Thoroughly unpleasant people

Repugnant characters, feel cross with myself for listening to the end as I now feel tainted. I prefer morally vacuous characters to be at least a little witty or interestingly complex. The reading was good but I won’t be listening to another Tyce.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Stylish, entertaining, but so very, very unlikely.

I enjoyed "Blood Orange" by the same author back in the day and so put this one on pre-order as soon as I saw it.
I liked the writing and the narration (bar a few surprising mispronunciations on not out of the ordinary words) though I did wonder was it intentional to make the protagonist sound so smug and unlikeable.
So far so good. So much talk about Prete a Manger I wondered if product placement had reached novels now.
But soon it took a turn for the ridiculous and that includes someone having a coke and croissant in Pret for breakfast and a flat white and avacado wrap in Pret at lunch with a fizzy water as a "treat".
So if you think it is unlikely someone has a coke for breakfast ... at Pret and then a flat white at Pret for lunch and considers a fizzy water a treat .......... well then let me tell you that there is far worse to come.
Sadly without spoilers it would be difficult to explain just how unlikely the plot is but let's just say the two bodies impaled on spikes seem quite common place compared with the construct of the plot which in its death throes left me muttering "I don't think so"
It's a shame as the writing was good, I enjoyed the loathsome lawyer, her Pret obsession and legendary drinking but she too was wasted on this preposterous plot.
Would I try another Harriet Tyce thriller ... maybe bit 50/50 I would end up returning it if not a big improvement on this one.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Can you see the twist coming?

I really enjoy this author. I kinda saw it coming but definitely not all of it! look forward to her next one.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Not Sure If I Liked It....

As others have said the narration is excellent. During the book I was shocked by some of the revelations so I was very invested in finding out what happened. Once during the book, I did guess the final outcome but the author led me away, so that part was good. Now that I've finished the book, I do feel a little disappointed as the ending wasn't very satisfying, but I think my main issue is that there was no characters I cared for. They were all a bit arrogant and not very likeable. Even in dark stories there will be some light and humour or someone to root for, but I found the lack of anything like that made it a hard going book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Another classic Harriett Tyce

Gripped from the start! Despite trying my best to crack the book throughout, I was still left shocked at the end! Total unpredictable ending. Absolutely loved it!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Good book

This book was the first of our book club. Good starter book for us all.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Enjoyable, but I only need to read it once

I enjoyed this, it was novel and I was Interested in finding out what happens to the characters. Once we knew 'the secret' it was easy to guess the basic outcome. The descriptions of thier early years with the boys were very real sounding, a hard listen and I felt for all those girls allowing such awful happenings in the hope of being cool. I'd definitely read another of hers.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Another hit from Harriet Tyce!

Everting you would expect from this author and more! Plot twists and suspense! Loved it !

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Just amazing....excellent

Brilliant narrator's....such a good book.....couldn't stop listening.....way above other authors...top quality writing and plot....next book please

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

Disappointing

Blood Orange was an absolutely fabulous book and when I find such a book I have to read all by the author. Harriet Tyce is an incredibly gifted author with her characters who I'm sure we can all relate to in different ways. I also love the legal world focus for my own reasons. Oh but this book was sadly disappointing for me. I found the story unbelievable and possibly aimed at a younger reader than myself, just too far fetched in many ways.
The lead character is a talented barrister who aims to become a Judge and this is all great. She has a wonderful new boyfriend from Scotland where she was raised and he is everything she always wanted. I wondered if a barrister in her position would be in a relationship with a young man who is a chef/catering business PLUS hundreds of miles away from her. He also lives in Edinburgh whilst she lives in London. Hmmm... Okay I could go with that but it didn't take me that long to work out that the wonderful Gareth was connected to the darkest part of Sylvie's life - the trauma and suffering she and her best friend Tess had kept hidden and tried to put behind them, when Sylvie's young boyfriend is murdered and another girl is jailed for many years for his murder.
Tess, Sylvie's best friend from teenage years, also raised in Edinburgh and also now living in London (hmm?) develops a brain tumour, and unbelievably with all that stress decides she and Sylvie MUST revisit that past trauma when they were so young and reopen the can of worms which involves the girl who was imprisoned for Sylvie's boyfriend's murder. This girl spent years in prison because of Tess and Sylvie's lies in court ... I think. Sorry it's so complicated here, and the book is kind of complicated but not difficult to understand really if you follow carefully.
SO much going on in this book, a best friend with a brain tumour, a husband who has insisted on a break from Tess the best friend, a bright and smart young barrister who is intent on being a Judge, a court case involving minors, another legal eagle who has personal connections to one of the boys in the case, a gorgeous boyfriend who lives in Glasgow who suggests online sex with Sylvie and wants her to perform in her Barrister's wig for him.... It's just so predictable. Tess has a brain tumour and yet.... wants a huge party in GLASGOW to celebrate renewing of her vows with the husband who has just left her, and she knows he'll agree when he discovers she has a brain tumour. Stop now !
This author is still a favourite, her writing is great but truly this book was not for me despite all the good things about the book it's far fetched in so many ways.
This book won't stop me reading Harriet Tyce's other books, I know she is so much better than this :)

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!