I'm not sure what style this book is trying to be. A tale of upper class like Brideshead revisited? A book about class? A murder mystery? Whatever it is, it failed to capture me. After trying to engage with the characters, I realised that I just didn't care enough.

This is a strange one to review, because I was far from invested at the beginning...but I'm very glad I stayed with it, as Edward's 'do anything for anybody' attitudes and actions turn into a far more sinister realisation of what he would do for his friends...stunning ending!!!

Audiences, both screen and literary can't seem to get enough of British upper class drama and this book is an efficient and well structured addition to the genre. The initial lucriciousness of the plot is balanced nicely by a creeping sense of menace which leaves the reader unable to look away. The writing is a little over wrought in parts, but this is a clever and very readable book

Having heard this described as a Saltburn type story and praised by various authors I had wrote high expectations which weren't met sadly. There was dark humour but not enough plot to keep me interested, sorry! On this occasion I had to DNF pay way though.

Although I wasn’t a massive fan of this book, the intensity of the last 20% of the story was incredible. I was so tense I had to put it down a few times. But for the rest of it I felt that the style of writing made the plot difficult to follow and there were lots of unnecessary words and descriptions.

An unusual book which I lm not sure if I liked it or not. I really couldn't settle into this one and gave up halfway through. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

'Edward is living in a world he can't afford and to which he doesn't belong'. At the start of the novel, Edward comes across as a bit of a good-hearted buffoon. Treated like a doormat by his so-called friend Robert, and pining after Robert's girlfriend Stanza. I felt a bit sorry for him, to start with. However, things soon take a sinister turn and Edward proves that he is not a victim. I definitely got Saltburn vibes from this one. Quite disturbing, but an excellent read nevertheless.

I enjoyed this book. Edward met Stanza and Robert at Cambridge. He was from a working class family and is hiding a violent incident from his past. Now they have left Cambridge and Edward continues to ingratiate himself with the others by being a bit of a doormat. When Stanza and Robert announce they are in a relationship, Edward is consumed with jealousy as he is in love with Stanza himself. Robert has a friend from childhood who is blackmailing him over a nasty incident that happened years ago, and he asks for Edward's help in trying to sort it. Things get out of hand and Edward finds himself covering up a horrific crime. The story gets nastier as it progresses and has a shocking ending!
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

An intriguing read which I did enjoy. Alongside the storyline, there is dark humour which does add a little bit extra to the story itself. An excellent ending which had me shocked for a good while after finishing the book. If you enjoyed Saltburn, definitely give this book a go!
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

Like several others, I discovered this book after Richard Osman mentioned it on his podcast and talked about how amazing it was. Unfortunately, this high praise really raised my expectations and I was left thoroughly disappointed in the end.

The premise sounded really interesting, and unusually, I noticed the author had provided a sort of introduction to the story when I received the ARC - something I haven’t seen before. However, it became apparent that this scene setting prologue was really over-compensating for something - the book just doesn’t feel finished at all. Characters aren’t fully formed or adequately developed, and the pace is glacial until the middle, and then it rushes until the end. Edward flits between wanting to fit in and very much wanting to be an outsider. His love of Stanza is merely referred to rather than ever being demonstrated, so I just didn’t believe it. Robert turns into a background character who goes missing for the final third of the book. I never really got to grips with any of the leading characters and their motivations, and then the book ends quite abruptly without really giving any significant resolution to the tale.

Crucially, I found myself not wanting to return to this world whenever I had reading time, and that meant it very quickly turned into a chore.

What a superb debut this is from Jonny Sweet! Well written and intriguing from the start, it tells the story of Cambridge graduate Edward and his best friends Stanza and Robert. Seemingly mild-mannered, Edward does what he can to remain part of this close circle, but when he discovers that the other two are an item...! Delicious

I'll be honest - I really struggled to get into it and I did not finish the book. The writing style wasn't engaging and felt disjointed, and I didn't much like the characters. Overall, it wasn't for me.

The Kellerby Code is a fun romp through a cast of abhorant characters who, whilst entertaining, are definitely not a group of people I would ever like to meet. Lively, well educated, mostly well-off, they are a pretentious group of people who make me very happy to enjoy my particular station in life!

Full of wit and dark charm, this will be perfect for any fan of witty, satirical page turning fiction.

For me this book was of two half’s. In the beginning I liked it - it was funny, the main character was flawed and there was the hint of a dark secret. It went in a direction I didn’t enjoy though and although it was ok it’s not my favourite.

