“Traces of Her” is my first Amanda Brittany read and I was surprised to learn it is not her debut novel. The story itself follows the aftermath of a woman’s murder—in one perspective, Ava, the victim, shares the events leading up to her death and in another, Rose, the step-sister of Ava’s daughter Willow, articulates her search for Willow once she disappears while searching for answers regarding her mother’s murder. There are plenty of twists in the last quarter of the novel, and while some were obvious, the author did a good job of executing them convincingly.

My gripes with this novel exist in the writing. I found it difficult to feel connected to the characters, especially Rose’s teenage daughter Becky, as most of their development came in the form of vague dialogue. I got a sense of “telling not showing” when it came to their descriptions and felt the author often spelled out characters’ motivations, breaking the natural flow of the scene. In general, I felt the plot relied too heavily on dialogue that felt unnatural and forced. The same plot elements could have been revealed succinctly in a dedicated paragraph. It should be noted that I am not the biggest fan of dialogue-heavy works, though, as I find it difficult to connect to the story when I can’t buy that the character actually said their given line, and I had many of those moments with this book. Oh, and there were a few clichés I couldn’t ignore—most notably “I cut in . . . hoping to prevent World War III”. Admittedly, I’m left with some questions that, if fleshed out, would make “Traces of Her” stand out amongst similar titles this season. I found it difficult to continue reading at some points, but powered through Becky's "OMG"s to avoid DTR-ing.

All in all, “Traces of Her” is interesting story and a quick read, and I am interested in checking out other works by Amanda Brittany to see how they compare, both in story and in composition. This writing style did not work for me so I won't be recommending the title.

Traces Of Her by Amanda Brittany is a fabulous heart racing contemporary psychological suspense. I was intrigued and glued from the start.
The novel is very cleverly constructed drawing the reader in immediately. It is set in 2001 and present day, from alternating points of view in the first person. As we ‘hear’ different voices, we know who they all are except one. I was gripped and guessing as to who this was, but failed in my attempts.
A cold case murder comes alive as a daughter searches to solve who killed her mum when she was young. She travels to Cornwall and unleashes a can of worms.
Family is important. Love binds members together. Twisted love blows relationships apart. A mother’s love is fiercely protective.
There is the theme of control. Control may be exercised in a number of ways but it is never good.
Obsession is a dangerous thing. When an obsession takes over, there are disastrous results.
Traces Of Her was an exciting read. I failed to predict the outcome as I read greedily towards the end with my heart racing. I look forward to reading more by Amanda Brittany.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I really liked the cover. It is very appealing designed. The writing style is pleasant and very fluently to read. The characters are very well described and look well thought out and consistently interesting. The tension is always present. The descriptions of surroundings, feelings and scenes were also very good. The story is told pleasant and it succeeds from the first pages to dive directly into the story. The storyline as a whole is very coherent and it seems very understandable and authentic. A very fascinating story that you won't like to stop reading.

For me this book sits firmly in the thriller section. Its got some great twists and turns, it makes you think and more importantly its in Cornwall - where all the best Thriller books are based, in my humble opinion.

The story is about Willow and her mum, except we dont follow their life in the book, its all about Rose - Willows Stepsister. Willow disappears often at short notice, but this time is different. She thinks she knows who killed her mum and shes hunting the killer down; Rose, with her teenage daughter in tow, follows her to Cornwall only to find Willow isnt in the cottage and something isnt right. The pair start to investigate.

The story jumps between now with Rose and the past with Willows mum. understanding who was in her life and making you wonder about their motive for now, This is an easy to read story but you need to pay attention to see if you can work out what really happened that night.

For me I wasnt surprised by the answer and the ones that followed but I didnt expect them either. I really enjoyed the book, and would suggest it to anyone looking for their next read but now looking back Im trying to work out where the clues were to the ending, or if they were there at all.

Theres also a small side story with this; Rose's daughter being a typical teenager and having her own issues. I feel that because it was a constant topic in the book (sorry Im trying really hard to not need a spoiler alert!) that it should have had more time given to it as for me whilst it was obvious where Willow was being given priority and importance Rose should have dealt with other issues sooner.

I DNFed this book because I couldn't get into it.
Even if I found it quite well written the characters grated on my nerves and seemed childish and not very clever.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Present: Rose gets frantic phone calls and messages from her stepsister Willow who believes her birth mother has been murdered and wants to solve it. Rose does not take this seriously as Willow has been known for her frantic nature and tend to disappear from home for holidays and such. However when Rose receives a mysterious package from Willow containing 4 photographs of unknown men among whom she believes is her mother's killer, Rose has to know what is going on in her sister's life. She takes a road trip with her teenage daughter Becky to the picturesque village of Cornwall, a gorgeous cottage where Willow seems to be staying. Only to find out, Willow is not there! 
What happened to Willow? Where is she gone??

Past: Meet Ava 2001. A young girl who is shadowed by her older sister and brother at home. Gets pregnant with a local boy and works very hard to survive in her own home without any support from her mother. 
What is her connection to the present? How does her life intervene with the lives of the woman in the present? You'll have to read to find out!

The chapters shuffle between Rose and Ava as the author lets her readers mull over the connection and where exactly the story is leading. There are less number of characters in each timeline and they're well developed for the readers to understand them. Reading between timeless might be confusing at times, but Amanda has done a brilliant job in bridging the chapters without letting the plot down. 

There were enough elements to keep me engaged throughout the book such as the gorgeous mansion overlooking the sea, and the description of the picturesque village of Cornwall. Rose's teenage daughter is a treat with her sparkly ideas and young impulse. Issues such as rape, neglect in a teenager's life are imposed on the characters and makes us think over those difficult situations. 

I read this book on my kindle in one setting and totally devoured it. It was the perfect way to spend my sunday and I'm so glad i found this book. Highly recommended for thriller fans. Thanks to the publisher for inviting me to the official blog tour and my reader copy. All opinions are solely mine and no way biased.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy. A bit confusing at first but soon started to come into focus.  Very twisty, when you think you got it here comes another twist! Impressive writing Amanda Brittany. Will be waiting for the next one.

2.5/5 stars: 

I wanted to like this book. In fact, I wanted to love this book, I wouldn't have requested it from NetGalley otherwise. But unfortunately it wasn't for me. I can't say that it is a terrible book or that I hated it but I also can't say that I loved it. 

This is the first time I've ever read a book by Amanda Brittany and if I hadn't checked before actually reading it I would have thought this was her debut novel. The writing reads very amateur-ish, simplistic and almost under-developed. 

I did enjoy the multiple perspectives we get throughout the book. It makes the story go faster and keeps more engaged especially as how it goes back and forth between the present and past. I would have preferred it if the POVs had been consistently only first person or third person instead of the writing style changing every chapter. But that is just personal preference and other people might not mind it. 

The characters in the story didn't feel very fleshed out and they all made some very dumb and immature decisions. I also felt like tons of things were handled too dramatically instead of with nuisance and poise. 

The actual plot line was interesting enough, which is good seeing as how this is a mystery and it should be its main selling point. I found myself wanting to know more about what had actually transpired all those years ago even if the investigation and the getting-to-know-the-truth wasn't actually that interesting to read about. 

About the ending: [ I ACTUALLY DIDN'T SEE IT COMING AT ALL! HOLY FUCK! It was because of the plot twists that I ended up bumping my rating up a little. It was a little convoluted, perhaps, but surprised me it did so I count it as good. I knew there would be some type of false identity thing going on but I didn't think it would be done in the way it actually was. I do have to say I don't think this is a mystery that makes you think much. There aren't many hints or foreshadowing moments. You mostly just have to wait as things are revealed and I prefer my mysteries a little "smarter". 

There isn't much more I can say about this book and I also don't feel like rambling about why I didn't like it because, as I said, it's not like truly I hated it.

Great read. I finished the book in one sitting. Characters were well developed, and the storyline was compelling and kept me interested.

"Traces of her" is my first book by Amanda Brittany and it certainly won't be the last. If you like domestic suspense/thrillers, this book is definitely for you. It kept me guessing till the very end. When I thought I had it all figured out then another twist came along (even the last sentence was a twist I didn't see coming). I felt so deeply for Ava and how bad her family treated her. With past and present storylines, the author did a good job tying it all nicely at the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is who done it murder mystery, but the author writes it from the perspective of the victim, Ava and the step sister of the victims daughter, Rose. 
  I was pulled into the story about halfway through, even though I had a pretty good idea who the killer was. I found some of the situations in the book a bit unbelievable, and the dialogue fell short in convincing me. The ending was still pretty twisty which I didn’t expect. 
  Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced review copy.

I devoured Traces of Her, desperate to find out the secrets hidden between then pages. Brittany is a superb writer, highly skilled at keeping you gripped, staying up late to uncover the secrets. 

It being set in both Hertfordshire and Cornwall, two places I have lived and recognised, made it even better.

Amanda Brittany, author of ‘her last lie’, is back on top form with another great thriller/mystery revolving around a missing sister and the efforts to find her suddenly open up all kinds of scary family secrets.  Told in past and present porks it had me guessing right to the end, and it’s generally hard to fool me, but this one did😄

Brilliant thriller. Was on the edge of my seat constantly. Great story well written. Would highly recommend

How can you not give this one a 5 star glowing review?
When Rose's stepsister Willow goes missing all hell breaks loose.
Why?
Because Willow has uncovered that she's adopted & that there are several possible suspects to her mom's murder.
If that's not enough the polaroids of the men in question that was sent via package to Rose while Willow was missing might stir the thriller juices in the pot.
Folks, this was a chock full of nuts with a slice of honey.
Ava has so many secrets that I don't know how she kept them all from not spilling out of her closet.
Darn girl!!
Wow!
Rory is one the main suspects along with Peter and Maxen all of whom had relationships with Ava along the way.
What tangled webs we weave as this one is full of twist and turns around each and every corner.
Just when you think you have it figured out along comes Gail married to Rory to set your bum straight.
If she's not active than there's Rory who has a shady past of abuse and violence.
I can't give it all out but safe to say there's a few how shall we say 'undercover' individuals who pop up later on and flip this whole scenario on its head literally.
The shocking death that's eventually revealed near the end was worthy of so much more than 5 stars but sadly I'm limited here.
The entire plot twists in which the person you thought was gone was not truly gone was just superb!!
Kudos to Amanda Brittany!
Thank you to the author, the publisher, NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

'I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.'

Overall rating: 5 stars

I'll start by saying that this mystery kept me reading well into the night. I just had to finish it. Fast-paced and interesting read. However, the events in this book warrant a trigger warning, so keep that in mind while reading. 

It's told from 3 Points of view, but flows well with minimal confusion. Rose, Ava and YOU. Rose keeps you in the present. Her paranoia and anxiety are palpable. Ava you learn past events and how they line up with future findings. I felt so deeply for her, that I wanted to pull her out of the pages and hug her and kiss the top of her head like she desperately needed. YOU was chaotic, lonely, longing for attention. Reading their portions left my skin crawling.

I thought I had figured it out and I'd be half right, only for a major twist to show up. It kept me second guessing until the very end.

The plot, characters and surroundings are developed and described well. I loathed and loved characters.

I really enjoyed this book, much more than I originally anticipated. Very pleased.

I received a free copy of this book from a Net Gallery in exchange for an honest review.
This is another missing persons story combined with an unsolved murder.
Rose is determined to get to the bottom of this.
Can Rose find Willow before disaster strikes?
Don’t read this book with the lights out
A great read.

The premise grabbed me and it didn’t let me down. This book was so good, intense and addictive. I read it almost in one sitting.

To begin with, there was a lot of jumping around between the characters and at times I found it a bit confusing. However, that disappeared after the first 20% of the book and I got used to the format, who the characters were and the parts they played.

I would have loved to have gotten to know Willow better as an adult. However, I did love getting to know Ava - discovering everything about her life and how she ended up like she did. I couldn’t help but feel so sad at the thought that she was now dead. I love that - when a book gets inside your chest and makes you feel all sorts of emotions, those are the best kinds of books. 

The mystery kept me interested. I loved the way everything was fitted together. The author did an excellent job of weaving the various parts together and it just worked. I loved reading about Willow as a child - reading about how everything led up to the murder. It read like we were in it instead of just being told about it.

I also loved the subplot of Becky and her eating issues. It didn’t overwhelm the story but it was weaved through the entire book, and it wasn’t forgotten.

I had no idea who the murderer was so I was constantly guessing and getting answers wrong. By the end I was so shocked. There were so many twists and turns to keep me on my toes including the mega twist at the end. That’s all I’ll say, I don’t want to spoil it.

I wasn’t expecting this book to grab me the way it did but I throughly enjoyed it. I’ll definitely be checking out their previous books and anything they releases next.

I must say, I’m quite relieved this book kept my attention. I DNF two books I had previously requested from NetGalley and I’m sure you can imagine my delight that I liked this one. 

The killer was pretty obvious to me from the start but what saved the book for me were the twists at the end. I definitely did not expect what happened so kudos to the author for that! 

While I did enjoy this book, I did roll my eyes at the female characters. There were a lot of idiotic decisions being made and the whole “murder, possible disappearance and attack” was taken lightly. Someone is going around covering up a murder from years ago, attacking you and you let your daughter walk home. Alone. At night. From a bar. Did I mention with a killer on the loose? But other than that, the book was fairly engaging and had a good mystery. 

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for my ARC!

This is a very interesting fast paced thriller that I flew through as soon as I received it. I love psychological thrillers. They are one of my favorite kinds of thriller novels but I didn't see the ending coming in this one. It was so well crafted that I literally was shocked by it.

The differing perspectives of the characters made the story more enjoyable for me and it held my interest the whole way through.

I would recommend this book for sure if you enjoy a twisty psychological thriller.