The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly

The Mistake I Made
By Paula Daly
Published by Transworld (27 August 2015)
ISBN: 978-0593074497

Publisher's description
We all think we know who we are.
What we’re capable of.
Roz is a single mother, a physiotherapist, a sister, a friend. She’s also desperate.
Her business has gone under, she’s crippled by debt and she’s just had to explain to her son why someone’s taken all their furniture away.
But now a stranger has made her an offer. For one night with her, he’ll pay enough to bring her back from the edge.
Roz has a choice to make.

My verdict
I literally couldn't put this book down. The Mistake I Made is written in such a clever way that I just had to read another page, then another and another and so on. The words seep under your skin, as the plot builds and builds. I was savouring every word.

Roz is desperate for money to keep a roof over her and her young son's head. Her ex-husband is useless, providing little in the way of childcare, let alone financial help. So when a stranger offers her a way out, it doesn't take much for her to agree to his suggestion. But not surprisingly, everything goes horribly wrong.

Not only was the plot a fascinating one, but I enjoyed reading the background too - the setting of the Lake District and also the physiotherapy details. Paula Daly had clearly done her research.

The Mistake I Made certainly had the 'wow factor' for me. I think this is Paula Daly's best book yet and I urge you to buy it.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Keep Your Friends Close by Paula Daly

Keep Your Friends Close
By Paula Daly
Published by Corgi - Transworld (Paperback - 21 May 2015)
ISBN: 978-0552169349

Publisher's description
You've been friends since university, when you became the people you are today.

You don't see each other enough but when you do it's as if you've never been apart.

She's one of the family. You would trust her with your life, your children, your husband.

And when your daughter is rushed to hospital, you're grateful that she's stepping in at home, looking after things.

But your best friend isn't who you think she is. You're about to find out just how wrong you were.

My verdict
Keep Your Friends Close is a great psychological thriller and I was absorbed into the story straight away. I was completely gripped and read the book in a couple of hours during one quiet Saturday afternoon.

Natty and Sean think they have a happy marriage until her old university friend Eve decides to pay them a visit. When their teenage daughter Felicity is suddenly taken ill in France, Natty rushes to be by her side - leaving Sean and Eve together at the family home with Felicity's older sister Alice. That's when things go horribly wrong.

Eve is a nasty piece of work. As a result, the book brought several of my emotions to the surface. I shouted (in my mind) at Natty when she told Sean to stay behind with Eve - and then shouted (again in my mind) at Sean too, as it all started to go horribly wrong. I then shouted 'yes' (out loud this time) right at the very end of the book, although I did feel a bit guilty (and worryingly evil) for doing so.

I felt sorry for the two teenagers, who were caught in the middle of the family upheaval and were already a little neglected by both of their hard-working parents. But I did feel that Paula Daly portrayed their teenage angst very well. Sean was a bit too quick to abandon his seemingly happy life with his family, but I guess that may have been down to Eve's highly manipulative influence.

I enjoyed being reunited with DC Joanne Aspinall and her mad aunt Jackie, who appeared in Paula Daly's first novel 'Just What Kind Of Mother Are You?'. I thought it was particularly good that these two characters didn't take over the plot, as this meant that the story could focus on the family instead.

Keep Your Friends Close is a fast-paced read, and I look forward to Paula Daly's next book - The Mistake I Made - which is being published in August 2015.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.