Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Very dark, but fascinating and well-written. The voice slipped a little at times i.e. it became easy to recognise the author was writing self-consciously in places.

Consent is a darkly addictive read that looks at human nature in a raw and unflinching way that at times made me uncomfortable. The chararcter description and development was fantastic. For a book that is relatively short, Lyon was able to really communicate the thoughts, feelings and motivations of the characters and their flaws. I would say this leans more towards a character led (rather than plot led) novel, but there was enough plot to keep my interest throughout. A thought provoking book that will stay with me for some time.

Such a powerful and engaging read, this book is so complex and at times difficult to read, but so rewarding too. This story will keep you hooked (although you’ll want to put it down at times too - emotionally) and guessing, it’s dark and moving, full of well constructed characters, stunning writing and simply enthralling.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

An exceptionally powerful read. I love the explorations into family dynamics here, and how they change and adapt throughout the novel.. It's certainly a story that makes you stop, and it in incredibly moving in places. I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the complexity of empathy in familial situations.

Consent is a twisty, dark domestic drama which kept me guessing right to the end.

We first meet Sara, who becomes a carer for her sister Mattie who is intellectually disabled after the death of their mother. The sisters live together until one day when tragedy strikes.

Running parallel to this is the story of Saskia and her sister Jenny. Jenny and Saskia are polar opposites: one a studious undergraduate, the other a fashionable designer. Tragedy strikes their family, in a way which brings the surviving sisters together, somewhat inextricably.

This read very quickly, and if the plot sounds like something that sounds up your street I'd suggest giving it a go as it's well written and very smart in places. Unfortunately for me personally the novel required a bit too much of a suspension of the reader's disbelief for me to fully on board with what was going on.

I didn’t connect with this book at all. I couldn’t see why all the references to fashion etc it overwhelmed the plot.

The author's writing style is dry and dull. The names of the sisters seem to blur together as their personalities aren't fully fleshed out. A lot of time is dedicated to fashion which adds little to the overall narrative. I'm sure other readers will find this more compelling that I did.

A slim book focused on two sets of sisters: twins Saskia and Jenny, and Sara and her younger sister Mattie. After various tragic events, both Sara and Saskia, having been caregivers for so long, find themselves on their own.

Strong book on family duty and the feelings that come with that, from resentment to guilt. Curiosity gets you to see how these stories entwine.

Jenny and Saskia may be twins but they couldn’t be more different in terms of personality. They may have different paths in life, but when one sister is injured, the other willingly puts their life on hold to care for her sibling. Sisters Mattie and Sara have an awkward relationship but, similar to Jenny and Saskia, must rely on each other when a life changing event occurs. Four women, two sets of sisters, but could they share more in common than just being bonded by family ties? I’ve read books about sisters that are heartwarming and thoughtful, and also distanced and uncaring and this is refreshingly in the middle: sisters who aren’t necessarily close but have the possibility of learning more about each other.

A tragic novel that will break your heart, full of family and the choices we make sometimes followed by a lifetime of regret and sorrow. Fantastic read.

I enjoyed the idea behind this book, and it began well, but unfortunately I felt it lost its way around half way through. The concept was interesting and I enjoyed the mirrored relationship between the two seperate sets of siblings. Further, the relationships were well written and the characters differed greatly. Following the 'incident' in each relationship however, I felt that the book began to lose its way - which does mirror the characters' journeys, but unfortunately it didn't work for me. Additionally I had hoped for a stronger relationship to form between the two (non-related) women meeting to discuss their mutual interest.

This was somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me. I loved the writing but the characters and the plot just didn’t really work for me. I felt as though I didn’t get it and need someone to explain it to me!

What I liked - I loved that a lot of it was set in Vancouver. We spent our honeymoon in Canada and I loved sending snippets to my husband of references to places we knew. I love two stories that don’t seem to be initially connected. And there was a lot I liked of the character setting at the start.

