This book sounded like it would be a good read. Set in Tangiers, Morocco, it had potential to keep the reader's attention. However, I found it confusing, particularly the bit where Lucy was pretending to be Alice - each chapter is headed with either Lucy or Alice - so it wasn't particularly clear what was happening at first. It was really far-fetched, not very believable, nor were the characters likeable in any way. I found it difficult to empathise with any one character. The ending was disappointing.

I requested this book with the promise that it would be a similar experience to reading Donna Tartt, and I was not disappointed. Tangerine is dark and unsettling; there’s something strange lurking in the shadows throughout, but minute you get close to catching a glimpse, it’s gone. The reader is never quite allowed to get comfortable, which means the whole book is full of tension, curiosity and suspicion. I flew through this!

Mainly set in 1950's Morocco this is an interesting take on female friendship. Alice has recently moved to Tangier with her new husband. She's overwhelmed by the bustling markets and streets and eventually finds herself holed up in their flat making excuses not to go out. Lucy, her old college friend arrives in Tangier looking for Alice and finds the city enchanting. This would seem like a straightforward story of two friends meeting up but it's far from it! Alice is very vulnerable following an incident in the recent past which may or may not involve Lucy. Lucy preys on Alice's insecurities and manipulates them to her own end. Who's version of events does the reader believe? If you enjoy Gillian Flynn then you'll love this book. The finale will divide readers but perhaps it is meant to.

One of the things I liked best about Tangerine was its setting in Tangier in the mid 1950s. It is beautifully described and I felt I was there, experiencing the story of Lucy and Alice amidst the setting of heat and dust.

The novel centres around Lucy's obsession with Alice, They were inseparable roommates at a college in Vermont but lost touch after a tragic accident. Alice is now newly married and living in Tangier, somewhere she feels uncomfortable and out of her depth. She is puzzled when Lucy turns up on her doorstep, uninvited. But Lucy realises that Alice is unhappy and manipulates her to the point that Alice's life begins to unravel when her husband disappears. It is very late in the story when she realises there is something very wrong about her relationship with Lucy and that it all ties back to their time at college.

Lucy's obsession with Alice reminds me of Patricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt (aka Carol) and Donna Tartt's The Secret History. Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown for the opportunity to read and review Tangerine.

A really good read. A really well written story about Alice and how her friend Lucy attempts to con her. It is mostly believable. Tangier is a beautiful setting. It is however a very similar idea to the talented Mr Ripley.

With its 1950’s cover, Tangerine caught my eye; add in the setting, Tangier, Morocco, and this novel became extremely appealing me.

Told in alternating first-person narratives, Tangerine is the tale of two orphaned girls, Lucy and Alice, their relationship at school in Vermont, and their meeting as adults in Tangier – with a mystery/tragedy, or two, thrown in along the way. I agree with the blurb, Tangerine is a “tightly wound” novel – it has a stifling atmosphere due to the limited characters in this novel; you are smothered by the relationship between Alice and Lucy, smothered by the obsession, the manipulation.

Add in the setting of this novel, 1950’s Tangier, and the stifling atmosphere is increased tenfold. This atmosphere created by the location came from the references to the city being so hot and humid, however, I would have loved to see more of the city on display:

“This strange, lawless city that belonged to everyone and no one”

I enjoyed the beginning of this novel, but the more I read, the more I felt my interest waning. While I appreciated this novel is incredibly atmospheric, I felt this atmosphere was achieved at the expense of the plot. Unfortunately, I found the plot extremely predictable, and there wasn’t one twist that wasn’t obvious to me – to be brutally honest: I felt like I’d read this book already. It’s a case of: I know, perhaps, what I should have felt but, I just didn’t feel it.

Tangerine is a slow-burner, but it felt overwritten, like there was supposed to be this mysterious, dark edge to the novel and it just didn’t manifest itself. Furthermore, one of the events that took place didn’t make sense to me, and continued to play on my mind for the remainder of the read – I can’t really elaborate on this without spoiling it, but, there was no time for what was meant to have happened to take place – I know that’s extremely vague, but the point I’m hoping to make is, a mystery cannot be appreciated if you spot a hole in the plot.

