This psychological thriller written by Deborah Stone opens with Clare and Jack on their way to see Clare’s mom. Clare is so excited to introduce her boyfriend to her mom, but her mom has a rather strange reaction to Jack. She runs out of the room. When Clare goes to check on her, she insists Clare break up with him and never see him again. She refuses to give an explanation though. Clare is, of course, shocked. She leaves with Jack and is no longer on speaking terms with her mom.
Then the book moves on to two other couples, Fiona & Terry and Amanda & Bill, for quite some time.
Fiona and Terry move in next door to Amanda and Bill. Amanda and Bill lead a mundane life, no excitement and no fun, so they are drawn to Fiona and Terry’s seemingly carefree life, which is full of fun with them freely spending money. Can these new neighbors trust each other? More to the point, should they trust each other?
By the time Clare and Jack are brought back into the story, there are things that you will most likely have figured out. At least I had figured them out. But that’s far from the end of the story.
Be careful of the decisions you make. They could have lifelong consequences. But if all the characters had told the truth and behaved as they should have, there wouldn’t be much of a story.
The characters in Semi-Detached are very well-developed. They have depth and credibility. They draw you into the story so much that you will find the book hard to put down. Just like me, you’ll probably find yourself talking to them and telling them what to do. Of course, I doubt they’ll listen to you either. Twists and turns abound in this book in this fast-paced book, and many unexpected things occur.
The ending was a surprise. To the reader in me, it wasn’t a totally acceptable one, but I wasn’t the author. I just wasn’t pleased with it, but in fiction, things could have easily turned out that way. I dreamed of something else happening in the end, but I’m not going to say what that was.
Was this a good book? Yes, this book was great.
Did I enjoy reading it? Oh, definitely. After I got so far into the book, I could not put it down. I had to see what happened next.
Would I recommend reading this book? Yes, I would. Just buckle your seatbelt before you begin this rollercoaster of a read.
I received an advance copy of this book for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. If you would like your own copy to read, you’ll find an Amazon link for this book below.
Amazon Link: Semi-Detached
Favorite Sentences:
It took me many years to realise that the more hopeful you are about something, the more disappointed you will inevitably be.
Fiona sat where Bill normally lounged: a platinum goddess in the place of my dusty, grumpy husband.
Perhaps I thought she might resemble Snow White before the prince brings her back to life with a kiss. But this was no fairy tale.
Somehow, despite the hallucinations I had suffered in hospital – those strange visions of lives lost, and opportunities squandered – I had managed to return and, if I was going to go back home, as everyone assured me I was, things were going to have to be different this time.
New Words Learned:
Anaglypta – embossed wallpaper : a type of wallpaper that has a permanent raised design
antithesis – a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else
arrabiata – a spicy sauce for pasta made from garlic, tomatoes, and dried red chili peppers cooked in olive oil
contraflow – British two-way traffic on one carriageway of a motorway, esp to allow maintenance work to be carried out or an accident to be cleared
dosh – British slang word for money
judder – (chiefly British) (especially of something mechanical) shake and vibrate rapidly and with force
quattro stagioni – a variety of pizza in Italian cuisine that is prepared in four sections with diverse ingredients with each section representing one season of the year.
Sachertorte – a rich chocolate torte with an apricot jam filling
tailback – In football, the offensive back who lines up farthest behind the line of scrimmage, as in a single wingback or double wingback formation.
Vongole – denoting pasta served with clams and a light sauce of olive oil, garlic, and sometimes tomatoes.
