April 2022 Value Read - Saving April, by Sarah A. Denzil

[Bill]

I may be a bit generous in my four-star assessment, but as a shy introvert I found it very easy to empathize with Hannah, a thirty something homebody. She works as a free-lance editor and suffers from extreme anxiety, self-medicating with vodka. Her new neighbours Matt and Laura Mason have loud quarrels and Hannah fears their 13 year-old daughter may be a victim of domestic abuse. The story is told in 1st person from the points of view of Hannah and of Laura, who works in the financial sector and is the sole support of her family. Matt claims to be trying to find work as a personal trainer, but may be pursuing sex with younger women instead. This is one of Sarah Denzil's earlier books and perhaps she was trying to combine too many genres. Whilst I failed to find the twist entirely plausible, I was engaged throughout.

As my other comments deal with the plot, I'll hide them in the spoiler section.