Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC of ‘The Girl in The Painting’ by Caleb Crowe

I was so exited to read this one! I just love a good thriller. I loved the premise of this and it really did live up to my expectations. It felt like once one twist was revealed it was followed by another and another etc.
I think this is extremely well written and I look forward to reading future publications from this author!

I loved the cover and premise of the book but felt it was just to slow and the beginning to drawn out to the point it didn’t hold my interest. It needed more editing lots more

A psychological thriller mixed with a bad relationship is the best way to describe this book. Seline is a new art teacher who falls in love with Robbie. She soon realizes Robbie is not the man she thought he was and finds herself afraid for her life. TW: abusive relationships. This is a thrilling book that kept me guessing. There are a lot of twists so just when you think you’ve figured out one another one comes up. If you are looking for an enjoyable thrilling read this is for you.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'The Girl In The Painting' by Caleb Crowe.

Read and reviewed for Caleb Crowe, ZooLoos Book Tours, Netgalley and Inkubator Books..

Publication date 31st January 2024.

This is Caleb's DEBUT novel, not that you would ever think that!!! I cannot wait to get stuck into his next guaranteed success and I just hope he is busy writing it as I write this!!!

This novel consists of a prologue, 51 chapters and an epilogue and is set over 4 parts. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

'The Girl In The Painting' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Caleb discusses/includes gaslighting, manipulation, abuse and drugs.

OMG!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE ,LOVED THIS BOOK, AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, GOTHIC, CHILLING, GRIPPING AND PAGE TURNING EXPLOSIVE MUST READ!!

This book is extremely well written with vivid and evocative descriptions that really put you in the storyline, feeling the hair on your arms raise and putting you on the edge of your seat!!!

The first thing I have got to say is an absolutely HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to the amazing author Caleb!! I was absolutely mind blown when I had finished this epic page turner and I went to add the rest of his books to my Amazon wish list only to discover that THIS is his DEBUT novel!!! I mean just WOW fair play!!! If THIS is what you can create for your very first book then I just cannot wait to see what on Earth you will come out with next!! This is definitely THE BEST DEBUT book I have ever read and it is also one of my favourite psychological thrillers of all times!!! This book tells us the story of Seline who is determined to make it on her own. She leaves her family home and rents a room with a family and gets a job as an Art teacher thanks to her fathers friend Michael. However the accommodation isn't what she was hoping for and she has a disruptive child in her class who happens to be the daughter of another teacher. When she is reaching the end of her tether she meets Robbie and falls for him. However, Robbie turns into a nasty, controlling, abusive and evil person who moves Seline in to his run down flat and keeps her under his control. Selena sees Michael again and hopes she has found a way to escape Robbie's clutches. Can Michael be trusted or is he controlling her too? Can Selena escape the control she has been put under? Well, you'll just have to grab your copy of this twisty, disturbing, dark and gripping thriller today to find out. Just OMG!!! The uniqueness, the suspense, the characters, the absolutely MIND BLOWING TWISTS AND TURNS!!! This book NEEDS to be turned into a movie and I hope to God he is busy writing his next book because I need them in my life now. The looks I was getting from my partner because of the amount of times I shouted out 'WTAF!!' , 'OMFG!!' and 'No FLexking way did THAT just happen' I seriously lost count. I mean seriously I cannot describe just how AMAZING this book is!!! There are just no words. I mean I'll try but my advice is stop reading this review and GET YOUR COPY NOW!!! If you love thrillers, crime, unique, mind blowing, action packed ... Do you know what...whatever you like to read just give this a go and you will NOT regret it!!! As you can tell I absolutely LOVED this addictive, explosive, creepy, chilling page turner!!! I honestly loved absolutely everything about it from the start to the end. It was just one heck of an amazing read!!! Filled with suspense, art, love, horror, heartbreak, suspense, tension, ambition, obsession and everything and more that you could ask for in a book you wont be able to put down! I absolutely love, love, LOVED the unique storyline!! I have read so many books that it is getting harder and harder for me to find a truly unique plot but Caleb absolutely smashes it out of the park with this one!! There was no way I could put this book down until I had finished it. I picked it up and even though I kept telling myself just one more chapter I just could not put it down as every time I went to something happened which meant I had to read just one more again until I ended up reading it in one sitting having been glued to my kindle for a few hours!! Caleb's evocative writing skills and descriptions really brought the storyline to life and I just cannot wait to get hooked into his next book!!! I have just never come across a book or movie anything like this one and I doubt I will again!!!! I just genuinely love, love, LOVED IT!!! This book will suck you in and keep you gripped in the pages until your thrown out at the end with a racing heart!! A truly unforgettable one in a million page turner!!!! Get ready to pick your jaw up from the floor at the many, many twists that you will NEVER see coming!! An absolute must read that I wont be forgetting about anytime soon!!

