Omg omg omg .......... this book was amazing I could not put it down I read every word on the edge of my seat I loved the story line, i loved the way the story just kept us guessing all the way threw I loved all the twists and turns and would defiantly recommend this book it was so believable and kept the reader engaged I love it

Celeste's old secrets and lies really come back to haunt her in this well done psychological thriller. Extra points for the twist!

Oooo lies, deceit, twists and turns! Goes from past to present back and forth....brilliant little book had me guessing all the time and I flew through it and didn’t stop, really loved it...

Sorry, but the book was not one for me. Just could not pick the book back up and start again. Too many details, not much mystery or suspense. I tried hard to get into it, it ended, yes it did. Not a good finish.

A story of twists and deceit, lies and betrayal. I really enjoyed it! So much to unpack and one of my favorite storylines. Would recommend and reread!

A brilliant read
Would definitely recommend to others
The characters and storyline were brilliant
Definitely deserves a 4 star

Thank you to Netgalley, Aria and Claire S. Lewis for this advanced reader's copy in return for my honest review. Guilt and suspicion are the main themes of this book where Celeste is running from her past. Loved it!

No Smoke Without Fire by Claire S. Lewis
You can't run forever...
Celeste has been running from her past for seven years. But now her past has found her.
For seven years, Celeste has battled her guilt and shame over the tragic events that led to her little brother's death. But when her high-school boyfriend comes back into her life just as she gains a stalker, she wonders if there's more to the story than she realized.
I thought this book was confusing the way it transitioned from past to present in a confusing manner. I understand the concept but thought it could be made clearer about what time frame you were reading about. The plot was light. The characters were well planned but overall I was a little disappointed.

No Smoke Without Fire had me gripped from the start – and kept me guessing throughout.

It opens in a graveyard (are there any other locations more shrouded in mystery?), where a dog and its owner discover a shoe with the distinct aroma of blood.

The story moves into the present, and from there it kept me on my toes by swapping points of view and by ping-ponging from the present to the past. But this technique made it even more engaging, as I began to learn the truth about what happened to Celeste seven years ago.

In fact, I found the main character, Celeste, fascinating and relatable. As I read, I was keen to know what would happen to her next, as well as what took place in her past.

The author, Claire S Lewis, is a gifted writer with a broad vocabulary and a knack for setting a scene.

There are plenty of twists, and I must admit I felt a little confused from time to time. I’d suggest reading this book as close to one sitting as you can, so you don’t forget crucial nuggets of information revealed earlier in the story (especially if you’re not blessed with a photographic memory!).

But even though I had a couple of unanswered questions by the time I’d completed the last page (or maybe I hadn’t been paying enough attention), I loved the book. And I can’t wait to read more of Claire S Lewis’s work, including her debut novel, She’s Mine.

Guilt, suspicion and murder are deliciously intertwined in Claire S Lewis’s tense and chilling tale, No Smoke Without Fire.

Celeste has a past which she has been trying as hard as she possibly can to run away from for the past seven years. Celeste thought that she had been successful in leaving her past back where it belongs, but regardless of how far you run, the past will always catch up with you and find you as she discovers. Just when she had picked the broken fragments of her life and could start over, the past Celeste had been running away from rears its head again – and this time it is not going to let her out of its sight. Trapped, terrified and with nowhere to hide, can Celeste manage to ever lay old ghosts to rest? Or is she about to make the ultimate sacrifice for a tragic turn of events that has her perpetually in its grip?

The guilt and shame over her younger brother’s death continues to haunt Celeste. Regardless of wherever she goes or whatever she does, the past seven years have been a torturous agony for Celeste. But what really happened on the day her brother had died? Is Celeste’s guilt and shame misplaced? Was there someone else at the scene who will go to whatever length possible to ensure that Celeste continues to believe that she was the one responsible? With her ex back in her life, Celeste needs to be on her constant guard. Feeling as if she has gained a stalker only serves to make Celeste even more determined to uncover the truth about what happened that day. But she must tread as carefully as she can because she simply cannot afford any false steps or mistakes.

Is Celeste prepared to uncover the shocking secrets of the past? And is she ready for the shocking truths she is about to discover?

Claire S. Lewis’ No Smoke Without Fire is a brilliantly constructed thriller that will keep readers on edge and absolutely gripped throughout. A writer who lays bare the destructive and damaging power of secrets and lies, Claire S. Lewis has written a spine-chilling and twisted thriller with a strong and determined heroine at its heart that will hold reader absolutely glued to the page.

A sinister and scary tale laden with drama and danger, Claire S. Lewis’ No Smoke Without Fire is a must-read for fans of C L Taylor and Jane Corry.

Celeste is a young woman tormented by what happened seven years ago . Her younger brother died in a fire at a party and she was supposedly to be minding him.
Celeste is now working in a flower shop part time and doing a collage coarse the other time.
Ben the boy who she was at the party with has returned and wants to see Celeste. But Celeste doesn’t want to see him.
Celeste also has a stalker Theo who want Celeste 100% to himself
This is a great read
Thanks NetGalley

I was really hoping that I would love No Smoke Without Fire by Claire S. Lewis. I love the cover and the premise really captured my attention but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me.

This may just be a case of wrong book at the wrong time, but something was missing for me. When I first started I was really into it and it was giving me serious You and Watching You vibes which I really enjoyed. But I think you find out who is stalking Celeste way too soon and I wish the author would have kept it a mystery until the end.

No Smoke Without Fire is super dark and gritty and be prepared for lots of triggers, rape being one of them. I normally love dark and gritty books but for some reason this one just felt way too depressing and I felt like I never got a respite from it. I felt really bad for Celeste, but at the same time I didn't like her all that much which probably didn't help me either.

There are definitely some surprises and I have a feeling a lot of people will be shocked by them but for me they felt like a long time coming and didn't completely redeem the wait to get to them. If you like a really slow burn of a dark, gritty book then I still recommend checking out No Smoke Without Fire and I will definitely still read more books from this author.

Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via NetGalley. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

*2.5*

TW: misogyny, rape, physical abuse, child abuse, suicide

Seven years after the tragic death of her little brother, Celeste is still dealing with the consequences. Things only get worse when her ex-boyfriend comes back into town, and as if that wasn't enough she's also being stalked by a classmate of hers. While working as a florist delivering flower arrangements to graves, Celeste must learn to face the ghosts in her own life.

The story was very interesting to me, especially trying to figure out what exactly happened in the past, and I did care for the main character, Celeste, and her new friend, Mia.

However, the main thing I felt while reading this was "confused." Up until about 45% I could not tell apart the ex-boyfrined, Ben, and the stalker, Theo, even though we get the stalker point of view/narration.

I think this stalker point of view was what made me enjoy this book much less than I thought I would. Not only was I getting confused about his identity for almost half the book, but his point of view was also used to reveal plot twist that, in my opinion, were not well executed. The plot twists would be revealed in Theo's section, but when it went back to Celeste's narration they were either dismissed or explain through extensive dialogue, instead of them actually happening. And if this had happened a couple of times, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but happened almost every single time (if not all). Another thing I don't think worked out well is the jumps in time with Theo's POV.

I was invested in the story, but there would be too many unnecessary tangents unrelated to the plot that would not only pull me out of the story but also made me forget what the book I was reading was even supposed to be.

In theory, this book would have been a great read, but it just felt a little short in execution.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Aria for an eARC copy in exchange of an honest opinion</i>

Beautifully descriptive writing - I loved all the flower shop scenes - with a wickedly dark theme running through it. Really enjoyed the stalker story-line, and felt for Celeste throughout. Great read, would recommend.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I really tried to like it but didn't get very far as I kept getting bored with her. Just way too much descriptions of everything.

This is an enigmatic read; it took a while for me to get the gist of things and even then I'm not sure I fully understood it all.

Celeste is running from her past, and the memories are stopping her from moving on. A trauma in her life has never been fully dealt with, so when the past pops up in her life again, it causes big problems.

In all honesty, I spent most of this novel trying to work out what was going on. I felt it was a bit 'smoke and mirrors'. Just when I thought I had a grip on it, the story would slide away from me again. Celeste's employer and friends were unbelievably patient and understanding and that stretched my imagination quite a bit. No Smoke Without Fire is my first book by this author and whilst it is well written with some interesting details, I always felt that perhaps some of it was passing me by. I'm not sure if it was me or the story, but I struggled all the way through and found the ending to be a bit surprising. It's quite possible if I had read the novel at a different time, I would have 'got it' and while I'm sure others will love the story, it's a bit too ambiguous for me. After some thought, I've settled on 3.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley and to Vicky Joss for my spot on this tour; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This is my first read by this author and certainly won’t be my last.

I really felt for Celeste. She hasn’t had it easy and it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna be easy for a while. She’s still carrying a lot of guilt for the death of her brother. Throw in an ex and a stalker and we are given a great read.

This is a cleverly written story. I felt it was slow to start and a little confusing in the way the story was told. However once I got into it I was totally gripped. I found myself reading just one more chapter until I realised I wasn’t moving until I’d finished.

This dark and twisty psychological thriller explores the effect of domestic crimes on the victim. Celeste's past emotional trauma defines her. Cleverly written with a noir ethos and menacing undercurrents it is compelling reading.

The complex plot has many characters and differing timelines. The psychological detail is well- researched and adds to the story's unpredictability. Its focus is on crimes that are difficult to read about it, but this element is vital to the plot and the action and motivations of the main character.

The story is rich in visual imagery that enhances the characters and events. It resonates and keeps you guessing right to the end.

I received a copy of this book from Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A complex read but worth the effort once in the grasp of this dark chilling stalker thriller

But not a straight forward stalker thriller it has to be said

Celeste ( annoying as my mind went between an angel and a stick of Celery ) has serious issues, and you cant blame her, her young brother was killed in a fire, at a party where she was meant to look after him,however at the time of the fire Celeste was having her own nightmare with Ben, the guy who she had admired and loved for years, it was more than a disaster and tragedy all round

Now 7 years on Celeste is working in Chelsea’s premier flower shop and Ben is back, and wants to see Celeste, Celeste wants to see Ben.....but for very different reasons

Enter Theo, a 19 year old stalker, 100% obsessed with Celeste and then Ben, he has bitten off way more than he can chew

Tis a trio destined for disaster and it doesn’t disappoint

A well written if occasionally airy fairy dialogued tale where the unexpected almost ‘off menu’ chapter happens that has little to do with the main story but is surprisingly interesting plus an almost SmellaVision feel to the book re the delicious descriptions of the flowers Celeste works with are all mingled with a Me Too undertone, the book is honestly disturbingly fascinating and powerful

A couple of awful housemates of Celeste’s alongside Ben give plenty of characters to despise and Celeste, well see what you think, you will change your mind throughout

I almost felt I had read a true story and not sure enjoy is the right word but was captivated by it

10/10
5 Stars

Wow!! Quite a different read. It was a slow burn where I couldn't stay away from my kindle even I wanted to. The author Claire Lewis did a brilliant job; there was something haunting about the main character whose story was etched in almost every corner of the book. Eerie was the way the human brain worked with its hidden memories.

Celeste had a past, catastrophe which occurred 7 years ago. With her memories fogged due to the shock, she lived her life with a feeling of being watched until the past came back to get her.

My second book by this author, the story felt to be a jigsaw puzzle initially with multiple POVs along with dual timelines. It was slow going where I didn't know whether to like and empathize with Celeste or not. But I couldn't leave the book as seething about the prose kept gnawing at me. What really was happening with Celeste.

The curiosity to know the truth took a hold on my senses and I had to read the book to the finish. I completely blamed the author for making me obsessed with the main character, just like her stalker. Yes, there was one of those too.

A book I started at midnight and continued over breakfast. A captivating puzzle I had to solve.