Cherry

by Rose Wilding

'A feverish spiral of grief, desire, and betrayal, laced with unease and menace. Cherry smoulders to the very last page. A lethal and seductive thriller' Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

1999. After the death of her partner, Gifty is haunted by her mistakes. Her only distraction is Cherry, a missing nineties pop star who everyone else has forgotten. Gifty has nothing left to lose and will hunt Cherry down if it's the last thing she does.

Ally has sacrificed so much to get the life she always dreamed of. She has the beautiful house, the loving family and a successful career. When it all begins to crumble around her, she will do anything to stop it falling apart.

Determined to leave her difficult past behind, Isobel reinvents herself and sinks into a quiet suburban life. When someone begins to unravel the truth about her, she discovers how far she is willing to go in order to keep her secrets safe.

Three women become tangled in a horrifying web of infatuation and murder in this dark and compulsive thriller from the author of Speak of the Devil.

'Scintillating . . . a blood-soaked riot' Publishers Weekly starred review

2026 Rose Wilding Limited (P)2026 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Lesbian, Fiction

Audible Audio

Expected publication November 5, 2026

Reviews

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Well… I really don’t know where to start with this one.

Actually, yes I do.

There is a man in a freezer.

A MAN.

IN A FREEZER.

And that was probably the moment I realised Rose Wilding and I were about to have a very different kind of reading experience.

Cherry is a dark psychological thriller set in 1999, and honestly, it is one seriously twisted ride.

We have Gifty, who is struggling to cope after the death of her wife Helen. Instead of dealing with her grief, she becomes completely fixated on finding Cherry, a missing 90s pop star who she believes she has seen again.

Then there’s Ally, who has built the life she always wanted, with her business, her home and her children, but everything starts to unravel when her husband Charles leaves for Indonesia and brings Isobel into the family as an au pair.

And Isobel…

Well.

Isobel used to be Cherry.

The fallen pop star who has reinvented herself and is now determined to become the perfect nanny and leave her old life behind.

Except you know what they say about secrets.

They have a rather annoying habit of coming back to bite you on the arse.

And when these three women become tangled up in obsession, grief, desire and secrets, things start getting VERY dark.

I mean, when you have a dead man in a freezer and you’re wondering exactly how the hell he got there, you know you’re not reading a gentle little domestic drama.

What I really loved was how Rose keeps making you question everyone.

Is Gifty grieving… or becoming obsessed?

Is Isobel really the sweet, perfect nanny she appears to be?

And Ally… well, let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near that house when everything starts falling apart.

Everyone has something they’re hiding.

Everyone has a reason to lie.

And everyone seems to have their own version of the truth.

The psychopath element really got under my skin too. There is something particularly disturbing about the way violence sits alongside these ordinary domestic scenes. One minute you’re reading about family life and everyday routines, and the next you’re thinking, HANG ON… WHY IS THERE A BODY IN THE FREEZER?!

That contrast worked SO well for me.

And Rose Wilding’s writing…

Honestly, this woman can WRITE.

Her characters are messy, complicated and sometimes downright disturbing, but they never felt flat. I could understand how they got to where they were, even when I was sitting there thinking, girl, WHAT are you doing?!

I also loved the 90s setting. The pop-star world, the music industry, the obsession with image and reinvention, the drugs, the relationships… Rose brings that whole era to life without making it feel like we’re being given a history lesson.

And the writing has this wonderfully unsettling quality to it. There is always this feeling that something isn’t quite right, even when nothing particularly awful is happening.

You just KNOW something is lurking around the corner.

And then there are the short chapters.

Oh, Rose.

You knew exactly what you were doing.

Just one more chapter.

Just one more.

Oh look… it’s 1am.

What makes Cherry work for me isn’t just the murder or the twists. It’s the women. Their grief, obsession, loneliness, anger and desire all become tangled together until you genuinely don’t know where one person’s story ends and another begins.

It’s dark.

It’s creepy.

It’s completely messed up in places.

And somehow I couldn’t stop reading.