Edward Jevons is a working-class young man, obsessed with his upper-class friends, Robert and Stanza. Robert's a theatre director. He's also self-obsessed, demanding, handsome and entitled and uses Edward to run errands for him. Edward has been in love with Stanza since their university days - and he's drunkenly confided how he feels to Robert. Most men in Robert's position would stay away from Stanza or tell Edward that a relationship had begun between them but he's not like most men: Edward is left to stumble upon the two of them kissing in a dark passageway.

There is darkness in Edward's past but it's not a secret. He was involved in an accident on the rugby field when he was at school and another boy died from a brain injury. Edward's not blamed for what happened but knows the intent was there. Robert has a secret in his past and he'd like it to stay there but he's being blackmailed. It's another problem he'd like Edward to sort out. He has a lever: Edward once broke into Robert's house.

I'm finding it difficult to give a balanced review of The Kellerby Code. It's darker than I was expecting and this is not to my taste. That's a personal matter and I've tried to put it to one side as far as possible. I found the plotting weak. I lost count of the number of times that I groaned as Edward did something stupid such as agreeing to become involved in a major crime in exchange for Robert's silence over something which was nothing more than a minor embarrassment. Laughter and an apology would have settled the matter. The writing, on the other hand, is overworked and occasionally tortuous. There were times when a simple statement would have more than sufficed.

I had a further problem. In addition to reading the review copy of the book sent to me by the publishers, I listened to a download which I bought myself. The narrator is Jack Davenport and he has a good range of voices and the pacing is excellent. He handles the tension of the story well but the voice he used for Robert Pepper was as close to Boris Johnson's as possible. It was difficult not to compare the two characters and it took something away from the story for me.

I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

This book had such a sinister feel to it…and I loved it! Edward wants to be part of the upper class and manages to get himself in trouble in the process. He wants to please his friends - even though I didn’t like any of them! I found the story really compelling and quick to read.

How far would you go to fit in??

Edward is an unusual character. He wants to fit in, he wants to fit in with a crowd featuring his university crush Stanza. But Stanza moves in higher social circles … so Edward has to orchestrate his inclusion. The question is how far will he go?

Edward knows he is taken advantage of and I felt sorry for him in that respect but he let himself get to that position because he is blinded by lust and infatuation. For that, he lost some sympathy from this reader. But then he seemed to develop a backbone; as the blurbs suggests, his good deeds do take a sinister turn and this overly helpful home tutor started to surprise me.

I’ll admit it took a bit for me to get into this. I thought it was just me and was prepared to abandon the book but I saw a fellow reader had struggled to start so I persevered. I got to the 50% mark and the story did take a turn in the direction that hooked my attention.

All in all The Kellerby Code was a book of two halves with the second half scoring the winning goal for me. I much preferred the events, feel and pace of the second half of the book compared to the first. It wasn’t a bad read at all, but I think the phrase forewarned is forearmed is apt here. For me, perseverance was key. If I hadn’t stuck with it, I’d have missed the better half and a rather satisfying and shocking conclusion to the book.

Thank you for letting me read and review The Kellerby Code on Netgalley

How far would you go for a friend?

Edward is living in a world he can't afford and to which he doesn't belong. To camouflage himself, he has catered to his friends' needs: fetching drycleaning, sorting flowers for premieres. It's a noble effort, really - anything to keep his perfectly awful 'best pals' Robert and Stanza happy. In return, his proximity to their abundance might sponge the shame of his birth and violent past cleanly away.

But Edward has - secretly - been in love with Stanza since their Cambridge days. The shattering discovery that Stanza and Robert are an item pushes him too far. His little acts of kindness take a sinister turn, giving way to the unspeakable brutality Edward fears is at his core.

Are there limits to what he will do for his friends? Are there limits to what he will do to them?

The Kellerby Code is a rather sinister look at what one ordinary man will subject himself to in order to ingratiate himself with the upper classes. Edward gets himself deeper and deeper in trouble, trying to please his friends and keep himself in the higher social circles that his income cannot really support. I didn't like any of the characters, but I found the novel compelling.

If you enjoyed the film Saltburn, you'll enjoy The Kellerby Code.

If you liked Saltburn, and if you enjoy Wodehouse and Highsmith then this is probably going to go down a treat for you.

This book couldn’t have come out at a better time and it will certainly appeal to most people without a champagne account.