I really struggled with this novel, its praise comes in the atmosphere that was created and the underlying tension that remained. But with predictable characters and plot, this one was not for me. I do believe this novel would be enjoyed in movie form, as you will be able to see the city of Tangier, and this, combined with the intensity of the two main protagonists, may make for enjoyable viewing.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review, which is why I felt compelled to finish it, whereas in any other situation I would have abandoned it much earlier.
To be totally honest, I feel a little resentful to have wasted time on this book. There is no real substance to this story, or to the characters, who come across as quite vapid and underdeveloped. The progression of the novel is frustrating, and by the final page you are left pretty unsatisfied at the denouement.

Great gothic unfolding of the complicated back relationship of two college friends with a murderous secret.

Tangerine is an old-school, suspense filled thriller which oozes sophistication. Set in Tangier, it tells the story of Alice, recently married to John, and her friend Lucy who unexpectedly arrives to visit her. There is some tension between the two women; Alice isn’t the same woman she was when she and Lucy were roommates and Alice seems wary of Lucy. Told in flashback with alternate chapters narrated by both women, the tension is slowly built; what happened, what will happen, who should we trust?

This is an evocative and clever novel, it doesn’t have cheap thrills or ludicrous twists – it is clever, compelling storytelling. The setting of Tangier is written wonderfully well, the markets, tea houses and oppressive heat all work with the plot to increase the tension. Alice is ensconced in her flat, she is nervy, anxious and largely alone whilst her new husband works his way through her inheritance in the bars and clubs of Tangier. Outgoing and exuberant Lucy encourages Alice to leave her self-imposed exile and to embrace Tangier – but why is she there and why is Alice so fearful?

There is a secret at the heart of the novel, one which is alluded to by both Alice and Lucy and we skirt around the edges of it. There are hints both in the present and the past, the flashbacks allowing us to see the power-play between the two women and the female friendship is closely (And excellently) examined. This is a complex and multi-layered relationship which veers from sisterly to toxic and everything in between. Christine Mangan writes about the complicated relationship incredibly well; the initial meet where two women become immediate confidants, the gradual reliance on one another, the slow-drip feed of unease as things are maybe not quite as they seem and the mounting horror at the unstoppable. This all combines to build a sophisticated novel which is a page-turner.

Tangerine is reminiscent of Du Maurier and is a Hitchcock-esque novel, dark deeds, mistrust, madness and unreliable narrators make Tangerine an absorbing and compelling read. It is the perfect book to read in one-sitting whilst lounging on a sun-lounger cocktail in hand and I highly recommend it if well-plotted literary thrillers are your thing.

"Tangerine" is a story told in turns between Alice, young wife with mostly absent husband, who finds hard to adapt to life in Tangier, where streets are hot, crowded and full of intimidating strangers, and Lucy, her independent and resourceful best friend from college who unexpectedly arrives at her doorstep. What does Lucy want, does she really have her best friend's interest in heart? What happened between them in the past? Is Alice started to imagine things or does something sinister is really happening? I really enjoyed this psychological thriller, especially the two narratives, which left me trying to sieve for truth between lines. It was chilling and the tension was slowly building, up to a rather satisfying and fitting ending. I am hoping to hear more from the author, I certainly enjoyed her debut novel, despite my current thriller fatigue.

I listened to the audio version of this book narrated by Barrie Kreinik and Erin Mallon. The funny thing is that I thought it was the same person voicing both Alice and Lucy. But, I noticed when the audiobook has started only Barrie Kreinik is listed as a narrator. So, no wonder I thought that it was one person. It didn't help that they voiced was very similar, only with Alice voice being softer. Anyway, that's beside the point, the narrators did a good job with this book. Part of the charm of this book was how easy the book was to listen to.

