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Keep Her Close
Someone took your daughter. And nobody believes you …
Then:
Three-year-old Ally was found alone in a parking lot.
She was barefoot and dressed only in a yellow sundress. In the middle of winter.
What kind of person would abandon their daughter?
Now:
Fifteen years later and Ally has a new family.
But her real father has sent her a letter.
And now Ally is missing.
A gripping twist-filled thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and Teresa Driscoll.
Then:
Three-year-old Ally was found alone in a parking lot.
She was barefoot and dressed only in a yellow sundress. In the middle of winter.
What kind of person would abandon their daughter?
Now:
Fifteen years later and Ally has a new family.
But her real father has sent her a letter.
And now Ally is missing.
A gripping twist-filled thriller that will have you looking over your shoulder. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train and Teresa Driscoll.
232 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2018
123 people are currently reading
3009 people want to read
About the author
Erik Therme
11 books612 followersErik Therme has thrashed in garage bands, inadvertently harbored runaways, and met Darth Vader. He currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only twenty-eight places in the world that UNESCO has certified as a City of Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
December 23, 2018
This fast-paced thriller has some wild characters and a twisty plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page! Erik Therme’s newest novel Keep Her Close is quite a ride, taking the reader through some of the seedier parts of town and introducing characters that feel straight out of a movie. Readers will not find a slow moment in this book!
Read my full review on my blog, PhDiva.blo!
Reflection
Fifteen years ago a 3-year old was found abandoned in a parking lot with her mother dead on the ground below, having jumped. The novel pulls us to the present, where adoptive parents Dan and Holly are now divorced, but meeting up to celebrate Ally’s birthday. The only problem is, Ally has gone to meet her birth father and now she is missing.
I found Dan to be a fun character to follow as he tracked down Ally’s whereabouts relentlessly. Though I wouldn’t say Dan is a likeable character (his anger and impulsivity are clear problems), I did totally empathize with how panicked he was that his daughter might be in harm’s way.
I wasn’t sure about this book at first, but as it went along I did find the twists really fun. This is a book that requires the reader to loosen up and just enjoy the ride! It is really the book equivalent of watching an action-packed thriller on film.
Thank you to the author for a copy of this book to review.
Read my full review on my blog, PhDiva.blo!
Reflection
Fifteen years ago a 3-year old was found abandoned in a parking lot with her mother dead on the ground below, having jumped. The novel pulls us to the present, where adoptive parents Dan and Holly are now divorced, but meeting up to celebrate Ally’s birthday. The only problem is, Ally has gone to meet her birth father and now she is missing.
I found Dan to be a fun character to follow as he tracked down Ally’s whereabouts relentlessly. Though I wouldn’t say Dan is a likeable character (his anger and impulsivity are clear problems), I did totally empathize with how panicked he was that his daughter might be in harm’s way.
I wasn’t sure about this book at first, but as it went along I did find the twists really fun. This is a book that requires the reader to loosen up and just enjoy the ride! It is really the book equivalent of watching an action-packed thriller on film.
Thank you to the author for a copy of this book to review.
June 19, 2019
5☆ Unputdownable, Unpredictable, Twisty Thrilling Must Read!
Oh Wow what a read!
It kept me hooked the whole way through I couldn't put it down!
As much as i want to shout about this book and believe me I do it's Unputdownable!
But I also don't want to risk giving anything away!
The Blurb is juicy enough to give you some idea of what to expect from this cleverly plotted book! After all its what drew me in!
Keep Her Close is a Gritty, pacy, twisty, suspenseful, whirlwind of a book where you should expect the unexpected.
From a few chapters in I thought I had things sussed... But nope I was wrong!.as out popped another red herring to throw me.
I love my books exactly like this. Where you never know what to expect, the characters are perfectly written for the plot, the twists are cleverly plotted, and it gets my heart racing till the very end..... and Erik Therme has ticked every box!
Would I recommend reading this utterly thrilling, twisty read.... Without a Doubt.....
100%.... Yes!
It's definitely one of my Top 10 Books so far this year!
I'm really excited to read more from Erik Therme.
Thank you to Sarah at Book On The Bright Side Tours for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my Blog Website :-
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2019/0...
Oh Wow what a read!
It kept me hooked the whole way through I couldn't put it down!
As much as i want to shout about this book and believe me I do it's Unputdownable!
But I also don't want to risk giving anything away!
The Blurb is juicy enough to give you some idea of what to expect from this cleverly plotted book! After all its what drew me in!
Keep Her Close is a Gritty, pacy, twisty, suspenseful, whirlwind of a book where you should expect the unexpected.
From a few chapters in I thought I had things sussed... But nope I was wrong!.as out popped another red herring to throw me.
I love my books exactly like this. Where you never know what to expect, the characters are perfectly written for the plot, the twists are cleverly plotted, and it gets my heart racing till the very end..... and Erik Therme has ticked every box!
Would I recommend reading this utterly thrilling, twisty read.... Without a Doubt.....
100%.... Yes!
It's definitely one of my Top 10 Books so far this year!
I'm really excited to read more from Erik Therme.
Thank you to Sarah at Book On The Bright Side Tours for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my Blog Website :-
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2019/0...
November 30, 2018
I received a free e-copy of Keep Her Close by Erik Therme from Netgalley for my honest review.
Ally was abandoned in a parking lot at the age of three. She was adopted by the couple that had found her. Ally is an adult now and she receives a letter from her real father who wants to meet her. She goes to meet him but now she is missing. Worse yet, she never told anyone that she was going. This was an okay read, but unrealistic. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but struggled with connecting with the characters. This is a psychological thriller that has lots of twists.
Ally was abandoned in a parking lot at the age of three. She was adopted by the couple that had found her. Ally is an adult now and she receives a letter from her real father who wants to meet her. She goes to meet him but now she is missing. Worse yet, she never told anyone that she was going. This was an okay read, but unrealistic. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but struggled with connecting with the characters. This is a psychological thriller that has lots of twists.
November 24, 2018
When Dan and Holly find an abandoned 3 year old girl on a parking lot with a sign saying “ Free to a good home” they end up adopting her and calling her Ally.
When Ally is 18 she receives a letter from her real Dad saying he has Cancer and wants to meet up. She goes to meet him then consequently goes missing.
I really liked the storyline but at times it became farcical with lots of side plots that meandered off on their own. It wasn’t totally realistic but then fiction is meant to be an escape from reality!!! And this certainly does that.
I would best describe Dan’s character as being like a bull in a china shop, rushing off to find his adopted daughter, who was naive enough to believe everything that she is told. He was a bit far fetched but then no one can say how they would react to their daughter going missing and he had been known to have a temper!!
Still a very good book that’s easy to read and intriguing.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
When Ally is 18 she receives a letter from her real Dad saying he has Cancer and wants to meet up. She goes to meet him then consequently goes missing.
