The Bones of You

Oh my goodness, I loved this book. I read it almost in one sitting (unfortunately I had to sleep!). The author has written the book beautifully and it kept me guessing to the end. Such hard topics covered so well. I feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to read an ARC copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Very very highly recommended from me.

18 year old Rosie Anderson has disappeared. People in town are worried about the kind, lovey girl, but they hold out hope she will be found alive. Those hopes are shattered when Rosie’s beaten and slashed body is found. Neighbor Kate is horrified, her own daughter is the same age as Rosie, and so Kate reaches out to Rosie’s grieving family. The Anderson’s seem to be the average American family, but Kate begins to sense some strange undercurrents running beneath the surface. When she gets anonymous notes urging her to look more closely into Rosie’s death, Kate is disturbed and more than a little afraid, but she also feels compelled to uncover the truth.

Told in flashbacks from both Rosie’s and Kate’s point of view this is a nail biting suspense whodunnit that will keep readers guessing

Thanks Kensington Books and netgalley for arc.

Be ready with Kleenex cuz its that kind of well written thriller.

4.0 out of 5 stars -- Just what does it mean to a soul to be able to love and be loved?

When 18-year-old Rosie Anderson is found murdered in the woods, the whole town reacts with gossip, insinuation, innuendo, and speculation even as next-door neighbor, Kate, is drawn to help the stunned parents and sister of the dead child. Investigators don't have a lot to go on, for Rosie was not a rebellious teen, and she shouldn't have been out that night. Who killed her and why? There are many secrets in this small village.

No spoilers...How I love a twisted suspense thriller! This one was very well written and I was drawn into the drama immediately. Even though I knew within a chapter or two how it all would likely conclude, I was taken by how well the author played the scenes and how the changing perspective of the narrators kept me checking myself to make sure I was on the right track. I loved the process of the slow reveal, the tantalizing clues, the red herrings, and the dangling chapters as I raced through the pages staying up way too late into the night because I just had to finish before I could sleep.

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery with plenty of good and evil to go around. It's being compared to THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold, probably because the voice of the murdered girl narrates some alternating chapters. The prose is lovely and I really enjoyed this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the e-book ARC to review.

Kate, a mother in a smal town, finds herself in the befriending the family in turmoil after Rosie is found dead. Rosie's mother, Jo, is fragile. Her sister, Della, is quiet and stoic, and her dad, Neal, is ever charming and charismatic. Kate's own daughter is the same age as Rosie and she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the Anderson family as they work through their grief and await the identification of Rosie's killer.

A thriller that will keep you turning the pages until the very end.

When local village teenager Rosie disappears -- and later is discovered murdered, fellow villager Kate is understandably upset. Kate has a daughter Rosie's age and also spent a little bit of time with the quiet teen and knew her mother, Jo, somewhat.

Rosie's murder causes quite a stir, especially because her father, Neal, is a well-known journalist. Kate becomes closer to Jo after Rosie's death and starts to learn more about Jo, Neal, and Rosie's younger, Delphine. As she gets pulled into the family's secrets, Kate finds herself more and more intrigued and confused about what happened to Rosie.

I tore through this book in a couple of days. The reviews comparing it to "Lovely Bones" or a Gillian Flynn novel are certainly not wrong. It's compelling and chilling. The book switches narrators and we "hear" from Rosie, as well, but the format isn't hokey or silly, as it often can be if done incorrectly.

I figured out some of the plot fairly early on, but it didn't make the book any less complex or exciting. The characters are well-drawn and interesting, and there's just *something* about the book that draws you in. Definitely recommend for those in the market for a good psychological thriller.

I read a lot of psychological thrillers and I really enjoyed this debut book by Debbie Howells. The writing is excellent and the suspense builds steadily, Debbie has done a great job in creating a believable and intense story and very genuine characters. Compelling, chilling and incredibly well-crafted, The Bones of You is a story that will stay in your head for quite a while after the last page is turned. I will certainly look out for Debbie Howell's next book.

