A very good audio book easy to listen to and a gripping storyline. I will be looking for more books by this author

Like some others I found the narration by Imogen Church a little slow so was pleased to be able to speed it up and then found it easier to listen to. Told mainly from the voice of Nell in the present time and also when living in foster care with Meagan it is easy to understand why Nell appears to be a hard character. From a very young age she was left to do most of the caring of the younger children in Meagan's supposed care. She and Joe run away to London but he abandons her, a very weak character. While looking for Joe she meets and begins to work for Robin Wilder, an upstanding member of the community - or is he?
Meagan's bitter selfishness comes across really well.
A slow burning mystery.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Sarah Hilary/Macmillan UK for a audiobook version of this title. All opinions expressed are my own..

Fragile is 13 hours and 3 minutes and narrated by Imogen Church. I totally hang my head in shame while I admit that this is the first book that I have read by this author! So many books but so little time is my problem. That is why I love audio these days. They are the perfect escape not to mention I can kill two birds with one stone. I listened to this while taking my daily walk! another new hobby of mine.

I love the tag line everything she touches breaks….Which is what sold this to me. This is a standalone and not what I expected. It has an atmospheric feeling to it. When we meet Nell who is a runaway. Fragile tells the story of a broken person who wants to find a place she belongs. But not all is what it seems when she lands herself a job at Starling Villas then a twisty emotional story unravels.

You cannot help but feel for Nell has we learn why she ran away from the foster home when she was 8. The story alternates between the past and present telling a heartbreaking story that will pull at your heartstrings.

Fragile is a dark and complex beautiful written story that I found addictive, leaving me wanting more at the end of each chapter. This is my normal read. But I thoroughly enjoyed it even though it is disturbing. I am very excited that I have found a new author to read and I will certainly be reading the authors DI Marnie Rome series very soon!

Thank you to Macmillan UK Audio for giving me the chance to listen to this all thoughts are my own and not biased in anyway.

A lovely story that keeps you enthralled by the twists and turns, taking the reader on a fantastic journey

I am very conflicted about this book. I enjoyed the storyline and thought it was a good set up but I also felt it could have been cut by at least a third. There was so much wailing and repetition about how dark and guilty Joe, Nell and Megan felt they were that if I had been reading it rather than listening I am sure I would have started to skim read. I don’t know if it would have been a different experience reading rather than listening. It hasn’t put me off trying other books by Sarah Hilary - I think there were enough good points about Fragile to want to try others of hers.

I was disappointed by this standalone Gothic psychological thriller from Sarah Hilary and found the narration by Imogen Church to be mixed. The narration and the novel are slow paced and I found the narrator dragged out the words at a incredibly slow pace, so much so that I lost interest on multiple occasions. However, both the novel and narration are atmospheric with beautiful prose that does draw the reader in. Sadly though I found that it never quite gripped me enough and I was not invested in the plot or characters.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to listen and review a digital audiobook.

Thank you to @sarah_hilary and @panmacmillan for this advanced audio copy of Fragile in return for an honest review. Fragile was published on 10th June 2021 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

Nell Ballard is a former foster child who is running away from her past. She’s seeking a safe place where she can try to forget what happened to her in her foster home in Wales and start afresh. She seemingly lands on her feet when she lands a live in maid job at Starling Villas.

Dr Robin Wilder is the person who hires Nell and although it may seem that a warm home is what Nell has stepped into, she soon learns that Robin is a strict taskmaster and there are lots of rules she has to follow. She also discovers that Robin has his own secrets which make Nell question are her secrets safe and more importantly, is she safe?

General Thoughts 🤔

I didn’t hate this book but I can’t say that I loved it either. I’m stuck in a middle ground between the two. I liked the concept of the story but I thought that it dragged on for a lot of the book without an awful lot happening. There are parts of the book that are dark and I usually love that in thrillers but I thought that it was a little half baked and didn’t follow through.

I did really like the narration of the book. It was what made me enjoy the book to be honest as it was read with such emotion that I could feel Nell’s pain. The chapters read from Megan’s perspective were also fantastically done and captured the venom she oozed.

Characters 👫👭👬

Nell was such a complicated character and it was easy to empathise with her. She was self destructive and at times I thought that she purposely sought out trouble for herself but she was a victim of her upbringing in my opinion. It seemed like she recognised that Megan was not the role model that a child deserves, but she had no positive role models in her life.

