Wow what a novel... so twisted and turny and so many lies, deciets and obsessions and just so real. These girls in the past and in the present are so vibrant in their feelings of guilt and fear of what to let out or not. I found myself taking turns in disliking each character I am not sure if it was intended but I couldn’t feel sympathy for this mo girl she felt too ghostly a presence and had no grounding.... I also didn’t really much like Cali and found her use and abuse attitude of Jude a tad awful.... yes Jude had her faults but they were more sympathetic than any of the other characters issues.... I didn’t like kassia at all I found her manipulation of everything so vile and disturbing that it makes the ending so much worse I also didn’t like the guy interviewing them
Trying to find his sister at times. And then there’s that feeling of guilt because you really should be more sympathetic for his past and all the trials and tribulations he faces still in the country he calls home... this is a U.K. way after brexit and a town that has seen a lot of violence and it’s that toxic mix of hatred towards the foreigner and newcomer that sparks the tale. I loved it.

I requested an advanced reader copy in exchange for a personal review.

This book did not prove to be a psychological thriller that I liked, but I have to admit that the book synopsis is a very good reflection of the book. For me it is too slow and does not have enough twists or turns. However I accept that it is a very good reflection on the present time even though, having lived in Herne Bay for 30 years, it is hard to see waterfront apartments in Dover

This book is a tortuous ride, going back and forward as the original events are revisited then reviewed for a television programme. The story covers many important issues sensitively: mental health of teenagers, immigration and gay relationships. The interviewer, Tarek, is himself an immigrant who lost his sister when trying to travel from Syria. Part of his mission is to find her. The reader is left wondering if a lead he is following will reveal the truth. Set in Dover, which is not given much of a rating in the book, it is the story of “the strange and tragic lives of the three teenage girls he’s investigating.” The relationships are well written, the story complicated. It gathers pace in its latter part.

This Nowhere Place is set in Dover and has two timelines 2016 and 2026.The story goes backwards and forwards telling what happens to three girls who are friends ,two die and one is left with life changing injuries but what is the true story of what happened ? Tarek a documentary film maker wants to investigate and find out the truth but he has his own agenda .This is a very different thriller full of twists and very clever ,it is also very poignant and sad a story full of secrets and lies and jealousy .Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review ..

When the Dover girls made headline news after two were found dead and a third with life changing injuries, mystery surrounded the survivor for years. With Jude having no memory of what had occurred, it seemed like the truth about that time would never come out. Until now...
Set in dual timelines, the story unfolds due to an immigrant documentary maker who has a personal interest in the case.
A new author for me but one I will be watching out for in future. A gripping tale that left me guessing.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

Natasha Bell's The Nowhere Place is a very timely and relevant mystery novel, with a classically narrated past present style, full to the brim with relatable layered characters and packing an emotional punch in its central themes and settings.

The nowhere place of the title is Dover, Kent, a town that has more than its fair share of social divide, where those seeking refugee status live a kind of half life, often vilified in a world desperate to fob them off onto someone, anyone else...

The author sets the scene pitch perfectly, using a pair of local girls and a mystery death and fall to explore issues that are hugely important in our time. This has all the elements of a twisty psychological thriller, a healthy dose of political undertone and through the voice of the documentary maker Tarek, somewhat of an insight into personal human tragedy but without ever crossing the line into preachy assumption that we, in our safety, can know what it's like.

I loved this because it was intelligent and compelling, a page turner with heart and soul and I have to give a nod to the fact that the present here is actually 2026, thus avoiding the elephant in the room of our current situation.

I wont give anything away, but following on from the utterly excellent Exhibit Alexandra (I refuse on principle to call it by its generic and bland rebrand title) I think it's safe to say that Natasha Bell is a genuine talent, an author I hope to follow along with for many years to come.

I really liked Natasha Bell’s previous book, Exhibit Alexandra (which has since been appallingly retitled His Perfect Wife... why???). This Nowhere Place isn’t a bad title - hopefully it won’t be changed to something horribly generic.

Despite the “nowhere” of the title, the story is firmly rooted in place and time - Dover in 2016, with “future” sections set (in what at present feels like a bold move) ten years later in 2026. I’ve never been to Dover, but I learned a fair bit about it from reading this (I looked up pictures of the Grand Shaft) - and there was indeed an anti-immigration riot in January 2016, when far-right groups clashed with anti-fascist counter-protestors. Along with the bigger things, there were so many little details that really rang true, like Kassia’s phone thinking she’s in France when they are close to the sea.

