Cover Image: The Nail Salon

The Nail Salon

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Found this a bit slow to be honest not as good as I expected it to be had really high hopes. A bit hard to follow at places too as quite a lot of characters & not any that stood out so all kind of blended in for me.

Was this review helpful?

Fantastic thriller, full of twists that will keep you hooked. Highly recommend this one! Thanks to NetGalley, the editor and the author for the opportunity to access this copy.

Was this review helpful?

Very suspenseful. I was on the edge of my seat listening to this book. That plot twist! I definitely did not see that coming.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to listen to this ARC.
I really really enjoyed this book!
It had mystery and suspense and I literally could not stop listening to this.
This had twists and turns that I did not see coming and my goodness the ending of this shocked me to my core.
I did not see this ending coming!!
Would highly recommend.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Was this review helpful?

The nail salon is where all the gossip is, you walk in to get your nails done and off load; You walk out a little lighter, but now someone knows your secrets.

Tambini writes an intense thriller with a narrative you will not see coming.
I loved so many of these chracters and how each are intertwined the detail to this narrative making it even more gripping.

This is definetly one to add to your TBR list.
Be aware that there are trigger warnings in this such as reference to sexual abuse, child abuse and domestic violence

Was this review helpful?

Many thanks, NetGalley, publisher, and the author for offering me a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Very suspenseful and I managed to listen the whole book in just one day. The story it's just incredible, and personally, I didn't expect anything like that.

I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of thrillers, but lately, I did enjoy them, even this one.

Was this review helpful?

Woah. I like to considered myself a fairly seasoned thriller reader. It’s my go to genre, so I don’t shock easily and I can guess a twist or two sometimes.

Then along comes The Nail Salon and makes a liar out of me. It’s definitely not for the feint of heart, with a trigger list as long as my arm. If you can get past that, it’s an incredible read. It’s very dark and sinister but the author’s skill means you just cannot press pause on the audiobook until you absolutely have to. It was one mouth dropping moment after another, topped by a killer (in all senses of the word) twist that I didn’t see coming, and a satisfying ending. The narrator was brilliant and she really got me engaged in the story. As soon as I finished the audiobook, I downloaded the author’s latest book and I can’t wait to start it.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A powerful thriller. Melinda runs a nail salon and offers a sympathetic ear to many of her clients. However, you should be careful what you tell Melinda as there is a dark side to her, hiding in pain sight. By night she ‘helps’ teenage runaways and wants to ‘mother’ them.
DCI Sue Fischer is investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl, Anna and the rush is on to find her. The investigation brings her to the nail salon and events then spiral as secrets are unraveled.
A gripping read with lots of triggering topics such as child abused, sexual abuse and grooming. Appearances are not always as you first see. This book will take you on an incredible journey, trying to find Anna in a dark world.

Was this review helpful?

Wow! Not what I was expecting. The nail salons are usually for ladies that lunch and full of idle gossip. This is a head spinner. An affluent neighbourhood with lots of secrets. This is a dark read with head spining twists. I had the audio version and the narrator was fantastic too.

Was this review helpful?

The premise of this was really interesting, and I really love the cover!! The narrator was also wonderful!!

The first 25% (ish) of the book was really confusing, I usually listen to audiobooks on 1.5x or 1.75x speed but I had to listen to the first bit twice on 1x speed. There was a lot going on with no introduction; if done well, I love when stories start in the middle of things but this felt really muddled. There were multiple twists and turns which all felt flat for me. I felt like they were supposed to be these very important, pivotal moments but they just felt like another heavy layer of information that I had to keep up with.

I really liked the idea of a twisted web of lies and scandals etc. in this small community, but it somehow felt very convenient when another one of the main characters/someone they knew was involved in the whole thing. No one in this book is likeable, which, I suppose isn't the most important thing in a mystery thriller, but there should be some level of connection with at least one character for the story to hold relevance to the reader/listener. Considering how many moving parts there were to this mystery, the closure seemed rushed, convenient, and incomplete. Focus on the gossip was interesting because it definitely worked in the favour of creating this web of misinformation which worked well for the mystery element, but so little focus on the truth and the build up to the current events gave a very surface level impression of pretty much the whole story. I think a little more consideration of the psychological aspects or the stressors that occurred between childhood and now would have worked well to build up the main characters and make them feel more alive and like real people with whole lives happening off-page.

Although the listening experience was good, and I really enjoyed this narrator's style of storytelling, the actual content of the book left me a little dissatisfied and kind of just, eh, which is a shame because I had really high hopes for this one :(

Was this review helpful?

This story took me completely by surprise, and I must admit that I didn't expect anything like that. The plot revolves around the disappearance of a teenager from a wealthy community where appearances occupy a higher place in life than truth. The story is told from the two points of view of Sue and Melinda. It is a complicated and complex story that is intense, twisty, dark and disturbing. There are also a lot of triggers that may discourage sensitive readers. I admit that several times I wanted to stop listening, but I just couldn't. The story is too good. The narrator, Helen Colby, has a charming voice and high skills as a voice actor. I listened to this audiobook with absolute pleasure.

Was this review helpful?

My thanks rsionto Netgalley for my audio version of The Nail Salon. What a twisting, chilling and gripping story! The narrator was great, clear and fluent just as you'd expect and I was unwilling to switch off once my walk was over. Totally recommend although there are a number of triggers that might upset some listeners especially the domestic abuse.

Was this review helpful?

The nail salon was a good suspenseful book which unfortunately in my opinion is let down by the rushed end, the characters are interesting but it is true when working with the public, complete strangers & customers do reveal so much to you, scary really how some one could abuse this.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Harper Collins UK Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was much darker than I expected! Juicy book to listen to.

Was this review helpful?

An exciting thriller read with twists that keep you guessing till the end! Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Was this review helpful?

Dark and mostly fast paced throughout. A few good twists/things I wasn’t expecting. I enjoyed this and would read more by the author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

Was this review helpful?

Well, this went dark really quickly. It is a very busy plot, but it worked. Yes, you do have to suspend belief, but that works. I loved the way little glimpses were given to you, and you were drop fed answers.

The narration was brilliant and so suited.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely my own

Was this review helpful?

A quick read. That I finished in one sitting. For the majority of the book, I enjoyed the premise. Who better to garner all the gossip and information on the local too rich too bored local housewife’s - with staff of course, and their spoiled offspring than the local nail salon owner. After all, they all confide in her. I was drawn to the fact that the owner was quite the saviour garnering information then using it to keep the young girls safe from the predatory behaviour of the men and the streets. It didn’t take long till the trigger warnings were coming like bullets. Child abuse, child sexual abuse, drugs. alcohol, domestic violence, people trafficking and more. They’re all in there. But rather than seeming to string a case together it actually felt a bit exploitable, a bit too much. The twist at the end (which I obv won’t give away) felt a bit lazy. It fed right into recent media frenzy and I felt it could’ve been handled a lot better. Only my honest view. Others seem to have really enjoyed it. You might too, give it a go!

Ps does anyone really still go for just a manicure with nail polish? A few times a week? Maybe this is where they’re all going wrong in life.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins U.K. audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I downloaded this audioARC from NetGalley to listen to while doing some admin.

Three stars from me means that I believe the author achieved their aims, but I personally didn't fall in love with it.

I'm not keen on novels in which we are presented with the murder's viewpoint from the start, although sometimes it can work well. I also had the incipient dread all along that the "big twist" was going to be that the murderer was pretending to be a member of a community that is already very stigmatised at the moment. I just wish that the author had stayed away from that.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve thought hard about this, and ultimately I think I’m DNFing at 50%
I was intrigued by the idea of gossip and maybe some just desserts. I was even ready for a popcorn thriller. Just entertain me.
However, I can’t wrap my head around the DV of the DCI. I get that right after she is hospitalised her boss essentially says “buts she’s so strong, how could this happen to her?” And I get that even strong women are abused. I just can’t read it. I’m not even “triggered” in the true sense of the word. I just get angry and I can’t suspend disbelief and enjoy the story. So maybe I am triggered? The other darkness in the book was interesting, and I was ready to follow along the rest of what was happening at the Nail Salon, but the DV really sent me out and I just can’t enjoy the book. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Was this review helpful?