Having previously loved Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson, I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this proof.

But... I was disappointed.

Whilst S J Watson does an AMAZING job at setting the scene of a ghostly, creepy village in the UK, the storyline just lacked.... well, everything.

There were way too many characters to start off with and not enough time spent introducing them all so they stayed in your mind. I found myself consistently having to go back pages to remind myself who 80% of the characters were. There was also way too much 'you shouldn't be here!', ' I can't tell you anything' or 'just leave' rather than an actual thickening of the plot so by the end the 'twist' was just .... anti-climatic.

From the author who brought us the amazing, Before I Go To Sleep, this is another page-turner. We follow Alex back to her childhood town. She is reluctant to return and only goes there for work. She is there to make a film of the town and people, but soon she finds that everything isn’t as it first seems. Old mysteries are still unsolved and it seems like history is repeating itself.
I love this writing style. Every time I thought I’d predicted what would happen next, I found I was wrong. It made me think about the relationships between teenagers and those who are supposed to keep them safe. Lots of twists and turns to keep this intersection to the last page.

A twisted gritty, dark thriller which kept me gripped and guessing fight up to the end. There are a few characters which you would never want to meet and a a great storyline. My only gripe is that I thought the story was too long in places.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into romance stories and literary fiction however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different.

I requested this book with a lot of excitement, especially since I read and watched Before I Go to Sleep. While I read the book, I felt disappointed but, towards the end, I got some hope back.
The book follows the story of Alex, who is an award documentary film-maker. But to make a mark in the world of filmmaking, she reluctantly takes up the project in Blackwood Bay.
Blackwood bay, on the surface, looks like a lacklustre town. People are living their daily lives. When Alex reaches this town, she feels there’s a tragedy in the air of this town. People have secrets, and they are hiding something. Does Blackwood Bay have its secrets or Alex is paranoid?
The theme and the ending (somewhat) are intriguing and thought-provoking. The writing and the pace are good, but these elements fell short. Midway through the story becomes repetitive that’s where the reader will lose focus. The ending of the book brings life back to it, but not completely.
The characters also added to this slump. Their actions and behaviour were incomprehensible. Even though the plot has a promising start, the story soon falls flat.
The book scores its points because of its theme and ending.
My rating for the book is 3 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Transworld Digital for the copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I was a big fan of S J Watson‘s bestselling book; Before I Go To Sleep that was released back in 2011. It was that successful that it was turned into a film adaption featuring Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth. It was such a clever, twisty book and I was hoping that Final Cut would be very similar and keep me guessing.
This was an intense, atmospheric slow burner of a thriller that delves you deep into the lives of the locals of Blackwood Bay. So many secrets are hidden and when Alex goes to the quiet town she finds herself feeling on edge and wary. There seems to be a history of young girls running away or committing suicide and no one wants to talk about it. This only spurs Alex on to investigate and question the history of Blackwood Bay. Only, its not just the locals with the secrets, Alex has a few of her own.

Alex as a character I found very likable and as you get to know her you find she is not all that she appears to be, especially when some shocking revelations occur further into the plot. In true S J Watson style you are in a for a twisty, eerie read that will give you goose bumps. There are a few times I felt like the story kept going round and round with the same events occurring over and over again but it all added to the suspense and gave you more insight into some of the characters.
As the books comes towards its chilling conclusion you find out more about the girls disappearances and there are some big secrets that are revealed. You are most definitely in for a treat with this book!

A young girl is found on Deal beach, suffering from amnesia. Several years later, Alex is persuaded to visit a small community in the North of England to prepare a video diary style film. Girls have gone missing and one was seen jumping off a cliff - how is this linked to her past and can she work out what happened to save more girls from the same fate?

This was an interesting premise for a story - an amnesiac gradually remembering events from her past and trying to work out how she ended up where she did - with some good twists along the way. I did find myself getting confused at times, with so many jumps back and forth between the past and now, but overall it’s a good book. The final revelations about what happened to Sadie and Daisy were surprising after the build up, keeping me engrossed to the end.

