Cuckoo is definitely a novel of two halves. I found the first section very slow, did not enjoy the structure and felt that it lacked originality. However it was definitely worth persevering as the second half is gripping and compelling and I raced through it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
3.5 stars

A dark and twisty debut that had me hooked from the first page. I devoured this in a single sitting.

The effort put in to building up Claire’s childhood through the series of flashbacks woven through the book gave this novel an extra level of intrigue and fed beautifully in to Claire’s unravelling.

Although I suspected the twist, the journey of getting there was twisty and fast paced that never allowed me to look away. The last page had been audibly gasp!

I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing what comes next from this author.

I unfortunately did not like this book. Claire was insufferable and her excessive flashbacks or diary entries were too boring for me. I also found her to be strange and it was weird the relationship with her ex and current husband.

Cuckoo by Callie Kazumi was a bumpy ride especially as it was full of brilliant twists and turns that will have you hooked from the very first few pages.

When Claire surprises her fiancé, Noah, at work for their anniversary, she’s the one who ends up being shocked to her core. . . . . . . WoW. . . . . . . .

Because Noah left the company nine months ago, and she had no idea.

How can she not have known? He goes to work everyday at the same time. . . . . . .

"How can she be so blind!!!!!"

Now he isn’t answering her calls. He won’t respond to her messages. He’s disappeared.

Claire desperately tries to find her fiancé, her world begins to shatter as the truth about who Noah really is starts to emerge together.

WoW. . . . . . . . This book was excellent I loved reading Cuckoo especially as Callie Kazumi is a new author to me.

I highly recommend it.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone | Penguin for my ARC.

I was a little bored by the main character’s obsession and found the first half slow. This bit could have been written differently, but that’s just my opinion, given so many people thought differently. The second half of the book was definitely more interesting, once the court drama began.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book!

When Claire surprises her fiance, Noah, at work for their anniversary, she's the one who ends up being shocked to her core.... because Noah left the company nine months ago, and she had no idea. How could she not have known? Now he isn't answering her calls. He won#t respond to her messages. He's disappeared. As Claire desperately tries to find her fiance, her world begins to shatter as the truth about who Noah is starts to emerge.

when Claire is ghosted by her fiance Noah, she is determined to get to the bottom of it all. The story starts with a murder case. We learn of all the things Noah did to embarrass Claire and we get flashbacks telling us how her mother abused her. This is a well-written debit novel with lots of twists, but it is a bot predictable. The story is told from Claire, an unreliable narrators, perspective.

Published 13th March 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK #Cornerstone and the author #CallieKazumi for my ARC of #Cuckoo in exchange for an honest review.

Claire decides to surprise her fiance Noah by turning up to his office with his favourite lunch, only to be told that he left the company nine months earlier and she knew nothing about it. To make matters worse he's not answering her calls and then, with the help of her work friend Sukhi, she discovers that he's blocked her on social media and he's living a lie. The events that follow reveal who Noah really is and things are about to get very messy...

Cuckoo is the debut thriller from this author and I was drawn in from the start. Told from Claire's perspective, as well her present life with Noah, we hear about her childhood, which wasn't very pretty, she didn't really fit in at school and life with her mum was awful. Her past is all laid bare within the pages of her diary and it's very grim, so you can see why Noah is everything to her and why she desperately wants to be loved. As the story progressed, I started to suspect that things weren't as straightforward as they first seemed and I began to wonder whose truth i could believe. This is a compelling debut thriller, with some great twists and an unexpected ending and I can see great things for this author.

I'd like to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for inviting me to read this. I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Cuckoo is a great debut!!
Claire is the main character as we follow her life, when we meet her she is happy and in love with Noah. They are engaged to be married and apart from Noah working too hard their life is on the up. That is until Claire and a friend decide to drop him some lunch off at his office and here things don’t go quite to plan and Claire’s life spirals like she had no idea it would.
This was a really good read, I don’t want to go into the storyline too much as it will definitely spoil it for you. The book weaves a very twisty tale and left me not knowing who to believe. The characters were all likeable apart from one!! The book is split into two parts which makes for a better read having got all the background knowledge of characters you will need to help enjoy this book. The ending wasn’t what I thought it was going to be like at all and enjoyed the added twist!!
I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Penguin for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun page turner that was well written and enjoyable.. The author managed to make characters who, although flawed, had understandable emotions but, for me, there was too much of Mother..
The ending was predictable, but always good as a reader, to be proved right! I will be looking out for more by this author.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

Cukoo really did take me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster throughout!

following the story of Claire, who is counting down the days until she gets to marry the love of her life Noah... however, she quickly comes to realise that everything is not as perfect as she first believed.