I really liked the storyline but at times it became farcical with lots of side plots that meandered off on their own. It wasn’t totally realistic but then fiction is meant to be an escape from reality!!! And this certainly does that.
I would best describe Dan’s character as being like a bull in a china shop, rushing off to find his adopted daughter, who was naive enough to believe everything that she is told. He was a bit far fetched but then no one can say how they would react to their daughter going missing and he had been known to have a temper!!
Still a very good book that’s easy to read and intriguing.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
November 23, 2018
This book started off so well but unfortunately did not keep going for me. I found it totally unbelievable and far fetched.. to the point where it made me laugh. I wanted to love this book but maybe my standards are too high after reading so many brilliant books this year.
Ally was abandoned in a parking lot at the age of 3... now aged 18 she has a new family and life. She receives a letter from her biological father and she is desperate to know where she really came from. Against her families better judgement she goes to meet him - without telling anybody. And now her family and friends can't find her.
It started of really well and I was engrossed in the story but then it just went way off tangent and brought in some completely unrealistic characters and it lost it for me. It was a good story, but could have been better.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in now way biased.
Ally was abandoned in a parking lot at the age of 3... now aged 18 she has a new family and life. She receives a letter from her biological father and she is desperate to know where she really came from. Against her families better judgement she goes to meet him - without telling anybody. And now her family and friends can't find her.
It started of really well and I was engrossed in the story but then it just went way off tangent and brought in some completely unrealistic characters and it lost it for me. It was a good story, but could have been better.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in now way biased.
February 20, 2019
Phew, what a crazy, intense read this one was! You know those one sitting, edge of your seat type of reads that only come along occasionally? Keep Her Close is that kind of read, it was wild.
The less you know about this one, the better, there are so many insane twists and turns all the way through that I can’t say much more than what the blurb reveals or I would be verging into spoiler territory. It’s incredibly fast paced, exciting and played off all of my worst fears as parent. I will say that there were a couple of instances where I had to suspend a little disbelief, but I honestly didn’t care because I was so entertained. This had the type of ending that shocks and awes, totally explosive and unexpected. I kept thinking this would make for a great action movie too, it had that same great adrenaline rush and nonstop action. Overall just a really fun, entertaining read!
Keep Her Close in three words: Tense, Explosive and Addictive.
The less you know about this one, the better, there are so many insane twists and turns all the way through that I can’t say much more than what the blurb reveals or I would be verging into spoiler territory. It’s incredibly fast paced, exciting and played off all of my worst fears as parent. I will say that there were a couple of instances where I had to suspend a little disbelief, but I honestly didn’t care because I was so entertained. This had the type of ending that shocks and awes, totally explosive and unexpected. I kept thinking this would make for a great action movie too, it had that same great adrenaline rush and nonstop action. Overall just a really fun, entertaining read!
Keep Her Close in three words: Tense, Explosive and Addictive.
November 11, 2018
This was one of the most twisted fantasies that I have ever read. Whaaaat… where… how… do I say it is fantasy when the cover looks like the psychological thriller?
Yes, it was a thriller, but it was the most fantastical one that I have ever read, and believe me, I’ve read many. And not in a good way at all!! The book had so many twists that I could just read wide-eyed and open-mouthed, worried where the story was going because it made so many in-roads into so many unnecessary details that I was afraid the plot got lost half the way. You have to read it to believe it!! Oh my!!
The concept was very exciting, it did tell us about a 3-year-old child abandoned then adopted by the family who found her. And fifteen years later, she received a letter from the real dad asking her to meet him. She did and she disappeared!!
But the delivery failed for me as the author Erik Hermes took the plot all over the place, with exaggerated sub-plots and unnecessary details and characters. None of that added much to the story anything, just to my slack-jawed incredulous-ness !! (If there is such a word, if not, there should be. I am totally owning it up.)
The characters were unlikable, most were not so intelligent (I want to call them dumb), the story got skewered by the dialogues, sub-plots went on a jaunt all on their own, the ending was fantastically unbelievable!! This book was a total merry-go-round, and I freaking hate them!! I get motion sickness!
Why did I read the book, you wonder?!! I couldn’t stop, how does one stop a merry-go-round? My mind was churning after the read!! Whew.
Yes, it was a thriller, but it was the most fantastical one that I have ever read, and believe me, I’ve read many. And not in a good way at all!! The book had so many twists that I could just read wide-eyed and open-mouthed, worried where the story was going because it made so many in-roads into so many unnecessary details that I was afraid the plot got lost half the way. You have to read it to believe it!! Oh my!!
The concept was very exciting, it did tell us about a 3-year-old child abandoned then adopted by the family who found her. And fifteen years later, she received a letter from the real dad asking her to meet him. She did and she disappeared!!
But the delivery failed for me as the author Erik Hermes took the plot all over the place, with exaggerated sub-plots and unnecessary details and characters. None of that added much to the story anything, just to my slack-jawed incredulous-ness !! (If there is such a word, if not, there should be. I am totally owning it up.)
The characters were unlikable, most were not so intelligent (I want to call them dumb), the story got skewered by the dialogues, sub-plots went on a jaunt all on their own, the ending was fantastically unbelievable!! This book was a total merry-go-round, and I freaking hate them!! I get motion sickness!
Why did I read the book, you wonder?!! I couldn’t stop, how does one stop a merry-go-round? My mind was churning after the read!! Whew.
October 13, 2018
3.5 Stars
Ally was found alone in a parking lot, dirty, barefooted, in the middle of winter. She was 3 years old. A short way away was the body of a woman. She had jumped or been pushed off the roof. Her mother? Aunt? Her father was never found.
A young couple who found her ended up adopting her. She's been the light for both her new parents.
It is now 15 years later. Ally is well-adjusted .. living away from home for the first time .. and she's just received a letter from her 'real' father. He says he's dying from cancer and wants to see her just once before he dies. Her adopted father scoffs at the genuineness of the letter. How did he find her? Why hasn't he contacted her before?
Days later, Ally disappears.
This is the rapid race of parents trying to find their daughter. No one really believes she has been abducted... not her supposed boyfriend they know nothing about .... not her roommate who harbors a deep resentment of her friend. There are plenty of other suspects to keep an eyes on. Secrecy and lies abound. Who can they trust? Where is their daughter?
This was a quick read ... suspenseful ... questionable characters. I didn't find it entirely credible ... but it is called fiction for a reason. The ending was not what I expected ..and either the author is planning a follow up book or this is one of those books you make your own ending.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of KEEP HER CLOSE. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Ally was found alone in a parking lot, dirty, barefooted, in the middle of winter. She was 3 years old. A short way away was the body of a woman. She had jumped or been pushed off the roof. Her mother? Aunt? Her father was never found.
A young couple who found her ended up adopting her. She's been the light for both her new parents.
