The Book of You - Claire Kendal

'It is you. Of course it is you. Always it is you.'

Clarissa is being stalked by Rafe. He appears all the time, wherever she is, at her home, when she is out, in the park, everywhere, his menacing, unwanted presence is there. No matter how clearly she tells him to leave her alone, to go away, or even when she tries to just ignore him completely, to not give him the satisfaction of any response, he does not stop, he is determined she will give in to him, and that he can control her. She avoids him as much as she possibly can, but they share the same workplace, and they shared one night together, once. Then Clarissa is called for jury duty, and feels relieved because she'll be in the courtroom away from Rafe for most of the day for several weeks at least. There she gets to know some of the other jurors, including one who is kind and friendly, who she chats with and this takes her mind off events with Rafe, at least for brief periods. As she listens to the evidence in what is a violent case, things start to compare to the situation she is in. She realises what she needs to do, and she collects together the evidence of what Rafe has done. She's got her notebook, detailing all the times he has threatened, stalked, intimidated her, she keeps things he has left in her mailbox and so on, stockpiling the evidence, hoping that one day there'll be enough for it to be considered seriously by the police.

The main narrative sees Clarissa's experiences as recorded in her notebook, using the second-person. The style isn't all that common in popular fiction to my knowledge, but it is used really effectively here, like it was in Rosamund Lupton's Afterwards. It conveys with immediacy the fear she feels, the threats she endures, and the total, unwavering obsession Rafe has with her. Rafe is genuinely frightening and manipulative, utterly determined to have his way and be in control. Clarissa is an increasingly frightened victim and despite her best efforts can't seem to outmanoeuvre him. This all culminates in a dramatic finish. The other part of the narrative is in the third-person, recounting the events in the court.

It's an utterly compelling story, a brilliant, haunting read, that made my heart beat a bit faster and my pulse race. I read it on holiday and it was absolutely perfect for fast-paced, tense reading when you're in the mood to get totally lost in an absorbing story and gulp it down. The fear and anxiety felt by Clarissa is palpable, as well as her seeming very alone with this problem for the most part. 

The Book of You is a strong debut novel, a really cracking page-turner, a tense, excellent psychological suspense tale; Claire Kendal does a good job of getting you emotionally invested in what happens to Clarissa; I almost didn't dare read on at times and yet of course the story had me hooked and I didn't want to put it down until I'd finished.

Thank you to the publisher for kindly sending me a copy of this novel for an honest review.

Thank you also for sending me a beautiful notebook! 

Published by HarperCollins

In Too Deep - Bea Davenport

'How had it come to this, I thought. What do I do now?'


Maura Wood is looking back, something has triggered a memory. A photograph in a newspaper. It's of Kim Carter. For a short time they were best friends. Except Kim is dead and Maura 'ran away and became another person.' It was five years ago when Kim died, and Maura has a new identity, and has moved to live and work in South London and try to escape the past. 

Taking us back to five years ago, we drop in on Maura's life then. She lived in Dowerby, a market town in northern England, having moved there with her husband Nick and their young daughter Rosie. From the way Maura describes Dowerby, with its castle and tourist attractions, and the locals who aren't keen on newcomers, it's clear she isn't overly enamoured with the place, to put it mildly, a view that subsequently turned to hatred: 

'Does it seem crazy to feel hatred for a place? Or do you really just hate what happened there? I think I really hate Dowerby, as much as if it was a person. For its smallness, its unwelcoming feeling, its inability to change. I'm grateful to London, though, for allowing me and those like me, to blend into its people-wallpaper, totally unseen.'

Five years ago, preparations were in motion for the annual Dowerby Fair, and Nick is a key organiser of the events, seeking more publicity for the fair to attract higher visitor numbers.  Kim Carter arrives in the town to work as the new district reporter for the regional evening paper. Maura gets to know her, and is friendly towards her unlike many of the locals. Kim is talented and confident, and she becomes like a sister/best friend that Maura has never had before; up until Kim arrives, she made do with her husband and child's company, with no real friends. A firm bond grows between them. Maura laughs and relaxes in Kim's company, and finds a new side to herself, a side she can't express at home. Her behaviour changes through her friendship with Kim. She even starts working with her, gaining more independence, though she is fearful that Nick won't approve of this. He is often unkind and critical in the way he speaks to her, and as the story moves on, we realise that his cruel, controlling and abusive treatment of Maura is not limited to words. I liked a lot of things about Maura, I was glad she had this new friendship and the work that boosted her self-esteem, but I felt saddened at how she was still with Nick after some of his actions had been described; a couple of times I willed her to act differently. 

