Rock, Paper, Scissors -Alice Feeney
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Feeney is undeniably skilled in the art of dual POVs. Both the male and female narrative is as convincing and authentic as the other.

A delicate exploration, initially, of the inner thoughts behind a deteriorating marriage.

The stage was set for lies, scandals and deceit to unfurl but WOW. I was not ready for it...

Well written story about a couple and the state of their marriage. We get insight about the previous years via letters that the wife has written to her husband on each anniversary over the previous years.
A threatening tone and a sense of unease as we see them on a short break away in a remote Scottish church.
I enjoyed this story. A little slow in getting moving at times but enjoyable and the twist at the end I didn’t see coming.
Recommended.

Absolutely amazing! Rock Paper Scissors is fantastically written and kept me reading late in to the night, one of those books you can’t put down until you know how it ends.
I won’t give any plot away because I think the less you know the better going into this one. The letter chapters on each anniversary were my personal favourite. This story has excellent twists and turns, I highly recommend it.

This was an attention grabber right from the start,

Adam and Amelia are in the midst of marriage difficulties, so when Amelia wins a break in the Scottish Highlands in an old converted chapel, she thinks it is make or break time for them and is raring to go. Adam agrees, albeit reluctantly. Tensions are pretty fierce between them on the journey, and arrival at their destination does not ease matters. Spooky chapel, eerie goings on and strange woman down the lane, what’s not to love?

The story is full of suspense and twists, and a real page turner. None of the characters, apart from Bob, are particularly likeable, but that does help create the atmosphere that builds. The last part of the book is very busy, the plots and twists come thick and fast, perhaps some reveals could have been produced earlier? A proper book, with a beginning, middle and end, well worth a read, would thoroughly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley.

Having read Sometimes I Lie I was very much looking forward to this book. Adam and Amelia go to a remote Scottish chapel for a weekend away to try and rekindle their marriage. The snow is coming thick and fast (seems to be a theme with authors-snow and cold at the moment) and the chapel is miles from anywhere.
I very much liked the writing style and the format. The letters were a great idea. The POV alternating between Adam and Amelia and "the wife" then another person is revealed. I liked the word of the year too. The book is well paced and the tension gradually increases as more is revealed about the characters who are well written and crafted.. There is an almost Albee-esque feel to the narrative which whilst I enjoyed did mean that the characters came across as uniformly loathsome. The "twists" (which everyone seems obsessed with) were really just a natural unravelling of the plot which is so much better than the "rabbit out of the hat so you couldn't predict it" so beloved of many.. It treats the reader as intelligent
Slight peeves- a daft comment about people who give 1 star reviews, the use of the word "gotten" and the characters all coming out with cliché upon cliché. It did feel a little bit self indulgent about "a writer's lot".
A good ending but only if it prompts the last character introduced to investigate further so other people are brought to justice (trying to avoid spoilers)
Having said that, I thought it was an absolutely cracking read and thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended. Loved it

I read this book in two sittings and drained my kindle of battery on more than one occasion, so for me, that alone shows how much I loved this book! I was introduced to Alice Feeney's writing when I read her huge hit 'His & Hers' and I was really looking forward to reading her next book. I enjoyed His and Hers but I much preferred this one!

The setting of Blackwood Chapel (and surrounding areas) in the Scottish Highlands was perfect for this story! It was atmospheric and added to the seclusion and mystery surrounding our three protagonists. The detailed description of the chapel itself and all its shadowy corners (especially the crypt) really made my head spin with all the possibilities of where this story was going to lead!

I am a huge fan of a book written with multiple perspectives and I loved the addition of the wife's letters each year, they really helped to move the story on and they were my first indicator that we were in for a wild ride! None of the character's were particularly likeable but I like reading about the intricacies of married couples and how small secrets or omissions can grow and fester within the relationship. Everyone has some secrets but the characters in this book really took that to the next level.

The pacing of it was impeccable and I haven't been so completely absorbed in a book for a long time. There were so many twists in this one that they made my head spin. I pride myself on being a little bit of an armchair detective and even though I got a few things right, I was nowhere near close to the big picture! I can't wait to read more of Alice's work!