One of the greatest psychological thriller I have read. Twist you around like a tornado. Then leaves you wanting more. 5 Stars!!!

This book was a stunning read, a genuinely chilling page-turner.

The narrative is shared by at least two of the novel's most fascinating characters, gradually adding layers of understanding to disinformation and misconception which allow the focus of the investigation to waver between the key suspects. Suspense is maintained and intensified between periods of relief that the mystery is soon to be solved by the arrival of anonymous letters and the discovery of snippets from the journalistic archive. Thankfully for the reader these things prove to be not so straightforward, and we become further drawn into the murky backgrounds of the characters, searching, with the dominant narrator, Jo, for the motivation and responsibility for this terrible crime.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, particularly the unfolding dysfunctional relationships within the Anderson family set against the reassuringly normal traumas of Jo's household. She is relentless in her own investigations to uncover the truth, no matter how painful or personally daunting. This is a gripping psychological thriller which kept me hooked to the end. I look forward to reading more from the pen of Debbie Howells. A great read!

When 18 year old Rosie Anderson goes missing, secrets about her seemingly perfect family come to light. I wasn't able to put The Bones of You down--I highly recommend!

5 stars from cover to cover. Debbie Howells is a wordsmith of the highest caliber. I started The Bones of You last night and tore myself away only after I thought my corneas would separate from eyes! It was 2 am and I'd been up since 3 am the following day. The slow intense building of the story and getting to know these characters was worth every minute.

I know this book will draw many comparisons to Alice Seabold's The Lovely Bones because both are narrated my a young murder victim. The Bones of You is also narrated by the victims mother. I had a few moments of frustration when I felt the characters were a little too naive to things that seemed so obvious but that's hindsight for you isn't it?

Bottom line, I believe this book will create buzz and we will see it in many bestsellers list. Debbie Howell is an author In will continue to follow. She is an enormous talent and I found myself rereading sentences because of their simple beauty.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this ARC.

“THE BONES OF YOU”, is a dark psychological suspense thriller debut by Debbie Howells.

A small village in Sussex, England, a body of an eighteen-year-old girl, Rosie Anderson, is discovered, murdered. Who would do such a thing?

The novel opens with after we learn that Rosie has gone missing, Rosie describes what it is like, in the final moments of her life. She describes the images flashing in front of her at record speed, like watching a “movie of her life.” This shows the author’s talent of flashback narration of Rosie.

Rosie Anderson, was the daughter of a well to do family in England. Kate, who Rosie used to visit and ride horses with, wants to know more. Kate befriends Jo, Rosie’s mother, and helps her deal with this terrible tragedy. But she soon discovers that there is more to this family than meets the eye, from the wife, Jo to the Husband Neal, and younger sister, Delphine. Nothing is what it seems!

This novel is an intense character driven novel, where the hidden secrets and lies, soon come to the surface. The story is told in alternating points of view, written mainly in two point of views - the present is Kate’s, to which is added Rosie’s flashback narration, which helps the reader piece together what actually happened to her.

The reader, will be kept guessing all the way to the end. Even if you 'think' you might know who the killer is, the twists and lies and deceit will prove you wrong.

The pacing of the storytelling was excellent, and I found it hard to put down.

This novel gives a new meaning to the concept of “The Perfect Neighbour”!

I would recommend this book to psychological thriller lovers.

I haven't read any other books by this author. I was super excited to read her first psychological thriller. She certainly didn't disappoint me. I found this to be a gripping read. When I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it.

Rosie's gone missing. Throughout the book we read flashbacks from Rosie's perspective. She also tells us of her not too pleasant past.

Another point of view is Kate's, a neighbour with a daughter the same age as Rosie. Kate's point of view lets us know what is happening in the present time.

