This is put forward as a courtroom thriller but is actually a tightly plotted story of small town family secrets which makes you feel on edge as you get deeper in. Justine is a barrister who has taken on a murder case and must confront her own history in order to solve it. Some twists and turns I didn't see coming. A great debut and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really did enjoy this book but unfortunately life was just a bit on top of me while I was reading it so it ended up taking me much longer than normal to read.

Justine Stone has just been given her first big case that could really make her as a barrister there's just one little problem, the accused murderer is her first boyfriend who disappeared from her life twelve years ago. Determined to find out the truth, Justine heads back to her old home & a past she hoped never to return to.

I'm usually quite good at predicting twists & while I did see some coming, there were some good twists that really did sneak up on me.

Flitting back to her teenage years and her memories of her first love, upto now when her life seems perfect, until said first love pops up in a criminal case she's been given. Soon she's back to her hometown, digging around and not liking what she's finding out. Quite good!

⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑

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Okay I really enjoyed this book! I was hooked all the way through, and would definitely recommend this book to any mystery, thriller, crime readers out there. As a debut this is very impressive and will definitely be buying for my shelf when released 🤩

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Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Hornsley for the ARC 🫶🏼
Publication date 27th March 2025.

This is my first book by Sarah and I liked the way she writes, she allowed me to get fully engaged with the main character, really sympathising with her and her past. I’m not usually a crime thriller reader, but this book caught my eye and I’m glad I gave it a read. Highly recommended for those who like a steady paced crime thriller

The plot twists throughout were outstanding!
I personally really quite enjoyed the multiple POV’s, and found this gave a little ‘something else’ to the plot. I couldn’t specifically relate to any of the characters and actually found them quite unlikeable - this in itself however, is quite unheard of (for me), and yet I still was throughly engaged for the entirety of the book. I do think the blurb differs from the storyline itself, it is more of a “family drama” than a thriller / murder mystery.
Would recommend!

Bad Blood - Sarah Hornsley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

“I’ve always found the scariest feeling in the world to be happiness. If you’re happy, it just shows how much you have to lose.”

Bad Blood follows Justine who, free from her home town, has everything going for her - she has a wonderful husband, a beautiful home and she is about to take on her first big murder case as a barrister. That is all until she recognises the supposed murderer as her childhood sweetheart. Did Justine never know him at all? Does she even know herself?

Wow. What an impressive debut novel! Bad Blood is told through a few perspectives, across a dual timeline. There aren’t too many characters, so this isn’t confusing, and I was so hooked by everyone’s intensity that I found it easy to follow the characters as well as the plot. Speaking of which, the plot was like a spider web! Intricately and meticulously crafted, planned and spun to create a web of deception, secrets and twists that was ultimately beautiful in its finished product.

The book promised a triple twist - and it delivered! I was throughly gripped throughout and I loved the cleverness of the rewrite at the ending. This book has some difficult themes but it is written exceptionally well to portray them in a tense but appropriate way.

I will definitely be buying this one for the beautiful cover, and recommending it for the rest. I loved this one - and that is truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth😉👀

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Hornsley and Hodder & Stoughton for sending this advanced copy of Bad Blood in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
📍This book is out March 2025.

Thank you Netgalley for gifting this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't what I was expecting at all, the plot went back and forth from present day to past with elements of recovering from trauma underpinning it all which added depth.

I felt the book didn't need to be so long and I skimmed in places, but the twists I did not see coming!

It wasn't the ending I wanted but it was wrapped up nicely, some thrillers have a dump of information at the end as a reveal which I find really frustrating. Bad blood drip fed you the information throughout

A very well-plotted, twisty debut novel. I was immersed in the plot and was blindsided by the many twists. Eminently readable.

