Excellent read! Completely hooked on what would happen when the secret was revealed. Great characters and plot, highly recommend

Thank you Boldwood Book, Boldwood Babes UK, and NetGalley for this E-ARC of Guilty by Ruby Speechley.

This is my first book by Ruby Speechley and she had me at the premise...

“𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆. 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗲…”
𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁. 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲.


Firstly any book that starts like this has me hooked. Heather the FMC gets a sobering and sad health diagnosis that is terminal and she plans a living funeral party to say goodbye to all her loved ones, and also reveal a shocking confession as to the identity of who killed a young boy many years ago. What ensues is a lot of twists and ugly turns, family drama ( be prepared with the Kleenex...) and shocking end.

I really enjoyed this book and this will definitely not be the last Ruby Speechley book I am going to read. I am already a fan- and any fans of Shari Lapel, Freida McFadden will love this.

The first book I have read by this author and I found it very hard to put down once I had started it! A fantastic read.

First, I want to thank Ruby Speechley, Boldwood Books, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

WOW!! Ruby Speechley has done it again creating an out of the box storyline in Guilty! This is one book I would love to know what was behind this twisted tale.

We start off the book learning some somber news of the main character that will have some effect one way or another on each of the characters in the book. What I thought was a great idea was that she wanted to get everyone together and host a celebration of life party. However, what she didn’t tell her guest is the reason for the party. So, you can imagine all the wild guesses as to why they were all there. Some of them were hilarious.

I loved how Heather was being so generous and thoughtful giving away mementos of hers to her friends that they have cherished for ages. However, they didn’t understand why.

What a great idea Heather had to write letters and cards to both her sons when she first got diagnosed with advice, how she met their Dad, etc. That would be so comforting to them once she was gone.

Secrets can be powerful and dangerous as can their confessions and that is just what happens in Guilty!

This was first time from this author but will not be the last. I loved this book!

When i read the synopsis of this book i was definitely intrigued and just had to read it. When a woman has only a few months to leave and to make sure her mind is clear, she is at a party and all of a sudden dead bodies are showing up everywhere.

This book has secrets, people that are lying and just twists at every turn. Everyone needs to put this on their TBR!!!

Some of the things seemed far fetched but not enough to really mess with the best part of the book.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I’d like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Guilty’ written by Ruby Speechley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Heather sends out invitations to all her family members, friends, acquaintances and even her enemies as she wants to say goodbye to everyone personally. She has a secret she needs to reveal to them but she doesn’t have much time left to do it. Just as she’s about to tell them her partner Martyn persuades her not to say anything but it may be too late as she’s already getting threatening messages from an unknown number.

‘Guilty’ is the first novel I’ve read by this author and it’s one I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. From the first page to around a third of the way through I couldn’t stop reading as I sobbed and got through a box of tissues, but then it seemed to lose its spark and got bogged down with family dynamics, Heather’s secret and the part her friends played in it. It’s well-written with dramatic twists and turns that had me enthralled and nicely described characters, and I can definitely recommend it. From now on I’ll be looking for more novels by this author.

Farewell party to beat them all. Would you have a farewell party to say goodbye whilst still alive? Friends, neighbours, school friends and enemies were all invited, but to what amazing secrets would they all become privy to that night?

Compelling reading, but it did seem to go off track a little about the third of the way through.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this.

The premise of the book is intriguing. A woman with only a few months to live wants to say goodbye and clear her conscience at a party with everyone she knows. Things don’t go as planned and bodies start showing up. From there we follow the characters on a wild ride where you don’t know who to trust and secrets from the past come to light.

There were a few things that bothered me about this book. People high fiving each other after doing something terrible. How the dying woman was able to go through everything she did in her condition.

Heather accepted the reality of her terminal diagnosis long ago. As her time draws near, she decides to host a grand farewell party for her nearest and dearest. This gathering is not just a chance for her to say goodbye to each person personally; there is another, deeper reason she wants everyone to come together.

Heather harbours a dark secret: she knows who killed young Simon Eyre all those years ago, and she believes the boy deserves justice. She feels compelled to reveal the truth before it's too late.