It is now 15 years later. Ally is well-adjusted .. living away from home for the first time .. and she's just received a letter from her 'real' father. He says he's dying from cancer and wants to see her just once before he dies. Her adopted father scoffs at the genuineness of the letter. How did he find her? Why hasn't he contacted her before?
Days later, Ally disappears.
This is the rapid race of parents trying to find their daughter. No one really believes she has been abducted... not her supposed boyfriend they know nothing about .... not her roommate who harbors a deep resentment of her friend. There are plenty of other suspects to keep an eyes on. Secrecy and lies abound. Who can they trust? Where is their daughter?
This was a quick read ... suspenseful ... questionable characters. I didn't find it entirely credible ... but it is called fiction for a reason. The ending was not what I expected ..and either the author is planning a follow up book or this is one of those books you make your own ending.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of KEEP HER CLOSE. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
November 6, 2018
Ally is a typical eighteen year old who has just recently left home and is doing her best to make it in the world. Even though her adoptive parents, Holly and Dan are no longer together, you can still feel the tight family unit that they have. All they want is the best for their little girl and I could totally get why alarm bells would be ringing when a letter turns up out of the blue from her real father.
Dan is the type of person who acts first and thinks later. Whilst he may not be the most rationalist of people, there is no doubting his love for his daughter and that he will do anything to find her when she goes missing. As a parent myself, I couldn't imagine anything worse than a child going missing, even if they are eighteen.
The author had me totally engrossed in what I was reading. I was desperate to find out more about where Ally had gone and to finding out more about her real parents. There are so many twists and turns throughout that had me totally glued to what was happening within the pages. It will have you changing your mind about certain characters as the author very cleverly messes with your head.
Keep Her Close is without a doubt my favourite novel by this author. There were tons of suspense that builds up to a more than satisfying climax. An absolute page turner of a read!
My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
Dan is the type of person who acts first and thinks later. Whilst he may not be the most rationalist of people, there is no doubting his love for his daughter and that he will do anything to find her when she goes missing. As a parent myself, I couldn't imagine anything worse than a child going missing, even if they are eighteen.
The author had me totally engrossed in what I was reading. I was desperate to find out more about where Ally had gone and to finding out more about her real parents. There are so many twists and turns throughout that had me totally glued to what was happening within the pages. It will have you changing your mind about certain characters as the author very cleverly messes with your head.
Keep Her Close is without a doubt my favourite novel by this author. There were tons of suspense that builds up to a more than satisfying climax. An absolute page turner of a read!
My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
December 6, 2018
Having enjoyed Erik Therme's previous novels I was eager to begin Keep Her Close, but the interesting and promising premise was poorly executed, unfortunately. The first few chapters were exciting and engaging, and I thought this was going to be a corker of a read, but it was not meant to be. I don't mind a large cast of characters if they actually progress the story, but there were simply too many irrelevant people hanging around. It also irritated me that most characters were not exactly the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, and I found it difficult to accept their decisions because they seemed like the sort of choices a child would make (no offence to children). This meant that connecting and investing in the characters, something I don't usually have a problem with, was a difficult job. I was very close to giving up.
That said, there were some excellent twists and the writing was pretty sound and easy to follow. I usually don't mind lack of realism in a book, purely because fiction is an escape, but I have my boundaries, and this crossed into laughable territory it was that far-fetched. I think farcical would be the best way to describe it. I loved Therme's other novels, so I am really saddened that this book descended into chaos pretty quickly, going off on random tangents and then literally losing the plot. I hope the authors next novel brings me back into the fold as a fan.
Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.
That said, there were some excellent twists and the writing was pretty sound and easy to follow. I usually don't mind lack of realism in a book, purely because fiction is an escape, but I have my boundaries, and this crossed into laughable territory it was that far-fetched. I think farcical would be the best way to describe it. I loved Therme's other novels, so I am really saddened that this book descended into chaos pretty quickly, going off on random tangents and then literally losing the plot. I hope the authors next novel brings me back into the fold as a fan.
Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.
June 23, 2019
I read Erik Therme’s Mortom a few years back and really enjoyed the dark mystery he’d written so when Bookouture announced they’d signed him, I was intrigued to see what he would be writing! And I’ve got to say, I was not disappointed with Keep Her Close.
The whole book made me question who I should believe? Ally’s life seemed to be filled with people incapable of being honest with her. As the story began to unravel the truths, it becomes all too apparent why people have been keeping matters from Ally.
I devoured this fast paced thriller in 24 hours. My eyes wouldn’t leave the kindle, I was wrapped up in the hunt for Ally. Dan and Holly’s anguish and fear filled me as I read the events before me.
Erik Therme has woven an intriguing thriller with plenty of twists to keep my attention glued to the page. I’ll definitely be catching up on his other books.
The whole book made me question who I should believe? Ally’s life seemed to be filled with people incapable of being honest with her. As the story began to unravel the truths, it becomes all too apparent why people have been keeping matters from Ally.
I devoured this fast paced thriller in 24 hours. My eyes wouldn’t leave the kindle, I was wrapped up in the hunt for Ally. Dan and Holly’s anguish and fear filled me as I read the events before me.
Erik Therme has woven an intriguing thriller with plenty of twists to keep my attention glued to the page. I’ll definitely be catching up on his other books.
June 23, 2019
Right off the bat, the author throws us into a gut-wrenching prologue where Dan and Holly discover an abandoned three-year old girl with a sign that says ‘free to a good home’. To add to their horror, the body of the little girl’s mother lay mangled at the bottom of a parking garage from an apparent suicide.
The story fast forwards 15 years, and eighteen year old Ally has comfortably adjusted to her new life with her parents Dan and Holly even though they divorced and Holly remarried. Ally is now living with her friend Ellie while attending college. Things change for Ally when she receives a startling letter from someone who claims to be her biological father and is dying from cancer. She immediately reaches out to Dan seeking his advice as well as wanting to find out the truth of her biological parents. Dan dismisses the letter as a hoax thinking that his daughter is getting worked up for no reason. Unfortunately, without telling Dan and Holly, Ally disappears to meet her biological father a few days later and no one seems to know her whereabouts.
This fast-paced thriller is a quick read that I was able to tear through in a day. I was immediately sucked into the plot just from the prologue. The author did a fantastic job of painting such a horrifying scene that immediately made you gravitate towards Dan, Holly, and Ally as characters.
At several points in this story, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Taken where Liam Neeson is on the mission from hell and will stop at nothing to find his daughter. That is exactly how Dan is. I loved Dan as a character because he doesn’t hide his flaws. He’s got anger issues. He’s made questionable decisions in the past, but his motives always revolve around his loved ones. He will do whatever it takes to find his daughter.