I hope your busy writing your next book Caleb as I just cannot wait to see what bombshell twist and explosive storyline you have up your sleeve for us next!!!!

Do not start this book until you have cleared your schedules as you will not be able to put it down!!

The characters were all realistic and strong and I was completely invested in them throughout. My heart absolutely broke for Seline and I was rooting for her throughout. I do not think I have ever hated a fictional character as much as I did when it came to a certain abusive, horrendous, disgusting @#@#@, etc in this book!! Honestly I just wanted to reach into the pages and absolutely throttle him, plus the rest!!! Caleb's evocative descriptions really makes them jump out of the book and come to life in front of the readers eyes. The fact that this is Caleb's debut novel yet he has managed to create these amazing, unique and strong characters is just absolutely amazing!!! All of the characters were multi layered with complex personalities which definitely made them all the more interesting to read about!!! Unfortunately, I really can not say anymore as I don't want to spoil it for future readers. Regardless of what I thought about who, each character worked perfectly to make this page turning psychological thriller!!! I just cannot wait to see what characters this amazing author comes up with next!!! Hint hint Caleb 😉 !!! I genuinely loved getting to know all the characters and was completely invested throughout even when I wanted to kill one of them!! It just goes to show how fantastic Caleb's writing skills are as he completely brought them all to life for me. An absolutely fantastic selection of unique characters that all worked together perfectly to create an absolutely chilling, gripping and addictive page turner!!!

This book is one of the BEST psychological thrillers I have ever read !!! This book really is a truly unique page turner that I picked up this morning and had completely devoured it in a few hours!!! When the hell is this being made into a film and when are you bringing your next book out as I need my next hit!!!

Overall an absolutely unputdownable, action packed, intriguing psychological thriller that will keep you up at night on the edge of your seat with a pounding heart!!

319 pages

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £10.99 in paperback via Amazon at time of review which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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I read this book via NetGalley. I was drawn in by the intriguing cover and thriller genre. Seline is a young woman leaving home for the first time to take a job teaching high school art. The setup for the story is intriguing, and there are moments of mystery from the very beginning. I enjoyed the plot overall but found the timing of events to be disorienting. The different aspects of the story weren't fully established enough before a new character arrived or a new issue arose, which made the whole thing less believable and took me out of the narrative. I began to feel frustrated with Seline's apparent naivety as the story progressed. I loved the idea of making the unconscious conscious in her paintings and exploring them for hidden messages, but the continued return to this pondering was frustrating (and Seline does this multiple times, where she'll focus again and again on one topic in a repetitive manner); although I will say, the way this was tied in at the end was quite lovely. Overall, my main complaints with the story are that it wasn't particularly surprising, I found many characters quite unlikeable (including Seline herself at times), and I felt like I was being abruptly pulled along to different major events. The disrupted flow felt like an attempt to fit too much into the page length of the book and it made the thriller aspect of the story fall a little flat at times. The book was fine, not great.

This book just wasn't for me. The writing is pretty and I liked the setting but it starts out slow and I could not stay focused.