As the book progressed though, I didn’t really like the way the stories were connected and I found it for a bit more depressing and over dramatic as it progressed. I don’t mind an unlikeable character but I didn’t connect with either of the main characters and was actually much more interested in their sisters.

I originally rated this a 3 and changed it to a 4 as I did feel engaged enough to read in 2 days and I did love the writing and the setting.

I was really intrigued by the concept of this story. I really enjoy a dual narrative book, and the title really drew me in, as consent is a topic that I research at university. I liked the characters and found it very readable. That said, despite the amount of content in the plot, and the twists and turns it contained, I didn't find this book as compelling as it could have been. I thought that in places it felt a little flat, and events felt a bit stunted. I wanted to hear and discover each event in more detail. I was intrigued by the absent characters, and wanted to hear more from and about them - to explore their lives more. This book is more subtle, winding and nuanced than I expected. It crept along. I think potentially the title was misleading, as this wasn't the book I was anticipating and therefore my expectations weren't met, but I think that as it stands it is a well written and interesting story.

This is a really interesting exploration of family dynamics. We have two sets of sisters and in each family one sister is deemed ‘the responsible one’ and is obliged or consents to look out for the other, who is considered ‘irresponsible’ through mental incapacity or fecklessness. Both find this a burden, but still they accept that burden and their role in their relationship with their sister, even when they no longer need to. Events I hesitate to describe for fear of spoiling the book for others bring the two women together and to an unexpected resolution of their personal dilemmas. An enthralling read, cleverly constructed so that my empathy switched continually between one character and another, and exploring some difficult questions, including self-determination for vulnerable adults and thrill-seeking taken to extremes. Highly recommended.

Consent follows the lives of two sets of sisters; Mattie and Sara and Saskia and Jenny. Mattie has a learning disability, is the apple of her mum's eye and sees the world through rose-tinted glasses loving everyone and everything, Sara is a bitter alcoholic obsessed with fashion, designer produce and living a fancy life. Saskia is a broke, undergraduate student and the more sensible twin, Jenny is reckless, there seems to be some minor allusions to her having mental health issues and is also obsessed with living a glamorous and expensive lifestyle. The first half of the book focuses on the sibling relationships between each set, Sara and Jenny seem to view their siblings as burdens however in the second half both sets of sisters are struck by tragedy. I'm not going to say what happens as I don't want to spoil the plot but there is a man who connects the two tragedies, Sara develops an obsession with him and Saskia tries to completely understand her twin by wearing her clothes, making decisions for her and constantly being beside her.

The first half of this novel was absolutely beautiful; the writing was so simple but effective and poignant. In the chapters between Mattie and Sara I developed a total soft spot for Mattie with her zest for life and obliviousness to Sara's negative thoughts about her, similarly I had more empathy for Saskia than for Jenny as Saskia seemed to be living in the real world whilst Jenny was more an adrenaline junkie. I could be totally wrong but to me the two sisters both represented the best and worst of humanity more strikingly between Mattie and Sara.

Consent explores complex family dynamics with Mattie bringing out the best of Sara's mother and the small amounts of compassion she has, Sara seems to dislike her family and just wants to be as far away as possible however when Mattie is left all alone she goes out of her way to be the one caring for her and feels this is her obligation, Saskia has always been the golden girl of the family but when she goes to university to study a more liberal degree she disappoints her parents and they are more proud of Jenny's achievements as she is well known in her field and can afford fancy restaurants. There's a really interesting part where it describes Saskia as being Jenny's control, however when Jenny has a life changing accident Saskia seems to lose all of her control and identity without Jenny beside her.

The second half of the novel primarily focuses on Sara and Saskia and how their lives start to intertwine, I felt like the reduction in both Mattie and Jenny's presence had a detrimental affect on the novel, it kind of felt like all the characters had more to give but the novel just hit a stale-mate situation. It also began to feel like some of the encounters and interactions and this point were drawn out, throughout the novel there's an obsessions with designer outfits and stores and famous designers, I felt like a little bit of this way okay to set the scene initially but it just ended up becoming a bit tedious and I would skim-read the parts set around designer stores or bars and restaurants. I found the ending to be the twist that keeps on giving, it was set up in a way that you had no idea what Sara and Saskia were planning, this had been done really well and I felt like the ending redeemed the latter half of the book.

