Well, I thought it was a good idead but not that well executed. The start was great and I really feel the story flying but when I got in the middle of the book everything seemed a bit off. I don't know how to explain, it just wasn't good enough for my taste.

Oh why did I wait so long? This had been on my shelf for so long it was dusty! It was always passed over for something I fancied more! What a mistake! This was everything I love in a book. Horrible husband, suspense, twists, likeable characters!
I will look out for more by jo jakeman and would give this 6/5 if I could. Really enjoyed it!

This was a riveting read from cover to cover , I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it hard to put down , I would really recommend you try this and you will become with me an avid fan.

Philip is an ass, he’s a nasty womanising piece of work, he has 3 women he has to deal with, his ex, his current wife and his girlfriend and all the while keeping the façade that he’s an upstanding police officer. All 3 women have been mistreated by this man but maybe if they work together they can help give karma a little push in the right direction.
I loved this book it was light-hearted in places while at other times it made your guts tangle up. Well worth the read

This book was great! I love a good domestic thriller and this story was brilliant.
Kept me guessing until the end and gripped to the end of my seat

This is the debut novel for this author and, I think, a pretty accomplished one at that; a little unbelievable at times I admit but quite a satisfying read. Dealing with the difficult subject matter of domestic violence, this book is more about the subtleties of this abhorrent crime rather than the "in your face" violence although there is some violence.

The books starts with the funeral of a decorated Police Officer but thoroughly unpleasant man - Phillip - and "mourning" his death are 3 women; Ruby, Imogen and Naomi.

Ruby is the first wife who has never moved on and remains under Phillip's spell.
Imogen is the current but estranged wife and mother of their son.
Naomi is the girlfriend and soon to be third wife.

Phillip is an absolute a**hole; a master at manipulation and control, a bully and downright despicable person however, the tables are turned when Imogen manages to lock him in the cellar and so begins the story of the developing relationship between the three women, their growing strength and confidence and their common goal of getting revenge on the man that has caused them so much pain and heartache ... but, how did he die?

Well written with a good pace and well developed characters, this is a great debut psychological thriller and Jo Jakeman is certainly an author I will watch out for.

My thanks go to the publisher, Random House UK Vintage, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Imogen's husband is a bad man. His ex-wife and his new mistress might have different perspectives but Imogen thinks she knows the truth. And now he's given her an ultimatum: 'get out of the family home in the next fortnight or I'll fight you for custody of our son.' In a moment of madness, Imogen does something unthinkable: she locks her husband in the cellar. Now she's in control. But how far will she go to protect her son and punish her husband? And what will happen when his ex and his girlfriend get tangled up in her plans?

A brilliant debut novel that had me gripped from the very start! While the plotline didn't pan out like I had originally expected, the story itself turned out to be more empowering than just a tale of revenge. The whole read is about three women gaining strength from each other and becoming a united front against a truly terrible villian.
- and what a force of evil the villian is!! I hated the character immediately and physically felt my blood boiling reading about all of things this person has been doing. I found myself even swearing under my breath! A vile character but is definitely a well-written one!
In fact the rest of the characters are all brilliantly-written. All make up a story that both pulled at my heart strings while also making me angry.

Definitely recommend this one! Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Sticks and Stones opens with an interesting premise, the funeral of a police officer and makes it clear there are those who wished him harm. The novel moves back in time gradually revealing events that led to the man, Philip’s death and peels back layer of layer of his personality, revealing just what an awful man he was and who had good cause to wish him dead. Philip is a horrible man. He’s physically abused two wives and a girlfriend. He has no redeeming qualities. Sticks and Stones could be dismissed as a tale of revenge but it’s much deeper than that. It’s the story of Philip’s two wives and girlfriend, how they come together and draw strength from one another. Ex-wife Imogen and new girlfriend Naomi women are fantastic characters. I felt real sympathy for them. I liked the other ex-wife Ruby a lot less. She’s deluded and believes Philip is just insecure and needs to be loved etc. I found her irritating and at times she slows the pace to an annoying crawl. I really disliked Philip and was glad he got his comeuppance. The book would have been better without Ruby or with Philip’s demise not being told from the start to build more tension.

I really enjoyed the blurb to this book and think it was exceptionally well written. I thought the characters were well built in the story and my attention was fully engaged in the plot. I'd like to read more books like this!

Sticks and Stones is a gripping dark domestic thriller with disturbing scenes and a wonderful tale of revenge.

