Unfortunately I requested an audio book instead of an ebook. I was not able to listen to it while family were around, so I ended up listening to little bits at a time, which spoiled the story for me. My mistake.
There are 3 main characters in the story, Ursula,, Alice and Gareth. Each has their own story line. It took me a while to discover what the connection was. Their paths do cross throughout the book and eventually come together in a twist. It is set in Bristol.
I would have enjoyed this as a book rather than an audio book.
Thanks to NetGalley and C L Taylor for a copy of this.

⭐⭐⭐.5

"Strangers" is about Alice, Ursula, and Gareth.
Three different characters with 3 different and equally intriguing stories. All of them are flawed and None of them has a perfect life. All of them carry the baggage of their problems but circumstances will bring them all together. The reason I am not sharing more about the characters as it can be a spoiler.

The story moves back and forth between the characters. It is told from multiple points of view and the Narrator did the justice to it.

Loved this book although it did take me longer to listen to it than it would normally.

I'm a sucker for a multi-character point of view. Following three separate stories that ultimately become one in a very surprising way.

This was my first C.L. Taylor book and I'm impressed and would definitely pick up another. I've recently fallen out of love with thrillers as sometimes they can be quite samey. This certainly wasn't what I expected and will be one to remember.

Listen as an audiobook via NetGalley narrated by Clare Corbett.

I do enjoy a book where each character's story starts off as a separate journey only for them to converge and interlink towards the end of a book. This is done very effectively in Strangers, and it is well into the book 75% before the reader reaches this point. It did take me a little while to settle into the characters, not sure if this was just an audiobook thing.

As a reader you really did feel the conflicts Gareth faced, working as a security guard whilst looking after his mum with dementia.

I found Ursula to be the character with the most interest and intrigue about her, she was quirky, odd, and thoughtful. I had a lot of concern for her safety with some of the choices she made! But when she converges with Gareth and Alice towards the end of the book all becomes clear.

I was definitely taken in with a number of the red herrings. I liked the use of the shopping centre as the location for the collision of the characters.

My fourth CL Taylor book, and this ranks as my second favourite following Sleep.

Thanks to Harper Collins Audio and Avon for an audiobook edition of this book, which I listened to via Netgalley.

3.5-4 stars out of 5

I love when multiple characters have their own perspectives and then all come together in the end. Strangers begins by telling the separate stories of Alice, Ursula, and Gareth and each has their own distinct voice and experiences. Alice is the manager of a clothes shop in The Meads, a shopping centre in Bristol, Gareth is head of security in the shopping centre, and Ursula is a parcel delivery driver who also steals. The reason for her stealing is slowly and cleverly explained in the book. All three are very damaged characters with very dramatic lives who, because of various circumstances, meet towards the end of the book. I would highly recommend the book because it takes a while to figure out the different characters but Taylor is a master at building character and making us care about them.

I really enjoyed this audio book. This was the first audiobook that I can honestly say that I really loved! I loved the story and the narrator

Where do I start! I was gripped right from the first chapter of this book. There was so much happening right from the start that I couldn’t put it down. I loved how the book was almost like three standalone stories all building up to their own big finale’s then the clever twists to keep you guessing.
I enjoyed finding out the background stories for each main characters and found this made it easier to understand their actions and motivations.

The book was well paced and had no pointless filler pages. Everything was relevant to the story and had a purpose.

I also loved the ending - this particular scenario had not even crossed my mind and made me smile when revealed. This my favourite CL Taylor book so far. The narrator done a great job and brought all of the characters to life adding to my enjoyment of the book
Excellent - Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins Audio and the Author for an advance copy of this audio book.

Ever heard the saying "A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet" Well that is certainly not the case in this book. Ursula, Alice and Gareth are all trying to go about their day to day but each one has a shadow seeping into their lives. They begin to doubt everything and everyone around them and are convinced that nowhere is safe.

Strangers by CL Taylor is my second audio book and I am still not quite sure 100% if they are for me. However this time around I increased the reading speed which helped and I find it best to listen when out walking so I can properly concentrate. With multiple coinciding stories and viewpoints I definitely needed to concentrate. The interlinked stories style actually worked really well as an audio book especially with the excellent narration of Claire Corbett. She was a joy to listen to and was excellent at conveying different characters. All the characters involved were really intriguing and the chapters ended each time at a point where you were desperate to get back to. This meant that one chapter was never enough. The ending was not what I expected and was not rushed which is a big plus for a thriller in my book.

If you do listen to the audio book keep listening once the book ends as there was a lovely discussion with the author and narrator and it gave a great insight to the story and the audio book process. Thanks to netgalley and Avon for allowing access to this audio book.

I listened to the audio version of Strangers by CL Taylor and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has been narrated by Clare Corbett who is an excellent narrator and really kept the story flowing well using different voices and accents for the characters.

Thanks to Harper Collins Audio and Avon for the opportunity to review this thriller. Its the story of three strangers - Ursula, Alice and Gareth who all live in Bristol, UK. They all living with different issues and different circumstances, Ursula who after being thrown out of her house, moves in with a stranger, Alice, who is a store manager for a clothing store and Gareth who is a security officer at the Shopping Centre.

The characters are all depicted very cleverly and each has their own twisty turny lives and leaves you wondering how they will end up getting to know each other, but the interconnecting storylines are really well written and makes the book a real page turner (or wanting to hear more)

Without giving anything further away, I'd encourage you to read this book and hopefully enjoy it as much as I did. I'll definitely be reading a lot more by this author an have already started reading The Island also by KL Slater.

