My thanks to Felicity Everitt and HQ for my ARC.
Not sure about this one. Was it a thriller, a crime, psychological, a gone wrong romance? I guess it could have been all of them. I hated Nick, a bully, selfish mysogynist, total pig and a terrible father. Karen seemed to be utterly in thrall to him and honestly, I couldn't work out why an intelligent, very talented woman would allow herself to be treated in such a way. Then to find out the only reason he takes care of her when she's ill is because he knows something about her potential future which will benefit him, that she has yet to discover..Most stories have a theme and I struggled to work out what this was with THE MOVE, and I did wonder what it was Nick had to do to make Karen realise he was an arrogant bully.. I know Ethan was trying, but teenagers are, and in no way should she have accepted the way Nick treated him. I guess this was a Svengali type story and in the end she breaks free, and about time.

THE MOVE by FELICITY EVERETT
The story begins with Karen driving to a village to start a new life with her husband. After finding out that her husband Nick is having an affair, resulting in Karen having a breakdown, it is decided that the best way to move forward is for them both to start again leaving London and the past behind. The story tells a tale of village life perfectly with all its local politics and neighbourliness or nosiness, depending on your point of view! Nick has furnished and decorated their new house to a high standard but you soon get the impression that he is a man who is used to getting what he wants and that seems to include wanting other women. He is quick to fit into village life while Karen misses her old life and friends. Nick also has a strained relationship with his youngest son. The story explains Karen’s almost addictive relationship with Nick and her ability to put herself down in his company.
I expected this to be more of a thriller but it definitely has a dark side to it. It took a little while to get going for me but once I could see what was happening I started to really enjoy it. The characters are totally believable and the story draws you in. This is the first book I have read by Felicity Everett but I now want to read The People at Number 9 to see how it compares. Her ability to describe the character so that they jump off the page is a skill that takes some doing and I hope that she writes many more books.

The Move is a taut psychological drama played out between husband and wife, Nick and Karen. The novel begins with Karen moving into their new country home,the suggestion being that this is a fresh start for an ailing relationship. Nick is clearly trying to make amends for a past misdemeanour, moving them from London to a quiet country hamlet with no expense spared when it comes to creating their new home. The piece de resistance is the studio he has built in the garden for Karen, an acclaimed potter. However, Nick from the outset is a deeply unlikeable character, responsible for Karen’s angst. Trying to live with someone who has abused your trust is often impossible and whilst Karen is desperately trying to forgive and forget, she can’t help feeling suspicious of her husband’s every move. Adjustment to a new way of life is hard, with Karen missing her vibrant London life and her best friend Jude. Thankfully, Karen does find solace in the company of Cath but struggles to connect with other inhabitants.
The insidious way Nick plays on Karen’s frail mental state is creepy and had me turning the pages very quickly, thinking certain events were inevitable, with the author hinting that maybe history is repeating itself but leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. The portrayal of the clever manipulation by Nick towards his wife that slowly but deliberately plays on her anxieties and paranoia is evident throughout this book which I found hard to put down. His treatment of their son Ethan leaves much to be desired, showing him for what he truly is,a philandering, controlling untrustworthy character who can turn the charm on and off as to when it suits him.
The depictions of country life are well observed, with the characters of Melissa and Imogen vying for attention from fresh male blood. (the marquee erecting scene is hilarious for the way it ridicules male prowess). The strange and sad characters of Jean and Gordon also add another dimension to this dark tale.
I loved the ending for the way the author led the reader down the wrong garden path, making assumptions based on Nick’s character, proving how quick we are to judge. I particularly liked the way the reader is left wondering about the next chapter in Nick and Karen’s lives. Definitely well worth a read and thanks as always to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read ahead of publication.

I have just finished reading this book and although I found it a reasonably good read,I felt as if something was missing,the storyline felt weak,I felt as if I was waiting to find out something that never materialised.I was left with unanswered questions.For these reasons I only feel able to give 3stars.

I've really struggled to rate this book.

Even though it was well written with good descriptive elements it was a slow burner and I never could quite work out where it was going. It just never seemed to move on.

I'm not actually sure what it was all about, what the storyline was what to review on.

The ending was so abrupt I was left with so many unanswered questions and left feeling completely puzzled. It really could have done with a couple more chapters to 'clean up' the ending.

Positives: the actual location descriptions are brilliant, you really get a feel of where the story takes place and the 'community'. A couple of the characters are really likeable and you feel the story that they are living.

All in all I was left deflated with too many questions!

Thank you to netgalley and HQ for the ARC.

Review
Karen and Nick move to the country to start again and give their marriage another try following Nick’s affair. But whilst Nick is embracing their new way of life, it’s taking longer for Karen to adjust.

Despite their involvement with the neighbours, quiz nights, charity auctions, Karen is suspicious of Nick and his flirting. She also has eerie moments where she is convinced that someone is watching the house from the hill. She does make a close friend in the hamlet, Cath the horticulturalist and out of all the characters, I felt most drawn to her. She was the most believable, not only in the way she seemed to be down to earth but in the way she behaved by over-drinking and feeling sad on the fourth anniversary of her girlfriend’s death.