I'd initially expected that due to the title Consent it would tackle a sexual kind of consent; it does not however it's still such an apt title as it explores consent throughout; families, relationships, lifestyle choices and in a magnitude of ways. I found it easy if occasionally uncomfortable reading reflected by the fact I read it within a day. I would recommend it to others as I found it an enlightening, thought provoking and enjoyable read.

Saskia and Jenny are twins, one a student, a quiet safe adult, uninterested in clothes and fashion and the other a reckless risk taker, profligate spender and designer fashion addict. When Jenny has a car crash, Saskia starts to try to understand her sister, wearing her clothes, having her hair done and seeing where being more visible takes her.

Mattie and Sara are also sisters. Mattie is pretty and kind but has a learning disability, whilst Sara is plain, an academic but unhappy with life, heading to alcoholism with a tendency to recklessly overspend on designer fashion (there does seem to be a strange over obsession with designer wear in the narrative). Sara can't wait to escape her family life but when her wealthy parents die and she reluctantly returns to look after Mattie she finds Mattie has married their itinerant handyman who has a connection to Jenny which eventually starts to link the two sets of sister's stories together.

There was lots to like about this book, but I got a bit fed up with designer clobber obsession. I also felt I didn't really connect too well with the two main characters and how they behaved. I felt the narrative could have been a bit tighter. Also, a lot of time is spent on Saskia and Jenny after the first chapter so that it easy to forget about Sara before her storyline returns. Overall, I thought the book was well worth reading but would hev been a better experience for me with some editing and rewriting.

* spoiler alert ** I really enjoyed the first part of this book,as the scenes were set,the sibling relationship described,the guilt,the responsibility...
Then when the siblings are lost,the book also felt it lost something,as the two characters left struggled.
It took a slightly more sinister turn at this point,but connected the two stories,and gave closure.
Beautiful writing,I'll look out for more Lyon.

Saskia and Jenny are twins but only equal in looks, their personalities could hardly differ more. Where Saskia is diligent and studious, Jenny enjoys life at the fullest and is always looking for some more thrill. Only a car accident in which she is seriously injured can put an end to her posh and impulsive lifestyle and brings the sisters back together. Mattie and Sara are sisters, too, the first with an intellectual disability, the second striving for academic success and the life she knows from stylish magazines. The latter sister pair, too, moves apart only to be forced together by fate again. Looking for reasons behind the tragic events, Saskia and Sara recognise that there is an unexpected link between them which goes far beyond the parallels of their sisterhoods.

I totally adored the first half on Annabel Lyon’s novel. Showing four young women emancipating themselves, developing personalities and ideas of who they want to be and how they want to live their life was wonderful to read. Even though the parallels show quite from the start, they are two quite unique sets of siblings which do have complicated but nevertheless deep bonds. Especially when Saskia and Sara come to the critical points in their sisters’ lives, they themselves are hit to the core, too, and have to make far-going decisions which also deeply impact their own lives. Throughout the novel, we see a great elaboration of characters with very authentic nuances and facets.

The second half did not convince me that much which, I assume, was mainly due to the fact that the central aspect of the relationships between the sisters was lost by then. Even though here the link between the two pairs was established and some secrets revealed, I found it lacked a bit of depths.

I found the title quite interestingly chosen, very often, “consent” is immediately associated with relationships and intercourse, but in the novel, however, also other aspects, e.g. to what extent the sisters approve of each other’s choices and decisions is explored. Especially Saskia investigates her sister’s life and by walking in her shoes, detects new sides of herself.

This is a beautifully written and complex novel by Annabel Lyon.
It’s a though provoking read about complicated relationships and the impact of guilt and loss.
At times, I found it a challenging read but it’s one that will stay with me for a while.