Emma is sick. Sick of her family, her illness, been broke and stuck on a sofa to sleep. She can't even go to sleep until the rest of her family go to their beds. She's sick of being belittled for her illness, not trusted to look after her daughter.

Listen, she's just pissed off with it all, OK?

And who could blame her? Her only joy is her daughter and birds. Her nemesis, her stepfather, who she spends way too much time thinking about killing.

So it's no surprise when she meets a handsome doctor she's made up that he's interested in her. Adam is kind, thoughtful, and lives in a beautiful house. The only problem is that the house belongs to his vindictive wife.

But what if Celeste wasn't a problem anymore? No one knows about her and Adam. Slowly, they begin to formulate a plan to rid themselves of Celeste forever.

And there lies the problem with this novel. Everything happens so slowly. And you should feel some sympathy for Emma. But she's so unlikeable I just couldn't. The premise of this is good, the writing style is fine too. It just needed a bit more going on.

Emma is sick. Just not in the way you think…

I thought that this was a great debut. I mostly did this on audio and I thought the narrator did a great job!

The first half was a little slow paced but the second half takes a completely different turn in pace. I semi guessed the twist however I loved the direction the story went after said twist.

The way the main characters illness was written about was conveyed extremely well. There are lots of toxic family relationships in the story which I ate up!

There are lots of bird references so if you are a birder, I think you’d really appreciate those snippets in the story.

I cannot wait to see what this author brings out next!

I just could not get into this book, it did not grab me at all. I did not find it interesting or thrilling.

I struggled through this book, in all honesty. I put it down multiple times. The main character's chronic illness affected me more than expected, which is a personal issue, not a book problem. The author did a fantastic job of showing what it is like to live or, more so, survive with chronic illness and how many limitations there are because of that. The last quarter of the book just added to the anger I felt in this book by people who were supposed to love the main character with a chronic illness. I hope others with chronic illness enjoy the honest depiction of someone living with one from the living options being so minimal, requiring help from even those who may be abusive, and just wanting to have their life back.

‘Sick to Death’ by Chris Bridges tells the story of Emma with a mysterious illness which means she lives with her family, but imagines what her life would be like without some of the members in it.

This wasn’t for me I’m afraid but I have also not enjoyed books of a similar kind. There seems to be a lot of similar books out of a kind.

A good read, though part 1 had a slow pace, I thought it was OK and set the scene for the rest of the plot well. Emma is the main narrator, though the book is told from different points of view as it progresses. Emma has health problems and a daughter. There is some support from her stepsister, but their relationship is complicated. She meets a man, Adam, who is married and togther they dream up a plot to remove the complications in their relationship. However, this does not work out as planned.
As I read the book, I engaged with the plot and the suspense built up. By part 4 it became a real pageturner . A great first book by this authr. Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read it

There are just so many good things I could say about this book. I absolutely tore (pun intended) through this read. Everyone needs to go read it.

⭐️⭐️½ – A promising premise that didn’t quite deliver

Sick to Death by Chris Bridge introduces us to Emma – a woman battling a debilitating condition, Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), while trying to survive in a cramped council house with an indifferent mother and cruel stepfather. Isolated, exhausted, and dismissed by doctors and strangers alike, Emma clings to the one person who makes her feel seen: her boyfriend Adam – a married man and supposedly a trainee doctor with a suspicious amount of free time.

The setup had all the makings of a gripping, psychological domestic drama – and at first, I was hooked. Emma's complex relationship with her illness, her environment, and herself was layered and, at times, thought-provoking. Her frustration was raw and believable, and I appreciated the attempt to centre a character living with an often misunderstood and invisible condition like FND.

Unfortunately, the story began to lose its momentum. A strange early scene where Emma envies other sick people felt off-tone and almost hinted at a Munchausen-style twist that never materialised – a missed opportunity for deeper psychological exploration. As the narrative progressed, additional character perspectives were introduced mid-way through, which diluted Emma’s voice just as her story was gaining traction. The shifting timelines and zig-zagging plotlines created confusion rather than intrigue, and the side characters were either flat, unlikable (stepfather Peter is particularly grating), or reacted implausibly to serious events.

There were a few twists, but they felt too telegraphed to shock. With so many red flags flying, it was hard to believe Emma – despite her desperation – didn’t question more. By the final act, things veered into the far-fetched, dialogue turned clunky, and I found myself emotionally detached. The book's tone also felt weighed down by excessive repetition, unnecessary subplots, and jarring bird metaphors that added little.

Lastly – and I rarely say this – the cover really doesn’t help. It cheapens what could have been a gritty, nuanced read.

Thank you to Chris Bridge, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I really struggled with reading this. I really loved the premise - especially with someone with a health condition that can really mess up my life and work. But it was difficult to get into. I didn't like any of the characters and found myself frustrated with the plot and the conversations. I wanted to enjoy this more than I did, but doesn't mean I wouldn't read anything else by this author. Thank you Avon books for offering a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This is such a good book! It takes place in London with Emma as the main character, with quite a cast of characters. Emma’s neurological condition is handled realistically and sympathetically. This is the best mystery I’ve read in a while - a debut! - and I look forward to reading more by this talented writer!

