Don’t You Cry

A great fast paced novel full of suspense.

Someone saves your life but then comes into your house, demanding your help. What would you do? This story was very well written, the characters jumped off the pages and I could not put it down.

A gripping, page turner of a thriller with plot twists galore! It's a tense yet original read that slowly reveals the shocking ending. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I love Cass Green's books and this is so different from her others. The mystery of why someone has saved your life and is then threatening you in your own home with a gun sucks you in. Loved it.

Love this author and once again she didn't disappoint. Such a good story flow full of twists and turns. Gripping from the very first page. Loved it

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I had really enjoyed the author's previous books and was thrilled to see that there was a new book.

This book was really enjoyable. I loved how the story played and the suspense was nail-biting. It was really good and one was not sure where the story would go.

I highly recommend this one for anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller, you will not be disappointed!

This is an unusual story but it certainly had me on the edge of my seat.
Nina is at a restaurant and has a brief chat with the waitress, Angel, and she doesn’t expect to see her again.
In the early hours of the morning Nina is woken by banging on her front door, and is shocked to see it’s Angel and then later her brother Lucas arrives with blood on his hands with a newborn baby.
Nina is petrified but soon realises the baby needs milk so is told to get some but if she tells the police, Angel will harm the baby.
This was a bit unbelievable as surely once you’re out of the house you’d call the police....
Nina returns to the house and looks after the baby but begs Angel and Lucas to leave her alone.
It eventually comes out what happened to Lucas and who the baby belongs to but has the killer been caught?
The final few chapters really had me hooked and I was desperate to know how this ended.
Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Nina the main character and heroine in this book is finding it very hard to come to terms with suddenly being single. Nina is a mess. After going on a disastrous blind date and nearly loses her life in the process. Enter a young waitress who knows exactly what to do. Nina is so grateful, recovers from her near death experience and asks the waitress to call her a taxi so she can go home and forget the date from hell.
Once she is at home and settled there is a knock at the door. Nina is surprised to see the young waitress standing in the pouring rain asking for help.
A few minutes later there is another knock at the door, standing drenched on her doorstep is a young man, a large bundle bunched up in his overcoat and blood all over his hands.
Nina's nightmare has only just begun.
This is the story of Nina and two damaged individuals who are trying to do the right thing. It is a story of fast paced abuse, murder and kidnapping.
It is beautifully written and very emotional. I would not class this book as a thriller but definitely a very good psychological thriller. I loved it.
I would like to thank the author Cass Green, HarperCollins UK and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Having recently read and loved Green's novel A Cottage in a Wood, I was more than keen to read her new novel, Don't you Cry. As with some 'second novels' I was worried this wouldn't live up to first book, but I was wrong, and I'm happy to report that I actually liked this book slightly more. I flew through this in a day, mainly thanks to the short chapters and constant tension. The three narrators were intriguing and well written, and all had their own tone of voice. I adore the way Green has managed to create characters who are neither wholly good nor wholly evil; it really made them seem like real people, and allowed me to understand their motivations and thus their actions. It's also important to note this book doesn't rely on the cheap plot twists that some psychological thrillers rely on; every emotional revelation seems to make sense in the context of the book and is inextricably linked to the characters and their individual journeys.

Hard to categorise, situational fiction

Nina, the heroine of the story, is in a mess. Recently divorced and with a son, Sam, who is fast growing up, she no longer seems to have a purpose in life. Her ex, Ian, has exchanged her for a younger model and appears to be getting on with his life whereas Nina seems to have been left behind.

This will be a familiar tale to many, but any similarity ends quickly because of a near-fatal choking incident in a cafe. Nina’s life is saved by the waitress but at what cost?

The lives of Nina, Angel, the waitress, and her brother Lucas become quickly entwined in this fast-moving story of abuse, murder and kidnapping. However, things are not always what they seem, and the sympathies of the reader are twisted this way and that as more facts come to light.

The characters are well defined and liked or disliked according to the information available. For the reader to feel something for the individuals in the storyline is the mark of a good writer. There is nothing worse than reading a book where one could not care less about the personalities.

