Just as in Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca, which inspired this book, the opening line grabs the attention! "Last night Rebekah tried to murder me again."

There is a passionate affair between the unnamed soon-to-be second Mrs Winter and Max when they meet in Cayman islands, where she is a boat-hand and he a rich, successful  politician who charters boats for daytrips.  Our protagonist is flattered that Max seems to gave fallen so quickly and deeply in love with her but it all changes when they return to his Long Island home, Asherley. He is rarely home, leaving her to deal with the servants and his teenage daughter Dani while also planning their wedding. Dani, who Max somehow neglected to mention before, is a bit of a wild child and not happy that her father has brought home another woman who, in her eyes anyway, is to replace her mother, Rebekah.

If you know the original story, this is a gripping novel as you read with delicious anticipation of what's going to happen. If you haven't, this will read brilliantly as a psychological thriller anyway. All the elements of the original story are present with a few twists such as the housekeeper character Mrs Danvers transformed into Max's daughter Dani. Because of the twists and updates, the story may not go exactly as you expect if you are familiar with Rebecca...

The Winters is as tense and atmospheric as Rebecca, which transfers so well into modern day East Coast America. Lisa Gabriele brings the classic tale bang up to date. The presence of the deceased Rebecca looms just as ominously as she does in du Maurier's classic novel. A deliciously dark and brooding novel to curl up with on these darker Autumn evenings.

I found this an OK read, but, not a patch on the original.

It's got a different premise and is sufficiently well written to maintain momentum, it just didn't hold my interest.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to preview.

"Last night Rebekah tried to murder me again. It had been awhile since I'd had that dream, not since we left Asherley..."

I was very grateful to have been given an advance reader copy of The Winters, which is clearly based on Daphne du Maurier's classic novel Rebecca, which also happens to be my all-time favourite novel. The publicity for this book says it is "inspired by" Rebecca, but it would be more accurate to say that it is a modern version of the original.

We still have Max, Rebekah, Dani (though here she takes a different form to the "Danny", or Mrs Danvers of the original book), Manderley is back here as Asherley (though now on Long Island) and there are several key plot points copied over from the original.

This is a book that I can see someone enjoying if they have never read Rebecca or it's predecessor, Jane Eyre. The original has far more suspense, even though less happens. I'm just not sure why this update was necessary. Had the tale been told here from a different perspective, then that might have added something but for me, I would only recommend it to people who haven't read the original and who don't plan to do so.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK and Lisa Gabriele for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book - just could not get enough! It was so beautifully written and at times I felt like I was actually there in the Hamptons with the characters. With a cast of characters all hiding secrets from each other it was hard to know how was to be trusted. And I had it all wrong in the end - which was fantastic!

The story of an orphaned girl whose only life is work. She meets the rich senator Max Winter who whisks her away to his secluded mansion in the Hamptons to become the second Mrs Winters and step mother to his teenage daughter Dani. The house is a shrine to his first wife, the deceased Rebekah. Dani is completely devoted to her mother and makes life tough for her new mum. The longer she is there the more secrets are unveiled -and she begins to fear for her life. The ending of this book is one shock after another - brilliant!!!

Many thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

This is a modern retelling of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. The book follows the well known narrative of a rich man - in this case Max Winter - a wealthy, American senator with a fabulous house on an island in Long Island and his marriage to an orphaned upper middle class plain jane - in this case a boat hand and girl friday in the Cayman islands. Dani is no longer a housekeeper but Max and Rebecca's capricious adopted teenage daughter who seeks to cause trouble for the un-named protagonist. All overshadowed by Rebecca's dominating personality from beyond the grave. It you know the Rebecca story well you will recognise many of the elements and characters - although the narrative is changed a bit.

I didn't love this book and I'm not sure I would have finished it if I hadn't been given it for review. The dialogue and writing were quite lumpen and the story dragged out interminably - it was really dull in places, especially the mid section. However, it didn't require much in the way of concentration to read and so was easy in that respect but I didn't want to keep reading. It was no page turner. Workmanlike is the word to describe it I think. Okay but no prizes. If it's successful I predict a sequel.

