Wow this.for kept me up all night as I needed to know what's going to happen.
It's hard to describe the story without revealing too many spoilers but I found the idea of linking past events to the present very successful and I look forward to reading more from the author

I received a free e copy of A Version of the Truth by B P Walter from NetGalley for my honest review.

I will be very honest in saying that this book was not for me. I could not finish this book. There were matters involving, rape, racism and strong sexual violence that I just could not handle.

I want to start by saying, that I really wanted to enjoy this book, the first few chapters had me gripped; it was dark and twisty which is usually my thing. But I found this storyline uncomfortably dark and twisty.

Firstly, I want to ask, why does this book not have any trigger warning? I felt uncomfortable, I fear thinking that someone who may have experiences close to themes in this book may be reading it. So please put a trigger warning on the 'thanks' pages! The storyline included themes, such as sexual violence in the form of gang rape as well as homophobic undertones. I feel if those sorts of comments had been minimalized that I may have enjoyed the book a little bit more, but not a lot!

You can tell that the author has an imaginative storytelling brain, maybe a bit of fine tuning is needed? The two main characters; Julianne and Sophie, who the storyline flits between (present and past 1991) feel quite two - dimensional; for example we don't really have the opportunity to build a reader and character relationship with Sophie on a personal level (I as a reader, really enjoy a character foundation being built). Due to this, I struggled to humanise the characters.

I requested this read due to the blurb given, and that it was labelled as adult general fiction, mystery and thriller. I am not sure if this read belongs within this category, although I'm really not sure what genre it would be placed into. The storyline was predictable and disappointing after the first few chapters. I don't think I would recommend this book, I did try so hard to like it but unfortunately this was not the read for me.

Yikes, that was powerful! I devoured this in a day. It’s horrifying (intentionally so), like a train wreck you can’t turn away. Where to start? The majority of the main characters are truly evil and entitled. The glimpse into their “normal” college existence was shocking (think Cruel Intentions on steroids). The lack of value placed on a human’s life (lives) was devastating.

The story alternates from two timeframes (college and present) and two narrators (Sophie and Julianne, both outsiders of sorts). The writing and transitions were flawless. There was suspense throughout as you wait for the shoe to drop and it does, not once, but twice. This was wicked and heartbreaking and mesmerizing. If you have the stomach for it, I strongly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Avon Books UK for a copy in exchange for a review.

When Julianne's son comes to her with a secret so devastating it threatens to destroy everything and everyone she loves, she tries to come up with an alternative explanation. But the information on the family's computer, put there by her husband, is indisputable. As she attempts to move on and accept her husband's reasoning, Julianne finds that it's not so easy to bury the past. Events from her college years and the present will collide and truths will be told, but who will be left standing?

Recommended!

I have mixed feelings about this book and it's difficult to review without revealing spoilers. The story alternates between 1990 and 2019 and is told from Sophie and Julianne's points of view. It is a dark and twisted story which has a promising start but did not fully deliver! I didn't particularly like any of the characters. They were quite stereotypical and I just did not warm to any of them. I have got to say that the writing was good for a debut novel but I just expected more from the story. However after saying all of this it wouldn't put me off reading other books by this author. Special thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Netgalley for a copy of this book.
This was a disturbing read...I believe it is an important topic in many ways, however I felt it was extremely explicit amd could be quite triggering for some.
I will say it was very well written..I enjoyed the idea of the story but it was a little to much at times.
That being said I would like to see what this author comes up with next.

This is not what I expected.I believed it would be a law and order type book.Instead,it was a study in the behavior of students at Oxford University in England in the early 1990’s.My cousin,from America,went to Cambridge around that time.He told me that the elite British students treated Americans and lesser British students as crude.and stupid.These elite come from wealthy and influential families;they believe they can do no wrong,and are above the rules. I like the way the author identifies the speaker and the date in each chapter;it made it simple to follow,even though it went from the present to the past.Characters are described beautifully,I felt as if I knew each one intimately.I am not sure if B p Walter is a man or a woman,but whoever,”he” writes well.I look forward to the next one!

Disturbing. Ever since I read The Last Mrs Parrish I have been dabbling in books along the lines of that genre. This book just went too far past psychological thriller in terms of plot for me to thoroughly enjoy it. It’s definitely not a book for the faint of heart! Without giving too much away, be prepared to deal with sexually disturbing and violent themes throughout this book.

I tried and tried to like this book because I really hate giving negative reviews but I just couldn't herbivorous bokk. I keep coming back to it but it was very confusing to me. I had t keep going back as rereading

This book is horrifying. I haven't read any of the author's work before but this was more disturbing than I had thought possible.

