This List - not what I expected, but in a good way.

During her daily run through the woods near her home, Beth Belmont finds a list. The list contains 5 names. The first two are dead and the third is hers.

Beth finding the list leads us down a dark and disturbing path with a shocking secret being revealed. The book is told from three perspectives, Beth's, a young girl called Ruby and the creator of the list.

Ultimately, I enjoyed The List. It was a slow burner for me though, the pace quickens around half way through and it was then I found myself wanting to know more and racing through a bit faster.

The book is well written and has a unique plot. Although the multiple perspectives can be confusing at first, once things become more clear, I found it an easy read. I thought I had the ending figured out but I was wrong so I loved the surprise element.

Overall I'd give it 3.5 stars and would recommend to anyone after a new thriller

This has me sucked in right from the start such a compelling read.

Full of suspense, suspicions,

Loved the different dimensions of the book it helped to bring the characters and their journeys together.

A thought porvoking read
I had many mixed emotions and feelings during the book and it made me think hard about forgiveness and certainly made me challenge how forgiving I could be.

It would be really great to see this as a series as in writing about the other five characters and see their own stories brought to life.

A well deserved five stars for me I didn't want I to end (well I did but I didn't)

Pretty good book. The premise was exciting, I thought it'd be a book I tore through, but it took me a while to get invested. That said, it's well written. An interesting thriller, and I will be sure to look out for this author again.

Beth is out running when she finds a list of names. There’s five names on the list, the third is hers and she doesn’t recognise the other names. Compelled to find the link to these seemingly strangers leads to more questions. Why was the list written and who was it written by?
This is a gritty and gripping mystery thriller. Some content was not easy to read in parts, being quite unnerving however it did keep me reading from start to finish. Something in the way the story unfolded just didn’t connect with me to give it a higher rating.
Thanks Netgalley and Orion books for my copy to review.

4/5🌟 #TheList
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Oh my, this was very dark, addictive and unnerving read! I’ve finished it all in one sitting as I just couldn’t put the book down!
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Very original plot, believable characters, with plenty turns and twists along the way! It truly captivated me from the very start to finish.
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Be prepared - it is not an easy read; at times very emotional and devastating.
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I would have preferred the book to be a little faster paced, but that’s probably because I couldn’t wait to find out the truth!
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Looking forward to reading more books by this author!
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Thank you #NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The List by Carys Jones was a brilliantly dark and captivating novel by an author who certainly knows how to write a chilling story which gets beneath your skin and rattles your bones. I was intrigued by this novel from the moment I first saw it and really couldn't wait to dive in. It sounded like just the type of novel I tend to enjoy, with a cover that captured my attention instantly and had me asking all sorts of questions. Although labelled a psychological thriller, The List had a certain 'horror' vibe to it, I felt, which tempted me even more.
In The List by Carys Jones, readers follow Beth Belmont as she struggles to come to terms with a terrifying and tragic past. Tormented by sweat-induced nightmares and terrifying memories, Beth is a troubled character who the author does a fantastic job of emotionally developing throughout the progression of this story. I was captivated by Beth, and so intrigued about the things she dreamt about. I was desperate to find out what exactly Beth was so troubled by, and I felt that Carys Jones captured this anxiety perfectly.
Beth's story, and the tension surrounding it, really begins to pick up pace and rocket forward after the discovery of the list in the woods near her home where Beth takes her daily run. A list which is seemingly innocent at first, it's only after Beth takes note of the list of names written on the piece of paper and spots her own name included that she begins to panic and wonder how she came to find it, after all. Now, not appearing so accidental, it's a struggle for Beth not to lose her mind altogether in the mass of emotions and anxiety that swells, and for her to instead take the advice of her partner, Josh, and push it aside. After all, why would the list have anything at all to do with Beth? Her life is perfect and hides no secrets. Right?
The remainder of The List by Carys Jones proceeds to follow Beth as she sets out to discover the truth behind the creation of the list. In doing so, this means that Beth must face the truth of who she is and what happened all those years before. This element of mystery, of hidden identities, throughout the book certainly heightens the intrigue and ensures readers stick around, encouraged to see the big reveal. I really enjoyed the authors pacing of this book, much in keeping with many sharp and punchy thrillers of the same genre. I found myself flying through the pages because it was so easy to read and keep up with. The author ensured that there was always something to keep the reader on their toes, to keep their mind ticking over, and I certainly feel that my experience of reading this book was a positive and thoroughly enjoyable one. The author managed to successfully weave an insane amount of mystery and intrigue throughout this story and always kept me second-guessing any assumptions I may have made.
Another aspect of this story that I must mention is the structure. As the author tells Beth Belmont's story, we're also introduced to two more characters whose narrative we're given an insight to, both of whom with identities we are not told of. This really heightened the suspense for me, and I loved the switching of narratives as the plot continued to unravel. I enjoyed being able to watch Beth's movements from another angle and found the mystery surrounding who the other narratives belonged to absolutely and utterly compelling. It was such a clever and effective way to tell this story, allowing the reader such a wide angle of view. Carys Jones certainly maintained the suspense throughout and I couldn't get through the pages quick enough. I loved the switching back and forth of time also, and being able to see what happened in the past gave the characters in the present such a colourful and believable background, bringing them even more to life. There were certain scenes within this story that felt a little brutal to me, and kudos to the author for writing them so brilliantly. It was so tense and cut like a knife, and I became obsessed with the list of names presented to Beth Belmont, almost as much as she herself was.
All in all, The List by Carys Jones was a terrifyingly twisted and devious story, with a sadistic game of cat and mouse at its core. Jones has written such an enjoyable yet dark and disturbing novel with a plethora of complex characters that drew me into the pages and refused to let me go. With such a compelling and addictive and, at times brutal, storyline, this was certainly a roller-coaster read with plenty to keep the readers' mind ticking over and I loved every moment spent alongside Beth Belmont as she set out to discover the list and its creator.
With thanks to the publisher for the advanced reading copy of this book, that of which has no reflection on me giving a fair and honest review.