A ten year wedding anniversary is about to push one couple way over the edge, once all secrets are revealed! I absolutely loved this story!

When Amelia wins a trip for a weekend in Scotland, she thinks it might be just what is needed to help her reconnect with her husband Adam.
They arrive in the middle of a snow storm, and thinks get decidedly worse as the days go by
I have to admit I didn't like the characters in this book at all, but the story was intriguing.

I've finished this book still a bit unsure of how I felt about it! I read it extremely quickly and never wanted to put it down so that has to be a good sign.

I thought the writing style was a bit strange, there were random cliché musings crammed in every few paragraphs and given that there were three narrators I would find it very odd if they all spoke in clichés and metaphors in real life!

I liked the formatting. I especially enjoyed the letters from wife to husband on their anniversary each year, the focus on each year of marriage being represented by a different material was fun.

I found it fascinating that one of the lead characters had prosopagnosia, and the characters were all fun to read about, even if they were not particularly likeable. The twists were good, and whilst I had an inkling where things might be going, there were so many twists and turns it would have been impossible to guess all of them.

My interest was definitely held for the entire novel, but I wish the twists had been a bit more spaced out. It felt like we got a big information dump in the last 20% of the book, and I feel that it could have been a bit more effective if we had time to digest each twist before another one was thrown in.

I think I probably would recommend the book as it was compulsively readable, but by no means do I think it was perfect.

This is the first book that I have read by Alice Feeney and it certainly won’t be the last!
Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.
Adam and Amelia’s marriage is hanging on by a thread. When Amelia wins a weekend trip to Scotland, she thinks this could be just what they need to reconnect. When they arrive, the place is not at all what they expected and there’s a blinding snow storm. As anxiety and tension builds, secrets and lies begin to emerge. The plot is narrated by both husband, wife and a woman named Robin, who lives in a cottage near the chapel. In brilliant form, each of the three narrators reveals pieces of an elaborate puzzle that is the plot. This had an original and intriguing storyline with a lot of mystery and suspense, several unexpected twists, an eery Gothic setting and excellent character development
Alice Feeney is the master of deflection, writing from multiple viewpoints, increasing the tension throughout the storyline.

I highly recommend this extremely well written suspenseful and thrilling read.
Thank you to Netgalley and HQ for an e ARC of Rock Paper Scissors in return for an honest review.

I have only one word to sum up this book - clever. Sometimes psychological thrillers get a little samey, but this one - definitely not.
I'm not going to say much more as it's best not to hint at anything in case it gives anything away.

Revenge might have been an equally good title for this book. As it is, the chosen title comes from a book which Adam, the main character, wants to write. There are many sinister characters in this story all with life threatening secrets. Adam is married to Amelia and works doing screen versions of books produced by an equally eccentric character, Henry Winter. Henry owns a former church in the Scottish highlands with the appropriately sinister name Blackwood Chapel. In order to ensure his isolation he has even bought and closed the local pub! Then Adam and Amelia win a short break in the converted chapel to which they travel in suitable depressing winter weather. Then everything begins to unravel, including their marriage. They know someone is lurking to spoil their break. Adam’s chances of recognising anyone from his past are confounded by his prosopagnosia, a condition which means he does not recognise faces. A problem when someone from your past is out to get you. This book is atmospheric and the story keeps revealing something new to make the reader wonder where it is all going to end up. That happens in dramatic fashion. This is a good read and I recommend it.

A creepy thriller with twists and turns... The Scottish Highlands setting was perfect for this tale and although I liked neither of the protagonists, I kept reading to find out their fate! Love this author, love the way her brain works!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

While sitting in my cosy cuddle chair, I found myself transported to another time and place; where I could hear the crunch of the snow beneath my feet, smell the musty air of the chapel surrounding me, and feel the chill of the cold air.
One of my cats meowed at me while I was reading this, and I found myself surprised to find I was actually in my own house, with the latest heatwave going on.
In true Alice Feeney style, things aren’t what they seem, and the twists and turns of this brilliant thriller will simply leave you reeling. I can’t wait for this book to arrive in my hands the day it is released, and I look forward to seeing what this fantastic author does next.

