The book starts off quite slowly introducing the readers to the mostly unlikeable characters then with the arrival of Storm the novel adds another dimension to all the characters and becomes both a puzzle for the reader to try and guess who is really lying and to guess what twist will come next. I really enjoyed this section of the book. I felt the last few chapters fell a little flat for me - I think I was probably waiting for another final twist maybe? Overall though it was really well written and I would totally recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to a review copy of this great novel.

Just how well do you know your husband's friends from university and what they got up to? This is the premise of the story Jo is recently widowed and is invited to.join her husband's friends at a French chateaux to celebrate Cres and Arlos wedding anniversary. The fireworks begin when one of the friends Max can't make it straight away but his new girlfriend Storm arrives anyway, her name says it all she blows in like a storm and suddenly there's tempers flaring everywhere!!! Just who is she and how does she seem to know so much about them all even though she's never met them and has only been with Max for a couple of months?

Loved this novel, but slow to start but give it chance and you'll love it! Definitely a twist in the tale! Will be recommending to everyone I know. Many thanks to NetGalley for letting g me read this.

A dark, twisty thriller that really kept me gripped till the end. This was a well written story of friendships and marriage - the ties that bind us and what lengths people will go to for reputation and family. A great read.

The writing was decent and although the plot was pretty predictable it kept me intrigued enough to read it in a day.
Filled with unlikable characters and ones you find hard to connect with because of their status and wealth. But, that is part of the story. Rich, well connected people get away with things regular, normal people don’t.
A big chunk of the book is set at a French chateau, with a group of friends celebrating an anniversary weekend. We are experiencing the story through the eyes of Jo, the outsider. Her husband and three of college buddies have stayed close for 20 years. Jo, now widowed, is finding out plenty of secrets this weekend. Storm shows up, a stranger, creating havoc at every turn.
Definitely worth the read, but, I fear I may forget about this book as soon as I pick another book up. It wasn’t a story to stick with me, but kept me entertained enough to enjoy it at the time.

Well -written and keenly observed, this novel started as a study in characters, their insecurities and secrets and how they related to each other, then moved to a fast-paced hunt for a murderer.
Jo, the main character had always felt like an outsider within her husband’s group of friends and we can see why. She is as close to normal as they are away from it. Popped into the mix is the arrival of a stranger, Storm, who turns up unexpectedly, gets close to Jo and then starts to pick the group apart.
And while I was gripped, enjoying the great writing and the attention to detail, I found myself predicting the outcome, quite accurately as it happened.
So, with that in mind – we know who did what and why, the novel hinges on ‘how well was it done’? I’m pleased to report it was well-crafted. The ends tied up a little too neatly, but overall a good story, great character/relationship portrayals and a very decent read.

A beautiful chateau. Friends gathering to celebrate. A mysterious stranger who seems intent on causing trouble.
Storm isn’t the most original thriller this year but the writing is accomplished and the characters well drawn, if largely unlikable. However, I did have an issue with the structure. The set up is almost exactly 50% of the book and it’s far too long and drawn out. When things take off in the second half it all gets rather silly and then needs two final chapters and an epilogue to tie up the loose ends after the denouement.
Thank you to #netgalley and #harpercollinsuk for allowing me to review this ARC

A dark and twisty thriller that won't leave its reader feeling disappointed. I cannot recommend this book enough. I read it in one weekend. It's great.

Four students at university remain in touch. One, Oliver, took his own life recently but his widow Jo is still in touch with the remaining three. They are meeting in the French chateau of the most successful but one, Max, is delayed. However, his new, much younger girlfriend, Storm, arrives on time and creates a storm. It is obvious that there is more to her past than the others know about and she causes trouble from the beginning. The book starts as if it is going to be a tale of a group of people not getting on well but it becomes much more than that as unexplained incidents take place involving everyone who stays there and even the nanny. As the story unfolds, much more is revealed about the lifestyle of each one of the chateau residents. It works up to a complex and exciting finish. I recommend it.

A group of friends gather at a luxury chateau including the widow of one of there group.
I found the characters extremely unlikeable but i think that was the point.

The start of the book was difficult for me but i carried on. The secrets, twists and turns definitely made for an interesting read but overall i found it rather similar to several other reads.

In conclusion a decent book but it just didn't stand out for me.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for giving my honest review.

