is, it didn’t live up to expectations & wasn’t for me unfortunately.

I was really excited to read this book because it reminded me of the Unbreakable film trilogy. Unfortunately, I was only able to get about 1/4 of the way through because I found the characters so unlikable and unrelatable. The premise of the story had a lot of potential and the writing was decent, and if you aren’t a character focused reader, you will most likely find this book a lot more enjoyable than I did.

Doctor Glass is a captivating psychological read, full of menace and tension. She shows compassion for a despicable, unwell man, and I couldn't wait for her to see sense and get the hell out of a nightmarish situation. I loved the style of writing and the psychological depth. There are dark and haunting parts (self-harm, maternal filicide) so this isn't a book for readers preferring a light read but it's perfect for those wanting thought-provoking, sometimes disturbing thrillers written in poetic, moving prose.

Thank you to TCK Publishing and the author for an advanced copy.

Doctor Glass
A Psychological Thriller Novel
by Louise Worthington
This was a book I did not finish. It was creepy, evil, and damn, what the hell was the point? Nope, it has far too much enjoyment of being disturbing and not at all worth a read.

Emma-Jane Glass or Doctor Glass as you can call her is a psychologist who prioritises her work over her personal life. Dr Glass lives in a literal house of glass which leaves her open to potential stalkers as we will find out later in this story. Dr Glass publishes a controversial article seemingly sympathising with mothers who commit filicide then suicide, as expected she receives some unwanted hate mail.

After not reporting these increasingly violent letters to the authorities Dr Glass is in fact taken hostage and is at the mercy of a dangerous patient who isn’t quite who he seemed. At first it is unclear why Dr Glass is his victim however after some really super disturbing scenes we find out why.

I’ll be completely honest, I was set to DNF this book at 30% and I regret not doing so. Reading to the end has given me no joy and has exhausted me. There are scenes of child murder, sexual fetishes with snakes, obese sexual feeding fetishes and more. The vast majority of the secondary characters had no business even being in the book as they added literally zero value.

Lucy, Dr. Glass’s clueless nutritionist best friend is seeing a couple for their feeding fetish spouting off BMI advice when clearly there are some bigger issues going on for them. Perhaps there was another specialist they should be seeing but of course Lucy could not turn them away as they were money in the pocket. When all was said and done with the storyline it ended up being a woe is me story for Lucy rather than the poor characters that were involved.

Drew was clearly dodgy from the get go but Dr Glass did not seem to be able to get to the bottom of it before disaster struck… but to me she was a one dimensional hack who had no business treating anyone in a mental health capacity.

Her post traumatic ordeal just got weird and without wanting to give to much away for the poor people that might want to read this I will just say that it was without a doubt the worst way I can think to ‘cure’ trauma. Especially since she was a trained ‘professional’ she could have at least sought some assistance. These are just my opinions because of course I am no Dr Glass myself.

I am unhappy to have read this book, but I do hope that others find it enjoyable.

Thank you to TCK Publishing, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy for my honest review.

I love dark fiction so I thought this would be right up my street, however it just really wasnt. Ifound the writing style good but that is sadly where it ends. It felt like the author literally thought of everything that could offend, put people off, give people the ick or generally just evoke disturbing imagery and stuff it all into one book.
There are so many triggering things in this book from animal abuse and being attracted to animals, mental health, sucidal thoughts, graphic descriptions of the death of child,not to mention the amount of fat shaming anf fatphobia within the pages.
People will know by now that I love a dark novel, the gothic is like music to the soul for me and I am not easily put off or squeamish at all, but this was just unnecessary. I get that it was supposed to be a psychologist and these are all things that some psychologists may have to see in their career but it just didn't do it for me as a reader.

The writing style was great but the subject matter and themes were much too dark for me. I was fully unprepared for that opening scene. I’m sure people will love it, I was not one of them.

Thank you, TCK Publishing, for the advance reading copy.

The writing is really flowery/lyrical to start with. I was really happy with this and I was expecting the entire book to be written this way.

But I wasn't ready for the change in the writing style as the book goes on. Let's say this doesn't matter for the plot. However, with the blurb giving me high expectations of both The Silent Patient and Misery (which are like my fav reads), I became a bit too disappointed with the turn of events. First of all the first half started out good but it doesn't have the tendency to hold the reader's attention as the chapters go on. However, the second half picks up and the book ends okay.

Well, this book is not for everyone. Starting from the writing to the description of the characters and some elements used in the story.

A good read nevertheless.

I found this book very disturbing and graphic. It honestly should come with a warning. It was so upsetting at times. Aside from this, the writing did not seem consistent and I struggled with my flow to carry on reading.

It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on the graphic death of a child, animal abuse, Zoophilia, suicidal ideations, disordered eating, mental illness, & others.

Special shoutout to « GirlWithThePinkSkiMask » who knew me better than to ask us to buddy read this book yet, here we are.

In a floundering attempt at eliciting intellectually stimulating dialogue, Worthington presents the reader with Emma-Jane who is a psychologist in title alone as we quickly become acquainted with her unchallenged inability to perform her job with any level of professionalism, dignity, poise or intellect. The plot revolves around Emma-Jane, Dr. Glass, as she expresses repeatedly convenient pieces of information which one might necessitate for comprehension of the book should one be continuously, as they say, out to lunch. Dr. Glass receives letters that perpetuate a promise of violence on her person by a man later known to us as Drew; an individual who has been seeing Dr. Glass in what we are to believe is the hopes of healing from the separation from his wife & child in a sudden series of events.

