The premise of this novel was so intriguing that I immediately requested an advanced reader copy. Only to wonder if I had accidentally gotten something else when I eventually started to read it.

To begin with, the characters are all very one-dimensional. Even when you start to get deeper into the novel and start to understand their possible motivations behind why they act the way they do, I still never felt a connection to them. I also never felt the sense of suspense that I think the author hoped to convey (and I grew up in a tight-knit small town, so I know how new people tend to be treated).

Secondly, the plot is slow going. To the point where I feel like the most exciting parts were literally crammed into the last few chapters, by which point it was too little, too late. By that point, I had already stopped caring altogether about either of the two storylines (one past, the other present day), and just wanted to get it over with so I could move on.

However, I appreciate that a lot of other people did enjoy this novel, so I encourage my readers to give this one a chance if they are as intrigued by the synopsis as I was. What didn't work for me will likely work for someone else.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

This book will frustrate the hell out of you when you read it. Talk about being a slow burner but it is so intriguing enough that you want to keep on reading if anything to find out what happens! You are about two-thirds of the way through it before it starts to make sense and you can stop that initial frustration of what the hell is this book about. That last bit, is the bit that makes the persistence worthwhile. It is that frustration with the book which makes me give it 4 stars rather than 5.

An entertaining read, but a bit predictable. The ending came as no surprise, and I didn't really like any of the (rather irritating) main characters. A good holiday book perhaps.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for the free ARC that allowed me to read this novel by an author I had not come across before. Whilst the concept is familiar from many other thrillers in the same genre (a holiday by several female friends in an isolated spot that turns menacing), the setting of an imaginary Scottish loch and the high quality of writing made this compelling reading.

Predictably, early on in the novel, one of the three contemporary holidaymakers goes missing, only for the two remaining friends to discover that they are re-writing a tragic part of history, as two decades previously, another group of three friends disappeared from the same spot. Central character Clio’s love of myths and fairy tales is used to boost the gothic appeal of this novel, and her friend Michaela has a particular reason why she invited her friends to this remote place. In the end, the novel is not as suspenseful as it could be, as we, the readers, work out many of the jigsaw pieces ahead of the customers, but the reason may in fact be the familiar formula of the atmospheric thriller. A satisfactory read, I would recommend this to my friends and to fellow lovers of the genre.

I enjoyed reading The Loch, even though I figured out the entire plot of the story at 1/3 of the way in. The writing, scene setting, backstory telling, and character development were great. I was turning Pages quickly when I should’ve been turning pages quickly, I was feeling distress when I should’ve been feeling distress, If this author could come up with more original storylines, I think she could write some really great books. I felt the plot itself was very predictable, even the last minute twist, which I felt was trite
and thrown in there for people like myself, who had figured out the whole story otherwise. . Still a good read.

This was a thriller set by a loch in Scotland. The author had me from the location alone. The descriptions of the loch were so detailed, I felt I was at the cabin with the friends.

The story is told from multiple POV - mainly Eleanor and Rebecca.

In present day, Eleanor, Clio and Michaela are on holiday. They have rented a cabin on the shores of Loch Aven. From the start, the villagers act a bit strangely, especially when they find out where the girls are staying.

When one of the friends goes missing, the other two try to piece together the truth of the town..including another disappearance decades earlier.

I very much enjoyed this book and the writing style of the author. I'm looking forward to reading more of their work.

This was a good story. A lot of undercurrents going on in the background. I didn’t like the characters much as they either seemed shallow or pathetic. I enjoyed the fact that each character took a chapter which kept me on my toes. A twisty story easily five stars. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A huge thanks to Avon Books for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I will not be going camping after this book . This book is set around a twenty year old mystery where three young women disappeared on a trip. Years later three girlfriends Eleanor, Clio and Michaela find themselves in a pickle and book out the mysterious house nestled on the banks of the lake. History repeats!? It kept me on the edge of my seat but felt it could have been more engrossing and less predictable.