Although it’s difficult to categorise this novel as a mystery or thriller, its unique appeal is the way in which the reader’s opinion ebbs and flows as the plot progresses. Even though there are several instances where Nina’s actions seem irrational and out of character I thoroughly recommend this excellent read. It takes a while to get into it, but the effort is worthwhile.

mr zorg

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Wow started off with a bang and didn't slow down. I was so worried for the baby! Loved it and have recommended it loads.

This is an interesting psychological thriller which had me hooked right from the beginning.
Separated from her husband Nina is trying to make a new life for herself. When her husband decides to take their son to France on holiday with his new girlfriend, Nina goes out on an awful blind date in a local restaurant and encounters waitress Angel in unusual circumstances.
Later back at her house which is rather isolated she is surprised when Angel and then Angel’s brother Lucas turn up with a young baby in tow.
Nina is held hostage and forced to help them in fear for her own life whilst trying to protect the baby.
All her attempts to summon help fail and she is stuck with this modern day Bonnie and Clyde hoping against hope to be rescued.
However all is not as it seems and the author uses her great skill as a writer to tell Angel and Lucas’s story, but is careful not to reveal too much information as she builds up the tension.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the character development of the main protagonists. Cass Green really made them come alive and her descriptions from their different viewpoints in alternating chapters was a clever plot device.
Nina was great, a normal person caught in abnormal circumstances through no fault of her own. She really rises to the occasion and the reader is desperately hoping she will manage to escape.
Angel was also a wonderful character. I loved her devotion to her brother and how she swapped between toughness and vulnerability.
I’ve read Cass Green’s previous novels which are excellent. Her characters are always so vivid and her plot lines so interesting.
I thoroughly recommend this to all you psychological thriller fans out there! I was reading it on an aeroplane and enjoying it so much I didn’t want to put it down when we landed!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Don't You Cry by Cass Green
Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give it an honest review. I have read all of Cass Greens books so far and loved them all, this one is just as fabulous as the others. Cass Green has a wonderful dark sense of humor that she integrates into her stories that is so fun. But don't be misled by thinking that means her stories are not frighteningly thrillers. Don't you Cry keeps you in Suspense from the beginning where Ninas home is invaded by two young people , holding her hostage and a baby. Nina has to use her wits and her ability to connect with people to try and get out of the situation. Many twists and turns and hair raising moments. You will be sitting on the edge of your seat.
5 stars!

I went into this blind. I didn't have any expectations because of this and I really enjoyed it.
Very early on I knew all wasn't as it seemed. I think probably because of the amount of mystery/crime books I've read before. But it didn't ruin anything for me. I didn't know the truth just yet. Although I had a feeling towards the reveal who did it.
I didn't expect to finish it in one day. I had expected to read just 100 pages the first day but once I started I found I couldn't stop, I wanted the truth. All my questions answered.

I haven’t finished a book so quickly in ages! The storyline gripped me from the beginning and I genuinely couldn’t put it down without knowing what happened next. The story was cleverly written, I couldn’t work out if I was sorry for Angel and Lucas, or outraged at their treatment of Nina. Great book, will definitely be looking out for others by this author.

Remember the old « at the wrong place at the wrong time »? It is exactly what happens to Nina. A big ball of wrong which will turn her life upside down and make her think twice about what you say to strangers. I know I will!!!

A blind date is already bad enough, but when the night ends up at your house for a sentence taken literally, you might want to stay home for a while! Nina only meant well when she thanked the waitress who saved her from choking at the restaurant. Never had she imagined that this same person would later appear at her door with a gun and no explanation. Nor that a baby and a man would join them in what will be Nina’s longest night.

This sounds like a good movie plot, doesn’t it? But if it were a movie, we would miss the spotless and spot-on characterization from Cass Green, the careful attention to detail to make every protagonist flesh and bone. They all get to talk, we get to jump inside their heads with each chapter and it feels like a camera changing angle. I just ADORED being the fly jumping from one side to the other because I could feel there was more than met the eye, though I had no idea how right I was.

More than your usual adrenaline-inducing psychological thriller, Don’t You Cry is an unputdownable (I know, this word is overused and awful to write, but trust me!) and addictive novel about survival, parenthood, and demons from the past. But it doesn’t stop there. As the story unfolded, my perception of colors turned all funny. No black and white, good and bad, normal or weird people. Don’t You Cry is a mash-up of grey with a big threatening shadow. Except your idea of the shadow evolves as you read about the lives of Nina, Lucas, Angel (The latter name will forever be linked to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to me, so I had a hard time imagining a woman wearing it! Damn brain!)

I admired Nina the most. Stuck in a situation she didn’t see coming, kidnapped in her own house, a single mother fighting with her own life having been torn apart by her ex-husband when he decided to leave, she proved to be an extraordinary ‘normal’ main character. No big muscle, no acts of bravery, just a woman dealing with cards she didn’t ask for. I had no issues putting myself in her shoes and her reactions felt so perfectly in sync with what I was thinking or how I think I would have reacted that I couldn’t NOT root for her.

It took me longer than I thought to realize there was more to the night than a baby coming out of nowhere, a lone guy and his sister with a scary gun. They too have a story to tell and oh my, what story! This is where Don’t You Cry takes a 360-degree turn and races through a completely different level to me. Oh, the tension kept ratcheting, the sky still felt ominous, even when the reader is expected to believe things will get better. If you are a crime fiction lover, you know they rarely do get better but I was frankly marvelously surprised at where Cass Green took her story to for the last part of the book. What a brilliant idea! She colors the grey, she adds some crimson, and she makes sure your previously clear view of the events is put under a different filter, letting you in on a perspective that gives you an entirely new puzzle!

I can’t express how refreshing, fantastic, and utterly frightening Don’t You Cry is. I devoured it like cake, each layer tastier than the last!

"She knew only the bare facts and hadn't pressed for more. But she will. And Lucas can never tell her the truth. He can picture all too well how she would look at him if she knew what he'd done. No, he needs her too much right now. His sister is the only person in the world he could have called. If she abandoned him..."

Told from the perspective of the three main characters, Nina, Angel and Lucas, this is a psychological thriller about kidnap, murder, abuse and misconceptions, involving a newborn baby. Nina's life is not going well after her husband left her for a younger woman. With her teenage son Sam away on holiday with his Dad and new girlfriend, Nina plans moping around the house until she receives some unwelcome visitors after a chance meeting in a local restaurant. Waitress Angel saves Nina from choking but then needs a favour in return. A nightmare ensues as Angel tries to pick up the pieces of her and her brother Lucas's lives after their mother died when they were children. Nina is unwillingly dragged into this mess.

What follows is a fast-moving tale of retribution that kept me turning the digital pages until I knew the whole story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. This is the first book by Cass Green that I've read. Nina, A 45 year old woman is out on a blind date. It's not going well. The man is clearly not interested in her and things deteriorate drastically. A waitress in the restaurant, Angel, comes to her aid and Nina makes a rash offer to do anything for her in return. Well! That offer is taken up quickly and later that evening Nina opens the door of her isolated house to find a desperate Angel there. A few minutes late, Angel's brother Lucas turns up covered in blood and carrying a baby. A terrifying night follows. Just how desperate are the siblings and what will they do to to get what they want? All is not what it seems however and in the aftermath, Nina finds herself wondering about why they did what they did.

This is a tense psychological thriller with characters that you care about. Nina is likeable though her actions at times are a little difficult to understand (but let's face it this is a common trope in fiction like this - how often have you found yourself shouting at a book/tv programme 'No! Don't open the door, don't go into the woods, step back from the obviously dangerous situation) though I suppose without these actions there wouldn't be much of a story. You also find yourself empathising with other characters and these are all very well drawn.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. Would I buy another from the same author? I just have.

This is a great read that had me gripped from start to finish.

Separated from his husband Ian, Nina is out on a date in a restaurant. She chokes on some food and a waitress called Angel saves her life. A few hours later, in the middle of the night, Angel turns up at Nina's house. A while later Angel's brother, Lucas, who has a tiny baby, also turns up. Lucas has blood on his hands and is very agitated. Nina is now held hostage but she is concerned about the baby. Angel and Lucas demand money off Nina. At 3am they agree that she can go to the local garage to get money and baby milk. Nina walks to the garage but she doesn't call the police as Angel had said that they’d harm the baby if she did that. I found that quite unbelievable. Together with the fact that there were three people in the queue before her at the petrol station and several joined behind her as well as a queue of cars forming at the pumps. Really? At 3.30am in the UK? In Las Vegas maybe.

The middle of the book focuses on the reader learning more about the background of Angel and Lucas and the abuse they and their mother had endured in childhood at the hands of their step-father. Nina is really not sure if they are telling the truth as she heard some shocking news while at the garage.

This was a well thought out plot with good characterisation although I didn’t particular like any of the characters. It had some good twists and I was very keen to get to the end to find out what happened to everyone. It was a good satisfying read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story was truly gripping, so unpredictable and I really feel like I’ve been through the wringer after reading this. Such a clever story with great and believable characters, at moments I couldnt bare to read on because I anguished with the protagonist so much but of course I did because I was completely enthralled. Brilliant read!

3.5 * rounded up to 4.

When Nina almost dies durning a disastrous blind date, her life is saved by a young waitress called Angel. Later that evening, Nina was surprised by a knock at the door. It's Angel and she's pointing a gun at her.

Nina is recently divorced and has a young son who his staying with his father and his new younger girlfriend. She feels she has nothing going for her in her life and that her son is growing up fast. Nina reluctantly agrees to go on a blind date and nearly chocked on an olive while they were having dinner.. A young waitress comes to her rescue and manages to get the olive out. Later that night, Angel, the waitress, turns up at Nina's house who is then shortly followed bu her brother Lucas and a newborn baby. As the story unravels we learn of kidnapping, abuse and murder.

The pace of this book is quite slow. If the pace was quicker it would have made a better read. There is the back story of which is slowly revealed to why the siblings take the baby, but really they are just two frightened individuals. There is some tension and parts that are gripping. The story does seem to dip a bit in the middle. The moral to this story is be careful who you give your address too! I did enjoy this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Cass Green for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

I was engrossed in this during a long plane journey and was glad to be able to finish it before landing. The main character, Nina, found herself caught up in an impossible situation one night and the story rolled on from there.. unlike other reviewers I didn’t find the middle dragging - on the contrary I thought the author Cass Green did well to keep events moving realistically all through. I particularly liked the irony relating to the condition Angel finds herself in towards the end of the book, that was a nice touch.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

Don't You Cry is the first book I have read written by Cass Green but it will not be the last. This psychology thriller had me on the edge of my seat and made for compulsive reading from start to end. An ordinary average woman Nina, suffering a crisis of confidence brought on by a family breakup, is inadvertently thrust into a hostage situation involving a wild unkept young woman and unstable male. Into the mix there is a vulnerable baby requiring Nina to reach into herself for hidden strengths she is unsure she possesses. Nothing is as it seems in this well written, fast moving hugely enjoyable thriller. It is in my opinion crying out to be made into a movie. I also really enjoyed the very believable conclusion. True to life, living happily ever after is the stuff of fairytales , something this book is not. For many life goes on and people continue to explore the hidden depths of their character to achieve the very best they can from whatever life they have been given and to live out as best they can. Perhaps for me, the perfect ending. I loved it.

This is a well wriitten thriller with an unusual and gripping storyline. What would you do if a waitress who had saved your life turns up at your door with a baby and a brother in tow and holds you up at gunpoint? Cleverly plotted, gripping to the end, a real page turner.
Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for an early copy.

I read Cass Green’s previous novel ‘In A Cottage In A Wood’ and enjoyed it very much, so I was keen to give this novel a read.
The main character, Nina, is a sympathetic and well-drawn character; a recently divorced teacher who is slowly coming to terms with bringing her son up alone. Whilst on a blind date, she is saved from choking by a young waitress. A throw-away remark results in a night of terror and trauma and the subsequent repercussions.
As with IACIAW, this was a well written and undemanding read. The characters are well drawn and believable. The events themselves might be slightly fantastical, but they allow the reader to reflect upon how we perceive and judge people’s actions.

