Her life may not be perfect but she’s happy. Until she makes a terrible decision – and learns the hard way that home is not a place of refuge.Not while Simon lurks in every shadow.He groomed her as a teen: terrorised her into fleeing and leaving her baby behind. Now the man who destroyed her childhood has become the perfect father to her teenage daughter. And her return threatens his future.A … return threatens his future.
A desperate man is a dangerous one.
Simon says she must leave or suffer the consequences. She refuses.
Now it’s his move. Because it’s not enough to face your demons.
Sometimes, you must destroy them.
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Simon Says is a hair-raising psychological thriller that actually scared the heck out of me. It’s a tough subject matter about the grooming if a 14 year old child. There is this air of dread that was constant for me while I read this novel. Jo Wesley’s style is terrifying, compelling and something that sticks with you long after you finish reading.
The characters in this novel are very intriguing. Some creepy (Simon) and some helpless (Cindy), this story really kept me on the edge of my seat. The authenticity of the novel is probably part of what gave this novel such a chilling atmosphere. Told in dual timelines, this is just a true psychological thriller.
My emotions definitely got the best of me during this story. Between tears and anger, I felt very helpless. I love how emotionally charged this novel was. Gritty, raw and poignant…Simon Says will probably stay with me for a long while.
This is a compelling read that I definitely recommend. Emotionally draining and yet, still intriguing, I couldn’t put it down. I’m looking forward to more from Jo Wesley.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Rachel’s Random Resources. All opinions are my own.*
Find this review and more on my blog: https://www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
The most horrifying thing about Simon is that if you’re a woman, you’ve met a Simon. He was That Guy who first made an inappropriately sexual comment to you, when you were 14 or 12 or maybe even as young as 9. He might have been a sports coach, a teacher, a relative, your older sister’s boyfriend (as was the Simon in this book), or just some random dude on the bus. You might have been lucky to get away with nothing more than an icky feeling after being perved on by an older guy inappropriately interested in pubescent girls.
Cindy wasn’t that lucky.
Told in chapters alternating between the present day and a time thirteen years earlier, when Cinty was 14, the story leads us through Cindy’s present troubles and back through what happened to her back then, and as the book progresses it becomes very obvious that one thing led directly to another. Cindy never really had a chance, with a mother who neglected and even abused her and a predator like Simon waiting in the shadows for his chance to strike. It’s uncomfortable and at times tragic reading, and it’s so realistic it could be the biography of thousands of young women in the UK today. Pleasingly, it does end on a positive note, with a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for Cindy and the chance of a better life if she wants it, but she goes through a lot of dark places before she arrives there.
This is a gritty domestic noir thriller set on Britain’s poverty-stricken council estates, and readers should be aware there are a lot of potentially distressing triggers including parental abuse of a child, sexual abuse of a child, forcible drugging and date-raping and more. None of it is gratuitous and Simon is treated with the contempt he and his ilk deserve, but it’s not easy reading. Cindy’s story is compelling, and you can’t help but feel sympathy for her as she struggles to get her life on any kind of decent track.
Five stars for a gritty, realistic read with a pleasantly surprising uplift at the very end.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book via Rachel’s Random Resources.