Rose Wilding has written a psychological thriller that gets right inside the heads of its characters and then leaves you wondering whether you should trust any of them.

And that freezer…

I don’t think I’m ever going to look at one quite the same way again.

Rose, what on earth goes on in that brain of yours?!

Absolutely loved the writing and the sheer madness of it all.

Thank you, NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, and Rose Wilding for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publishing date: November 3rd 2026

[Ceecee · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

1999.
Gifty Andoh, a talented musician, is grief stricken after the death of her wife, Helen, and is haunted by a terrible mistake she makes. To distract herself from her issues she wants to track down Cherry, once a successful band member and solo artist, who has disappeared from the scene and with whom she has previously been close.
Ally is married to archaeologist Charles, currently on a dig in Indonesia. She’s struggling in many ways, not least with her health and the arrival of Isobel as an au pair for her children, Celia and Felix, is a godsend. However, calm and competent Isobel is not exactly what she seems.

This is a good, well written and dark psychological thriller for which you need to buckle up and brace yourself as lives derail. The pace is quick via short, sharp chapters of character perspectives which gives a clear insight into states of mind. All their back stories are intriguing and it becomes clear there are several connections, interconnections, alongside obsessions, illusions, and delusions. As secrets bubble to the surface, their lives become more entangled, which is accompanied by complex emotions as well as trickery and betrayal.

The characterisation is very good, all are strongly portrayed and central to all is Isobel who becomes horribly fascinating with Celia probably being the only character catching onto the truth – what a smart cookie.

The 90s decade is conveyed very strongly with Cherry’s band experience ringing very true with fame coming at a high price. The ramifications will be felt far and wide.

As the last quarter of the book is reached, there’s a spiralling deeply down and there’s a sense of unreality inside a deluded mind. It’s claustrophobic with walls closing in as danger levels rise. The ending is a race against time, its jet black dark, unsettling, twisted, unhinged, probably OTT at times. However, do I enjoy it? Yes, absolutely, it’s right up my street.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to John Murray Press/Baskerville for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.

[RavenReads · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Well, this was unexpected. Cherry is a wild amalgamation of just about every genre you can think of: murder mystery, thriller, horror, obsession, and messy family dynamics. Told through four different women’s POVs over the course of a single month, the story weaves together some genuinely compelling characters and plotlines. These women are all very different from one another, and I appreciated how fully fleshed out some of them felt.

That said, this book can get a little messy. Information is doled out in tiny pieces across 350+ pages, and there were moments when I wanted to shake the story and demand that it just TELL ME WHAT WAS GOING ON ALREADY. But, frustrating as that could be, it also kept me turning the pages. Every new revelation made me want to know what the hell was coming next.

Cherry isn’t necessarily a neat, tidy reading experience, but it’s an unpredictable one, and there’s something to be said for a book that keeps you guessing while refusing to fit into a single genre. I’m still sorting through my feelings about this one, but I have a feeling I’ll be thinking about it for a while.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Rose Wilding for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Megan Magee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's 1997, and we follow Gifty, who has lost her wife Helen, Isobel, a former 90's popstar burned by fame, and Ally, a married mom of two. This is 100% a story of obsession, a la Fatal Attraction Sharon Stone bunny boiling type stuff. I genuinely LOVED our town setting, and the time period it took place in. The POV's are straight forward enough- the pace of this one is so fast, the chapters were short, and the genuine WTF moments never let up. Visceral is a great description for this one, as the way it is written and the content it covers will absolutely make you feel watched, sick, queasy etc. There is on page animal violence a few times, I have to put out as a warning. I wish this one had had a bit more than "mystery and thriller" labeled on it because it's hard to review this book under that umbrella, personally, with how gruesome it gets. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

“it starts as a love song and ends in a murder” caught my eye as I was contemplating what I had just read. Indeed this book begins creepily - I don’t want to give away some of the fun of reading this book so suffice it to say that sentence is a great summation of this twisty psychological thriller.

