You’ve got to love an unreliable narrator- they make the most fascinating reads and the Couple by Sarah Mitchell is a great example of this.

From the first pages of this novel we get an uneasy feeling that Claire, who can turn her beauty on and off, Clare, who seemingly has it all including a great job with the Home office and a brand new rich fiance Angus, is not telling us the whole truth. There is plenty of hints and small details, so easy to overlook, but the blurb did not lie- whatever you think you know and understand about Claire is wrong and the big twist will take you aback.

I loved the setting. Sarah Mitchell chose The Immigration tribunal as Claire’s working place to make sure we make our own opinion of Claire’s character and her choices of actions in life. Things are rarely black and white and she obviously has her own particular sense of justice. Claire is a strange mixture of strength and weakness, which is evident in her being so ready to give in to her obsession.
The Couple is one of the most gripping books I have read this year and I can highly recommend it to other lovers of mystery and thriller genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture publisher for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

If somebody gave you £30,000 and a year to spend this money on reinventing yourself, where would you go and what would you do?

Holly grew up with a loving example of her grandparents’ marriage. When she inherits 30,000 from her grandfather, she wants to spend it on a wedding with her boyfriend of two years and possibly a deposit on a house. Unfortunately, he seems to be more interested in spending time with his mates than committing himself in a marriage to Holly. Suddenly, Holly realizes she’s been taken for granted for too long and has made too many compromises. She leaves Scott, moves back to her Mum’s, and starts thinking seriously about changing her life. Holly draws up a list of things she would like to do in the upcoming year. Her friends Fiona and Pablo have just bought a house in Andalusia. Aso ne of the things on Holly’s bucket list is living abroad, Holly sets off on her journey to help her friends turn their house in an artists’ retreat and at the same time figure out what really makes her happy. Love isn’t something she expects or wants at this stage of her life.
What I loved about this book is that, although there is a love story, it isn’t central. It is something that happens to the main characters Holly and Matias as they sort out their lives, face their fears, engage in meaningful interactions, and discover themselves.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.