3.5 stars rounded up
This is such a hard review to write as the book was basically soured for me quite early on as I pretty much guessed the whole thing. Sadly for me I was 100% right in my workings out so there was literally no suspense or shocks left to be had which made the whole thing a bit flat for me. That said, I can hardly blame the author for my guessing as it's probably my own fault as I do read north of 250 crime thriller books per year and I've pretty much developed a sixth sense for guessing. I did read on though as I have been wrong before, sometimes spectacularly so, but it became more and more evident along the way that there could be no other outcome. It was like I was reading a book with hindsight already in place which made it easy to pick up all the usually well obscured clues that were interspersed throughout.
Anyway... So Eliana is heavily pregnant with her first child and one day, she receives a note hinting that husband Martin is playing away. Already hormonal and wracked with doubts on her feelings about motherhood, it's really not what Eliana needs at this time. Especially when it become evident that the person sending this correspondence knows a lot about both Martin's movements and their life in general.
Meanwhile we also hear from another character who is desperate for their own baby having suffered loss after loss. How far will they go to get what they need and what has this to do with Eliana?
Taking the guessing bit out of the equation for a moment and sticking to the basic elements of the book. Characterisation was good. It's hard to give examples without spoilers but all the characters were well drawn and acted according to their role in the story. Plotting was good and the shocks and twists would have come at just the right times to have impact had I not been expecting them. Pacing was also good, assisted by short punchy chapters, and the book was balanced overall.
One of the best things about the book was the description of Eliana's job in the hospice and the compassion she shows to the dying and their relatives.
I've already read and loved the author's previous book Her Name Was Rose, so the flatness I felt with this book would definitely not put me off reading more from her in the future. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

If you are a fan of a good old-fashioned crime thriller then Apple of My Eye needs to be added to your "Must Read" list for 2019. This is a wonder of a book, and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every chapter. I had to stop myself from continuing to read it into the early hours of the morning on that first night... it was finished by the second.
The story feeds of what some people would say are their biggest fears, losing family, marital problems etc. I was left guessing on multiple occasions what I would do in their shoes. From the get go we are also shown the impact of these severe personal problems on a persons mental health, which leads to quite a dark storyline.
With excellent viewpoint characters and a wonderfully immersive storyline, I will certainly be recommending it.

The premise gave me chills and psychological thriller is definitely the right category for this! I was on a wild rollercoaster from page 1 and it didn't stop until the very end. Pleasantly surprised!!

I am grateful to Netgalley for my ecopy of this novel.

If you like a chilling psychological thriller rather than a police crime thriller or one that depends on violence to move the plot on, then I think you will love this.

It didn't grab me at the beginning as I couldn't really take to Eliana nor the character behind the second narrative,Louise but about a third of the way in it really picked up pace, and then some; I was hooked.

It's a very cunning, imaginative plot which keeps you guessing until it's very satisfactory ending.

A real page turner. Plenty of twists and turns had me gripped from the getgo but I worked out who was terrifying her. I liked the characters and it was very well written. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the publisher for the chance to review it.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

Eliana is a hospice nurse and 7 months pregnant with her first child. She receives a mysterious note and begins to mistrust everyone including her husband and best friend. That is where the problem with this book began for me. Would you really become so paranoid about your previously very happy marriage on the basis of one note? I know pregnancy hormones can make us crazy but I had trouble believing this.

Secondly about half way through the book I had worked out who the culprit was and my interest began to wain. It is still a solid read but not a great read.

Poor Eli! She's having a miserable pregnancy, which is bad enough, but then someone starts sending notes claiming that her husband Martin is cheating on her! Not the time for this. Seriously. Who is Louise? Hmmmmm. Eli luckily has her mother Angela to rely upon but should she? No spoilers! This is nicely plotted- it's twisty but never goes over the top. You'll feel for Eli, that's for sure. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. This is a real page turner.

For the most part, this was an enjoyable read. There were twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout. Definitely didn’t see the ending coming. I don’t know how I missed that one!

Eliana is 7 months pregnant and suffering from hyperemesis, so is also suffering doubts relating to her pregnancy. She is concerned because after all she should be blooming and suffused with love for her unborn baby. Instead she is worried about bonding with the child and her only relief is at work at the hospice where she is a nurse. Here she feels useful and strong – she is great at her job - tending to those nearing the end of their lives.

Her husband, Martin, has a successful architecture practice which provides them with a beautiful home, but means that he is often away on business – but their marriage is solid. Until, she starts receiving mysterious messages implying that he is cheating on her but at least she can rely on her mother to support her.