More of a family drama than a murder mistery type book. Interesting in its own right but not normally my preferred genre. I found the characters very unlikable, couldn't relate with any, and, by the end, was wishing everyone only bad things.
The plot twists, though interesting, were missing a wow moment, was more of oh yes that makes sense.
Everyone's personalities were quite flawed, the best people had the worst of it, and the really bad actions seemed to be justified by previous trauma, which I found quite distasteful.
I also didn't particularly enjoy the writing style, I found myself quite bored and just wishing for things to move along so I can finish the book.
If you're into family drama, maybe you'll enjoy this one. Check trigger warnings.

Firstly I'd like to thank Netgalley and Publishers for letting me read an advanced copy of this book.

And what a read that was, it was an emotional rollercoaster start to finish, I devoured this in a day just wanting to get to the bottom of it. And felt angry by the end of it, not wanting to put any spoilers out there. But if you're looking for a fast-paced crime, this is the one, the multiple POV's, and just small snippets of the past incorporating the definitive ending. It's really not what you think when you first start. I, for one, will be buying a copy when it releases March 2025 and think this will be a hit! Looking forward to any other books Sarah brings out.

Oh my goodness. This book had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. There were so many twists, so many little lies and omissions that you didn’t know who you could trust or what really happened. Every time I came to a twist I would go “called it!” And then a page later I would realize that I was incorrect.

The multiple POVs really twisted the story for me. Going back to the past as other characters spun a tale that you didn’t know whether or not you could believe what you were being told.

Overall, this story will be one I recommend for years to come. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read it as an ARC. I can’t wait to see what other people end up thinking about it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ .5

I love a psychological thriller and this being the first book I've read by this author I was intrigued... the storyline was captivating and the twists and turns had you second guessing everything you thought you know. Very well written.

I thought this would be a little more of a courtroom experience.

I liked this story and while it had twists none of them were unpredictable and in general the book tried to do too much, multiple pov’s and characters that weren’t fully fleshed out.

I think this would be an excellent start for people new to the genre.

When i read the blurb i expected something completely different than what it was. It ended up being a family drama thriller with lots of secrets, lies, and toxic ways to protect each other. It’s a very decent thriller for the people who wanna start getting into that genre.
The twists were predictable imo and not that twisty, i was expecting more to leave my jaw open but it didn’t get any close into doing that. Although it wasn’t what i expected it to be, it wasn’t bad either!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Bad Blood wasn’t the courtroom drama I was expecting, but it caught my attention from the first paragraph and kept me enthralled and intrigued to the very end.

Despite being told from multiple POVs and timelines, it wasn’t confusing or disjointed and it whipped along at a good pace with plenty of twists and turns. I thought all the characters were well written and Justine, while not being likeable, was complex and convincingly realistic.

I’m still thinking about Bad Blood several days after finishing it - that’s got to be a sign of a great book.

I must add that I absolutely love the cover of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance copy of Bad Blood.

Loved this book. Kept me engaged and wanting to turn the pages. Very well written with great characters and POVs written in the past for some of them to give the reader more understanding. Short chapters which I love and a good pace. Didn't see a certain bit coming and then I thought well that's that then it just needs to conclude and then another surprise was thrown into the works! Brilliant book. Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC.

A really pacey thriller with lots of twists. The book is told from multiple people's perspectives and I did get a little confused occasionally.

Justice stone is a barrister that is given chance to lead the prosecution for a murder trial where an ex of hers is the dependent. Its not set in court all the time though and that's what I liked about this book. Plus, I didnt see the ending.

4.25/5 stars! I love a good thriller story. This is my first book by Sarah Hornsley. The premise was strong and really paid off. The time jumps in this book kept me enthralled from the start. I appreciated the multiple POVs and am looking forward to seeing what is next for this author.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

A decent read but the usual recipe. Mix a dysfunctional family with an ex lover and a murder, add a messed up main character. Throw in some twists and turns. Stir and mix. But really you know what you are going to get before it comes out of the oven. The recipe in this case spent to long in the oven and was overcooked. The longer it stayed in the oven the less interest I had in the finished product.