This is a story of three women, Gifty, Isobel and Ally, whose lives become intertwined through obsession and love. Gifty is adrift in grief after her partner’s (Helen) death. She begins to search for Cherry who was a pop star in the early 1990s but became involved with drugs and disappeared. Gifty had been Cherry’s music teacher. In the meantime Ally has just hired an au pair to help with her children, Celia and Felix, while her horrible husband is away.

Told in relatively short chapters the story is woven over and through narratives of Cherry, Gifty, Ally and Isobel, the au pair. The backstory is filled in and what’s happening in present time 1999 is painstakingly examined over a month in April. It’s difficult to write a summary of this book as so much would be given away so I’d just add that the relationship between the three women is extremely strange and frightfully so but still with a punch of fun for the time spent in reading this strange novel - be prepared to suspend belief at times.

I noticed that the British cover for the book screams red (a red lipsticked mouth open to bite a red cherry) while the American cover is more subdued with lipstick stain. I think the British cover explains the book better. So readers interested in a twisty murder mystery set in the 90s should take a look at this.

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for granting me access to this ARC.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! With how much I loved Wilding's previous book Speak of the Devil, I was nervous that this wasn't gonna hit quite the same but I shouldn't have been worried. This is another five star book for me & I'd recommend to everybody needing a sapphic horror/thriller full of female rage & a villain you love to hate.

The prologue had me gripped immediately. The pacing of the book overall was fairly steady, some parts I'll admit felt slightly rushed but not enough to lose my interest. I loved how eerie & mysterious parts of the plot were & the nostalgic feeling of it being set in the 90s. For a good half of the book I was conflicted on how to feel about the main characters & there was a strong unreliable narrator vibe all throughout this which I really liked & thought was executed well, even right up till the end. Isobel was one of the best fictional villains I've read— she was mysterious, strange & so many of the WTF moments in this book revolved around her. I hated her in the way we're meant to hate a villain but I loved how the writing made her so intriguing at the same time, I was desperate to figure out her backstory of which I did predict one of the twists early on.

Speaking of predictable twists, there were a few I could sense coming but this didn't put me off at all. I liked reading how things came together & seeing the plot developing how it did. I loved how fast paced the last few chapters were with the constant quick switches of POV between Isobel, Ally & Gifty. The scenes as it was getting to the end were SO tense, I didn't want to put it down before getting to the final page. All three FMCs were complex & flawed in their own ways but I still can't stop thinking about them long after finishing this.

I would say to suspend disbelief to an extent at times whilst reading this & a warning that there is an on page scene of animal cruelty which almost caught me off guard but none of this was enough to lower my own rating. I had a lot of fun reading this, I was pleasantly surprised by the ending & especially loved the epilogue. I liked how different this felt from Speak of the Devil but with Wilding's same addictive writing style. I'm excited to see what she does next & for more readers to discover this when it's out!

Thank you John Murray Press & Netgalley for my free eARC!

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

This book has a little bit of everything, genre-wise, so I think a lot of different kinds of readers could have a really good time with this. That made this book intriguing, always having something going on. And I appreciate that. I was never bored.

This is also for readers who love stories about obsession (and how that can twist).

I did find worrying about the dog peeing in the house during murder time to be absolutely hilarious. And relatable. Worrying about dog pee is totally valid, but maybe you have bigger fish to fry in that moment.

I would recommend looking up trigger warnings (I'm sure some other reviews have also included some).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

[Mona Sami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of *Cherry* before publication. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of *Cherry*. Set in 1999, it follows three very different women whose lives gradually begin to overlap in ways that become darker, stranger and more dangerous.

Gifty is struggling after the death of her wife and becomes increasingly fixated on finding Cherry, a vanished nineties pop star who seems to have been forgotten by almost everyone else. Isobel, meanwhile, is trying to erase her own past and reinvent herself as the perfect nanny, while Ally is fighting to keep control of the family and successful life she has worked hard to build.

What I liked most was the way the book explores obsession. Each woman is clinging to something — grief, identity, family, desire or the version of herself she wants other people to see — and gradually those obsessions begin to collide. There is a constant sense that something is going to go very wrong long before you know exactly how.

