Louise's review 

Sep 28, 2019  ·  edit


really liked it


** spoiler alert ** I'm eternally fascinated with true life locked in basement stories,so this book caught my eye (it's not true life)
In reality our main character has had three years to work on how to save her son,but we just see the last seven days.
It's beyond creepy the way her captors slides into her families life whilst she is missing.. 
I enjoyed the different timelines and how the kidnapping impacted on the whole family.
I really was racing to the end,and that caused a few winces along the way as they tried to escape.
Very addictive,total page turner.

Pulse racing, heart pounding my oh my what thrill of a ride this really is a magnificent read. Seven days that’s all Maggie has to save her son and from then on we are taken on a heartbreaking journey of just how all this came about. Going from past to present and different points of view this is a book you just can’t put down and it’s written superbly, not only the terrible situation Maggie finds herself after she is abducted but also just how her parents and brother deal with the loss of a daughter/ sister and the not knowing if she is dead or still alive somewhere.
The book is so damn addictive and so well crafted it was hard reading at times due to the subject matter but ohhhh I just loved it and what an ending !! so please don’t miss it it really is that fabulous and a definite 5 whopping big stars read and many many thanks to Alex Lake for the brilliant story.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Harper Collins Uk for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It's books like these that make me wish I had half star ratings! Seven Days isn't quite a five-star read. The writing style is prosaic, there is a bit of unnecessary repetition (we are told about an event that happened in the past, then shown the same event with barely any more additional detail), and the psychological impact on Maggie of the awful things that happen to her is glossed over (the book suffers in that respect from the obvious comparison to Room). However, it kept me reading and the end section genuinely set my heart racing as I wasn't sure how things were going to turn out. So I would recommend it – just don't expect the literary skill or depth of Room.

Seven Days is haunting. I completely lost myself within the plot and found myself terrified at times. What a scary experience and I was so worried for little Max.
Suspense is high throughout.
I particularly enjoyed the way the characters all have a voice and how we’re shown that their lives have changed since Maggies abduction.
Thrilling, chilling and a little bit scary. 4/5.

Oh this book was heart pounding and terrifying. An amazing suspense thriller. Highly recommend for fans of this particular genre

Wow.... this was one of those books which I had to stay up to read. Once begun I just wanted to know what the outcome would be. Yes it is similar to 'Room' but not the same. In this novel we hear so much about the family who miss their daughter and this gives the book a broader dimension. The characters were well portrayed and realistic, most of whom I really liked and could empathise with. I will definitely be reading more by Alex Lake in the future.
Just a note of warning, it is graphic and pretty gruesome in places, so not for the faint hearted or young. Great read.

This book was located in a village I knew well and I found myself fully engaged very quickly. It drew me in and I became addicted and found myself reading until late into the night. It was thought provoking once finished , wondering how I would have coped in Maggie's situation. Lots to discuss for a book club.

Wow this book is addictive and I haven't done much reading lately but this has definitely put me back on track.
The seven days refer to Maggie's son Max who is 3 in seven days and Maggie knows that on that day Max will be taken away from her. She was kidnapped 12 years ago and she knows 'The Man' will take Max away. We get to look back to her life locked away by this man and how she manages to survive in a windowless room and having to rely on her captor for everything. The family that was left when Maggie disappeared have tell their own stories and it is heartbreaking the way they have coped, (or not) and the life they are living still wondering what happened to Maggie.
This is in my opinion the best Alex Lake book so far and the writing grabs you and holds you there until the very last word.

I have read other books from this author and this one did not disappoint. I loved it. Five star recommendation.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Alex Lake for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

What a plot! I didn't want to keep reading, because the idea was so awful, but I just had to find out how the matter was resolved. I think I can sleep again, now that I know. Really good effort and well paced. I'll definitely read more from this author.

Maggie's little boy is three in seven days. In seven days he will be taken from her. She has seven days to stop it from happening again.

I raced through this book and loved the writing style.

