"Fragile" by Sarah Hilary is a gothic novel in the modern style. It has strong links to Jane Eyre - an unfortunate girl who finds herself in the employ of a dark brooding stranger. It's more than that though - the back story of her childhood at Lyle's and the evil Meagan who ran the home through to the mysterious set up of Robin & Carolyn at Starling Villas. A good read!

This is a stand alone novel, not a Marnie Rome book. The main character is Nell, who alongside addict Joe, has run away from the foster home they where they were both living in Wales, to the streets of London. They have been there for four months when Joe disappears with a woman who picks him up in a club into a strange hidden house. Nell waits for him, but he doesn't come back. She manages to wangle a job as live in housekeeper to Robin who lives in the strange house and finds the woman is Carolyn, who appears after a couple of days. There is no mention of Joe. Nell finds a phone and texts Joe asking for his help, but he has returned to Wales into the clutches of Meagan, their lazy foster mother, who feels that they ruined her life and is out for payback.
The book is written mostly from Nell's viewpoint, but sometimes from Meagan's. The timeline also jumps backwards and forwards between the present time and Nell and Joe's life in the foster home and what happened to make them leave.
I can't say that any of the characters are likeable, but I liked the story.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading Fragile. Described as Rebecca meets The Handmaid's Tale, this is a dark, gothic thriller with an undercurrent which threatens to carry you away. The tension is unbelievable, the plot perfectly paced and the characters fully formed. Hilary has created a modern masterpiece.

In a stark departure from her outstanding crime thriller series, Hilary has penned a hauntingly beautiful, evocative story that strips its characters bare. Nell Ballard and Joe Peach are throwaway children that find themselves at the foster home of Meagan Flack in Wales. Meagan is not overtly abusive but rather simply careless, neglectful and lazy, although she does have a mean streak. From the age of 8 Nell is acting as mother to the other children. When Joe comes along he and Nell become inseparable. And when little Rosie Bond is discarded by her family and ends up at the house, Nell takes her under her wing too. But tragedy strikes and Nell and Joe run away to London, believing in the fairy tale that love will conquer all. But Nell is riddled with guilt and Joe is weak.

Joe mysteriously disappears with a glossy older woman from a club one night and Nell haunts the area looking to find him again. She ends up, scheming her way into the house she believes he went into and gets herself employed as a housekeeper. The house is weirdly oppressive and the owner, Dr Robin Wilder is a strangely distant and controlled man. When his wife turns up days later Nell realises that she is the woman from the club. But where is Joe?

There is a really strange, brittle dynamic going on in this house. You are never quite comfortable with where things are heading. It is clear that everyone has secrets but just how dangerous are they? Still Nell settles in to a modicum of comfort in her routines and Robin’s work rota that he has meticulously itemised. This illusion of peace is shattered though when Nell’s past comes comes roaring back into her life.

I found the writing in this book superb, really beautiful. I loved the way it focused on the little things. There were no grand vistas in this story, rather an acute attention to detail. I loved the way that Nell found comfort in some of the very little things in her life. Small joys to be hoarded and treasured. This was not a fast paced book, it was all about the characters. They were all of them - Nell, Joe, Robin, the disturbing Carolyn (Robin’s wife) and the odious Meagan Flack so painstakingly drawn. None of them were that likeable, although you could not help but feel some empathy towards Nell - so humble yet resilient. But needs must and even Nell is not beyond a bit of subterfuge when necessary. If you need fast paced action in your reading this is not a book for you. But if you enjoy a deep dive into some very interesting and damaged characters and gorgeous writing you will enjoy this story. I’d love to say there was redemption at the end but I’m not going to give that away, I will let you make up your own minds. I received an advance review copy from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. Sadly it didn't really work for me and I DNF at 40%

Ok, firstly, I have to say how incredible the writing is. Honestly, it's just stunning how well written this book is, and Sarah Hilary is obviously a very skilled writer. Unfortunately the plot just wasn't for me. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and the tension and sense of unease just felt very forced and unrealistic. The beginning was really interesting, but it just sort of tailed off after that, and I struggled to maintain enough interest to finish reading the book. Sadly not one I'd recommend, although I'd definitely try the authors other work, as her writing style is phenomenal.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

I can see that if you are into gothic novels, this is probably fo you, but for me I wanted to know what was going on but the book was just slow and I really struggled with it.

amazing book, what a page turner! loved every minute of it, and the twist- wow! will defiantly read more by this author - cant wait!