The book follows Sophie in 1990 and Julianne in 2019. I really liked how the stories unfolded quite nicely, it didn't feel contrived at all, there's no flashbacks/timejumps. I always love parrallel stories so maybe i'm biased but I thought it worked really well. The sort of slowburn energy kept me hooked throughout the book. In certain areas, especially in the beginning, things happen that the audience doesn't understand the context of, and instead of being tense, I just felt confused. However, if you read it one go, like I did, it won't make much of a difference because you really will be hooked into the horror of this book.

I think what I really need to know before I started this though, was that there is very explicit content and it truly is horrifying. It is genuinely fucked up. Had I known that it was that kind of story, I might not have read this but that said, the story is gripping enough in a very sick way that I kept on reading.

A compelling story that gripped me from the beginning. The plot is dark and disturbing, as are some of the characters. Set against a background of wealth and privilege, contrasting sharply with the events taking place in the book. Lots of descriptive details bring the story and characters to life. I'd definitely recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an advanced read in exchange for this review.

It is 2019. Julianne is preparing dinner when her son shows her something suspicious on his iPad. It involves her husband. It makes her question her marriage and everyone involved.

In 1990, Sophie is a freshman. She makes friends with a group of older students and starts to fall for one. As the year progresses, she realizes that maybe this is not the best idea.

This book is told in the present and from the past. Julianne is trying to figure out what happened as the past answers that question for us. There's a lot of disturbing subject matter in the book that some may find triggring. It's just one of those books where every character is unlikable and I skimmed just to finish it. The potential was there, but it just didn't work for me.

I enjoyed the past and present elements of the novel.. There were no significant twists but there was a nice pace kept up throughout the book so it was enjoyable to see where it was going. A recommended read.

Where to start with the book? I absolutely ravished it! I really liked the alternating between 1990 and 2019 and although you soon enough guess the overlap between the two, I found the two different settings - and two different life stages - to be very interesting. I have to be very honest and make it clear that is a twisted book which touches on some incredibly dark topics that some readers will find difficult. Quite a few of the characters are simply pure evil and you will find yourself hating them with venom. My only criticism is that I think the ending was wrapped up far too quickly. I feel like another 100 pages would have done the world of good for the plot and gone into more detail about aspects that were glossed over. Overall, a fast-paced, well-written, controversial book that left me hungry for more.

Prior to starting A Version of the Truth, I read the reviews. Most of them stated what a weird book this was. Holy cow - the reviews were right. We go back and forth from 1990 to 2019. We have Sophie and Julieanne’s point of views. A clique of college students forms at Oxford in 1990. Ally, Peter, James and Ernest are all posh and preppy and they welcome mousey Sophie into their circle. Sophie is rather innocent and finds their world intimidating. Sophie crushes on James but then finds out he is dating Julieanne who is new to the circle. A strange love triangle forms. Fast forward to 2019 - James and one of the women form a family and James’s wife finds out a terrible secret. Such a wild, weird ride. I wanted to look away but I couldn’t. This would make a phenomenal movie.

I don’t honestly know how I feel about this book! The blurb really intrigued me and it started well, but after that...? I just don’t know! I wanted to like it and did persevere with it but there was much I didn’t like sadly.

I did enjoy this book but felt i was weird. I absolutely believed everything that was written to be true and was disgusted by it. When it was mentioned that the true people in the background didn’t ever get caught all I could think about was Harvey Weinstein. Just a well known name to throw to people to keep the true monsters hidden. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This book was readable - a good* option for someone wanting to pass the time at the beach, during a commute, or in bed with a cup of tea. It starts well, building intrigue and presenting what feel like interesting characters and an original storyline. The first few pages got me hooked and I couldn’t stop reading! But then.... then it all goes south - quickly.

The characters lose the multidimensionality they were beginning to develop, becoming stereotypical, overtly made-up, and cliche. I felt like I’d already encounter these characters and even some elements of this story in countless books before. The last two chapters in particular leave a lot to be desired. They feel extremely rushed and far-fetched.

In sum, this was novel that, for me, held promise but, sadly, ended up undelivering.

*I did not particularly enjoy the somewhat ‘depraved’ turn the story took and feel perhaps a warning should be given for victims of sexual abuse who may read some of what is written in this story and feel triggered/upset.

I didn't like this at all I'm afraid. I must have been a nun in a former life. FAR too much sex and sexual references, acts, etc. Part of the plot perhaps but the plot got lost in the bedsheets for me.

Nice mention of Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford and some literary references throughout the Oxford sections though!