I find it particularly tiring to read about characters who are lacking in every sense of the word. Dr. Glass provides the reader with no reasons to seek to empathize with her character nor the situations in which she finds herself. The enumerable amount of times that we read about her posing her patients’ questions which may be regarded as those that one might seek to recall in a beginner's guide to socializing are shockingly incompetent. Least we forget that this is an individual who has supposedly gone through years of schooling to ensure that their presence in a professional capacity might elicit the healing & growth of individuals who find themselves in situations necessitating a helping hand.

Given that this story’s main character is a psychologist it is accurate to assume that the subject matter of this book touches on points that pertain to the health of the brain & subsequently illnesses that might be termed as neurological disorders. Before moving forward I would like to highlight that I am not someone who is personally or professionally in a position to make remarks on the authentic representation of said illnesses &/or disorders. Therefore, my comments should be recognized as coming from someone who read through this book without personal or educational weight to back my impressions & opinions. 

I admit to you that after reaching the 30% mark of this book my brain sought escapism in the uniformed colour block of my walls; I could not find it in myself to dedicate brain activity to continuing to read this book. It is ridiculous to include such banal physical emphasis in a story which seeks to highlight the terrors which reside in the human psyche. This story sheds light on the detriment which is Postpartum Depression, the weight which is motherhood & all the expectations which coincide with the role & yet the author saw fit to invest every ounce of energy into describing the physical attributes of the characters rather than placing substance & decorum on the morose consequences of untreated mental illness.

I do not care to read about how sensually seductive any of the characters are in a story which requires me to take the subject matter seriously. Drew’s wife abandoned her home after being told that her husband was going to leave her & keep full custody of their son when the mistress of one of his many affairs got it into her head that she was more than the physical attributes the author listed her as being. Running away on a whim of what might assume to be a trigger; Evie commits a murder-suicide in which she hangs her child from a tree. To read about a death that is so horrifically morbid only for future conversations to ride on the back of some tertiary character being the sole reason for the deaths is mind-numbingly stupid.

A person has killed their child & has then killed themselves. At what point in the series of events which lead this to happen does it make logical sense to point the blame at a person who was simply shooting the shit by telling Kat, the mistress, that Drew was in love with her? We spend the entirety of this book reading over dialogue which seeks to emphasize how common it is for women to feel mentally burdened in their roles as parents while also emphasizing how quickly the tides might turn when their mental illnesses are not addressed in a way that might see them return to healthy living alongside their children. Yet, at the first opportunity to showcase a study in which a person was triggered by an unknown cause, as we have no tangible way of stating which aspect of the conversation with Kat truly pushed Evie over the edge, the author circles back & utilizes a tertiary character as the main villain. This downplays the severity of the subject matter immensely.

I appreciate that this is a work of fiction & that this book is one which will find enjoyment in the lives of people very unlike myself. However, having paid attention to the trajectory of this story I must wonder why the course was shifted so suddenly as to ridicule the depth which might have been taken had the author seen fit to include a full coming to terms of the consequences of dissociated relationships, parenthood, mental health, etc.

There are ample tertiary characters who are sprinkled throughout the pages of this book. Jennifer, one such character, is in a relationship in which the sexual kink presented is that of Feederism. Lucy, a secondary character & holistic nutritionist, meets with Jennifer a handful of times in the hopes of highlighting to her the dangers of the practice in which she & her partner are partaking. It is in no way my place to shame anyone for their consensual sexual practices. That being said, this book felt like a case of attempting to collect tidbits from all over the globe with the goal to piece together a janky puzzle. The inclusion of a fat character was not necessary. The reader had deduced that the underlying subject matter of this book would be the sensual relationship that might exists between human beings & their consumption of food. That is to say that it might range from the arousal of love when someone makes a meal to literal sexual eroticism.

Lucy’s character is presented in a light which leads the reader to conclude that Jennifer & her partner are in the wrong & that everyone who practices Feederism is an imbecile. Jennifer develops severely troubling physical ailments yet refuses to acknowledge them because she is after the thrill of sexual encounters with her partner. Again, this is not my place to commentate on the consensual sexual practices of others but, this entire aspect felt as though an entire community of people were being put down for something which is not commonly understood. Perhaps, had this subject been incorporated in a kinder light we might not see Jennifer being described as ailing while in the room with Lucy who diverges from her diet when she exercises. We also read about characters whom we may assume to be straight-sized, experience arousal with food, regularly describing in both inner monologues & dialogue how wonderful it feels to consume food.

When all is said & done I am left wondering who this book is for. I can confirm that it is not myself. I cannot begin to understand how we might be reading about Kat finding sexual arousal from her pet snake, which is Zoophilia, to the general enjoyment one might encounter when sharing a thoughtfully prepared meal with another person. How can a plot request the reader to be trusting in a psychologist who refuses to seek help from any policing bodies when she receives threatening letters?

We are thrown for loops across expanses of dialogues that seek to reinforce a general theme that is clearly understood & results in the movement of the plot being stalled. The ideas contained in this book could be worked into a presented text which would see them rotundly take their place as the orotund subject matters they are.

Thank you to NetGalley, TCK Publishing & Louise Worthington for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

#DoctorGlass #NetGalley