The late-1990s setting also gives the story a distinctive feel. The pop-culture and music-industry elements make it more memorable than a typical psychological thriller, and I liked the slightly messy, darker atmosphere surrounding fame, reinvention and the lives people create for themselves.

This is more of a slow, character-driven spiral than a straightforward fast-paced thriller, so there were moments where I wanted it to move a little quicker. Some of the characters are also difficult to like, but I think that is intentional and actually adds to the uncomfortable tone of the book.

Overall, *Cherry* was dark, unsettling and very different. I enjoyed the three-woman structure, the late-nineties setting and the way grief, obsession and betrayal gradually become tangled together. It is not a conventional thriller, but that is also what made it interesting.

[Jackie Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in April 1999 and 1989, somewhere near Newcastle in the North of England. There’s a host of characters in the start of this story - and there is not as some die and some are murdered. It’s a thriller. It’s a story of an obsession by one woman with another to the extent of wanting them all to herself.

Ally is married to Charles. Their children - Celia and Felix. Ally has fibromyalgia with many days of pain and lethargy. She is a pharmacist.
Isobel is their au pair hired by Charles as he has gone to Bali on an archaeological dig, and is probably going to be away a year. Isobel is able to make herself indispensable to Ally. Ally’s older sister is Elaine.

Gifty was with Helen for over 20 years before she died. (They met in 1980). Gifty is in therapy with Sasha. She carries around Helen’s ashes in an urn and is not coping well. Cherry is someone whom Gifty regards like a daughter, is missing. In 1989 Cherry was a child pop star in a group called Sweet Dreams. She had a brief solo career before being consumed by drug addiction.

Ally goes to Scotland with the children to see her sister and family. Isobel stays behind. Charles returns from his dig unexpectedly. He says that Isobel is no longer needed now as his dig has been put on hold (Ally kept sending letters as if from a firm of lawyers disputing access to the land). However, Isobel appears to have something she can blackmail Charles about. SPOILER ALERT: He threatens her but she is able to stab and kill him with a knife.

Gifty is trying to find Cherry. She drives to Newcastle and finding a bar with an open mic night discovers Cherry there. Singing her own hit single Firefly gives her away. The lives of the women are somehow all connected. Like Speak of the Devil this is another well written, female centred narrative. Four stars.

[Gabby Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author Rise Wilding for gifting me with this ARC to review!

Liked:

-oh this chick is actually crazy. I’m not even joking when I’m telling you that Cherry/Isobel’s obsessions and delusions are next level, I’m not joking. The way she justifies her actions and swings wildly from seemingly being a “normal” loving person to psychologically deranged one is crazy. She constantly needs to be the center of attention to whoever she’s fixated on and if she feels like she not then the cuckoo starts slipping out.

-I liked the multiple POVs. I could’ve maybe done without Gifty’s (they weren’t bad but they just felt a bit unnecessary in the being) but I enjoyed watching the story and lies unraveling through the 3 women. Gifty has a lot of guilt she hasn’t really addressed surrounding both her partner (rip Helen) and Cherry. Ally is a chronically ill mom whose husband is a piece of garbage and has an au pair that can do anything. Isobel is a woman obsessed and will do anything to make sure she gets who she wants.

Disliked:

-The wrap up and ending felt a bit rushed to me. I thought the pacing was pretty good up until the last couple of chapters. It just felt rushed and that we were going from one scene to the next and scrimping on more detailed scenes.

-Ally you kind of suck as a pharmacist lol. I feel like you should be able to recognize certain symptoms happening after you take your medication. I refuse to believe you are going to blame everything on your illness and magically forget why you think something might be off with your meds. You’re smarter than that, I would hope.

[Lynsey Spedding · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in 1997, this was a compelling and unsettling read, centred around obsession, grief, fame and the dangerous lengths people can go to when desire takes over. Following Gifty, who has lost her wife Helen, Isobel, a former ’90s pop star, and Ally, a married mother of two, the story explores these lives through multiple perspectives, gradually revealing how their experiences connect.

