I'm a huge fan of Jessie Burton's writing and this book didn't disappoint. I would say that The Confession is more reminiscent to The Muse, with the dual timeline setting flipping between 1980s LA, and modern day London.

The Confession examines motherhood, friendship, love and the complexity of relationships. The characters were flawed whist still being relatable.

The plot could be, at times, a bit sensational and farfetched but it didn't put me off the book overall. I flipped between the physical book and the audiobook which was also well narrated.

The Confession by Jesse Burton was a good listen! A tale of a young woman Rose, in search of her mother, Elise, having being brought up by her father she reaches a point in her life she needs to know the truth. She sets off on a lie in order to get close to the last person who has seen her mother 30+ years before.

Told from two time points Connie and Elise in the early 1980's and Rose and Connie in 2018 we slowly gather the link between Connie and Rose. Beautifully told with the adventures the two young women went on, the intense relationship they had and the heart ache they suffered. As the relationship between Rose and Connie grows she finds out more about her mother until the final confession.

The clear voice of Hayley Atwell gave Connie a blunt and realistic coldness, and Rose a keen youthful interest which held my attention. It was slow in the first third or so as we didn't know the characters but once I learned who they all were I wanted to know more, the last couple of hours were good as Rose is born we see what has happened to her mother.

Overall, a good book about relationships, with lovers and daughters and ultimately with yourself. A solid 4*. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio UK for the ARC.

I was absolutely enraptured by The Confession and Hayley Atwell's beautiful narration. It is the story of three women. Each one has a different identity. The central figure is Connie, a magnetic and intensely selfish novelist. She draws people into her orbit and is often cruel to them. In the early 1980's Connie seduces Elise. Elise is quickly taken for granted and treated as an accessory. Their relationship is one strand of the narrative. The other is set in 2017. Rose has never known her mother, Elise, and is looking for answers. Her own identity and story is incomplete. Rose suddenly finds out that Connie was her mother's lover and may be the only one who knows what happened to her. Connie is, by this time, a grumpy recluse and Rose must improvise in order to get close to her. A must read.

Just going to leave my review from the e book version here (I ended up with both versions without realising!):
"
I was a little disappointed at this book. I love Jessie Burton's writing style but to be honest the story itself just failed to connect with me (I found a similar thing with The Miniaturist - I loved how it was written but the plot and the ending of the book just fell flat for me). I thought Elise's sections felt more interesting to me although she is quite an annoying character! Rose as a character didn't seem that real to me, it felt like there wasn't really anything to her character apart from finding out about her mother. The ending I also found really quite disappointing - the book was blurbed as a mystery and so the ending, while perhaps quite realistic, just didn't relieve any of the tension and I wish there could have been some other element to Elise's disappearance that we discover at the end.
"
So with that covering how I felt about the book itself, I did like the audio format for this story. There are some books which I find just don't work as audio books, but this one worked well for me. I did also like the narrator which is a big thing for me - if the narrator doesn't feel right to me then I struggle to continue to listen. The narration was a little slow for me so I listened on 1.5 x speed, but I do this for the majority of audio books I listen to so not a big deal.

Not entirely relevant to a review of the audio book but the netgalley shelf app just completely stopped working for me about 80% of the way through the audiobook - every time the audio was paused it jumped back to the beginning of the chapter and none of the navigation worked (skip forward/backwards buttons and the time bar itself just did nothing) making it actually impossible for me to continue listening, and so I finished the book as an e book (glad I spotted that I had both!)

In 1980, Elise meets Connie, a successful author, on Hampstead Heath. They become a couple. Connie's novel is being turned into a movie, so they travel to LA, a world of glamour and constant socialising. But, Elise feels alone and abandoned and makes a decision that leads to her disappearance.

Now, 30 years later, Rose is searching for her mother who disappeared when she was very young, she’s never known her mother and feels something is missing in her life. She sees a job advert, Connie is looking for an assistant, so she changes her name and goes to work for Connie. Will she find the answers she’s looking for? Why did her mother leave? What happened to her?

I loved listening to this emotional tale, it’s beautifully narrated by Hayley Atwell. It captures the atmosphere of the 80’s and the present day perfectly.

