Emily and Kristen have been the best of friends since their college days. And though they live in different parts of the world now, they still manage to maintain their relationship and connect with each other at least once a year on their annual backpacking trip. This year they have selected the beautiful mountains in Chile for their trip and as usual they have the best time together. That is, until their last night when Emily ends up helping Kristen dispose the dead body of a backpacker. Kristen claims that she had been attacked and killed in self defence. And that would be believable, instead it gives Emily a sense of déjà vu - and not in a good way. As Emily returns home and tries to go back to her normal life, the trauma doesn't make it easy. Things only get more difficult when Kristen pops back into her life and Emily is forced to consider things that she would have never thought possible about her best friend.

The book has a bit of a slow start, but picks up soon enough, and falls a bit back again. The story is told from Emily's PoV and gives the reader insights into not only the trauma she feels but also how she tries to deal with it and how it affects her. For a psychological thriller, the book does a good job giving the readers unique insights into the protagonist and her relationship with her best friend. Though I enjoyed the thorough insights, I wished for a tighter narration that would also help with the pace of the story. That is the main reason I am not rating this book a full 5 stars.

The different settings and situations, one almost as over the top as the other, keep the readers entertained. I almost felt like I was watching a horror/thriller and kind of urging the protagonist with comments like 'oh come on, don't tell me you can't see what's going to happen next' or 'girl, that's bound to be a trap. Don't fall for it.' It was fun and entertaining. Those who are hardcore mystery fans like me will be able to figure out the plot pretty early, but the high stakes and some cliched but fun situations keep the pages turning. And the dark humour in the book is almost like an added bonus.

This book would certainly make for an entertaining movie.

Review Copy received from Penguin Random House UK

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I have been wanting to read one of Samantha Downing's book as I had noticed quite a few glowing reviews of her two previous books on my goodreads feed. So, I jumped at the chance to read and review 'For Your Own Good' when it was offered to me. And I am glad that I did not let this opportunity go by me.

Set in a posh and prestigious private school, 'For Your Own Good' where the children of the elites of the society are sent to by their demanding parents, expecting it to be the stepping stone that will send the students on to Ivy League colleges. Of course, there is a LOT of drama their with the privileged students and even some ex-students who have returned as the faculty. And amongst it all is Teddy Crutcher, a nobody from a mediocre background who has had to earn every bit of privilege he has today for himself. Even winning 'The Teacher of the Year' doesn't bring him as much respect as he deserves - well, because of the whiny little… So, Teddy has to take things into his own hands because after all as a teacher it is his job to teach his students a lesson; and maybe to a couple of his fellow colleagues too while he is at it. But when bodies start to drop, and people come nosing about not only into the school but also into his personal life, he has very little choice. What would you do if you were in Teddy's shoes?

I love a well done whodunnit, but recently I am seeing more and more author experimenting with the genre. These days sometimes it is more about the how and the why and I must admit, if properly done, it can be just as awesome and exciting. And, Samantha Downing has indeed done a good job. She introduced us to our quirky and slightly crazy antagonist right at the beginning and then the story is all about how he does what he does, whether he will get caught, how far will he go and what might trip him up. Though I did not agree with our antagonist's reasoning, I have to admit that there were times when I didn't really blame him either. That is a sign of a well developed antagonist. We all love to hate our antagonists and when they are clearly the 'bad guy' we hate him with all the passion we can muster. But what happens when you start seeing the greys in the character of the antagonist. What do you do when there are moments you feel like if you were in his shoes, you'd want to do worse? And better question to answer yet, what do you do when the antagonist turns out to be the least horrible person around? (Well, not counting the murders or the little accidents).

I am glad that I am not part of the esteemed Belmont Academy. It is the home to a hell lot of mean and simply bad characters. I honestly did not feel bad about the murders that took place. Character-wise the book's hook is it's antagonist. I wish there were a couple of characters that I could like, if for nothing else, then contrast. They were all just rotten apples. The multiple PoVs also keep the reader appraised of what is going on not only in the story but also in the minds of some of the other cast and characters. Yet I was surprised! The fast-paced story coupled with some snarky comments and unexpected twists keeps the pages turning in the book. It has enough drama and mystery to keep any reader hooked and entertained.

Definitely recommend this to mystery lovers as I go hunting for the other books by this author.

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Family! You can't live with them and you can't live without them… And it is especially complicated when secrets are involved.

In 'You Need to Know', author Nicola Moriarty introduces us to Jill and her family consisting of three sons, two daughters-in-law and her four grandchildren. Coincidentally Jill's sons, all three of them are writers. As Christmas approaches, the family packs their bags and heads towards their holiday cottage which is a tradition of sorts in the family. As the story opens, we realise that this year there is a heaviness in the air with the death anniversary of Frank, Jill's husband, looming on them. And then the family is involved in a road accident on the way to the cottage and secrets that they keep start spilling out.

I absolutely loved the book for its plot and the way the story unfolds through multiple POVs of the cast and characters in the story. The plot is unfurls slowly as the secrets are slowly revealed. The slow burn of the plot and the way twists are revealed slowly throughout the plot with a surprising climax - the book was a page turner. Each character is well developed thanks to the multiple POV narrative we get closer look at all of them. I cannot name one particular character that stands out, but in a good way because they each have a role to play in the story and contributes equally to the plot. I loved all the drama and the air of suspense throughout.

There are two things that is stopping me from rating this book a 5 star and both are very personal reasons. One is that I am not completely sure if I like the 'resolution' that the plot provides. The other is that I had a difficult time getting into the books for about the first 20% of the book. I cannot pinpoint what it was about the narration style that made it difficult for me. I do love multiple POV and the individual voices and perspectives of characters always makes things more interesting to me.

Both the reasons for not rating this book a 5star are very personal and as such I wouldn't want to discourage the readers from picking this book up based solely on them. In fact, I'd like to recommend this book to those who enjoy drama and psychological thriller.

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