For me, this was a difficult book to get into. It was mainly about Ovidia and her relationship with two brothers, Jasper and Edmung. Bit players are Jasper's fiancee Holly and friends John and Anne. The story explores secrets, domestic violence, adultery and lies, amongst other things. I find it difficult to see why anyone would like Ovidia let alone put up with her behaviour! I didn't really warm to any of the characters and it seemed to take an age to find out what was really going on. On the other hand, I did keep reading to the end to find out what the secrets were!

So Ovidia and Edmund live together but she still has her flat across the street. When the novel begins, it’s obvious that all is not well with this couple. His brother Jasper decides to pay him a visit one Saturday morning with his brand new fiancé, Holly, and their close friends John and Anne. Talk about incredibly bad timing for a random and unannounced visit!

So let me start with my criticism, but mind you, it’s minimal. This book started out incredibly boring for me. I started reading it and put it down several times to watch t.v., which I never do. However, if you give it a little bit to warm up, it’s so worth it.

Moving on to what I love about this book – pretty much everything except for the slow start. I have read books by authors that have been writing for years or even decades that can’t develop their characters as thoroughly as Agatha Zaza. Mind you, I really have no clue what anyone looked like in this book except for Ovidia, but she painted a beautiful and painful picture of each of their souls, making me feel all of their emotions right along with them.

The Pretenders is a slow burn novel, but painfully so. As soon as the two couples show up at Edmund and Ovidia’s home, you immediately know that there is going to be tension and discomfort. But she reveals everything in very careful layers that are completely unexpected. I hate spoilers so I am trying my best to hold my tongue, but this author addresses a seldom discussed and almost taboo topic concerning Ovidia that I feel is long overdue. Ovidia and Edmund have some major issues. John and Anne have some major issues. And then there is Jasper and Holly’s relationship that by the end, almost seemed to be an afterthought.

This novel is a character study involving lies, charades, masks that we wear, and the difficult moments of removing those masks. It begs the question of, “how well do we really know our family and our friends?” Even more important however, is the question, “how much are we willing to overlook concerning the ones that we love?” This book contains just about every screwed up issue you can think of. There’s emotional and physical abuse, miscarriages, death, eating disorders, co-dependence, adultery, depression, and so much more. However, I can say without pause, that The Pretenders is one of the best things I have read this year.

I cannot fathom how this debut author can improve with her next novel, but she is certainly someone I would consider an author to watch and I cannot wait to see what else she brings us in the future. Take a chance on this new author and give this one time to settle in. It’s not a HEA novel but one that you should read. 5 amazing and enthusiastic stars!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Quite honestly I'm not sure how to rate this book cause I went in thinking this was a Mystery/Thriller and for me it wasn't. So 3 STARS because it was a decent read but not the genre I prefer to read.

This is not the type book I usually read. I’m partial to domestic thrillers, a bit of blood & whatnot. Had thought this was one. It wasn’t but glad I read it. It was deep, emotional & an unusual read. There was a bit of mystery....you never knew exactly what had previously transpired until the end. The only part about the end was that I wanted to know what happened afterwards. It is a great & moving read & I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This one wasn't for me. unfortunately. I didn't get on with any of the characters and the whole set-up felt somewhat forced. The slow drip feed of mini-revelations didn't give the story enough momentum, although the issues covered are obviously very important ones that deserve further exploration..

The Pretenders is set over the course of one day and follows six people who are all currently in the same house. Their lives are all interlinked in some way, yet it appears that most of them have secrets of some sort that they want to keep hidden. I initially thought this was quite a clever book the way it was written and with the different characters that were all feeding in but after I short while I found the book completely lacked pace that wasn’t picked up until the very end. Sorry but it wasn’t one for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Agora Books and the author for the chance to review.

I found this book a bit hard to follow at first. There’s a few people and I was struggling to follow who was who for a short while. I also struggled to picture the characters and picture what was happened. However, that’s not say I didn’t like this book. Would I read it again? Probably not but did I like it - yes I did. The story itself was interesting, albeit a
bit obvious. The characters were all very unlikeable and I really wanted to root for someone but I found them all irritating. I enjoyed the writing style with the flash backs however feel that it’s not always fully clear when they was going into a flash back. I just wish it had focused on one persons story rather than jumping between because it left little time to make a connection with any of the characters as before you knew it they was onto the next one again.

I was definitely expecting more from this book, more twists and turns rather than what felt like a pretty straight forward story. But I think many people will pick this up and read it.

A very different compelling story of six people including two brothers both attracted to the same woman! Their shared history takes place in Edmund’s house and I was soon deeply involved in the intrigue, the deceit and the psychological complications of the relationships. Once I started I found I needed to keep reading until the end. I was not disappointed.

