I enjoyed this book! I do have some issues that took it away from being a four star read for me. First, it was a little choppy. I think Judy's point of view was completely unnecessary and I wish that Caroline didn't find out about her twin until the very end when her mom is in the nursing home. I think that would've been a nice twist as opposed to dredging something back up that I hadn't thought much about since the beginning of the book. Instead of being a twist or a surprise it was just like "Oh, this again?" Besides Judy's point of view and the jerky back-and-forth in time I really liked this and the writing was good as well. I'm going to contradict myself, but it was cool to learn how Caroline and Leoni met after we were already acquainted with Leoni. It actually took me by surprise! It's important to note that although I didn't find this thrilling or very scary this book is pretty graphic. Not gory, but graphic. Overall, well done! I was living for Caroline's antics with all the rich men and I could've even used more of it! I would be interested in a sequel for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It was an okay story but nothing to call home about, I kept reading on to see what would develop, but it just didn’t seem like their was much of a story, other than girl mistreated, girl kills, no rhyme or reason for doing so. 

I also found a few spelling mistakes which bothered me a lot.

Caroline hasn't had the best of childhood's, her mother has always seen her as nothing more than a nuisance and an intrusion in her life. Caroline decides to make a life for herself, and it is certainly not the life that any mother would want for their child. Caroline grows up and makes her own path as a con artist, prostitute and more shockingly, a killer. And then she meets Leoni, who changes Caroline's life in more ways than she could possibly imagine. 
This book was certainly not what I had expected, and I really do mean that in a positive way! The story was well constructed, with plenty of twists and drama to keep the reader fully engaged to the very end. 
The characters are well developed, with their own quirks and past stories that add to this already complex story. 
I really enjoyed this book, and I would certainly recommend it to others!.

Thank you to Netgalley and Matador for the arc of The Lies and Crimes of Sweet Caroline by Darren Wills. 

4 stars- This follows Caroline whom was born a twin, she was born unwanted and neglected..  was she born evil or her circumstances changed her?...  Caroline and her bestfriend/lover.. tries to con the rich... in what they call claim back some of their life what owes them like..  Caroline is such a dark and gruesome phsycotic person..  with a lot of plans for things but no actual emotion or feelings..   this was an easy gruesome dark thriller highly recommend.

4 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I knew nothing about this book going into it. The beginning was a little bit of a slow burn for me, but the second half had me entranced! I was so curious what Caroline was going to end up doing! Caroline was born to a mom who neglects her. Caroline grows up wanting revenge! 

If you want a suspenseful quick read, I highly recommend this one! 

Thank you NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Ltd. for allowing me access to this ARC.

I really wanted to like this book but I had a hard time finishing the book. The plot never drew me in enough to care.

A very different read for me! I like different. I read the book in one sitting, trying to figure out just where the storyline was headed. A Thelma and Louise kind of theme....plus! The reader experiences many emotions as she/he reads Sweet Caroline! If you are looking for something a little different this book may just be the one.

I was a bit concerned this would be a bit overblown and dramatic when I read the description but the actual writing style is much more measured.  Which is great because you can then concentrate on the characters and how amazingly well the author has developed them.  I didn’t always like them, but I do always believe them!

The Lies And Crimes st Sweet Caroline by Darren Wills A mother and daughter story. Joel Diamond. It was to violent for me. And to predictable.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.

The Lies and Crimes of Sweet Caroline by Darren Wills is an intriguing read.

Caroline was born a twin. Caroline was born to be neglected an unwanted. Caroline was born evil, or did circumstances make her that way?

After life gets them down Caroline and her best friend/lover set out to dupe the rich and powerful, trying to claim back some of what life owes them. Caroline is a rather psychotic character with a lot of plans and not a lot of feelings. I enjoyed reading about her first meetings with Leoni, though I feel like that should have potentially been earlier as I was a little confused who Leoni was at first. There was definite potential for more character development, not just crazy plans. Jumping to the past and back was a little clunky, but overall an easy read.

An enjoyable 3 star read. The story continues in Beneath the Blood Moon.

Really intriguing book. Great characters. Really enjoyed the flashbacks, they helped give perspective. Can’t wait for the next book.

First off I did DNF so I don't have too much to say, but the beginning of the story givea away that Caroline was definitely born evil and I'm guessing there doesn't seem like anything will change with that/her

What really made me stop reading was the writing style. Wasn't a fan. And the overly done descriptions of everything mixed with run-on sentences just killed me. Monotone and became a chore to read.

Overall I'd been so intrigued by the premise and cover, but nothing held me and I stopped reading. I think it could've had more potential

Sweet Caroline is quite the opposite of sweet. A lot of people don’t like to read angsty books from a “villain” perspective. I see why this was a DNF for many. You’ll either enjoy it or hate it, there’s no in between. I think everyone should just go in blind and give it a chance. It’s an oddly satisfying story.

Not a fan unfortunately. The story was easy to follow but not a 'couldn't put this down' kind of book. 
I felt the big twist shouldn't have been given away at the start

I've seen mixed reviews of this book on Goodreads but have to say that I think it's a brilliant book. While I wouldn't necessarily describe it as a thriller, I think the dark plot and insight into the main character fits in more with psychological fiction. The plot is almost biographical in that it follows the events of Caroline's life that have shaped her into the woman she is today, though these events don't appear chronologically so the reader is left guessing at first. By the end of the novel so much had happened that I'd completely forgotten about a key event which led to one interesting last development. Definitely worth reading!

Well, this was certainly full of lies and crimes! Sweet Caroline is not all that sweet, that is for sure. Not much mystery, it seems like Caroline was born evil, and stayed that way through the whole story. And now there is a sequel coming?? Not for me, I skimmed it a lot. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this book.

Disclaimer - I had to DNF this book, and as result, I won’t be speaking to the characters or plot as I feel it’s not fair to judge without having experienced the entire story. 

It’s really rare that I can’t finish a book, and usually the biggest reason is a lack of connecting with the writing style. I tried to reword this review in my head multiple times to sound less harsh, and finally just realized that honest feedback is better than watered down feedback. 

The prose is not great. The writing reads like a college student who has just entered their first Creative Writing class and is anxious to prove why they had won their legions of fan-fiction readers in high school.  It’s so unnecessary flowery and so peppered with “big” words that it feels like the author had their thesaurus open next to them the entire time they were writing. 

I am going to paste in a direct quote from the first chapter. (Note that this is *one* sentence.)

“ Having necessarily and willingly rebuffed the intrusive journalist, he was distracting himself from tonight’s awful reality by looking through his copy of the training manual, and making the occasional notation, whilst the only others around, three men of varying ages, sat silently on the long seat on the facing wall, nursing their own concerns.”

It’s just...so many words to tell us that the man sat down at his desk to read, ignoring the anxious men seated nearby. 

I didn’t have the heart to give one star as it’s obvious this author is capable of writing, and the summary/cover did hook me initially. (And I also am fully aware that I may be heavily influenced by the fact that Hemingway (with his love of succinct prose) is my favorite author...and as result my opinion should be taken in that context.)

Entertaining, twisty and hard to put down. This tale of revenge for the main character, Caroline, had me racing to the end!

Decent story, easy enough to follow.  I would read more books by this author.  Overall, I liked the characters, the plot, the dialogue, and the wrap up.

3/5 Stars

Born to a mother who doesn’t want her, living in a world that doesn’t understand her, fuelled by anger and hatred, Caroline dreams of a different life! 
Such a dark. Twisted. Crazy read! This was an edge of your seat ride. 
I enjoyed the reading and writing style.