Look What You Made Me Do by Nikki Smith – Blog Tour Review.

About The Book

Two people can keep a secret . . . if one of them is dead.

Sisters Jo and Caroline are used to hiding things from each other. They’ve never been close – taking it in turns to feel on the outside of their family unit, playing an endless game of favourites.

Jo envies Caroline’s life – things have always come so easy to her. Then a family inheritance falls entirely to Jo, and suddenly now Caroline wants what Jo has. Needs it, even.

But just how far will she go to get it? 

You’ll be riveted by the new psychological suspense from Nikki Smith – a gripping gut-punch of a novel . . .

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. Look What You Made Me Do is an excellent second novel by this author, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading both this and the earlier book All In Her Head. And like that book, the synopsis doesn’t fully reflect the full storyline. This is how they should be, far too often too much detail is given and I really enjoyed finding the snippets that weren’t revealed.

Whilst most of the focus in the novel is on the two sisters it wasn’t what I expected. I didn’t expect to have so much sympathy for Caroline and to feel the same fear that she felt when she was near her husband Rob. The abuse shown wasn’t through assault alone, here there was slyness and control. Even over something as simple as a jar of coffee. But I felt that she was planning something and I wasn’t convinced it involved inheritance. I found her story difficult to read but very compelling. 

Jo’s life was completely different but she also had issues. She’d had problems with eating disorders in her past, a very strange relationship with her mother which I had misunderstood for much of the novel and a husband who she felt disconnected from. I wished that both sisters could be there for each other but they had never been close. 

It’s a fascinating novel that shows you never know what goes on behind closed doors. 

All In Her Head by Nikki Smith- Blog Tour Review.

About The Book

Her life is a pack of lies. But what if she is the liar?

Alison is more alone than she’s ever been. She is convinced that her ex-husband Jack is following her. She is certain she recognises the strange woman who keeps approaching her at work.

She knows she has a good reason to be afraid. But she can’t remember why.

Then the mention of one name brings a whole lifetime of memories rushing back in. 

Alison feels like she’s losing her mind . . . but it could just lead her to the truth.

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. All In Her Head is a book that left me reeling. The first part was as I expected, with two different narrators, Ali and Jack, a married couple who for some reason are apart. I suspected conflict of some kind, possibly one afraid of the other. But as I read more, and the reasons why they were living apart became clearer I realised very quickly that what I was reading was completely different, and this novel was a lot more than what I was expecting.

As the story progressed it switched narrator at crucial moments and I needed to carry on reading to find out what happened next. This happened with both characters and it was done brilliantly. Often it doesn’t work well or feel natural but it is a long time since I have felt so tense when reading. I felt fear, frustration and sadness and I can’t even say why. This is a novel which you need to read knowing as little as possible about it. 

An absolutely wonderful novel to read during lockdown, I raced through it.