As we learned more information about the letter as well as digging deeper into Ally’s life, we were lead down a series of twists and turns. Some of these were a bit predictable, but the ending was a complete surprise. Overall, if you’re looking for a fast paced thriller filled with secrets and betrayal then this book is for you.
A HUGE thank you to Sarah Hardy for the blog tour invitation as well as providing an ebook for review. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
The story fast forwards 15 years, and eighteen year old Ally has comfortably adjusted to her new life with her parents Dan and Holly even though they divorced and Holly remarried. Ally is now living with her friend Ellie while attending college. Things change for Ally when she receives a startling letter from someone who claims to be her biological father and is dying from cancer. She immediately reaches out to Dan seeking his advice as well as wanting to find out the truth of her biological parents. Dan dismisses the letter as a hoax thinking that his daughter is getting worked up for no reason. Unfortunately, without telling Dan and Holly, Ally disappears to meet her biological father a few days later and no one seems to know her whereabouts.
This fast-paced thriller is a quick read that I was able to tear through in a day. I was immediately sucked into the plot just from the prologue. The author did a fantastic job of painting such a horrifying scene that immediately made you gravitate towards Dan, Holly, and Ally as characters.
At several points in this story, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Taken where Liam Neeson is on the mission from hell and will stop at nothing to find his daughter. That is exactly how Dan is. I loved Dan as a character because he doesn’t hide his flaws. He’s got anger issues. He’s made questionable decisions in the past, but his motives always revolve around his loved ones. He will do whatever it takes to find his daughter.
As we learned more information about the letter as well as digging deeper into Ally’s life, we were lead down a series of twists and turns. Some of these were a bit predictable, but the ending was a complete surprise. Overall, if you’re looking for a fast paced thriller filled with secrets and betrayal then this book is for you.
A HUGE thank you to Sarah Hardy for the blog tour invitation as well as providing an ebook for review. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
June 18, 2019
No matter how old or big Ally gets, she is always going to be her daddy’s little girl. She had been a kind of special delivery because Dan and Holly had found her in the multi-story car park at age three, her mum dead a few levels below after jumping off. So not your typical becoming parents scenario.
Now 18, and still very much a daddy’s girl, she receives a letter from a man claiming to be her real father and wanting to meet up. Ally goes alone and simply vanishes. Now Dan is on a mission to find his daughter because something just doesn’t feel right to him about the whole thing. Dan obviously needs to know that Ally is safe but there is also a feeling that he is scared stiff that he may lose his little girl to this new guy. Look out world there is a man on a mission!
Although the situation was very serious, I did have to laugh at Dan, he really is quite a character. Most of the story is very tense and becomes more sinister as I got further into it. There aren’t too many key characters in the story so the plot is very easy to follow although as the pace picks up so do the twists. I learned to take nothing for granted.
A really good mystery and super entertaining characters. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
I wish to thank Book on the Bright Side for an e-copy of this book, which I have reviewed honestly.
Now 18, and still very much a daddy’s girl, she receives a letter from a man claiming to be her real father and wanting to meet up. Ally goes alone and simply vanishes. Now Dan is on a mission to find his daughter because something just doesn’t feel right to him about the whole thing. Dan obviously needs to know that Ally is safe but there is also a feeling that he is scared stiff that he may lose his little girl to this new guy. Look out world there is a man on a mission!
Although the situation was very serious, I did have to laugh at Dan, he really is quite a character. Most of the story is very tense and becomes more sinister as I got further into it. There aren’t too many key characters in the story so the plot is very easy to follow although as the pace picks up so do the twists. I learned to take nothing for granted.
A really good mystery and super entertaining characters. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
I wish to thank Book on the Bright Side for an e-copy of this book, which I have reviewed honestly.
December 5, 2018
You know the feeling when someone stands behind you, gives you a push in the back and you can't help falling? Well, this is what the beginning of the book did to me. I was immediately immersed in the story.
My mind took me in a certain direction, but the author decided to take a turn and I loved it. He took me on a totally different path and what is a psychological thriller without that one brilliant crazy person? The author certainly created a gem of a twisted mind.
Normally at the end of a book, everything should be crystal clear, but because the author had us already fooled once, maybe it did it again? That is for me to know and for you to find out ...
A very good book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you, Erik Therme, Bookouture and Netgalley.
https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com
My mind took me in a certain direction, but the author decided to take a turn and I loved it. He took me on a totally different path and what is a psychological thriller without that one brilliant crazy person? The author certainly created a gem of a twisted mind.
Normally at the end of a book, everything should be crystal clear, but because the author had us already fooled once, maybe it did it again? That is for me to know and for you to find out ...
A very good book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thank you, Erik Therme, Bookouture and Netgalley.
https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com
January 18, 2019
While on their way to a midnight movie, Dan and Holly, a young married couple find an abandoned 3 year old girl wearing a yellow dress in the parking garage. Three stories below is the body of a woman in a pool of blood believed to be her mother. Dan and Holly adopt the little girl and name her Ally. Fifteen years later, Ally is sent a letter from a man claiming to be her real father and he would like to see her before he dies of cancer. Ally has always had questions about her “real” family and thinks nothing of going to meet some stranger against the wishes of her parents. When Dan and Holly go looking for Ally, they find her missing and will do everything in their power to bring their daughter back home. Has Ally really found her father or has it all been just a ruse?
Keep Her Close by Erik Therme really starts out pretty strong. I found myself really getting into the storyline and wondering if the letter Ally received is from her father or if something else is going on that goes even deeper. The story is full of twists that kept me guessing and engaged with the story. However, I never really connected with any of the characters. I did like Dan and his unwavering love for his daughter and the lengths he would go to find and protect her, but sometimes he did things that made me shake my head over. There are quite a few characters that I felt could have been left out as they really did add anything relevant to the main story. Plus, I didn’t necessarily feel like most of these extra characters were the smartest in the bunch and a lot of their storylines were pretty far fetched even for a fiction book.
Keep Her Close is an easy read and the mystery/thriller aspect kept me guessing, but the story did fall flat for me just a bit. Did I still enjoy it? Yes! It is a quick and easy read and I found myself engrossed even though there were a few issues for me with the characters and the story. What kept me going were the twists in the story which were really well done.
Keep Her Close by Erik Therme really starts out pretty strong. I found myself really getting into the storyline and wondering if the letter Ally received is from her father or if something else is going on that goes even deeper. The story is full of twists that kept me guessing and engaged with the story. However, I never really connected with any of the characters. I did like Dan and his unwavering love for his daughter and the lengths he would go to find and protect her, but sometimes he did things that made me shake my head over. There are quite a few characters that I felt could have been left out as they really did add anything relevant to the main story. Plus, I didn’t necessarily feel like most of these extra characters were the smartest in the bunch and a lot of their storylines were pretty far fetched even for a fiction book.
