As you may have realised, I am a huge fan of a psychological thriller – so I am absolutely delighted to kick start the blog and book tour for Save Her by Abigail Osborne. Scroll down to discover the book and the author before we unpick what I made of this book.
The book
Bonded by their traumatic childhoods, Flora and Sophie are inseparable friends who married brothers.
What they could not have anticipated was their mother-in-law, Cecelia. Disappointed that her children have married beneath them, Cecelia takes every opportunity to belittle and taunt her daughter’s-in-law.
When Cecelia learns that Flora and her son are moving away, her wrath escalates, and Flora’s world begins to fall apart.
Meanwhile, Sophie’s life is also crumbling around her. Her marriage is not what it seems, and she is desperate to escape the clutches of the poisonous family she has married into.
Is Flora being tormented or is she losing her mind?
Will Sophie and Flora be forced to leave their husbands in order to survive?
With a mother-in-law like Cecelia, anything is possible…
The author
Abigail is originally from the Lake District but moved to the West Midlands for University where she completed an English Literature & History degree. She lives in Worcestershire with her husband and is a board game fanatic, owning over 70 games. She has a huge collection of books, plays the violin, and used to play the piano until her husband sold it because it was too heavy to keep moving. Save Her is Abigail’s second novel.
My review
So, I read this book in pretty much one sitting. It was the absolute definition of a page turner and I couldn’t put it down. The character descriptions were so thorough, it was easy for me to visualise them all – for example, Cecelia was the embodiment of “Horrible Grandma” from Friday Night Dinner for me, I saw her every time Cecelia was mentioned.
The tension in the story builds and builds. There are so many twists and turns – some people and situations are not what they seem to be and this makes for a very gripping story.
There is one scene in particular that is written in such horrifying detail, I was amazed at Abigail’s skill and imagination. Only to later discover that she employed the method acting priinciples and actually put herself through this abomination to give her re-telling of the situation depth and accuracy. For that alone, she deserves some sort of medal. When you read the book, you will definitely know which scene I am talking about and you too will be impressed and repulsed in equal measure.
Also as the child of alchoholic parents, I can confirm that the depiction of Sophie’s mother is crudely, painfully accurate.
Honestly this is a book not to be missed. I bought a copy for a thriller loving friend and I know this is one I will read again. 5/5
Who wants to join me in lobbying the author for a sequel? I would also love to see this made into a movie or a TV mini series – the Monday at 9pm drama slot on ITV would be perfect.
Grab your copy here (affiliate link)
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Thank you to Abigail Osborne, Bloodhound Books & Love Books Tours for my #gifted copy and the opportunity to take part in the tour for this brilliant book.
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