It’s a story of love, relationships and loss. I was totally engrossed in the lives of these wonderful characters to the extent I didn’t want it to end. Perfect escapism and I loved every minute.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook. This is my honest and unbiased review.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1HKHOO3WGWDN/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Many thanks to the publisher, and NetGalley, for a review copy of this book. NetGalley have recently begun to offer books in audio format, so I listened to this book, read by Hayley Atwell.
Jessie Burton’s name was familiar to me, and perhaps many of you, due to the good review of her earlier books The Miniaturist & The Muse. So, I was looking forward to reading this, and hoping for pleasure.
The plot is cover in detail by others, so here I will be brief. Rose’s mother Elise disappeared expectedly when she was a child. Many years later, when her father finally informs her of this and her mother’s intimate relationship with writer Connie, Rose embarks on a journey to find xcvxcvb and some answers….
The authors has an easy style, and the pages turn easily. However, for me, the writing has no spark or strong style. There is no lyricism here and I did find things a little dull. There is also no great spark or humour in the dialogue between characters. So, after a while I lost enthusiasm.
I’m not alone – reviews on Amazon echo what I found, and it sounds like this is not as good as Jessie Burton’s previous books, but I’ve not read them.
The audiobook reading by Hayley Atwell was good, and kept me listening.

The Confession's narrative is split between two timelines, exploring the paths of two women. The book opens in the early 1980's where we meet Elise, a vibrant young woman who falls for enigmatic writer, Constance (Connie) Holden. When Elise follows her love to Hollywood she starts to somewhat feel out of place in Connie's glamorous new lifestyle.

The second timeline follows Rose in 2017. Rose is in her thirties, she's a little lost in life and yearns for a connection to the mother she never knew. When her father presents her with two novels by Constance Holden and claims that the now reclusive author was the last person to speak to her mother before her mysterious disappearance, Rose is determined to seek her out by any means possible. What ensues is a poignant story of womanhood and identity.

I really loved how easily the two timelines were interwoven, sometimes this format can come across a little disorientating but this dual narrative was really easy to follow. The setting of the glamorous, and somewhat hedonistic, 80's Hollywood contrasts well with modern day London. Jessie Burton's writing is beautiful and immersive, she makes you want to read Connie's books, Wax Heart and Green Rabbit and watch Heartlands because it all feels so real.

Something that I really loved about this booked is how organic the relationship between Elise and Connie felt, and how naturally it sits within the storyline of the book. It enhances the story without it overpowering the narrative, and it's wonderful to read such authentic LGBTQIA+ representation. All the women in The Confession are beautifully written; Rose, Elise and Connie are strong, compelling characters with flaws that make them relatable.

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Confession, which was read by Hayley Atwell. The performance of the characters was nuanced and engaging. The pacing of the narration was good and really easy to listen to. Honestly, Hayley Atwell is one of the better narrators I've had the pleasure of listening to recently and I would really love to see more books narrated by her.

*A copy of this audiobook was kindly provided to me by the publisher, Pan Macmillan, via NetGalley in exchange for and honest review.*

Elise Morceau is young and impressionable and enamoured with the suave and effortless grace of Constance Holden. Connie's allure allows Elise to find herself uprooted to hectic LA, the city of dreams. But it also proves one of nightmares when those same dreams fail to find their purchase.

Three decades later Rose Simmons is on a dogged hunt to unearth the secrets of her mother's disappearance, when she was a baby. Her close-lipped father has finally divulged some closely-guarded secrets and her search has dead-ended at Connie's front door. Past and present begin to collide as all that has been previously undisclosed is revealed, whether it is best for those still living that they do so, or not.

I thoroughly enjoyed this split-perspective interrogation into past mysteries and the most secret aspects of women's lives. Each female focused on had their own unique and nuanced character and it proved endlessly intriguing as the novel progressed and the reader was invited to learn about the best and worst aspects of each.

The puzzle pieces were slowly awarded and hard-fought for, but as each found its place and the larger picture began to be revealed it also heightened the emotion and the humanity Burton was presenting, alongside the fascinating mystery.

I listened to the audio book version of this and I loved it! Could not stop listening, the story had me so intrigued. A beautiful group of female characters, all uniquely human and flawed.

Rose's mother disappeared when she was a baby, and has spent her whole life searching for answers. One day her day finally gives her a clue, the name of a famous author; Constance Holden. Rose finds a way to befriend Constance but it doesn't go exactly as planned.