Keep Her Close is an easy read and the mystery/thriller aspect kept me guessing, but the story did fall flat for me just a bit. Did I still enjoy it? Yes! It is a quick and easy read and I found myself engrossed even though there were a few issues for me with the characters and the story. What kept me going were the twists in the story which were really well done.
November 24, 2018
When Dan and Holly find an abandoned 3 year old girl on a parking lot with a sign saying “ Free to a good home” they end up adopting her and calling her Ally.
When Ally is 18 she receives a letter from her real Dad saying he has Cancer and wants to meet up. She goes to meet him then consequently goes missing.
I really liked the storyline but at times it became farcical with lots of side plots that meandered off on their own. It wasn’t totally realistic but then fiction is meant to be an escape from reality!!! And this certainly does that.
I would best describe Dan’s character as being like a bull in a china shop, rushing off to find his adopted daughter, who was naive enough to believe everything that she is told. He was a bit far fetched but then no one can say how they would react to their daughter going missing and he had been known to have a temper!!
Still a very good book that’s easy to read and intriguing.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
When Ally is 18 she receives a letter from her real Dad saying he has Cancer and wants to meet up. She goes to meet him then consequently goes missing.
I really liked the storyline but at times it became farcical with lots of side plots that meandered off on their own. It wasn’t totally realistic but then fiction is meant to be an escape from reality!!! And this certainly does that.
I would best describe Dan’s character as being like a bull in a china shop, rushing off to find his adopted daughter, who was naive enough to believe everything that she is told. He was a bit far fetched but then no one can say how they would react to their daughter going missing and he had been known to have a temper!!
Still a very good book that’s easy to read and intriguing.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
December 28, 2018
If there’s one thing this Ginger Book Geek likes, it’s discovering new authors and Erik Therme is certainly a new author to me. I couldn’t wait to start reading and so without further ado, I jumped straight in. I was not to be disappointed as I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Keep Her Close’ but more about that in a bit.
I couldn’t help but feel for Ally right from the very start of the book and I ended up feeling very protective of her. When the story opens a very young Ally is on her own in a car park with a note saying that she is free to a good home. If I could have swooped in to take her to a safe place then I would have. She could have been picked up by one of the many predators out there. It emerges that a close female relative has fallen to her death. nearby. Fortunately a kind hearted couple come across Ally and ensure that she is safe before notifying the authorities. A few years later we meet Ally again, who has been adopted by the kind hearted couple, who found her all those years ago. Ally is now an adult but she still has lots of unanswered questions about her background and it isn’t surprising that when somebody claiming to be her birth father gets in touch and wants to build a relationship with her much to her adoptive parents’ disgust. I could certainly understand why she was so eager to meet this man but at the same time I think that she was jumping in with both feet without making the necessary checks to either verify his claims or to disprove them. She could have been walking into anything. Ally is kind, generous, perhaps a bit too trusting, friendly, supportive, considerate and compassionate. She is certainly someone I wouldn’t mind having as a friend. I have to admit that I was a bit unsure about the motives of the man claiming to be her birth father but at the same time I couldn’t help but hope that she had found her birth father and that she would finally get the answers she needs about her background. I was keeping everything crossed for her that she got the happy ending that she so deserved. Does she? Well you are going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
‘Keep Her Close’ is very well written and easy to get into. The author has a writing style that is easy to get to grips with and to enjoy. The Prologue begins in such an upsetting way that will ensure this book stays fresh in my memory for a long time to come. From that moment onwards ‘Keep Her Close’ became an addiction for me. I found the book to be unputdownable and I read it in one go. I was gripped by the storylines and I was so ‘into’ the book that I began to ‘live’ the story and I found myself interacting with the book. I just couldn’t bear to be parted from the book without first knowing if Ally was safe and whether the man claiming to be her birth father was who he said he was. The deeper I got into the story, the quicker the pages seemed to be turning as I raced towards the end. I had mixed feelings about finishing the book. Don’t get me wrong I was pleased to finish because at least I knew how the story ended but I wasn’t pleased to finish because I was enjoying the author’s writing style, the storylines and the characters so much that I just wanted the book to continue.
Reading ‘Keep Her Close’ was much like being on an occasionally scary and very unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns that I care to mention. I smugly thought that I had worked out the details of what had happened, to whom and why only to realise that I had the wrong end of the stick altogether and the solution was something else entirely. The plot of this book certainly kept me on my toes and kept me guessing all the way through.
In short I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Keep Her Close’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I can’t wait to read what Erik comes up with next. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
I couldn’t help but feel for Ally right from the very start of the book and I ended up feeling very protective of her. When the story opens a very young Ally is on her own in a car park with a note saying that she is free to a good home. If I could have swooped in to take her to a safe place then I would have. She could have been picked up by one of the many predators out there. It emerges that a close female relative has fallen to her death. nearby. Fortunately a kind hearted couple come across Ally and ensure that she is safe before notifying the authorities. A few years later we meet Ally again, who has been adopted by the kind hearted couple, who found her all those years ago. Ally is now an adult but she still has lots of unanswered questions about her background and it isn’t surprising that when somebody claiming to be her birth father gets in touch and wants to build a relationship with her much to her adoptive parents’ disgust. I could certainly understand why she was so eager to meet this man but at the same time I think that she was jumping in with both feet without making the necessary checks to either verify his claims or to disprove them. She could have been walking into anything. Ally is kind, generous, perhaps a bit too trusting, friendly, supportive, considerate and compassionate. She is certainly someone I wouldn’t mind having as a friend. I have to admit that I was a bit unsure about the motives of the man claiming to be her birth father but at the same time I couldn’t help but hope that she had found her birth father and that she would finally get the answers she needs about her background. I was keeping everything crossed for her that she got the happy ending that she so deserved. Does she? Well you are going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
‘Keep Her Close’ is very well written and easy to get into. The author has a writing style that is easy to get to grips with and to enjoy. The Prologue begins in such an upsetting way that will ensure this book stays fresh in my memory for a long time to come. From that moment onwards ‘Keep Her Close’ became an addiction for me. I found the book to be unputdownable and I read it in one go. I was gripped by the storylines and I was so ‘into’ the book that I began to ‘live’ the story and I found myself interacting with the book. I just couldn’t bear to be parted from the book without first knowing if Ally was safe and whether the man claiming to be her birth father was who he said he was. The deeper I got into the story, the quicker the pages seemed to be turning as I raced towards the end. I had mixed feelings about finishing the book. Don’t get me wrong I was pleased to finish because at least I knew how the story ended but I wasn’t pleased to finish because I was enjoying the author’s writing style, the storylines and the characters so much that I just wanted the book to continue.
Reading ‘Keep Her Close’ was much like being on an occasionally scary and very unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns that I care to mention. I smugly thought that I had worked out the details of what had happened, to whom and why only to realise that I had the wrong end of the stick altogether and the solution was something else entirely. The plot of this book certainly kept me on my toes and kept me guessing all the way through.
