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.

Strangers by C. L. Taylor, read absolutely perfectly by Clare Corbett,  was my first experience of Ms Taylor's books and I was absolutely blown away! 
Strangers has a wide cast of characters all of whom are experiencing problems of one sort or another - I won't say more than that because finding out what the problems are is part of unwrapping the plot. Why they have these problems and how they are dealing with them is also part of everything. Not being very helpful am I?

Suffice to say that at the start of the book there is a cast of disparate characters and, by the end the author has, with incredible mental dexterity,  knitted the whole thing together and produced the denouement. The tension builds throughout the book and, be warned,  it was well after 1 am before I forced myself to pause the book and continue in the morning.  An absolutely fantastic novel which you must not miss! I foresee an urgent visit to Audible for a binge buy of C.L. Taylor's back catalogue and, if read by Clare Corbett, better and better!

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.

I wasn’t sure how this one was going to go but I ended up loving it! 

I think this plot worked well for me and I’d be interested in reading more from CL Taylor in the future. This was a great slow burn mystery and in particular the characterisation was excellent - I loved Ursula!

Ursula, Gareth and Alice are lost souls trying to move forward. They all have some baggage such as cheating, death of a loved one and being a caregiver. Each of them takes a chance on a stranger to make their life better. They are also strangers to one another even though they spend time at the same shopping centre and when their lives collide they have to depend on one another to survive.

The story begins with Alice, Ursula and Gareth standing over a dead body. We do not know who it is aor what happened, so the story moves to a week earlier. There are several things going on in this story. There are disappearances of men around the River Avon, a stalking, a kleptomaniac who blames herself for her fiance's death, and a missing mother with dementia. You can feel the loneliness radiating off the main characters. As each of their stories unfold, you can start to see connections to them all. But how does that final piece come together with the rest of the story? I felt such sadness and grief for each of them. As the story unfolds there are some twists that had me off in various directions trying to figure out how this would all come together. The twitter conversations regarding the missing men, added another bit of mystery to the story. I enjoyed this one and it certainly entertained me. The audiobook was narrated by Clare Corbett. She did a great job with the various voices and dialects in the story. I enjoyed the interview at the end where she talked about her role as a narrator and how she differentiates the characters.

I received this book into audio form from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. 

I found the concept here really interesting, and it was hard to guess where the gaps between the three storylines would begin to converge. This is both good and bad - I couldn’t see where it was going which is always good, but also it felt a little harder to connect with the story as a whole.

I think the second half of the book really goes from strength to strength - you really feel their fear and desperation. Ursula’s story in particular ramps up the tension, though I was more engaged with Alice’s throughout the book. Other than at the end, I have to say I wasn’t loving Gareth as much - though honestly I felt every second of his pain around his mum. That was very hard for me to read. The stalker aspect definitely propelled this book along, but it was nice to see all the various storylines fold together.

Also I love at the end we get a couple of chapters from additional perspectives, to explain things, these are lovely additions.

As with all of C.L. Taylor’s books, this was pacy and very human, I definitely recommend if you like a good thriller mystery. 3.5 stars.

I received an advanced copy of the audiobook from Netgally in return for my honest opinion.

Three people with their own lives and problems, seemingly unconnected, but woven together in a way none could possibly anticipate. Ursula still blames herself for the death of the love of her life. Gareth worries about his mother's advancing dementia and the strange postcards she has received from his long dead father, and Alice is being stalked after being attacked recently in a pub. Their individual journeys will crash together, affecting them and those around them.

I found the book compelling for all the right reasons.
Clare Corbett's excellent narration brought this story to life even more than the physical book (well, Kindle edition but you know what I mean), and conveyed real tension and humour. I even ugly laughed a couple of times at those moments of levity.

I instantly warmed to the main characters, and many of the supporting characters too. There was just the right amount of creepiness to a few which actually made me feel uncomfortable, but also compelled me to find out what would happen to them. The skillful way these interwoven destinies were written to collide left me breathless in places as I tried to foresee how things would develop. And of course, CL Taylor pulled the rug from under my suspicions, by providing a few hidden corners and twists.

Overall I can't recommend Strangers enough, hence the five stars, and can't wait to pick up another from CL Taylor.

Loved this book - what a page turner!! Following the lives, warts and all, of three main characters Gareth, Ursula and Alice. This is a well bought together fast moving thriller as we see the separate characters paths start to cross, with no idea where it is going until the dramatic finale. The characterisation is superb, requiring a very talented writer to bring the plot together in the way that this has been and to finish with such a conclusion. In this audible version Clare Corbett is excellent at bringing the story to life. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Harper Collins Audio and Netgalley for providing this copy to listen to.

Ursula, Alice and Gareth are loosely linked through their jobs and situations at the shopping centre. They are not friends and know nothing about each other on a personal level, yet they are tied by invisible links and this is eventually revealed through a comprehensive portrait of them and their backstories at the climax of the story. Ursula is down on her luck and sinking deeper into her kleptomaniac tendencies. Gareth is trying to hold down his job, and care for his ageing mother. Alice is trying to start dating again after a failed marriage.

There is always something in the corner of the readers’ eye which cannot be seen!
An enjoyable story which I enjoyed in my daily commute and during lunch breaks!
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Alice, Ursula and Gareth exist in and out of the very fringes of each other's lives ... until now.  Ursula is still falling apart after the death of her fiance.  Alice is picking her life back up after a divorce.  Gareth's life never got started after the death of his father.  As the story progresses, we learn more about each character and how they came to be standing over a dead body when the book opens.

A well-written thriller that does a great job of developing characters and bringing the lives of three strangers together.

A rollercoaster of a thriller.
This audiobook tells the tale of three peoples lives; Alice, Ursula and Gareth.
The story starts telling the tales about the characters.  Alice suffers a horrible incident, Ursula is dealing with the grief of the loss of her partner and Gareth is caring for his mother who has dementia.
Throughout the tale you are left thinking how the tales will connect.  They do so in a very gripping ending which you do not see coming.
This book is filled with twists and turns and is very cleverly written.  The characters are well illustrated and this makes them jump out of the story. 
The audiobook is well narrated and you forget that you are actually listening to it and can lost in the story.
A recommended read for all thriller lovers.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read in return for a review.

An amazing book by an incredible author.

I am a huge fan of C.L.Taylor, so when I found out I had been approved to read this I was over the moon, and this book definitely lives up to expectations!

I was engrossed from the start, especially as the interesting method of the climactic murder scene being the very first chapter immediately plunges the reader into the action.
 
The intertwining storylines are intriguing and well written, and the meeting of the characters is realistic yet intriguing. I love that the story leaves you guessing, repeatedly thinking that you have solved the mystery only to encounter another excellent twist.

The characters are well crafted and complex, whilst not all are inherently relatable they feel more like actual people, adding more tension and interest to an already incredible story.

My first audio book! Really enjoyed it, big fan of CL Taylor books, it was nice to enjoy this on the go

This wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I haven’t read from CL Taylor and it took me a while to get into this one but it just didn’t work for me in the end. I don’t know if it was the audiobook that didn’t work? (The accents were so irritating - especially if you listen on 2x speed like me and lots of other readers) but I didn’t mesh with it. The story was also very slow for a thriller I find. I did like the character of Ursula and the story of her and her living situation was excellent!