There is a lot to unpack with this story and when the characters are not likeable, it puts the reader in a precarious position of trying to decide whether anyone is redeemable or should the author just kill them all off. The characters I was prepared to not like turned out to be redeemable after all. This book is an excellent example of how lies can destroy everything around us and we are responsible for not blindly accepting what we are told as truth without verifying it for ourselves.

Sylvie and Tess have been friends since they were schoolgirls. Through Sylvie, Tess met her husband Marcus. Nearly twenty years after their wedding and many years of not speaking to each other, Sylvie and Tess reconnect where Sylvie learns that Tess may have a brain tumor and Marcus has left her. Tess also wants Sylvie’s assistance in putting the past right. There are secrets galore both of these women are keeping and Sylvie, especially, stands to lose everything if the past is revealed.

This story packs quite a punch as it begins with two people falling to their death at a New Year’s Eve party in Edinburgh. The reader knows almost immediately that it’s a man and a woman, but the identity is not revealed until the last twenty minutes of the story. This story requires a lot of patience on the part of the reader as there are many twists and turns, both past and present, leading up to these deaths.

I was able to figure out fairly quickly the intentions of one of the characters but I couldn’t figure out if Tess or Sylvie or both of them were lying and shouldn’t be trusted. I was not able to figure out who died until it was revealed and it left me not only surprised but sad at the waste of life and the damage that secrets can cause.

The plotting was tight and kept me engaged in the story. As more of the past was revealed, the actions of both Tess and Sylvie shocked me. There are some quite graphic and gruesome scenes so reader be warned, if you go with the audiobook format, you might be in for a shock. The narration was performed exceptionally well and illustrated the personalities and emotions of the characters flawlessly. This was my first Harriet Tyce book and I will be looking for more of her work.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this to be a fantastic story that gives the reader a very edgy and twisty plot, with characters that are multi-layered and not easy to relate to. Readers who don’t mind the absence of a happy ending will find this story riveting.

Thank you to the publisher, HighBridge Audio who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley.

"It Ends at Midnight" by Harriet Tyce unfolds on New Year's Eve in Edinburgh, where a lavish party is poised to set the stage for old friends to reconcile and move forward. However, amidst fireworks and champagne, the festivities take a deadly turn as someone at the party seeks revenge, leading to a nightmarish spiral of murder. From the author of "Blood Orange," this thriller grips readers with its dark, propulsive narrative and unexpected twists, showcasing Tyce's mastery in crafting suspenseful tales of betrayal and retribution.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. Kept my attention from the start and wanting more and waiting for what happens next. New to me author and will continue reading more books by this author.

Sylvie and Tess were childhood friends. They partied together with a group of friends, until something happened to send one of their friends to jail. Did the girls lie? It seems so and they are holding this secret closely. After Tess and Marcus get married they lose touch as so many people do. Sylvie is a lawyer/barrister and is on track to becoming a judge when she reconnects with Tess. They become friends again, and Tess wants to redo her wedding vows. She has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and her marriage is in trouble. Sylvie is not keen on participating, but agrees. Meanwhile, Tess is in a new relationship with Gareth. No one has met him, but she plans to take him to the wedding. When he meets Tess and Marcus, he agrees to help plan the ceremony and reception following it. Tess tells Sylvie she has been in touch with Linda, the girl who went to prison. She wants them to make amends. What could possibly go wrong.

It Ends at Midnight is a thriller that didn't thrill me as much as I had hoped. I didn't really like Sylvie and thought that she was not a very bright character considering she was a lawyer. She allowed everyone to walk all over her. Tess was a spoiled brat in my eyes. As the story unfolds in the past and present, I just couldn't connect to the characters. There were some twists that did keep me interested and reading and the final reveal was a surprise, so I ended up enjoying this one somewhat. Having said that, there were a lot of people who loved this one, so you might want to give it a try, as reading is very personal. The audiobook was narrated by George Weightman and Lucy Paterson. I enjoyed their narration with the voices and expression they used, which is probably why I enjoyed it enough to read to the end.

Taylor swift lyrics that describe my thoughts while listening, Cmonn comm dont leave me like this. Meet me at midnight (or dont) obv, im sitting eyes wide open

I liked the mystery, the twists and turns. I found myself on the edge of my seat for the majority of the book. I think the author did an amazing job at painting this world for us, and the characters as well. I also enjoyed that you don’t know who died at the start, it really adds something.

This book was twisty throughout. I found myself stressed as I was listening, hoping things would go well for the characters. The narrator was great! If you like intrigue, this book is for you!

This is my first read by Tyce. I listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved the narrators. I found this mystery thriller to be very atmospheric. The book opens with two bodies being found. However we aren't yet aware of which two people have lost their lives. I was not a major fan of any of the characters, but somehow their interactions worked. They kept me invested even though I wasn't found of any of them, which is not typical for me, but I think a lot of that can be attributed to how strong the story line was. I also enjoyed that this was a dual timeline. I docked it one point because I predicted two of the twists and didn't love another, but I loved the journey of reading this novel so much.