In short I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Keep Her Close’ and I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I can’t wait to read what Erik comes up with next. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
March 7, 2019
The book is set mainly in present day and the story revolves around Ally receiving a letter from someone who claims to be her father. He is dying and wants to meet her after years of searching for her. Clashing with Dan, her adoptive father about her meeting him, Ally disappears after arranging a meeting with him.
By this point I was well and truly hooked into the story. I liked Dan and Holly’s characters, both obviously being good people for adopting Ally all those years before. You can also tell there is a lot of things which has happened between over the years, which precipitated their divorce and as the story moves on you find out what actually happened. They both obviously love Ally, but both have different ways of dealing with situations. Holly is more level headed and rational, Dan is fiery and quick-tempered,which doesn’t help him when Ally goes missing.
I empathised with Ally’s parents, particularly Holly as being a parent myself I could feel the unease building up inside me when they discover Ally had disappeared. Whilst I’d like to think I would be as calm and sensible as Holly appeared, I just know I would have been like Dan, demanding to know from whoever I came across what they knew about his daughter and where she was. The story twists and turns producing question after question as to what was going on, who was involved and what had happened to Ally, and as I got further into the book the answers were coming fast and furious. It did though leave me with some unanswered questions, mainly to do with Ally’s room-mate, Ellie.
It was definitely an unsettling but addictive thriller,building up the suspense and tension throughout the book. For me, the book was a great read! It was fast faced, cleverly thought out and enjoyable. What I initially thought had happened turned out to be completely wrong and the story had a completely different ending to what I expected. Would definitely recommend.
By this point I was well and truly hooked into the story. I liked Dan and Holly’s characters, both obviously being good people for adopting Ally all those years before. You can also tell there is a lot of things which has happened between over the years, which precipitated their divorce and as the story moves on you find out what actually happened. They both obviously love Ally, but both have different ways of dealing with situations. Holly is more level headed and rational, Dan is fiery and quick-tempered,which doesn’t help him when Ally goes missing.
I empathised with Ally’s parents, particularly Holly as being a parent myself I could feel the unease building up inside me when they discover Ally had disappeared. Whilst I’d like to think I would be as calm and sensible as Holly appeared, I just know I would have been like Dan, demanding to know from whoever I came across what they knew about his daughter and where she was. The story twists and turns producing question after question as to what was going on, who was involved and what had happened to Ally, and as I got further into the book the answers were coming fast and furious. It did though leave me with some unanswered questions, mainly to do with Ally’s room-mate, Ellie.
It was definitely an unsettling but addictive thriller,building up the suspense and tension throughout the book. For me, the book was a great read! It was fast faced, cleverly thought out and enjoyable. What I initially thought had happened turned out to be completely wrong and the story had a completely different ending to what I expected. Would definitely recommend.
December 11, 2018
The book starts with a really heartbreaking scene. A young married couple Holly and Dan find a little girl, obviously neglected and abused in nothing but a dirty dress all alone in a parking lot. She has a little cardboard sign Free to a good home. A dead woman they assume is her mother is found not far away.
Fast forward fifteen years and the little girl that they christened Ally is now a happy eighteen year old, that is until a letter shows up claiming to be from her real father. Unable to stop her curiosity, Ally goes to meet him but now she’s missing.
I found this book quite a quick and easy read with plenty of suspense and mystery, that preys on every parents’ nightmare, a child going missing.
A stand out character was Dan. He works hard to help support Ally, even though Holly and her new husband earn so much more than him. He also has a tendency to lose his temper with often disastrous consequences. He’s very overprotective of Ally even though she’s not his biological daughter and will stop at nothing to find her.
To me, Ally came across as a little spoilt but she has a child-like sense of the world and gullibility that makes you forgive that.
I have to be honest for the most of the book I believed it could happen in real life but the ending was a little out there for me but it was still enjoyable.
Overall Keep Her Close is a solid psychological thriller that will tug on those heart strings as well as keep you on the edge of your seat.
Fast forward fifteen years and the little girl that they christened Ally is now a happy eighteen year old, that is until a letter shows up claiming to be from her real father. Unable to stop her curiosity, Ally goes to meet him but now she’s missing.
I found this book quite a quick and easy read with plenty of suspense and mystery, that preys on every parents’ nightmare, a child going missing.
A stand out character was Dan. He works hard to help support Ally, even though Holly and her new husband earn so much more than him. He also has a tendency to lose his temper with often disastrous consequences. He’s very overprotective of Ally even though she’s not his biological daughter and will stop at nothing to find her.
To me, Ally came across as a little spoilt but she has a child-like sense of the world and gullibility that makes you forgive that.
I have to be honest for the most of the book I believed it could happen in real life but the ending was a little out there for me but it was still enjoyable.
Overall Keep Her Close is a solid psychological thriller that will tug on those heart strings as well as keep you on the edge of your seat.
January 30, 2019
Keep Her Close is a scary, suspenseful page-turner because in today’s work it can happen. A little abandon girl nene Ally is found and rescued by a loving couple. Ally’s adoptive parents are divorced, so life gets complicated with mom, dad, and stepdad.
Ally would love to find her dad. Learn what happened to him. Miraculously Ally gets a letter from her supposed biological dad. Things get scary crazy after this. Ally disappears.
The characters are well defined. Ally id a trusting, innocent girl sharing her first apartment with her best friend. Ally has no idea what lies ahead. Good intentions aren’t always what they seem. Keep Het Close is full of twists and mouth dropping turns.
Ally would love to find her dad. Learn what happened to him. Miraculously Ally gets a letter from her supposed biological dad. Things get scary crazy after this. Ally disappears.
The characters are well defined. Ally id a trusting, innocent girl sharing her first apartment with her best friend. Ally has no idea what lies ahead. Good intentions aren’t always what they seem. Keep Het Close is full of twists and mouth dropping turns.
October 14, 2018
Keep Her Close by Erik Therme is a fast paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I read in in one day as I did not want to put it down.
Dan and Holly find a three year old child abandoned in a parking lot. After the authorities fail to find her parents Dan and Holly adopt her and bring her up as their daughter.
Fifteen years later their daughter now called Ally has left home to start college.
She has always wondered about her birth family and when she receives a letter from a man claiming to be her birth father she sees this as the chance to find out why she was abandoned. Her adoptive parents warn her not to do this but Ally goes to meet this man and then she disappears.
Her adoptive parents are now frantic and will do anything to find their daughter.
I found that the pace of this book grew more and more frantic and the story more suspenseful as it neared the end.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Dan and Holly find a three year old child abandoned in a parking lot. After the authorities fail to find her parents Dan and Holly adopt her and bring her up as their daughter.
Fifteen years later their daughter now called Ally has left home to start college.
