My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me: 1. I’m in a coma. 2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore. 3. Sometimes I lie.
This book begins with main protagonist Amber lying in a hospital bed, unsure of how she got there but undeniably in a coma. Relying on only her hearing and the snatched conversations she gleans from her visitors she starts to piece together exactly what led her to this point.
The story is divided into three narratives, each from Ambers point of view but from across different timelines. One whilst she is comatose, the second in the weeks leading up to her hospitalisation and the third in the form of childhood diaries.
It is made quite clear from the start that sometimes-Amber lies, and therefore throughout the book it is hard for the reader to take anything she says at face value. This only serves to make the book impeccably intriguing.
The characters aren’t extremely likeable but I found this mainly to be due to not knowing whom you could trust. I was suspicious of everyone and therefore didn’t find myself empathising with any individual.
As someone who, more often than not, guesses the plot twists ahead of time I can happily say this one had me stumped for the most part.
Feeney’s writing is brilliant, bordering on genius, she links and explains every twist flawlessly. For a debut novel, it is complex, intelligent and terrifying in equal measures. Certainly, not one to be missed!
** Thank you to Harlequin (UK) Limited, via NetGalley, for this ARC **