The Confession Room, an online forum where people are able to confess their deepest secrets, takes a very dark turn and sees Emilie, the main character, spiral down a rabbit hole.

This book started very strongly and I was invested in storyline, intrigued to see where it would go. It is definitely an interesting premise; I really enjoy high concept books, especially focused on the virtual world, where you slowly uncover all the cleverly constructed layers to find out the truth; this definitely hit the nail on the head! This was a tense, thrilling ride, questioning morality and human behaviour.

Although I definitely felt some empathy towards Emilie, I never felt fully connected to her character. I did find some of her actions slightly irritating and a bit over the top but this was only a small niggle and didn’t take away my enjoyment of the overall novel. When I got to the epilogue I wasn’t sure where it was going but ended up getting a pleasant surprise! I will be recommending this book to others and am looking forward to seeing what the author writes next. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this early copy.

"The Confession Room" by Lia Middleton is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that delves into the dark world of anonymous online confessions. The story centers around an online forum called The Confession Room, where people confess their deepest secrets and sins without revealing their identities. From affairs to theft, the confessions are varied and intriguing, until one day a confession is posted that shocks everyone: murder. As more victims are named and bodies are found, fear grips the forum's users as they realize that anyone could be next.

Middleton masterfully creates a sense of tension and paranoia as the stakes escalate with each new confession. The pacing of the novel is relentless, with each chapter ending on a cliffhanger, urging readers to keep turning the pages to uncover the truth. The plot is intricately woven with twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the very end. The writing is taut and suspenseful, creating a palpable sense of unease as the mystery unfolds.

One of the strengths of "The Confession Room" is the exploration of the dark side of human nature and the power of secrets. The characters in the novel are flawed and complex, each with their own secrets and motivations. As the confessions pile up and the bodies continue to be discovered, the lines between right and wrong, truth and lies, become blurred, making readers question the morality of the characters and the consequences of their actions.

The concept of an online confession forum adds an intriguing layer to the story, highlighting the anonymity and vulnerability of sharing secrets online. The novel also touches on the dangers of online communities and the potential for abuse and manipulation. The themes of guilt, redemption, and the consequences of one's actions are skillfully explored, making readers reflect on their own moral compass.

Despite being a thriller, "The Confession Room" also delves into the emotional and psychological aspects of the characters. The protagonist's internal struggles with guilt and fear are palpable, and the relationships between the characters are complex and multifaceted. The secondary characters, including the other users of The Confession Room, are well-drawn and add depth to the story.

Overall, "The Confession Room" is a riveting and suspenseful thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. Lia Middleton's writing is skillful and engaging, and the plot is filled with twists and turns that will keep readers guessing. With its exploration of human nature, secrets, and the consequences of actions, this novel is a compelling read for fans of psychological thrillers. Highly recommended!

The Confession Room is an online forum where strangers can confess to affairs, crimes or deep dark wishes. When an anonymous poster confesses to double murder, naming the victims, ex-cop Emilie can't help but take an obsessive interest.

I really enjoyed Your Word Or Mine so couldn't wait to read this. The Confession Room didn't disappoint but far exceeded my high expectations.

The Confession Room by Lia Middleton is dark, fast, unpredictable and incredibly tense. There is a jittery, anxious malevolence, a perfectly honed threat and constant tension running from the first page to the last. There's a wonderful balance of twisted psychological threat and cold blooded anonymous crime.

I absolutely loved it, very fast, very unpredictable, nonstop thrills and continually escalating tension. Take a deep breath and get your snacks lined up, once you get hooked on this you won't be putting it down.

I'm calling this now, The Confession Room is a thriller of the year, perhaps the best psychological concept thriller I've ever read.

The Confession Room deserves to be bigger than The Chain.

A definite five stars.

A must, must, must read ASAP.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It was engaging and had just enough description that I felt immersed in the story, without becoming too bogged down in the details. The pacing was very good and I never found myself bored whilst reading.

I found main character Emilia a bit of a challenge to get my head around - she seemed to overreact to some situations and underreact to others, and most of her choices were rather questionable.

The story itself was really interesting, I liked how it was based around a 'confessions' website. It's just occurred to me that we never get to find out what some of the characters' confessions were, and now I've realised that I'm a bit bothered by it! I liked the relationships between the characters, and dialogue and interactions between them felt natural.

As this is an early copy of the book, there were some issues which I assume will be ironed out before publication. This version had a LOT of typos and some inconsistencies. For example, it's mentioned a lot in the beginning that Emilia lives in a flat, but later in the book it appears she lives in a house.

Overall I did really enjoy reading this book. For me it did just stop short of being exceptional, but I would definitely recommend it as an exciting story and a good piece of writing.

This is a superb book.

The author creates an empathy with Emilia, the main character from the off. As a reader, you can feel her loss and her pain as she tries to rebuild her life, but still can't disconnect from her past. Throughout, I felt myself drifting between wanting her to let go and move on; re-commit and return to her prior life, love and career and as the story developed, feeling the pain of her choices and the injustice that she sees developing.

The storyline is compelling. It grabs from the first chapter, moves at a slick pace and unlike so many plot lines within this genre, it genuinely keeps you on your toes - the direction of the ending isn't clear and obvious and the conclusion is surprising, compelling and brings together a number of the threads through the story.

Is perfect.. no, but it is close. I read a pre-publication version of the title. One of the major plot points that emerges towards the back end of the book is a little over-engineered. Without giving away the plot, Emilia is clearly a talented detective and she is given more information to work on than she would really have needed - hopefully this can be improved in the final version.

Some of the language is a little repetitive, such as the use of the word "curl" that I lost count of reading through the text, and the locations through the book seem a little confusing for those with local knowledge. Emilia lives in South West London, but seems to spend as much time in North London - not the most straight forward of journeys for those taking a car.

Small points aside, I loved it and read it in one sitting.

I loved the premise of this and was so excited to get stuck in. The story starts with a bang and the pace keeps up throughout. The writing style flows naturally and sweeps the reader up in the drama.

The characters are original and distinctive. Granted our main character is a tad annoying with how much she interferes with things but I can see how some people would be of that nature and sometimes people are annoying lol.

The plot os well crafter and absolutely nothing is given away until the moment the author wants you to know. There aren't many massive twists but there are one two that are pretty significant and shocking!! The pace of the plot stays consistent throughout and its really well timed out for that perfect finale. There aren't any potholes and there is a cliffhanger which I would have loved to have known what wad going to happen next but never mind lol.

The book is cleverly written and realistic. I loved the use of the confession room site and how people reacted to it and to the crimes committed. Its very much a sign of our current times. It wad also just really fascinating topic to bring to life and wonder how it would play out in real life and how the public would react to it.

I could probably keep going on but basically, I loved it. Its quick a quick read but every page is gold! I'd highly recommend this one

The Confession Room is a story with a very interesting premise, but ultimately, I feel like it does not deliver. Emilia seems very frantic and irrational, and I found myself to be quite annoyed with her