This is a strange one to review as I'm not sure it completely works for me. I liked the way the backgrounds of the foster children were examined, their stories were heartbreaking as was their treatment by the foster mother. I liked the description of the London house and its atmosphere of darkness and danger. However, the characters of the couple who lived there seemed too whimsical, not grounded in any kind of reality. Nell was portrayed as an unreliable narrator so I wasn't sure how much of what was happening was real or imagined. Would the homeowner really invite a girl who walked in off the street to live and work there? I think I would have liked to have heard more from Joe to get his side of the situation.
I

Fragile is an intriguing, strange, well plotted and uncomfortable read.

Thank you NetGalley / Pan Macmillan for providing me with this arc for an honest review.

This is my first read by Sarah Hilary and I really enjoyed it. The story is a powerful read and very thought provoking. If you like a really good phycological thriller then do read this novel.

We meet Nell who has had a colourful history as her mother rejected her when she was just 8 and possesses a secret, I enjoyed reading about Nell as I found her very likeable and relatable. Nell takes a job at Starling Villas as a housekeeper for the Dr Robin Wilder who is mysterious character and has a rigid routine. Dr Robin Wilder has secrets of his own.

This is a thrilling read and such a twisty and turning novel. Thanks to Netgalley, Sarah Hilary and the publishing for allowing me to have an advanced copy for my honest opinion,

"I wanted to hold something fragile in my hands, to think very hard about what I was about to do. Lifting an egg from the box, I cradled it in my fist. If you apply pressure to the top and bottom of hte shell, finidng the points of greatest resistance, you can’t crush an egg no matter how hard you try."

Nell Ballard is homeless, a product of the care system, trying to find boyfriend Joe. She gets a live-in job as the housekeeper / personal assistant of Dr Robin Wilder, in faded and grimy Starling Villas, West London. Hiding her past from Dr Wilder, she soon discovers that he has secrets of his own.

A beautifully told tale of how childhood trauma is a heavy burden. I felt sorry for Nell and also for Joe. I did not feel sorry for Meagan Flack, yet in her own way she saved so many little ones from a worse fate. The story is dark and brooding, there is a constant air of impending doo. – even when things are good, or at least steady, there is a sense of darkness lurking, but I found it slow in places. I wished so much for Nell and Joe to be saved. Fragile is an authentic tale of what can happen to those that slip through the system. I found this intriguing but there was too much shade and not enough light, with a quiet pace. I liked this, but didn't love it.

I love everything Sarah Hilary has written and Fragile is no exception. Beautifully constructed, heart-wrenching at times and yes, it made me cry.

I have struggled to engage with this book and I'm giving up at Chapter 10. I can just insticviyrly tell that I'm not going to suddenly find it compelling.

I quite enjoy the almost sinister scene of the villa and the writing style but the plot is just not going anywhere. It's like the premise has been given and that is considered enough to then just spend the rest of the book dilly dallying around past memories which are superficial and lacking in context.

The mystery of Dr Wilder, Joe, Rosie and Megan are all fine but ten chapters in and I still have nothing deep to delve into. It is all just skimming the surface but instead of drawing me in and making me want to know more, it is just boring me.

Unfortunately not for me.

Fragile is well written and I feel I should have liked it, but unfortunately I didn't. I couldn't relate to (or like) any of the characters in it and I didn't find the story particularly engrossing. Normally I don't like it when I'm interrupted when I'm reading - but with this book I wasn't bothered! I've given it 3 stars because it deserves it for being well written, but I couldn't really get into the story

What can I say, this is a strange and intriguing book! Turning and twisting, making you think more than you want to. That said, I have never read any of Sarah Hillary's books and it was the summary that drew me to the book.

I found memorable characters and sharp, witty and clever writing, sad and happy at times. Nell Ballard is a runaway and has been in foster care since the age of eight has not had a good experience but she is tough, resilient and that is her strength in life. Nell has a secret to keep and it has to remain her secret. The character I disliked immensely was Meagan Flack, Nell's foster mother, an unlikeable, cruel and selfish person.