This is an interesting story. Very unusual storyline with a twist to the plot. It didn't have me gripped from start to finish but nevertheless was enjoyable to read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for allowing me to read and review honestly.

I had high hopes for this book as the premise sounded intriguing but ultimately it was unsatisfying. I couldn’t really connect with the main character and my interest in her plight kept waning.

As someone who is a cinephile, I was impressed that the author made Beth a projectionist as this is dying profession however it was jarring when she had the character mentioning projecting film for specific blockbusters that are actually done digitally via hard drives in cinemas, they aren’t rolls of film loaded onto a projector. There was several mentions to someone wearing a band t-shirt but the band’s name is two words and not one. Whilst these may seem like minor gripes to highlight and I appreciate as an ARC it’s not the finished version but it just added to my weariness of the material.

A disappointing thriller that lacked any true thrills.

Five names on a list. The first two are dead. The third name is yours.
That sentence jumped out at me and I thought this was defiantly going to be my kind of thriller. The story is very sad and I didn't feel I could warm to the characters and this is where it felt flat for me.
good story just unlikable characters

Not What You First Suspect... Great Psychological Thriller 👀

The List is told from the perspectives of Beth, Ruby and the creator of the list. Beth goes out for a run to find a list with her named third on list, the fact that she is even on the seemingly apparent find, she finds disturbing. Whilst she worries about the meaning of this, her boyfriend thinks it's nothing to worry about. Beth investigates how she can, the other names on the list, only to find the first two are now dead... does this mean she's next? Only to find a shocking discovery.

Then there's Ruby, hasn't had the best of starts in life, young and no longer able to live at home, being encouraged to talk about an event that happened.

This book wasn't what I'd imagined it would be like, at times I found it sad, as it's almost like these events could've happened, although this is not a true story, you could imagine the tragedy unfolding. It's definitely worth reading, I hadn't expected the end twist, but had put the pieces together for the first reveal shall we say. Overall great read.

Five names on a list. The first two are dead. The third name is yours.
When Beth Belmont is out for her usual morning run in the woods, shes finds a piece of paper with five names written on it. Her name is the third name.
After researching the first two names she learns those two people have passed away in unusual circumstances.
Beth cant help but feel creeped and uneasy and as she delves deeper into the mystery, some of her worst nightmares and past mistakes will haunt her.
This fast paced, page-turner had me hooked from the very first page as I raced through it. I couldn't put it down until I found out what happened, it was addictive. It's an unnerving, dark psychological thriller with an original plot. I loved it.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Beth is out for her early morning run when she finds a piece of paper with 5 names including her own written on it.
Beth lives with her boyfriend Josh and works in the local cinema - just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life - or so we think.
Beth starts to search social media for the other people named and discovers Joanne Rowles, the first name, died in a house fire. Beth wants/ needs to find out what happened.
Another storyline runs alongside about Ruby, in some sort of care home/ detention centre and eventually we discover that Ruby was part of the Stircley Six who were responsible for the death of a vulnerable boy Caleb.
When Josh finds out that Ruby and Beth are the same person he is disgusted and leaves.
I struggled throughout to care about Beth/Ruby and how she tried to justify her part in Caleb’s death.
Glenda, her support worker is a much more empathetic character and as much as I tried I didn’t really like Beth.
This is a very difficult subject to write about and Carys handled it well.