This book wasn’t for me. The beginning was very drawn out and overly descriptive to the point where I immediately had no interest. The main character’s first interaction with the man who becomes her abusive boyfriend that the blurb describes is her being terrified of him and him seeming threatening. The next time she meets him, she’s turned on and obsessive over him. It made no sense. She then immediately sleeps with him and moves right in with him. Meanwhile there’s 100 red flags warning her. As the story progresses, their relationship is even more unbelievable. None of the characters were likable and I only finished to be able to give the book a fair review. Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.

Seline gets her first adult job and moves away from home. Feeling like she is inadequate and all alone, she quickly connects with Robbie, who isn't all she thought he would be. But she's trapped. This psychological thriller is fast paced and book that I couldn't put down.

Seline, as our protagonist, wasn't a very likable character for me. Several times I just wanted to shake her and tell her to wake up to what was happening. But I'm glad I stuck with it and watched her change (or maybe wake up). This would have been five stars if I had actually liked Seline.

Through the twists in the plot, Seline tries to keep her head down but listens and observes. A great book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers.

I was given this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Seline Henderson is a 23 y/o Mancunian arriving at a small town called Statheley Bridge, so as to start her very first job as an Arts Teacher there. Thanks to a childhood friend of her beloved father she was able to catch it straight after finishing her teaching courses.

Soon enough Seline meets a young, reckless man called Robbie (28 y/o) and starts a rushed Affaire with him.
Before long her now semi-official BF ends up becoming problematic for Seline. Robbie worms his way into every aspect of her life, like a Python he wraps himself round her and starts suffocating her in every possible way.

After seeing her newest art pieces at the School she teaches at, Mr. (Michael) Lockwood (her father's friend) offers the young teacher to exhibit her art at the local Art Centre, as soon as its construction is finshed of course.
From there on things spiral evern further out of hand and Seline only has a few moments here and there to catch her breath, if at all.

Why does Robbie behave so secretive? Who is terrorising Seline and destroying her Art?
Why are her parents, Diana and Colin, so tight lipped regarding the past and now Seline's new stage of life?

This was a problematic read. I want to be absolutely honest in my Reviews, so I will admit that after reading about 15% it got a bit too slow for my liking and I wasn't sure if I should keep on reading.

However this notion didn't last long and soon enough I was back on track, enjoying the Book.

The Author knew just where to throw the right hints but also a few red Herrings, it made the guessing game a bit harder and I loved that.
Also, thank you to the Author for not rushing the last few Chapters… so done with that to be honest!
The characters were well written, though I would have loved a bit more from her Dad. He was just there, and then gone again

Honestly though, I didn't like the Heroine of this book that much. She was too naïve and I had to remind myself, that she was very young and not everyone her age is as street wise these days, right?
And Robbie? Don't start me on THAT one.

The last half of the Book and the Ending itself were so worth it… great work!
Reading the last 3 Chapters was the most rewarding part, imho.

𝑾𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆-𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒏𝒅!

The Girl In The Painting
Written by Caleb Crowe

About / Blurb:

Robbie is a kind and loving boyfriend. As long as you obey the rules.

Seline is excited to be starting a new chapter. She has moved away from home to begin her first job – as school art teacher in a quaint Yorkshire village.

Life gets even better when she meets the wild and untamed Robbie, with whom she starts a relationship. Robbie is unpredictable and impulsive and Seline loves the excitement he injects into her well-ordered days.

But Robbie soon reveals a dark side. He becomes more and more domineering and Seline finds herself trapped with a man who needs to control her every waking moment.

Her only escape is through her artwork. But even there, in the shadowy corners of her own paintings, lurks a disturbing truth she cannot decipher.

Desperate to escape from Robbie, Seline turns to an old family friend, Michael, for help. But Michael has secrets of his own, secrets that entwine with Seline's past in shocking and sinister ways…

Note: Domestic violence & coercive control does feature within.

My Review:

It took me a short while to get into this book initially, but once I got into it, it drew me in, I found it an easy read, it kept a good pace throughout, & it kept me wanting to read more. There were a couple of things I found to be predictable, but the plot throughout was gripping nonetheless. I liked how the plot itself concluded; satisfyingly, & it all tied into the main characters’ paintings, in keeping with the theme of ‘the girl in the painting’.