When she decides to surprise him at work one day, she is utterly shocked to be told that Noah no longer works there... and hasn't for the past nine months. This sends Claire's mind spiralling as to why he would infact lie to her about this, and when he wont take her calls she is left reeling and fearing what has truly happened here.

This book really did keep me guessing throughout! from those first impressions of a perfect romance, to suddenly uncovering that there's a deep secret that will shatter everything in Claires life, it truly was a brilliant read.

*Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House and Callie Kazumi for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.*

It took me a bit to get into this - but it was worth the wait.

Claire can't wait to marry her fiance, Noah - she talks about him all the time. When she pops round to surprise him at his place of work she is utterly shocked to find that he no longer works there - and hasn't for nine months! So where is he working - and why didn't he tell her? He won't answer her calls, he won't respond to her messages - what on earth is going on?

I thought, to begin with, that this was going to be quite a light-hearted read but, boy, was I mistaken! I felt such sympathy for Claire and couldn't wait to find out exactly what was going on. A riveting read from start to finish and, for me, four stars.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

We start with Claire and Noah celebrating their anniversary. They are engaged to be married and Claire can't wait. Until that is, she goes to surprise him at work with a special lunch only to find out that he no longer works there. He never told her and she can't understand why. What is even more worrying is that he is no longer answering her calls, texts, messages. She is so confused... and, understandably, upset. Her friend from work, Sukhi, who was with her when she went to deliver his lunch, is very supportive and covers for her at work as she is in no fit state to return. She also starts to help Claire work out what is going on, and finds his facebook page, which shows him with another woman, with another life. A facebook page that he has obviously blocked Claire from seeing.
Meanwhile, we go back in time to two further timelines, one showing how Claire met Noah, and how that relationship developed. We also witness Claire growing up with a rather overbearing mother...
And that's all you are getting from me as you really need to witness the horror that Claire goes through as the author intended. As she tracks down the other woman and tries to get answers from Noah.
The twist in this book isn't that hard to work out. But that's OK as this is not a book that relies on this - hallelujah - rather, it is a well written, absorbing, story that has just the right level of confusion and voyeuristic nature to be completely compelling and hard to put down. It's also quite emotional in a harrowing way for Claire. You'll see why when you read it, I can't explain here.
Characterisation is excellent, again for reasons I can't explain, but I took to Claire right from the off, and really cared about what happened to her. Other characters all played their parts well, especially Noah and Sukhi. And then, that ending.... chef's kiss... sublime!
And a debut to boot... well... I'm definitely excited to see what the author serves up for her second course... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This debut novel from Callie Kazumi is described as "a story of obsession, love and murder – and not the one you’re expecting. . . Discover a gripping new thriller with a killer twist at its core."

Naturally I was really looking forward to reading it! The book is split into two parts and as chapters unfold they are interspersed with both Claire's diary entries and flashbacks to her childhood memories. Claire is thrilled to be celebrating her first anniversary with her fiancé, Noah. Claire is a little awkward; she was bullied at school and raised by a controlling mother who cared more about men than her. So Claire is completely enamored and all in with her relationship with Noah.

She decides to surprise him with a special lunch at his office, but when she arrives, he doesn’t seem to be on the system. In fact, he hasn't worked there for nine months! A confused Claire tries to reach him, but Noah won't answer her calls or messages – he's vanished. #FindNoah.

Ok so we know there is a twist coming from the book's description and I did guess it very early on. However, this didn't take away any enjoyment from reading. Cuckoo was really fun – full of characters you hate to love and love to hate (Sukhi FTW) – and it was great to see the story unfold. I won't mention the contents of part two as I don't want to spoil it. If you enjoy domestic thrillers then this is for you.

A solid debut – I look forward to seeing what Callie writes next!

This is a thriller that escalates in unexpected and quite unbelievable ways after a slow start of Claire discovering her fiancé has been lying to her. I found that the diary entries and rememberings used to reveal Claire’s past slowed things down, although I understood their relevance by the end. A solid but not breathtaking debut novel.

