This is a well written novel, with great dialogue and very well built characters.

The places are described in such a way you are transported there and can truly follow the story as if observing as it unfolds.

However…. There are several plot holes and discrepancies in procedure that were hard to ignore. It requires a lot of suspension of disbelief for it to kind of work.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with and ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This is told from two perspectives, Annie in the past and her sister, Isla in the present. When Annie is found dead, her son Callum is accused of her murder Isla realises that she didn't know her sister like she thought she did.

While this is a strong storyline which I loved, it is fast-paced for the most part but the middle part is a little too long, it felt like there is just too much filler and the book would have been better without it to be honest. The rest of the book was awesome though.

This looks at how we see others and how we want others to see us and how they aren't always the same thing. It's a very interesting read and keep you involved to the very amazing end.

The characters are strong, I felt that I knew them well and felt involved with the story while feeling that I knew something was being hidden but not what and that was a brilliant twist at the end that I didn't expect.

This was really awesome and I loved it!

This wasn’t for me, I didn’t love the characters and found it difficult to get into. This might be a good fit some others for sure! Let me know!

S E Lynes is a tricky author - in all meanings of the term. This is the third or so of her novels I’ve read recently. The cover and the blurb promise a domestic noir , which it is, but I also know I’m about to read a heartbreaking family drama wrapped up as a thriller. I know this and I can’t wait. It’s a brilliantly crafted story centered on two sisters, geographical seperated but emotionally connected through their shared history. Isla is a single professional woman living in London and Annie thrives in a small town with her husband Dom. All signs point to Annie’s life taking a turn for the better after marrying him and moving with her teenage son Cal to his hometown. As we know well enough, outward appearances are just that and the heart of a great story beats underneath. With one fateful late night call Isla is thrown back into Annie’s life as she grieves her sudden death while trying to console her reclusive nephew. Was her death deliberate, was it avoidable. What if we gave up outward appearances and concentrate on the unspoken, but clearly visible truths? Tense, unexpected turns and a satisfying read..

I was excited to receive this advanced copy as I’ve really enjoyed other books from this author.
Unfortunately I lost interest really quick. Great beginning and then I was bored. This got great reviews and obviously it just didn’t hit the spot for me. I will still read this author as I love the books, just not this one.

Another compelling read by S E Lynes: This one sucks you in from the first page and doesn't let you go until the end!

A superb plot which works between flashbacks of the past and the present, consistently paced gripping page turner filled with tension and intrigue.

Hang on to your hats and enjoy the ride you won't be disappointed.

This luckily didn't disappoint and helped me out of my slump. It was clever, well written, and thrilling. I liked finding of events and the truth through different points of view. Though alot happens and there are good twists and turns, it's definitely a slow burner. so at first it did get close to skirting on boring. But the suspense and tension does build and it's worth it and you'll be glued to the book.

Since the ‘The Housewarming’ was such a perfect read for me I was so looking forward to diving into this book. I loved the setting of the story and a lot of places reminded me of our trips there. So maybe this was the perfect setup for ‘The One to Blame’

We meet Isla who receives the horrible news that her sister Annie and her husband Dom have lost their lives in a fire. Isla travels to Cornwall to be there for her nephew Cal and of course to find out what has happened.

Throughout the story we learn more and more about Annie’s and Dom’s relationship as well as about their son Cal. There are so many twists and turns I don’t want to give away. But what’s for sure: I had no idea, who to trust and in my opinion this makes up for a real page-turner!

Thank you # NetGalley and #Bookouture for a copy of this book.

Isla’s nephew calls to say her beloved sister, Anna, and her husband have died in a fire. This sets the scene for a riveting mystery as Isla tries to understand just what happened. It’s a story filled with grief, suspicion, abuse, regret and death – and it’s SO good.
The police suspect Callum, and he does seem to be hiding something. The story goes back and forth from 1991 until 2005, which is when the story is set. We gradually get the back story, and it’s more horrific than I’d guessed. And the present is just as ghastly. Isla, grieving for her sister, tries to be a loving aunt to a nephew she’s not sure she can trust, and who scares her. What exactly did happen? Who is lying? And what are Anna’s friends hiding?
The characters really resonated with me. I loved the wonderful early relationship between Anna and Isla. Many years apart, and so different, they were a real sisterhood. Lynes writes beautifully and authentically about the devastating nature of grief, and dealing with it. There was one character, charming, cruel and manipulative, that I absolutely loathed - I really enjoy books that pull me right in and engender such strong emotions.
This book talks to grief (so relatable in these scary days), losing loved ones and relying on “time being plentiful when in fact it was disastrously short.” It also reminds us to keep close to and in touch with our loved ones, before it’s too late. But above all it’s a really great crime thriller whose slow reveals kept me hooked.

Read in one sitting. The One to Blame is a book that gets its claws in you and doesn’t let go!

I thought I had the ending figured out but I was totally wrong and found myself blown away. A fantastic can’t put book.
4/5

Isla gets a phone call from her nephew, Callum, letting her know that her sister and brother in law were killed in a fire in her sister’s art studio. Callum is distraught and not speaking clearly. Isla travels to her sister’s home hoping Callum misspoke and that Anna and Dominic are really still alive. Unfortunately, not only are they dead but the next day Callum is arrested for the murder of his mother.

