A very atmospheric thriller! It's certainly sporty - the characters are top athletes who trained to compete in the Olympics and there is quite a bit of technical detail on snowboarding, but it's written so well and intertwined with the plot that it didn't once put off a non-sporty couch potato like me.

The plot revolves around a group of 4 fiercely-competitive athletes and one non-sporty wife, who have been invited back to a deserted mountain retreat to commemorate their friend, recently declared dead after being missing for 10 years. They are completely alone and various things happen to make them isolated, scared and unable to call for assistance. They are being manipulated and stalked, but the question is by whom? Is it one of them or an outside party? And who is guilty of what?

The plot is complex with numerous reveals across the two alternating timelines - present day and ten years ago. Because the cast is quite small, it's easy to keep track of them. They all have something to hide; some secrets in their past often alluded to but not revealed until near the end. I honestly didn't predict most of the reveals, especially the last one.

A super book which will chill you to the bone.

A snowboarding themed thriller book that drags the reader into the twisty mystery events of a reunion. A perfect winter read. A book set within the past and present, so the reader jumps back and forth working out the clues to the mystery; a book of conflict and suspense and drama. Recommended,

I kept hearing about this debut online and that always makes me a little sceptical but the hype is real. ‘Shiver’ is the definition of a page turning thriller that you cannot help but race through!
The story is told from the perspective of Milla who is reunited with four friends in the French Alps; the same resort they all spent an eventful winter at ten years ago. The story unfurls itself between alternating chapters set in the present and a decade ago so we soon learn that the group have been reassembled to face up to a traumatic event that they have all tried so hard to forget.
The fact that the story is set at a ski resort and the group are mostly competitive snowboarders didn’t detract from the narrative at all but just enhanced the level of power and drive that underlies the group and the true extent they are willing to push themselves and others to for perfection. The rivalry between Milla and Saskia runs throughout the book drawing in and developing their relationships with the other characters and the complications that arise.
By the end I felt like the story was even more thrilling than I had expected and revealed far more than just simply solving the decade old disappearance of Saskia. What constitutes blame and what actions can be justified? Where is the line drawn when the goal is to win?

This is a locked room mystery set in the French Alps where 5 competitive snowboarding friends are reunited 10 years after the disappearance of one of their group at the same resort. Who has gathered them together at this isolated, eerie and empty resort and what secrets are they keeping from the past ? The story moves between present and the events at the resort 10 years ago . I loved the setting and there is a great sense of atmosphere. Allie Reynolds writes about what she knows, she is a former competitive snow boarder. However as someone with no interest in snow boarding I found I lost interest in some sections of the book. I think I have also read too many locked room mysteries recently and although this was an enjoyable read I did not find it to be a stand out of the genre.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC

I loved this book! What a debut from Allie Reynolds.
The setting of the story is perfectly spooky and menacing - set on top of a French glacier in a deserted lodge. The story follows a group of 5 former, professional snowboarders who were all friends 10 years ago but haven't seen one another since. They've been invited on a reunion weekend but there is a killer on the loose...
The chapters alternate between current day and 10 years ago where we learn more about what happened to the two girls missing from the reunion.
I didn't expect the ending at all! It took me totally by surprise!
From the first chapter I was on edge! This book is the true definition of a page turner. I couldn't put it down. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger which hooks you in!
This is a chilling, dark, fast paced read and I loved it! I will definitely be looking out for more books from this author.

I do enjoy a good psychological thriller, especially one where the characters are completely cut off from the rest of the world in some way or other with limited or no means of escape. Even better if the threat to their safety apparently comes from within. In Shiver, Allie Reynolds delivers on all these fronts and then some. The location, the isolation and the mysterious invitations to a reunion at a deserted ski resort gave me chills that had nothing to do with the weather (although as previously mentioned, just reading this book made me cold!).

I loved the dynamics between the characters in this book, both in the situation they currently find themselves in, and in the events of ten years ago which are slowly revealed throughout the split timeline of the story. Each and every character has a secret to hide, and something to feel guilty about, and with them not knowing who did or didn’t do things themselves, it makes for a very twisty read that I truly had no idea how it was going to end.

Shiver is the perfect winter’s read – although perhaps not if you are yourself tucked away at a remote ski resort. Maybe read it when you get home. If you are a fan of Lucy Foley, then you will thoroughly enjoy this book. It is a brilliant debut and makes me excited to read whatever Allie Reynolds writes next.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Headline for giving me an ARC of #Shiver by #AllieReynolds in exchange for my honest review.

THIS WAS MY BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY - ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!

5 Stars - *****

Five friends receive an invitation to a reunion in the French Alps resort where ten years ago they competed in snowboarding championships and Saskia went missing. When the icebreaker game turns menacing, they quickly come to realise that they weren't invited to the reunion by the person they thought. All of the friends are carrying secrets from the past that are about to come to light, but will we find out what really happened to Saskia, and who is behind the reunion?

