Review: Final Cut, SJ Watson

Tense new thriller by SJ Watson will leave your nerves shredded

Final Cut is the third book by acclaimed author SJ Watson whose debut novel Before I Go To Sleep became a runaway success and was turned into film starring Nicole Kidman.

Blackwood Bay is a once thriving seaside destination that has become a ghost town where nothing much happens, until film maker Alex decides to go and shoot her new documentary.

Tense, thrilling and disturbing in equal measures Final Cut is a dark study of seedy small town life, a page turner that will have you racing towards the chilling climax.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Good storyline, good characters and basically an enjoyable read. This author never fails to disappoint

This is a book to be read strapped into your favourite chair as it takes off at breakneck speed, and doesn;t let up. The ominious warnings are there right from the start for Alex, film maker on her last chance to really follow up her award winning doucmentary with a film that will make her career.
A mysterious , unsigned postcard to her producer recommends she goes to a small costal town called Blackwood Bay.
Dubious musgivings about what she can film there aside, her introduction to the town is a dead sheep in the middle of the road which forces her to swerve and crash her car.
Rescued by Gavin,. a local contact/community center film club organiser who will connect her with various locals in order to film her expose of small town life, she steps into a deeply gothic nightmare of identity, personality and abuse.
The young girls of the town are being targeted in a manner that makes disappearances look like they were runaways-at least 3 in the past decade have either taken their own lives of vanished. Sadie, Daisy and Zoe have become spectres which haunt the landscape, populated by oddball characters recognisable in any small town or village pub, who regard Alex with suspicion tempered with curiousity as to how they will be portrayed.
Havign set up a website where locals can submit their own films to create an honest protrait of the town, sinister occurences lead Alex to believe that she is getting closer to the truth of how teen girls are being exploited. But as her suspicions grow, so memories of her own teen years slowly trickle through the amnesia she has suffered as the result of a near drowning.
Add in the mysterious Bluff House-VERY cleverly named-and it's odd inhabitant seen wandering the cliffs with binoculars, a singularly recognisable tattoo on the arms of teen girls and Alex's battle with her own sanity, and you have a recipe for a book which will keep you up all night.
Playing fast and loose with the concept of amnesia. abandonment , growing up in a stultifying environment whilst examining the cutltural and societal constructs which trap you there, 'Final Cut' is about a woman finding herself whilst searching for the truth in others.
Using her camera lens as a disconnect to remain impartial, what she sees and films begins seeping into her consciousness and changes Alex forever.
I thoroughly enjoyed the way this book flips back and forth between a teenage diary/letters and the now of a grownup who never really understood the world going on around her.
The truth and narrative of her life up to this point explode cataclysmically in a shocking denouement that will leave you breathless.

Film-maker Alex is working in a ghost town. It is exactly that: a former seaside destination that never maintained popularity. However, the community is concerned by Alex’s arrival and her intentions to film. Because those left behind know what happened all those years ago. From the outset the tension is heightened, and you know to take the plot a lot more seriously. This tension doesn’t ease, which makes everything you read about Alex in the village feel taut and uneasy. Loved the plot twist at the end which makes so much sense but that I didn’t see at all when reading.

I was really looking forward to reading this, having read other books by this author. Set in a small village in the north of England, Blackwood Bay, is a struggling tourist destination, haunted by events of the past, two girls missing, a third jumped off the cliff.

The story is told by Alex in first person, she is a documentary film maker, looking for a new story. She wants to interview normal people in a normal small community. But she ends up being sent to Blackwood Bay, the community are suspicious of her motives for going there. Alex knows she has been there before, but cannot remember what had happened in the past.

As she begins her job, things start to gradually come back as to what happened. This is a well -logged and suspenseful read, I did find the beginning quite slow to get into, but that could be down to focus, I did find myself having to keep reading though to find out what had happened and how it was going to end. The story definitely picks up after the halfway mark.