Absolutely loved this book, have to admit to being a fan of Daphne Maurier.
It was light and dark and the tension built, Rebekah was never far away from the action.. Felt compelled to carry on reading right to the end almost without stopping, great way to pass a flight.

I feel that this would make a good film, highly recommended

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Vintage Digital/Harvill Secker London for giving me the opportunity to review The WINTERS. by Lisa Gabriele.
As soon as I saw the cover of The Winters and realised it was inspired by Daphne du Mauriers, Rebecca, I knew I wanted to read it, and I wasn't disappointed. A young woman who lives a rather unattached life with no idea of what her future holds meets a widowed senator who sweeps her off her feet to a life she could have only dreamed of. Of course, if something seems to good to be true it usually is, and Asherley House, Max's home, and everything he offers her is no exception. Asherley is the setting for a beautifully written thriller that I couldn't put down. There is an abundance of secrets about the house and the family, and this haunting and sharply observed thriller will keep you spellbound until the very end.

I enjoyed this book which is based on DuMaurier's Rebecca. I thought the book captured the reader in its first sentence but then almost left us hanging before really taking up the thrill / chill again. I loved the characterisation and especially that of Dani. The latter half of the book was great, pacy read with lots of questions for the reader to raise. I didn't see the way it was going and I thought the author brought the threads together really well. A little more pace at the beginning and this would easily have been a 4 star read

Good spin on an old story. Suspense with a love story. Great holiday read. Will be looking out for more books by Lisa Gabriele .

I am well disposed to spin-offs or stories inspired by others. Done well, they allow us to spend more time with characters to whom we have grown attached or to explore what happened to them before (Death Comes to Pemberley) or after (Wide Sargasso Sea) the original story. So my interest was piqued by The Winters although I had not read Rebecca. I soon rectified that. A great read; I now intend reading more of Daphne du Maurier’s work. (An aside: the trip by car to London in hot weather reminded me of the fateful afternoon in the city in The Great Gatsby: stifling, claustrophobic.)
The Winters uses Rebecca as inspiration rather than delving back into its world directly. There is a middle-aged wealthy man whose wife has died, an unworldly young woman and a magnificent mansion. It borrows character elements and incidents. But it is very much its own story too. Set in the present day in the US, it is of our time. The unnamed protagonist is able to use the internet to fill in some – but not all – of the gaps about her new family.
I’m glad I read Rebecca before this; it was fun making comparisons and seeing the clever adaptations. But this is good enough to be read in isolation. I’m happy to use clichés: it’s a page-turner, I couldn’t put it down, I thought about the characters when I was doing other things. It held my attention from the first page to the last, and the resolution was not a foregone conclusion. I look forward to reading more from Lisa Gabriele.

Great read. Not my usual genre but I was gripped throughout. I will definitely look out for more from this author and will be recommending to others.

A really capturing and well written book. Surprising with many twists and turns that kept me guessing. Really enjoyable.

A modern day psychological thriller that is inspired by the classic novel, Rebecca. I have to admit that I have never read the original so I went into this book not knowing what the story was going to be.

A poor woman surviving on the Cayman Islands is whisked off her feet by the rich and handsome, Max. After a whirlwind romance Max proposes and the woman returns with him to his grand home, Asherley.

Reality then hits when they are greeted by Max’s daughter, Dani, who is not happy about the new guest at the family home. She is not happy about the impending marriage and seems to want to do all she can to stop the proceedings. The home is also very much steeped in the memories of Max’s first wife, Rebekah. Her presence is felt throughout the house !!

The book is steeped in family secrets, lies and betrayals. Not everything is as it seems and will the soon to be Mrs Winters find out the real truth before it’s too late. This really is quite a page turner towards the end of the book when the secrets are finally starting to be unearthed.

Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Wow I reallly enjoyed this book, it was well written with twist and turns that just keeps you guessing all the way through. At first I didn’t think I was going to enjoy this book, what a shock I had. Once I started it I didn’t want to put it down. Highly recommend
The winters................. must read

Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing, Netgalley and Lisa Gabriele for the chance to read and review this book.