Another great story by SJ Watson, as expected.

Another excellent psychological thriller from SJ Watson! The story of Alex, a filmmaker tasked with making a documentary about a sleepy seaside town with a history of missing girls. Oh, and it just happens to be her hometown. Alex’s own history and subsequent reinvention takes place in a parallel storyline. Can she trust her own memories? Who can she trust? The tension racks up with a unlucky car accident and SJ Watson doesn’t stop turning the screw. His use of language and the feeling of rising panic is superb.

3.5 of 5 stars
My five word TL:DR Review: Not quite what I expected

Final Cut is one of my little forays into psychological thrillers. I read Before I Go to Sleep by this author and loved it so had no hesitation when it came to requesting a copy of this book. A young woman returns to the sleepy seaside village that she ran away from years ago, she has no memory of why she left but she soon starts to uncover the dark underbelly of the village and puts herself into a dangerous spot by asking too many questions.

On the face of it this story has the makings of so many things I love. The setting is really well done and plays so well into the plot. Sleepy seaside village, now suffering from economic decline, hit further by the disappearance of a couple of young girls and the suicide of another. There’s a general feel of despair about the place with the villagers themselves having an almost desperately sad quality. When Alex arrives at the village to shoot a documentary that sadness turns into distrust. This little documentary could shine a spotlight on the village and maybe promote recovery or it could simply be a wolf in disguise, raking up past troubles and dark histories that the inhabitants would sooner forget. Then we have Alex, she doesn’t want to go back to Blackwood Bay and yet she’s not altogether certain why, her earlier memories being so sketchy. There’s this overall creepy feel that something downright nasty is going to be uncovered and I confess that the story gets off to a great start. And yet, this didn’t quite wow me as much as I’d hoped or expected – and that’s the rub with expectations I suppose. To be clear, I read this very quickly and had no trouble with it but at the same time I didn’t quite fall in love with it either.

What I enjoyed about this was the small village town feel that the author does a wonderful job of portraying. The place is very easy to imagine and I had a clear vision of what it looked like. On the one hand there was the quaint cobbled streets, tiny cottages and shops, the local pub and the windswept moors, the history of smuggling and suggestion of underground tunnels, but this is then countered by the foreboding house that sits atop the cliffs, the tacky arcades and the young people huddled together, staring at their phones with an overwhelming sense of boredom. There’s also a lot of dark and seedy material here which the author handles well. Alex has experienced some scary situations and lived life a little on the edge and this element becomes clearer as things progress. There’s also a split timeline with ‘then’ and ‘now’ being explored which is a good way of dropping extra clues (or red herrings) along the way.

Now, I’ve struggled to really understand why this one didn’t quite blow me away. I think there is an element of not being surprised by either the mystery or the eventual twist in the tale – both of those felt a little obvious to me but I’m not sure if that would normally have such an impact on my overall feelings. I think I felt a slight irritation with Alex and the whole lack of memory issue, I don’t know why, it feels like a rather overused trope of the genre and that, coupled with a feeling of going round in circles and yet finding out nothing new for a good chunk of the story really started to change the feel somehow. It seems like Alex is continually chasing her tale, sneaking around taking videos of people, telling all sorts of fabricated stories to try and get people to talk to her and yet by the end of it all, apart from feeling a little exhausted, she’s usually learnt very little in the process and that starts to feel a little frustrating, particularly, when the actual mystery is pretty much staring you in the face. Plus, I do have at least one issue that really doesn’t add up for me but I won’t mention it here as it would be a definite spoiler.

I don’t mean to be overly critical though. As I already mentioned I had no problem reading this one. The writing is enjoyable and I wanted to discover what had taken place. In that respect, I would just mention that this book could be potentially triggering for some readers. I wouldn’t say that it overly focuses on events that take place, more alludes to them, there’s certainly no graphic details, but certain parts of this story might be disturbing for some.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Final Cut is a captivating psychological thriller in which SJ Watson explores themes of memory and identity as a young documentary filmmaker travels to a quiet fishing village to shoot a new film, only to encounter a dark mystery surrounding the disappearance of a local girl. For generations Blackwood Bay, a quaint village in northern England, has been famous only for the smuggling that occurred along its coastline centuries ago, but then two local girls disappear bringing the town a fresh and dark notoriety. When Alex, an ambitious documentary filmmaker, arrives in Blackwood Bay, she intends to have the residents record their own stories as her next project. But instead of a quaint community, Alex finds a village blighted by economic downturn and haunted by a tragedy that overshadows every corner. Alex pushes on with her work, but secrets old and new rise to the surface, raising tensions and suspicions in a town already on edge. Alex's work takes her to dark places and uncomfortable truths which threaten to lead to a deadly unravelling.

Shifting seamlessly between past and present-day to create a fully rounded narrative, we are treated to an intense slow-burn thriller with a tense and oppressive atmosphere which continues the whole way through. Blackwood Bay is almost afforded cult-like status in the book and it was described in such a way that, let's just say, you'll want to avoid visiting. It's the same small-town case of secrets, lies and skeletons awaiting escape from the closet and certain individuals who will do anything to stop the truth from emerging. As with most close-knit community, many residents know exactly what is or has gone on but carry on with their lives and ignore it. That said, there are the local busybody's who enjoy nothing better than gossiping in the street about other peoples business. Main protagonist, Alex, is a likeable yet mysterious character and it becomes clear later in the book that she is more involved than we initially realised. All in all, a riveting and gripping story in which nothing is what it appears. Many thanks to Doubleday for an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc of this book.
Being a massive fan of Before I Go To Sleep, which was a brilliant thriller, I just had to request this when I saw it to review.
Final Cut is about 3 girls whose lives are all affected by living in Blackwood Bay and the story behind this little town.
I had such high hopes when I started reading this book, but have to be honest I was left disappointed!
It started off full of suspense, but for me it just seemed boring, there was a lack of story and too much repetition, the whole time she is there nothing seems to have happened and she is trying to bring back her memories and work out who she is, which all was a bit obvious.
I was waiting for a big twist that sadly for me didnt come, whether I have been reading too many of the same types of books or whether it was just obvious I'm not sure! Will be interested to read other reviews when this book is released.

I remember watching the film of SJ Watson's debut BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP and being utterly chilled and compelled by the concept. Watson's latest novel, FINAL CUT, is once again about memory and the tricks it can play on you. What we understand to be the truth and was is in fact reality.

At the beginning of the novel, Alex is travelling to a remote Northern town to make a film on life in the town, but what starts off as a showcase of village life turns much much darker as the truth becomes clearer and Alex finds herself caught up in the town's history of disappearing teenage girls.

FINAL CUT is full of twists and turns that leave the reader guessing as Alex works to unveil what's really happening in the town, and Watson uses the character's filmic eye to bring a real sense of atmosphere to the narrative – in my mind's eye everything is "shot" at in twilight and with contrasty shadows and heightened music. Although the narrative is a little bit of a slow burner as like the narrator, the reader finds themselves trying to orientate themselves with what's going on and who's who – there are an awful lot of characters to wrestle with – Watson draws them all to a conclusion that is both clever and unexpected at the same time.

For tension-filled narrative that slowly builds to a dramatic conclusion, you're onto a winner here!

Alex is a documentary film-maker, whose first film garnered her some excellent praise, but she’s struggled to find a new idea that inspires her and the commissions are not rolling in. An idea she has pitched to a production company has merit and they’re keen for her to proceed with it, but they want it attached to a place with a story to give the film a real hook.

So Alex arrives in Blackwood Bay, a place that she never wanted to be. Once a pretty enough place with a bit of a tourism industry, now it is run down and somewhat neglected and the atmosphere is one of distrust, especially to newcomers. That’s not surprising, since the media have crawled all over it after three young girls disappeared 10 years ago.

