This book was ok. Don't get me wrong, it was incredibly well written. But unfortunately I didn't enjoy the majority of the characters. I didn't connect to the characters or the story, but I did enjoy the style of writing

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review.. this was ok. The topic didn't grab me nor did the characters but at.the same time didn't stop me reading

I really enjoyed this book, it was tense, atmospheric and unpredictable and unexpectedly funny also. I loved the storyline, the character developement and the writing. A really enjoyable read.

I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Natalie needs a break. At thirty-seven, she's broke, getting broker, divorced and sharing custody of her son with her ex. As a freelance music journalist, she isn't even earning enough to survive let alone pay for a legal battle.

But while reading the music gossip columns, she comes across a rumour that could be big. Monumental, even. Eight years earlier, Isaac Naylor, lead singer of the Ospreys, drowned himself off the Devon Coast after a teenage fan was found dead in his hotel room. But Natalie thinks that's not the whole story. There's something more … and Issac might still be out there somewhere.

Natalie has to get to the bottom of what really happened that day eight years ago. This could be the answer to all her problems, the story of the century … or it could be the death of her.

Michelle Davies just has a way of capturing fear and dread in a way that is completely unique to her. A chilling exploration into the darker, hidden world of fame and infamy full of backstabbing and betrayal, this story swings between subtle deception and wild over-the-top action with no in-between and leaves the reader anxiously waiting for the next explosion. There's a lot of telling and thinking rather than showing, but Davies pulls it off and manages to keep even the lengthy, detail-filled conversations engrossing and interesting.

Natalie was a strange character - on the surface, it seems ridiculous she'd risk everything for this story - but as we get to know her more with every page, it makes perfect sense she'd follow this lead wherever it takes her. It's the chance of a lifetime and she has almost nothing to lose. She was determined, but it became something darker and more desperate as she got deeper into the truth.

Now, I have to say I did put the pieces together before Natalie did at certain parts, trying to put each little clue together and figuring out who to trust - but even with the inklings I had about where Natalie was going I was still left speechless as the final threads of the story started to come together and the truth about Issacs life, death and everything in between finally came to the surface.

Content warnings: Assault, Violence, Suicide, Drugs, Alcohol, Addiction, Divorce.

I really wanted to like this as the premise sounded strong and I thought it got off to a good start as well. However, I was not particularly interested in it, everything seemed a bit fanciful and I did not believe what was happening. I thought the characters were very strong and the excitement increases towards the end of the read but it was too little too late for me.

A young and brave entertainment journalist trying to discover the truth behind the mysterious deaths of performers is the center of this fascinating story. Loved every second of this mystery!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for a review copy of The Death of Me, a stand-alone thriller set mostly in London featuring journalist Natalie Glass.

Natalie is struggling financially, so, when she sees an anonymous article suggesting that Isaac Naylor, singer with one of the world’s biggest bands, The Ospreys, didn’t commit suicide 8 years ago, but is alive and still writing songs, she thinks it might be her ticket out of hardship if she can prove it.

Initially The Death of Me didn’t really hold my attention and it took some persistence to get into it, but once I got involved I thoroughly enjoyed it. The novel opens with Natalie being attacked and then flashes back to explain how she got into that situation. I think this is designed as an attention grabber and it is, but it makes the rest of the novel, the build up, slow in comparison and the novel quickly loses this impetus.

As I said the novel is relatively slow as Natalie gets her information piecemeal in small quantities. The tension rises as she is threatened and those around her attacked. I guessed some of it before she did, but on the whole it is a well constructed novel that builds a story and tension as it progresses.

I enjoyed the setting. The music industry is a closed book to me so I found the background and the small snippets about how it works interesting and informative.

The novel is told from Natalie’s first person perspective. She isn’t the most likeable protagonist I have ever met or, truth be told, the brightest. She seems to run on emotion rather than logic in this novel and I’m not sure that that’s the real Natalie as you don’t get to be a successful journalist without a certain hard headed practicality. Still, it ramps up the tension, so who cares?

The Death of Me is a good read that I can recommend.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I did enjoy this book although some of the characters were not particularly likeable. I would recommend this book.

Loved the storyline and I always think it’s easier to enjoy a book if you can associate with at least one of the characters. That didn’t happen in this book but I thought about the story several times in the days after reading it. It stuck with me a bit.

This is a book about a music journalist who comes across a juicy bit of gossip on an internet forum that could turn out to be the biggest story of her career. Natalie is struggling financially following a divorce and if she can get the scoop all her money woes would be a thing of the past. But it soon becomes dangerously clear that someone doesn't want Natalie to write the story...