However, Heather doesn't anticipate the full consequences of her revelation. In freeing her inner demons, she unwittingly unleashes far worse secrets, putting everyone she loves at risk. The farewell party, intended to be a heartfelt goodbye, spirals into a night of danger and unexpected revelations, threatening to unravel the very fabric of their lives.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Heather accepted the fate of her terminal diagnosis long ago, but now the time is nearing, she arranges a huge farewell party for her nearest and dearest.
She wants to say goodbye to everyone personally, but there’s another reason she wants the people in her life to gather.

I enjoyed this. It’s an easy read and although some of it’s predictable at times it’s good anyway. It also has a good twist ending.

Rounded up from 2.5. I read the whole thing, at times it felt like a chore. There are some errors in continuity. I overlooked those, the story was good, but went on and on. I look forward to trying this author again in the future.
Thank you netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this advanced copy.

Guilty by Ruby Speechley is another compelling read from a very bankable author. If you have not yet discovered Ruby's work, you must add her to your TBR immediately.

Heather has received a terminal diagnosis and decides to have a party for her family and friends as a final farewell. But her motive is twofold. Long ago, a young man was murdered, and the time has come for Heather to come clean about all she knows about the event, leaving her conscience clear. But what about the others that she will implicate, and can any of them really be trusted to do the right thing?

While this was not my favourite read from the author, its premise is intriguing enough to keep you turning the pages.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

I've never read a book where I dislike most of the characters. But this I did. I feel like the only decent ones were 3 - the main characters ex husband and children and because of this I did find it hard to sympathise with them.

A bit twisty. Short chapters which I like. I preferred the first half of the book, and thought it had real promise but the second half was a bit of a let down.

But I did enjoy the book.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review
Heather is dying of cancer and wants a farewell party to say goodbye but also to confess a past evil deed she and others did as children.
She has no idea the violence the confession will cause and the shock to realize who also wants revenge.

The book starts off well with an usual plot. Heather is terminally ill and wants a party to say goodbye to old and current friends. Sadly the book was rather repetitive in places and a good idea left me bored in its delivery. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

Well this book started off really well. Had be on my toes trying to work out what was going on. It started to go downhill with the amount of repetition such that I almost thought I was rereading the same bits. I started off liking Heather, the main character but then came to actively dislike her as I did the rest of the characters. No-one really has any redeeming features. At the end it all went a bit Jeremy Kyle. Shame really because the heart of a truly great story was there, it just didn't quite come off. Violence and brutality took over from suspense, intrigue and edge of your seat storytelling
A good by the pool read
2.5 stars

It starts off sad and then the story unfolds. All I can say is wow 😯. Friends covering up a murder but who is the actual killer? Exacting revenge for the death of her brother , Heather intends to reveal the guilty person at her farewell party.
She doesn't do the reveal as a murder takes place. Who and why need answers.

Since Heather's terminal diagnosis, she has decided her will and will have a grand party to say goodbye to everyone she has known. And she also has a confession to make about something that happened decades ago. Not everyone is happy with her decision and there are consequences - for everyone!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC!

Ruby Speechley is a new author for me and I was hooked by Guilty from the first page. It’s a relatively short novel but it packs a lot into the pages. Full of suspense and intrigue, I found it hard to put down. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the chance to review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of Guilty by Ruby Speechley due to be published June 7, 2024.
Heather has a terminal diagnosis and wants to leave with a clear conscience. She throws herself a “farewell party” to not only say goodbye to everyone but announce that she knows who killed Simon Eyre many years ago. By doing this, is she freeing herself from guilt or putting many of her loved ones at risk?
Guilty had me hooked from the beginning – I couldn’t wait to see who had killed Simon Eyre and all Heather’s friends and their connections. There were so many lies and betrayals in this book it was hard to keep up with all of them – I read this one in two days! It was a quick read and you will learn how Heather is bound together with all her friends!
I had never read any of Ruby Speechley’s books – this was a good one, and I will look for more of her books!
#NetGalley #RubySpeechley #BoldwoodBooks #Guilty