Review by New York Times Review
"I wasn't looking for a boyfriend. 1 hadn't even known I'd wanted one until Adam showed up," Emily says. Other than the fact that his first wife died under mysterious circumstances, Adam seems to be the perfect partner - but his mother, Pammie, is a bullying nightmare, criticizing Emily's weight, sabotaging her friendships, even causing a huge commotion at the party where they become engaged. "Sometimes 1 think it's just silly pettiness," Emily tells her roommate, Pippa, "but then something gnaws away at me, chipping and chipping until I'm convinced she's a bitter, jealous psychopath." Adam is uncharacteristically snippy with her when it comes to his mother: "You're bigger than this, surely? ... Even if Mum has her little foibles ... are you not better to rise above it?" Maybe I've watched too many shows on Lifetime, but to me both Pammie and Adam scream "murderous psychopath." Yes, Emily's situation is complicated by marriage and a baby, but 1 can't figure out why she doesn't just get the hell away from them both, especially when Adam begins to behave badly (having an affair, staying out until the wee hours drinking, that kind of thing) and his mother outand-out kidnaps their child. That Jones fails to make a convincing case for Emily to stay put is a major failing, but it's one you may forgive when you get to the novel's whiplash-inducing final pages. TINA JORDAN is an editor at the Book Review.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 2, 2018]
Review by Booklist Review
Emily has no idea what's in store for her when she responds to Adam Banks' casual flirtation at a London hotel bar. Adam wins her over with clever humor, and their relationship ramps up with heady passion, all signs pointing toward a happy future. That is, until Adam introduces Emily to his mother, Pammie, and their story takes a dark turn. Pammie raises the quintessential codependent-mother shtick to the next level, sabotaging her son's relationship with carefully orchestrated deception, emotional outbursts, and a formidable gaslighting campaign. When Pammie's announcement that she's been diagnosed with cancer prompts Adam to cancel the wedding, Emily is determined to expose Pammie's lies. But, instead of outing Pammie and restoring her healthy relationship with Adam, Emily discovers a terrifying secret about Adam's ex-fiancée's death. This sneak-attack thriller's power is in its relatability; everything from Emily's slightly snarky, confessional tone to her relationship's incremental slide toward discontent is uncomfortably familiar. Emotionally tense, with layers of deception offering strong appeal for fans of Clare Mackintosh, Christobel Kent, and Karen Perry.--Christine Tran Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
To smitten Emily Havistock, the narrator of British author Jones's engrossing-if-flawed first novel, sexy London IT recruiter Adam Banks seems like the perfect catch-until she discovers Adam has a pretty big catch himself: Pammie, his meddlesome widowed mum with whom he seems hopelessly enmeshed. As Emily becomes painfully aware, her sexagenarian adversary will stop at nothing to split up the couple (including faking a breast cancer diagnosis), and, Emily starts to suspect, might even have had a hand in the death of Adam's previous girlfriend. Far from having the desired effect, however, Pammie's machinations make feisty Emily all the more determined to land her guy, a single-minded focus that leads her to ignore glaring warning signs that the volatile Adam might not really be the one for her-or indeed the man she thinks he is. The startling if unbelievable 180 at the end of the road will spin readers' heads, but not enough to compensate for all the contrivance to engineer it. Still, fans of plot-driven psychological thrillers will enjoy the ride. 200,000-copy announced first printing. Agent: Tanera Simons, Darley Anderson (U.K.). (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT When Emily encounters Adam in a crowded London bar, she is immediately attracted to his good looks and boisterous personality. Their relationship is fairy-tale perfect, until Emily is introduced to the other woman in Adam's life-his mother, Pammie, who takes an instant dislike to her. As the relationship with Adam progresses, Pammie's focus on criticizing, belittling, and undermining -Emily rapidly intensifies. She craftily delivers her barbs with Adam out of earshot, which causes him to dismiss and resent her repeated claims against his mother. Emily seems to be fighting a losing battle as the woman's antics threaten to derail the romance. When the schemes turn more serious, Emily fears that her antagonist might be dangerous and decides to take matters into her own hands. VERDICT Pammie is every young woman's worst nightmare: a mean mother-in-law (on steroids) in this addictive debut thriller. Readers' pulses will race as they anticipate how she might strike next and be completely knocked off balance by the shocking ending.-Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A woman meets her dream guy, but his mother is something out of a nightmare in Jones' debut thriller.Emily Havistock is immediately attracted to the handsome Adam Banks when they meet each other's eyes across the room at a networking event for her London consulting firm, and even though she wasn't looking for a boyfriend, it doesn't take long before they're seeing each other every night. Emily's last relationship ended in disaster, but she feels a true connection to Adam, although he's not forthcoming about his past. A couple of months into the relationship, he invites her to meet his mother, Pammie, and assures Emily that Pammie will love her. On the way, when Emily makes a light joke about his mom's taste in music, Adam snaps at her. One would think that Emily might have considered cutting her losses then and there. But, no, Emily is enamored with Adam, so she vows to make it work. What follows is a hellish sequence of passive aggressive nastiness on the part of Pammie that would bring any woman to her knees, begging for mercy. Emily doesn't feel like she can confide in Adam since he treats his mother like a saint, but she does have the support of her flatmate, Pippa, and best friend Seb. It doesn't help that Emily feels undeniable sparks with Adam's younger, very attractive brother, James. Things with Pammie eventually come to a head in a spectacular way, and Emily begins to realize that Adam may not be as perfect as she thought. Emily, who narrates, is relatable even if readers will root for her to put the fiendish, and fiendishly clever, Pammie in her place and smack Adam for not sticking up for her. Jones ratchets up the tension to the breaking point and throws in a curveball that will make readers' heads spin.Melodramatic yet wildly entertaining, with a smashing twist. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
