After a rocky childhood, adult Claire has finally found happiness & is engaged to fiancé, Noah Coors. Everything is almost perfect, until the day that Claire decides to take lunch to Noah's office only to find out he no longer works there. Her calls to him go unanswered & he won't respond to her messages - in fact he seems to have disappeared. As Claire looks for her missing fiancé, the truth about him starts to emerge.

This is a fast-paced read that keeps the reader's attention glued to its pages. The narrative is told from Claire's point of view, both in the present & via flashbacks & diary entries. It's difficult to review this without giving anything away, but I will say that about halfway through I started to wonder about certain things & after that the ending was not a surprise. It was in fact quite predictable if you're a regular reader of thrillers & suspense, but that didn't detract from my reading experience. 3.5 stars (rounded up)

TWs: child abuse (physical & verbal), death of a parent, infidelity.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Random House UK/Cornerstone/Penguin, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

This was such a twisty read overall, it had me invested and it was one read that I just couldn't put down.

I really enjoyed this debut novel. It was gripping and I couldn’t put it down. It’s quite difficult to review fully without spoilers but I was very invested in Claire and her life and found the twist beautifully executed. I look forward to more from this author.

Unfortunately II wasn’t keen on Claire and so from the off was not invested in the story or what happened
I did think the writing was good and would read further books by this author
There was an annoying grouping together of words formatting issue so you got say 3 or 4 words together which stopped the flow of reading

An interesting read, which was well written and a good read. Quite compelling at times, and difficult to put down once reading!
The suspense level was good, but I would have liked to be caught out by a twist. There were some good twists, but nothing was unexpected for me, I could see what was going to happen. There again, I do this with quite a few books, and others may enjoy the twists more than me.

Claire decides to surprise her fiancé Noah at work for their anniversary. However is shocked to learn that Noah has not worked at the company for months and now he is ghosting her. Soon Claire finds herself desperately seeking why he would have done this to her.

I really liked the sound of this debut and I enjoyed the mystery behind the disappearing fiancé. This ended up being a fun, frantic thriller told in compulsive, short, sharp chapters that have you needing to read just one more and before you know it the book has ended. I don’t want to say too much overall as to not spoil the story, however you are in for a crazy ride.

The author did a great job at developing characters, especially that of Claire, you really get a feel for her thoughts and feelings. Some characters were hugely unlikeable which while made me angry, I found compelling to read. The story is told in two halves and I personally found the first half more interesting, although the second half ties it all together well. I have to admit I did know where this was going early on but this did not detract from my enjoyment and I will certainly be reading more by this author in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

This book starts well and has a good pace. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me, I didn’t care about what happened to Claire and the story wasn’t credible enough. Other fans of psychological thrillers will probably enjoy it more than I did.

How would you feel if you found out that your fiance left his job months ago without ever telling you? This is what Claire finds when she went to Noah's place of work one day to take him a surprise lunch.
She tries to ring and text him, but he is completely ignoring all her attempts to contact him. She just can't understand it. The night before they had had an amazing evening, celebrating their anniversary, and all was well this morning. This has come out of the blue.
Noah doesn't come home that night, and Claire is frantic.
This is just the begining of a nightmare time for Claire, and the only good thing in he life is her new friend Sukhi, from work.

I absolutely loved this story, it was a real page turner, and I was eager to find out what Noah had been up to, and why he would treat Claire in such a manner.
The ending is a real surprise, and thought provoking. An A1 read

An interesting story, seemed straightforward to begin with and then you start to wonder whose side of the story you can trust.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

When Claire surprises her fiancé, 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 can she not have known? Now he isn’t answering her calls. He won’t respond to her messages. He’s disappeared.....

Cuckoo is a compelling and well written psychological thriller debut from Callie Kazumi and I look forward to reading more from this talented author.

I think this is a good debut novel for Callie Kazumi but it wasn’t great! I enjoyed her writing style and I liked the main character which is a big deal breaker for me! I thought the characters were all well rounded and I enjoyed the pace. I think marketing this as a thriller with a “shocking” twist is misleading as I guessed incredibly early on how the novel would panned out. Overall I enjoyed it even if predictable and I would look forward to their next work.

This is both a slow burn and a page turner. I guessed what could be happening at the end very early on. There diary entries on this and it feels you are reading a very delulu person, didn't feel quite real. The second part of the book was better than the first one for me.

Did someone say my favourite book I've read so far in 2025? Um, quite possibly yes...

This book is exceptional, Kazumi expertly crafts the story and it is utter perfection to read. My mind was blown, my jaw was on the floor it was a phenomenal roller coaster of a ride that I can't recommend highly enough that everyone reads and experiences. A lot of my notes on this book were just me being in disbelief or shock because of how many unpredictable plot twists there was. This book has so many sucker punch moments where I was winded and momentarily couldn't believe what was unfolding in front of me. I won't detail all the specific moments my jaw dropped, because that would spoil the entire book but trust me, it was a lot.

Claire is such a multi-faceted character and I really loved her braveness in parts. Without saying too much, her character definitely has a side that absolutely horrified me and spooked me to my core at the end but she has so many layers and I loved that. I really enjoyed watching her lack of self awareness and almost oblivion when Noah is looking at getting guard dogs, it felt almost foreshadowing but it was such a subtle seed planted that it only added up later on after everything had unravelled. I really felt like, at least in the beginning, Claire's character tapped on a universal human need for control at the most extreme end. It felt like Claire was the personification of most people's intrusive thoughts whenever they feel a situation slip out of their control to the point where things feel like they're happening to you rather than in your locus of control. Her impulsiveness and absolute unhingedness really drove the plot in such an exciting direction that was only possible because of her character.

I loved Noah and Claire's relationship. It felt really light and cosy to read, he's immensely thoughtful (I mean, do you know anyone else who makes cute origami notes for their partner?) When Noah goes missing, I really liked that he wasn't a shadow character in the rest of the book and that he actually makes several appearances in the plot despite still being 'missing' from Claire's life generally speaking.

I also really loved Sukhi's character - she is the perfect sidekick and compliments Claire's character really well. It was so nice to have a loyal character throughout all the drama that unfolds that felt like a constant in Claire's life (even though I started to become suspicious of whether she was even real towards the end of book). Don't get me started on Claire's mother. It's been a long time since I've read a character so cruel and downright horrible. She is all around bitter and written so creatively - it's hard to make a character that unlikable, cold and narcissistic - so props again to Kazumi for getting that character development spot on. I think it's also fair to say that Claire's childhood, the entirety of it, was really devastating and really sad to read.

Kazumi also did a phenomenal job of capturing the vibe and essence of Clapham and its surroundings. She really didn't need to set the scene as well as she did because the plot itself was just unbelievable but it added so much realism and as a South London girlie it was really cool to see an area I know represented so accurately and so genuinely. The easy breezy vibe of Clapham definitely sent me into a false sense of safety and security with this book - I did not see the wildness of it all coming! My only critique that involved the location was when Sukhi jokes 'no tip for him' to Claire. Tipping culture is such a foreign concept in London and indeed the rest of the UK that this joke felt so random and so inaccurate. it's not that it was offensive or unfunny, it just felt out of the realms of something someone would realistically say in London unless they were American or from another country that favours tipping in their culture.

Regarding the plot, I was beyond impressed. Eventhough the flashbacks and diary entries did feel confusing in terms of their abruptness in the overall storytelling - they were essential in telling the story. I learned an incredible amount about Claire through her diary entries and flashbacks that really thickened the tapestry of her character and at points felt like a counterargument for the morally ambiguous things she was doing. Yes she is doing things that are unsavoury - but her mother was awful according to her flashbacks and her and Noah's love story was ridiculously heartwarming, according to her diary entries. I can't describe how many dimensions this book was given and the plot overall by using these interesting mechanisms.

Another aspect that was incredibly useful was the court case. Using witnesses to fill in the gaps and separate fiction from objective fact? Chefs kiss. I was obsessed with the entire case. Watching the pieces come together in front of me was fun and interesting but then when new evidence was brought in and the case is morphing in front of Claire's eyes? Priceless. I can't articulate how excellently using the court case built suspense and tension. But also Kazumi is a genius, so the way she reveals information and plot twists with the court case as her canvas was phenomenal.

I had a couple critiques which were more to do with the structure than the story or book overall. Firstly, I was a little confused as to when the diary entries all happened relative to the current day. Obviously, I gathered they were all previous entries but it was hard to work out the overall timeline of how much time had passed since each diary entry and the present day but also the timeline between each diary entry. A header with a timeline 'two months ago' etc probably would've negated this confusion for me. Also, some of the flashbacks to Claire's childhood felt really abrupt and thus were also confusing. Because there was no separation between the main narrative and the flashbacks, it did take a couple of re-reads on certain occasions to adjust to now reading about a flashback with Claire at school when I was just reading about her in the present day etc.

I also wasn't crazy about all the woman on woman hate. Noah cheats on Claire, but the majority of the time Claire's focus is on Lilah and she assigns a lot of the blame to Lilah. I get that this may reflect Claire's character and hyper fixation on saving her relationship, but equally it's just not cool to drag other women down (especially if you're upset about a man's behaviour in the first place). Sukhi does operate as the voice of reason and points out that Noah is the one who lied and betrayed Claire's trust - so I was grateful for that shift in perspective away from solely villanising Lilah for just existing as the other woman without her knowledge.

It's hard to talk about the ending without ruining it, but it goes without saying I adored the ending. It sent a shiver right down my spine and honestly, I hope we see more from Kazumi because it'd be a shame to not see how Claire's world continues. Truly riveting and deeply unforgettable - this book packs a punch in all the right places.

Cuckoo was a twisted but highly entertaining read that I thoroughly enjoyed unpicking the layers of.

This is an impressive debut. The premise itself is wonderful and Kazumi has a great story in store that builds upon it tantalisingly. It is compulsively readable with enticing writing that pulls you into the story. Kazumi has a great sense of pacing and feeds the reveals into the narrative so well, skillfully setting them up. The twists are excellent and multi-faceted, upending the story each time. I enjoy books where the impact is felt immediately and it is wide-spread. Here, each twist has genuine stakes behind it. They feel earned in the course of the plot, rather than just big surprises. All of that being said, I would recommend going in knowing as little as possible and allowing Kazumi to bring you on this wild ride.

Within this tangled web of a plot, you have Claire at the centre. You become endeared to her hopelessly romantic voice pretty quickly. She is somewhat naive and trusting but loses a little of that as she starts to unpick the threads of her life with Noah. Kazumi does a great job at making her three-dimensional and lovable - the interspersions from a child narrating are heart-breaking and add a different perspective to the events unfolding. It is a great balance of character and plot with both elements making the pages fly by for the reader. I also really liked Claire’s coworker turned new friend Sukhi who is a welcome ray of sunshine at times. She’s pulled into this increasingly bizarre story but stays defensive and loyal. There is an innate kindness that is wonderful to see.

Cuckoo is a treacherous and twisty debut thriller from a compelling voice to watch.

Wow this book is a rollercoaster - strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. I really didn’t know what to expect but it grabbed me from the first chapter and didn’t let me go throughout. I was torn and felt compassion for Claire - along with other characters in the story. This is a well written, tightly plotted and exquisitely paced book with well defined and three dimensional characters. I’ll be looking out for more books by this very talented writer.

Thought provoking psychological thriller. A ‘little’ bit too much about life with Mother. It got a tad boring. Other than that, real wow factor writing.

Noah sounds too good to be true - too thoughtful, a perfect partner, ideal! He is Claire's first boyfriend/partner and she worries that he is too good for her. Suddenly it all goes wrong and Noah disappears. Claire is lucky to have one friend - Sukhi - who is so supportive. And so the plot thickens!
Definitely a page turner and interspersed with Claire's search for Noah is the horrendous childhood she has had at the hands of her mother. Always being told she is worthless and only her mother would ever love her.
I did find the diary entries rather strange - yes a good way to describe how Noah and Claire's relationship developed but it doesn't sound like true diary entries.
Three and half stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Callie Kazumi/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Ok, this book really was Cuckoo.

I really enjoyed the premise of the book and the pacing of the story kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know more.

The format of the book was a bit off for me. I enjoyed the diary entries but the flashbacks in the middle of the chapters just weren’t made clear enough and threw of the flow of the book for me.

I did find this book extremely predictable but that didn’t make me enjoy it any less. The revelation of the “twist” was in an enjoyable way.

Claire try`s to drops off her fiance`s lunch at his work place as it`s their anniversary, but is told he does not work there, after trying to phone and message him she is ghosted so when her work friend finds him on Facebook at a club they go to confront him only to be told to leave him alone.
Then Claire finds out he has been living a double life with another woman she confronts her and finds out they have been together since school and Claire must be the other women.
When the other woman is found dead Claire is arrested and the lies are revealed and the upbringing Claire had and how her mother hated her.
A bit of a slow burner but once it got going it was interesting.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

Read in two sittings. This was good!!

Claire has found the love of her life. They have been together over a year and are engaged to be married. A trip to deliver some lunch to his office where he works changes everything. He hasn’t worked there for months. Claire spends her time trying to track him down to find out what’s going on and why he’s ignoring her.

As we read through we find out about some of Claire’s childhood, along with some of her past diary entries from school and her most recent ones about Noah which flow really well alongside each other.

This is a great psychological thriller which had me changing my thoughts every few chapters or so. A very good debut from this Author. I’ll be looking out for more to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.