Michelle Adams (3)

Elizabeth Davenport looks back on her life with second thoughts of what could have happened if she married her true love, Tom, rather than her husband, Dr. James Warlock. She asked Tom, "Do you ever dream of a different life where there are no expectations of you." He said, "Dreaming is a luxury of the rich." The book takes a look at what happened to the young romance and how it ended up towards the end of their lives.

I think this book is good for an older audience. As a senior, I could show more relate to the main character as she looked back on her life and was trying to tie in the pieces to make things right in her mind. She married someone for stability (a doctor) rather than following her true heart (a fisherman). Yet, she never could forget about the love of her life which was confusing for her all of the years. This is what this book does: it makes you think about your own life with the twists and turns of love. I enjoyed it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this. show less

Irini has spent her life in an on again off again relationship with her sister, Elle. Irini thinks Elle is the one who loves her best, but then suddenly she will lash out in anger.
When Elle calls to say their mother died, Irini decides to return, to Scotland to see if she can get answers of why she was unwanted and shipped off to her aunt and uncle's to be raised by them at the age of three.
When Irini arrives Elle wants to have "sister time" and the next minute she is threatening Irini with show more a knife. Irini joins forces with a friend to try to find out why Elle is the way she is and to hopefully discover why she was abandoned by her parents. show less

There are some great debut novels being published at the moment and My Sister by Michelle Adams is no exception. This is a hooked from the start kind of book and there's no leading the reader in gently as on the very first page we experience Irini's fear at the phone ringing during the night. It's never good news at such an hour but Irini has cause to be even more fearful; it means that her sister, Elle, has found her again. When Elle tells Irini that their mother has died, Irini doesn't ask show more how she died, she just assumes that Elle has killed her. All this in the first 2 short chapters! There were so many hooks I felt like a lone fish in a fishing competition.

The relationship between the sisters forms the basis for the whole story; they are anything but close as Irini was given away at the age of 3 and Elle remained with their parents. This is most definitely a cross that Irini has had to bear her whole life as she constantly wonders why her parents would keep one daughter but give another away. When Elle takes Irini to the family home in Scotland for her mother's funeral, Irini meets her father for the first time since she was given away. She naturally has questions for him but it is clear on her arrival at the house that Elle is in control and her father seems almost afraid of Elle. Irini is suspicious and also a little scared of Elle as the simmering pot of underlying tension in the book made it feel like Elle could flip at any time. When Irini starts to dig into her background, she has no idea what skeletons she might find hiding in the closet.

Time absolutely flew by whilst I was reading My Sister and I read it within 24 hours. The compelling writing of Michelle Adams creates so much tension and apprehension that it made me suspect every single character of not being who they appear to be. I loved the flashbacks to when Irini was growing up and Elle appeared in her life now and again, leaving behind a trail of devastation and destruction in her wake. It's definitely a book that got under my skin and I could never have imagined the direction the book went in.

My Sister is well worth picking up if you're looking for a twisty, gripping quick read but be warned that you will struggle to put it down once you pick it up. A fantastic debut from Michelle Adams and I'll definitely be keeping a keen eye out for her next release.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less

I really enjoyed Michelle Adams' debut, My Sister, so I was very excited to read her new book, Between the Lies, and I am delighted to say that I was not disappointed. The story is intriguing, the pacing is fast and I read it cover to cover one sunny weekend (yes, we do get the odd sunny day up here in the North East).

I loved the idea of Chloe Daniels waking up from a coma and not knowing who she is. She has no alternative but to believe the people who say they're her family, even though she show more doesn't like the smell of them. Chloe thinks her family is lying to her; I know they are, as I've seen the title of the book, so I was suspicious of everything and everybody. Her dad is controlling, her mother is an alcoholic and her sister is afraid of their dad. What are they all hiding? Little gasp-out-loud landmines of truth are exposed at regular intervals to keep the pages turning rapidly and I was completely riveted.

The police are waiting to speak to Chloe about the accident that left her with a brain injury but she can't remember anything about it. Chloe's dad is a neurologist so he has put himself in charge of her therapy and uses hypnosis to try to help Chloe regain her memory. I really worried that he may have been inserting false memories as there are certainly some things that he doesn't want Chloe to remember. I really wanted some things that happened to Chloe to be false memories but life can indeed be cruel.

Between the Lies is a riveting fast-paced thriller that had me completely hooked from the start and didn't disappoint. I will definitely be recommending this book to my nice-smelling family and friends.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less