I absolutely love Alice’s writing style. I have loved both the books I have read by her.

I loved Rock Paper Scissors, it was full of twists, turns and suspense. I was absolutely hooked from start to finish. I loved the concept of the book I don’t think Iv read anything quite like it. I also love the multiple POV.

A complex and dark story. You follow the main characters as the story moves between the past and the present. There were some unexpected twists and you were unsure of what the truth was right up to the end. A definite page turner.

Alice Feeney pulls off a masterstroke of a twist that I didn’t see coming, in this well-written and well-structured book.

This starts of as a couple heading off to a remote break in Scotland as a prize that was won in a raffle, and an attempt to save their ten year marriage, that, throughout the book really seems quite doomed. However as the book progresses we start to find out more about events in the past through a series of letter’s written to Adam on their wedding anniversary. As this progresses we find out there is more depth in this book due to this past and it suddenly turns into a dark mystery where they appear to be being baited and hunted.

I have to say book hooked me very quickly and left me wanting to read on and find out what was happening. None of the three characters in the book come across as very likeable but still despite this the book worked very well. The twist towards the end was excellent and was something I didn’t see, and then there was yet another surprising twist on top of this right at the end. I definitely recommend this book. I will certainly read more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book for me, for an an open and honest review.

Ten Years Marriage.
Ten Years of Secrets.
An anniversary they’ll never forget.

Adam and Amelia’s marriage is on the rocks. When Amelia wins a holiday at a remote location in the Scottish Highlands, she decides it's just what they need to get away and try and rekindle their relationship. Unfortunately, their weekend away does not go as planned. Not only do they drive up in a snowstorm, when they arrive not everything is as it seems and they begin to question their trust for each other because one of them is lying, or is it that both of them are lying?

This book definitely had me feeling discombobulated! It certainly took me on a whirlwind of a ride and every time I thought I had put all the pieces together I was no sooner being told I was completely wrong. This book is extremely cleverly written and kept me on my toes with twists and turns I could not see coming and I flew through the pages as it was impossible to put down! Brilliant!

The concept of this book was compelling. Not your typical isolated location whodunit but a more intimate version. Instead of the more common 'how much can you really trust the stranger from room 10' it was a more sinister and personal 'how well do you know your own spouse'.

I read the whole book in a relatively short period and found it an easy enough read, though personally I didn't find it overly tense or dramatic enough to wax lyrical. 

I didn't like Adam, Amelia or Robin, though this two-sides-to-every-coin, he-said-she-said element added mystery and it did keep me questioning whether my opinion of their character was correct or if I was just being played by another narrator.
I just didn't feel like they were overly developed as characters. Or at least, it felt like we were told alot about them but it was a bit heavy on the tell don't show method. This may have just been down to the fact that quite a bit of the background was given in the form of letters narrating the past.

I've read a few other reviews which applaud all of the twists. I loved the reveal of Robin and her role and I genuinely thought it worked well and was a twist. A lot of effort had been made to craft my understanding in one way only to be like, YOU FELL FOR IT!

However.

I did not feel like we were given enough of a lead in to pick up on this plot. There wasn't much foreshadowing. There was quite a bit of time dedicated to the October Red herring but very little given to this storyline.

Another however.

The role of Amelia in Adam's early life was just too neat. Why would she take the risk of getting involved? Surely you would just stay as far away as you could? It just felt too neat and tidy. This ruined the ending for me a little. In fact I would have preferred it if it had just been revealed that it had been Adam in a car with some friends or something.

Both storylines also came to a head really late in the book. I felt the earlier stages of the plot could have done with some more serious drama. Actually having a narrative voice from Robin killed a lot of the tension for me.  I'd have been more creeped out getting to 75% having just seen some unknown figure going in and out of the Chapel or faces at the window. Knowing it was Robin from the start took the edge off.

Overall I loved the creepy setting and the whole idea behind the plot but I did feel that it needed a bit more drama early on, or at least more suspense over the 'who' of Robin.

I received this book from the publishers via Netgalley for a review. Draws you in and hooks you till the end well worth a read.