I found the characters relate-able and I enjoyed seeing how each character was affected and coped (or didn't) by Maggie's disappearance.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
I have read other books by Alex Lake before and enjoyed reading them. I found Seven days totally engrossing and the storyline was absolutely terrifying. It was a book that you didn’t want to stop reading in case you lost the flow of the story. This was a really good read.
Highly recommended.

From the very first sentence, Seven Days is absolutely gripping. This book is so full of suspense, and beautifully written making you not want to put it down. The character development felt strong and the family dynamics after a horrific event is very well written, from the parents relationship to the siblings struggle; the book shifts seamlessly from past to present without any jarring lag of who the characters are. I felt Maggie's character was well written, you could feel all of her emotions as the books progresses. This is the first Alex Lake novel I have read, and going from this I will definitely read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the copy of the book to review.

I was totally relieved to get to the end of this book. Not because it wasn't good, it was! This had me tense the whole way through, worrying about the characters, what would happen next and sadness about the storyline. However, I will say it was an absolutely gripping, if traumatic, read!

‘Seven Days’ by Alex Lake suffers from the obvious comparison with ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue. Whilst the latter was a superbly written novel told in the voice of five year old Jack and exploring extraordinary depths of resilience and love, ‘Seven Days’ is a much more straightforward thriller as young mother Maggie counts down the days until the seemingly inevitable taking of her son Max on his third birthday by her captor, the ironically named Mr Best. Why is she so certain he will do so? Because that is what has happened to her elder sons, Seb and Leo. Understandably, she is desperate to find a way in which to overcome this evil man.
Alex Lake does not just focus on the activities in the squalid bunker under the garage. She also shows us what happens to Maggie’s family as they live with the horror of her disappearance. Whilst this angle certainly adds to the narrative, the characterisation had a ‘painting by numbers’ feel and some of the coincidences are implausible. It was difficult for the reader to really engage with their emotions as we are given quite a lot of ‘tell’ rather than ‘show’.
As Max’s birthday draws ever nearer, naturally the reader is hoping that Maggie’s determination will pay off and so the novel does become a page turner. However, the events which make up the final chapters are a little far-fetched and the ‘Six months later’ section felt very rushed and matter-of-fact. Alex Lake can certainly tell a story but, in contrast to Donoghue’s ‘Room’, this wasn’t one that made me think much.
My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I found this an easy quick read but couldn't rid myself of the feeling that it was based on Emma Donaghue's Room.
The issues of the children were different but for me it was still a very similar story. The kidnapper is described as himself, away from the situation that he has created which added interest.
I can recommend it for those who enjoyed Room, but I felt that it lacked originality.

Wow this book is amazing!! When I first read the description I admit I may have done a little eye roll at another of those 'trapped in a room' stories but this is definitely not one of those books, not at all! The story is amazing and once I'd started reading it, I couldn't stop. I wanted to know what was going to happen in the next seven days but to also read the events leading up to the 7 day countdown was brilliant. I was so absorbed in this book I was especially drawn to Maggie and her family and really felt for her parents and little brother. This book literally blew me away one of the best books I've ever read, and I read a lot!

I loved reading every page of this book! A brilliant read. All the characters I really sympathised with except the bad guy or course who I disliked intensely. So well written. The tension just didn't let up,heart in the mouth when the author was writing about the kidnapped girl and her relationship with her abductor,heart wrenchingly sad when the author was writing about the family whose child had been abducted.
Just wow!

Best book I’ve read in a while! Absolutely brilliant! Have just read the entire thing in one sitting, could not put it down once I Started! A definite must read.

What a book! An absolutely thrilling read that kept me hooked from the first page. Maggie is trapped and has seven days to save her son. The author uses multiple narrators to build up the plot for multiple angles and it was interesting seeing how Maggie’s predicament impacted upon other people’s lives. The short chapters made it well-paced and I thoroughly enjoyed every page.

I would highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a thrilling read.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest and objective review.