'Don't You Cry' is an expertly crafted psychological thriller that also packs quite an emotional punch. Nina is just getting back into the dating game and has a blind date. At the restaurant, she ends up choking with waitress Angel coming to her rescue. Now comes the far-fetched and unbelievable part. Angel later turns up at Nina's door with gun in hand, before her brother Lucas also shows up with blood on his hands and a kidnapped baby in tow. As you can see this is not exactly a probable real-world situation, but what are books for if not to push the boundaries?

I find I am able to suspend my disbelief if the writing style suits me, it is an engrossing tale and the pace is impeccable, all of which in my opinion were present and correct here. Original, twisted and compulsively readable, this is a book that makes your heart race and your palms sweaty. Claustrophobic, suspenseful and chock full of thrills and spills. A cast of truly menacing characters will ensure you keep turning the pages long into the night. Excellent!

Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I’m sure this book will haunt me. May I refer firstly to the shocking revelation in the notes at the end of the book that two women per week are murdered by their husbands or ex’s every week. Added to that many women and children seeking refuge from an abusive partner are turned away from Refuges because of lack of governmental funding. There are probably thousands of women who are in an abusive relationship and too scared, proud or unable to escape. What this book outlines so well is the effect abusive relationships have on the children long-term. This novel has a unique plot. Three people, Nina, Angel and, Lucas with a screaming, stolen baby Zach find themselves in a potentially compromising, invidious situation. It’s incredible to note how the fingers of fear and panic can make people react and force them to make the wrong or dangerous decisions. It’s so well crafted that it makes your sympathies fluctuate. Truth or lies? Inevitably, you find yourself as judge and jury. Who can you trust? How should this situation be played out? It’s very intense from the first page, and the decisions made, and the cliff-hanger chapters add to the momentum. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins.

During a disastrous blind dinner date, Nina’s life is saved by Angel, a waitress at the very same restaurant. Nina, grateful for Angel’s intervention, tells Angel to let her know if she ever needs anything.
Little did Nina know Angel would take her up on that promise, when she barges into Nina’s house with her brother who is covered in blood and with a stolen baby. Don’t you cry is a fast paced read, while the story feels a little far fetched, it’s believable, because you can believe that desperate people make desperate choices. Definitely worth a read.

I was hooked from page one.

Nina is a school teacher who finds herself separated from her husband and struggling with having an empty house as her son goes away with the husband and his new girlfriend during the summer holiday.
Deciding that she “needs to get back out there”, Nina agrees to a blind date but it is disastrous from the off and a waitress called Angel comes to Nina’s rescue in a rather unforeseen way.

Later that night, Angel turns up unexpectedly at Nina’s house and not far behind comes Angel’s little brother, Lucas, who is covered in blood and holding a new born baby. Oh, and did I mention that Angel is pointing a gun at Nina?

This is, and I hate to use the phrase, a real page –turner of a book. The characters jump off the page. I have such compassion and awe for each of the main 4 characters of this book and found myself swinging through emotions as I learn something new from each of them.

A gripping tale full of suspense. The author teases you with snippets of information throughout whilst still maintaining the intrigue. Very well written.

Really gripping and unpredictable storyline. I really enjoyed it. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author. Looking forward to reading more from her.

What an excellent read this was . I had not read any of the author’s work before this, but I certainly will read more. This was such an unusual story, and had so many unexpected turns that it was impossible to guess exactly where it was going. The characterisation was so good, making this reader sympathise with the ‘protagonists’. I found it hard to put this book down, as it was so refereshingly original, and had me gripped from page one. I would recommend this book without hesitation, as a welcome change from the usual crime novel genre. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

This was an excellent read. I was a little unsure to start with as I felt it was going in a direction I didn't really want it to but I need not have feared - the story beautifully played out and was thoroughly enjoyable. Highly recommended.

I was given this book in return for an honest review for www.netgallery.com.

Honestly couldn’t put this down!

An engrossing and intriguing tale of a woman called Nina, who in one split second goes from being an ordinary divorced female, to a hostage in her own home. Angel and Lucas introduce themselves in her very simple life and what follows is written in a way where I did care what happened to them all.

No spoilers but I urge people to read this .... it’s worth it ... will check out other titles from this authour.