Running in tandem with this, we have Louise’s narrative. Poor Louise was happily married but a series of miscarriages and then a still birth has left her traumatised and her marriage flounders and she determines on a plan of action. She stalks a pregnant woman, following her and her husband and sets her plan in motion to kidnap the baby.

Claire Allan has given us a brilliant psychological drama with a dual plot line Eliana’s point of view, her mother’s POV and finally Louise’s POV. A taut thriller that kept me reading far longer than I should have – through the night. Didn’t want to (couldn’t) put it down but, here’s the thing, I did not guess the fantastic twist.

Thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

A gripping psychological thriller deserving of the genre. Really well written between three characters. It comes together beautifully with some great twists. A fantastic read.

Excellent book! I really enjoyed this one. Eli is expecting her first baby and doesn't seem quite as excited and happy as she should be. She is seemingly happily married to Martin, however, someone wants to drive a wedge between them and advises Eli that he is lying to her. Eli's job as a hospice nurse is rewarding yet extremely stressful and her private life begins causing problems at her work. Unsettled by events, and by her ambivalent feelings towards her pregnancy, Eli turns to her mother for comfort and help.
This book is quite dark and there are a few twists that I definitely didn't see coming. I do love stories about dysfunctional families and twisted characters! I would highly recommend this book as well as Her Name was Rose by the same author.

Absolutely loved this book. Really had me guessing. And just when you thought you'd it figured oit, along comes a twist.
This is the second book by Claire and though I loved her first book, this surpassed it. Will be waiting with bated breath for Claire's next release.

And thanks to Netgally for the ARC

Tense chilling could not put down really enjoyed this well written thriller. Eliana Hughes seven months pregnant starts receiving mysterious notes ,notes that will turn her world upside down.Scared doubting everything including her husband Martin .Eerie chilling grab this book.#netgalley #avonbooksuk

#Aople of my eye# Netgalley
I read this book in one sitting, I became so engrossed I completely lost track of time. I was hooked from the first chapter, When Ellana started getting those notes. It was about 85% through the book, when it became clear who was responsible. It’s full of twists turns and unexpected events. I definitely would recommend this book.

Apple of My Eye kept me on edge for the entire book although I did find the storyline predictable it's still a great read and would recommend. Thank you for the chance to read.

This book was easy to read. I was interested in the story and wanted to see how things turned out despite realising about halfway through. A good psychological thriller.

Apple Of My Eye is the second book I’ve read by Claire Allan and this doesn’t disappoint at all. This psychological thriller with great writing and characters had me devouring this in a day.
Eliana is seven months pregnant and is suffering from extreme sickness all the time. She is a nurse helping people who are terminally ill and this in itself is a stressful job. Eli receives a note at work informing her that her husband is having an affair. Luckily her mum comes and takes her back to her house and tries to get Eli well again and sort through her marriage. I did see what was coming fairly early on but this did not deter my enjoyment of this very dark but hugely addictive read.
I would highly recommend this if you are into thrillers with a twist.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I had shivers down my spine in places. I liked the writing style and the characters. I guessed about half way through what was happening but that did not spoil my enjoyment of the book at all.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I enjoyed this book it moved along at a good pace. I did work out what was going on about halfway through but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. I would definitely recommend.

The book had a fabulous blurb which grabbed my eyeballs and tweaked my interest... Mysterious notes in pregnancy about the husband and his deception.

My second book by Claire Allen had me pretty excited. The main story started with a hand-written note delivered to the desk of the main character Eli which acted as an accelerant in the destruction of trust. After the Christmas Reads of cozy books, this made me rub my hands in glee and cackle with wicked laughter. And yes, I needed that kind of debauchery to keep my literary heart beating in time. Lub-dub Lub-dub, my pulse raced.

The three POVs, main character, mother, and a stranger, made me scramble around gathering clues and trying to make them all fit. Till I had the A-HA moment, wherein I could guess the path of the story. It was my time to scream Eureka, and I found myself right at the mid-point of the book. Sheesh!! It was just too soon!! The suspense was not maintained till the end of the book.

The pages soon proved me right, and I realized I should have screamed Deja-vu instead. My niggles came at me loud and strong, the main character distrusts her husband strongly but no reason shown other than pregnancy hormones. The whole story had been done before many times. It was quite obvious and formulaic.

Overall, a good morning spent in the book proving my theory right.