I didn't guess who the killer was and was shocked when I found out. Although this isn't a fast paced story I enjoyed the pace. I love that the author brought up gritty subject matters. As secrets and lies are uncovered I felt as if I was edging off my seat in anticipation of what was going to happen next.

This story goes to show you don't know what's happening behind closed doors.

I really hope this author is busy writing more psychological thrillers as this is a fantastic read.

I’m happy today to take part in the Kensington Books Blog Tour of THE BONES OF YOU be Debbie Howells. I received this book through Net Galley a few weeks ago and I could NOT put it down!

When the book opens, local teen and “nice girl” Rosie is missing. She is a well-behaved, quiet girl from an outstanding family so everyone is shocked when she is found beaten and stabbed to death. Narrated by both the deceased Rosie (what exactly DID happen that day and what were the events that lead up to it?) and neighbor Kate (who had a friendship with Rosie as she loved Kate’s horses), the story twists and turns as we witness the characters and events that lead to Rosie’s untimely and violent end.

I could not stop reading this book! It has been compared to THE LOVELY BONES and it is similar in that it is narrated in part by a young girl who is deceased; however, it truly stands on its own. I usually can figure out by midway what has occurred in this type of mystery, but I was kept guessing until the end.

Poignant, touching, and with a real look inside some very human characters, THE BONES OF YOU was a captivating and fast-paced read.

See website for links for giveaways and a Q and A.

Amazing book, could not put it down!!

Full of believable characters, plots, twists and turns.

Draws you in from the off, and one you cant put down to the end!!

Left me wanting more, and told everyone I know just how good it was

It has been awhile since I read a book that I literally could not put down. Bones of You by Debbie Howells is one such book. I stayed up much later than I should reading this and then snuck in reading breaks through out the day.

The book opens with Rosie talking about how she died. Yes, there’s a little of The Lovely Bones going on here. Rosie is sharing with us about how she died and about her perfect family, which turns out to be not so perfect.

The town is gripped when 18 year old Rosie is found brutally murdered in the woods. Kate, who has a daughter Rosie’s age, feels the guilt of knowing her daughter is still alive and that Jo, Rosie’s mother, will never see Rosie alive again. Kate had befriended Rosie when she came over to help Kate with her horses. Kate feels that she must visit and comfort Jo and see if there is anything she can do to help.

As Kate gets to know Jo more, she realizes that things may not be as they seem.

The story is told in alternating views between Rosie, Kate and Rosie’s sister. As we find out more about the past from Rosie, we follow the current with Kate. This alternating back and forth keeps the story flowing. It can move a bit slowly, but held my interest every step of the way.

I received a copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own.

„The Bones Of You“ is a beautifully written , dark and haunting suspense thriller. I read it within two days, absolutely captured by the story.

In a small town in Sussex, England, eighteen year old Rosie goes missing. Kate, who lives there, knew her, Rosie came sometimes to help her with her horses. Kate has a daughter herself of that age and is absolutely shocked. She feels she has to do something and so she begins to care about Joanne, Rosie’s mother. They become friends in these horrible times. Joanne seems to have everything, a well known TV journalist as a husband, two lovely daughters, money, beauty, everything is perfect. And now Rosie is gone.

What is really haunting in this book is that Rosie is a narrator herself. She sees “the movie of her life”, she is somehow ghostlike, and she tells us about her life, her family which is not perfect at all. She had a horrible childhood, her father is cruel and her mother somehow weak. She reveals for us what was really going on in this family.

The story is character driven; slowly the hidden secrets come to the surface. Kate and Rosie alternating are telling us the story. Kate in the present, when she deals with her own life and gets more and more involved in Joanna’s misery. Rosie is above all, she reveals us her short and sad life. After a while I was pretty sure about the person who killed Rosie. But that did not spoil it for me, I was curious how it could come to that.

This novel was hard to put down. I loved the writing very much. I recommend it highly for lovers of dark suspense thrillers.

Excellent read!