This is a very different avenue of book than what I usually read but impressed me in it's storytelling and character development.
The use of multiple points of view were really impressive to me as it wasn't pointless which it sometimes can be, it held a very important view for the reader to thoroughly understand the plot and to be informed of the secrets that build the foundation of the characters actions. It felt very personal in hearing the different angles and how secrets and actions are perceived by different folks.
The beginning of this book, for me was quite a slow start but I'm glad I persevered through and allowed this book a fighting chance because it did indeed fight back!
The themes of family and making it clear how health can be something that does in fact have the ability to tear apart relationships.
With the added emotional height of a child involved and angry adults, makes this quite a difficult book to read in terms of emotional stress.
Emma, the main character was written with such understanding and properly researched illness and disability - especially how this can affect you mentally, not only physically. Furthering this is the fact that Emma has an illness that is partially invisible to other people.
An enjoyable, chilling yet emotional novel.

Excellent, addictive, a book I could not keep away from and rushed home to read more of it.
Throughout I did not guess what was ahead. Brilliantly written with fabulously strong characters and storyline.

This was brilliant, with twists and turns that kept you reading. You never knew what would happen next. I thoroughly enjoyed it because it was different. I also liked that it portrayed how sick the character was, but not every day, as I think people find that very hard to understand or accept. This was very down to earth regarding the living conditions and the family being a carer to not only the mother but her daughter as well.

This debut novel is not only a great story but written with thought and feeling for the character, I am looking forward to this author’s next book.

Initially I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy the story and couldn’t decide whether the focus was more on the characters disability rather than building up to a psychological thriller novel.
The story progressed with some little twists that were enough to keep the story flowing and the reader interested.
Maybe some of the story was a bit far fetched but it was an easy read and I was keen to keep going when I needed to stop!
I will probably keep an eye out if/when the Author writes any other books and have a read of a few more and see where the storylines go in those!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced electronic readers copy.
As someone with a neurological condition, I was wary going into this but it is handled well and written about sensitively without blame or judgement.
Sadly this book wasn’t for me. The premise was intriguing but was too slow and lacked suspense. I didn’t warm to any of the characters which made it difficult to feel invested, and so I just wanted to get to the ending.

Intriguing but a bit of a grind to me and I did take awhile to finish it
I not sure why didn’t grip me and I’m sorry as a lot loved it so maybe I try again at another point

I will start off by saying that it is a clever plot, with twists but...it just didn't keep up momentum for me. It seemed a bit long winded and there were some characters/story lines that I feel could have just been left out. I feel like I missed a small minor detail that would have made everything make sense, but I don't know what that would have been.
Thank you to the author, publishers Avon and NetGalley for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

This book follows Emma, a thirty year old dealing with Functional Neurological Disorder trapped in a sad life with her mean stepfather, mum, daughter and stepsister. She wants nothing more than to escape the oppressive house and when Emma meets Adam, a handsome Doctor, she begins to fantasise about their new life together. Adam is married and Emma plots how to dispatch Adam’s wife.

I wanted to like Emma’s character but I didn’t warm to her at all, she seemed so bitter and jealous all the time. I did empathise with her and her situation. I liked Celeste the most but even then I didn’t really relate to any of them.

I found the first half of the book to be very slow paced and I wonder if it’s partly because I didn’t get into the characters and wasn’t very bothered about what happened to them. The plot does pick up in the second half but even then I wasn’t gripped.
Some parts of the story felt a bit predictable to me and the ending was meh.

The author seems to have described FND and chronic illness well, from what it feels like to the disdain from some medical professionals and people thinking you’re lazy or faking it.

This book didn’t quite work for me, it was a bit slow paced for my liking and I didn’t feel invested in the story. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

The story starts off quite slowly, but I am glad I stuck with things. Once the story start to unfold, the pace picks up. The alternating POV's give a well-rounded view, and it will have the reader turning pages to discover what happens next. Characters are well-crafted and complex. I love the fact that the MC has a chronic illness, particularly one that is unfamiliar to many people. I appreciate the author using this platform to help educate readers. Be sure to read the author note, too. . Emma is sympathetic, but also a bit terrifying. If you are a fan of twisty psychological thrillers, this is the book to check out. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, and I look forward to other books by this author.

Plenty of wordplay in the title of this novel. It starts with sickness and ends with death, but it also a phrase that encompasses conditions and situations that are not the best but are difficult to overcome.

The sickness is really intriguing. A woman in her thirties has some kind of illness that makes her fatigued most of the time and sometimes she is lame, faints or has seizures. There are no physical indications as to what may cause this, which leaves many people thinking that she is feigning illness or has psychological issues. One of these people is her cruel stepfather. Given her condition she relies on her family to support her and her daughter, so they all live together in a cramped council house in South London. When she meets and attractive and kind doctor there seems to be a way out for her. Unfortunately, there is a wife preventing that dream from being fulfilled.

She is strung along for a while until they can formulate a plan to give him his freedom from his marriage, thus freedom for the ill woman, Emma. Obviously, the dream is too perfect...

The book is presented in mainly two parts. In the first, it is about Emma's life, how her sickness affects her and how it affects those around her. Attitudes vary, even within medical circles. This part is not tense as in conventional thrillers, but is very interesting and despite being slow with regards to the plot. It is narrated by the sick woman herself.

However, the next part is narrated by two other women as well: her stepsister and her lover's wife. There is a lot of exposition while the new versions of the characters explain their viewpoint and history. Oddly, they all have similar self esteem, desire for freedom and autonomy, deviousness, vengeance and aggression that borders on farcical, and often I couldn't decipher which character's story I was reading.

The ending is too simple and unrealistic making an unsatisfying read. That is, until the epilogue...brilliant.