Absolutely gripping, I couldn’t put this down. There’s so much tension in this book and it completely pulled me right into the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC. I was very excited about this book after reading the description. It seemed creepy and intriguing all at the same time. However, after reading 35% of it, I could not get into it. It was super slow. There were a few times that my interest was piqued, but overall I could not bring myself to finish it. Perhaps if there were more things happening earlier on in the book, it would have been better.

I am in two minds about this book. For me the main character Caitlin was so naive and living with one dysfunctional family was bad enough but moving from bad to murderous. You could see where the story was going and so predictable. For me it was an okay read but it could have been so much better.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.

This psychological thriller was a very enjoyable read. it was an intense page turner with plenty of twists and turns all the way through. The characters were great, the story itself was exciting and the style of writing was perfect. This is the first book that I have read by this author, I have another one in my ‘to be read’ pile. I’ll be keeping my eye out for more in the future.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes reading this genre.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

An intense keeps you hooked psychological thriller author, Jane Bailey. This is my first read by this author. The author sets up a chilling mystery which puts our main character in one horrifying predicament after another. I’d highly recommend this one to fans of suspense, psychological thrillers and mystery novels. The characters are well written, the plot chilling and dark and the suspense doesn’t let up. I found the COVID elements interesting and well used. Overall, the book was creepy, easy to read and engaging. I’d highly recommend this one to other readers.

Caitlin has decided to leave her boyfriend in Italy where they have been staying and travel home to England at the start of the Covid Pandemic.
Short of cash when she arrives in England she accepts a lift from a family with two young girls, on the journey they persuade her to come home with them to help look after their daughters.
Caitlin was an annoying and unlikeable character but her story was worth reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review

Wow, wow, wow. I must admit I went into this book not expecting much (aside from a good read to be had), but I was blown away. You are instantly thrust into the life and mind of Caitlin, a teenager running from home due to some less than favorable circumstances. Lucky for her, a kind family offer to let her stay with them — good, right? Good quickly turns to odd, which quickly turns to downright creepy in this climactic read.

What did I like about this book:
It felt accurate to a 19 year old speaking.
It was my first post-COVID based book, which added some interest
It did a good job of putting teasers in to make you want to keep reading.
It was very musically based.

What I didn’t like:
So. Many. Lyrics. It was a bit overkill at times.
She made 19 year old decisions…and that got annoying.
Nothing happened that was overly twisting or shocking. The “twists” were kind of implied so the reveals weren’t very…revealing.

Ultimately, it’s a 3.5 star (banana) book because I finished it, and it was compelling at times, but it’s not a lingering title.

As always, a 3.5 round to a 4 on the official count, but 3.5 is more accurate.

I'll update this feedback with links when available.

Yikes yikes yikes! I wanted Caitlin out of this crazy house ASAP!
But because it’s a psychological thriller, we had to wait for the drama to unfold before she could realize – almost too late – what she was in for.
Creepy house, creepy family - fun escapist thrills for the pool!

Arc review

Heartbroken and penniless, Caitlin finds herself hitchhiking home alone.
A family pulls up to offer Caitlin a place to stay, at their warm and isolated house for the night. But soon enough one night turns into two then three.. The family wanting her to stay, Caitlin's grateful, the longer she can avoid going home the better.
With her phone suddenly going missing, an older member of the family warning her to leave that she soon realises that this perfect family is hiding the darkest secrets.
Will she escape safely?

The cover attracted me to request this book and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it. First time reading from this author.

I liked the way the author incorporated the start of the COVID 19 pandemic as for me it added more suspense. Also with the shops one way systems, closures of pubs and social distancing you could imagine how the characters were all feeling due to personally experiencing it for ourselves.

This book contains topics of cult and child trafficking.
If you enjoy fast pace dark thrillers read this.

Overall 4 stars.

Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me this advanced readers copy. #Stay

I could not put this down! It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! She "thought" things were turning around....boy was she wrong! Great Thriller!

My first book from the author. I quite enjoyed Stay however at times I did wonder how naive Caitlin could be. She did have good family support so she could go to them instead of staying with strangers . It’s the first thing we drill into a child’s head- Don’t trust strangers! However once I got over that, I did get into the story, even though it covers quite a bit of uncomfortable themes.

If you like, claustrophobic, sharp, and creepy thrillers this is for you.

The addition of the pandemic in this book just gives and gives. A tough time and everyone stuck in place adds so much here.

Difficult themes and a largely uncomfortable read it’s a must read for those who like dark and harsh thrillers.

This is my first book by Jane Bailey and was chosen as a buddy read along with 12 other TBC members last month.

Stay is narrated by 19 year old Caitlin, who has just left her boyfriend in Europe to return home with literally the clothes on her back arriving as the Covid-19 pandemic starts. Stuck in the UK with no phone or money, a young family offer to take her home for the night which Caitlin accepts. However, when the UK goes into Lockdown the following day and Caitlin is reluctant to go home to face her family, she agrees to stay with the family on their isolated farm to home-school their 2 girls.

