She and I

Love haunts every page of this debut and soon we too are captivated by its allure.

A gritty and raw portrayal of female friendship. Keeley and Jude are portrayed beautifully. The prose so accomplished that we know these characters, recognize them in the people we have met before. Keeley dazzles us with her beauty and ebullience. Her joy of life and resilience. Jude is more reticent, but a fire burns bright inside her. Together these young women are indestructible. But what secrets are they hiding? I could not figure it out.

Through flashbacks to their younger days we see a friendship blaze. Linda ( Jude's mother ) doesn't approve but her thoughts and actions are futile. Nothing will stand in the way of their bond. No matter how hard she tries. Soon the girls are inseparable. I adored watching that play out. That fierce female friendship, that first time you meet your tribe. That sense of belonging. I remember it well.

With crisp prose Hannah depicts the world around them and shows us a bleak yet colourful environment full of promise and excitement. But Hannah isn't afraid to tackle things head on. To show us what can go wrong. This is an intelligent whodunit and I was never quite sure of the culprit. All the reveals and twists kept me reading on. But it is much more than that.

I need to be careful and not spoilt things for readers so suffice to say this tackles some big themes such as obsession, female cruelty and a loss of innocence in a profound and poignant manner.

Such a confident debut - It doesn't shout at us or lecture - it simply relates what happened. A story most of us will resonate with. It is sure to be acclaimed.

Highly Recommended.

A wonderfully well written debut from an author I’m very excited to see their next work! This is a story of a friendship tested in the strongest of ways, after both waking up to find one of their boyfriends stabbed to death they both agree on a story to tell the police, but who is risking more by keeping information hidden? And who is it benefiting?
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A riveting concept that keeps you turning the pages all night long! Thank you to Bloomsbury & Netgalley for the ARC

A debut dripping with confidence and skill, that doesn't shy away from the tough moments. It took me a bit to get drawn in, but once I was, I could not put this book down. I'll be looking out for the next from Hannah King.