I really enjoyed the domestic noir side of this book but the spy element went over my head slightly - I am still a bit confused about who was spying on who and why! It was certainly an entertaining read and it kept me hooked but some of the events that happened throughout made me question the ending. The story is told over several time periods and I found the earlier times more enjoyable and believable than the present day.

Holly has always wanted to be a spy and even got to interview with the MI5, years after rejection she finds herself having to use her old skills on someone she thought she could trust…

I really enjoy thrillers that jump between timelines to slowly reveal information to the reader as you go along. That along with a fascination of spies and I thought I Spy would be the perfect thriller for me. Unfortunately, jumping between past and present only really works if you know what’s going on in one of the timelines and additional, important information is then revealed in the other one. I Spy gets rid of that convention by making both timelines confusing and vague which means you can’t properly get invested in the plot or characters. I must admit after finishing the book although I feel like I got a good impression of Helen/Holly’s abusive marriage to Zac, I didn’t understand any of the actual spy plotline, why anyone was interested in her or her husband, what they were trying to achieve or ultimately the outcome of the events that unfolded. The story should have been straight forward but just ended up jumbled and confused from the start with a convoluted ending which felt unrealistic without proper resolution.

It didn’t help that in telling the story in garbled timelines and long flashbacks I never actually felt like we got to know the main character. Although some of the domestic abuse parts of the book I found difficult to read I never really felt sympathy for Helen/Holly and I felt like I never got to know or like any of the other characters introduced either. I must admit I felt like I was just ploughing through it in the end to get it finished without enjoying it or really understanding what was going on.

Overall I Spy has a jumbled mess of a plot without strong or interesting characters to hold interest – this read wasn’t for me I’m afraid. Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins UK – Harper Fictions for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

an uncomfortable read that hit several nerves about domestic abuse and how one person tries to take over another person life...not letting them have friends or a life, total control

but then there is the other story of a failed interview at mi5 and how she is asked to spy on someone close to her and where that leads...

i found this quite confusing but the home front was believeable and even though the story had a conclusion i still cant get my head around the spy stuff...but hey ho it was a well written story and it makes for an uncomfortable read and thats what its all about

This is a well written psychological thriller with all the twist and urns you could wish for. It is well constructed with a non-linear timeline which helps with some complex story lines.
Highly recommended.

When Holly Lawrence attends her interview to achieve her ambition to become a spy she is thwarted by one of her answers to a question she had been asked, she reasoned. It has shocked her and has thrown her decisiveness. She is unsure whether to give a bold or a conservative answer. She makes her uncertain choice but she knows straight away that she would not meet the criteria. She blames this fact solely when she is told she has been unsuccessful.
Years later Holly is in an abusive relationship and knows she must flee her marital home. She tries to imagine what she must do to remain undetected by her determined and obsessed husband. She has moved away with everything to hide her all prearranged and is now living and working under an assumed name. She lives a lonely life fearing she will be discovered in hiding and with dire consequences. She avoids friendships and relationships and is deeply depressed. Everything changes when a mother with her poorly two-year-old child walks in through the doors of the hospital where she works. She is full of empathy for this woman and allows herself to become involved. She could have been this woman in every way and she is determined that history shouldn’t be repeated. Her empathy and caring nature has made her drop guard and now Holly will have to go on the run once more.
I couldn’t resist the temptation to read this novel, having read and reviewed ‘The Book of You’, Claire’s brilliant debut novel and one of my all-time favourite reads. ‘I Spy’ is beautifully written with an intriguing storyboard. Indeed there is much to admire in this ‘Spy Thriller’ novel, with lots of evidence of mind games and criminality. I really liked the blurb but in actual fact, as I was reading the story, I did find tracing the various threads in the story quite a challenge. This was partly because there were way too many time changes but also because of the large amount of characters, many of which had little bearing on the main story about Holly. I also thought the story was too long and unevenly paced but I did think at times it was very creative and absorbing. The final few chapters were inspirational, and I really liked how Claire Kendal kept Holly true to herself, despite everything that she had been through. This puts me in somewhat of a quandary about rating the novel as a whole. I have thought about it long and hard.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher HaperCollins through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. It’s a very good read at times but my 3.5* review takes into account the reasons why it has not got a higher rating from me. It’s certainly still worth a read.