I loved this book, it had me gripped throughout as we were reading the unfolding stories from present day and from 20 years ago. Loved the twist that was thrown in and brilliantly written.

The Loch is an atmospheric dual timeline story set in the Scottish countryside. It was a bit of a slow burner to begin with but had enough twists and turns to keep me interested.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for my ARC.

She did it again! What a captivating story!

Best friends Eleanor, Michaela and Clio rent a Loch House for a couple days of holidays. It's all innocent... until it isn't! Looks like Michaela had a secret motive to bring her besties to the Scottish Loch. The events turn badly when the woman disappears and neither Clio nor Eleanor can find any trace of her.

In a small village it's difficult to find any answers, the locals are cautious of the strangers and even the police isn't helpful... it turns out that there's a dark past following the girls. Two timelines of the past and the present makes everything even more compelling.

I truly enjoyed the stories of all the characters, the main mystery and how it all worked out. It's chilly, tense and it was difficult to stop reading! It definitely had the vibes similar to The Lighthouse which was one of my favourite books of the last year.

I can't wait to see what Fran comes up with next!

Twenty years ago, three young women disappeared, never to be found. The rumour to this day is that their bodies are still hidden deep within the murky Loch Aven. When Eleanor, Clio and Michaela find themselves rained out of a camping trip in the Scottish Countryside, they have no option but to book the mysterious house nestled on the banks of the lake. But little do they know that history has a way of repeating itself. As secrets in the tight knot community begin to surface, and Michaela suddenly disappears, it becomes clear that something sinister is at play.

Is history repeating itself when three women check into the Loch House, and one of the women goes missing? The story can be a little bit predictable. The characters are well developed. It's quite an atmospheric read. The story has a dual timeline, the past - twenty years ago when the first three women disappeared, and the present day. I felt the plotline dragged on for too long. Everyone seemed to have something to hide. The story is told from multiple points of view.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AvonBooksUK and the author #FranDorricott for my ARC of #TheLoch in exchange for an honest review.

A mystery story that centres around 3 friend who are on a weekend away. They go to a Loch in Scotland where they get the distinct impression that tourists are unwelcome. Then one of the girls disappears mirroring a disappearance that happened years earlier. A couple of days later, a second of the girls vanishes and Eleanor finds herself in danger. The story is told in a dual time frame as elements of the original disappearance are addressed and the years long mystery is solved.
This is quite a tense read and there is a satisfying twist right at the end.

This is one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a while. The past and the present come together in an unexpected finale. Three girls went missing 25 years ago and it is rumored that they are in the Loch but are they?

Eleanor, Clio, and Michaela are not aware of what is waiting for them at Loch. House. But the past is about to come up to meet them bringing with it some disturbing and frightening information. Just when I thought I knew where this was going then bam another twist. It is addictive, absorbing, and scary. The setting is eerie and the friends are relatable... I literally held my breath hoping the girls were going to be ok.

It is amazing the bond that friends can have when things get tough and how that bond can override any fear that is with you. Can these girls come out of this?

But the way Fran Dorricott wrote this was brilliant, she nailed it and delivered. I can see this being a popular book. The ending, well I never saw that coming ...and what an end.

This is the first book I have read from Fran Dorricott but not the last and will be adding her to my favorite authors

Five stars from me.

I think I must be in the minority here as other readers have raved about this book. It started off with an interesting prologue that had me turning the pages...and then...what? Nothing of any note, in my opinion.

Present day: Best friends Eleanor, Michaela and Clio rent the Loch House cabin overlooking the stunning Loch Aven, with Clio complaining about the remote locale at every turn. Mind you, she was complaining about the whole idea of camping anyway. And I couldn't quite work out whether their camping ground was washed out and they booked this cabin at late notice or what. At any rate, Clio made it known that she hated the whole idea of camping though Michaela was itching to hike in and around the woods surrounding the Loch.

