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,  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. Characters were so well developed that I felt as though I knew them. I love when a book draws you into the story and it feels like you are living it with them.

I thought this story was well written and had many of the things I seek when reading thrillers, but it was a bit too slow for me to give the full 5 stars. Overall, it was one that definitely gave me my needed chills, thrills, and shocks, I just wish it had not done so in a slow burn, but instead a fast paced, edge of your seat style. I would still highly recommend, as I think most who love thrillers will enjoy the deliciously dark tale. I’m sure like me, you crave what I mentioned above, and it will give just that, just not as fast paced as some!

Will make sure to buzz around platforms and use lower Amazon reviewer number on release date!

I was approved of this arc on netgalley and I was immediately drawn to its cover. It’s cover and blurb made me very intrigued and made me want to read this novel. I found the opening chapter of this book to be very fast paced and gripping and I found I was constantly guessing and wanting more throughout the story. I found myself coming up with multiple conclusions and I found it very hard to put down. However, I felt like this story was missing a big twist as I was expecting one to happen and it never did. I also felt that the end of the story was very rushed and for this reason I’d give this story 3⭐️

I really enjoyed this thriller. It was a dark tale of friendship and loss and had me engaged throughout. Well written and easy to follow. It had a unique spin on it that kept the suspense going.

Definitely recommended to all that enjoy a thriller/mystery.

Thank you Orion Publishing and Netgalley.

I was instantly taken in by the premise, it sounded right up my street and I'm not sure why but i was expecting to open the book and get hit like a sucker punch straight in the face with action.... that didn't happen.

It's a real slow burner which I'm really not the biggest fan off and it just didn't shock me in any way.

The characters are well written and you do get a real insight into them and their own stories BUT I felt no emotion towards them, something was definitely lacking for me.

Overall it's an 'ok' read but too slow and predictable for me to recommend in all honesty.

Thanks to netgalley and Orion Publishing for the ARC.

this one is 4.5 for me and was really close to a 5. For me this book was a huge slow burn and I wasn't expecting that when I went in. This is the story of secrets, murder, deceit and total fear about people who are not exactly who they say they are. I think if the past was a bit worse than it was (yes it was bad) it would make me understand the book more. When secrets are revealed you find out the people you lied to want nothing to do with you and the past doesn't ever go away.

Unfortunately, this book just didn't do it for me! I was completely drawn in by the premise of the book but I felt the execution was lacking. It was slow paced and although you got to know the characters well I felt little emotion towards them! The book does contain twists I just felt they were predictable and quite obvious to spot.

I really love psychological thrillers and this one sounded great. It was an fairly ok read but it wasn't keeping my interest as I was reading. I love a book that pulls me right in and makes me just want to keep reading it. An average read for me.

This was a good psychological thriller. It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't bad by any means. I found it to be slow however I was intrigued by the premise and wanted to know what was going to happen.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this E-book to review via Netgalley.

This was an okay thriller, it was a little slow for me and I felt like it dragged a little.
The main character Beth finds a list of people who dies and wonders if she’s next. I like this premise and I enjoyed it. I didn’t really connect to Beth and I found her annoying as the book went on.
There is one perspective and it is Beth. However you here from Beth in the present and then also Beths younger self which confused me a little at first.
I didn’t really enjoy the italics in the book as I find them harder to read.
I didn’t like the ending and thought it could have been better but I won’t say more because of spoilers.
Overall it was an okay thriller for me but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected.

I really enjoyed this one and liked putting the different strands of the story together. I was torn in how I felt about certain characters as the story unfolded, which isn't a bad thing at all. While the story didnt pan out as I'd pictured in my head I really liked the ending as it was written. I'd like to read more by this author. Recommended.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley. This is a new author for me so will definitely be reading her other books.Compelling and chilling. Who is after Beth and why? You can feel the tension in the pages.Fast paced and a original concept. Excellently written ,thought provoking and will make you question things.Published 1st july

This was intense, I got hooked and I couldn't stop reading. I didn't see the major twist coming so that was great but I was a bit let down with the story. It's a psychological mystery more than a "real" one and I didn't like that aspect of it. Overall it was quite good though.

I shouldn't have read this just before i went to bed, I found it creepy in a good way. Finding a list behind her house with her name as the 3rd on the list. I tried to think how i would feel knowing that someone wanted to kill me. I can't wait for Carys Jones next novel and i would recommend the List to my friends.

As a fan of the authors that this book was compared to in the blurb (primarily Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, CL Taylor and Lisa Jewell.), I was really excited to start reading this.
Sadly this was too slow for me.
It took a good while to let us know who might be responsible for 'the list' and why, which was frustrating. But it didn't build any suspense either.
I expected it to be a lot more thrilling and gripping. Ultimately it was just underwhelming for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

https://lynns-books.com/2020/07/06/the-list-by-carys-jones/
My TL:DR Five Word Review : Psychological thriller. Revenge or redemption.

The List is a book with a great premise. A psychological thriller with a young woman who finds a list with her name on it, and upon closer examination she uncovers that the first two people named on the list are dead. Is she next?

I have to say that this is a clever and well written novel. Part of the story certainly tackles a very dark issue that without doubt will have an impact on how some readers engage with the main character but certainly the revelations were intriguing and unexpected.