However, it quickly turns into a living nightmare when she finds herself cut off from everyone with no phone, internet or escape. Slowly realising what she’s got herself involved in, she begins to plan her escape and more importantly save the two young girls she has grown to care for.

I really enjoyed the way Caitlin narrated her story, it becomes obvious from the start that something terrible has happened and despite her naivity it’s easy to see why she was fooled by this seemingly normal couple Marcus and Mimi.

Without giving anything away, this story does have some uncomfortable themes running throughout it and those who are triggered by child abuse or cults should be aware that these topics are covered in detail.

An enjoyable page-turner.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#Stay #NetGalley
Beautifully written.
It was meant to be Caitlin's perfect summer, but betrayed by her best friend and her boyfriend, she finds herself hitchhiking home alone, heartbroken, and penniless.
When a smiling family pulls up on the roadside to help her on her way, she's relieved - they seem so friendly, safe. And when they offer her a warm bed in their isolated house for the night, she's grateful not to have to travel back alone in the dark. In any case, she's in no rush to get home, where a grave secret is lying in wait to blow her family apart. One night soon turns into two, and then three. The increasingly spellbinding couple wants her to stay, and why shouldn't she? Their children need a tutor, and the longer she can avoid home, the better. But then an older member of the household warns her to leave immediately. And when her phone suddenly goes missing, when she realises that this perfect family is a perfect lie, it might not be so easy for her to leave...
It was a fun read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me an advance copy.

I'm a bit mixed about this one. I loved the concept and thought it was a really interesting question of just how many things could have been covered up by lockdown during the pandemic. The characters were well written if not terribly original or likeable. I did enjoy the story but thought it was all a bit predictable really

I did really enjoy it but I did find it hard to get into at first. I found Caitlin annoying but then reminded myself she was only 19! I kept thinking she sounded a lot older so some things didn't really gel for me.
The story itself, I thought was really interesting and I haven't really read anything like that before. The lockdown references gave it a 'real' element too.
4 ⭐️ from me as it was mainly well-written, the setting was described well and the characters were interesting and believable, in the main.

Right, confession time: it took me quite a while to get into Stay. The characters made me feel uncomfortable, the atmosphere was stifling and the story itself goes to some of very dark places. Yet this demonstrates the skill of the author because I still wanted to keep reading and to know what the ending would be for the characters.

We meet Caitlin in 2020, shortly after she's failed her A Levels. She went to Italy with her boyfriend, but her relationship didn't work out and panic across Europe about a global pandemic has forced her to come back to England earlier than she would have liked. She definitely has secrets when she arrives at Marcus and Mimi's home and I was interested to learn more about her through the story. Caitlin is naive and I was often shouting at her through my Kindle, but overall I liked her and wanted her to succeed.

It quickly becomes clear that Marcus and Mimi are not what they seem and I did feel very uncomfortable during their interactions with other people. Their rules and way of living seemed isolating and claustrophobic and this was heightened against the backdrop of the lockdowns. I wanted to get to the bottom of what was really going on in their home, despite my skin crawling so much! Jane Bailey is brilliant at sowing seeds of doubt in the reader's mind so I was never sure who was telling the truth and who was trustworthy.

Jane Bailey covers some dark but important issues in Stay. Her writing is not gratuitous but it is sharp and to the point and this makes very difficult reading, and will do so especially for people who have had similar experiences.

I would definitely read more by this author in future.

When 19 year old Caitlin leaves her boyfriend abroad she travels alone back to the U.K. when she arrives at Dover she ends up having to hitch a ride to her hometown of Cornwall. She take a lift with a friendly family who have 2 daughters with them. They are heading to Gloucestershire so Caitlin decides to travel with them to there. Caitlin is not in any real hurry to get home to her own family as there are some major issues within her family that she needs to deal with. After the very kind family offer her a bed for the night in their isolated home she accepts but one night develops into a longer stay. When someone living at the house warns her to leave she ignores their advice but then her phone goes missing. Who are these people and why are they so anxious for her not to leave.

I really enjoyed this one and Jane Bailey is a totally new author to me. I liked her writing style and it didn’t take me long to become fully immersed in this read. There were times however that I wanted to give Caitlin a good shaking with some of the decisions she was making.

Caitlin is coming back home to the UK after being in Italy and France with her boyfriend Luke. She hitches a lift with a family. She is not looking forward to going back home - the family ask her to come to Gloucestershire and stay with them for a while.
She decides to take them up on their offer.

Caitlin slowly realises that all is not as it seems with the family and all of the different people that live in their house and it’s surrounding buildings- Marcus and Mimi call it a community.

She really bonds with the two children and becomes their tutor. One of the people there called Cliff warns her that she shouldn’t stay and she becomes more suspicious about what is actually going on. She suspects they are growing things they shouldn’t be and that Mimi isn’t really a doctor and that’s Mimi is the force behind whatever is happening.

The longer she stays there the more she uncovers and the more she realises she has to leave but Marcus and Mimi watch her every move.