The rest of the book was too twee for me. The blurb promised so much more and whilst I enjoyed the book enough, I felt cheated when I saw I’d read 95% and nothing had really happened.

However, my review is based on the blurb. Who is the person on the hill? No-one. Someone slashes Nick’s tyre - is this where the drama starts? No. Who turns the temperature of the kiln up etc? It’s a bit of an anti climax when nothing then comes of these events.

The book does focus on relationships, obviously Karen and Nick’s and Ethan, their son and Nick’s. Jean and Gordon, the neighbours next door and the gent who dies. Because Karen is recovering after Nick’s affair, there is an element of ‘am I imagining this?’

I think if you like village green, summer fête, twee stories in neighbourhood life, you’ll love this. For me, I rate it 3 stars 🌟🌟🌟

Thanks
Thank you to the author Felicity Everett and Publishers HQ for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an independent review.

I found this a very slow burner and I really struggled to ever properly get into it. I didn't connect with the characters and just couldn't quite work out where it was supposed to be going. I did enjoy Felicity's writing style and I'd be interested in reading more from her in the future though. This book just wasn't what I expected and I found the ending a little unclear

A lovely book to read. Nice easy read, loved the characters. Loved the descriptions of the areas gave me a feeling for where they were.
I got into the story quickly and couldn't put it down until I got to the end.

This book was well written with some good descriptive elements.
It started well with an air of mystery that made you wanting to read more to unravel the issues of the past. Then it just seemed to continue in this vein and show more of Karen’s angst but didn’t really move on beyond this.
Not a bad read overall but not as gripping as I had expected, I would have given 4 stars but felt it ended too abruptly.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I actually did not enjoy this book at all really, characters were annoying and not too keen on the storyline that ended up skipping loads.

This was really not what I expected and I didn’t enjoy it as I had thought I would. I gave up on reading it less than halfway through.

The story begins after the main event that brought Karen and Nick to the affluent side of this picture-perfect village from the hustle and bustle of London, where there is a tight circle of 'those who have', that seems to rule the roost. Karen had a mental break-down in London and is still recovering, the only thing is, is that her husband was a major contributor, not that he would admit to that.
The story centres around Karen and how she sees the people around her. She is certainly not fully recovered, with everyone under suspicion as she reads more into everything they do. The story is quite a way in when it drops back to a more detailed explanation of what had gone on.
Nick doesn't do much to help Karen, in fact, he seems to pour oil on the fire. I didn't like Nick much at although he loved himself enough to make up for it. When their son returns home unexpectedly, I felt he wasn't much better. Demanding and spoilt, he was just another person to use Karen as a doormat.
Things are happening in the house which you wonder if someone is trying to push her over the edge. Where there really isn't much 'care in the community' to help her get better. A look into domestic noir and a troubled mind.

This wasn’t exactly a thriller but a nice story about Karen and Nick trying to make a new start. There were some interesting characters in their new life. It seemed to end rather abruptly. However I enjoyed the read.

There was a lot to like about this book, I really liked lots of the characters, and disliked the ones I was meant to too. The setting is lovely and I loved the community aspect of it. Our main character Karen is recovering from a breakdown caused by her husband’s unfaithfulness, and is beginning to reevaluate her relationship. The premise was good and I was interested by the strange things happening to her. However I was frustrated when finishing the book as nothing seemed to get answered. Who was responsible for the things that happened? What had happened between her son and her husband at the end? I felt it needed another couple of chapters of cleanup personally, in order for me to give the book 4 stars.
Thank you to net galley, the author and the publisher for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Move is the story of Karen who, after a breakdown, moves from London to a country village. We follow the ups and downs of Karen and her husband Nick as they try to integrate into village life.

Although advertised as a mystery, I found the plot lacking in substance and suspense. Rather, I would characterize this as a family drama. While it was well written, it fell short of expectations.

A bit of a slow burner, didn’t really get my attention although very well written, had to give up at 33%

I was expecting so much from this book but although it was written extremely well , the story was bland . I was expecting a bit more to happen but it was bitty . Friends in London with barely a story except splitting up , people in the hamlet not very interesting . It didn’t really gel together for me sorry , not impressed at all

Having loved Everett’s previous novel I was eager to read The Move. Karen and Nick have moved to the country to get over a rocky period in their marriage- is it as idyllic as it appears, and is their marriage all it seems? I read through this pretty quickly, once I was drawn in I couldn’t get it out of my head. As much as I felt angered by the main character in many ways, she was also very relatable too, and the relationships with other characters were really compelling. I loved Caths character in particular. A great book, an easy read- I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to Everett’s next book.

Pleasant story - not the best I have read this summer but moved along at a steady pace keeping my interest alive. Felt the ending was rather abrupt with no build up, it just ended

The jury is still out on this book
It is beautifully written and filled with great characters
However it wasn’t the thriller that I was expecting and the ending was sudden