What a fabulous book to kick of the new year!

Five friends meet for a reunion at a small winter sports resort in the French Alps, but it soon becomes clear that this is not going to be quite the little holiday they were expecting when the ski lodge turns out to deserted and they are cut off from the outside world by some mysterious goings on. Someone has brought them back together after ten years in an attempt to get to the truth of what happened to the missing Saskia, but who is it and what do they want?

Shiver is told from the point of view of Milla, telling the tale of our ultra-competitive group of friends in two alternating time lines that swap back and forth between the winter that saw them training and competing against each other for sporting success in the world of professional snowboarding, and ten years later when they have been tricked into their bewildering reunion. So, bit by bit we learn the story of past friction and flirtation that went on that fateful winter season in an attempt to get the edge over the competition, both on and off the slopes, while experiencing the darkly delicious legacy of the breakdown of their relationships in the present.

The suspense is palpable from the get go as the sexual frisson and rivalries within the group both now and in the past spill over into mind games, manipulations and dark deeds, and it snowballs as the pieces begin to fall into place. There is no let up in the tension as events in both timelines spiral out of control and result in explosive consequences when the truth of what happened all those years ago is revealed at the same time as we discover who is responsible for this ghastly get-together. It's fabulous!

Allie Reynolds' own background in snowboarding gives the reader an intriguing glimpse into the world at the top of this ultra-competitive winter sport, and I learned ever such a lot about the technical moves and lifestyle of the competitors while reading this excellent thriller - although I sincerely hope events were a bit tamer for Allie when she was living the life on the edge in the half-pipe!

Shiver is a cracking debut that certainly started off my 2021 reading with a bang, and I cannot wait for you all to experience this must-read thriller of the year. It's the perfect winter read!

With little or no chance of heading to the mountains anytime soon, this thriller set in a ski resort seemed like the perfect read for a bit of escapism. And it certainly didn't disappoint - I absolutely loved this book and didn't want to put it down.

Five ex professional snowboarders reunite at the resort where 10 years ago one of their friends went missing. But all is not what it seems - as events unfold, it is clear they all have something to hide, and is their friends in fact still alive. Flipping between the present and the events of 10 years previously, the tension builds throughout the book and with plenty of twists and turns you are kept guessing right to the end. A fabulous debut, both the setting and the characters are incredibly well drawn and Reynolds' experience as a snowboarder brings an added authenticity to the book. I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well paced, intriguing plot. I found the novel compelling and original with its French Alps/snowboarding setting and the characters complex but believable.

Snow has featured heavily in a lot of my reads of late, I just love a snowy crime setting. Snow can cover up evidence, block ways of escape and disguise seemingly safe ground. It also looks pretty.

Shiver takes us to the French Alps. It begins with a reunion of five friends, actually maybe friends isn’t the right word, frenemies might be better. Ten years ago they all met up as snowboarding competitors, a sport that is a heck of a lot more competitive than I realised. Back then there was six of them, one of them disappeared and hasn’t been seen since.

In the present the group of five arrive at a lodge, they find it deserted and after a brief conversation they aren’t actually sure who invited them. A series of events starting with the taking of their mobiles makes them realise that the lodge isn’t as deserted as it seems, who has brought them to this Alpine lodge and what do they want?

Answers, that’s what. Ten years ago, one of the group Saskia vanished, she was selfish, driven, beautiful and nobody knows what happened to her, was she lost on the slopes or did someone give her a hand? A lover, a friend, a fellow competitor? All five remaining members of the group are suspects and they all appear guilty as sin, did one of the murder Saskia?

This is a good book, once again the snowy setting is used to great effect and seems to have been very popular with books released in the last few months. The back story along with the current story weave nicely together and when the time to reveal Saskia’s fate I was pleasantly surprised.

If you like your mysteries snowy then you should enjoy this!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The French Alps: beautiful, inspiring, deadly. Milla and her snowboarding friends know all too well about the dangers the vast, snowy mountains can bring. But it’s not just boarding accidents that these mountains are prone to. When the competition heats up, there’s always some that may take it further than others. Is that how their friend Saskia disappeared? Do any of them know more than they let on? When they’re all invited back to the slopes after 10 years of being apart – none of them can resist a reunion. But who organised it? Was the objective really just to have a catch-up after all this time or is there something more sinister laying in wait…

This book was THE BEST! I absolutely loved it and couldn’t think of a better read to finish off the year. Allie Reynolds is an absolutely fantastic writer who ticked every single one of my boxes. Excellent storyline ✓, great character development ✓, shock twists ✓, epic conclusion ✓. The first chapter jumps straight into the action with it’s quick introduction and then boom – an unsettling beginning dropping you right in the middle of a juicy murder mystery. After the intro it’s one creepy twist after another, building the tension superbly and creating so much suspense that at one point I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat!