Alex is our narrator and we quickly learn that her documentary style is to seek film and video from users wherever she is filming and she uses that to stitch together a portrait of the place she is portraying.

S. J. Watson does an excellent job of building a picture of the town and its key characters and creating an atmospheric, oppressive feeling that lingers as Alex – herself struggling with being in Blackwood and showing signs of not being an entirely reliable narrator – tries to get to the bottom of who or what caused these young women to disappear.

There are those who don’t want her raking up the past, understandably, and Alex is a bit quick to judge based on rumour and hearsay. What becomes clear though is that there is still a malevolent force in this town and that whoever is behind it is not taking well to Alex digging into the past.

S.J. Watson does write a fabulously dark and well plotted story and on the whole I enjoyed reading this and found the many twisted moments entertaining as the plot unfurled. But if you read a lot of psychological thrillers, this plot will not stun you, and it won’t come as a complete surprise when you find out what really been going on.

Final Cut has a solid pace for most of the book then ramps up towards the end as the town’s secrets start to spill out at an unstoppable rate and the tension jumps several notches for the dramatic conclusion of this psychological thriller.

Verdict: Verdict: A solid and enjoyable read with a nicely claustrophobic, oppressive atmosphere and some creepy characters but which at times felt a little too guessable – but then I read an awful lot of psychological thrillers.

I was excited to read this book after having read Before I Go To Sleep and Second Life, both of which I thought were excellent. Final Cut is well written, the tale well-crafted, Alex is a confused and complex character and the story told between Then and Now and I did enjoy it. But it did not hold the fascination for me that the first two books did and I am not even sure why!!
Many thanks to Netgalley/S.J. Watson/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book and will give it a huge thumbs up. With a great story line and excellent main characters - I would highly recommend this book.

Alex is a documentary film maker and is persuaded to go back to her home town from where several girls have gone missing over the years. She is suffering partial amnesia and is hoping to discover what happened.
An intriguing and interesting read

A complex tale as Alex, a promising film maker, chooses her former home to film her next masterpiece (why is really unclear - her producer received a postcard and researched a few girls who had disappeared there). It was quite a weak argument for her to film there, given her shady past. A past she doesn't really recall very well.

A complex tale as Alex, a promising film maker, chooses her former home to film her next masterpiece (why is really unclear - her producer received a postcard and researched a few girls who had disappeared there). It was quite a weak argument for her to film there, given her shady past. A past she doesn't really recall very well.

The story is convoluted, and not particularly well handled. The main character clearly has had a difficult past, but the reader is left a bit bemused about why things had happened. Clearly she doesn't remember the sequence of events well, which is part of the plot. On arrival in the Bay, no-one appears to recognise that she used to live there, and her own amnesia means she doesn't know who is friend or foe.

A pattern of abuse of young girls emerges, but again the reader is puzzled at the end about the role some people have had.

Overall, the plot is perhaps over-ambitious and is not presented well. I had no sympathy for any of the characters, as they are never developed enough for the reader to understand them. The whole point of the book is perhaps to illustrate the effect abuse has on young people and how the brain blocks certain facts to make sense of what is happening, but it didn't make for a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Doubleday for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If the author wanted to express what a dissociative state felt like in the structure of the novel then he definitely succeeded with me. As I was reading there were times where I felt like I was in a dream state, others where I felt a piece of time had gone missing and when I reached the end I felt disoriented and needed to piece the story together bit by bit. It was clever because it added to my doubt of the narrator and every person she met, but added an extra layer of doubt as to whether the events she related were happening to her or someone else. I was left feeling unsettled and ‘jangly’ after each spell of reading.

