I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I love a psychological thriller, and this one hit just the spot. Very glad to have picked it up.

The story itself kept me hooked all the way through. I found I could trust no one completely, and that only heightened my "one more chapter" mentality because I wanted to discover who the real criminal was! It was hard to read it times due to the subject, but not at all in a bad way. I think it was written in a way that showed the true horrors of cases like this, how gruesome they can be, and how malicious people can be.

S.M. Govett's writing is good, and I felt that everything was very cohesive and well planned out.

Overall, I had a good time reading this, and I recommend it to fell psychological thriller/crime lover.

WOW!! What a book. I haven’t read such a fast paced, intriguing book in a very long time. I’m usually quick to figure out what’s going on but this book gripped me until the last few pages! I’m pretty sure my mouth flew open when it was all revealed. I absolutely loved the writing style and the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for a free advanced copy in return for an honest review

DNF @25%

The writing was so disjointed, I actually found it quite hard to read. I will come back to another time but I found the switching of the voices difficult.

What an absolutely fantastic debut. After a fair few fantasy (some more disappointing than others) I needed a good strong thriller to grab my attention. I read the blurb on this one and knew instantly this one was for me
In this book we are introduced to Natalie and Ryan who on paper seem a very strong couple. However. All is not what it seems when Ryan is accused of rape and especially when the victim is found murdered just a few minutes from their home
I thought I had this book all figured out. I genuinely thought the author had made it too easy and was thinking “it’s obvious”. Then a couple of red herrings were thrown in and I changed my mind again but still felt “it’s obvious”. The actual culprit was never on my suspect list nor the motive. A very clever, gripping legal thriller.
This book is very easy to read and took me little over 24 hours to read. It really was a page turner.
Thank you to the publisher for the netgalley.
This one is out in June and one to Defintely add to your wishlist

Believe - S.M Govett

Loved it! This is one of the best books I’ve read for a while.


I thought I had an idea from the start who the antagonist was and I kept believing I was right, right up until the end when I was wrong, very wrong. 😑


Cleverly written and I’d definitely recommend.


Bravo! 👏

A brilliantly messed up story that you can't get enough of as you read through. So many questions, so much potential....

This book started just a little slow for me but when it took off I was thinking that I knew where the story was heading but how wrong I was. I was left kicking my self because the clues had definitely been there!

When Natalie's husband gets accused of rape , she doesn't know who to believe.
This an extremely well written, thriller. In fact the quality of the prose was a little distracting and slowed down the first half of the book . The 2nd half of the book the pace really picks up and you will constantly be changing your mind about who done it. The ending was a complete surprise.
Whilst there are two narrators, I did get the feeling that Govett was setting up potential for a "Stratton" series and I would definitely read a follow-up novel.

The stories of Natalie and Helen Stratton, the DCI involved in the latest murder enquiry coincide and eventually connect! This is a great holiday read and certainly keeps you on your toes! Natalie and husband Ryan have an unpleasant reawakening when Natalie receives another anonymous letter through the letter box, the likes of which she’s not had for ten years. Her paranoia returns as do her black outs. Stratton is still looking for the body of her long lost sister and keeps her nose to the ground at any signs of a body being recovered with a butterfly tattoo. A new detective arrives on the scene in the form of Hugh Bradley, a fast tracker and he is to be partnered with Stratton. A body is found in the woods near Natalie’s home. Bradley and Stratton are on the case. Is Ryan involved? What happens when Natalie has her blackouts? Ooh excitement abounds as do quite a few red herrings! May be a little convoluted and contrived towards the end but a suitable conclusion and a good read! Much enjoyed.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I did enjoy this book and thought it was a great debut novel. I had a feeling who the bad guy was going to be fairly early on, although I started doubting myself at one point. It kept me engaged though and was an easy read.

A truly excellent début by S.M. Govett. I raced through the book , loving the plot(s) and characterisations. Told in two seperate POVs- each narrative very different from the other, showcasing the personality of each character brilliantly. The story was very credible and the twisty end was super. Will definitely look out for more works by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publishers, Random House, for this ARC.

This was a great thriller about a woman living with PTSD following a traumatic event some time ago. As the anniversary of the event gets closer she is having blackouts and waking up outside of her house with no idea what’s happened. When her husband is accused of rape her whole world is turned upside down and she doesn’t know who to believe, as rape turns to murder can she trust her husband or even herself or is something darker going on here. A great edge of your seat read!

Thanks to Netgalley and Pengiuin Random House for the ARC of this book.
The book was fast paced and although I don't normally like books that switch POV every chapter I soon settled to that in this case as both characters were quite engaging. However, for me, this started to drag and at about 75% I nearly gave up totally but thought that having invested so much time in the book I would finish it
and ,given the ending, I am obviously glad I did.

Absolutely loved this book. I thought it was written really well, the story was excellent and I certainly didn’t see that twist coming! Had me hooked and on the edge of my seat to the end. 5⭐️

What an interesting story this is!

Natalie is traumatised following her rape by her employer 10 years ago. Now working from home, she has struggled to rebuild her life and her marriage has suffered. In the immediate aftermath of her rape, Natalie was bombarded with threatening letters from the wife of the man she accused – so much so that she was forced to take out a restraining order against her. All has been quiet. Except now, the threatening letters have started again, and Natalie has started to spiral. For a brief period following her rape, Natalie suffered kept blacking out and waking up somewhere else and not being able to remember what she had done during her black out. With the return of the letters comes the return on her blackouts.
Then, her husband Ryan is accused of raping his new assistant, Alice. Natalie doesn’t know what to believe – does she choose to believe her husbands accuser, or does she believe the man who has stood by her side for the last 10 years? This becomes a decision she doesn’t have to make when Alice’s body is discovered in the local woods…the woods where Ryan went for a run on the night Alice was killed, and the woods near where Natalie woke up from one of her blackouts on the same night.

Alongside this story is Helen, the detective who is investigating Alice’s murder. Helen has her own problems – her mother is struggling in a care home and her dementia is advancing quickly, at the same time, Helen is still trying to find out what happened to her older sister who went missing years before. Helen and her mother had reported her as missing and believed that she had been taken against her will, the police thought differently and believed that she was simply a runaway. Helen joined the police to make a difference, to help the people who feel that they aren’t believed, and her job appears to be being made harder by her boss assigning her to look after the newbie on the team. Bradley has not come through the usual channels; he hasn’t walked the beat and doesn’t have the same experience as the rest of the team as he is on the fast-track pathway and has been to University instead. He has a reputation of being “by the book”, while Helen understands that sometimes you need to operate outside the lines to get to the truth.

This is a slow burner of a book that immediately captured my interest. Natalie is a believable individual who has some flaws that the author doesn’t shy away from. I honestly didn’t know whether to believe or suspect Ryan myself. There are so many twists and turns that it will keep you guessing all the way almost to the end – literally one sentence reveals the truth, and it then becomes a race against the clock to ensure Natalie’s safety.

I loved this book – it gives ‘Gone Girl’ vibes as you are led to think one thing and then led to think something different a couple of chapters later. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what an amazing debut. This is the perfect psychological drama that comes with plenty of twists to keep you guessing throughout. It’s extremely well written and continues to develop into a fantastic ending. It’s definitely worthy of 5 stars.

It's been almost 10 years since Natalie was assaulted by her boss and where the jury cleared him as innocent! She still struggles with day to day life with her supportive husband Ryan, but the threatening letters have started again. She slips back into blackouts and 'lost time', not knowing where she's been or what she's done! And to add to that Ryan has now been accused of rape. She wants to believe him, but why would the young girl say this if it wasn't true? But the following day the accuser is found dead and all evidence points to Ryan. Is he a rapist and a murderer?

This was an absolutely fantastic read and definitely an author I will look out for in the future. Honest and well written, with twists and turns, it certainly kept you on your toes as a Whodunnit!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

This is a fantastic book! Intriguing and gripping, I couldn’t put it down, it was suspenseful and thrilling and the ending was brilliant. Loved it!

What an amazing debut for SM Govett! This book had two brilliant and very different female main characters. It had you wondering what was true and what wasn’t and an unexpected twist at the end! Dual POVs from Natalie Campbell and Helen Stratton which starts off before they know each other until how they are linked. Excellent book which had me hooked from the beginning!

All I can say is wow. This sounded so interesting initially and I am pleased to say it did not disappoint. The characters are really well written, the story is excellent and the twists just kept on coming which I loved.

Natalie was a victim of a rape 10 years ago. She has been left emotionally scarred and is trying to move on. Her husband Ryan has been accused of rape sending her into a tailspin.

The events that occur after the accusation come thick and fast. It literally did not slow down until the last word.