I'm a huge fan of C.L. Taylor's work and was delighted to receive access to the "Strangers" audiobook via Netgalley. What I love most about her books is that each feels really distinct and different from the rest. Her characters are always incredibly life-like. In "Strangers" the story unfolds via three character perspectives. It's a good read, albeit you don't really know where it's going. When the storylines converge the result is nail-biting. Clare Corbett is an excellent narrator.

Really enjoyed listening to Strangers. An excellent physiological thriller that twists and turns. Highly recommend.

Another great book from C L Taylor. This author never fails to please. Very well written with each chapter from one of the main characters. Loved the way it was written and when you thought you had guessed what was about to happen you found you were totally wrong. Would recommend this book

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It has been published in April 2020.

"Strangers" by C.L. Taylor is supposed to be a thriller, and it starts off on a really good premise, too, but it does not live up to expectations.
There is no thrill, the mystery is banal and uninteresting.
This novel couldn't keep me entertained.
The pace is agonizingly slow. Nothing at all happens during the first quarter of the book, and even after that, the interesting parts are few and far between.
Besides, the three co-protagonists are not someone you can empathize with, and that alienated me as a reader. In the end, when the stakes finally get high, I didn't care much who lived and who died.
That's because all along the course of the story, Alice, Ursula and Gareth constantly behave in unmotivated, inexcusable ways. They're completely unrelatable, as they act in ways that no real human being ever would. The only ones who make the slightest bit of sense are the minor characters who time and time again try and make the three idiot co-protagonists see reason.
For instance, Alice refers to Simon as her boyfriend who dumped her, but they have only been on a few dates and she doesn't even know his surname! This is ridiculous.
The alleged plot twists are so far fetched that they don't feel like surprises, more like nonsensical, blatant plot progression devices.
Overall, this story was too boring for me.

This book perfectly combines story telling with drama. The characters are great, I particularly liked Ursula & really felt for her. It's action packed as it follows the three main characters, switching between their timelines but giving each enough development that you are completely invested in all of them. The different storylines weave together, with some great twists, supposed dead ends & red herrings thrown in along the way all coming together to a particularly satisfying ending.

For me a narrator can make or break an audiobook & I really liked this one. Her dramatisation of the different characters was great & each could be distinguished so you didn't forget who you were listening to.

I loved the bonus track in this audiobook of Cally's chat with the Claire Corbett, the narrator, it was really interesting hearing her chat about accents & bringing the characters to life.

C. L. Taylor does it again!

Awesome thrilling drama, beautifully written and narrated. I was gripped from the first chapter and I didn't see that ending coming!

Can't wait for more by this author and I feel really lucky to have been gifted a copy for review via netgalley as this was definitely a book I'd have paid happily for.

The female narrator does the best Bristolian accent. She tells the tale so well too.
The story gets a little confusing if, like me, you find it hard to remember names, but I soon caught up and knew who everyone was by the end. A few stories play out until they all meet. Quite dark in places, with stories of bullying and abuse, Dementia and loss. But equally heartwarming, with new friendships and old relationships rekindled. I really loved this book.

What a rollercoaster! My head is still spinning, heart still racing, and I feel a strong need to talk about it with everyone in my way! Strangers by C.L. Taylor is an unexpected gem which totally blew my mind. Give me all of her books ASAP.

At first, I was confused. Even frustrated. I was reading the stories of three random, completely unrelated people seemingly for no reason and kept waiting and guessing. I even considered DNF-ing at some point, but the audiobook narrator is just so good I had to keep going.

And then... holy smokes, all the pieces came together and everything made sense in the most outrageously crazy way! Then, the ending came and it blew me away as much as the buildup.

I'm usually not a fan of books that make you go "what the heck is happening?" for a good portion of the plot, but this time it was absolutely worth it. I highly recommend this novel, especially the audiobook.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I know I am in for a treat everytime I read a C.L. Taylor novel and 'Strangers' didn't disappoint. Far from it. This thriller was also excellently narrated by Clare Corbett and was completely compelling to listen to (I also really appreciated the extra bonus of the interview between author and narrator at the end of the audio too – very interesting insight into the world of narrating books).

The book is about three strangers whose lives intertwine as they come apart and then are brought together again in a great big exciting and booming finale. Taylor is an excellent plotter and her books are always perfectly paced. I couldn't stop listening to 'Strangers', each chapter managing to hook me in further.

Written with alternating chapters between the three characters, as well as peppered with (humourous) twitter exchanges regarding mysterious disappearances/drownings, much of the main action of the novel takes place in or around (or about) a shopping mall in Bristol. I particularly liked the superb in-depth characterisation, important themes and gripping plot. Perfect in everyway! Loved it!

Strangers had all the potential of being a 4 star read until the final chapter, where the ending seemed very rushed and with no real reason to it. Unfortunately, this was the tipping that brought it down to a 3 star read for me

I read this in one day and was completely hooked. I enjoyed reading the narratives of Alice, Ursula and Gareth, their individual stories and then how they all culminated. I thought that some of the narratives did have a lot of tension, particularly Ursula's. Though there was something a bit slow on the pacing at times the actual story kept me going.

I downloaded this through NetGalley but forgot that I had already read it earlier in the year.