Based on a rating of 1-10, where 10 is the highest, I would give this book a rating of 7 out of 10. It’s a page-turner of a Psychological Thriller that will keep you hooked, & it’s deffo worth the read! I would recommend!

Do you read reviews?

I do.

I absolutely love discovering new authors and love reading the early build up.

When Caleb Crowe, was compared to Freida McFadden and Kiersten Modglin, I knew right then, I had to check this guy out.

Well, I have to say, If McFadden and Modglin had a love child, it would be Caleb Crowe and I am so here for it.

This book is jam packed with juicy secrets and a wild twist you will never see coming.

The Girl in the Painting is ALL CONSUMING, make sure to clear your schedule before sitting down

Check out this teaser :

Robbie is a kind and loving boyfriend. As long as you obey the rules.

Seline is excited to be starting a new chapter. She has moved away from home to begin her first job – as school art teacher in a quaint Yorkshire village.

Life gets even better when she meets the wild and untamed Robbie, with whom she starts a relationship. Robbie is unpredictable and impulsive and Seline loves the excitement he injects into her well-ordered days.

But Robbie soon reveals a dark side. He becomes more and more domineering and Seline finds herself trapped with a man who needs to control her every waking moment.

Her only escape is through her artwork. But even there, in the shadowy corners of her own paintings, lurks a disturbing truth she cannot decipher.

Desperate to escape from Robbie, Seline turns to an old family friend, Michael, for help. But Michael has secrets of his own, secrets that entwine with Seline's past in shocking and sinister ways…

The best part of this book is the cover.

Otherwise, you get a vapid, unbelievable, unlikable main character; cartoonish villains (no seriously - angry, abusive drug-dealing boyfriend who is charming to everyone else, an abrasive teenager with piercings and green hair, and a mustache-twirling property tycoon); clunky prose and sparse dialogue. This novel should be studied by writing students as the textbook example of “show, don’t tell”. Crowe relies on telling the reader questions they should be asking and conclusions they should be making, rather than trusting the reader to understand or trusting his writing to speak for itself. In a book that talks about paintings (a bit), Crowe really doesn’t know how to paint a picture.

There is hardly any character development and very little development of Seline’s (MC) relationship with others. For example, within the first few pages Seline “meets” Robbie (love interest) and he spooks her (foreshadowing his dark nature, duh) and yet the very next day, inexplicably, she is head over heels because he has a cute smile and drives a fast car. No time is spent on her hesitation, his pursuit, the development of their relationship. Making the whole thing perplexing when she decides to move in with him literally HOURS after arriving to an unfamiliar town. Honestly, it just makes her feel naive and garners no sympathy from the reader.

(Talking about her being a little vapid… Days/weeks/months after living with him (the timeline is a little hazy to say the least), when Robbie is called Robert by someone, she is confused because she doesn’t know a Robert. Use your big girl brain, my love.)

As the main character, Seline is not an active participant of the plot. Things happen around her, to her, but she never really does anything, just flounders about, taking people’s word at face value. While she should be a conduit for the curious reader, a lot of the time she just sits and thinks about what just happened, with the author pointedly telling us it was weird. A perfect example is a scene where she is left alone in Robbie’s crusty, gross apartment (like actually ew, why is she even into him?). She’s already suspicious of him and a locked room he made a fuss over, and instead of actually doing something in this mystery/thriller, instead of being curious and proactive, she sits on the bed, waits for him to come back and just thinks “oh boy that’s weird, wonder where he went”. No confrontation, no conversation, no desire to develop characters and their dynamics through…. Dialogue? Action? Something? Boring.

The plot is both slow, predictable and redundant. Not even worth getting into, really, because nothing about it is engaging.

A reviewer on Goodreads pointed out that the main character seems to spend a lot of her time in a car. And that is so true. Probably 80% of this book is spent on the character being driven somewhere by someone, then driving herself somewhere for a bit, or just generally being around cars or talking about cars. This book is not about cars.