The storyline bounces back and forth from the present day to the past as you learn the story of Anna and her turbulent relationship with her husband. This was a great, can’t put it down thriller. I suspected the ending but was still surprised how it all played out. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Isla receives a phone call in the middle of the night from her nephew Cal. Her sister and brother in law have both died in a fire. She finds herself heading to Cornwall to support Cal, while there she meets some of Annie’s friends and soon begins to realise there is something they are not telling her. What happened on the night of the fire and who is the one to blame?

I enjoyed reading this, it was easy to read, told in different timeframes, one in of what was going on in Islas life while trying to work out what had happened to her sister, and the other was Annie’s story which leads up to the night of the fire. I had realised what was going to happen a few chapters from the end but it didn’t spoil the rest of the story for me in any way. Overall, an enjoyable read for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A really great thriller, cleverly written with enough traits and turns to keep you guessing throughout. I really enjoyed it.

After reading the synopsis; I thought this book would either be really good or really bad. I was happy to find it was really good! Full of twists and turns with an interesting plot and especially the ending. I liked the author’s writing style a lot and would love to read more by them.

Another fantastic book by S.E Lynes, I have read a few of her books now and this new one did not fail to disappoint.
The story is written from the point of view of 2 sisters Annie and Isla and contains flashbacks of when they were younger leading up to the present day and although you may want to know what happens in the present day more the chapters which are based on the past help to build up to an understanding of what is happening in the present.

Annie and her husband are found murdered by Annie's son Cal, who then becomes the prime suspect in her murder, however, he claims he didn't kill her and Isla her sister believes him but she knows also that he is holding something back. Throughout the story, we find out that Annie's wonderful life was not quite what it seemed.

I found the story to be well written and I didn't see the ending coming at all. I found that the characters were well developed so that it gave you a deeper understanding of their behavior throughout the story. There was a good bit of inner monologue but I found that this added to the building of the characters.

I give this 4 stars it kept me interested all the way through and I did not guess the ending which made it even better.

The One to Blame by S.E. Lynes is an entertaining, twisty story that will keep you entertained from the first page until the last. S.E. Lynes is definitely an author to keep in mind, I read and loved The Housewarming last year and look forward to more from her!

Here are the details:

Why pretend your life is a dream when you’re living a nightmare?

When Annie met Dom, he seemed like everything she was waiting for: charming, loving, generous. When they got married, and he showed her the studio he’d built in the garden for her to paint in, she knew that at last she had found a way to be free.

She didn’t notice the trap until it had closed around her. And now, as she does his shopping and cooks his food and sits waiting for him well into the night, she has to smile through her tears, hide her anger, and tell no one the truth, not even her sister Isla.

Isla thought Annie was happy. They have always been as close as sisters can be, they knew everything about each other. And then the call comes in the middle of the night. Annie and Dom are dead.

When Isla arrives at her sister’s house, the smell of smoke still hangs on the air, and soon she realizes she didn’t know Annie at all.

Because Annie was living a lie.

And as Isla sifts through the ashes, she must decide whether she wants to know the truth, or to protect what’s left of her family…

A clever and intriguing story that you will LOVE.

Out on July 13!

I was excited to read this after thoroughly enjoying The Housewarming and this didn’t disappoint. I really enjoyed this twisty ‘who done it’. I liked how we got to find out about the events from the different characters points of view. The story slowly unfolded and I was eager to find out more. I felt like I really connected with the main character in the traumatic events - Annie and sympathised with her situation. I didn’t see the twist at the end coming and I felt it meant the ending was satisfying because it was all explained and the loose ends were tied up. I will definitely be reading the other books by this author.

I found this quite sad when I learnt of the death of a character. I loved how the tale swung between the characters past and present. At first the swinging around from past to present annoyed me because I just wanted to know what had happened in the present, but, by giving us the past it built up the picture to the conclusion. I couldn't put this one down and have never before read this author so will be keen to look at other books they may have written.

I’ve only recently discovered S.E. Lyne’s books, and I loved her latest, The One to Blame. This is an intense psychological thriller, and the plot and the characters kept me utterly gripped. This book is a rollercoaster of a read.

S.E. Lynes begins her book with a shocking opening when Isla receives devastating news from her nephew, Callum. Her sister Annie and her husband Dominic have been killed in a house fire. But she knows she has to be strong for her nephew. He’s lost his mother. She has to be there for him.

There are some shocking twists and turns in this book. It is more of a slow burner, but the tension gradually gathers pace and S.E. Lyne’s writing pulls you into the story. I had to know what really happened on the night of the fire. The person who I felt for the most as I was reading was Isla. She has no idea how to cope with what has happened. Her whole world has just come apart, and she doesn’t know who she can trust. It made for really tense reading as she tried to come to terms with what was happening, particularly as the police investigation uncovers who might have started the fire.

It’s really hard to talk more about the plot without giving it away. I had no idea what had happened the night of the fire, and I didn’t know whose testimony to believe. I became more intrigued as S.E. Lynes began to peel back Annie’s relationship with her husband in the flashback scenes. I wanted to know more about her marriage, and I wanted to understand if this had anything to do with the fire.

But as I thought everything had come together, S.E. Lynes begins to ratchet up the tension again. My perceptions of the characters kept changing as I was reading this novel; like Isla, I didn’t know who I could trust. And especially in those final scenes, I became really worried that something terrible was going to happen. It makes for a nail biting finale.

The One to Blame is the second book by S.E. Lynes, which I’ve read, and I think I’ve definitely found a new favourite author. Another excellent book by S.E. Lynes.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I guess I am one of the few that did not enjoy this book. Part 1 was long and boring. Part 2 picked up with the court proceedings, and part 3 had a few twists.