Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

Thank you for the advanced copy
However this was so slow I found myself falling asleep when reading it
I didn't like the writing style, the story didn't flow and I found the characters a bit annoying. This had real promise but really didn't deliver.

Although the premise of the book was enticing, I am sorry to say that I really did struggle to get stuck in to this book.
For me personally I found the story to be lacking in pace, and in some places far too much attention to detail was provided when not entirely necessary.
I am sure this book will appeal to others, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't for me I'm afraid. I found it too slow and confusing. and a bit over the top for me. Sorry.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

I previously read a taster of The Seduction offered by NetGalley and was very much impressed by the first few chapters. The novel by Joanna Briscoe was an enthralling multi-generational story about grave misunderstandings, set on Camden Lock, London.

Beth is a happily married, successful artist, living in the house of her dreams. The story begins with Beth who is lying on a psychologist's couch then quickly moves on to the central character's home that she shares with her husband, Sol, and twelve-year-old daughter, Fern. Beth relishes her happy home life but is receiving nuisance calls that appear to be from her estranged mother, Lizzie Penn.

I immediately started to build a picture of troubled, nervous Beth, and the impulsive and rather fanciful Sol, though he initially came across as very thoughtful and caring. As Joanna Briscoe developed other characters, I got a feel for their different personalities. The suspense as to where this could be going next built gradually, along with suspicions that secrets were being kept. When Beth notices one of her friends, Aranxto, who also happens to be Fern's godfather, is texting Fern, she is curious.

With a strong plot, the author's fabulous prose really helped to draw me into the story and I could relate to the way in which relationships were examined. Beth's mental health and her growing detachment from her family as a result of her attraction to her psychologist, Dr Tamara Bywater who had her own issues, were expertly portrayed. Although I did not care for any of the characters, they all played their relevant parts and Beth's vulnerability was well manipulated. The Seduction is a great read about forbidden relationships with good doses of lies and obsession, that I can recommend. I have yet to read any of Joanna Briscoe's other novels but I found her easy-to-read writing style very evocative and appealing.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bloomsbury Publishing via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This story didn’t flow very well in my opinion, it was slow and I found the main characters annoying.
I thought the idea has promise but it didn’t deliver in my opinion.

It could be perfect for another reader, but I was put off by the level of manipulation in the story which ended up leaving me exhausted, and as such, I just couldn't continue with this book.
Also didn't help that the Kindle file sent from the dashboard to my Kindle was all kinds of weird and funky and it took deciphering to read through

Beth the central character is a wife, mother and artist. She is married to Sol but her marriage is stale. Her teenage daughter Fern is becoming withdrawn and secretive, which worries Beth. Beth has many issues as her mother walked out without saying goodbye when Beth was a child. Sol pushes Beth to seek therapy to address her issues and insecurities. Beth develops an unhealthy relationship with Dr Tamara her psychiatrist. The story is complex and at times difficult to follow. Look out for some unexpected twists along the way.

Whilst this had a really interesting premise, I struggled at times with the writing style. It was overly descriptive and wordy for me. The story was incredibly intense at times and left me somewhat despairing over the main characters lack of insight and selfishness. That said, I was sufficiently intrigued to persevere till the end, though I skimmed parts. Not one I really enjoyed reading but it was somewhat compulsive.

I thought the premise of this book regarding ethics and boundaries between therapist and client sounded interesting, but sadly I couldn't get into it at all. I started a couple of times but found the writing flat and the characters dull and I had no interest in finding out what happened to them.
Thank you to netgalley and Bloomsbury publishing for an advance copy of this book

I remember reading a Joanna Briscoe novel a few years ago and finding it a very intense, dramatic and sexually charged read. Her latest book is in the same vein.

Beth is an artist who lives a seemingly idyllic and culturally fulfilling life in a London canalside house with her photographer husband Sol and their 13 year old daughter Fern. However, Beth is struggling with her career and to develop a relationship with Fern, possibly due to unresolved issues with her own mother who abandoned Beth when she was a similar age to Fern. Her husband recommends therapy (he’s American so its second nature) and that’s how Beth comes into the orbit of clinical psychologist, Dr Tamara Bywater.

At first the relationship between the two women is professional and reserved, however they soon come to realise that this is more than a doctor/patient bond and when Beth leaves Tamara’s NHS list they start to meet outside work and an intense obsession develops.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book – Beth’s bohemian lifestyle, the flashbacks to her Liverpool childhood and the day to day travails of her relationship with her daughter – but her obsession with the needy, manipulative and egocentric Tamara was irritating and hard to understand and this section of the book dragged for me – I just wanted them to get on with it! I’ve got nothing against unlikeable characters in a book but I think if perhaps Tamara or Beth (who was equally needy but not quite as egocentric) had had a few more redeeming features I might have engaged with it more.