The ending was a total shock that I just didn’t see coming. So I think if you like a slow burn read, an evocative tense atmosphere, gradually building up the tension, having you gripped at the end, then grab yourself a copy of this.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Harper for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Blackwood Bay. An ordinary place, home to ordinary people. It used to be a buzzing seaside destination. But now, ravaged by the effects of dwindling tourism and economic downturn, it’s a ghost town – and the perfect place for film-maker Alex to shoot her new documentary. But the community is deeply suspicious of her intentions. After all, nothing exciting ever happens in Blackwood Bay – or does it? Blackwood Bay. An ordinary place, home to an extraordinary secret.

What can I say about this read, well and it pains me to say this it really does, but this is sadly forgettable. I was anticipating an intense psychological thriller packed with shocking twists. Clearly Watson has spoilt us previously as I found this sorely lacking from this read.

The plot is okay but that is it, just okay and I wanted more. We follow Alex as she returns to Blackwood Bay, we know she has been there before, we know she does not return and throughout the read we will find out why. Except it is not very far into the read before I had it worked out and surprise surprise I was right with no twist. Now I do enjoy working out plots but this whole read felt mediocre and really needed something to spice things up and throw the plot on its head.

Watson does create a good atmosphere, the setting of Blackwood Bay is perfect, a small town where everybody knows each other, where bad things do not happen. Except behind every picture perfect façade secrets are lurking are they not? So I did enjoy the setting and I enjoyed the characters who live there. They are a realistic, quirky bunch and all bring something to the table, except like the plot, they too are largely forgettable and their roles all too obvious.

'Final Cut' was very disappointing for me, such a forgettable read and in desperate need of shocking twists and turns to inject some much needed adrenaline and doubt.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance copy.

Firstly, I just want to say that books where the main character has amnesia should come with a trigger warning. I find it a really lazy, over-used plot device and I probably would have given it a miss if I had known. Having said that, there were parts of the book I enjoyed so I suppose I'm quite glad I read it anyway.

I did like the claustrophobic feeling of the small town where all the action took place, it was described very well and I could really picture it. I also liked that I didn't guess the ending, I felt like I was with the main character in not knowing who to trust.

I found that it was a book of two halves. The first half I did find a little boring, it was very slow to get started but it picked up in the second half. I thought that some parts were a bit confusing, it was often hard to tell what was really happening and what was in the character's head or a flashback.

Overall I'm not really sure if I enjoyed this or not. I definitely didn't dislike it but I didn't love it either.

I really wanted to like this novel but gave Up half way thorough. I found it slow going and unbelievable at times. Not for me this time.

I loved Before I Go To Sleep so was really gutted to have to mark this one DNF. A girl who went missing years ago returns to her hometown to find out what has happened with other missing girls. I'm not sure what it was about the style of writing but I just couldn't follow this plot at all. I struggled on until about halfway through but it made no sense to me whatsoever and was a chore to read.

I'm a huge fan of S. J Watson. I absolutely adored Before I Go To Sleep when I read it. It's a book that has stayed with me for years. So I was super excited to hear he had a new thriller coming out.
In this explosive thriller we have Alex, a young documentary filmmaker sent to Blackwood bay in the north of England to record stories of the villagers. While there she realises the village is hiding some sinister secrets with unexplained missing teenagers and suspected suicides.
This book was full of twists and turns and raced towards an explosive ending with a twist you wont see coming. I loved it and would definitely recommend to all my customers.

An incredible thriller that kept me on my toes the whole time. The storyline was exceptional and the characters engaging and believable.

Blackwood Bay, a little village in northern England, haunted by events of the past; two girls are missing and a third jumped off a cliff.
Alex, a documentary filmmaker, is sent to the village to shoot her new project.
But it's not her first time there. If only she could remember what happened in the past...

I have absolutely loved both of the previous SJ Watson novels, so I was beyond excited to be approved for his long-awaited new one.
The story follows Alex's first-person narration and is interspersed with her recalling past events.
I had such great expectations for this book, however, after finishing it, I'm in two minds about it.
The plot was intriguing, but I struggled to get into it as I found it slow to get going. The steadily revealed mystery behind the girls' disappearance was definitely keeping me interested, and the story was pretty suspenseful, but I found some bits confusing and other parts not entirely believable.
I'm really torn about the rating. Up until halfway through, I was considering giving it 3 stars, but the story then picked up and had me racing through until the end.
I normally reserve 4 stars and above for books that grip me from the very start, and this book failed to do this. However, the ending was so jaw-dropping that I decided that it warrants the higher rating.
Do check it out, whether your SJ Watson's fan or not, and if you've never read any of his books, I recommend you give all of them a go.