Anyway, the story... In 2026, refugee turned filmmaker Tarek Zayat (“the Syrian Louis Theroux”) is making a documentary about the “Dover Girls” - the never-fully-explained events of 2016 which left two teenage girls dead and one with life-changing injuries.

Jude, the survivor, and Rose, the sister of one of the other girls, are talking for the first time about what happened. But they may not be telling the whole truth... and Tarek himself has his own reasons for wanting to tell this particular story.

The story is powerfully steeped in the refugee experience, through Tarek and the character of Mo, along with the many nameless others whose desperation leads them to risk terrible dangers, only to then often face hostility or outright hatred. That’s clearly shown here with a far-right group - the New Nationalist Action Alliance - making its presence felt in Dover.

The Brexit referendum is a constantly looming shadow; although the actual words are barely if ever mentioned, it’s always there in the background. The political context in general is clearly felt though rarely directly referred to (“calls for them to leave the EU and a reality star running in the primaries” is about as explicit as it gets) but the effects are clear.

The characters were very well drawn, particularly Rose and Kassia, whose voices were, I thought, very convincing. I was very mildly troubled by never being quite sure how to pronounce Cali’s name, though (Callie? Carly? Kayleigh??). By the end, there were interesting questions to ponder about the actions of certain people and how justified they were.

This Nowhere Place feels very different to Exhibit Alexandra (sorry, I’m not calling it that other thing) but is equally good if not better. A powerful and timely read, and a rattling good story too.

This is quite a dark mystery with many strong themes looking back of the tragic deaths of two teenagers girls and one other having life changing injuries, all in mysterious circumstances. Filmmaker Tarek wouldn’t usually investigate such events however ten years on he’s trying to find answers to what happened. This is a book full of secrets, obsession and hate in part through its location in a politically turbulent area, the characters are brilliantly flawed and the different perspectives make you look at how things came to be from different interesting angles.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn’t my favorite psychological thriller of late, but it was perfectly serviceable and did the job. The epitome of a three star thriller

A story set across two timelines, 10 years apart. Two young girls from very different backgrounds, best friends, inseparable.

I found this book challenging to read at the beginning, but as I became more involved in the story, it flowed better.

The story raises many issues including mental health, Brexit, asylum seekers, refugees, illegal immigrants, disability, drug and substance abuse, racism, etc.

I’m happy that I persevered with the book, but wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a must read. Ending rushed and confusing.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in return for a honest review.

Ten years ago, Mo arrived at the white cliffs as if from nowhere, befriended by teenagers Cali and Jude. They thought they'd save each other, yet within months their friendship would see two of them dead and the third scarred for life.

This was an emotional and compelling read. The characters were well developed and you could feel a connection to them. I liked how the point of view of illegal immigrants was developed, with all the emotional scars and trauma it implies.
For me it fell short just because of the lengthy descriptions that made the pace of the book slow down. I was skipping pages in some chapters because there were so many useless information, and it was a bit boring.

Thank you NetGallery and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for giving me an advanced copy of this book.

I’m not quite sure where to start with this book, other than to say it is a brilliant! It is a mystery thriller but yet it so much more. It is actually a really multilayered story about small towns, families, relationships, racism, and addiction and it manages to be sensitive to all these issues without deterring from the story but at the same time managing to be relevant. What I really like though is the way the story focuses on quite a few main characters without getting confusing or losing anything in character realism or development, each character has their own distinct personality and issues, and each plays their part perfectly as the mystery unravels.

It took me a while to get into this novel but overall it was an absorbing and well written story. I thought the structure very interesting and the double timeline effective in helping us imagine where we might all end up in a couple of years time. The 'villain'of the piece was fairly well signposted from the beginning and I felt the ending was a little rushed but a diverting read for a weekend.

‘This Nowhere Place’ is the port of Dover, a place for passing through and this is the intriguing story of ‘The Dover Girls’, best friends Jude and Cali who meet Mo, a refugee at the beginning of 2016. Six months later Cali and Mo are dead and Jude has injuries that initially leave her in a coma and then confined to a wheelchair. Legends grow around the girls with rumours of a suicide pact. Fast forward ten years, Jude has aspirations to be the Mayor of Dover and she agrees to work with documentary film maker Tarek Zayat who seems very heavily invested in the project. Why? The narrative goes between 2016 and 2026 with extracts from the film, this works well and keeps the interest throughout although it did take me a little while before I’d sorted all the characters out.

