A very interesting and thrilling read!
The actor hits all the marks and will leave you wanting more! I could not put this fown once I started

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I found this book interesting, but not necessarily completely engaging. The main character is not likeable at all, and though you can argue about how much of that is down to his experience at drama school, it still doesn't make for a fully engaging narrative. It is an interesting take on how much power role models, and particularly teachers, have over young people and their development, but framing it around an Oscar race made it all seem a bit tacky. I could also have done with the narrative featuring more female characters with agency and proper character development.

An in-depth book about method acting, with ring class people striving and succeeding and the interaction we have during our lives that can cause impacts felt forever. You’ll love the main character and you’ll want to read this in one go. It covers psychology and madness and how we can sway between both. It’s out now and I’ve just bought it for my daughter in law who is….an actor!

This was a really fun look into the dark side of fame! I thought the pacing was a bit slow at times, but the twists and turns were great.

I found this to be quite a difficult book to read but well worth the effort.Centering on a working class student at a prestigious drama school it follows his rise to fame at the Oscars and the price he paid in human and emotional terms to achieve success.On the face of it this details the passion of a driven method acting teacher but it its much more than that. It examines human interactions , love and the pain we can cause those we love in the search for riches and fame.. A very modern story which will divide opinion. A book I am very glad I have read.

I really liked the concept of this, but I actually found it to get a bit too meta for my liking at times, especially right at the beginning - I think I would’ve preferred a slower reveal into this.

Wow, this book deserves to be cheered, I was hooked from the first chapter! It’s an emotional thriller that sends you on a rollercoaster,

This emotional read just kept on giving chapter after chapter. Very addictive and compelling. I enjoyed this one alot. So interesting about actors and acting. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A tense psychological thriller set in the world of acting and Oscars! Very well written, great pacing, great characters. The dark side of fame!

High brow and thoughtful, this is more than your average crime novel.

Personally, I didn’t love the subject matter or theatrical references but I know it will certainly find its place with readers.

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest, independent review.

Adam Sealey is a well-known actor who was trained by his former mentor Jonathan. Jonathan is a controversial figure in the industry. Adam is a method actor, which means he has to tap into his darkest, personal traumas to bring his roles to life. Adam is on the verge of winning an Oscar, but his world is about to fall apart as one of his personal traumas is about to be exposed.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book as much as I felt I would. While it was dark and complex, I found the pace of the book to be very slow with long descriptions.

I struggled to connect with the characters as, apart from one of them (Nina), many were quite unpleasant.

The book did offer an interesting glimpse into the raw and behind-the-scenes world of acting, but unfortunately, it was not my cup of tea.

There's a lot of whodunit/thriller about theatre and actors but this is the first I read about acting and the force behind a good performance.
Well plotted, emotionally charged, gripping and twisty
I loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I thought this was a riveting thriller. A good mystery set in the world of showbiz and acting. Told in dual timelines, the story alternates between past and present but is easy to follow.

It was well written, tense and fast-paced, and very twisty showing the dark side of fame as well and the good side.

Great book read in two sittings.

If you saw this acted out at a theatre, you'd be standing and applauding for ages at the end! Tense psychological thriller centred around the acting community, where you have to sacrifice everything in order to be in the running for the biggest prizes. Huge characters, marvellously interlinked...it's addictive with twists that you'll not have seen coming...yes please!!

I'm grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this captivating book. From the first page to the last, I was thoroughly engrossed in the story, unable to put it down. The characters were well-developed, the plot was gripping, and the writing was superb. Overall, I immensely enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to fellow readers. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this wonderful reading experience.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for this eCopy to review

The Actor follows Adam as a Drama student and 20 years later when he is on the cusp of winning a long awaited Oscar. He studies at The Church and learns "the method" form of acting. Will the cost be too high to be worth a high flying acting career.

As he finally finds the acclaim he has been waiting for, a secret from his past is forced into the light and nearly causes him to lose everything.

I did find this quite slow in places and felt there was too much time spent on "the method" and the relationship with Jonathan his teacher. A few over character perspectives would have been appreciated as it was very difficult to empathise with Adam.

A M A Z I N G!!

Full review coming soon to Instagram but I have to acknowledge how amazing this book is!!

Highlights

- Very dark
- Slow burn psychological thriller
- Adams whole character (honestly a highlight of the book)
- The other unlikable characters

S Y N O P S I S


At long last, Adam Sealey has an Oscar within reach. Working with his controversial former mentor, Jonathan, he's given the performance of a lifetime, and he almost believes it might be worth the cost.

Because Adam subscribes to "the method". It's the secret that the world's greatest actors swear by - digging into their darkest, most personal traumas to bring a role to life.

And Adam's greatest trauma is worse than most. Back in drama school, he had to choose between a girl he loved and the success he craved. What he did that night is his darkest secret.

And then he gets a message: someone knows. And if they tell, everything Adam's worked for will come crashing down.

We meet controversial method actor Adam Sealey as he pulls off the performance of a lifetime, directed by his former mentor Jonathan. As the Oscar buzz starts to build, we follow Adam across two timelines – one following his as a student, learning the method from his teacher Jonathan at the famous Conservatoire, and the other in the present day, as Adam’s past seems to be catching up with him.

The plot is a great, slow-burn ride through the world of method acting. Adam’s simultaneous descent and rise at drama school under his exacting, often cruel mentor is as uncomfortable as it is compelling, and his relationships with his fellow students felt very real. Similarly, Adam’s growing discomfort in the present day, as he struggles with the notion that someone may have knowledge of his past which could threaten his future – despite his wealth and fame – is haunting and fascinating in equal measure.

There are several difficult themes in the book, so it won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I enjoyed this dark tale of obsession in the world of method acting.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

This story unfolds through two main narrative arcs that eventually converge. One storyline is set in the present day, focusing on Adam, our male protagonist, who emerges from rehab and delivers a stellar performance under the guidance of his mentor, Jonathan. Adam's potential Oscar win is jeopardized when an anonymous Twitter user alleges Jonathan's involvement in a disappearance and hints at a secret from Adam's past, leading to conflict and uncertainty.

The other narrative arc takes us back to the past, where a young Adam is auditioning for a coveted spot at the Conservatoire, a prestigious acting school in North London. This storyline unfolds chronologically, offering insight into Adam's formative years and the events that shaped him. As the past narrative progresses, we witness the collision between past and present, leading to a climactic resolution that ties the two arcs together.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

After a controversial career so far, Adam Sealey's has a role in 'Woodsman' that is finally catching the eyes of those that matter in the world of film and is now hotly lauded to receive his long-awaited Oscar. Adam is sure he owes it all to his former mentor, Jonathan, a teacher at The Conservatoire, who lives and breathes 'the method' or method acting: where an actor uses their darkest secrets and traumas to tap into that depth of emotion for the role. But in the modern world were the understanding about the impact trauma can have on someone's mental health this controversial method is not looked upon as impressively as in the past.However, Jonathan has always been controversial and when Adam discovers that one of his current pupils has gone missing after suffering a mental breakdown, it brings back memories of a death from Adam's time at this unique theatre college.
The novel is told through Adam's eyes and whilst he's living a star like existence memories of his time at the Conservatoire heading his dreams and but by bit he reveals just what happened to create his most fearful memory.
This was an incredible read, on the one hand you have a Hollywood actor living the dream, and on the other you learn just what he's done to get there and it's not always very pretty..
Chris McDonald's writing draws you in until you feel you're there inside the novel living and breathing 'the method' alongside Adam.