Writing Style ✍️

I did appreciate the authors tone for this book and thought that it was appropriate for the storyline. But as I mentioned above, I can’t pinpoint many moments of something actually happening. There are some of course, but I feel like it needed more. The sinister and dark themes needed something a little extra I thought.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖️

I enjoyed this book, but I didn’t love it. I’m not sure it’s something that I’ll be thinking about for weeks to come but I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that have had their spot hit by Fragile.

I listened to this audio book and enjoyed the narration by Imogen Church. Nell Ballard runs away to London, from her welsh care home, with her friend Joe taking with them a dark secret. When Joe disappears she goes in search of him and tricks Robin Wilder into employing her as a housekeeper at Starling Villas. Sarah Hilary's descriptions bring this dark and chilling place to life and all the way through there is a sense that things will not end well, it is a tense read. Thank you to Sarah Hilary, Imogen Church, Macmillan and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fragile - Sarah Hilary

Nell and Joe find themselves at a foster home in Wales run by Meagan, who lets just say isn't the most caring kind (total understatement). A tragedy occurs which has major impact on Nell and Joe, and one thing leads to another and they both run away to London where a whole host of experiences await them. Although the story is a bit of a slow burner the writing in this book was totally atmospheric and really gave me a gothic type of feel to the story. Overall when reading it I felt totally immersed in the characters feelings and their surroundings, I would definitely recommend giving this one a read!

A slow burning and haunting thriller.

At times I personally found the story too slow and a little confusing, not helped I felt by the slow tone the narrator used in the audio version. However there is no denying that the book is well written and touches on child neglect and the impact it can have on a childs future, along with deception and lies a plenty.

The whole time whilst listening to this book I was imagining the characters bathed in fog like a gothic novel. This is testament to the excellent writing, which for me was spoilt by the wrong narrator.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a free copy in return for an unbiased review.

I have read and enjoyed Sarah Hilary’s Marnie Rome series and was looking forward to reading her new standalone. Fragile is a very dark, sad and tragic tale, which was difficult to listen to in places. Although the settings of both time lines were quite atmospheric, I didn’t find any of the characters particularly intersecting. I didn’t like the narrator and found her manner very irritating. Perhaps, I would’ve liked the book more if I read it myself.

Harrowing yet gripping story that unfolds slowly and painfully. Heartbreaking and hard to put down! Highly recommended

This is a psychological thriller and a stark eerie story with equally creepy characters in the pages. Nell has been in foster care as a child and gets herself a job working as a housekeeper at Starling Villas for Dr Robin Wilder. she also has a boyfriend called Joe but he is unreliable in nature and damaged as is everyone she seems to meet. Starling Villas is not quite what it seems with hidden secrets and an underbelly of darkness that will leave you literally quite chilled to the bone! This is a slow burn of a book and Imogen Church gives us a powerful and heartfelt performance - the way she tells the tale you are with the characters every step of their journey! Thank you to Macmillan Audio Uk Amd to Netgalley for my gifted copy.

I listened to the audiobook arc of Fragile. I've discussed the issue with audiobooks with Netgalley in the past and thought they had resolved it but I was unable to listen to Fragile due to, what I can only describe as an echo sound, as the narrator spoke, What I managed to listen to was beautifully written and captured my attention. At some point in the future I shall get my own audiobook copy of Fragile to finish reading. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Sarah for my copy.

I listened to this book on audio from NetGalley and I found it really engrossing. It follows Nell who has had a difficult childhood. She ended up in foster care but her foster mum was quite neglectful and left her and Joe to pretty much look after a younger child, Rosie, on their own. One day something terrible happens and Nell and Joe end up running away to London. Time has moved on a little when we first meet Nell and she is trying to find Joe but also to find somewhere to live and she ends up becoming a house keeper for Dr Wilder. This novel has an insidious sense of foreboding running through it – both in the present and as we slowly learn about the past – and I really enjoyed that element. This felt quite an intense book, I felt really invested in Nell’s story and finding out about her but at the same time it felt quite claustrophobic. I listened to this book in just two sittings though because I just wanted to know what was going to happen and how it was all going to end!

