Initially I found this book slow to start but once I got into the swing of things, I really started to enjoy it. I’d say this whole book was a slow burn as it didn’t really pick up the pace for me, but it will still an easy read with great character development. I wouldn’t call this a thriller as some people have. I picked the main ‘twist’/secret straight away, but the story was still intriguing as I wanted to see it all unfold. I  enjoyed reading about each couple and watching their secrets and histories unfold.

I enjoyed how the story moved from past to present and how Agatha Zaza used this to introduce the characters and slowly reveal their lives as the story progressed. I was a little underwhelmed with the ending as it wasn’t what I had hoped for – Yes, I was looking for a happy ending. Overall a good read with great character development. I will definitely be picking up more books by Zaza in the future.

I’m on the fence with this book, the premise was interesting but I found the writing style and character development  confusing.

Not a great story at all. None of their secrets were anything big or crazy except for the main characters which turned out to be a bad ending and pretty much non existent. I skimmed through most of this book as I knew it wasnt going to be that interesting.

I found it difficult to grasp what was happening or more importantly why it was happening. While reading I felt like I didn’t get what was going on, not sure if that was the aim of the plot but it had me questioning everything and feeling like I had missed something. I did finish the book and looked forward to picking it up each night however it wasn’t as enjoyable as I would of liked as I just found it a strange read.

At 25% of the way through nothing had happened/I had no idea what was happening. Not in a tense or thrilling way, but in a bored way that lead me to not finish the book. Edmund is supposed to be mysterious and seems to be having somewhat of a mental breakdown, but the plot didn't develop anywhere near enough to keep me intrigued or invested. His partner Ovidia that no one else seemed to know about is a gorgeous black woman which is overemphasized and somewhat grotesquely described. She's also the past lover of one of the other brothers which is weird, and I just didn't understand why anyone acted the way they did, nor did I care enough to continue to find out.

Love the concept but the writing wasn't strong enough for so many characters and stories. I kept thinking "surely we are near the end" but then I'd be like a third in. A better editor could have helped I think. It just went on and on and the ending was satisfying enough to be worth the slog it took to get there.

An interesting read with a strong storyline and a range of credible characters. 
I liked the way each of their stories and secrets unravelled over the course of the book, with a steady pace. 
I certainly had no expectations as to where the story would go when I started it and was pleasantly surprised. A slightly different read from usual, which made it refreshing. 
But I would have liked a bit more depth and insight into the taboo subjects. ***no spoilers here***
I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.

The Pretenders is well written by Agatha Zaza, but it isn't a read for me. I am not sure who the audience is for this one, but I just didn't love it enough to finish it.

Thank you to Agora Books and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available. 

Part dramatic comedy, part romantic tragedy, part family drama, "The Pretenders" has a bit of everything for everyone. When  Jasper surprises his reclusive brother Edmund with the news of his engagement, he ends up uncovering a lot more than he expected. Along for the ride are his fiance Holly, his best friend John and his uptight wife Anne. What starts as a group of acquaintances quickly evolves into a tangled web of deception, romance and deeply held secrets. 

One of the things that amazed me is the timespan Zaza covers in this book. All the central action occurs in a single evening but the book itself spans over ten years. An ultimate indictment of our "polite" society, Zaza mimes what happens when the gloves come off. If you enjoyed the Netflix show Lovesick, then this is the right book for you.

Absolutely brilliant from beginning to end. I just wanted more of the book cos I enjoyed it so much.

When Jasper and his friends drop in on his brother Edmund one Saturday morning, all Jasper wants is to share the good news of his engagement to Holly. But when he discovers his abusive ex-girlfriend Ovidia is now living with Edmund, Jasper’s mood starts to change. Edmund is also battling his own problems, and the happy outing soon turns sour. Will life ever be the same for any of the group?

The Pretenders took a while to get going.  It’s a rather complicated telling of the story, with many unanswered questions for much of the book. Most of the action takes place over a single day, with flashbacks to events in Jasper and Edmund’s lives, but it’s a day where things change for all three couples. Every character is found to be hiding something, and gradually their stories, and lives, begin to unravel. 

A good book, different to many, with many twists and turns along the way.

I will start by saying i loved this book. The story revolves around 6 people whose lives are all connected from the past to the present. Some of the stories are tough to read but it is very well written. I can really recommend this book and I will look out for other books by Agatha Zara.

