This was an ok thriller, and I would recommend it as a holiday read, however I did find a complete lack of empathy with any of the characters. They were just not nice people, any of them!!! I found it hard to believe that anyone would act / put up with anyone else acting and behaving as the main protaganists in this book, and as such could opnly say it was 'ok'

I always like a book full of intrigue and mystery and this was OK. Quiet slow to get into but if you persevere it gets going. Loved the setting in the Swedish countryside.

Great book. Full of intreague and mystery. Keeps you guessing until the end. I Would definitely recommend this book

I was given an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I could not wait for this book to be over so I can get away from these horrible people. Now granted you don’t read psychological thrillers because you want ponies and sunshine, but these people were disgusting. I like to read about murder and people being stalked and psychopaths, but these people are just garbage and I could not wait to get away from them

When I first started this book I wasn’t quite sure where it was leading but as the story unfolded it was very good. Lots of lies and betrayals, twists and turns made this book very enjoyable

Interesting premise. Very sharply written. Shows how little we know ourselves and our close friends and neighbours. Having never visited Sweden the descriptive nature of the writing makes me intrigued to possibly visit.

I found the blurb of this book just my cup of tea. When I began reading I felt Sam and Merry lived an idyllic life in the swedish countryside, I was wrong. At points I found it extremely dark, disturbing and difficult to read. I cannot say I particularly liked any of the characters, so many secrets and lies and was unable to relate to any of them. That said I did find it intriguing and was unable to put this book down as I needed to see where the story took me. The book is well written and engaging as dark as it is in some of it's content. I would recommend this book if you like your thrillers on the dark side and dont go down to the woods today !

Oh my ! I absolutely could not put it down. Every single character is as horrid as the next one. Merry, Frank, Sam all damaged all ghastly. The idle of rural Sweden is brought to life with some beautiful descriptive writing and the baby is described wonderfully - all dimples and fat ! that poor child.

This is quite the page turner, with quite so much going on with the three protagonists it is easy not to quite appreciate the depth of the lies and deceitful manipulations that underpin all the relationships. Sam, the controlling, narcissistic, misogamist, Merry the WonderMum who is cold, brutally cruel and manipulative and then Frank - is she or is she not the worst of the three ? I actually felt by the end that they all did it.

Its a must read for those who love the dark side of human relationships, your heart will break for the baby and for the neighbours to this household from hell.

I was very lucky to be allowed to ready this by Netgalley and the Publishers HQ. The views are my own

This book definitely made an impression on me as a few days on from finishing it I still can’t stop thinking about it. I can’t say that it was an enjoyable read though and there was an element of the storyline that I found disturbing. I read a lot of books that I would label as dark but this was just too far outside my comfort zone. I must credit the skill of author for causing such an emotional reaction in me as a couple of times I wished I could step into the book and intervene.

Very simply written but needed tidying up. It was as if it was written by someone who doesn't know how to speak english and was translated from their language.

Sam inherits a rundown house in the Swedish countryside, so himself, his wife Merry and their infant son Conor decide to move from their busy lifestyles in New York city and start a new life in Sweden. They move to some idyllic place miles from anywhere. When they get to the house, it is rundown and covered in dust and the garden is a mess, full of weeds and debris. It takes them a while to do the place up and even clear the garden and grown their own vegetables. Even Merry making her own jam. The perfect life.
But, nothing is perfect as it seems and as the story goes on it learn about Sam cheating on his wife and Merry she feels so isolated when Sam goes off to work. Then one day Merry’s friend from childhood Frank (Frances) comes to stay. Frank knows everything about Merry and sees through façade, of the happy life she leads with Sam. Firstly, they don’t really like each other and when Frank follows her and finds out that she leaves Conor on his own and disappears into the woods.
I liked the premise of this story and intrigued me to find out about the rest of this story. But, for me personally that where it ended. This is quite a disturbing story and it just make me feel uncomfortable. I didn’t like any of the characters and the twist at the ending I won’t spoil it for you. I felt like this book was like after I have eaten something bitter and it left a horrible taste in my mouth.
Thank you HQ and Netgalley for a copy of this book. 2.5 stars from me.

Dark, disturbing and utterly riveting. I found it hard to put the book down so that I could get some sleep! Twist and turns that keep you reading.

3.5 stars

This was a slightly uncomfortable read for me.
Starting with the narration of Sam and Merry,it seemed as if Sam was very much the overly controlling husband.
Add in the voice of Frank,and soon it becomes clear that Merry is abusing and neglecting her son.
Which apparently goes unnoticed or ignored.
As the tension builds with jealousy,sex and secrets it's thrown into complete turmoil with the death and it's aftermath.
Nothing is as it seems,and each new chapter reveals something about the friendship between Merry and Frank.
Quite the page Turner.

Psychological thriller - controlling, philandering husband, psychopathic friend and disturbed first time mum and one vulnerable little boy. Intriguing story of friendships and relationships. Highly recommend this book.

This story starts so innocently and pulls you in to a lovely world of family life in Swedish summer. How wrong we are....I will say no more but be prepared! I could somehow sympathise with the characters for a while, especially Merry, but I increasingly did not like any of them. However I was by now drawn in and needed to know what was really going on. Keep going and the shocks will keep coming. Not really enjoyable as such, but certainly gripping!

Sam and Merry and living the good life in Sweden. They have moved there from the USA, moving into a wooden house on an island left to Sam by his grandmother. The novel opens with them seemingly living a perfect life, growing much of their own food, foraging in the forest, happy to be in Sweden, devoted to their baby son, Conor. We go between Merry and Sam's points of view and gradually we find out that they are unreliable narrators. The life they are living is far from perfect. Sam has no job, having left his university post in the US under the shadow of accusations of sexual harassment. He tells Merry he is working but it is a lie, instead he sponges off his mother. Merry meantime is far from the devoter mother she has been pretending to be. It is a toxic mix and into this comes Frank, Merry's childhood friend and things rapidly get worse. I was enthralled by the first part of this book; the gradual uncovering of the lies they were telling was fascinating. The second half of the book was less compelling. I kept waiting for redemption of some kind, for the characters to develop into something other than the horrible people they'd revealed themselves to be. Nonetheless I kept reading. I think this is a book that will divide people and that many will hate it. The unrelenting nastiness of the characters, the strange ending, the lack of any punctuation for dialogue, all of these will put people off. On the whole I liked it but didn't love it although at the beginning I thought I would. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this interesting novel.

The book starts by painting a picture of the idyllic lifestyle of Merry and Sam but then slowly begins to reveal that all is not what it seems.
The facade that they present to others is exposed as you read what they are thinking/feeling behind this image of perfection.
The cracks are already appearing before the arrival of an old friend causes more disruption to their pretend perfect life. The past has a huge impact on the present and their lives cannot continue as before.
I did not like the characters themselves. They are all far from perfect, flawed and selfish but it is interesting to see events from the different points of view as they justify their actions to themselves.
The storyline is disturbing in parts and some of it l anticipated but I still wanted to keep on reading to the end.
Each chapter was from the point of view of one of the three characters which made you want to read the next one to find out their take on things.
The lack of speech marks occasionally made conversations a little tricky to read.
This is my unbiased and genuine review of an advanced review copy I received from NetGalley.

A compelling read, which once I had started I just had to finish. A fascinating look at what makes people tick and just how we interact with each other. The three main characters were well drawn and I am sure that everyone will recognise and empathise with their thoughts and feelings and maybe even just see a bit of themselves reflected there. Plus the plot does keep you guessing right to the end.

Great characters and if you are like me will love them, then hate them and then accept them. Merry, Sam and Frank the story told by each of them one chapter at a time each. Merry and Frank (Frankie) have been best friends since early school days, Sam is husband to Merry who has a new born son called Conner. Their life is a dream having just moved from New York to a nature reserve in Sweden were Sam had inherited a home and now a more healthier lifestyle, well that's what they want you to think.
I'm sure all of us in some way hide parts of our lives and some a lot more than others and we can often look at others wanting part of their lives in ours not seeing that they want something of ours The two friends who shared much of each other's lives also see through the smoke screens they set up for each other's view, but how can they hide and expect not to be seen when they share such a long history. The screen seems to have a bigger effect on hiding what they actually do have for themselves the things that make them special. But getting deep now and you just want to know how good is this book is it worth reading, I think yes definitely i enjoyed it a great deal but still felt my stomach clench and turn at parts which is what good thrillers of this gender should do I believe. There are parts that although you may see coming when or if they do it still hits you hard and the twists you don't see hit even harder. As i said before the characters feel so real and could be anyone but obviously aren't because just for that moment that second when you can choose which way to turn it makes all the difference between them and you or does it? So don't miss out of one of those things you really will want to encounter and be glad you choose to get this book and see how much can be lost or found by such a simple decision and know it's well i won't give anything away i will let you read it for yourself, then this review may begin to make sense.....
I was given this book from in NetGalley in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
When I read the synopsis, this book was a must read for me, having been to Sweden on a number of occasions. The scene is set with the perfect image of a log cabin in the woods next to a lake, and to start with it all seems very idyllic. Gradually the reader discovers little insights revealing all is not so well. Very soon the sparkling white Swedish snow makes a snowball that gets bigger and bigger until it the snowy scene is completely obliterated. The plot is dark, twisty and very chilling. The ending left me speechless!!