Back to the present and there is talk of the fair being revived after a five year absence, cancelled as we learn at the start of the novel after Kim's death. Talk of a possible revival has reignited interest in the events surrounding the fair five years ago. Maura, living her new life, working two jobs, surviving alone, suddenly realises that someone is watching her, following her, a reporter asking about her and wanting to resurrect the past. 

I really enjoyed In Too Deep and once I started reading, I raced through it eager to learn more and discover what exactly had happened in the past and how everything fitted together, as well as wanting to know what would happen in the present. I thought there was a good amount of suspense in the story, and the author caused me to ask myself questions, to doubt characters, to question their motives. The characters are well-drawn, they are rounded, with good qualities and with faults. I was convinced by the portrayal of Nick, a nice man on the face of it, his true, awful nature shown in his home. Similarly Kim felt real to me, a beautiful and clever lady, good at her job, but perhaps too keen to ruffle people's feathers and one of those people who can mean so much more as a friend to others than they might to her - though I do think she cared for Maura. I liked the insight into journalism too. The setting, the claustrophobic, at times small-minded community, was vividly depicted. I hoped that things would be better for Maura and there was one aspect of her current life, something missing from it, that I thought must have been incredibly painful.

I found this a tense, compelling, well-paced and nicely structured story, and I would definitely read more from this author in the future. 

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this novel for an honest review. 

Author links - twitter @BerwickBabs | website

Published by Legend Press

Dearest Rose - Rowan Coleman

This was my first Rowan Coleman book but certainly won’t be my last.  I’m not sure why but I had always perceived her books to be light and fluffy however this book couldn’t be further from that.  It’s well written fiction which deals with some deeper issues such as abandonment and domestic abuse.

The book begins when Rose and her young daughter Maddie turn up in the middle of a rainy night at a B&B in the wilds of Cumbria.  They are not made particularly welcome by the landlady, Jenny, however her husband takes pity on them and allows them to stay.  Little by little we learn of the events that led them to Millthwaite and why Rose has chosen that particular place to escape to.   

Fate, love and forgiveness play a huge part in this book.   It’s an emotional read at times but it’s also uplifting and there are two lessons to be learnt – one, that you should never give up on your dreams and secondly that there are times when people do deserve a second chance.

There is a well written and believable cast of characters.  The main one being Rose.  When we first meet her, she is a shell of her real self.  She is the product of a dysfunctional family and having spent many years having her spirit crushed has no self-worth.  Will she find the strength she needs to protect herself and her daughter?  

Maddie was an absolute delight to get to know.  She is an unusual child, only 7 years old but old beyond her years.  She has no social graces and because of her direct manner finds herself friendless most of the time. At first I thought she was on the autistic spectrum but as the book unfolds, we understand more of the reason for her behaviour.  Maddie was my favourite character and I thought she was adorable in spite of her unusual ways.  

Some other characters who play a big part in Rose’s new life include her best friend Shona, who has her own troubled life to cope with but nevertheless brings humour to the story, the B&B landlady Jenny, whose bark seems to be worse than her bite and Jenny’s son Ted, a flirty young barman with an eye for the ladies who figures in much of the story. 

My only one slight disappointment with the book was towards the end when I found the storyline somewhat rushed and to my mind, unexplained, but having said that it was a fabulous read and one that I would definitely recommend.

Reviewed by Karen Cocking - guest reviewer

Many thanks to Karen for reading and reviewing this novel for The Little Reader Library, and writing this lovely review. Karen is an avid reader whose thoughts on books I trust and whose reviews I always enjoy reading. 

'Dearest Rose' is published by Arrow
You can follow the author on twitter @rowancoleman and visit her website here.
Thanks to the author and publisher for kindly sending a copy of this novel to read and review.