Okay, this was MUCH more suspenseful than I anticipated.

The book definitely kept me guessing and there was one surprise that made my mouth drop.

The multiple timelines were a bit strange - there were a couple that seemed unnecessary - but overall, the truth was dropped in strategic bits and pieces that really worked.

This ended up being a very good read!

Wow what a long but great book! The timelines are a little confusing and could have definitely been simplified for the sake of the story. I love the unique timeline of going all the way through the verdict. I never once thought I had figured out what happened.

I do love a good courtroom drama, and this certainly is one. Past and present timelines tell the story of an eclectic bunch of housemates and their hidden history, the ensuing court case, Julia's time on remand prior to trial and of course 'The Verdict'

Keeping you guessing all the way through, it's a compelling read.

I read The Verdict while on holiday as I needed an easy read thriller. Unfortunately it did miss the mark for me, I found my concentration drifting from the story and I didn't enjoy the jump in time frame over the narrative.
What I did like was the characters, Julia was engaging and complex, I finished the book because of her and how she was developed over the timeline.

I have had this book on my netgalley shelf for quite a while and in an effort to take part in Netgalley November I picked this one up as the book I’ve had the longest. I’m glad I’ve finally ticked it off. It was dark, mysterious and there was definitely one twist that shocked me. I didn’t really like any of the characters but I think that was probably the purpose especially to see the book as quite dark. There were a few surprises and a few things that were quite obvious but I really enjoyed it. I definitely couldn’t put it down just to find out what happened. A solid 4⭐️ and I’m definitely glad I read it. Looking forward to reading some of this authors other books.

I didn’t love The Verdict but I didn’t dislike it either. It was a bit slow paced for my liking but I did finish it, so it had enough to keep me reading

Well written psychological legal thriller with lots of suspense. The author does a phenomenal job in developing each character. The book goes back and forth from the past to the present but it is easy to follow along.

This is the first book I am reading by this author and I would definitely read other books written by her.

This was a gripping court room drama, and kept me entertained until the end. I will read more by this author in future. Recommended.

So gripping! I read it in less than a day as I just couldn't put it down. Loved the alternation between the present day investigation and the past. Some really good twists I didn't expect too.

After one read of the blurb for this book, I was already sold, and Olivia Isaac-Henry’s second novel did not disappoint. The Verdict had such a great premise, and it delivered a compelling story with plenty of twists and turns. I was hooked straight away with a killer prologue that was short, snappy and had me dying to get to the truth. Immediately I was intrigued by the events in this book and my need to know what had happened never let up all the way through.

The Verdict centres around Julia Winter, who is not having a good time of things after her son caught her cheating on her husband with his rugby coach. Things go from bad to worse for Julia pretty quickly, as she soon receives word that a body has been found buried opposite the house she used to live in. Whilst hearing this is somewhat of a shock for Julia, the fact that there was a body to be discovered there is clearly not news to her, so already this raised my suspicions and had me struggling to trust any of the characters.

The book is set over a few different timelines, from 1994 to 2019. In 1994, we are in Guildford, where Julia moves into a house share with some incredibly strange dynamics between all the residents and the landlady. In 2017, we are in London where the past is catching up with Julia, leading to her arrest and the ensuing court case which begins the following year. Each location and date is well noted at the beginning of each chapter but still it wasn’t the easiest book to follow as it went back and forth a lot. However, this was redeemed because every chapter offered something fascinating and something that made me eager to carry on reading and discover the truth.

There was a lot to like about The Verdict, from the slow-building suspense to the dysfunctional set of characters. Because nobody appeared particularly likeable or trustworthy, I spent my entire read trying to piece everything together and work out who was responsible for the murder and whether there was more to the case than anybody was letting on. This book kept me guessing throughout and whilst not fast-paced, instead the story is built with a true sense of unease and a lingering animosity.

My favourite part of this book was definitely the court case which I thought was incredibly well written, taut with tension and thrilling twists throughout. I could not get enough of the courtroom drama and as much as I wanted to know the truth, I also did not want this part to end! There was plenty to unfold during the course of this court case and despite all my suspicions, just when I thought I knew everything that was going to happen, the author surprised me with a clever twist that made me stop and have to reread just to get my head around it.

The Verdict really was an incredibly gripping book and I couldn’t get enough of it. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

I so much wanted to love this book. The blurb sounded fantastic but for me I struggled through it, I found it very confusing at times.

Great courtroom drama set reasonably local to me. Found the story intriguing and thought about it a lot while I wasn’t reading. Will look for more books by this author.

A great time split narrative with lots of twists and turns. When an anonymous text tells Julia Winter a body has been found on the Downs near to the houseshare she had nearly twenty years ago, she is plunged back into the deceit and intrigue she thought she'd left behind many years ago.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for this book.

Did I love it, not really, did I like it yes! Well written. but I found it slow and confusing. The storyline was good though.

A brilliant book
I was on the edge of my seat
Fabulous characters and brilliant storylines
Would recommend to others and it deserves a 4 star

This is one intense, twisted, dark and addictive novel! Not only is this a very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters, but the suspense builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds. Compulsive, gripping and horrifying! Will keep you on the edge of your seat!

An engaging and enjoyable read following the views of one woman as she is on trial for murder.

Well intertwined and slowly giving the reader more and more information to build a picture of who is guilty of what, with a few twists

Well written.
I liked it but can't honestly say I loved it! Not my favorite read this year.
I found the story to be a bit slow and confusing with the different timelines, it made it hard for me to connect and really get into it. But it wasn't bad at all, far from it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own

This book was a little bit slow for me, the beginning of the book alternates between timelines and it can get very confusing at times, I couldn't really make myself like Julia either.
I loved the ending though it was very good

Great book with lots of twists and turns. Good style of writing and kept me wanting to read more. Enjoyed the characters and the story flowed well