Really looking forward to more books from this author! Thank you Netgalley and for the audio in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure if I’d like The Confession when I started the story, but Jessie Burton always manages to create such complex worlds and you get complexly sucked in and only want to know what happens to her characters next (the same happened when I read The Muse). The Confession is about three women and their interwoven story of loss, motherhood, and purpose spanning over a few decades. It was so interesting and unconventional, it’s hard to describe it without giving too much away. I’d recommend it to people who love literature, art, and stories that completely transport you. I listened to the audiobook (something I do very rarely), but the narrator’s voice was really soothing.

Thank you to netgalley.co.uk for gifting me a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I was so happy to receive this book, I am a fan of Jessie Burton and have loved her previous two novels, The Muse and The Miniaturist, so I had high hopes for this one, I'm glad I was not let down by this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish, it didn't take me long as I was just hooked. I love the main characters, Rose, Connie and Elise and how well written they are, each character was not perfect they had their flaws but I loved reading about them and I became invested in them. They were so unique and that to me is an example of great writing.
Throughout the book, it is split into two different timelines, I think because I'm used to Burton's writing, this constant changing did not faze or take me out of the storyline or leave me confused. I simply cannot praise this book enough, it is clear that the author really researches before writing very thoroughly, I really enjoyed this and I look forward to more from Jessie Burton in future, if she narrates this audiobook, I will buy it.

Loved the book and the audio narration. It definitely added to the atmosphere. I love Burton's writing, her slow-moving, gripping plots.

I'd definitely read more from her.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for the audiobook.

This was my first audiobook from NetGalley - thank you! And the first audiobook I have listened to in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed being read to and the narrator was good, giving different voice to each character and reading at a good pace. I am now very much looking forward to my next ‘storytime’!

I have loved Jesse Burton’s other books and so had high expectations of The Confession. It is very different to The Miniaturist or The Muse but I wasn’t disappointed, I loved it. I particularly appreciate The way that Burton doesn’t feel the need to tie up all of the lose ends in a saccharine way at the end.

The narrative is dual - Elise in the 80s and Rose in the present day. Rose is Elise’s daughter and is driven to find out where her mother went when she left her as a baby to be raised by her father. The common link between the two narratives is Connie or Constance Holden, a famous but reclusive feminist author and once lover of Elise’s. Rose engineers her way to work for Connie without revealing her true identity to try to find out what possibly the last person to see her mother alive knows of her whereabouts. In trying to find out about her mother, she actually finds out more about herself.

Burton leaves the reader/listener to draw their own conclusions about what starts as the central theme but takes a back seat as seemingly more important issues are brought to the fore.

I really enjoyed the miniaturist so I was looking forward to this authors latest offering, however this book didn’t quite have the same impact.

I did find myself entirely engrossed throughout and eager to continue the story. The story is told from two perspectives, Elsie in the 1980s and her daughter Rose in the present day, both of which I found engaging and I never got that feeling of wanting to skip ahead and miss one in favour of the other.

Both timelines revolve around the mystery of what happened to Elsie after the birth of Rose with the common thread being Constance (Connie) Holden, a famous but now reclusive writer and Elsie’s ex-partner. In the present day, Rose finds herself acting as a carer/assistant to Connie trying to find out more about her mother whilst keeping her identity secret and navigating the life of a thirty something year old woman who isn’t quite where she wants to be.

The main characters are well defined and complex women who really stood out. However, I did find that some of the secondary characters, particularly the men, blended into the background and felt less real as a result.

The book was very well written for the most part although there were a number of occasions when Burton seemed to get a little carried away and given in context of the rest of this novel it came off as slightly pretentious more than anything. It also deals with some fantastic themes such as womanhood, motherhood and self-identity in relationships but at times this felt a little heavy handed. I prefer these sort of things to be a little more subtle and nuanced, as they are in real life, rather than so on the nose.

That said, overall I enjoyed the book and I felt satisfied with the conclusion.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book which I would definitely recommend. The narrator read it at a good pace and did an excellent job of giving each character a distinctive voice and feel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first sampling of audio books from Netgalley and I was so utterly absorbed in the story that I finished the book within 24 hours whilst driving to Italy.