It took me a while to get into this audio book but once I did I was absolutely hooked. Imogen Church's narration is spot on as ever. The tale of Nell and Joe is heart-breaking, runaways from foster care, Nell has been working for Megan through her adolescence and longs to be free of her. Joe is an addict and the pair are destined for tragedy from the outset.

The description of Starling Villas really came to life for me and the wicked Caroline whose only purpose seems to be to undermine Nell whenever she can.

I really enjoyed this story, it's the first Sarah Hilary I've read and I'll seek out more now.

Nell lives in a loveless foster home. At far too young she is given responsibility by Meagan, her foster mother, to run the house and look after the smaller children. One child, Rosie calls Nell her Mummy and coupled with her boyfriend Joe they are a family of sorts. Until one day, it all goes wrong and Nell and Joe run away to London. Living rough, they encounter a Dr Wilder and his wife. Have the jumped the frying pan into the fire? And can Nell live with the guilt of her past?

I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing . She has a beautiful turn of phrase and use of descriptive imagery. I can’t say I enjoyed the plot. It’s a depressing and uncomfortable story with characters that are unlikeable. I never quite felt I got the sense of what was going on and the pace was a little slow. Having been lucky enough to listen to and read the book, I preferred the audiobook, the narrator made it easier to engage in the plot.It's a clear narration and easy to listen to. The various accents are performed well and feel authentic. I did think the ending was spot on for Nell and I enjoyed speculating what may have come next for her.

Thank you the author, Netgalley and Macmillan UK Audio for the change to review a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the audiobook of this! Intense, psychological thriller following Nell- hiding plenty of secrets and hope for a new life, yet she’s surrounded by people with their own rules they want to impose on her and their own secrets. Tense.

Fragile - Sarah Hilary

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Nell Ballard is a runaway. A former foster child with a dark secret she is desperate to keep, all Nell wants is to find a place she can belong.

So when a job comes up at Starling Villas, home to the enigmatic Robin Wilder, she seizes the opportunity with both hands.

Only her new lodgings may not be the safe haven that she was hoping for. Her employer lives by a set of rigid rules and she soon sees that he is hiding secrets of his own.

Fragile is a very emotional book with a very tense atmosphere. It is an interesting premise written in such a powerful and gripping way. I read the book in a few sittings, but each time I was drawn back into the story. 

Hilary is a new author for me and I would love to see what else she has written. 

Rating 4/5

My thanks to Macmillan U.K. Audio for a review copy of the unabridged audiobook edition via NetGalley of ‘Fragile’ by Sarah Hilary. The audiobook is narrated by Imogen Church and has a running time of 13 hours, 4 minutes at 1x.

This psychological thriller has an intriguing start. Nell Ballard is a former foster child with a dark secret. She and her foster brother, Joe Peach, have run away from a home in Wales, run by the corrupt Meagan Flack. The night before Joe had been picked up by a glamorous woman and Nell has followed them back to a house in West London.

The house is Starling Villas and is home to the enigmatic Dr. Robin Wilder. Nell seizes an opportunity and talks him into hiring her as a live-in housekeeper. She plans to seek Joe’s whereabouts. Robin has secrets of his own and also has a list of strict rules that Nell has to follow. Then Meagan shows up at the door….and she’s not alone.

As with any good psychological thriller, there are twists and turns. Alongside events in the present we get glimpses of the earlier lives of Nell and Joe and the reasons for their running away from Meagan.

This was quite a slow burn of a novel with a focus on the various interpersonal relationships. It is also quite dark in terms of the failings of the foster care system as well as the exploitation of vulnerable individuals by those in power.

Starling Villas very much has a Gothic atmosphere despite it being smack in the middle of a built-up part of London rather than a windy moor, craggy
shoreline or forest setting. Sarah Hilary has cited ‘Rebecca’ and ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ as inspirations and there are subtle nods to each in the narrative while confidently standing on its own.

With respect to the audiobook, Imogen Church has narrated an impressive number of audiobooks across a variety of genres. She was able to voice a wide range of voices with confidence and drew me into the story quickly.

Overall, ‘Fragile’ held my attention though the nature of the subject matter was not always easy to read.

This is my first novel by Sarah Hilary and I am now interested in checking out her DI Marnie Rome series of police procedurals.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.