Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Hide and Seek

They say females experience heart attacks differently to men and honestly I wonder at times if reading an Andrea Mara book is in a way a similar experience. Andrea has this uncanny ability to create a layer of tension that imposes itself on the reader from the very first page and it does not relent until you get to that relief inducing last chapter. I for one had several moments within this book where I was left gasping for breath, with a tightness in my chest and a panicked pulse.

I think Andrea's talent in creating such an extreme reaction in her readers is in one part due to how she writes so fluidly and realistically. While there may be layers upon layers of twists imbedded within the plotline at no point do her words feel over written, the story always feels far too real and plausible. There are so many relatable snippets that you are immersed into a world you recognise and feel comfortable in, until those stark, jarring moments when you're not.

A lot of thriller writers in recent years seem to be fans of the slow burn approach and often that can leave a reader underwhelmed. The opening section of Hide and Seek immediately grabs hold of you, slaps you in the face and leaves you cast aside agonising over what's to come.

Within the many glowing reviews of Andrea's books she is frequently called the Irish thriller Queen or Queen of the unexpected twist and inside the pages of Hide and Seek she proves yet again why she will always retain that title. Andrea flawlessly spins a web of mystery and ensnares you into a false sense of security, in which you think you have it all figured out, you know exactly who is to blame and then she violently rips the carpet right-out from under you.

Alongside the tension you could cut with a knife and those whiplash inducing plot twists the book is full of characters that are relatable. Some you will see in yourself, others are that annoying neighbour a few doors over that never smiles, remember that family down the road that seem to have it all or even that cluster of snotty Mummies at the school gates. We all know these characters, whether we love or hate them, it becomes ridiculously hard not to become invested in them.

Hence why despite recieving my advanced reading copy at 9am after an 11 hour night shift, I sat in bed and got through about 50% of the book in one sitting. I woke with my kindle slapped on my face wondering what just happened and where the hell was Lily.

An unputdownable page turner which will have you gripped from the opening lines, and tortured until you find out the staggering truth about Lily and those around her. All is not what it seems in these quiet leafy Dublin suburbs.

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