As Erin mingled amongst the guests attending her fortieth birthday party,basking in the love and laughter swirling around the air in the marquee,she felt like the luckiest woman alive.She was the owner of a nursery for pre school children, had a loving husband and two bright teenagers who were doing well at school. All was good in Erin's world but little did she realise that the fickle finger of fate had decided that Erin's life needed shaking up and was about to throw a human sized spanner into the glass of her picture of perfection.
The contents of a red envelope that is discovered on her doormat chills Erin faster than the coldest glass of champagne. The past that Erin has worked so hard to keep hidden has finally caught up with her. Erin has a secret, something that could smash her perfect life into a million pieces and endanger the lives of her beloved family.
The chapters of this enthralling thriller alternated between Erin in the present day and Erin when she was fourteen years old back in 1994. I can't say that I felt any sympathy for adult Erin, I couldn't understand why she wasn't completely honest with Tom from the beginning of their relationship,especially considering she knew how blinkered he could be at times. It wasn't as if she had actually done anything wrong in the past,yes she made a mistake but she had no control over the outcome, she simply wasn't given any other option apart from to do as she was instructed. I also couldn't understand her behaviour towards poor Chloe,you would have thought that Erin would have remembered how unfairly treated she felt when she was Chloe's age and not been so hard on the poor girl. The author's portrayals of Erin's fears, anxieties and battles with her conscious over what to do for the best were realistic and believable. I felt a lot of empathy for younger Erin and fully understood the reasons behind her rebellious behaviour and how she was so easily deceived by bad boy Dean. I really didn't like Tom for various reasons. I felt a lot of empathy for Oliver,trying to study whilst his life was falling apart around him. As for Chloe, for all her teenage angst she certainly showed a surprising softer side to her character as the story unfolded. Interspersed throughout the book was chapters that were voiced by a character called Jade, a complex character who had some serious issues. I spent the whole of the book trying to decide how to I felt about her. But who was she and how did she fit into Erin's story?
As readers have learned to expect from Jess Ryder's outstanding,enthralling thrillers The Girl You Gave Away is a gripping blend of domestic drama,teenage angst and psychological thriller. It's a tale of mistakes, deception, secrets,guilt and lies that had unexpected twists and turns and some characters who were not who they pretended to be. I love Jess Ryder's books, she is a very talented author and her books are always very well written and cause the reader to feel a wide range of mixed emotions, The Girl You Gave Away is no exception. Worth far more than five stars and very highly recommended.
AUTHOR BIO
Jess Ryder is the author of five psychological thrillers - 'The Ex Wife', 'Lie to Me', 'The Good Sister', 'The Dream House' and her latest, published March 20 2020 - 'The Girl You Gave Away'. All titles are published by Bookouture. She also writes as Jan Page, with many books published including 'Selina Penaluna'. With many years' experience as a scriptwriter, she loves watching television crime drama. Jess is a passionate reader and particularly enjoys thrillers.
Jess lives with her partner in London, UK and has four grown-up children.
Jess lives with her partner in London, UK and has four grown-up children.
Author Social Media Links:
Website: http://jessryder.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessryderauthor
PUBLICATION DATE: 20th March 2020
PRINT LENGTH: 354 PAGES
PUBLISHER: Bookouture
ASIN: BO82MPXLW2
GENRE: Psychological Thriller
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