I'm struggling to know how I feel about The Pretenders.  I found it difficult to get into at the start and wasn't really warming to any of the characters.  However, as I kept reading I found myself full of angst, I wanted to know what was going on between all the characters and why nobody was really asking all the right questions.  

I felt as uncomfortable reading it as the some of the characters felt being in Edmunds house.  I wanted to leave!  Perhaps that's a good indication of a book written well and I was meant to feel uncomfortable, who knows.  I will say that it covers some very dark topics and I honestly don't know how Edmund continued supporting Ovidia after everything she had done, all so dysfunctional. 

A great read to get conversations going especially for book clubs.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed The Pretenders. Zaza cleverly weaves the storylines of six different adults (three couples), drifting in to past stories of how they came to know each other before returning to the present day. That the story is based on one single surprise encounter demonstrates Zaza's skill as an author. Where I had inklings about what may have happened in the past or be about to happen (your fed snippets to keep you guessing) I did not anticipate the ending, and actually had a jaw-drop moment (which I don't believe I've ever had whilst reading a book!). The ending isn't what you hope and expect, and for that I loved it more. I did feel it ended a little abruptly, but nonetheless I quite enjoyed this read.

This was an interesting book.  I found it slightly uncomfortable in places, I did and I did not want to know what was to happen.  It is a clever story, written from an unusual perspective.  The familial and non familial relaltionships are very well drawn.  It is in places incredibly sad but it deals very well with difficult subject matter.  I enjoyed it and would recommend it.

This book is set in one day, three couples and 2 exes. Straight away I want to know what it’s all about.
Very strong characters, lots of lies between them that I just wanted to find out more.
An interesting story but considering it is set in one day it isn’t fast paced.

A very different book.

This was a great read, enjoyed it thoroughly, great storyline and loads of twists and turns , highly recommend this book x

Let's be frank: the book market is awash with domestic noir. It's there at every turn: on the tables at Waterstones, on the shelves at the supermarket, and on online homepages. Why? Because the genre is a phenomenon, and no wonder when titles like The Pretenders keep upping the game.
The cover - a set of hands clinking wine glasses. The blurb: Jasper is ready to surprise his brother; Holly is ready to celebrate their engagement. Anne tags along for fear of missing out, and John might just be going for another drink. But Edmund and Ovidia had other plans for their Saturday. So far, so expected, right? 
I began The Pretenders expecting the expected: a decent weekend read. Who doesn't want to have a bit of scandal, guilt, and more to lose themselves in? And it didn't let me down. 
This is bolder than many of the other domestic noirs I've read, and more hard-edged too. Set cleverly over the course of one day, the author has packed a heck of a lot of action in, and the denouement... well... I didn't see it coming.
If an intense, dark read is your thing, this is for you. Bravo, Agatha Zaza!

The Pretenders 


There are three couples, two exes, two brothers, just 6 people meeting to have a celebration on Saturday morning. We will read about that day, we will read flashbacks, we will go through that day discovering how they are all connected, discovering their secrets, witnessing different subjects that are really hard to get in touch with. 


I have to say I just finished the book, I'm heartbroken, I feel hurt and I've been crying since the half of the story. This is a sign of how well written it is, at the beginning  it was a little bit slow, the first pages were hard for me to connect with the book, but then it was difficult to stop reading it, it took me just one day and half. 


This looks like a gossip story, like it is about to discovering entertaining secrets of a group of people, but this book is deep, we are falling into complex topics while we're progressing with the reading. We read about domestic violence, bulimic, depression, love, infidelity, children, illness, family and friendship. This books show us how hard life can be sometimes, how strange and painful it is to be ourselves sometimes, this book is beautiful for the way it is written, exquisite narrative, but is emotionally awful.


It made me think and to have several reflections, something that I found awesome about this story, even when it is painful, it talks about subjects that are not usually  spoken about in real life or literature. Violence against men, how they are treated when they are the victim, also how heavy it should be to become conscious that you are/were an abusive person, that you physically and emotionally hurt somebody, that you were a monster and live with the guilt. I have never stopped to think that an abusive person also hurts themselves in the process.


The ending of this book left me hanging, left me going back to the situations to the characters. For my own sake I would highlight one point, family and friends are truly important, even when they are not perfect they can be life savers.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of The Pretenders. This is a very well written plot that keeps on surprising the reader, and not usually in a good way. The characters were all well delineated but seemed to be from a previous century and none of them were very likeable other than Hollie who we find out the least about.

This book really should have a trigger warning as I was immensely shocked by the ending if not earlier parts of the story as I could relate to it only too well.