I’m always drawn to books set in cold, isolated places, and the premise of this one immediately caught my attention. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint. This was a twisty, fast-paced psychological thriller that had me so gripped, that I found myself tempted to speed up the audiobook just to find out what would happen next.

The story follows our protagonist as she moves to a remote part of Scotland with her husband and baby. With her husband away for work most of the time, the loneliness begins to weigh on her until she befriends Valentinea. But soon, things start to take a dark, unsettling turn, and nothing is quite what it seems.

I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and suspense, and I’ll definitely be picking up more books by the author in the future.

S.E. Lynes’ *Valentina* is a chilling psychological thriller that follows Shona McGilvery, a journalist who moves to rural Scotland with her partner and baby, hoping for a fresh start. Isolated and lonely, she finds solace in a new friendship with the charismatic Valentina—but as their bond deepens, Shona’s idyllic life begins to unravel in terrifying ways. With its atmospheric setting, gripping suspense, and shocking twists, *Valentina* is an addictive read that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Shona loves her life. She has an attentive partner, Mikey, a beautiful baby, and a cosy cottage. The only thing that is not so great is that Mikey is rarely home due to work obligations. Shona finds herself becoming lonely. She meets a charming young woman, Valentina. Shona not only likes her new friend, but also envies her. As the story develops, she finds Valentina unreliable and questions her ulterior motives. This book had just enough twists and turns to keep me listening. The narration was lovely.

Valentina was a surprise thriller to me...it started off a little (seemingly) predictable and somewhat slow, but began to build as time went on. I definitely did not see the huge twist coming! Of course it was fairly unrealistic, but twisty and nonetheless. From there it got more bizarre, but I was invested and riveted to the end to see how it would all wrap up. If justice is important to you as a reader, this will not disappoint! For sure pick this audio version up if you're a fan of thrillers and the unmatchable Tamsin Kennard as narrator. She masters all the dialects in the book as well as the expressions and tones.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hatchett UK/Bookouture for this ARL. All opinions are mine.

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.

I thought this book was pretty good, it did drag a bit in some parts. I was hoping the two women would end up together at the conclusion but no....

Valentina by S.E. Lynes and narrated by Tamsin Kennard and Helen McAlpine was an excellent audiobook from start to finish, it was an absolutely gripping psychological thriller and I loved it. Especially as I read this book when it first came out and was so please I listened to the audiobook.

When Glasgow journalist Shona McGilvery moves with her partner Mikey and their baby to an idyllic cottage in rural Scotland, they believe that all that lies ahead of them is happiness.

But with Mikey working offshore, the frightening isolation of the Aberdeenshire countryside begins to drive her insane...

That is, until she is rescued by a new friendship with the enchanting Valentina.

She has the perfect home, the perfect man, and a charismatic new best friend – or does she?

As her fairytale life begins to unravel, the deep dark wood becomes the least of her fears...

The narrators Tamsin Kennard and Helen McAlpine were excellent.

I highly recommend this book/audiobook.

What a phenomenal book! I had somewhat of a book hangover after listening to this!

This brilliant story follows Shona, a journalist from London who gives up the bustle of city life to raise her baby in the remote Scottish countryside with her partner, Mikey. At first, the isolation feels freeing. The landscape is wild, beautiful, and untouched — just like she imagined motherhood should be. But then she meets Valentina. Valentina is everything Shona isn’t: carefree, bold, spontaneous. She sweeps into Shona’s life like a whirlwind, injecting excitement and companionship into her otherwise quiet days. But as their friendship deepens, so do the cracks in Shona’s perfect life. Who is Valentina really? And what does she want?

This was my second book by Lynes, and I am truly a fan. This was a beautifully crafted, slow-burning suspenseful thriller. This story captures the complexities of motherhood, relationships, and female friendships. Shona’s voice feels so real. Her fears, her doubts, and her longing for connection had me completely immersed in her world. And Valentina had a way about her that made me question her true intentions. This was a gripping read that had me engrossed in everything that developed. The plot was clever, the characters were well developed, and the entire storyline was engrossing. Top off a brilliant story with two of my favorite narrators, and you have a work of art! Tamsin Kennard and Helen McAlpine are masters of their craft and always bring stories to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a slow burn for sure and if I’m honest I could see where it was going but I was hoping I’d be pleasantly surprised. It felt like it could have moved at a much faster pace and really felt drawn out. As for the characters I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a character as much as Valentina and Sonia got on my nerves at times so I didn’t really feel like I connected with the characters. How it all came together felt abrupt and underwhelming. It was only ok… The narrator did a great job especially when it came to the different accents.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen and review #Valentina

Valentina is a straightforward and predictable thriller, but it was very entertaining despite this. The story still pulls you along exploring female friendships and relationships. The atmosphere was great and the narrators did an excellent job bringing life to the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this ARC.

Edit***** Audiobook review (have previously read this book)
Still 5 stars but wish I could give more.
The story as it was is still fabulous. After listening though it’s even better. The narrators brought this to life so much!
Shona & Valentinas characters just became so real. Mikey still a meh. But read or listen & you’ll agree im sure. Don’t want to say much about the female characters as I don’t want to spoil anything but blooming heck, I’d forgotten how vindictive some were!
So good a listen.

3.5 ⭐️ | Good story overall, a slow burn thriller that dives into obsession, manipulation, and the darker side of female friendships. This story takes the cake on the phrase “want your cake and eat it too.” When Shona moves with her partner Mikey due to his job, she’s a bit lonely until she meets Valentina. This friendship blossoms until Valentina’s chilling secrets are revealed. It was very obvious what was going on here, but that didn’t take away from the experience and there was still more secrets lurking in the background.

Overall a decent story and worth a read for fans of domestic thrillers. I really really enjoyed the narration in the audiobook! Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.

This had an eerie setup that drew me in right away—lonely countryside, a new mom far from everything familiar, and a mysterious new friend who might not be what she seems. It’s a slow burn psychological thriller that plays on isolation, friendship, and trust.

As someone who reads a lot of thrillers, I have to admit I went into this with a sharper lens. The story follows a pretty straight path without many surprises, and that made it feel predictable. In most thrillers, I expect some misdirection, maybe a red herring or two to keep me guessing. But here, the big twist I feel was clear early on. Once it landed towards the end, there wasn’t much else to shake things up.

That said, I think this would be an excellent intro to thrillers for someone new to the genre. It’s easy to follow, the pacing is steady, and the psychological elements—especially toward the end—do add depth. I appreciated the exploration of the antagonist’s mindset, though her lengthy monologues didn’t offer much we hadn’t already figured out.

What truly elevated the experience was the audiobook narrator. She was incredible. The way she shifted between accents, tones, and characters made each one feel distinct and real. It was like watching a one-woman show. I never felt pulled out of the story because her delivery was so fluid and immersive.

In the end, this was a bit too straightforward for a seasoned thriller fan. But for newer listeners or anyone drawn to moody, atmospheric settings and relationship-based suspense, it could absolutely hit the mark.

Thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Shona and her partner Mikey move to rural Scotland with their new baby. Shona is away from her family and friends and is very lonely. Mikey works two weeks a month on an oil rig. She meets Valentina and they become fast friends. Or do they? Lots of gaslighting.

I enjoyed Tamsin Kennard and Helen McAlpine's narration.

This was an interesting experience as an older person who frequently questions her memory. I requested Valentina from Netgalley after a cursory glance at the description. And all of it seemed familiar. I started to wonder if the author had "borrowed" a plot from someone else because it just felt like I'd already read this one.

And I had. This must be a new audio release, but not a new book. The interwebs later showed me this was first released in 2018 before I recorded my books on Goodreads. Because of this confusion, I think I spent more time feeling disconnected to the story while I questioned my sanity.

As a second read/listen, it was an okay book with unlikeable characters. If a heavy brogue is bothersome, then please get a hard copy of this one. Tamsin Kennard is good, but I found this one harder to process and ended up slowing the narration to allow my brain to process the words.

This was a predictable yet decently entertaining thriller. Nothing was entirely twisty as it was easy to guess early on what was going on. I will say, none of the characters were likeable. At all. The cozy cottage atmosphere was great though!

I did like the part 2, which showed Valentina’s perspective of the events that were happening.

The narrator was great, I listened at 2x.

All in all, a decent audiobook.

This is an AWESOME audiobook! A psychological thriller that had me in its thrall for the duration!

The story features Shona, a Glaswegian young mum who has moved to rural Aberdeenshire with her partner, charismatic Liverpudlian, Mickey. Having taken a job off-shore, Mickey leaves Shona (and baby Isla) alone for 2 weeks out of 4. Feeling lonely and missing her Glasgow based career in journalism, Shona meets free-spirited Australian fellow mum Valentina, and soon a friendship is established.

As this book plays out we learn there is so much more to Valentina (and indeed Shona!) than we first believe!

This story is so good, the magic really laying in the quality of the writing …. in addition to a damn good plot!!

The narration was an utter treat - 2 talented narrators who have an impressive grasp of accents tell this story in the reverence it deserves!

It is rare for me to not want an audiobook to end, but I’m gutted not to have this listen to look forward to anymore!!

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

Oof. The twists were predictable until they were completely outlandish. The majority of the book rests on so much gaslighting to drive the plot forward, and it was just painful for me to read. None of the characters have redeeming qualities and none of them grow as people. This one was a bust for me.

Valentina is a book that reads like a mini-series. There is so much character development provided by S.E. Lynes that you really feel like you know the characters and the intricacies of their lives. Shona is a new mother with a partner that is away a lot for work. After moving to the countryside, she is feeling isolated in new motherhood and is in search of connection. She finds a friend in Valentina, a yoga instructor who also has a 4 month old baby. As the title suggests, Valentina is not who she appears to be - but who is she? Shona slowly unravels the puzzle pieces of her new friend.

The narration provided by Tamsin Kennard is excellent. This is the second book I've listened to her narrate and was engaged with her story-telling throughout. I was also pleased that there was also narration from Helen McAlpine, which differentiated a new part to the book, which allowed the book to feel even more engaging, with the characters coming to life. I didn't realize that this book was originally published in 2016, and I hope that the audiobook version can breathe some new life into this excellent, slow-burn thriller! It is totally worth the 12+ hours!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, the author S.E. Lynes, and the narrators Tamsin Kennard and Helen McAlpine for an ALC of Valentina!

I listened to this book, and the narrators did a fantastic job! This book really picked up for me in the second part, and I just didn't want to stop listening! It's hard for me to really get into my review without spoilers, so just know it was an amazing ride with some good twists! Definitely keeping this author on my radar! Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the audiobook copy!