A gripping edgy fast paced thriller. I couldn’t put it down. It was fantastic. Everything and more. I was on the edge of my seat wondering which way it would go. A real eye opener

Enjoyable read, and I liked the characters which is a bonus for a whodunnit. Well written, and it took me a while to guess the ending. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have always enjoyed Amanda Brooke's books, granted I haven't read them all, but while this one started of well, drawing me in with it's intriguing premise and relatable story, the ending fell short.
What started off as a realistic plot that kept me gripped from the start, ended up with a final conclusion that wasn't entirely believable. Certainly not what I had expected and I was left rather unsatisfied.
While this book's ending wasn't for me, I still look forward to reading more from this author.

Widows Support Group Takes Dark Turn.....
Psychological suspense. A widows support group takes a dark turn when the issue of control spirals out of control and, added to which, some members appear to have secrets of their own. Some good plotting, character development and unexpected twists make for a compelling read.

Absolutely loved this novel! The writer has a beautiful and seamlessly flowing narrating style and I literally could jot put the book down.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping, twisty psychological thriller that demands to be read.

As soon as I read the blurb for this book I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. When my wishes came true, thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins, I was thrilled. "The Widows Club" lived up to my expectations and then some. Yes, it is a slow burner, but in my opinion it was all the more rewarding for the gradual build up in tension... and then... it explodes. The premise of the novel is is relatively straight forward: April, our main protagonist joins a support group for young widows but gets more than she bargained for as she gradually learns that certain members of the fractious group are not who they purport to be. As a plot device, Brooke peppers the main narrative with fictional tweets and social media comments about the support group. These take on a distinctly darker hue as the story moves on, so much so that we learn that a murder has taken place. What we are unaware of is who the victim is, let alone the killer. The use of social media was particularly ingenious by the author. As well as giving the narrative more texture and depth by deploying a different form of discourse from the usual prose-style, it ramps up the tension to an unbearable degree. At numerous points I thought I knew where the story was going but I was proved totally wrong. There is not one twist to this book but several, each more jaw-dropping than the next. The denouement lived up to my ever increasing expectations of this book and with a deftness of touch in her writing, Amanda Brooke reveals all in stunning fashion.

Often heart-breaking, always intriguing, this is a stunningly original work from Amanda Brooke.

Summary:
There’s a murderer in their midst…
When April joins a support group for young widows, she’s looking for answers after her husband’s sudden death. What she finds instead is a group in turmoil.
Set up by well-meaning amateurs, the founders are tussling for control of the group, and everyone’s on edge. Added to that, secret relationships springing up between members and another new member, Nick, seems more than a little bit shady…
But the most dangerous secret of all? Not all members are who they seem to be. And they’ll go to any lengths to hide the truth…

So well written so tense my favorite type of thriller.A book that drew me in from the first pages and kept me reading for hours, #netgalley#harpercollins uk.

Finding it hard to cope since the sudden death of her young husband, April seeks solace with the widows' club: a support group for the young and bereaved. But the group itself is struggling - its leadership is in question and its members are at odds. It soon becomes clear that not everyone is who they say they are, and shocking secrets are revealed... but who will pay the ultimate price for their silence?

For me, this was just a really odd one. It started off as a standard domestic drama, with April struggling with how to deal with her grief and her uncertainty around elements of her and her husbands' relationship. Then, through the form of tweets interspersed between chapters, we get a glimpse into the future, and begin to see another side to the group. Why is the group being so heavily criticised on social media, and why are reporters so desperate to talk to members of the group? Eventually, it is revealed that there has been a murder, but the mystery remains - who is the killer, and who is the victim?

Personally, I found the use of tweets between chapters irritating. It does build a certain level of suspense, but I have to admit it’s a trick that I’m not particularly keen on. I’m not sure why, I just find it affects the pacing of the book and it seems like a lazy way to build up tension. In this case, it felt even more artificial, as there was just a complete lack of tension. You know a murder is coming based on the tweets, but there’s no real sense of impending disaster. It just sort of plods along very slowly, with some little arguments between the group here and there, but no big build up. It was just a very long and dragged out tale where not much happened until the end. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the plot, it just took forever to get to where it wanted to go, and for me it read as dullness rather than suspense. I skimmed a significant chunk of the book, and was quite relieved to finally reach the end.

It might also be that I wasn't a fan because I just didn’t really connect with any of the characters. April's quest to find out the truth about her husband was predictable, and was dragged out for half the book then wrapped up as soon as the drama needed to be elsewhere. Faith was irritating, Tara was ok, and I can't even remember anyone else in the group as the only information you really got was gender, how long since bereavement, and cause of death.

Honestly, I was disappointed in this one. Yes, the ending was a departure from what you normally get in this genre, but again, it was quite predictable. The twist? You could see it from space. The writing was quite clumsy, very much telling not showing, and the characters were dull and lifeless. The basic idea for the plot is solid, but for me, it just doesn't life up to its potential.

April’s life is left in turmoil when her husband Jason dies suddenly. Invited to join a local bereavement group for young widows, she is hoping to find the support she needs to deal with Jason’s death. But as friendships are made and relationships between members come to light, it would appear that not everyone is being honest about who they really are.

A good, tense thriller with twists and turns which will keep you guessing.

A good story for women. Looks closely at friendships and how far you would go for other people. Interesting and well written. Xx

A gripping, tense and entertaining emotional rollercoaster that kept me hooked till the end.
It's not of those book that hooks since the first page, it takes a while to be involved but once you get going it's unputdownable.
I liked the well crafted plot and the atmosphere of suspect and mistrust and the well though characters.
The mystery is solid and keeps you guessing.
An excellent read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

When April loses her husband in sudden and tragic circumstances, she joins a local grief support group known as the Widows' Club in order to try and process her feelings in a supportive environment. But with several group members tussling for control, a new member who may not be exactly who or what he says he is, and an increasing certainty that her husband was cheating on her prior to his sudden death, April may find a lot more than she was originally looking for....

I'm going to be honest and say that it took me a good while to get into this book. For some reason, I didn't gel with the writing style straight away, and I didn't find any of the characters particularly likeable. I've started getting a lot more ruthless with my reading habits, and almost stopped reading this one when I was about a quarter in and still not feeling pulled into the story. But I persisted a little longer, and I am SO glad I did. Once it gets going (which for me, was when the central characters started to develop connections with each other), it really gets going, and I truly got sucked into the story.

I liked that this was a different premise for a thriller (I read a lot of them, so am always a fan of an original and well-thought out-premise!), and I loved the sense of distrust the reader has for certain characters (I won't name names because spoilers). I thought I knew what was going on, and then the rug was pulled from under me - not once but several times. I also loved the twist/reveal, and the last paragraph was KILLER.

This is definitely one of those books that you need to give a little time - but believe me when I say that investment will pay off in spades.

A clever, twisty thriller with an original angle - I loved it and will definitely read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The widows club tackles the sensitive distressing topic of losing your loved one,the members meet up to help and support each other through this time of loss and grief! However things aren’t quite as they seem the group is struggling and not really managing and those attending are not quite what they seem! As friendships forge and relationships develop we see unexpected twists and turns develop that demonstrate that we don’t always think clearly in times of grief and those that are our friends are sometimes not who we think they are!
A tense emotional rollercoaster of a read!
Thank you net galley for this early read.