The book isn't what I expected
It is slow paced
I didn't feel any emotions for the main character
It starts to build up near the end
I think the uniqueness of this plot is the twist
Didn't see that coming

Thank you netgalley, Carys Jones and Orion Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Books for an ARC of The List in return for an honest review.

Beth Belmont is out on her regular morning run through the woods when she finds a list of names written on a piece of paper.
Five names - and the third is hers.

What follows is a dark story of paranoia and hidden, deeply disturbing secrets..

I really wanted to like this book - the premise was interesting and I thought it would be just my cup of tea. However, there was just something that kept me at arms length.
I think it didn’t help that it was slow to get started and the switching between different characters was a little confusing.

I’m not sure if it was the author’s intention but I felt zero sympathy for Beth Belmont.
She initially comes across as a bit of an empty personality, but as the story moves on you realise that this is perhaps a way of trying to delete her past, as if she’s wiped everything out and doesn’t know what to replace it with.
As Beth unravels, she gets a bit ballsier. But then I like her even less!

It’s only half way through the book that things start to become more cohesive. And that’s when I started to read on with a bit more enthusiasm.

The story ramps up finally towards the end with a twist that I didn’t see coming.I much preferred the latter part of the story.

A slow starter, but stick with it as you’ll be rewarded with an unnerving and dark psychological thriller with the grim message that your past will always catch up with you.

My thanks to Netgalley and Orion for a copy of “ The List” for an honest review.

I loved the write up for this book but unfortunately , for me, it didn’t live up to its promise.
The first half of the book was ok but by the latter part of the book I wasn’t really enjoying it.I found it plodded along and lacked suspense..
Sorry to be so negative but I’ve read so much better books in the same genre recently .

This one didn't entirely work for me.

I liked the idea of the list – discovering a list with your name on it, and finding that the people listed above you are dead, is a wonderfully creepy idea. But the book never really lived up to that initial promise.

What it turned out to be, really, was an exploration of what it's like to be a child involved in a heinous crime. I enjoyed that. I did empathise with Beth, and felt that she had been punished enough for what happened. For a while, what kept me reading was the desire to find out exactly what she did and why.

However, that's really all there is to the book. I found it quite slow and repetitive, with nothing much actually happening in it. I never felt a sense of menace from the writer of the list, despite all the descriptions of her watching Beth, because she was clearly very frail and because she never did anything other than watch.

Talking of the writer of the list, I was misled as to her identity to start with but guessed the twist before the reveal. Yet I didn't think it made a great deal of sense. Her motivations and the reason why she chose the approach she did were so bizarre as to be unbelievable, particularly when you consider her relationship to one of the other characters (staying vague to avoid spoilers).

Overall, it was OK but I couldn't personally recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the preview of this book. The book had a lot of promise but it took a while for the story to get going and was a bit long. I felt some of the earlier chapters could have been condensed into one. Overall this is a good book with a good storyline, it's just slightly too long

Gritty,complex drama which gradually reveals itself. Took too long to get going and although there were some twists I struggled to finish it.

This is a book I will be recommending. It is absolutely brilliant. I have devoured this book in just one sitting,
I’ve been kept hooked and guessing throughout this one. It’s a great read.

Beth is used to running through the woods but one day she picks up a slip of paper with five names on it. It shouldn’t be upsetting but her name is third on the list. How is she tied to the four strangers, and why has someone written her name down? Just as she’s trying to make sense of it, she discovers the first two names on the list are dead. Does this mean that she’s next? And will her boyfriend take her worries seriously? This is a clever read in that you’re not really sure what’s going to happen, and the ending was a surprise. You feel the tension throughout and are sure of just how scared and alone Beth is feeling.