I enjoyed this story a lot, but I really disliked pretty much all of the characters. That didn't matter though as this is a very engrossing and twisty mystery that I raced through in no time. I like this author's light style of writing and I will be looking out for more of her work.

An Intriguing Premise…
Fame and fortune. Is it always as good or sounds? Not for everyone. Isaac Naylor, huge rockstar, is reported as having committed suicide whilst on police bail following a fan being found dead in his hotel room. Some eight years later Natalie Glass, a music journalist, decides to delve into the case. Is Naylor still alive? Some seem to think so, but is Natalie risking her own life in seeking the truth? Entertaining, twisting tale with a solid cast of characters and an intriguing premise. Plenty of surprises along the way.

The Death of Me by Michelle Davies.
This was an ok read. Well written but not for me. I did like the cover though. 3*.

Isaac Naylor was a big deal, a headline grabbing (not always for the right reasons) lead singer of one of the biggest bands around. Then there was an incident. A girl was found dead in his hotel room. Naylor was implicated. Arrested. And then, before he could come to trial, Naylor committed suicide by drowning himself off the Devon coast.
And that was that.
Fast forward 8 years and there's whispers. Well, there's always been whispers, there's always whispers with celebrity deaths, especially when there was no body found. But these are more than whispers. There's an article on a gossip site claiming that Naylor isn't dead. In fact, hiding behind a lawyer, he is still active in the music world, writing songs for other performers.
Enter our main character Natalie, music journalist, who stumbles on the article and, well, believes it. ANd wants to know more...
And so begins a dangerous cat and mouse game which pits Natalie against, well, what turns out to be some dark forces working against her, working to bury the rumours and gossip, as she desperately tries to get to the truth of not only Naylor's living status, but what really happened 8 years ago.
Oooo this book was a bit good. A bit implausible at times and also a wee bit easy to guess ahead (but that might just be me) but, that said, it did hold my attention all the way through, sucking me in at the beginning quite nicely. It helped that I warmed to Natalie quite early on so it made it easier for me to root for her, if not necessarily for the truth which I did find a bit eye-rolly on occasion. I also felt for her with what she was going through in her personal life.
As we approached the end of the book, it all got a bit OTT and the eye-rolls got a bit frenetic. But, although it lost its way a wee bit, it did reel itself in just in time to deliver what I found to be a mostly satisfying ending.
All in all, if you don't mind a bit of delicious OTT implausibility dished up with what I found to be an interesting and intriguing main story, you could well give this a try. I'm off to see what else the author has written as, all things told, I did like her no nonsense style of writing.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I have read and enjoyed all of Michelle Davies previous novels so was looking forward to reading The Death of Me. Natalie Glass is a music journalist who comes across an item on a gossip website that suggests Isaac Naylor- famous rockstar and frontman of The Ospreys- didn't actually commit suicide 8 years ago and is in fact still alive. Natalie is balancing her career with a custody battle and I felt she came across as a likeable and believable character. I was intrigued by the plot which I felt worked well initially. Although this was a gripping read and I rushed to the end I did feel that the novel lost it's way around two thirds through and it became rather ridiculous. Still, an easy and enjoyable read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

When singing sensation Isaac Naylor took his own life, after a teenage fan was found dead in his hotel room, his friends and family mourned a rock star. Naylor, lead singer of The Ospreys, had been arrested for causing the young woman’s death and was on police bail when things came to a head on the Devon coast. Almost a decade on, music journalist Natalie Glass – who’s got a series of her own issues to deal with, not least getting custody of her son and finding money to be able to do so – finds a blind item on an American gossip site which suggests the Naylor case is more complicated than everyone expects. In fact, there’s a possibility that Naylor might be alive which draws Natalie further and further into an increasingly dangerous plot. When it’s clear she’s being watched, and troubling events begin to occur, she has to figure out how far she’s willing to go to uncover the truth.

The death of me by Michelle Davies is available now and I’m grateful to the publisher for my review copy.
The description of this book really caught my eyes and interest and I read it in one sitting.
I was so curious why a musician would want to disappear just when he was in his best years of fame and golden opportunity.
I really liked Natalie, she was straight forward when needed but also took some risks when less expected on my part.
A few suspenseful moments and I really didn’t expect that turn of events towards the end but I’m really happy how the closure was brought up.
It was an interesting read overall and while it was only my first read by the author, I’ll be looking her books up in the near future.