I enjoyed this book. The author weaves the characters and their lives together well. The secrets the characters are hiding are revealed gradually through the book, and the impact this has on the others is explored perfectly. A great read

This was so intense, so messed up, disturbing, and with a stellar ending.

Domestic violence triggers abound but not at all the kind you might expect.

And 'not what you might expect' is basically the whole premise of this book. We're dropped right into the middle of the shit hitting the fan, but we don't know what shit or why. As the novel progresses we see we've got six protagonists, three couples, with big secrets. Some of them very hardcore secrets. We spend time in the present and in the past and very slowly the whole panorama of these messed up lives is revealed to us.

At first I was annoyed by her writing style because a few sentences were indecipherable even after rereading them. I also felt that she was dropping hints deliberately intended to mislead and something about the way she did it was irritating. But after some initial pains, everything improved and the reveals and the writing were much more engaging.

The main issue she brings up was something you don't normally read about so I commend her for that, but part of it seemed hard to swallow. But I don't actually know so maybe it is a plausible depiction.

Messed up but definitely recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book. However I have to say it wasn’t my favourite.

It all takes place one Saturday. Jasper and Holly are newly engaged and heading to Jasper’s brothers house, Edmund, alongside another couple, to tell Edmund the news and celebrate. As the day progresses deep, dark secrets begin to unfold.

Wanting to reveal more secrets kept me intrigued and kept me reading however I found it all rather confusing. A lot going on and it was very dark. (Domestic Violence, Cheating, Depression, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, just to name a few so definite trigger warnings) I feel like I didn’t really know the characters, which is all part of the intrigue but I like to be able to really delve in to it and place myself in the story, I felt I couldn’t do that with this book. It also ended rather abruptly and there were a lot of questions left unanswered so a sequel may be on the cards.

A real slow-burning drama. The writing itself is great and the reveal of each secret is seamless and majority surprising. It will be interesting to read other people’s reviews and what they thought about the book.

I really did not like this at all. It rambles on, giving hints at secrets to be revealed but not revealing them, It all happens within a day and you have to live through every tedious minute, with descriptions of the house and it's extensions; clothing choices; social media posts and lots of drinking from 10am.!! There are half conversations and flashbacks which do not explain much. It is miserable from start to finish and the characters are sketchy. Very poor.

Wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I was pleasantly surprised. The ploy was really good and not what I was expecting. Lots of twists and turns to keep the pages turning.

Ms Zaza has written a taunt, dark thriller that found its way inside my head and seeped deep into my bones.

Ovidia is a character who I thought about long after I had finished the book.

Ms Zaza your ending is haunting, but absolutely perfect.

This is Agatha Zaza’s debut novel, but she certainly knows her craft and I just hope she has a second novel in the pipeline.

The book was good to read with suspense written in to it. It was good to read about all the characters and how they all interact.

I liked this book so many secrets between them all. John who has affairs while his 'wife' turns a blind eye, is he sexually repressed? Harper and Holly have just got engaged and have all fine to his brother Edmunds house to celebrate. What they find is even more bizarre Edmund has been keeping Ovidia a secret for years (well you would when it w as your brother's ex abusive girlfriend!) Then we find out they have a child , a boy Oliver....... What happens next doesn't bare thinking about. I still feel that Edmund should have left Ovidia though. The front cover didn't really prepare you for the actual read, would love to know what happens next to them all

I finished this unique book in stunned silence! I was so gripped by this one day Greek tragedy I almost read it in one sitting. Told over a single day the tension ramps up as the relationships between the three couples are revealed. With every turn of the screw, inexplicable details are revealed, hinting at lost love, lies, abuse, damage, rescue, protection and betrayal. As the pot simmered to a boil I began to think the unthinkable - surely not?

There are very few books a year that I start and do not finish and unfortunately this book was one of them. I couldn't get connected with any of the characters and as a book that really focused on character from the beginning, I knew I couldn't continue.

Similar to the glass extension on Edmunds house, whom the characters were and whom they presented themselves to be were polar opposites. Was it John who repressed himself sexually and therefore sought alternative company? Anne who hid the blog she was proud of? The engagement that seemed lacking love and a future?. It was truly sad to see Jasper crippled by his secrets to the point of physical and emotional.deterioration. However, it is Ovidia that was the worst offender of them all as she truly hid behind a mask of pure evil. She lacked emotional empathy or remorse. I still think Edmund should have left.

‘I’m perfectly happy lying to myself…If it means getting to stay with you.’

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.

Over the course of one day, these couples must own up to the secrets they’ve been hiding from one another and the lies they’ve been telling themselves. And face the devastating consequences.

Three couples. Two exes. One day. One reckoning.

What a brilliant debut novel! Fast-paced, lots of plot twists that constantly kept me guessing.

For fans of Liane Moriarty, Paula Hawkins and Katerina Diamond.