The concept was intriguing, and I particularly enjoyed the small-town setting and the nostalgic time period. The short chapters and shifting viewpoints made the book easy to move through, with plenty of shocking and genuinely disturbing moments along the way. The writing creates an increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere, and the story certainly lives up to its darker, more visceral elements.

That said, I did find the pacing a little uneven in places, and I struggled to connect with some of the characters. While the mystery had some strong moments, I felt the book could have benefited from a little more depth in certain areas. I also think it’s worth noting that this is considerably more gruesome than the typical “mystery and thriller” label might suggest, with animal violence and other disturbing content that may not suit every reader.

Overall, this was an original and memorable read that kept me curious, even if it wasn’t a personal favourite. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy dark, character-driven mysteries, psychological suspense and stories that explore obsession in deeply unsettling ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cherry by Rose Wilding weaves a menacing and dark story of grief,desire and unrequited love.
The story follows Isobel, a woman living a quiet life working as an efficient and loving au pair. As the book progresses through numerous points of view, we uncover the chilling layers of her past and there is a creeping sense of menace that does not let go.
Wilding brilliantly explores the toxic psychology of faded fame. Through shifting perspectives we start to understand how a young teenager thrown into the entertainment industry is exposed to its dark and seedy underbelly where drugs feature heavily. Then, how losing the spotlight shattered Cherry's sense of self, distorting her understanding of connection into a dangerous need for complete ownership over another person; she wants exactly one person to be her perfect partner—forgiving them absolutely nothing while remaining entirely oblivious to her own manipulative, suffocating nature.The delusions born from her fractured mental health and desperate need to be loved create menace and tension as thick as the syrupy lip gloss on the cover of the book.

The other women are equally interesting, Gifty is a fractured adult dealing with guilt and deep-seated grief.Ally feels inadequate and unloved, and struggles with her physical health.
Gradually it becomes clear that all the women's stories are inextricably connected and the book draws to THE most tense conclusion.


Highly recommended for fans of character-driven, dark psychological fiction that explores the heavy price of early stardom.

[Alyssa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!

Rose Wilding’s writing is like quicksand. It is poetry. It is a painting of scenery I have longed for all my life. Cloyingly atmospheric and addictive.

I loved Speak of the Devil so much. I remember the moment I finished it, feeling like my world had been altered. So when I got the email from Minotaur inviting me to read Cherry, I jumped. I was all in. And from the second I opened this book, it consumed me.

I am a sucker for an unreliable narrator. And we meet a cast of them. Whew. The last time I felt this way was The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. She cemented the unreliable narrator trope, and while it has been over- used and hung out with the wash, a few authors still manage to nail it, Rose Wilding being one.

I can’t say much without spoiling it, but you’re truly in for a ride with this one. It made me recoil in horror, cringe in disgust, gasp in surprise. I am not exaggerating. There were some scenes that had me crawling my back to the wall just to support me to the next chapter. I love whatever is wrong with your mind, Rose Wilding. Please write more, because wow. Just wow.

This book was brilliant. It deserves all of the hype.

[Sheffield · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Baskerville for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this on NetGalley after spotting a quote from Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb, which I really enjoyed. She described it as “A feverish spiral of grief, desire, and betrayal, laced with unease and menace.” That was enough to persuade me, and I'm glad I gave it a go!

Set in 1999, the story follows three women whose lives become caught up in secrets, obsession and murder. At the centre of it all is Cherry, a missing nineties pop star who everyone seems to have forgotten except Gifty, who's determined to track her down.

It's a strange mix of thriller, mystery and horror, with some pretty messed-up characters and lots going on. Told from different perspectives, the connections between the women gradually become clear.

It does get a bit messy at times, with plenty to keep track of and information drip-fed throughout. There were moments when I just wanted to know what on earth was going on, but that's also what kept me turning the pages.

I raced through it! Dark, unpredictable and a bit bonkers in places, but a really enjoyable read. I've even added Rose Wilding's previous novel, Speak of the Devil, to my wishlist, which is always a good sign!