Nevertheless, I found myself having trouble connecting with the characters. I didn't think they were fleshed out enough to make me care for them. Sure, we get background events on both Alice and Lucy, but I found myself thinking after I finished the book that I couldn't see them before my eyes while I listened to the book. Frankly, all the characters felt a bit flat to me. The same thing could I say about Tangier. Because of the lack of connection with the characters and not feeling the atmosphere of Tangier couldn't I completely be engrossed in the story.

However, there was something about the story that made me continue listening, a need to know what really happened when Alice and Lucy went to school and what would happen next. I may not be totally engrossed in the story, but I was curious to know more all the way through the book. I can't say that the book surprised me, but the last part, when you realize where everything is going is quite good.

Tangerine is a so-so so book. I kind of liked the book, but I never really found myself completely enjoying the book. Perhaps if the characters had been more fleshed out and if the city had been better described in a way that I have felt transported to it had the book worked better.

This is an atmospheric novel with 50s film noir and Douglas Sirk qualities. There is melodrama, mistaken identities and furtive relationships, and of course murder, all set within the beautiful backdrop of Tangiers. Though the story may not be the most original, it is well written and a would make great beach reading.

I was drawn to this book by the glamorous cover and the promise of a psychological thriller set in the 1950s in sweltering Tangier. Two women, previously room-mates in an exclusive Vermont college, meet in the Moroccan city. They haven't been in contact since an incident at college drove them apart and this is the story of that incident and the aftershocks that reverberate even in their reunion in northern Africa. Alice is now married and living in Tangier when Lucy becomes her slightly unwelcome visitor.

I liked the fact that the two women narrate alternate chapters, although I thought that the narration was uneven - one of them was much more sympathetic to the reader from the start and I kind of guessed where it was all going early on. However, this didn't stop me wanting to read on as it's engaging and tense and I wanted to see where it all ended.

Overall, I don't think this is a classic, although the sultry and historical made it a cut above the usual thriller in terms of novelty. It's a well written novel which will make a beautiful and atmospheric film (I think the film rights have already been snapped up), but it probably isn't going to stay with you forever.

From the gorgeous cover to the last words this is the ultimate book heaven! The frequent comparisons to the works of Daphne Du Maurie and Patricia Highsmith are totally justified, although Tangerine can hold its own.
Beautifully written, atmospheric, with realistic well-drawn out characters... I just didn't want this book to end. I could feel, hear, see, taste Tangier, almost as I was there; I became totally captivated by both main characters and engrossed in their relationship; until the very last page I was guessing the outcome. I can't stop thinking about it. This book was a real treat for me and I can't wait to read more from this brilliant author.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I almost couldn't put Tangerine down, it was so absorbing. The setting of Tangier in the 1950's was so fabulously described, I felt I was there, surrounded by the colours, smells and tastes of Morocco. The characters were very well drawn; complex and colourful. The relationships were all very interesting with lots of deceit and betraying going on. I thoroughly recommend it and can't wait to see the promised film.

Superficially, this is a story set in a beautifully evoked 1950’s Tangiers about a fragile woman in an unhappy marriage, and the old school friend who comes to visit her.
But there is so much more, something happened causing them to leave the school, and they haven’t met since. Each is not being truthful with the other. There is Alice’s husband, whose work is very mysterious, and a Moroccan man, called Youssef, who seems to have his own agenda. And Alice’s aunt, her guardian, who just wants a quiet life.

The story is narrated alternately by Alice, and Lucy, and it is very unsettling as the level of duplicity becomes more and more clear.

It is a chilling psychological tale, rightly compared with Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley books, and there certainly isn’t a jolly conclusion, but it certainly is compulsive reading, and I await Christine’s next book with interest.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the opportunity to read this book.