Great story long but it started off ridiculously slow to start. It did pull together for me and it turned into a fun read. Full of lies, deception and thrills

This was a suspenseful and dark thriller with plenty of secrets, lies, deception and mind games. Loved the big reveal at the end and was shocked at the turn of events that I never saw coming. I also enjoyed the narrator it took the suspense to a whole other level it felt like I was there. Thank you Netgalley and HighBridge Audio for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This book had a slow start for me but it picked up about half way through and it was decent. I almost dnf though

𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺 & 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘊𝘭𝘶𝘣 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 💙

This was #wellredbookclub #March #bookclub pick! I can’t wait to discuss with everyone tonight!

Rating: 4.25/5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this one - I went back and fourth between the physical 📖 and the audio 🎧 and enjoyed both very much! 🤍

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐈𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞:
Fast Paced Thrillers
Unreliable Narrators
Present Versus Past Timeline
Flawed Characters

This was a really fun audiobook! I enjoyed the pacing for the most part, although in some parts around the middle I lost sight of the overall mystery. The ending was good too - part of me was hoping it would be the other person but I understand why it wasn't. Overall, 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC giveaway!

Tyce's latest psychological thriller certainly opens with a bang!
Two people are impaled on some railings, having fallen from a rooftop at midnight on New Year's Eve.

As the title suggests the novel then follows two timelines as we follow Sylvie, a legal professional who has aspirations of being a judge and Tess who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and wishes to make a mends from the time they were close friends at school.
The rest of the narrative is set around 1989/90 as the reader learns the secrets that Sylvie would rather keep hidden.

Whilst I didn't find this as strong as 'Blood Orange', I still liked the legal aspects that are included in this novel.
The characters just didn't seem as likeable though I did enjoy the way the plot weaves through the different settings easily - especially as we see the friction between the two friends over time.

It Ends at Midnight
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook and Audiobook
Date Published: 2/10/23
Author: Harriet Tyce
GR: 3.56

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and HighBridge Audio and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this story. It is my first by Tyce but will not be my last. I listened to this a little while ago, with the move, I am behind on my reviews, so I apologize for getting this out so late. I love the opening scene, it starts with a bang and works it way back from there. The timeline is easy to follow. Tyce does an amazing job at hooking you from the beginning and provides a wild ride through the story. Tyce delivers an atmospheric dark mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

The story is primarily narrated by Sylvia with some other guest narrations, in their POV. The story is also narrated in the past and present timeline, which I loved the split to fully understand what happened before. The story is set and carried out in London and Edinburgh. The author does an amazing job with details and makes you feel as part of the story. Sylvia is independent, fierce, and loyal to a fault, even with skeletons in her closet, even as an unreliable protagonist, the character is superb. Tess is manipulative, yet strong. The characters were well developed with depth, mystery, betrayal, and creatively done. The author’s writing style was complex, twisty, suspenseful, and just brilliant. Tyce does such an amazing job at the legal details weaved within the story. Tyce does an amazing job with the pace and flow of the storyline, just brilliant.

The narrator does an amazing job with the voices and voice variation, it makes you feel as if you have several narrators telling the story. This had all of the qualities of an excellent thriller. Twist after twist. An element of mystery. Suspenseful. I highly recommend picking up the book or the audiobook!

This Author was new to me and I enjoyed the book, it kept me guessing to the end and I was not ready for the big reveal. The friendship between Sylvie and Tess was so eerie and twisty that it kept me wondering if it'd be revealed that Tess is playing a cruel joke on Sylvie. The narrator was also new to me and kept my interest.

The story was pretty predictable once certain characters were introduced but the ending had a nice little twist. I was intrigued by the title and I am thankful it was an audiobook because it took me a few times to really get into it. The narrator wasn't horrible, but the story had a very slow buildup for my taste. I wasn't overly thrilled with this book, but it was not a horrible read. It is a solid book.

I was intrigued by the description of this book, but I found all of the characters pretty unlikeable and that prevented me from really engaging with the story. I did listen all the way to the end and discovered that I had guessed correctly about the reasons behind Sylvie’s downfall, so that took away much of the suspense. The relationship between “best friends” Sylvie and Tess—especially in the scenes set during their teen years—was annoying because I just couldn’t understand the peer pressure and poor decision making that was at the center of their friendship. In the end this audiobook just wasn’t for me, but I appreciated the opportunity to review it.

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. It captured me enough to listen to the entire audiobook, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it.

This was quite the devious and crafty tale! Told in alternating timelines, I really enjoyed going back and forth between the girls past and watching how all the drama, secrets, lies, mistakes and misconception play out and are affecting their present lives.

I always love a good revenge plot and this one certainly had a lot of great suspenseful moments. When I thought I had it figured out, I was thrown for a loop and found out I only knew snippets of what was actually going on!

It had some good shocking twists and the last quarter definitely unraveled at a thrilling and gripping pace, I just which it was a bit more tense in the beginning and that I was more engaged throughout the story as a whole!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for goodreads