I absolutely devoured this book. It has you on knife edge of suspense from the beginning right until the very end. It is fantastically written and kept you guessing at every corner. It has a wonderful twist at the end that I was unable to guess. I cannot wait to read to more from this author!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down. The only negative I would have is that I didn’t understand some of the snowboarder terminology, but that didn’t detract from the actual story. The author is a former freestyle snowboarder herself and you can feel the authenticity in her writing. This is a very atmospheric whodunnit that kept me guessing and I would definitely recommend it.

A captivating thriller that had me captivated to the very end.
The story is told from Milla's point of view and tells the story from both a past and present tense perspective.
I really loved how this dual timeline affected the flow of the story, as it linked present day events to those that had happened in the past.
The storyline itself was perfectly written and so detailed it really made me feel immersed in the world that the author had created. With a cast of interesting, in depth characters that each have their own role to play in this complex plot and full of mystery and suspense that built up to the end, this was a truly fantastic thriller that had me hooked to the last page.

Milla, a competitive snowboarder is invited back to the French Alps for a reunion. Ten years ago the friends were there for a competition. During the event something happened & Saskia; Milla's main rival & Curtis's sister, was lost on the glacier. The resort is deserted apart from their party. They are asked to give up their phones & to play an 'icebreaker' game. Each putting a question in the box for the others to guess. Only the questions put in are not the ones that come out & all seem to concern Saskia. Things start to go wrong- does someone know what happened & is after revenge?

The story is told by Milla in the present & ten years ago. I did find all the snowboarding details a bit boring, however I managed to ignore that to try & guess what was going on- I was never likely to though! An atmospheric tale with pretty questionable characters. I did rather feel that whatever had happened to Saskia was well deserved!! Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read & review this book.

This was a brilliant and tense thriller that had me questioning everyone until the big reveal. I especially love it when I can’t figure out who is behind it all and I definitely didn’t with this one.

The story is told from Milla’s point of view and alternates between present day and ten years ago. I thought this worked really well as each moment that happened in present day linked back to something that happened ten years ago so it flowed really well, also each chapter left you on a cliffhanger which I love and in turn makes it a real page turner!
The details about the snowboarding competitions were fantastic and despite there being a lot of snowboard technical terms it didn’t put me off. I felt like I was right there on the mountain with them.
Overall this was a fabulous debut thriller that was filled with secrets, a gorgeous yet chilling location, a complex set of characters and a final twist which I didn’t see coming!

Shiver, the debut novel by ex-snowboarder Allie Reynolds is an entertaining thriller and locked room mystery set atop a mountain during a snowstorm. Ten years ago six friends, Milla, Saskia, Curtis, Heather, Dale and Brent were as thick as thieves, until one of them went missing, presumed dead. Now, they have reunited to commemorate their absent friend at the place they all lived and worked; Le Rocher. Most of them were champion snowboarders, working their way to a spot in the Olympics and the events of that winter forever changed them all. They have returned to Le Rocher in the off season and the resort is empty apart from the five of them, high up on the mountain to commemorate the loss of their friend.

All is not as it seems though. There is some confusion over who actually arranged the trip, their mobile phones go missing, an ice breaker game descends into chaos when long buried secrets are revealed and it seems that there may be somebody else up there on the mountain – but who is it?

Told via a dual timeline of now and the events of 10 years ago, this is a taut thriller which I was fully absorbed in. I particularly loved the flashbacks to the group snowboarding and the descriptions of their tricks and dedication to their sport. It is so atmospheric and really transported me to a snowy mountain and almost made me want to learn snowboarding, until I remembered that the one time I went skiing I called my parents in tears asking them to fly me home as I was so terrible at it.

In the present, the 5 remaining friends are suspicious of one another and tension begins to mount. Each member of the group holds a piece of the puzzle but they’re all reluctant to relinquish what they know, throw in some underlying sexual tension and complicated romantic history and it is a recipe for disaster. There are moments of genuine threat and times where the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. There is something about the expansive landscape and remoteness which really got under my skin. The group are staying in a hostel which, in peak season, is usually a bustling place filled with skiers and snowboarders, but now, is a vast, empty place without staff or any other guests.

Shiver is an eerie and unsettling read which kept me on my toes and was heightened by the dual timeline which is perfectly executed. It revealed just enough of the past to keep me interested and wanting to try and solve the mystery whilst withholding enough to make it clear I was well off the mark. This is a solid, page-turner of a thriller with a great narrative structure and pace. It is suspenseful, has great characterisation, tension and a really great plot. Recommended!

This was a brilliant snowy thriller. With a plot very similar to a very popular recent release I was worried about reading them so close together but this was everything that I wanted from that read. With suspicion and intrigue from the get go, reasonably likeable characters and an isolated setting- it was a great fast read.
However, I did guess the ending pretty early on and some of the actions of the characters were somewhat questionable and unrealistic.
But if you are looking for a snowy lodge based isolated mystery this is a much better one than others currently on the market.