The characters were fantastic – all of them written to be really likeable, none of which being overtly obvious as a suspect, but also with enough suspicion around them to make them credible enough to stay in the game. The story slowly gives away information; switching between past and present day to create a fully well rounded narrative with a brilliant backstory. I loved that Allie Reynolds used enough ‘snowboarding’ language to make it clear that she was knowledgeable in the subject – but not too much to alienate those of us that haven’t had a chance to enjoy the sport. The ending was fantastic; fast paced and exciting, tying up all the loose ends and wrapping up the entire narrative with ease. It’s the perfect creepy thriller to read, with Reynolds transporting you so well into the atmospheric, wintery setting that I felt like I needed to chuck my gloves on to turn the pages!

But the biggest twist and shock of all? This was Allie Reynolds debut novel! HOW?! She wrote with so much perfection that as soon as I finished the book I was on Google searching for more of her books that I could jump straight into. Allie please hurry up and write some more – you’ve already got a definite fan in me!

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for my advanced reader copy! 💕

Milla is invited to a reunion in the French Alps - at a ski resort where she spent a lot of time when she was competing as a snowboarder. Whilst she has mixed memories about the last winter she spent there, she is also eager to reconnect with Curtis who invited her. Together with Brent, Heather and Dane, our fivesome start their way to where they are staying. But then strange things start to happen. They are asked to give up their phones - REALLY?! Is that not a HUGE warning sign - and then are asked to play a game. One with a very sadistic twist... It then transpires that the 5 were all in some way present when Saskia went missing. Some 10 years ago. In rather strange and somewhat dodgy circumstances. It also soon transpires that someone wants them to remember this incident. To spill the secrets they have been holding onto all this time. And maybe even confess...?
There is a LOT about snowboarding in this book. More than I even care to learn about. But I guess you read a book set in this world, you have to suck up the descriptions of what is happening. I say suck up - I would have to admit that although I hold little interest in the sport, I did find some of the descriptions of the routines to be fascinatingly exhilarating - well, those I was able to picture anyway - and a lot of what happens en piste is integral to the plot of what happens next.
It's a bit locked room/horror film, with a side order of remote setting - possible rogue guest, maybe someone hidden - but there is a lot of fun to be had figuring out what really happened. It's very suspenseful and intriguing and had me running around chasing my tail as the present was peppered with events from the past played out in just the right places to progress the narrative without giving too much away. The setting added to the claustrophobic atmosphere very well, especially when paired with the weather and conditions.
Pacing was mostly good but I did get a bit bogged down in the middle third and thought it dragged a wee bit there but it did pick up towards the end and finished strongly. As to what happened to Saskia, well... to be brutally honest, she wasn't a very nice person so I can't really blame... well... you'll have to read it for yourself to find that out...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a fun locked-room mystery with lots of twists and turns, which shifts deftly between the past and the present to tell a dynamic and gripping story. Ad secrets are revealed, everyone is a suspect. A remarkable debut.

Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for an advanced coy of this book.

Shiver does what the title says, sends shivers down your spine. Atmospheric, with lots of twists and turns.

Excellent winter read!

5stars

“They don’t know what I did. I intend to keep it that way.”
I read this over Christmas. Wow! This was exhilarating, full of twists and turns, a who can you trust thriller. Creepy and suspenseful. The sort of book that will keep you up late turning the pages. Loved it.

A dark and chilling thriller with as many twists as a corkscrew!

What a great debut this is! An eerie, atmospheric read, that at times will make you shiver from fear rather than cold!

The story is told from the perspective of Milla who had once been a professional snowboarder. That was until something terrible happened that led her to leave her career and her friends behind. Now ten years on she has been invited back to the French Alps for a reunion. It is an invitation she should probably ignore, but curiosity gets the better of her and the thought of seeing a certain someone again is enough for her to accept.

Milla is soon reunited with Curtis, Brent, Dale & Heather and it isn’t long before strange things start to happen. The friends quickly realise that someone has invited them here for a reason and doesn’t want them to leave the dark, deserted mountain.

The chapters flit perfectly between the present day at the reunion and ten years earlier when the friends competed fiercely on and off the snow!

The story is very well-plotted, and the descriptive writing makes it incredibly atmospheric. It is more of a slow burner to begin with, but this helps to set the scene and introduce the characters. Most are unreliable making it hard to know who to trust. I love the short chapters with mini cliff-hangers as this makes the book extremely hard to put down.