She has always wondered about her birth family and when she receives a letter from a man claiming to be her birth father she sees this as the chance to find out why she was abandoned. Her adoptive parents warn her not to do this but Ally goes to meet this man and then she disappears.
Her adoptive parents are now frantic and will do anything to find their daughter.
I found that the pace of this book grew more and more frantic and the story more suspenseful as it neared the end.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 14, 2019
*thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
4 stars.
While this wasn't an intense thriller with a huge powerful ending, it was still a decent read and I really rather enjoyed it. There was enough going on to keep it interesting and it kept being so right to the last page. The introduction to the story which told of how Ally came into her adoptive parents lives was very well written and was a great way to begin. I would definitely recommend this if you are wanting a light thriller with some intense moments.
4 stars.
While this wasn't an intense thriller with a huge powerful ending, it was still a decent read and I really rather enjoyed it. There was enough going on to keep it interesting and it kept being so right to the last page. The introduction to the story which told of how Ally came into her adoptive parents lives was very well written and was a great way to begin. I would definitely recommend this if you are wanting a light thriller with some intense moments.
June 19, 2019
Erik Therme is fast becoming one of those authors where I choose to read his book simply because he has written it; I don't need to read the blurb as I know it'll be a good one and boy was this the case with Keep Her Close. I picked it up and could not put it down; it's so easy to read it in one sitting as it's quite short at 247 pages but there is so much going on that I just had to keep reading until the end.
Dan and Holly find a little girl abandoned in a parking lot; not so much a baby in a basket but a 3 year-old standing on a sign that says 'free to a good home'. Holly takes to the child immediately and after several months of red tape, Holly and Dan are allowed to adopt her and call her Ally. Her origins have never been hidden from Ally and naturally she is curious about her birth parents. When she receives a letter out of the blue claiming to be from her birth father, Dan and Holly worry that it may be a hoax and, unbeknown to them, Ally decides to meet 'Frank'. That's the last time that Ally is seen.
I found the whole story very tense and Dan's volatility reminded me of Liam Neeson's character in Taken; willing to do absolutely anything to get his daughter back with absolutely no regard for the consequences of his actions. Ally's naivety was quite believable as you can just imagine someone of college age thinking that they are an adult and know better than their parents. You think you're invincible in your late teens, before the scales drop from your eyes and you see the horror of the real world.
I don't really want to go into the plot and spoil it for others but I found it very interesting how it developed from one person's almost throw away comment. It was almost like lighting a touchpaper and seeing the flame spreading, so much so that Dan had difficulty identifying the point of origin. It reminded me of the phrase that led to the murder of Thomas à Becket with Henry II uttering 'Will no one will rid me of this turbulent priest?' and it being taken as an instruction to kill. You just never know who might be listening!
Clear your schedule if you're reading Keep Her Close; it's a read-in-a-day kind of book as it's so difficult to put down once you start it. I love Erik Therme's writing; his visualisation conjures some amazing images in my mind and I do feel as if the book is playing out as a movie in my head. Not every book translates well to screen, but I think Keep Her Close would be perfect as a film - I'd definitely be in the queue to see it.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Dan and Holly find a little girl abandoned in a parking lot; not so much a baby in a basket but a 3 year-old standing on a sign that says 'free to a good home'. Holly takes to the child immediately and after several months of red tape, Holly and Dan are allowed to adopt her and call her Ally. Her origins have never been hidden from Ally and naturally she is curious about her birth parents. When she receives a letter out of the blue claiming to be from her birth father, Dan and Holly worry that it may be a hoax and, unbeknown to them, Ally decides to meet 'Frank'. That's the last time that Ally is seen.
I found the whole story very tense and Dan's volatility reminded me of Liam Neeson's character in Taken; willing to do absolutely anything to get his daughter back with absolutely no regard for the consequences of his actions. Ally's naivety was quite believable as you can just imagine someone of college age thinking that they are an adult and know better than their parents. You think you're invincible in your late teens, before the scales drop from your eyes and you see the horror of the real world.
I don't really want to go into the plot and spoil it for others but I found it very interesting how it developed from one person's almost throw away comment. It was almost like lighting a touchpaper and seeing the flame spreading, so much so that Dan had difficulty identifying the point of origin. It reminded me of the phrase that led to the murder of Thomas à Becket with Henry II uttering 'Will no one will rid me of this turbulent priest?' and it being taken as an instruction to kill. You just never know who might be listening!
Clear your schedule if you're reading Keep Her Close; it's a read-in-a-day kind of book as it's so difficult to put down once you start it. I love Erik Therme's writing; his visualisation conjures some amazing images in my mind and I do feel as if the book is playing out as a movie in my head. Not every book translates well to screen, but I think Keep Her Close would be perfect as a film - I'd definitely be in the queue to see it.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
October 15, 2018
2/5 (thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the digital ARC copy!)
Keep Her Close should be renamed as Taken: Keep Her Close. Or something similar.
Couple Dan and Holly found a three year old Ally abandoned and after a long process adopted her. Fifteen years later, Dan and Holly had a divorce, Holly remarried, Ally moved out from her parents' houses and suddenly received a letter from her real father. Ally wanted to meet the sender, but Dan disagreed. And one day, Ally disappeared.
I love me a mystery/thriller/whodunit/secrets fiction, but this book isn't it. It started out so good too so imagine my disappointment when it turned into a race with time thing. Then again, it's all in the mater of opinion.
I like how Dan and Holly would give a good home for Ally. I rooted for them. Dan, fifteen years later, was a disappointing character with a motto of something along the line of 'hit now talk later'. While Holly was just kinda... there.
Many unnecessary characters that I didn't bother to get to know. What's up with Cal and Ellie's convo about Ally's 'real character'? It didn't add anything to the story. It could be if there's some mystery that needs to be revealed (ex: Ally is secretly evil or something), but there wasn't any.
Also, the usage of 'mentally disorder people do bad/crime things because they're mental' needs to stop asap.
Keep Her Close should be renamed as Taken: Keep Her Close. Or something similar.
Couple Dan and Holly found a three year old Ally abandoned and after a long process adopted her. Fifteen years later, Dan and Holly had a divorce, Holly remarried, Ally moved out from her parents' houses and suddenly received a letter from her real father. Ally wanted to meet the sender, but Dan disagreed. And one day, Ally disappeared.
I love me a mystery/thriller/whodunit/secrets fiction, but this book isn't it. It started out so good too so imagine my disappointment when it turned into a race with time thing. Then again, it's all in the mater of opinion.
I like how Dan and Holly would give a good home for Ally. I rooted for them. Dan, fifteen years later, was a disappointing character with a motto of something along the line of 'hit now talk later'. While Holly was just kinda... there.
Many unnecessary characters that I didn't bother to get to know. What's up with Cal and Ellie's convo about Ally's 'real character'? It didn't add anything to the story. It could be if there's some mystery that needs to be revealed (ex: Ally is secretly evil or something), but there wasn't any.