This novel traces the lives of Lucy and Alice, firstly through their school years and then when they meet up again years later in Tangiers. In between Alice suffers the dreadful loss of her boyfriend in a road accident - something for which she blames Lucy. So Lucy turning up, unannounced, on her doorstep in Tangiers is an unwelcome shock. The story gets darker and darker as Lucy's love for Alice threatens Lucy's marriage and indeed her sanity.
I failed to really engage with this novel as, at times, the plot became just too unbelievable and the ending, frankly, left me confused. But I am just one reader and maybe thousands out there shall really enjoy it.

This was excellent! In the blurb it said this was for fans of Daphne du Maurier and Patricia Highsmith. And this turned out, happily to be exactly right. A story in an evocative setting, this psychological thriller did not disappoint. A tale of obsession, paranoia, insanity and deception, where you fear for one of the characters and marvel at the sheer creepiness of the other. A tale of a toxic and unhealthy friendship if ever there was one. Recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was quite excited about this book having heard that George Clooney had optioned it for a movie starring Scarlett Johansson. I suspect that it will do very well as a movie, and as a book also, but the story was not for me.

I found the writing quite description heavy with little meaningful action. It is set in Tangier, Morocco where Alice Shipley is living with her new husband John. One day Lucy Mason turns up at her house. Alice and Lucy used to be best friends at Bennington school in the States until a horrific accident.

The story is told from the alternating viewpoints of Alice and Lucy as we learn more about their friendship at school and events leading up to ‘the accident’. Lucy is outgoing and confident whereas Alice is quite reclusive and hasn’t settled into life in Morocco or marriage. At first it seems like Lucy will help Alice but then things takes various strange and sinister turns.

I found all the characters quite one dimensional with little known about the true background of most with the exception of Alice. But even then you were not certain if her account was true. This book is a good example of unreliable narrators.

Tangier was described in a lot of detail, more so than the characters, which I found distracting as I would have liked more on the characters than the location. There were also times when I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening and why some characters behaved in certain ways.

So not a book for me but I would see the movie if it is ever made as I think it would be an opportunity for great cinematography and fleshing out of the characters on screen. Also some more clarity of events that I was slightly baffled about in the book.

With thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group Limited for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Recently married to husband John, Alice is not quite as enamoured of the heat and dust of Tangiers. Living as a virtual recluse their relationship slowly begins to break down. Enter former college friend Lucy, dynamic, adventurous, everything that Alice isn’t. So, why is she here, what does she want?

In alternating chapters the story of Alice and Lucy’s friendship and their college life slowly seeps out.

It is a friendship marked by tragedy, and suspicion and one I absolutely loved.

The characters are so well realised. Raised by an Aunt after the death of her parents, Alice is the quiet, more contemplative of the two, prone to ‘episodes’ or what we would nowadays term as depression.

Lucy is the complete opposite, from a background where money was scarce, she is outgoing, manipulative and full of contradictions.

Theirs is a friendship that perhaps wouldn’t have existed outside a college environment so different are their backgrounds. It is this difference and their differing characteristics that Mangan has used so brilliantly. You can sense Lucy’s jealously, her possessiveness, her determination to get what she wants at all cost. She cleverly works out how people tick, how to discover their weaknesses and use it to her advantage. In some ways I admired her cunning and manipulative mind yet disliked her at the same time.

I couldn’t help but feel huge sorrow for Alice, such a lovely young woman, so clearly misunderstood and a victim of circumstance. I wanted to shout at those around her, and could feel her desperation, so good is Mangan’s writing.

The other main character in the novel is the setting. You could feel the oppressive heat and dust of Tangiers emanate from the pages. The bustle and busyness of the markets added to the unwavering tension rippling throughout. The local characters add an extra and welcome dimension.

The psychological aspects of the novel are superb, and the twist and turns Mangan weaves complex, and I never knew quite what was going to happen next. The tension and the drama never wavers and i was quite exhausted when I eventually finished.

It is a taut, tension filled read that I absolutely loved. It will be interesting to see how George Clooney transfers the story to the big screen with Scarlett Johansson as one of the stars!

Thank you to Little Brown and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review