Honestly, the whole novel feels like a first draft. It should be a first draft as most chapters feel like outlines of scenes and dialogue (again, dialogue doesn’t actually happen), where scenes end abruptly, sometimes in the middle of two characters speaking to one another. There is also an unfortunate amount of scenes that are actually comical at how ridiculous and unnatural they are (describing someone “shooting up” in a club bathroom, MC freaks out, but it turns out that they’re diabetic???)

The novel desperately needed a good editor and probably a second and third draft too.

I received this ARC from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher.

A psychological thriller it reels you in and you’re determined to find the answers to all the holes in the story. Why is everyone against Seline? Why does Seline constantly feel on the edge? Even her family is unpredictable.

It begins with Seline leaving her home town. She starts a new career as an art teacher. She meets someone. That someone named Robbie who says and does all the right things.

Eventually, her new life no longer looks good. Robbie becomes manipulative and abusive. He has multiple personalities. Before Seline realizes what her life becomes and it’s too late to escape.

THE COVER IS AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL!

THE BOOK IS VERY DESCRIPTIVE AND WAS WELL WRITTEN AND KEPT YOU ENGAGED. THERE IS MYSTERIOUS PLOT OF THE BOOK AND I REALLY LIKED READING THIS BOOK.

I WOULD DEF RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND LOVED THE WRITING.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR LETTING ME READ AND REVIEW.

I am definitely in the minority with this book. The cover and the domestic thriller made me want to read this book. I just couldn’t get into the book and this was a DNF for me sadly. Something about the writing style just didn’t flow and was not easy to read.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.

I was very intrigued from the jump when I started reading this book. It was slow at times and it was a little wordy throughout. Overall, It was a decent read but I wish it
would have been more of a shock factor towards the ends but that's just me. I know that also isn't always necessary for a book so I didn't take that into consideration when I reviewed this book. That probably was a me thing. I don't typically read 3rd person but that's also another me thing I'd recommend you give this book a chance

I’m not sure there has ever been a male character who I have hated as much I do Robbie in this book. New art teacher, Selene starts teaching at a new school where she meets “handyman” Robbie. He is physically abusive from day 1 so I hate him right away. Why does she put up with him???? It slowed down in the middle but then the twist at the end had me ….. it went from 3 stars to 4 stars in the blink of an eye! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for my honest review. Apparently it’s publication day today! So happy publication day!

In The Girl in the Painting by Caleb Crowe, the author's writing style stands out for its quick pace and accessibility, making the book engaging. The plot unfolds with twists and turns that keep readers intrigued, and the characters undergo notable development, adding richness to the story.
The writing style, especially its suspenseful quality, held my interest throughout. The ending was particularly satisfying, wrapping up the story effectively.
However, there are drawbacks to the novel. Robbie, a character in the story, is depicted as an extremely unpleasant individual with controlling tendencies, evoking intense emotions that might be overwhelming for some readers. Additionally, Seline's initial naivety is a downside, though her growth towards the end is commendable. The constant warning signs about Robbie throughout the book may feel excessive.
Despite the compelling writing and plot, the characterization, particularly with Robbie, could be divisive for readers. While Seline's character evolves, her initial naivety might be a point of contention. The novel provides a satisfying reading experience, albeit with some drawbacks to consider.

The writing is descriptive and the book is enticing. This is a psychological thriller. The vibe is atmospheric and mysterious. The characters have a mysterious demeanour. The author spills the secrets one by one. As soon as Robbie’s dark side unveils, Seline who is doing her first job as an art teacher in a quaint Yorkshire Village, finds herself trapped and it becomes hard for her to escape from him. Somehow she finds her way out but soon she gets tangled in secrets entwining with her past.

Many Thanks to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley.

What a ride this was!

First, the setting was very eery. Everything ticked me off. Then came the very scary characters. And then the sticky situations. And then the absurd twists and worrisome vengeful last few pages.

I thoroughly enjoyed it except for few places where I thought the bad guys were being too obvious for the main lead to not run already.
And the reason to put up with all that wasn't good enough for me.

On the whole, this was definitely a fun ride. A good thriller indeed.