[Tara Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading a lot of very serious, very literary fiction and non-fiction recently. So this was a little thrilling thriller light relief amongst that forest of literary marvels.

For the genre I’d probably give it a 3.75. Did I have a good time reading it? Yes. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I recommend it to someone who likes this kind of book? Absolutely.

But did it rock my world? No. Did it change the way I see something, make me question something I hadn’t thought about before, or leave me lying awake thinking about it afterwards? Also no.

And I think that’s probably why I land at 3.75 rather than 4 or 4.5. It was a really fun read and I had a good time with it, but it didn’t do much to me beyond that. And that’s fine! Not every book has to change your life. Sometimes you just want to read something entertaining, get completely caught up in it for a few hours and then move on to the next book.

Cherry is exactly that kind of read. I loved the 90s Northern setting, I loved that it was touching on the unhinged and was fast paced. A few plot holes along the way but who cares tbh, I think people will love this book!

[Eric Lustbader · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are very few novels that come my way that make me want to throw up. Oddly, two of them arrived in the last month. The first I gave up after about 30 pages of incessant gore. Cherry is in another category entirely. It is, in fact, well written and psychologically well thought out. It is, in essence, an indelible description of one character's horrifying descent into delusional insanity. The novel is relentless in this regard. It affected me greatly in a visceral way. It's not an easy read, though it starts out as such. In fact, the setup at the beginning is eerily reminiscent of The Housemaid, but believe me when I tell you that's where the similarity ends. Oddly, some of the characters are depicted at a remove, so you never really get under their skin. One in particular grieves constantly throughout the book; it gets to be too much and her singular feature. This is one where you'll have to make up your own mind. Just remember: you have been warned. Rated 3 1/2 stars.

[Cynthia Brendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve really been struggling with thrillers lately...everything I’ve read has just been kind of predictable or flat. BUT! I really enjoyed this one! It follows three women whose lives are intersecting with each other in different ways, a dangerous obsession blooming, and of course a POS man. It was definitely a page turner and kept me invested. I think maybe two-thirds of the way through or so I started to kind of figure out where it might be going, but the ending was really well done. Cherry is DIABOLICAL, and I thought this was super dark for a thriller. I kind of love that it was the teenage girl who started to figure her out first? All of the characters were relatable in some way, they were all lying to themselves in one way or another, and they were all looking for someone to really see and love them. Super fun and quick read. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for opportunity to read this ARC!

[Milliesbooknook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me intrigued from the prologue. The journey it then took me on was wild; while I felt the pace slowed down quite a lot at times, the feeling of dread kept me turning the page. The cleverly woven plot revealed itself through three points of view and multiple timelines. The story was highly unique, which made it all the more captivating. In fact, I think this book features one of the most unhinged female characters I have read in a while.

The story follows the lives of three women: Gifty, a music teacher; Ally, a pharmacist and mother of two who is married to an archaeologist; and Isobel, an au pair who is trying to improve herself.I don't want to say to much more other than buckle up.

The narrative covers grief, betrayal, obsession, and some totally unhinged behavior. I would recommend this book, but please note that it contains two instances of animal cruelty.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of Cherry. Being from the North East I was aware of Wilding’s work, and having read Speak of the Devil was excited to see her next offering. Cherry certainly didn’t disappoint. The book was a pacy and very satisfying thriller which moved between the narrative viewpoints of Ally, Gifty, Isobel and Cherry across two decades. The book pulled me in immediately - it was engaging and well written, and the gradual reveal of different characters’ pasts and connections to one another was really well handled. Fair warning that you’ll need to suspend your disbelief a little in laces, and there were a couple of very convenient plotholes that frustrated me a little, but it was an incredibly compelling read. A more controlled and skilled sophomore offering from Wilding, and I’m definitely going to be keeping an eye out for her next book.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one straight through. It was a very fast and engrossing read.

I loved the time period and how the characters were all flawed and you were never quite sure - until near the end of the book - if any of them were reliable narrators.