A spy thriller with a difference. The changing timelines made it difficult to follow at times but a compelling story line. A slow start but things did improve and the conclusion was unexpected.

Really interesting take on a spy novel. This thriller rattled along building tension beautifully with its split timeline. Really complex characters and great plotting. Love, betrayal, friendship and suspicion keep you reading. Really wasn’t expecting the ending.

I am really struggling with this book. I am finding it very slow and I am not able to get into the story or characters at all, which is making it hard for me to want to read it.

Thank you for the copy of the book to read but it is not for me unfortunately.

Holly has always wanted to be a spy but she fails the M15 entrance test .The story is told in two timelines which at first I found quite confusing and I did struggle with it a bit . The story is about spying ,being spied upon ,love and hate .I really enjoyed the ending which had plenty of twists and turns .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my preview copy in return for an honest review .

To be honest I struggled to get into this book, read her other book second disinter and really enjoyed it and so not sure why I struggled with this one? Maybe it was the spy storyline? I’m not sure but I couldn’t gel with any of the characters and though I did finish it I wasn’t too impressed. Sorry!

A well written psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns. An engrossing storyline which means this is definitely a book worth reading.

Having read and enjoyed 'The Second Sister', I was keen to read this nove. It didn't disappoint.

There is a plethora of intriguing characters centred around Holly, who early on in the book fails to make the grade as spy: Or does she?

It took me a while to get used to the clunky use of the dual time frame.

It is difficult to say too much about the plot without spoiling the story. Suffice to say that the book deals with some pithy relationship issues

There are some tense scenes in this complex psychological thriller.
Plenty of twists and turns before the real truth is revealed.

I enjoyed the book and will continue to look out for future books by Claire Kendal.

I give my thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for a copy in exchange for this review.

I really enjoyed I Spy, it was different to other thrillers I’ve read and kept me intrigued! Twisted and had me on edge the entire time I was reading.

This would be a five star review but I found the ending disappointing and made very little sense.

I was so excited to get this book, and tried to start it immediately but just couldn’t get into it, eventually I did. I couldn’t give 5 stars, because the beginning just sort of left me not wanting to delve further, but when I finally made myself I did enjoy, so I would give a solid 4 stars! I think it’s written in that style I Kendal seems to use, and it’s a good one to utilize with thrillers. Very chilling, thrilling, and shocking, after the initial few chapters.
Will recommend to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!

Darkly chilling and thoroughly enjoyable, I Spy is another hit for Claire Kendal! In I Spy we meet Holly, a woman on a mission to become a secret agent who falls at the final hurdle. The story is told through interweaving narrative of before and after, and it's never really clear just where the plot is going... in all the best ways. My heart was in my throat in the final chapters, a must-read psychological thriller this summer.

Enjoyable domestic thriller that makes you turn the pages fast. I liked the twists and the pace. Good fun!
Thanks a lot Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, interesting characters and plot. I will recommend for our book club, lots to discuss. I shall look for more books by this author.

Unfortunately I didn't connect with this book which is disappointing as I usually enjoy this authors work. I found the plot to be very confusing as well as too slow paced so will not be putting on my book club list.

I thought that this was a very slow read. Parts of the story are good but other parts are not believable. I didn’t really like any of the characters which made it hard to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I Spy is a cleverly twisted two pronged tale, with an intriguing premise and some engaging characters.

Holly is hiding from the world, a failed attempt at espionage haunting her. Told in past and present we discover what happened to Holly, why a chance encounter with a child sets her on a dangerous path and who may be watching her every move…

There are some terrifically unexpected elements to this story, keeping you turning the pages. It is a kind of domestic noir/spy thriller hybrid written with a very human touch and completely riveting throughout.

Overall a really great read with a pitch perfect ending.

Recommended.