At 18 years of age, we find Nell employed as housekeeper at Starling Villas, owned by Dr Robin Wilder and they have a strange relationship. Then Carolyn, Robin's wife turns up. Carolyn has an agenda of her own!

I give a 4 star rating.

I WANT TO THANK NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

I have read all of Sarah Hilary's Marnie Rome series which I absolutely adore and when I heard she had written a standalone novel, I was excited and intrigued and as soon as I received an invitation to join the blogtour organised by Random Things Tours I jumped at the chance.

Where to start with Fragile? Well I can say it's completely different to any of Sarah's previous books, the characters and the storyline are both fascinating and addictive and I found myself reading this at every possible opportunity

Nell and Joe are foster children who have escaped a toxic and unhealthy foster home and are now living rough on the streets of London. When Joe disappears after visiting Starling Villas, a house in London, Nell manages to get a job as a housekeeper there under the employment of Dr Robert Wilder, a strange and controlling character and his terrifying wife who seems to enjoy tormenting Nell

Nell has the saddest and most tragic past, discarded by her birth parents and left to fend for herself from the age of 8 in a foster home. The chapters about her time in care are heart-breaking and as a parent it's particularly difficult to read. Struggling with guilt about something awful that happened in the foster home and the reason she and Joe ran away keeps the reader gripped and concerned in equal measures

The writing in this novel is sublime, it's practically poetry and whilst the storyline is dark, Sarah Hilary has created an atmospheric and emotionally intense book about jealousy, love, loss and revenge.

I’m not sure really where to start with this book. It wasn’t WOW/AMAZING but it wasn’t awful either. I wanted to keep reading and see what happened but I also didn’t feel gripped and excited for the story.

The story focuses on Nell, she has a nasty past in a foster home and is involved in the death of a younger foster child. She feels she needs to be punished. She finds a job as a house assistant in London and has left her life behind but the foster mother still has a grudge to bare and will not let the dust settle over the events of Nell’s past.

A good concept but lacked depth and anticipation.

Nell Ballard, a runaway from foster care, now homeless, lands up by chance - or is it? - as a kind of housekeeper at Starling Villas, home of Dr Robin Wilder, a strange character who lives by a rigid set of rules.

Alongside Nell’s narrative is that of Meagan Flack, who formerly ran Lyle’s, the Welsh children’s home where Nell grew up. It’s fair to say Nell’s childhood, and that of the other children at Lyle’s, left a lot to be desired.

Both Nell and Meagan are layered and believable characters. The appalling Meagan justifies her behaviour on the grounds that it’s a hard world and being soft on children - showing them any care or kindness, in other words - is doing them no favours. Really, of course, she’s just lazy and self-serving.

Not everything is believable - Meagan was running a children’s home (it’s not foster care, not with a dozen children, and nobody would call her a “foster mother”) and it’s not credible that she’d be doing so with no staff and little oversight.

Fragile is a dark, beautifully written story about the damage inflicted on children, casual cruelties and neglect, fragility and strength, which gives up its secrets only gradually. Nell, the neglected and unwanted child carrying a heavy burden of guilt and grief, constantly strives to restore some kind of order to her world, cleaning and tidying, caring for others as best she can.

The concept of kintsugi- the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, thus making it stronger - is used towards the end as a metaphor. It’s a good one - though so much so, that I’ve read it used similarly in several other stories!

A recommended read - many thanks to the publishers for providing me with an advance copy.

"Fragile" is the story of Nell, runaway foster child with secrets in her past. Nell has run from Wales to London and found herself a live-in housekeeper position at Starling Villas , working for the enigmatic Dr. Wilder. Nell has an agenda, which is gradually revealed, and the narrative switches back and forward between past and present, so the reader gets to see just what Nell and Joe mean to each other, and what secrets each is keeping.

This is a slow burn literary thriller, beautifully realised and well-written. I liked the way the story followed a split narrative from the perspectives of both Nell and her former foster mother, Meagan, and the way the story unfolded slowly. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for sending me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.