I found this booking dull and it was made difficult to get into with all the extra characters and layout. Struggled to finish it so partly skip read.

Enjoyable read, well written, good range of characters. Well worth reading. Thanks for letting me review this book.

The Seduction by @joanna_briscoe . Published by @bloomsburypublishing 💋💋
Firstly prior to this bookI hadn’t read anything by Joanna Briscoe before - I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
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Beth is an artist who is happily married to Sol and they have a teenage daughter.
Sadly Beths teenage year where marred by her mother abandoning her and the family in the middle of the night while Beth was 13 - which is quite a crucial stage in a teenage girls life.
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She does try to deal with her ongoing issues in relation to this herself but sadly with no real success.
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Her relationship with her own daughter is becoming strained and being tested. Could it be that subconsciously that what occurred to her is having an effect on their relationship.
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Sol encourages Beth to seek help/support from an outside professional- Dr Tamara Bywater.
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Dr Bywater has a very unorthodox approach to therapy- some of which are not always conventional nor approved off by her colleagues.
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As Beth participates in more sessions some doubts about Dr Bywater start to creep in. 💋💋
Is it Dr Bywaters intention to continue to support Beth purely on a professional level or is there something far more personal to it.
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Is Tamara exploiting Beths vulnerability or is she genuinely trying to be a support for her.
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Could it be that the good Dr is trying to seduce Beth. 💋💋
It all gets rather messy and at times rather muddy.
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I found the writing style flows well and the characters are really quite strong. You get the sense that Dr Tamara is quite and very strong/ dominating individual.

I'm so sorry but I have to be honest and say that I just could not get into this book. This does not often happen for me, but I tried several times and made it to about halfway through and it was not for me. The description sounded enticing and exciting, but the characters felt unsympathetic and it was an effort to care by the end. I do apologise and I'm sure many others enjoyed it profusely.

I was attracted to this book because I had read a book by the same author set on Dartmoor called "You". Also because I work as a counsellor I was interested in the ethical breaking of boundaries suggested in the cover and blurb.

Beth 's seemingly idyllic life in Camden Locks becomes more difficult as her daughter, Fern approaches the age at which her own mother left her. This leads to her husband, Sol ,suggesting that she goes for psychotherapy to help her understand her past and what is happening to her in her current life. There are financial pressures as Beth has to do "commercial" work to subsidize her own artistic projects. There are "cracks" in the relationship with Sol too (sharing a new studio with past lovers brings some conflict to the surface)

Enter charismatic psychologist Dr Tamara Bywater. Beth, like most people who go to therapy, wonders about the private life of her therapist. In the usual way of therapy the psychologist/psychotherapist would deal with this transference within the sessions and safe, ethical boundaries would be maintained.
However Dr Tamara Bywater persuades Beth into breaking theses boundaries by having "private" sessions and a different relationship emerges.

As a portrait of manipulation and obsession this works well, although sometimes the plot seems contrived. Tamara's husband doesn't seem to bat an eyelid at Beth sleeping on the therapy couch in his own house and even asks Beth to care for his wife while he flies off on a convenient trip to Switzerland. Sol has a "convenient " trip to make away too.

The plot line throws in a final twist at the end which "ties it all up".

The most interesting parts were the parts about Beth's creative life, her love of her daughter and how this is subsumed by the relationship with Tamara. It is revealed that Tara has narcissism which does explain much of her behaviour.



I guess there are not many "forbidden"/taboo relationships nowadays in our society so it was interesting to look at one that is- a cautionary tale for all therapists.

Ultimately for me it was an interesting read although not one about which I will be highly enthusiastic.

Unfortunately, after trying and trying to get into this, I couldn't. I gave up at 10%. I really wanted to like this! The cover and description sounded totally down my alley. However, I wasn't taken in by the story or the characters; it felt like a chore to keep going. So I gave up. I'm really sorry!

Really enjoyed this book. The cover was mostly what drew me in but I soon became enthralled by all the characters and their various personalities. Some likeable, some relatable and some not so much!

This is an author I am not familiar with and I found her writing style to be quite unique. This i unusual to find in this day and age with so many authors but it was a really enjoyable read and enjoyed the style of writing. Will look for more by this author in the future

There was lots of potential for psychological drama here, but for me book fell rather flat. The story moved very slowly and often descended into navel gazing, being in need of impetus and momentum - something to keep the reader’s interest from wandering. The characters were neither appealing nor offensive and the book felt somewhat bland overall - sadly, I couldn’t summon up the enthusiasm to finish it.

These impressions were not helped by the ARC being full of split words (without hyphens) and many, many extraneous numbers and symbols, making it very difficult to judge the flow of the writing.