Also, the usage of 'mentally disorder people do bad/crime things because they're mental' needs to stop asap.
Read
December 7, 2018"...there's no such thing as good or evil; there are only choices." In the case of this book, all the choices are BAD ones!
This is best described as a farcical domestic drama with a series of events so implausible as to defy even the strongest ability for one to suspend disbelief. From the opening premise to the inconclusive ending, the story takes the reader an a ride so wild that it left me shaking my head in wonder that I actually finished it.
Ally was found in a parking structure when she was about 3 years old standing on a cardboard box that said, "FREE TO A GOOD HOME." A woman, apparently Ally's birth mother, had jumped to her death from the lot. A young couple finds her and later adopts her. All the while, Ally wants to find out more about her birth parents so when an email arrives saying that Frank wants to meet her, she can't say no. Since Ally has no sense at all, and since her adoptive father is a knee-jerk reactionary, things go from bad to worse quite quickly. The ensuing action and drama will leave you reeling. What a conglomeration of quirky, crazy characters! Because it was so off-the-wall outlandish, there was no way to figure where this story might go next. It was quite entertaining even so. I was very miffed at the ending, but then reminded myself that I really didn't even care anymore and was happy just to close the book and leave all these nuts behind!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.
This is best described as a farcical domestic drama with a series of events so implausible as to defy even the strongest ability for one to suspend disbelief. From the opening premise to the inconclusive ending, the story takes the reader an a ride so wild that it left me shaking my head in wonder that I actually finished it.
Ally was found in a parking structure when she was about 3 years old standing on a cardboard box that said, "FREE TO A GOOD HOME." A woman, apparently Ally's birth mother, had jumped to her death from the lot. A young couple finds her and later adopts her. All the while, Ally wants to find out more about her birth parents so when an email arrives saying that Frank wants to meet her, she can't say no. Since Ally has no sense at all, and since her adoptive father is a knee-jerk reactionary, things go from bad to worse quite quickly. The ensuing action and drama will leave you reeling. What a conglomeration of quirky, crazy characters! Because it was so off-the-wall outlandish, there was no way to figure where this story might go next. It was quite entertaining even so. I was very miffed at the ending, but then reminded myself that I really didn't even care anymore and was happy just to close the book and leave all these nuts behind!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.
June 20, 2019
Wow well doesn’t this book grab you by your big Cahoonas and keep twisting until you sound like you are a member of The Bee Gees!
It’s full on right from the start and the pace doesn’t stop until you reach the dramatic conclusion. If you can’t already tell I bl**dy loved it.
As well as a breath stealing plot it has a great cast of well rounded characters, some you will feel empathy for and some will have you pulling your hair out . Can I just say for a bloke he writes angsty teenage girl really well ( please take this as the compliment it’s meant as) .
I thought I had an idea where this was leading but boy was I wrong , well done Sir. It was suspenseful and twisty and can’t wait to read your next one.
It’s full on right from the start and the pace doesn’t stop until you reach the dramatic conclusion. If you can’t already tell I bl**dy loved it.
As well as a breath stealing plot it has a great cast of well rounded characters, some you will feel empathy for and some will have you pulling your hair out . Can I just say for a bloke he writes angsty teenage girl really well ( please take this as the compliment it’s meant as) .
I thought I had an idea where this was leading but boy was I wrong , well done Sir. It was suspenseful and twisty and can’t wait to read your next one.
March 14, 2019
I received a digital arc of #KeepHerClose from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was the first book I have read by this author but I would be interested in reading more by him in the future. From the very first page I was hooked and found myself unable to put it down. I read it all in one sitting. For me this was a real page turner and with the end of each chapter I was compelled to keep reading and find out how the story progressed. It felt like almost every chapter left me with questions!
My only slight annoyance with the book was with how gullible Ally was. I found myself wondering would she really have made some of the decisions she made? Part of me thinks it's too far fetched to believe she could be so stupid and gullible but then I suppose knowing her background and how child-like she still is as a result, it is plausible.
Overall I was very impressed with this book and will look out for this author again.
This was the first book I have read by this author but I would be interested in reading more by him in the future. From the very first page I was hooked and found myself unable to put it down. I read it all in one sitting. For me this was a real page turner and with the end of each chapter I was compelled to keep reading and find out how the story progressed. It felt like almost every chapter left me with questions!
My only slight annoyance with the book was with how gullible Ally was. I found myself wondering would she really have made some of the decisions she made? Part of me thinks it's too far fetched to believe she could be so stupid and gullible but then I suppose knowing her background and how child-like she still is as a result, it is plausible.
Overall I was very impressed with this book and will look out for this author again.
November 18, 2018
This was a very quick read and the storyline set over just one day, the plot was interesting but somehow I just failed to connect with the characters. especially the father who I found to be very annoying. The book held my interest but at time seemed a little bit too contrived but maybe that was just me as I read a lot of thrillers. All in all the book was a solid 3 stars and others many enjoy it more than I did. My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read the ARC.
October 21, 2018
Three year old Ally is found a short distance from a woman who had apparently jumped to her death. She is found and adopted by Holly and Dan. Eighteen year old Ally is a sweet but somewhat naive woman who really wants to find out something about her past, hopefully who her parents were, or are.
Problem is, there are people who want to take advantage of this desire for their own benefit.
This is a story of deception, naivety, criminality, stupidity, and insanity. It is often helpful to speak of the intensity of action within a story. The pace of action within this story is nothing short of frenetic, the reader is buffeted about from one chapter to the next as each of the main and supporting characters reveals their ‘eccentricities’ and foibles and moves the story along a very jagged and rutted track.
The author, Eric Therme, certainly has a facility and talent for language which provides the reader with a colorful narrative. On the other hand, I felt jerked around as a reader, as though the author just wanted to shock and confound me with actions that just didn’t seem to make much sense. The characters are one dimensional, without real depth, almost caricatures. To top it all off it appears that the whole book was just a teaser to entice the reader into purchasing the next installment.
This was enough for me.
Problem is, there are people who want to take advantage of this desire for their own benefit.
This is a story of deception, naivety, criminality, stupidity, and insanity. It is often helpful to speak of the intensity of action within a story. The pace of action within this story is nothing short of frenetic, the reader is buffeted about from one chapter to the next as each of the main and supporting characters reveals their ‘eccentricities’ and foibles and moves the story along a very jagged and rutted track.
The author, Eric Therme, certainly has a facility and talent for language which provides the reader with a colorful narrative. On the other hand, I felt jerked around as a reader, as though the author just wanted to shock and confound me with actions that just didn’t seem to make much sense. The characters are one dimensional, without real depth, almost caricatures. To top it all off it appears that the whole book was just a teaser to entice the reader into purchasing the next installment.
This was enough for me.
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