And then make an odd discovery. A guestbook for the cabin which hasn't been written in for two decades. Was the last tourist tenant here over twenty years ago? Has there been none since? This sparks Clio off into another tirade of uncertainty around their accommodation. So what to do? Off to the village pub for a meal. And there they receive a somewhat strange reception. Some tourists find them fascinating, the idea of tourists exciting. Others treated them with disdain. What is with this village?

And then they discover that they were right...there have been no guests stay at Loch House for two decades. Which, naturally, spooks them and leaves them wondering why...

Then: A exhausted search party continue the search for missing young local woman Rebecca in and around Loch Aven. This can't be like the other missing girls. They were never found. What happened to them? Rumour has it that their bodies remain hidden deep within the depths of the murky waters of Loch Aven.

The three friends come up against secrets that this tightknit Scottish community have kept buried for two decades and now they begin to surface. Particularly when one of them disappears. And only then does it become strikingly clear that there is something sinister at play.

Can the friends unravel the mystery before the dark waters claim any more victims...?

OK, so the premise sounding atmospheric and intriguing. There is something otherwordly about the mystic lochs in the wilds of Scotland and I was reminded of Daniel Hurst's recent thriller in a similar setting but was far more engaging and thrilling than this which had me bored to tears. It had potential, sure. But it just didn't reach it, in my opinion. I couldn't finish it and shelved it before I fell asleep...

I would like to thank #FranDorricott, #Netgalley and #AvonBooks for an ARC of #TheLoch in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

The Loch by @franwritesstuff is an atmospheric thriller with duel timelines and POVs. The setting in a small Scottish town beside a loch is perfect and I did not see the ending coming. I really enjoyed this read about missing girls from two different time periods and recommend grabbing this book when it publishes tomorrow!

Thank you @avonbooks and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

A gripping mystery with several twists and a shocking but redemptive conclusion.

Set in Scotland over a bitingly cold holiday weekend (Dear readers, you’re identifying with this already, aren’t you?) three female graduates from the University of Leicester are trying to maintain their friendship now that they have (or have just lost) different jobs in different fields. One of them wonders just who she is and what her roots are, because all her adoptive parents have been able to tell her is that she was left outside a police station as a baby. The holiday arrangements and bookings are in the hands of a friend who’s secretly plotting to help her find out the truth about herself, which turns out to be the most dangerous plan possible. (Actually, we all learn much faster by doing dangerous things than we do by being sensible and keeping things safe.)

The underlying themes are love and courage rather than blame and “justice.” Both the least culpable and the most culpable adult characters spend their final moments trying to protect someone else. Even the reckless plan which places the three young women in danger, is born out of love. It is not a cosy read (the characters don’t manage to heat their holiday home effectively or even feed themselves) but it is an intellectually and morally engaging one.

3.75 ⭐️

Alternating between two timelines, we follow both Rebecca (past) and Eleanor (present). Rebecca is a young woman who is having a secret affair with a married man. When she and her two friends go missing, it shakes the entire village.

At present day, Eleanor and her two friends go away for a long weekend to the Loch. When the first friend goes missing, it makes one wonder if history is starting to repeat itself.

I thought the pace of this one was solid. It help my interest for much of the book; however, I will say it was quite predictable. I think I figured out the “big reveal” before I even hit the halfway point.

I love a good duel timeline book. This book was well written and I couldn’t stop turning the page until I got to the last one. Definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to netgalley for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

Eleanor, Michaela and Clio head off on a long weekend trip to stay at a house overlooking a loch in Scotland. When they arrive it looks as if nobody has stayed there for a long time.

On the first night, one of the friends goes missing. As the other two try to find her they soon discover that the village, especially the loch, holds secrets from many years ago.

When a second friend goes missing, it appears that tales told years ago about missing girls in the loch could mean that history is repeating itself.

Chapters written mainly from the point of view of Eleanor in current time. Also, some chapters in the past, which tie together really well.

This is a slow burning mystery thriller which then ramps up towards the end in a thrilling, page turning, twisted way.

Really enjoyed the descriptive writing. The loch was most definitely eerie.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC.