I listened to Fellside on Audible

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Published: April 7th, 2016

Pages: 496 (hardback)

Audiobook length: 15 hrs and 35 mins

Synopsis by the publisher:

Jess Moulson is convicted of murder. But it’s a murder she can’t remember committing. Nothing is quite clear from the drug-fuelled night when a blaze set in Jess’ apartment killed the little boy upstairs. But when the media brands her a child killer, she starts to believe it herself.

Now she’s on her way to Fellside, the biggest, most formidable women’s prison in Europe, standing in the bleak Yorkshire moors.

But Jess won’t be alone in her prison cell. Lurking in the shadows is an unexpected visitor…the ghost of the 10-year-old boy she killed. He says he needs her help – and he won’t take no for an answer.

M.R. Carey

The Review

"This ghost story is one that stands out from a lot of other ghost stories I've 
read, just like The Girl with All the Gifts stands out from a lot of other 
zombie stories. It's a thrilling ride that had me curious and wondering."

Back in 2015 I read The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey and I fell in love with the story and the writing style. So when I heard about Fellside coming out, I knew I had to pick that up as well. And even though I had it on my radar way before it was actually published, it took me way longer to get to it than planned. Better late than never, right?

Going into this novel I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It’s listed as a thriller, but the synopsis mentioned the ghost of a boy, so the appearance of something paranormal was very likely. Just the way I like it!

The writing style of Fellside was every bit as good as The Girl with All the Gifts. It’s a completely different kind of story, but the way that M.R. Carey gives insight into the minds of his characters really makes them come alive. And even though there were quite a lot of characters throughout the story, I never found myself confused as it shifted between them.

One of the things that I thought was brilliant about this story, was the fact that there were no saints here. This is a story set in a prison, and even though you have characters you like and ones that you’ll find outright horrendous, none of them are completely innocent. All the drama and corruption inside the Fellside prison adds another layer of depth to the story.

Jess was a character it took me a while to really feel connected to, but once the reader gets under her skin, she’s quite an interesting character indeed.

I thought the paranormal elements in Fellside were executed very well and made it easy to visualise what was going on. It’s not just a paranormal thriller, there’s a bit of mystery in there as well!

Fellside held quite a steady pace for most of the story, and after a while it really did escalate. The ending as well was very satisfying and not what I expected.

This ghost story is one that stands out from a lot of other ghost stories I’ve read, just like The Girl with All the Gifts stands out from a lot of other zombie stories. It’s a thrilling ride that had me curious and wondering.

A really enjoyable read, and I can’t wait to see what M.R. Carey comes up with next!

Do you want to make up your own opinion about the book? Click on the Bookdepository or Amazon logo below to go and get your own copy!

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I listened to You on Audible.

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd.

Published: October 9th, 2014

Pages: 432 (hardback edition)

Audiobook length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Synopsis by the publisher:

When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.

Caroline Kepnes

The Review

"You mesmerised me and scared me at the same time. One of the scariest things
about this novel, is how it points out just how easily accessible all of our 
private information really is to anyone who's looking for it."

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel from the time it started to frequently appear on BookTube, a little over a year ago. I had it on my to-read list for a long time, and sort of forgot about it. Then I was asked by a fellow BookTuber if I wanted to buddy read it with him, and it had once again sparked my interest. I didn’t get my hands on a copy before my buddy had already finished his, so I was a bit late to the party once again. Better late than never though, and this is one party you don’t want to miss out on!

The story is written in a first person narrative through the character Joe. What was interesting about reading from the perspective of a stalker like Joe, is to see just how easily he justifies every move he makes. It’s such a wonderful and horrendous experience to be inside the mind of the bad guy!

Both Joe and Beck made for very interesting and relatable characters. None were too polished or unrealistic, and the friends that surrounded Beck (and made things difficult for Joe) made it all even more interesting.

You mesmerised me and scared me at the same time. One of the scariest things
about this novel, is how it points out just how easily accessible all of our
private information really is to anyone who’s looking for it. Makes you think about what it is that you actually want to share on today’s social media.

It was a very suspenseful ride, and one that I will not forget. Going into this, I was certain that this was a stand alone novel, but I’ve come to know that it is actually the first part of a series. The second book (Hidden Bodies) was published February 2016. I will be picking this one up sometime in 2017. Can’t wait to see what happens next!

That being said, You can easily be read as if it was a stand alone novel. It is just bloody brilliant in my opinion!