Shiver is a debut novel by Allie Reynolds and what a fab book to start off with!!
Milla is invited to a reunion, she will be joined by her friends from ten years ago, Heather, Dale, Brent and Curtis. They were all friends when they were training for the British snowboarding championships but things went wrong when Curtis’s sister went missing. The book is told from Milla’s POV and the chapters alternate between present day and ten years ago and for me this worked really well as both parts were gripping and seemed to end on a cliffhanger but you were ok as the next chapter picked up from the cliffhanger from the chapter before!!
This was a really good read and a very good debut. It kept me hooked from start to finish and enjoyed the things that had gone on ten years ago that started to shift my view of what had happened to Saskia.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Touted as a twist on the ‘locked room’ mystery, this was a debut that definitely piqued my interest.
Our focus is a group of friends who came together as they train for the British Snowboard Championships. Tensions run high amongst this group of ultra-competitive young people, and some of their behaviours definitely show the cut-throat element that many feel is necessary to succeed at the highest level. When one of their party goes missing, shining star Saskia, nobody is sure what to believe.
Ten years after Saskia’s disappearance the group are brought back together. They are taken to a remote hotel up on the same glacier where Saskia disappeared...mysterious events start to occur and it is clear that someone has brought them together for a reason.
I loved the alternating chapters between past and present. This kept the tension high as they struggled to work out what was happening in the hotel, but it also revealed that every one of the group had something to hide. It was an assured way of revealing the dynamics between the various group members and - without us realising - preparing us for the reveal.
For someone who spent their formative years skiing, the Alpine setting and the description of the on-lists activity was exhilarating. I always envied snowboarders their seeming freedom from rules and convention, but the stunts they pull off terrify me. Seeing just how this competitive edge could spill into real life issues made for a sobering story.
I confess to finding my attention wandering a little as we were given a couple of plausible scenarios for what had happened. However, I didn’t see the revelation and think this was well handled. None of the characters were without culpability, but this was an interesting read.
I listened to this on audiobook though I had an ARC too. The narrator was engaging and lent a real warmth to the story.

A chilly mystery set on the snowy mountains, perfect for winter! I thought this book has the right gloomy atmosphere and suspense with its use of dual timelines. I love watching the Olympics so I enjoyed the inside look of athletes competing. There’s a lot of technical info about snowboarding and it does get repetitive at times. But I liked that I was constantly guessing who the bad guy is.

However, I didn’t care for the romance drama, particularly the unnecessary love triangle. None of the characters are fleshed out beyond their looks. Milla falls into the “not like other girls” trope where she spends her time putting down other women. I also thought the way sexuality is used as a plot twist and how the gay characters are portrayed to be kind of problematic. It’s 2021, this shouldn’t fly anymore so it was disappointing. Overall, a fine debut that I wish I could have loved more.

This is quite a good debut!

The story is told by Milla, a snowboarder, in both present day and ten years ago.

In the present day, she has met up with her old group of friends, Heather, Dale, Brent and Curtis, where they used to compete but two of their group aren't there. Odette was injured and Saskia, Curtis's sister is missing presumed dead.

This is a 'locked room' novel and is written quite well. Firstly, there is suspicion of who actually set this reunion up. Some people got emails signed off as Milla and some by Curtis. Both of them claim not to have organised it. Then strange things happen. Someone knows who killed Saskia and they want the truth to come out.

I love the setting of Shiver. I've read a couple of books set on ski resorts and really enjoyed them despite never going skiing myself. There is a lot of snowboarding jargon but it was easy to followm The relationships between the characters in both past and present times are well described and it is obvious that a lot of people would have had a motive to hurt Saskia. She and Milla definitely had a "keep your friends close but enemies closer" type relationship.

I liked that there was a romantic aspect in there too and the fact that Milla was able to reflect back on her competitive nature, realising that she could take it too far sometimes.

The ending did surprise me and it wasn't what I suspected at all.

Milla is invited to a reunion at Le Rocher by one of her friends, that she has not seen in ten years. Her friends Curtis, Dale, Brent and Heather had spend a lot of time together ten years ago, when they were competing in a snowboarding championship. The friends had separated when one of the group had gone missing and was never found!

The resort is empty and soon after arriving strange things start to happen, is it one of the friends or is there someone who means them harm.

The story is told from Milla’s point of view going back ten years. We discover that they all have their own secrets and no one can really be trusted.

I was so locked into this book that I finished it late into the night ,reluctant to leave this gripping story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

A cross between Lord Of The Flies and Then There Were None

This is the debut novel of Allie Reynolds and a perfect one. It features a group of five friends. Snowboarders who used to compete against each other in elite competitions. The action is focussed in the present and ten years previous when tragedy struck. One of their number, Saskia, disappeared and has not been seen since. They have all been lured to the same location where they were last all together. They are stranded and isolated at the top of a mountain when mysterious events start to occur.

The plot idea is not a new one but is well executed. It’s told from the perspective of Milla, one of the friends. The characterisation is well done, and although the story starts slowly, it draws the reader into the mystery by releasing small pieces of the jigsaw to tantalise and tease. Just what happened to Saskia? Is she still alive? Was it she who invited them to attend the reunion or are there darker forces at play?

The ending was a little disappointing and stretched credulity, but overall it’s a worthy first book and well worth a read.

mr zorg

Elite Reviewing group received a copy of the book to review.

Wow. What an adventure. Tense writing throughout with a number of twists. Really captured my attention and kept me gripped throughout