Im a fan of this author so was pleased to be given this book to read and review!! Wow it didn’t disappoint, full of twists and turns and realist characters and storyline! Kept me on my toes and an ending I wasn’t expecting!

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for a copy of Final Cut by S J Watson for an honest review.

I loved “Before I go to sleep” so any following novels have a lot to live up to.
This book took me a little while to get into but when I did I found it a very decent psychological thriller.
It kept me guessing right up to the end so I will be recommending .

Wow! Now this is how you write a psychological thriller...the master of suspense is back, This book is brilliantly written, the language is evocative and the atmosphere is tense, with so many twists and turns that you don’t know what to believe right up until the end,

Alex is a an award winning documentary maker and as part of her research for her next film she happens upon Blackwood Bay the perfect place. It used to be a buzzing seaside destination but now, ravaged by the effects of dwindling tourism and economic downturn, it’s a ghost town But Alex may well have stumbled upon more than she bargained upon as the community become suspicious of her motives for filming there.

Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#FinalCut #NetGalley

My only regret after reading this book is that I cannot give it more than 5 stars. It is that good! With 'Final Cut', S.J. Watson has taken the crime thriller to another level. It is taut, compelling, mysterious and simply oozes with suspense. More than once I felt the proverbial icy finger up my spine when reading this atmospheric, masterfully-plotted, psychological thriller. There is an ingenious mystery at the heart of this novel. Two girls going missing, years apart, from the small, insular community of Blackwood Bay. Then there is Alex, a struggling documentary maker, called back to Blackwood Bay by a mysterious postcard that urges her to return to a place she was once acquainted with. Suffice to say the events are connected, but how? Rippling beneath the surface of Blackwood Bay is something dark and , a certain human complicity in something evil. Lets just say that Blackwood Bay is far from your ordinary seaside town struggling to remain relevant during the economic downturn. For Alex, the stuff of nightmares is about to become her waking reality. With its Wicker Man-esque feel, and menace seemingly lurking around every corner, this book is ideally one you should read during the light of day. For those who elect to pick up 'Final Cut' for their bedtime read, remember: you have been warned; this is a truly terrifying read. It is certainly incompatible with a good night's sleep! What it is, however, is a must-read. If you thought 'Before I Go To Sleep' was good, you've seen nothing yet....

#FinalCut #NetGalley
The King of Twists is back with a masterpiece. I loved it.
A young documentary filmmaker, Alex. As her next project, Alex travels to Blackwood Bay in England. While there, it is her intention to record the stories of the villagers. However, what she is met with next is far deeper and far darker than she ever could have imagined.
Read this book to discover more about it. Its my third book by the author and he's just awesome.
I loved the way in which the story is told.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld Publishers for giving me an advance copy.

I'm a fan of S J Watson's writing and storytelling generally speaking and Final Cut was again a well written and well plotted novel so as far as quality goes, excellent. 

The story is a fairly standard psychological thriller- girl returns to town she fled years ago, lacking memory of reasons for trauma, the town is hiding secrets and we have plenty of twisty happenings. 

It is very readable and entertaining, I got through it in two large bites and enjoyed it for the most part. 

I guess my one little bugbear is that despite the authors very obvious talent the story itself is probably one of the most predictable I've read in a while. That is subjective of course and I do read this type of book a lot so am used to the various tropes of the genre -that plays into the predictability or lack thereof in any that I read. But you know this is, at the heart of it, a book you may well feel you've read multiple times already. 

That said it didn't stop me liking it. The characters were intriguing and well drawn and it was a good read to while away an afternoon with.

A brilliant dark and creepy murder mystery. As always this book was excellent and we written and I couldn’t believe the twists xx