There seems to be quite a trend recently for thrillers taking place in fabulous holiday homes( and, post-success of Lucy Foley's The Guest List, if some or all of the guests at said holiday home are obscenely wealthy and/or posh, then all the better). Storm fits nicely into this trend, but elevated significantly above most others in the genre by outstanding writing and characterisation. The reader follows Jo - non-posh, non-rich, and the recent widow of Oliver, whose best friends (posh and very rich) are hosting an anniversary party at a French chateau. While Jo has never felt that close to Oliver's friends, she duly attends the long weekend. But when the party is gate crashed by Storm - purportedly the girlfriend of absent friend Max - shenanigans ensue.

While some of the twists were fairly predictable (I've read the big twist in several feminist-leaning summer 2022 releases), that didn't matter a jot as the reading journey was enormous fun nevertheless. That the guests were all well-rounded and complex characters rather than simple caricatures of horrible posh people also made for a more satisfying reading experience.

I've read a number of destination thrillers this summer - The Cliff House by Chris Brookmyre and One Of The Girls by Lucy Clarke being particular stand-outs - and Storm joins them as a rare 5 star read. If you enjoyed them, or indeed if Lucy Foley is your bag, you'll love Storm.

First book I've read by the author. Story about Storm and her life. I found it quite slow to begin with. However I preserved and in the end enjoys it. Was quite good crime/ thriller. Will read more by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest opinion

quite a slow book - not that keen on some of the characters but the story was readable and did have some interesting aspects

Totally different to books I normally read, I found this book very slow to start and wasn’t surei was going to continue. Glad I persevered as it turned out pretty interesting. The characters were interesting and Storm in particular was very well developed.

I really enjoyed the first two thirds of this book, it was intriguing and I enjoyed guessing what the secrets could be, who was keeping secrets. Then the final part burst on the scene and I was left speechless. It all seemed too far fetched even in the context of a thriller.

First time reading a book by this author but would read another by them.
At first I did find it hard to get into and where the story would go but around 40% I found it got better. There is a few things I would change hence 4 stars but still a very good read and especially love the fact most of the truth comes out in the end.

I loved the fact that Storm could have been the weather and was the main characters name. she comes into to the group, a girlfriend of one of them who the grop have never met.

A good thriller with a slow corkscrew like reveal

Storm by Stephanie Merritt is, to misquote a footballing term, a book of two halves. It starts off quite slowly, setting the scene of a group of friends reuniting in France for an anniversary celebration. The mail character, Jo, seems to be the odd one out as she has lost her husband whilst the other in the group are couples. Gradually, hints are dropped about something happening in the past which will have far reaching consequences. An unexpected guest arrives and the pace picks up. Although little of (apparent) importance happens during this part of the story I enjoyed the interplay between the characters and how they act together.
The second half of the book is very different and “things start to happen” It gets very tense and you don’t really know where it is all going. to end.. The way the story develops I found believable and the back story obviously answers a lot of questions.
A good story which makes you want to find out what happened in the past and what has led to the situation that all the characters find themselves in.
Highly recommended.

Jo is invited to a weekend at the chateau belonging to friends of her husband for their anniversary. Oliver has been dead for a couple of years and despite the four men being tight university friends, none of the group reached out to Jo during her grieving so she is feeling a little distant from them at the start. Then, a stranger arrives, the new girlfriend of one of the group and things begin to go sour.
The book is written in three sections, the first part being the longest and the one with the most action. The reveal is carefully constructed and set up and makes a satisfying read. I liked the character of Jo, but the rest of them are rich, privileged and extremely unlikeable (as I'm sure in intentional).
Parts two and three are somewhat slower in pace and deal with the fallout from the goings on at the chateau and to some extent the comeuppance for those characters who have not behaved well.
In short, it is hard to write too much about this book without giving away some of its details, but it is a tight, well thought out thriller, with a good slow reveal that will keep you reading on.
I've not read anything by this author previously but will certainly look out for her books in future.
With thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

Too slow going for me. I did like Jo as a character. Not badly written just feels like so many other books I've read that I engaged more with. Not generally a fan of epilogues. Not sure of the point of this one , it could all have been wrapped up in the main text.

A ‘locked room’ mystery set in a luxury French château – what’s not to like about a thriller of such setting and promise?

As it turned out, there was everything to like about this novel. Main character Jo, recently bereaved, was particularly well-written. She arrives at the aforementioned castle to attend the twenty-first wedding anniversary celebrations organised by Cressida and Arlo, who were friends of Jo’s husband. Lots of other guests, equally well-depictured arrive, but also one person who is unexpected and who sets in chain a terrific motion of events….
A fantastic read that I tremendously enjoyed. I will definitely be looking out for more thrillers by Stephanie Merritt. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers for the free ARC that allowed me to produce this book review.