Cover Image: Unforgivable

Unforgivable

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Member Reviews

An enjoyable fast paced read with dramatic twists and turns. I will be looking for more books by this author!

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I am normally a huge Barelli fangirl but this one wasn't a standout. Honestly I read it like 2-3 days ago and barely remember a thing about it, that's how little anything stands out. It was a good read at the time, but it wasn't up to her usual standards. And some of it was confusing - in the beginning I kept mixing up Valerie and Bronwyn because the names kept mixing up (they are in fact two different people!). All in all not Barelli's best work, but it is a good read. 3 stars.

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So many twists in this one! Very clever and compelling. I've read a couple of books from the author and found them gripping. Looking forward to reading more.

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Ugh. Rarely I meet a heroine who is in such a need of therapy as Laura, the main character here. She is SO volatile, self-hating, desperate for attention and mentally weak, that no amount of supposed love for her step child can save her. She needs to enter some good psychology institution now. Psychopathic perpetrator here, psychopathic perpetrator there - Laura is so insecure, that she simply is a danger to both herself and the others. I was thinking that the authoress is posing her as the villain here, as the antihero...but the story took much more clichey route.
Having said - there is certain amount of fun present in all the madness. And I also think that the authoress is capable of writing of much better story, but the maturity of the characters is a must there.

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Natalie Barelli is one of my favorite authors! Every book of hers is exciting, full of twists, & always has a shocking ending, and Unforgivable is exactly that!!

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This book was entertaining. It was twisty, dramatic . There is lots going on in this book so keepy your eyes and ears open. This is my first book by her and I am impressed.

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A fascinating domestic thriller showing the consequences of a war between the ex and the current wife, when a small child is involved.

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Unforgiveable by Natalie Barelli is one gonzo of a psych thriller. It starts out as one thing and morphs into another before ending with a touch of “what the heck did I just read.” It’s all mostly good. The book can be seen as a three-act story: the first lays the groundwork for a soon-to-be family who has to deal with an obnoxious ex-wife. This actually takes up more than half of the book. Again, it’s clever, because, by the time the author starts throwing some twists around, the reader is invested in the crazy ex-wife thread. Just an aside, there are too many “Britishisms.”Americans don’t “ring” people, they “call” them. It’s not “potato mash” it’s mashed potatoes. One doesn’t eat “crisps” at a bar – they eat “chips.” It’s not that hard to do some searches to find the right word for something set in America. But that’s a pet peeve. Still a good psych thriller. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Bookouture.

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Another new author to me and another author that I am definitely going to look out for in the future, fantastic addictive story!

Laura is happy. She feels she finally has the family she has always wanted after not having a very good childhood herself. She has Jack who she loves and is soon to marry and his little 7-year-old daughter, Charlie who is the light of her life and whom she would fight to protect at all costs. After Charlie’s birth mother, Bronwyn, suddenly upped and abandoned her, Laura has spent the last 2 years nursing Charlie back to happiness and slowly but surely, they are getting there. However, Laura’s happy little life quickly changes when Jack loses his well-paid job and then Bronwyn decides to visit Charlie and stay with them. Suddenly Laura’s life is in turmoil, she is in a tug of war over Charlie, the job that she loves so much at a local art gallery is hanging in the balance and Jack is acting strangely. Who can Laura trust to tell her the truth and is everyone as they seem on the surface? You’ll have to read to find out!

Wowsers what a story! The start was a little slow and to begin with I did find Laura a bit frustrating but once I got to know her back story, I understood her character a lot better and the frustration I had with her ebbed away. I really enjoyed all the twists and turns and although I figured out who the baddie was by at about 70% through the book, this didn’t ruin the story for me at all as I wanted to read on to see if I was right. What is extremely clear is that Natalie Barelli sure knows how to write a baddie! The twists at the end were outstanding and I actually gasped out loud as there were at least two I didn’t see coming.

What a compelling and addictive tale which deserves no less than 5 stars. Great story and I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a psychological thriller. You won’t be disappointed, and I can’t wait to read more of Natalie Barelli’s books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Natalie Barelli and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out now.

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This book really had my head in a spin. I just couldn't figure out who to hate. One minute Bronwyn was the villain, no Jack was the villain, no it's all in Laura's head. I have to say though that the first half of the book had me seething at the way Laura allowed her self to be treated. The author delivered twist after twist brilliantly. When the truth all came out I was stunned at how evil one person could be. An absolute gem of a book, can't wait to read more from this author..

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As this thriller states the devil wears many disguises and may be right in front of you without being detected. The big challenge is determining who is the real devil with so many possibilities. Bronwyn looks like an Angel and is adored and cherished by all. Well, almost all that is except Laura. Laura comes off as paranoid, frantic and at times a bit unhinged. Are Laura’s thoughts about Bronwyn valid, or is she a victim of her own bias and jealousy? This intense, nailbiting thriller will have you second-guessing yourself every step of the way through its journey of deception, revenge, and utter insanity. I highly recommend this twisted, deranged, suspenseful thriller. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy. . ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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I absolutely love this author, and she's delivered yet another unforgettable story with Unforgivable! The characters drive the story and they are fascinating and complex and keep you completely off balance. If you love psych thrillers like I do, you won't want to miss this one!

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Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list or even know to check if they downloaded properly, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

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A book with a lot of ups and downs just like being on a rollercoaster
Will keep you turning the pages
And will have you hooked till the last page
Great read
Thanks NetGalley

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This was a bit unexpected! I went into this book thinking it was about something entirely different than what I expected. Both women have secrets and you really don’t know if the stepmom or biological mom are the nutty one. Or both! It was a fast and run read!

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# What is better than a domestic psychological thriller that keeps you engrossed and you feel like you could read in one sitting? That’s how I felt with this one!

# We are reading from the perspective of the second wife & step-mom. She is slowly unraveling and I had zero idea who to trust throughout the whole book. It can’t be easy to be a step-mom, but it must be even harder when the first wife comes back into the picture to stay at your house and seemingly undermines everything you do and say. This is the main reason why I had no idea what was reality or who was reliable in this situation.

# I highly recommend this book if you want something to read that is super fast-paced and keeps you guessing until the very very end!

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This book is a five star gripping domestic thriller!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and struggled to put it down, so much so my household chores were ignored (whoops!) I really enjoyed the narrative and the unexpected twists and turns along the way.

This was my first Natalie Barelli novel and I'm looking forward to reading more of her books.

A big thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This was a RIDE! My first Natalie Barelli book, I loved it SO much I binged Unfaitful right after! ALL the stars for this fast mind blowing book! So fantastic!

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This was a little light for me but would be perfect for a quick read.

It was both predictable and lacked on suspense, regardless it is a nice pacy read that I enjoyed.

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Another fast-paced, addictive read from Natalie Barelli! I flew through Unforgivable in a day and a half, the fastest I've read a book in quite some time. It was certainly soap-opera-esq, but that was part of the fun. I loved the first person POV, even though it was frustrating being stuck in Laura's head lol. I do wish there were more setting details of the Pacific Northwest.

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