Alex is a successful documentary film maker, in a great position as her last feature made money and won awards. The question now is what the next subject will be. In this early stage we learn that Alex has a traumatic past, culminating in a hospital stay where she was diagnosed as experiencing dissociative or fugue states. She hasn’t put all of her past back together, but knows there was a squat, drugs and exploitative sexual encounters. There is an element of survivor’s guilt since her success as she feels she’s making money from people who are struggling, where she was several years ago. Her manager suggests going to a town called Blackwood Bay on the coast somewhere up North. The concept is for Alex to stay up there and film local life for a while, but also to get locals to film and anonymously upload their take on Blackwood Bay to a website. Alex likes the idea but is unnerved by the location. Her manager mentions in passing an underlying story of girls going missing, but assures her she isn’t there to film that. Alex knows that if she goes to Blackwood Bay she will have no choice but to get involved in that story, because she wasn’t always from London. Blackwood Bay is her hometown; she is Sadie, one of the missing girls, and what happened there was so terrifying she has dissociated from it in order to survive.

Watson creates a dark and disturbing atmosphere in the bay, where we trust no one and look for clues everywhere. The residents are equally unsure of her, uncomfortable about what she’s there to film and why. This is a typical seaside town, that in spring and summer bustles with life, but in the winter months is practically shut down leaving locals bored, time rich but money poor. The pub is still a centre of activity, but there are other places that unnerve Alex or take her back to traumatic episodes in her past. Her cottage is rented from Monica, who seems like a mother hen figure to the young girls of the bay and Alex knows better than anyone they need protection. I enjoyed the way the story was built, both on the present film making but on those moments where Alex remembers something. She remembers knowing all the constellations in the sky, but who taught them to her. She recognises a couple of tattoos on young girls that are exactly the same as her own, but why did she get it? A smokey upstairs room at the pub, is a scene for a quick chat, but induces physical symptoms in Alex like she’s been winded. Her search for answers is compulsive and I noticed there are many times where she doesn’t even consider her present safety, wandering the town and surrounding countryside at all hours of the night and trusting people she maybe shouldn’t. I found myself on tenterhooks all the time and I kept questioning her feeling of safety in the holiday cottage, where both landlord and any number of other locals might have a key.

The truth, when it finally emerges is very dark and disturbing. Growing up in Blackwood Bay is a dangerous game for girls and reading these pages is perhaps not for people who’ve had experience of exploitation or abuse. There were things I had worked out, but others that came as a shock. I suspected some people very strongly, who turned out to be innocent, and trusted others that were very twisted, disturbing characters. The knowledge that the girls in Blackwood Bay have been unsafe for generations is shocking but unfortunately all too real. This is a tainted community where people have closed their eyes to the truth for far too long. Alex tries to keep her identity as Sadie secret for as long as possible. She becomes focused on finding out the fate of a friend called Daisy. The story is that she jumped from the cliff into the bay, witnessed by a distressed Monica and filmed by a lonely man who lives in Bluff Cottage. This interplay between what is seen and what is seen on camera is interesting and builds more layers to conceal or reveal. When the final shock twist happened I was genuinely surprised. This version of the truth hadn’t entered my head. This is a book I will be thinking about long after I put it down. The central theme, that the camera can lie, is very effective. More devastating and seen in several characters is that we can even lie to those we profess to love and even to ourselves.

This will be edited and added to the blog tour on 8th August.

Another impressive thriller from Watson, although slightly less compelling and inventive than the predecessors, maybe because I struggled to connect with the protagonist. Nevertheless, he is adept at layering tension and the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small town is well realised, A solid read.

Alex needs to make a film in Blackwood Bay a quiet sleepy town where nothing interesting ever happens, or does it? When Alex arrives the locals just want the town to be shown in a positive light and encourage new tourism. So why, when she asks about the disappearance/ suicide of some local teenage girls do some of the locals seem deeply suspicious and very secretive?and why does Alex not seem keen on the idea of visiting this backwater town anyway?

Another truly amazing novel from SJ Watson can see this one being adapted for a film as well. Loved it! Couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Will certainly be recommending to everyone I know.