Allie clearly knows her stuff about snowboarding as the terminology used is spot on. It is not something I know anything about, but a quick google helped me learn all about cripplers and Mctwists 🤣. I found it a refreshing change to read a thriller with a difference!

A fantastic psychological thriller/ locked room mystery! I look forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you to Headline, Allie Reynolds & NetGalley for my early copy of this book.

I thought this book was very dark, and atmospheric .The characters were well drawn and realistic even when they were very unlikable. I now know a lot more about snowboarding than I ever intended too ! I did find all the mention of snowboarding a bit too much at first but then I got into it, and it was such an integral part of the book, I don't think on reflection it was overdone. The story kept me guessing and I couldn't read it fast enough. I had ideas but didn't really know what was going on, and that was great. I would go as far as saying that this is now in my top 10 books that I have read in 2020,and as it is published in 2021 I wonder if it will make my top ten list of best books for this year too, it wouldn't surprise me if it did. When I was reading the book I kept imagining it as a film, I think it would really work. Also I now have a new sport to look out for at the Winter Olympics as well as my favourite sport to watch, Curling ! bit of an extreme but I will definitely be looking out for the snowboarding in future. Great book, I loved it, and I am amazed it was written by a debut author, can't wait to read her next book .

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for approving me to read 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥 by Allie Reynolds.
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𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗽 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 ... 𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿. 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 ... 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁.
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Shiver is a very impressive debut thriller/mystery. I was hooked from the opening and read this novel quickly because it is incredibly gripping.
For me, the initial premise was reminiscent of the video game Until Dawn. The plot centers around a group of young friends, who go their separate ways after tragedy strikes and one of the group disappears. They are invited to a reunion which some are initially reluctant to go to, but in the end they all decide to go, and the truth of what happened is gradually revealed.
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𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗮𝘂. 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄. 𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗶𝘀.
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The plot is well-balanced. Alternating between the present day reunion and 10 years prior, action is coupled with the subtleties of human nature. The character interactions, dialogues and tensions are depicted in a very realistic way.
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𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗜'𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗜'𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁. 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗜 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆.
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What makes Shiver particularly intriguing over other thrillers I've read is that all of the characters have their own secrets.
As the plot plays out, some of these secrets are revealed, and they all played a role in the tragedy that occurred when they were younger.
Some secrets, though, are only revealed to the reader, and this makes the characters and the story much more captivating.
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𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁. 𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗼.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆.
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The setting is well depicted and all the snowy scenes definitely made it feel like a great read for the Winter season.
I could absolutely see Shiver being a TV series or movie as it is so atmospheric and cinematic.
I would highly recommend Shiver and would read more from Allie Reynolds in the future.

Ok, this was a fairly good book but I know nothing about winter sports, especially Snowboarding so that didn’t help. Also it seemed to drag and then everything happens in the last part of the book! A good read nevertheless but just a bit slow. #NetGalley#Shiver

Many Thanks to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before being published in exchange for an honest review.

It’s a psychological thriller set in the remote French Alps, five friends reunite who haven't seen each other in over ten years, the last time they met it ended with the disappearance of one of them, Saskia.

When they realised that nobody knows who have invited them to the resort, they start suspecting of each other about who killed Saskia, and why are they there. Who invited them?

I could feel quite well the cold and the snow. I hate the cold, and the snow. I wouldn´t be able to go to a sky resort in my life. I am a 30 degrees all year long person so this book had me shivering more than once and it wasn´t a nice feeling.

The book moves through the past and the present in alternating chapters. And you can see how the different characters were and are in the present. They are very credible and as the book carried on it had me changing my mind several times about who the killer was.

Very fast paced with a few twists.

Very enjoyable but sit next to a fire if you don´t wan to shiver!!!

"It's that time of year again. The time the glacier gives up bodies."

Wow! What a book! A deliciously dark, chilling, tense and twisty tour-de-force, this was hard to put down.

Shiver is one of my most highly anticipated books of 2021, so I was thrilled to receive a proof and be asked to post my review today. It's a book that's been receiving a lot of praise and hype and, let me tell you, every bit of it is deserved.

Milla, a former semi-pro snowboarder, returns to Le Rocher for a reunion with five of her friends. The last time they were together was ten years ago when another member of their group, Saskia, disappeared.

They start the weekend with an icebreaker game that quickly turns sinister and forces them to question who brought them together and why. Trapped together on a deserted glacier they don't know who to trust or how far some will go to uncover the truth about what really happened on the mountain a decade ago…

"He doesn't know what I did. None of them do. And I intend to keep it that way."