I started this but just wasn't feeling it. There was nothing inherently wrong with it I just wasn't feeling it at the time, however having been really excited about this book beforehand I would like to try again at a later date.

I received a digital ARC of #SticksAndStones from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!! I loved this book! It starts with the funeral of Phillip Rochester, and the rest of the book covers the events of the 3 weeks prior to his death, with a couple of flashback chapters thrown in for context. I quickly became hooked on this book and didn't want to put it down. I found myself questioning everyone in the book. Who, if anyone, was helping Phillip, and why? Who could and couldn't be trusted? How and why did Phillip die? Was he killed, and if so, who by, or was it natural? All 3 women have a history with Phillip and so all have their own motive, but could any of them actually bring themselves to do it?

I was on edge a lot of the time, especially when all 3 women are in Imogen's house and one of them makes the mistake of answering the phone! The events that follow that night are gripping!! My heart was racing through those chapters and I couldn't put the book down, despite needing sleep!!

I did feel a little deflated by the ending as I had built up a lot of expectation in my mind of what could happen and who could have done it. However that said, the way he does die is very fitting and appropriate for the story, so on reflection it was probably the right thing to do. This is the debut novel by Jo Jakeman, and I am very excited to read anything else she writes in the future.

THRILLING!

I really liked the sound of this book and it didn’t disappoint. When Imogen’s bully of an ex threatens to fight for custody of their son unless she moves out of the family home, she takes matters into her own hands and, in a moment of madness, locks him in the cellar! Things start to heat up further when his current girlfriend and ex-wife materialise.

I thought this was a well thought out and beautifully written novel. The characters were very fleshy and real and unique, and I liked them all. I particularly liked the way the three women bonded under such sad circumstances. It’s pacey and delicious and kept me captivated until the end. It had a nice twist, which was well constructed and executed.

Overall, a fabulous debut, and would definitely read more from this author.

Sticks and Stones is an intriguing and somewhat claustrophobic thriller that deals with marital abuse it is also a story about friendship and the bonds that form under stressful circumstances. An unusual and compelling read.

Now that’s what I call Girl Power!
Revenge is a dish best served cold and that’s how Phillip ended up ..quite deservingly too.
I loved how this book flipped from past to present in not only from Imogen’s perspective but rubys and Naomi’s too.
Fast paced and extremely gripping a must read.

Enjoyed the book and got caught up in the unfolding of the story to see how it ended up at the beginning - the book starts off with a funeral and then proceeds to build up to it from chapters earlier in time. I found it a little too far-fetched at times which lost me a bit, it made me stop and think why not just do X or Y - like call on the neighbours or get the police involved(!) with a simple 999 call. Setting up a meeting in a few days time to see a friend in the police just wasn't believable and the final part also wasn't quite believable either... Imogen sitting/waiting on her own at her secret place at the crucial time?! Overall though just going along with it, it was a satisfying story and if you can gloss over (or not notice) the above you'll lap this up. As you can tell from the above though it annoyed me a bit for being too far-fetched but was otherwise close to being a really good book with nice writing style and a couple of characters developed just enough to care for. Would be 3.5 from me. Rounded up to 4 as a decent debut novel, reflecting the average netgalley score too. Thanks for the preview copy.

This book draws you in and keeps you wanting to read. With plenty to keep you interested it's a good read
I read this in 2 sittings, I just didn't want to put it down

A fast paced psychological thriller which covers a very difficult subject domestic violence. It was very well written and had me captivated from the beginning. The humour was respite from the difficult subject matter. I loved this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I liked the way the story opened at the end, it was instantly gripping, how did we get here? Part of the answer is years of abuse inflicted upon soon to be ex-wife Imogen and current girlfriend Naomi. Original ex-wife Ruby had seemingly few troubles in her marriage to Phillip - the deceased - but she soon changes her mind about him.

Some of the events of the book are a little unbelievable - why don't the neighbours notice and call the police? Also the timeline seemed very quick although Google tells me that in the UK (where I live - not that I have much experience with funerals other than attending a couple) funerals can be as little as two days later if there are no suspicious circumstances.

Also some of the flashback timings were a little odd as one was mentioned as being x years, x months and 1 day (x as a substitute for numbers I do not remember), why the 1 day? Overall it lacked a lot of mystery and suspense.

A fantastic debut novel! Really enjoyable read with well developed characters. I particularly liked how the three women's different backgrounds and personalities were illustrated through their dialect giving distinct character to all three. The plot itself was a little far fetched at times but that just added to the enjoyment of the book. Excellent.