What I’m very conscious of whilst writing this review is the ease with which spoilers could ruin the read for others so I’m going to avoid anything related to the plot which may make this somewhat vague and perhaps raise more questions and than it answers.

I would say that this is a good read. It’s a story with three different narrators. Beth, Ruby and a.n.other mystery pov. However, even though this is a good read, well written and definitely intriguing I wouldn’t say that I loved it which is an issue I’ve been giving some consideration to.

Beth has secrets in her past. She has difficulty interacting with others, few friends and no family around her. Her boyfriend Josh knows little about her in that respect but he’s a happy go lucky type of chap and doesn’t press the issue. There is the list of course, and the strange way that Beth hides her actions from Josh. Apparently, this relates to an incident with one of their neighbours where things escalated due to Beth being over-anxious and Josh is worried that she might go down a similar route over the list – leading her in fact to simply keep things even closer to her chest.

Basically, this tale is a twisted thing. It’s a story that gets into your head and more than that it gets into Beth’s head – and that’s the point really. I think one of the things that I really took away from this is that the mind is a powerful thing and events and actions can appear to be one thing whilst really being something quite different

So, why didn’t this bowl me over quite as much as I expected. Well, I feel bad that this didn’t wow me, and I did like it, certainly I had no hesitation in picking it up. I think some of it boils down to me and the expectations I had when I started reading and this took a route that I hadn’t expected, strictly speaking the twists are really good but at the same time they made me rethink the way I felt about Beth, I also wasn’t totally won over by one of the character’s motivations.

In conclusion I enjoyed this even if it wasn’t quite what I expected. It’s a book that gets into your headspace and it does make you think – I confess that I’m still thinking of certain elements of this now after sitting on the review for a few days and I wish I could be a little bit less secretive about what I give away. Can you ever really escape your past? Can you change?

So, there were slight pacing issues in the first half and then obviously the tempo picks up but if you want a good psychological read then this might work well for you.

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

My rating 3.5 of 5 stars

This wasn't the book for me. I still enjoyed it but slightly outside of what I'd normally pick up. Although I didn't greatly enjoy I can definitely see the customer who this book would be perfect for and would happily recommend!

I enjoyed this book, the twist left me slightly confused as I didnt see it coming and it didn't fit as much as the more obvious conclusion. I cant decide if that made it a good twist or not! But as a whole I enjoyed reading and would recommend.

The List is a superb thriller that will draw you in and keep you hooked until the final page. The premise is supremely suspenseful and excellently executed. However, what really makes it stand out is the fact that nothing is quite as it originally seems...

Whilst out in her morning run, Beth Belmont discovers a list of five names left in the woods behind her home. The third name is hers. This disturbing find triggers an unravelling of Beth’s life that will drag up long buried past traumas and spiral her world out of control. But who are the other people on the list and more importantly, who is the author and what do they know about Beth?

I really enjoyed The List, which I found to be an engrossing and engaging read. It’s dark, disturbing, exciting and infectious - a real page-turner! Jones brilliantly catapults readers into Beth’s world and the discovery of the intimidating list immediately forges our affinity with her. However, nothing is quite as it seems here and Jones expertly turns the tide halfway through the novel and our initial sympathy for Beth suddenly shifts, as it’s revealed she’s a much darker and more disturbing character than we originally think. Beth is multilayered and the truth about her past is reprehensible. This is a very clever move on Jones’s part, as I spent the remainder of the novel battling my own feelings for Beth and my hopes for the conclusion of the novel’s events. This adds an additional dimension to the narrative that is not something I have come across very frequently. It also makes The List thought-provoking and I found myself questioning whether people in Beth’s shoes ever really escape or overcome their pasts.

In addition to this, there’s a very well crafted and suspenseful mystery at the heart of The List. There’s a “whodunnit” element to the plot with regards to the author of the list and the perpetrator is given an anonymous voice via the portions of monologue that are peppered throughout the narrative. There’s plenty of plausible suspects, but the final reveal will certainly take most readers by surprise. Jones definitely points readers down a certain track, but reading between the lines and considering perpetrators from all angles I was pleased to have suspected the culprit! The actual motive for the list though came as a complete surprise and completely changed the tract of the plot, which was another clever twist I didn’t see coming. I loved the fact that this novel pulled the rug out from under me on more than one occasion!

Ultimately, The List is a deeply unsettling, affecting and tense read. There are all the astute elements of suspense, mystery and action that make a solid thriller, but it’s the interwoven themes of redemption and atonement that will make this novel stay with me long after turning the final page.

The List is a strong emotive story, I really enjoyed it.
How it started, describing a nightmare, instantly absorbed me and drew me into the mystery, I wanted to know more.
The fast short sentences conveyed the anxiety filled and frantic characters. I found Beth to be a brilliant protagonist, she was determined, vulnerable, eternally hopeful and at times self destructive. The story telling from three different points of view was very cleverly written and I enjoyed discovering how the stories were connected. The story focus' mainly on Kate and her rawness but there are some fantastic supporting characters, namely Glenda.
The ending satisfied me too, I thought it was true to the narrative.