An electrifying, high-octane thrill ride, this addictive and atmospheric read had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Told in the present day and flashbacks to ten years ago, we see the story through the eyes of Milla, who I instantly felt a connection to as she hails from my hometown of Sheffield. Milla is haunted by events from the last time she was at Le Rocher, by a body yet to be given up by the glacier and a dark secret she desperately hopes to keep unveiled. I liked Milla and found her to be a compelling and relatable protagonist. In fact, all of the characters are compelling and richly drawn with backstories that keep you glued to the page. The claustrophobic dynamics of living and competing together on the mountain is ripe for conflict and the author mines this to perfection both in the flashbacks and in the present day.

Though she's an awful person, I loved Saskia's character and thought she was fantastically written. As we only ever see her through Milla's eyes it's obviously a skewed opinion we have of her, but to be fair, I don't think there's much that could redeem her character. Despite the extremes she goes to, it all feels realistic and I could imagine someone who is both competitive and of questionable morals behaving that way to keep ahead. She gave the story a sense of foreboding and tension that made me keep reading as I needed to know what she'd do next and what had really happened to her.

"I soar above the ice, mind pure and empty, seeing nothing, hearing nothing. Only feeling. These precious moments of weightlessness at the top of the arc, suspended by gravity."

Allie Reynolds is a former freestyle snowboarder and you can feel the authenticity of her expertise in the writing. The imagery, emotions and little details are all so transportive and on point that it is clear she has lived this. I felt like I was flying through the air with Milla and could almost feel the icy air of the French Alps. There were times that the book had a cinematic quality to it and I could definitely see this on the big screen one day.

So if you're looking for a book that's dripping with suspense and an atmosphere thick with malevolence that has your heart pounding, this is a book for you.

An outstanding debut by a talent that is one to watch, don't miss this book.

I will start by saying that I also read Ruth Ware's One By One this year, which has a similar setting/story, to a point, so I did unconsciously compare the two as I was reading. Even though I tried not to.
I would, however, recommend reading both as they are just different enough to be enjoyed, even if you have read the other.
Whereas if you're going into this without having read One By One, I've got a feeling that you'll really enjoy Shiver as well.
This is a great locked door style mystery', that I looked forward to reading more and more of each night.
It transports you somewhere completely different, which is much needed, given 2020.
There were also a good amount of twists and the ending was strong too.
If you're a fan of Ruth Ware, Lucy Foley or C.L. Taylor, I would definitely recommend giving this a read next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

To begin with, I was finding a parallel with another recent ski set book and thought this more and more as the book went on but about 3 quarters of the way through things began to get intense, brilliant. The difference is these "friends" are snowboarding competitors from 10 years previous and someone has sent an invitation to reunite the "gang" but of course one is missing, presumed dead.

I was getting the impression Miila slept with all 3 of the lads in the group at some point in either the past or the present. Some interesting relationships she has going, I must admit.

Last few chapters are written very well with building the tension between the goodies and the baddie who finally has a showdown at the end.

Worth the wait in reading through to the end.

I love to try new authors and this is a good solid debut. Although I know nothing about snowboarding and some of the technical terms went right over my head the main story and themes were easy to follow. Told from the perspective of Milla both now and ten years ago we discover how twisted friendships, relationships and rivalry led to the disappearance and presumed death of fellow snowboarder Saskia. Someone wants to uncover the truth of what happened to her resulting in surprise invites back to the resort. I found it interesting how I was equally fascinated with not knowing what to expect both then and now due to the lack of trust and it was good to see how events led up to both Saskia’s disappearance and the truth being revealed. I personally would have liked to read the perspectives of some of the others and I did guess some elements of this but it does make for an atmosphere read that really keeps you on your toes.

SHIVER, from Allie Reynolds, is a bold, hard-hitting and chilling debut set in the French Alps over a weekend timeline of events. Going back and forth between the past and present, we learn about each character, their motives, their hidden secrets until all the answers are laid bare for Millie, the main protagonist who shouldn't trust a single person around her.

Without giving anything away, there are two mysteries with one relating to the past that then ties in with the current day. The writing is amazing with descriptions and references to snowboarding that makes you feel as though you're right there every step of the way in every chapter.

This is every definition of the term 'page-turner', and deserves every success in 2021. Plenty of twists and turns and a pleasure to read. One of my top reads of the year.

A good read about a reunion. There are secrets and lies amongst the group. I did not warm to any of the characters and thought that some of the story was predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy.