This is a gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish
The plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns, making it impossible to predict what will happen next.
The writing is both engaging and suspenseful, with well-developed characters that add depth to the narrative.
The pacing of the novel is perfect, with just the right amount of tension to keep readers hooked without feeling overwhelmed.

A great premise that had been hooked - what would you actually do if you found out your life as you knew it was a lie. The twist in this book was fairly obvious from about half way through, but it's still a worthwhile read and a good new author to follow.

**My Review of *Cuckoo* by Callie Kazumi**

‘Cuckoo’ by Callie Kazumi is a gripping debut thriller. The story is a masterclass in slowly building tension and uncertainty, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I desperately sought answers alongside the protagonist, Claire.
At first, Claire's life seems perfect. She's celebrating her first anniversary with her handsome fiancé, Noah, and everything about their relationship feels blissful. But when she decides to surprise him at work, she's shocked to discover he no longer works there – and hasn't for nine months. This revelation set off a chain reaction of events that left me questioning everything.
As Claire's world begins to shatter, we're taken on a journey through her past, including her traumatic childhood with a neglectful and abusive mother. These flashbacks provide insight into Claire's psychology and her deep-seated need for love and validation. However, they also make it difficult to discern what's real and what's imagined, adding to the overall sense of unease.
I was impressed by Kazumi's skilful handling of the narrative, which seamlessly weaves together Claire's present-day investigations with her past experiences. The pacing is expertly controlled, with a constant sense of escalation that kept me invested in the story.
One of the most striking aspects of ‘Cuckoo’ is its exploration of toxic relationships and the blurred lines between love and obsession. Claire's fixation on Noah is all-consuming, and as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that her perception of reality is distorted. I found myself wondering if she was delusional or if there was something more sinister at play.
The characters in ‘Cuckoo’ are complex and multi-dimensional, with Claire being a particularly fascinating and flawed protagonist. Her self-deprecation and insecurities make her relatable, but her increasingly erratic behaviour also raises red flags. The dynamics between Claire and her friend Sukhi are equally intriguing, with Sukhi's loyalty and concern for Claire's well-being providing a counterpoint to Claire's spiralling obsession.
The twists and turns in ‘Cuckoo’ are expertly handled, with a stunning revelation that completely upended my expectations. Without giving too much away, I can say that the ending is both shocking and thought-provoking, leaving me to ponder the themes of trauma, gaslighting, and the fragility of the human psyche.
Overall, ‘Cuckoo’ is a gripping and unsettling thriller that will appeal to fans of psychological suspense. Kazumi's writing is assured and evocative, making this a stunning debut that promises great things to come. This story is for anyone looking for a thought-provoking and deeply unsettling read.

This had me gripped from pretty early one.
Claire was a very intense character to follow. Its obvious very early on she isn't OK. The way she behaves instantly was concerning. However as the book progresses you start to question the truth of the relationship.
The ending left me wanting more. But also knowing it probably shouldn't happen (I'd still read a sequel though).

What a fab story for a debut novel. Claire was quite an unpleasant character but her childhood would partly explain that . Great twist at the end. A new author to watch out for.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read an ARC in return for an honest review

A disturbing and twist filled debut novel. The protagonist Claire though sad because of her awful upbringing was also dislikeable but well written. As the story progressed so did the pace and the denouement satisfying.

What a twist and turny read this was. I really enjoyed it and the characters were all very believable.

I did find the story sad and had no idea where the book was going. The end made me gasp.

The book was really well written and paced. I look forward to reading more books by Callie Kazumi

I would like to thank the Publishers and Net Galley for my ARC and my review in unbiased.

What a brilliant debut book. I raced through this fast paced book, desperately needing answers. Claire has a wonderful night, celebrating her first year with Noah. It was totally perfect and her feelings of happiness spilled over to the following day when she decided to surprise Noah at work by bringing him lunch. Arriving with her work colleague she is shocked to be told Noah hasn’t worked there for nine months. She tries to contact him but to no avail. Breaking down she is totally distraught, confused and angry. As the nightmare continues she tries to track him down, if only to have an explanation to this horrific scenario. The book often returns to her abusive childhood and the bullying she suffered but her adult life had become a happy one with her fiance and a friend she could trust. As the book continues to reveal this sad story, there are shocking twists to come that certainly brings more questions than answers. A very clever and well written story by this talented new author.

Oh my, what a wild ride! Caught between the present and the past, my heart went out to Claire, her childhood was a nightmare and after reaching adulthood Claire finally gets her life on track, and awesome job, a great friend and the best fiancée in the world… or is he?
One day she decides to surprise him at work, only to find he’s changed jobs and then she can’t reach him, and he doesn’t come home!
Her life implodes and suddenly she’s in jail for murder!

When I started to read this, I thought, oh no, not another predictable man meets woman, man disappears, man has second life. Not so. Come the second half, things really start to happen. Who to believe.
The chapters are interspersed with Claire's childhood. Her mother was awful, neglectful, and narcissistic, which does go some way to explaining Claire's anger.
Claire is not a very nice character and at times wondered why her friend Suhki was so loyal to her.
It was a great debut with an ending I wasn't expecting.
Thanks to the publisher Random House uk for the invitation to read this in return for an honest review. Also, thanks to Netgalley.

Claire's world is turned upside down when she decides to drop off lunch for her fiance at his office. She discovers he hasn't worked there for months. So where does he go each day? And why is he suddenly ignoring her phone calls and messages?

From the opening pages of Cuckoo by Callie Kazumi you get a disconcerting feeling. We join Claire as she completes her diary detailing her one-year anniversary of meeting Noah, her fiance. The evening was spent together cooking, followed by chocolates and prosecco. Everything came across as too perfect, however, when you're as loved-up as Claire and Noah you are bound to have a slightly skewed view of the world.

Things begin to take a strange turn when Claire decides to drop off a special lunch for Noah during her lunch break. Along with her work colleague, Sukhi, they go to Noah's office but the receptionist has no knowledge of Noah. After some investigation, Claire is informed that Noah left for a new job months earlier. Claire is shocked to hear this as Noah hadn't told her. When she tries to phone him the calls go unanswered, there are no replies to text messages. Claire is distraught, she doesn't know what's happening.

The whole scenario, from discussing her relationship with Sukhi, through to discovering Noah no longer works where she thought he did continues the unsettled feeling I got from the opening pages. Once again the relationship between Claire and Noah comes across as too perfect and Claire's personality is too chirpy. I began to question what was true, wondering if Claire was delusional.

We follow a distraught Claire, aided by Sukhi, as she begins to trawl social media trying to find answers. Interspersed with the quest for answers are more diary entries from Claire. We learn about the day she met Noah, followed by sporadic days of their relationship, all of which continue to fuel the disquieting feeling I had, everything was too intense.

I couldn't put the book down, I desperately wanted to know what was happening. I needed answers regarding Noah's behaviour. I had to know what was real and what was imagined. As Claire's behaviour became more erratic you got a sense of danger lurking. I felt a little voyeuristic and grubby, that strange sensation when you know something isn't right but you just can't look away.

Claire is a strange character, she is constantly putting herself down, wondering why the incredibly handsome Noah would choose to be with someone as ordinary as her. You do feel sympathy towards Claire as you learn about her childhood with a mother who was emotionally and physically abusive, it is clear that she craves the love and attention she never got as a child. However, as her behaviour becomes more extreme and irrational you begin to wonder what the climax of the story will be.

This was interesting. It seemed like a typical love affair gone wrong and I was getting a bit boref but then it picked up and ended with a fabulous twist! An excellent debut novel#Cuckoo #NetGalley

A story of obsession, love and murder and not the one you’re expecting, a gripping new thriller with a killer twist at its core

This story starts off with Claire going with her coworker, Sukhi, to surprise her fiancé at work with lunch. When Claire arrives at her fiancé’s office, she is informed that he no longer works there and he hasn’t worked there in months. Where in the world has her fiancé, Noah, been going every day? And why isn’t Noah answering his phone and returning any of her text messages or phone calls? It seems as if he has totally ghosted Claire after they have spent a loving year together. As Claire desperately tries to find her fiancé, her world begins to shatter as the truth about who Noah really is starts to emerge.

The last page caught me off guard!!, but it was a cracking ending to the book.

The book is worth 5 stars in my opinion. Congratulations Callie Kazumi on a great debut novel

I’ll be watching to see what this author has in store for us next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Uk Cornerstone Penguin for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review

The first half was enjoyable but by the time they got to the trial I didn't feel as invested. It's a great concept for a psychological thriller and the story read well but I didn't like Claire enough to really care about what happened to her

After an enjoyable evening with her fiance Noah, Claire decides to surprise him with lunch at his office, only to discover that he hasn't worked there for months. And for some unknown reason he's also not answering his phone to her. With the aid of her friend and colleague Sukhi she discovers he has another life that she was unaware of.
The plot becomes more mysterious and darker as the novel continues.
Told from the perspective of Claire with extracts from her diary we get a picture of Claire's life, from her abusive mother and time at school leading to her life with Noah.
This is such a great read, you wonder if Claire is a reliable narrator throughout the novel. All she wants is to be loved.
It's fast paced, with plenty of twists, some I guessed others left me blindsided. A terrific debut novel
I will leave my review on Goodreads, storygraph, Bookmory and Fable now and on Amazon on publication day

I am not sure where you start with this.

Claire surprises her finances at work and discovers he no longer works there. He has disappeared. As Claire tries to uncover the truth, we are taken back to her childhood, which is full of abuse.

You are never sure about the truth, and even when you think you might be there, the book leaves you with a massive cliffhanger that questions everything you have read.

Brilliant from start to finish.

Amazing debut book adored this book and would highly recommend it , many thanks to net galley and publishers for opportunity to read this book

It is apparent early on in the story that the main character is delusional and so there is an agonising wait for the reader for this to come to a head. Once it does, though, the pace rapidly picks up and the story becomes much more engaging with a completely unexpected twist at the end.

Really enjoyed this, a classic psychological thriller that works really well and is an extremely entertaining read.

It is twisty and tackles some interesting topics in an intelligent way which is a plus but honestly the best thing about it is the pure readability. One of those easily devoured in one sitting.

I like it.

Rating: 2.9/5

Penning a debut novel is never easy, but when you are writing in a genre that has so much competition, then the prospect is even more daunting. While she may not have launched herself straight to the top of the class, author, Callie Kazumi has at least succeeded in producing a decent debut.

The premise is not the most original, but the author does make a good job of holding the reader's attention and not allowing the pace to become stimied. The flashbacks to Claire's relationship with her mother are well-handled and engaging, As such they give an effective insight into the character of the central protagonist. The court case in the second part of the book does take a few dramatic liberties, but, for the most part this is forgiveable and a necessary requirement of developing the plot along the desired track.

Overall, I wouldn't say that I will definitely be signing up to read Callie Kazumi's next offering, but if my TBR list isn't too overloaded then I certainly wouldn't be averse to sampling more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.