I loved the various backstories of the characters - Cherry/Isabels awful journey as a child pop star, Gifty’s falling in love, Ally’s sad choices when meeting and committing to Charles.

I really enjoyed the chapters being from different points of view. This was especially effective towards the end where you read the same scene from both Isabel and Ally’s POV. And you know Ally has been so drugged up and confused and you’re thinking Isabel is probably psychotic.

Overall it was exciting, thrilling, absorbing. I very much enjoyed.

[Kheyra Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read with a unique concept that kept me curious to see how everything would come together. The mystery had some strong moments, and I liked how the different perspectives slowly revealed more of the story. That said, it was a little slower than I expected, and at times I found it hard to connect with some of the characters. The pacing picked up toward the end, but it took a while to get there. Overall, I'm glad I read it, even if it wasn't a favorite. I think readers who enjoy character-driven mysteries with multiple points of view will probably enjoy this one more than I did.

[Evie Chia · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

🌱🌱🌱

I'd give it a 3.5 stars. It's scary how human minds work when we convince ourselves enough to believe something that isn't true or real at all. I think everyone's gone through this mental state at least once in a smaller scale. When you convince yourself that you are happy with your job when you really are not, you can dream up a lot of fake positivity in life that will end up destroying you until you wake up. The story was good. If you like reading how human minds crumble, sounds dark, but yes it's dark, anyways you will enjoy this.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the advancd copy! ❤️

[Kat Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


Firstly, wow! I really enjoyed this book! The author descriptive ability is sensational. I really felt like I was in the story and could smell the garlic of the potato salad from Charles breath like he was smacking his lips in front of me!

The main character, Cherry, really is the modern day Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I found the persona of this character and her mental state really engaging and gripping. Reading Cherry’s version of events compared to Ally’s just highlights how far removed someone with profound mental disorders can really be. Well written and powerful.

[SapphiKatReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, where do I even begin to tell you about Cherry.
Firstly, wow. Just wow. This book had me in a chokehold.
I could not put it down and even now I’ve finished it, I’ve been still thinking about it for days.

I’m not going to tell you anything about the plot, because the twists that are in store for you are too good to spoil.
It is both tender and unhinged in the most brilliant and gripping ways.

Growing up in Newcastle in the 90s Cherry was so nostalgic for me and beautifully written in Rose’s fantastically unsettling style.
The short chapters highlighting the characters various POVs built amazing tension throughout and I truly loved it.

An easy 5 stars from me.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Bridget Sadenwater · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark, twisty psychological thriller set in the ’90s. The story initially follows two seemingly separate storylines. Gifty, who is grieving the death of her love, Helen, and Isabel, a former pop star who has reinvented herself as a live-in nanny for Ally.

This book gets pretty unhinged at times, but that’s part of what kept me turning the pages. As the story progresses, the two storylines begin to intertwine and pieces of the puzzle slowly fall into place. Strange, dark, and unpredictable in the best way.

[mel jigs · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book. This was a wild ride I loved it. It was absolutely crazy but in a good way, it was dark, disturbing but also humorous. The book is set out in chapters with the 4 main character perspectives of cherry, Isobel, ally and grifty which worked so well getting into the mind set and lives of these women. There are trigger warnings and for me the only thing that put it as a 4.5 rather than a 5 was animal violence which personally I don’t like to read.

[Stephanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book I received as a nice arc surprise. While I wasn’t sure what it 100% was about the blurb was interesting and I was immediately drawn in. While I will say it is slightly different than my usual choice for a book it was good. Fast paced and definitely some “excuse what did I just read moments” the book was good!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. 4.5 stars. Well done!
Thank you goodreads for the ARC.

[Jess Laur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cherry had me in a chokehold!!! The obsession, desire, lust … the juxtaposition between character’s POV. I loved everything about this! Thank you for the ARC Minotaur Books!

[Crissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you goodreads giveaways for the arc.

I have been reading over the last few days and will later update the reviews.

Omg, what did I just read. Cherry is not an easy read.