I love Daphne Du Maurier’s classic novel Rebecca and am not ashamed to say that along with the exciting synopsis, that is why I wanted to read this book. Then, while it was in my tbr pile it was named NetGalley’s book of the month for October. I was itching to read this novel and when I finally began I was full of anticipation and eagerness that was instantly sated. The opening line was superb and the opening chapter had me intrigued and desperate to learn more about how Asherley was lost and what tragedies occurred.

When the young woman meets Max she is working for a boat charter company on the Cayman Islands, where she was raised. She isn’t looking for or expecting romance but is instantly attracted to Max, though she is certain that a man like him could have no interest in a woman like her. But she is wrong. In the space of an intense, passion filled month they fall madly in love and he asks for her hand in marriage and asks her to return with him to his home at Asherley. She accepts and leaves her life behind to start anew on Winter Island.

The young woman is beseeched by a constant feeling of not being good enough - for Max or to live in a place like Asherley. She compares herself to the late Rebekah physically and in everything she does, which does nothing to ease her feelings of inadequacy. Things are not helped by Max’s 15-year-old daughter Dani who is against the relationship from the start and takes the phrase “difficult teenager” to a whole new level. Having a blended family with two teenagers myself I did recognise some of Dani’s behaviour, such as their tumultuous relationship, as typical and know how hard it can be. But Dani being so spoiled and so viciously vindictive made it especially difficult for this family to learn to live together.

As the wedding day approaches Dani seems to warm to her stepmother-to-be and even confides her secret memories of the night her mother died. This takes the young woman on a perilous journey deeper into the family’s dark and deeply buried secrets and leads us to the dramatic and sensational conclusion that had me on the edge of my seat and unable to stop reading until the book was finished. There was one mystery of the book that remains unsolved after the conclusion - the name of our protagonist. It is hinted at being unusual and difficult to pronounce but is never revealed to the reader.


This was a breathtaking, beautifully written novel that was a wonderful combination of romance, mystery and tension. It turns the wicked stepmother cliché on its head and rips it to pieces while you watch in astonishment. An incredible story that haunt you long after reading.

I was both intrigued and a little apprehensive when I read the description of this book. Did I want/need to read a Daphne du Maurier "Rebecca" meets Agatha Christie story? I decided yes I did, and was not disappointed. The story is akin to Rebecca but brought up to rich American east coast 21st century standards. The heroine, never actually named other than Mrs Winters, was a tough kid from a rough family working on the boats of a tourist company. in the Caymans. Met the hero who came for a break, widowed, very rich. They fell for each other, he proposed, she accepted and off to Manderley aka Asherley. Here we meet the 15 year old completely spoilt daughter (adopted) who was apparently a typical uber high/uber low teenager, can't forget her mother or her tragic death, hates "step monster" and so on. Other household staff members and the odd relative who are not all they seem. Plots thicken - is the daughter as mad as Daddy makes out, is he all he seems, what did happen to wife number 1, what or who is Gus after? Wife number 2 was definitely on a steep learning curve. Although a predictable and previously somewhat worked plot the writing was such as to engage the reader and immerse them in the story from the start. Lots of excellent descriptions of people and places so I felt that I was walking through the house with the Winters and empathised with the characters. They had real feelings and, at times, behaved rather badly but were believable. A neat ending with just a soupcon of is 'it really over?' Definitely a good read for a winter's evening in front of a log fire. I'll still return to "Rebecca" again again, but could well re-read this one too. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me a free pre-publication copy in return for an honest, albeit subjective, review.

A modern retelling of Rebecca, set in the Hamptons! I’m not sure whether du Maurier would consider it fun or be spinning in her grave. Personally, I thought it was marvellous and I would LOVE to see a televised serialisation.

I read this book over 2 days whilst reading on holiday, it made for easy reading however I found it somewhat predicable.. and at parts somewhat unbelievable, however a light fast beach read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc.

You can't improve on an original, even on a tedious overrated original and this took itself far too seriously. Lost interest very quickly but worth a try.

I very much enjoyed this book. I have always loved the Daphne Du Maurier books and this modern take on the Rebecca story was very good indeed. It was an escapist read, but with a plot to thrill. It was an unusual story and made for a very enjoyable read. I was pretty glued to it and that is a good sign.