Review: You Belong To Me by Samantha Hayes

 

Fleeing the terrors of her former life, Isabel has left England, and at last is beginning to feel safe.

Then a letter shatters her world, and she returns home determined not to let fear rule her life any more.

But she's unable to shake off the feeling that someone who knows her better than she knows herself may be following her.

Watching. Waiting.

Ready to step back into her life and take control all over again. 

(Description from Goodreads)

Note: This is the third book that features the recurring character of Detective Inspector Lorraine Fisher, but it can be read as a standalone without having read the two previous books (Until You’re Mine and Before You Die).

Hayes’ writing is absolutely brilliant. I found myself being drawn right into Isabel’s world, as the sinister truth of what she is running from is gradually revealed. Hayes also does an excellent job of writing a believable villain who is all kinds of creepy and twisted. However, I felt that in this book, Detective Inspector Fisher’s personal issues started to get a little repetitive towards the end and didn’t really add anything to the storyline.

Hayes is one of the best psychological thriller authors I’ve ever read as she has an amazing ability to mess with the reader’s mind. Having read all of Hayes’ previous books, I knew to expect a multitude of twists and turns in the plot. I like to form my own theories and suspicions as to what is going on and what will happen next as I am reading along. There were a few moments where I thought “Yes! I was right!”, but there were also some “I totally did not see that one coming!” moments. I love Hayes’ ability to make you think one thing only to have it turn out to be something completely different.

Overall this was a fantastic book with a gripping storyline that definitely had me turning the page continually. If you like mystery and suspense, then this book is for you. 4.5/5 rating.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell Review

Set in 1999, a time when people were concerned about Y2K and technology was not as advanced as it is today, this book introduces us to Lincoln O’Neill, the new “Internet Security Officer” for a newspaper. Little does he know that the actual job doesn't require him to ward off hackers, but to read staff emails that are flagged and forwarded to him. When email conversations between Beth and Jennifer catch his attention, instead of reporting them like he should, Lincoln finds himself drawn into their world, and looks forward to reading more of their conversations. Over time, Lincoln finds that he has fallen in love with Beth, only to realise that he would never be able to let her know who he is without it being extremely awkward or him coming across as a stalker. 

I loved the characters of Beth and Jennifer and I loved reading the email conversations between them. I also loved the character of Lincoln. He was shy and just the right amount of nerd to be adorable. The fact that he didn't know this about himself only made him more lovable. I also liked the build up between Lincoln and Beth and how they both sort of knew each other without actually knowing who the other one really was. The one character that I did not like was Lincoln’s mother. I found her to be very controlling and it just annoyed me.

I did get a little impatient towards the end as I felt like it was dragging slightly and taking just a little too long to get to the romance between Lincoln and Beth. Then when they were finally together, the ending came much too quickly for me. But all that said, I still really, really liked this book. If it ever were to be made into a movie, it’s one I would definitely watch. This is an adult contemporary book, but it will still appeal to a YA audience, particularly those who are already a fan of Rowell’s other books. 4.5/5 rating.