Having read both the Miniaturist and the Muse I was looking forward to The Confession, and wasn’t disappointed. In addition Hayley Atwell is a brilliant narrator and took on the different voices of the characters wonderfully.

The story line follows a dual time-frame and switches between the two effortlessly. It opens in 1980 when Elise Morceau meets Constance Holden, a successful writer and is quickly mesmerised by her. and becomes her lover. Constance’s book is being turned into a major Hollywood film which results in Elise accompanying Constance to LA. Whilst Constance thrives in the narcissistic, unreal world of film stardom, Elise starts to resent Connie’s growing celebrity and becomes increasingly depressed and detached. When she overhears a conversation following a party thrown to celebrate her birthday, she is thrown into confusion and makes an impulsive decision that will change her life forever. Elise simply disappears one day from her Brooklyn apartment leaving behind a new born baby girl.

Decades later we find Constance now a reclusive novelist in her 70s, crippled with osteoarthritis, who hasn’t written anything for over 30 years. She employs a woman called Laura Brown as a housekeeper and secretary. We learn early on that Laura is really Rose Simmons who is trying to find out about her mother Elise, who disappeared when she was a baby. She learnt from her father that Constance Holden was the last person to visit her mother before she disappeared. She works her way into Constance’s confidence in the hope of extracting information from her.

The book is beautifully written with richly flowing descriptive passages and with a great eye for period detail. It’s a book about friendship, motherhood, secrets and the compulsion to invent alternative realities. A stunning successor to all Jesse Burton’s previous books. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.

The Confession is an absolutely fantastic audiobook, it keeps you hooked as the story unfolds. Hayley Atwell's narration is utter perfection.

I am very glad the The Confession was an audiobook. I am only revisiting audiobooks as a way of enjoying stories and Hayley Atwell was a good guide through this story. I do think that if I had chosen to read this book instead of listening to is there is a high chance that it would still be sitting somewhere.

The Confession is rich in language and characters. You have two timelines which have Constance Holden in common and her impact on Elise, and then Elise’s daughter. Each of these women is so present in the story and for the reader that especially because this was an audiobook makes them feel close.

Admittedly The Confession would not have been my first choice of Jessie Burton’s novels to read (hear) but I can appreciate her writing and storytelling. I want to read one of her other books now.

I thought the story was more interesting in the second half and liked the last chapter because it could have been different characters in different times.

An amazing story - totally gripping. Would definitely recommend to any Jesse Burton fans, or anyone looking for something unusual and interesting! The plot is really original and I loved the thought that had gone into all the characters, really enjoyed the whole story. Thanks for sharing this review version!

My confession is that this is the first time I’ve read a Jessie Burton book. The Confession is a dual narrative novel, effortlessly moving back and forth between Elise in 1982 and Rose in 2017, tied together by their relationships with a reclusive author, Connie Holden. Jessie Burton explores themes of motherhood, regret, and grief, not just for missing people but for lost possibilities.

Written with an addictive pacing that makes it feel almost like a literary thriller, I was completely consumed by this book. I had to find out what happened to Elise after she went to New York, and why has Connie not written for 30 years? The characters were realistically flawed, the writing was lyrical without being over done, and the plot was entirely engrossing. This a captivating drama filled with secrets and lies!

I listened to the audiobook edition of this book, and Hayley Attwell was a fabulous narrator.

So, did I enjoy this audio-book? The proof is that I cleaned the kitchen, the bathroom and sorted out my wardrobe just so that I could carry on listening to it!

I can't say, hand on heart, that this book is 'literary': for me, it's very superior soap opera that uses some well-worn premises (the daughter searching for her lost mother, the switched timelines, the acolyte and the older woman), requires an outrageous swallow-your-disbelief attitude at some points, and becomes a little too patterned towards the end. Nevertheless, I found this an immersive read as characters struggle to find their true selves.

This is strongly about women with the male characters little more than walk-on parts - which makes a nice change. It also has an open ending so that not all the threads are tied up neatly.

Hayley Atwell's reading is clear and well-paced and her voice suits the characters well. Immersive yet untaxing, this is the ideal audio-book companion while doing boring chores, exercising or travelling.

(There are a few teething problems with the NetGalley player which skips, stops and sometimes skips backwards but hopefully those will be ironed out.)

[Link to Amazon review to be posted when it's showing]