‘Cuckoo’ by Callie Kazumi is a thriller in which office worker Claire’s world is turned upside down when she swings by her fiancé Noah’s office and discovers that he hasn’t worked there for three months. The novel explores how she reacts to finding out that he has been living a lie and features a number of jaw-dropping twists, courtroom drama and disturbing flashbacks.

It’s a difficult book to review without spoilers, so this will be short, but I appreciated how the author built up Claire’s backstory, chronicling her relationship with her mother. I also found some of the early seeds planted very satisfying when things were later revealed, and always love courtroom scenes.

Overall though, while I was entertained as I read the book, I was left feeling a little short-changed, perhaps expecting more from the ending. It’s worth a read and easy to race through because of the short chapters and sharp writing style but isn’t the best thriller of its kind I have read recently.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Random House UK via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

*"Cuckoo"* by Callie Kazumi is a haunting and intricately woven psychological thriller that delves into themes of identity, obsession, and the fragility of the human mind. Kazumi masterfully builds suspense as the protagonist grapples with unsettling events, blurred realities, and the creeping suspicion that nothing is as it seems. The novel’s eerie atmosphere, complex characters, and slow-burning tension create an immersive reading experience that keeps readers questioning every twist and turn. With its sharp prose and psychological depth, *Cuckoo* is a gripping and unsettling read that lingers long after the final page, perfect for fans of dark, mind-bending thrillers.

When Claire decides to surprise her fiancé Noah at work, it is her who ends up surprised.
He doesn't work there anymore, hasn't done for nine months.
Now he seems to have disappeared.
When Claire starts to delve deeper her life starts to fall apart.

Well, talk about a book of two halves! If the first half doesn't reel you in and have you up all night reading it, then the second half definitely will!

We meet Claire, who has just celebrated her one year anniversary with fiance Noah. When she goes to take him lunch at work, Claire is told that Noah hasn't worked there for months. Through some sneaky detective work on social media by friend Sukhi, Claire finds out that not only does Noah have a different job, he also has a blonde fiancee and lives in a very posh house!

Interspersed with diary entries and memories from Claire's frankly horrible childhood, we follow Claire through her search for the truth. What is Noah hiding? As a reader (and watcher of many TV dramas) there are many paths that the story could go down, but I wasn't prepared for the eventual outcome. It's new, it's fresh and it's a cracker of a debut.

This is an absolute thriller of a debut novel. Claire goes to deliver lunch to her fiancé, Noah, on the first anniversary of their meeting, to find that he no longer works where he used to. He’s not answering the phone, and he doesn’t come home. Helped by her lovely friend and colleague, Sukhi, Claire tracks Noah down, and we find that all is not as it seems.
Interspersed with Claire’s narrative about Noah, we get some flashbacks to her childhood, being raised by a cruel mother, and bullied at school. This book starts to show a sort of unraveling of Claire, which ends in a trial.
I can’t reveal too much - it seems to me that the not knowing will make this book more fun to read. It’s safe to say that I read it with a growing understanding of what was happening, but was still horrified at the ending.
This is a really gripping read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Claire works in a boutique PR company. She’s been dating Noah, who works in banking, for the past year, and recently the couple has become engaged. Life couldn’t have been more perfect.

One day, Claire decides to surprise Noah at his workplace by leaving him his lunch, however, she discovers that he hasn’t worked there for months.

When she tries to message him and phone him, he doesn’t reply.

With the help of Sukhi, Claire’s work colleague, she discovers that Noah has blocked her from his social media. What is going on?

Claire won’t stop until she finds her fiancé…

This book is INSANE! I devoured it in two sittings as I literally became obsessed with it.

I loved the dual timeline, written in the present when Claire is trying to find Noah, and the past in the form of diary entries, when we discover how Claire and Noah met.

Claire’s upbringing by her vicious mother was truly shocking. I was appalled at the mind games and the emotional blackmail that Claire has suffered.

The ending of the story has left me speechless. I had to pause so the truth could sink in and that is a sign of a fabulous story. I can’t believe that it’s the author’s debut. I haven’t been excited by a book in quite some time and this one has left me wanting more.

I can’t wait for the author’s next book.

I definitely recommend it.

Many thanks to Penguin for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this title.