The perfect gripping, twisty suspense for fans of Netflix’s You and Lisa Jewell’s Watching You This is not a love story… Watching sunrises together should have been romantic. But you were always inside with your wife, and I sat in your garden, in the shadows. I thought you’d never know how I felt about you. Until one night, I witnessed a terrible crime. I wanted it to bring us closer together. … crime.
I wanted it to bring us closer together.
But now the secrets are tumbling out.
And they could tear everything apart…
A breath-taking suspense full of twists and turns – if you think you know how this ends, think again…
‘I was blown away. An outstanding psychological suspense, beautifully written, brilliantly plotted and impossible to put down. Loved every word!’ Emma Curtis, author of The Night You Left
‘Reels you in until you reach the nail-biting, show-stopping finale. I loved this book so much – the best thriller I’ve read this year’ S.E. Lynes, author of Mother
‘The definition of “unputdownable” … Evocative, pacy and utterly gripping. I loved it’ Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton
‘A fantastic story, with clever story-telling, fabulous characters and a jaw-dropping plot. One of my top reads of the year’ Rona Halsall, author of One Mistake
‘Excellent and emotional page-turning psychological suspense full of dark themes and a brilliantly conceived central character’ Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl
‘An instant winner for me. And that plot! Perfectly set up to make the ending a complete shock … One of those books that stays with you’ Caroline Corcoran, author of Through the Wall
‘Claustrophobically gripping with an exquisitely-wrought narrator’ Kate Weinberg, author of The Truants
‘Nicola Rayner writes with such sensitivity and elegance’ Clare Boyd, author of Little Liar
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Fran sits on the bench, near the lake and watches his house, she is a sad and lonely figure who would do anything for the opportunity to spend time with him again, gaze into his gorgeous eyes and hear his voice. They haven’t spoken for a long time but she knows deep within her heart that it is only a matter of time before her dreams will come true. One day Charles Fry will realise that they are meant to be together. Fran and Charles, Charles and Fran, together forever.
Then a tragic incident alters the course of Fran’s solitary existence and she suddenly finds herself mixing with people that she hasn’t seen or spoken to for years including Charles. But not everyone is who they appear to be secrets, lies and past deeds bubble away beneath the surface and Fran finds herself caught up in a deadly game that results in the ultimate betrayal.
This captivating thriller that has a story which slips back and forth in time between the present and the past is voiced entirely from the Fran’s perspective. In her younger years she had been nicknamed Freaky Fran by her peers at Chesterfield Boarding School, a nickname that although it wasn’t very nice and a bit cruel. was also a rather apt description of her. Fran was a complex character who caused me to experience a mixed bag of conflicting emotions as the story unfolded. She certainly had a number of issues but despite this she did have some redeemable qualities and it was impossible not to feel sympathy for her at times. It was whilst she was attending the boarding school that she met Charles and her obsession with him began. It was also at the boarding school were something horrific happened to Fran’s sister Ellie, the events leading up to this incident are gradually revealed as the story unfolded. In the present day, Ellie has been missing for nearly three years, the last time Fran saw her, they had a massive argument and Ellie stormed out of their flat. Apart from the occasional comment on social media and posting pictures of her young daughter Rose, no one has seen her since, not even Fran. I did have a theory about what had happened to Ellie based on a aspect of Fran’s behaviour but was I right, well you will just have to read this brilliant book yourself and find out?
You And Me is a well written, mesmerising and at times chilling tale of secrets, deception, manipulation, obsession, friendships and relationships that had me glued to my kindle and frantically turning the pages. I wanted to know what had happened to Ellie in both the present day and the past. The story was intriguing and kept the reader guessing, there was some unexpected twists and turns and the characters were well rounded and believable. I really enjoyed this gripping thriller and look forward to reading more of this author’s books in the future.
Fran Knight is now in her 30’s and works in a bookstore. This is a perfect job for her as she loves nothing more than reading. She lost her mother not long ago and she grieves her yet. Her younger sister, Ellie and young daughter, Rose, move from place to place and Fran never really knows where they are. She misses them so much but a disagreement has kept them apart.
Fran and Ellie attended a co-ed boarding school where their mother worked as matron. An intelligent but plain and shy girl, Fran was bullied a lot. Ellie, on the other hand, was an excellent swimmer, beautiful, and took no crap off other students.
Dickie Graham, the school show-off and trouble maker, had a crush on Ellie but she was off-hand with him. Fran fell in love with Charles early on and loves him to this day. He is her everything and all she lives for.
Dickie recently died when he fell or jumped in front of an oncoming train. He and Charles had been out drinking together when he fell. It just so happens that Fran had been out that night too and through the masses of people waiting for the train, saw Dickie fall. If he jumped, why?
Dickie’s widow, Caroline, has a baby daughter named Daisy. Many friends have come together to comfort her in her grief. Charles has been devastated by Dickie’s death. Caroline befriends Fran and they get together now and then for coffee. But something doesn’t seem right and Fran isn’t sure what’s going on. But the bullies remain and it seems that they will never change.
Fran wants so much to talk to Ellie but can never get her to agree to come home. Where is she and why won’t she come home?
The book seems to drag for so long readers are promised an explosive ending so I stuck with it. I’m so glad I did. Whew! Good book. Don’t miss it.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I’m always up for a stalker read… I’m not sure why. I hate stalkers or even clingy people but maybe that’s what I love. They are the most terrifying characters in a book because you know they’re unhinged. They are not capable of making good judgments so you’re already on edge.
That’s why it was a little disappointing when I almost put this book down. Fran is a sad character. Everything about her life is sad. The mother who she refers to constantly that is dead. The sister and memories of their closer times. The hard part was the slow pace that built up this character’s backstory. The mysterious sister was supposed to draw me in but I wanted to get to the rest of the plot.
Luckily the ending was fantastic and really the second half of the book redeemed it so I went middle of the road on this one. A good thriller with some intriguing stalkery but not great overall that I would reread.
Well, that isn’t where I thought it was going at all! I love to be surprised. I got stuck at about 30% and had to push myself to finish, but I am glad I did because I honestly didn’t see the twist of this one coming. Fran was so awkward that it pained me to read her character at times.
While “following” her childhood crush and friend Charles, she witnesses the death of another schoolmate and struggles because she thinks it wasn’t the accident that they are saying it was. As he fell, she thought she saw something in his gaze that suggested he recognized someone there.. someone who wanted to harm him.
We meet many more school friends that seem shady and they seem to be hiding a secret.
Fran and her sister Ellie had a falling out and she can’t get in touch with her and right now, Fran just needs her sister. You can tell something happened to Ellie in her past that she is not eager to come back to face though. I hurt for Fran because she was so utterly alone in a sea of people that seemed so untrustworthy.
Once the story really got moving, I didn’t want to put the book down. This was a great thriller, I really started to suspect the villain but I didn’t think it would be as sinister as what it was.
Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK and the author for an early copy of this book.
Fran, who’s in her late 30s, works in a bookshop and is a loner with no close friends. Since her school days, she’s been obsessed with Charles Fry. She’s certain that they have a connection and that one day he will realise this. She doesn’t only follow him on social media but also stalks him by following him around, sitting on a bench on the estate where he lives, hanging out near him. For now, he’s very married to Fiona with whom he has baby twins. He’s only friendly and cordial towards her, just like he was at school when he saved her a few times from awkward situations.
She also has a younger sister who’s the mother of Rose, a niece she never met, something she feels very bad about. Ellie ran away from her after a vicious argument and lives abroad now but most of the time Fran doesn’t know exactly where. They only talk on Facebook and through e-mail. She misses her terribly and often thinks to spot her somewhere in London.
One night when she’s following Charles to the platform of the tube, she witnesses how Dickie (another schoolmate) falls under the train. She thinks that he recognised someone and may have been pushed but doesn’t tell anyone that she was there as well.
There’s something universal about unrequited love and as a young teen, who hasn’t pined after some unattainable boy we were secretly in love with? I do remember riding my bicycle numerous times a day through the street where this boy lived. (I can’t believe it, but I’m not sure anymore what his name was). But for most of us, we grow out of these infatuations. Here, our main character hasn’t and is delusional about the meaning of Charles’ friendliness.
This was a difficult book for me. It started out very slow and I didn’t think this book was for me. All these people who’re stuck in their schooldays friendships and never move on, just gossiping and keeping secrets from one another as if their still 16. The characters are really annoying; Caroline the widow was the most likeable of the lot. With Fran, I felt sorry for her but also wanted to give her a good shake-up and shout “Grow up, get a life and get real!” This part was tedious and I only kept reading to find out if she saw something or not. With all her fantasies about Charles, she’s not exactly a trustworthy narrator. So you’re left guessing. But it is really drawn out and I wouldn’t give it more than 2 stars.
But then a bit over halfway, the story changed and became interesting. At this point, I got pulled into the narrative and the suspense. I won’t tell you what happens, but it’s something I never would have guessed. A very well found intrigue, I must say. So if you can read through the first half without giving up, you get a second half that’s a really good and suspenseful psychological thriller with several twists and turns that deserves at least 4 stars.
I don’t know how 2 parts of the same book can be so widely different but it’s very difficult to rate. I settled for 3 stars as the average.
I thank Netgalley and Avon for the free ARC they provided me with; this is my honest unbiased review of it.