Don't Turn Around

Wow!

Don’t Turn Around is breathtaking. Possibly the best book I’ve read this year!

I have a real weakness for books based in America and this had me going crazy with suspense.

Summer must read

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Random House UK, Vintage Publishing, for the ARC.
This is a well-written, fast-paced scary thriller. The atmosphere is tense and unrelenting as two women travel across State lines in America from Texas to Albuquerque, each harbouring their own secrets, each with a reason to believe that someone is out to stop them reaching their destination.

Cai is a part-time barmaid and freelance journalist and a driver for a women's organisation, whose purpose is to take women to places of safety. She picks up Rebecca at midnight to drive through the night to their destination. Cait doesn't need to ask questions, she's just the driver. As their trip continues they find themselves threatened by another vehicle on the long, dark road; the driver of which seems intent on killing them. Who is he after, and why?

Tense and atmospheric this keeps you on the edge of your seat!

Good. An excellent atmospheric book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, as it builds to mounting crescendo which will leave speechless. This book also makes you question what you would do in the situation faced by one of the main characters and will have you asking other people about what they would do.

Tense from the very outset, Cait drives for an organisation helping women who need to escape a situation at home or get somewhere that will change their futures and Rebecca needs a lift for that very reason. However it is not a straightforward journey with someone on their tail, ramming them and trying to drive them off the road.
Both women are harbouring secrets from each other and both think that they are the target.
As the tale untwists the complexity increases and it is hard to know who to believe and who is really at risk.
Fast, messy and twisted- leaves you breathless!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this arc. I loved Jessica Barry's debut novel, Freefall, so was excited to read this and it did not disappoint. Just like Freefall this a pacy, action-driven thriller revolving around two compelling female protagonists.
We follow Cait, who is a driver. Her job is drive women safely to their destination without asking any questions. She is waiting outside a lush suburban house for Rebecca. Rebecca gets in the car and they drive off to their destination. However both women are hiding secrets...And who is following them?...
There was so many twists and reveals I did not see coming, so the less you know the better. Barry writes such complex, messy female characters that have you hooked. I really enjoyed the way flashbacks to the past was woven throughout the book. The chapters are short and quick, there is such momentum in Barry's prose. Barry also taps into topical issues, such as the Metoo movement, and the current thorny political atmosphere of America. Don't Turn Around is high in adrenaline, pacy, topical with compelling female protagonists. 5/5

This was a wonderful novel with characters that draw you right in and don’t let go. The storyline flowed seamlessly and kept me glued to the pages.

#DontTurnAround #NetGalley
A brilliant masterpiece of the year. Highly recommended.
322 miles of road. 6 hours. 2 strangers. 1 killer. Too many secrets.
Cait Monaghan and Rebecca McRae are on a desolate road that slices through the New Mexican desert. They've never met before tonight.  Both have secrets to protect. Both of their lives are in danger.  
When a truck pulls up fast behind them, they assume it's punk teenagers or run-of-the-mill road rage, but it soon becomes clear that whoever is driving the truck is hunting them for sport—and they are out to draw blood.  
As the miles unspool and the dangers mount, the pasts they've worked so hard to keep buried have come back to haunt them.  Someone wants one of them dead. But which one?  And given the lives the two women have been leading, that someone could be almost anyone.
The plot of the novel is very strong. Its characters are mind blowing. They're like real life characterswe see everyday. Narration of the story is at its best.
A must read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for giving me an advance copy of this masterpiece.

Don’t Turn Around by Jessica Barry
Thanks @netgalley @randomhouse for my arc. Pub date 30 July 2020
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An absolutely incredible story with a suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat. The story is told from various characters point of view, seemingly disconnected to one another. A fabulous book. Highly recommended xx