This is a story that holds you captive although initially you feel the multitude of layers is a bit crowed and messy. It isn’t at all, it all interconnects and just takes a while to settle. What is so intriguing is that all the characters involved in the making of the documentary all have personal reasons for doing so which may not coincide with other intentions. We witness the formerly solid relationship between Cali and Jude crack like the famous white cliffs of Dover once Mo is on the scene. The background of refugees especially from Syria adds sadness, devastation, tragedy and grief to the mix and in the background in 2016 we have the boiling ferment of the impending Brexit vote and in 2026 it’s legacy. There’s the threat of a Neo Nazi group the New Nationalist Action Alliance and the racist slurs they cast are shocking. Jude becomes an unwilling target for both sides of the immigration argument. The changes the characters undergo in the ten years is fascinating too and they all have their struggles whether it be addiction, mental health or guilt. As the story reaches the conclusion, the tension and suspense builds very effectively and cleverly with twists that are good and well thought out. I’m glad the ending is not neat and tied up with a pretty bow as the narrative shows lives that are messy to say the least, so it’s fitting.

Overall, this is a clever book, it’s well written and thought provoking. The Dover setting provides a perfect backdrop and I especially like the utilising of the cliffs, The Shaft and Shakespeare’s King Lear in the storytelling. I like the way the truth of the Dover girls emerges like jigsaw pieces and keeps you guessing and invested until the end.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the arc for an honest review.

I picked this book up on a lazy Sunday after seeing a teaser posted by the Michael Joseph team on Twitter and I’m not ashamed to say that I finished it in one sitting. “This Nowhere Place” is an entirely addictive yet refreshing take on a thriller that I highly recommend to anybody looking for a dramatic, escapist read.

Despite never having visited Dover myself, Bell depicts the rugged and desolate landscape of the howling cliffs, Western Heights and Grand Shaft in such vivid detail that any reader will become instantly transported to Dover. Serving not merely as a backdrop for the action, instead the white cliffs deserve as much recognition as the main protagonists, becoming inextricable from the hauntings that happen there.

The “Dover Girls” become a local ghost story when two teenagers are found dead and one is left with life-threatening injuries in the small town, but when a determined journalist begins to dig and survivors begin to talk, will the mystery finally be solved? Or will the waters be muddied further to preserve the secrets of that fatal summer, and protect the people they love?

Everybody has an agenda, everybody has somebody to protect.

When best friends Cali and Jude discover refugee Mo alone and quivering in the rocky coves of the cliff face, they throw caution aside and do everything in their power to help her. The characters of the three girls are all beautifully written into the narrative, each with their own quirks and moral complexities. Before long, however, friendships begin to crack, resentment grows and it dawns on the trio that the white cliffs of Dover are an awfully dangerous place to make enemies.

Written in such a poignant age, themes of hostility and belonging not only burden the three friends but also mirror the political landscape. As journalist Tarek Zayat reports on the riots and violence of far-right hate group New Nationalist Action Alliance; the chilling realities of a refugee camp, and the sheer desperation and bravery of those immigrants who tackle the deadly crossing to chase a better life, perhaps the problematic roots trace back much further than first assumed. As his documentary-research continues, Tarek is confident he is closing in on the culprits.

“All along he’s treated them as witnesses, rather than suspects. That changes now.”

Bell expertly tackles themes of immigration, mental illness, LGBT+ acceptance, alcoholism and drug abuse, and grief and loss with the maturity and flair of a stellar writer.

“This Nowhere Place” is an excellent book that is wholly deserving of outstanding praise with its publication in March 2021. Gripping from the very first page, Bell writes with confidence, power and evidenced research to produce this atmospheric novel. The wider narrative is entirely worthy of a Netflix adaptation and would make for a certain cinematic success.

Thank you to the team at Michael Joseph / Penguin Random House for providing me with an ARC of this book, and I wish you all the best with the publication of this book. This honest review has been supplied at the request of the publisher but all the opinions given are my own.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s full of realistic characters in trade in suspense. I highly recommend it to anyone that likes the psychological thriller

#ThisNowherePlace #NetGalley
A must read. Original thriller.
One grey afternoon, high on the cliffs of Dover, two girls agree to help a stranger.
Within months, two of the three girls are dead.In the years that follow, local legend grows around the events of that summer - and, with the one survivor refusing to speak, it seems the truth will never emerge. Until a documentary-maker arrives, determined to solve the mystery of the Dover Girls.But some will stop at nothing to keep this town's secrets...
I love it to it's final page.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller.