[b:The Friend|35906836|The Friend|Teresa Driscoll|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516211619s/35906836.jpg|57431536]

Who Needs Friends when you have Frenemy


When I picked up, I was excited because I had loved I Am Watching You by the same author last year. The book begins with Sophie on a train ride, hours from home, when she receives a devastating phone call that her 4-year-old son has been rushed to the hospital and in need of surgery. Sophie left Ben with her good friend Emma and her son Theo for just one night. How did this happen? Is she a bad mother is this her fault? Could it have been prevented? I found the character of Emma slightly off her rocker and a sociopath the whole way through and I loved every minute. I do not want to go too much into the details of the story because for a page turner like this one I think it is far better to go into it blind and guess at every turn. I found the lay out of the story very well done going from present day to flashback and giving the exact time of day in some chapters made you feel right there. Mark the husband you will go through a rollercoaster of what is his play in all this and when you find out you will not see it coming. Another four-star read in January excited to see what this author has planned next. For those of you who have it this is offered on Kindle Unlimited and very worth the read.
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I think I enjoyed this book a little bit more than I Am Watching You, but they both have their pros and cons obviously. Imagine being on a train and not being able to get off once you learn that your four-year-old child has been injured. You left your child with a friend, but maybe that friend isn’t who you thought she was... and that could cause some major problems for your family. Even though your friends and neighbors warned you against this person, you still felt that the two of you clicked immediately. Maybe that should’ve been your first warning sign.
This begins Sophie‘s flight to get off the train and get to her son. Although her husband is on the train with her, he doesn’t seem to be much use to her. Nothing and nobody is going to stop her from getting to her child. Unfortunately being stuck on a moving train put a damper in her plans. But she’s willing to try anything and she does but I don’t want to give all that away.
I enjoyed the different plot twists with this one and a few times I was pretty shocked actually. That says a lot because I’m not usually shocked any longer by the twists in many of these books. ( )

I am probably in the minority here. Having loved I Am Watching You, I was really looking forward to this and I couldn't have been any more disappointed. It just took a very long time for anything to happen, and when it did, it was very slow developing. 95% of the book is the main character telling her story of meeting and becoming friends with the new woman in town. The book just didn't grip me at all. After a couple chapters, it was obvious what the plotline would be, mainly because the book jumped from present to past, present kind of giving the story away. Yes, there were a few mediocre surprises along the way but nothing exciting and I found the characters very dull. I was waiting for the promised 'big twist' which was not particularly big or dramatic. Thankfully it was a quick read and I was able to finish it but I just wasn't very impressed after turning that final page. Meh. ( )

In rapid fire chapters that alternate between the present and the past, Sophie tells of the troubles in her marriage due to the depression she experienced when she had her first child, and her inability to accept she could not have another one. She has put her job on hold, hoping for another child, and has frustrated her husband because she insists a move to the countryside would alleviate all her problems. Instead their marriage grows apart and she finds herself leaning on the shoulders of Emma, another newbie to the village.

The two soon become close friends, but Sophie can’t understand why her husband and other friends don’t like Emma. What she doesn’t know is that Emma has a secret plan that will leave her marriage teetering on the edge and will rock their little village to its core.

I thought the storyline of the mysterious stranger with a strange past was a good one, but the constant shifting of perspective in the changing chapters got very confusing. Sometimes the chapters went a few days into the past, other times it was years.

It was too hectic for me to give it more than 3 stars, but I will leave it up to you Adult readers to decide if you want to read it or not.

Book review link: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2019/09/22/the-friend-by-teresa-driscol... ( )

When Emma and her son Theo moved to Tedbury Cross, Sophie welcomed her as they quickly became friends. As Sophie and her husband Mark had a son Ben who wasn’t much older than Theo, Sophie and Emma became fast friends as did Ben and Theo.

But as much as Sophie liked Emma, people in the town, including Mark didn’t like Emma, warned her about Emma and soon there were whispers and rumours about Emma. Why did Emma move here? How could Emma afford the beautiful house she had? Why did Emma avoid talk of her past and the recent death of her mother?

Emma appeared at the right time. After a long time of depression after the birth of Ben, Sophie still hadn’t returned to work and was longing for a second child. Emma filled that gap she had in her life. But maybe the arrival of Emma wasn’t the gift she thought it was.

This novel goes back and forth from past to present as little by little the story is revealed. Very cleverly written, I was drawn to the story in each chapter, given hints and cliffhangers that made me need to know more and need to find the answers. The reader gets just about there, and then we are flung back to the past or present making us intrigued to get the answers to the unknown.

There are a few delicious twists that I fully appreciated. This novel kept me fully engaged and anxious to know it all and what it all meant. I highly recommend this psychological thriller. ( )