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Tales of the Notorious Hudson Family #6
Blood Sisters
It’s 1983 and best friends Vicky and Lucy swear that they will always be there for each other, that they’ll never let anyone come between them. But fast forward 4 years and life on the Canterbury Estate has gotten very messy.
Lucy has fallen for local policeman’s son, Jimmy. And Vicky is madly in love with Paddy, the charming but ruthless local bad boy. The boys are bitter enemies and determined to keep the two girls apart. But then Vicky is accused of murder, and even her drug-dealer boyfriend wants her mouth shut, permanently. Maybe Lucy is the only one who can save her
Love, murder, revenge. Who can you really trust when there’s blood on your hands?
Lucy has fallen for local policeman’s son, Jimmy. And Vicky is madly in love with Paddy, the charming but ruthless local bad boy. The boys are bitter enemies and determined to keep the two girls apart. But then Vicky is accused of murder, and even her drug-dealer boyfriend wants her mouth shut, permanently. Maybe Lucy is the only one who can save her
Love, murder, revenge. Who can you really trust when there’s blood on your hands?
336 pages, Paperback
Published April 20, 2017
2 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
Julie Shaw
62 books25 followersPen name for author Lynne Barrett-Lee:
Born in London and now based in Wales, Ghostwriter Lynne Barrett-Lee has been a full time author since the mid nineties. Having enjoyed several years of success as a short story writer, with her fiction appearing in almost all of the UK’s leading women’s magazines, she had her first novel, the acclaimed Julia Gets a Life, published by Bantam in 2000. She has since written seven further novels, including her 2006 work, Barefoot in the Dark, which was shortlisted for the inaugural Melissa Nathan Award. Lynne was also approached to write one of the first titles in the Quick Reads series for emergent readers, and went on to ghost a further title for TV presenter Fiona Phillips.
Lynne began ghostwriting full length non-fiction in 2007, when approached to co-author paraplegic Melanie Davies' incredible story, Never Say Die, and since that successful collaboration has been ghostwriting full time. Her 2010 title, for Faith Scott, I Won’t Forgive What You Did, enjoyed seven weeks in the UK Sunday Times Bestseller list, as did the 2012 memoir The Baby Laundry. She also ghosted the acclaimed memoir Giant George: life with the World’s Tallest Dog a bestselling title in both the UK and US.
More recently, Lynne ghosted two bestselling titles which were published in the spring of this year. The first, Mum’s Way, is the story of mum of eight, Angie Millthorpe, who died of breast cancer, aged 48, in 2010. The second, The Girl With No Name, was published in May 13, and relates the story of a young girl abandoned in the jungles of Colombia, and has already been sold in eighteen countries, with film rights being negotiated and a National Geographic documentary being shown in December 13.
Lynne also co-writes a major non-fiction series for one of the world's leading publishers, under a pseudonym. The first seven titles have also all been Sunday Times bestsellers, with three more being published in 2013/14. The series was launched in the USA in 2013, and the first ebook in the series was a NY Times bestseller.
Lynne also writes about writing, as she teaches the craft weekly, at Cardiff University - her ebook NOVEL being the written distillation of her popular novel writing course.
Born in London and now based in Wales, Ghostwriter Lynne Barrett-Lee has been a full time author since the mid nineties. Having enjoyed several years of success as a short story writer, with her fiction appearing in almost all of the UK’s leading women’s magazines, she had her first novel, the acclaimed Julia Gets a Life, published by Bantam in 2000. She has since written seven further novels, including her 2006 work, Barefoot in the Dark, which was shortlisted for the inaugural Melissa Nathan Award. Lynne was also approached to write one of the first titles in the Quick Reads series for emergent readers, and went on to ghost a further title for TV presenter Fiona Phillips.
Lynne began ghostwriting full length non-fiction in 2007, when approached to co-author paraplegic Melanie Davies' incredible story, Never Say Die, and since that successful collaboration has been ghostwriting full time. Her 2010 title, for Faith Scott, I Won’t Forgive What You Did, enjoyed seven weeks in the UK Sunday Times Bestseller list, as did the 2012 memoir The Baby Laundry. She also ghosted the acclaimed memoir Giant George: life with the World’s Tallest Dog a bestselling title in both the UK and US.
More recently, Lynne ghosted two bestselling titles which were published in the spring of this year. The first, Mum’s Way, is the story of mum of eight, Angie Millthorpe, who died of breast cancer, aged 48, in 2010. The second, The Girl With No Name, was published in May 13, and relates the story of a young girl abandoned in the jungles of Colombia, and has already been sold in eighteen countries, with film rights being negotiated and a National Geographic documentary being shown in December 13.
Lynne also co-writes a major non-fiction series for one of the world's leading publishers, under a pseudonym. The first seven titles have also all been Sunday Times bestsellers, with three more being published in 2013/14. The series was launched in the USA in 2013, and the first ebook in the series was a NY Times bestseller.
Lynne also writes about writing, as she teaches the craft weekly, at Cardiff University - her ebook NOVEL being the written distillation of her popular novel writing course.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 2, 2017
Time taken to read - on and off 2 days
Pages - 336
Publisher - Harper Element
Blurb from Goodreads
It’s 1983 and best friends Vicky and Lucy swear that they will always be there for each other, that they’ll never let anyone come between them. But fast forward 4 years and life on the Canterbury Estate has gotten very messy.
Lucy has fallen for local policeman’s son, Jimmy. And Vicky is madly in love with Paddy, the charming but ruthless local bad boy. The boys are bitter enemies and determined to keep the two girls apart. But then Vicky is accused of murder, and even her drug-dealer boyfriend wants her mouth shut, permanently. Maybe Lucy is the only one who can save her
Love, murder, revenge. Who can you really trust when there’s blood on your hands?
My Review
We open in 1983, two little girls on the cusp of turning teens, share the old blood oath of friendship, never to let anyone come between them, sealed in blood. Fast forward four years and both girls have boyfriends, Lucy has fallen for a policeman's son and Vicky is head over heels for the local bad boy. Both men are natural enemies and hate each other on sight forcing a strain on the friendship of Lucy and Vicky. As the story unfolds, hatred grows and with horrifying consequences taking the girls down a road that there can be no return.
If you can I would avoid the blurb, for me there is a huge spoiler in that an event is mentioned that doesn't take place until the last quarter of the book. I found myself constantly waiting for it as it would have a huge turning point in the dynamics of the story. I think that also dampened my enjoyment of the overall story as I was constantly looking out for the twist, I will feed this back to the publishers too.
A tale about friendship and how love and manipulation can corrupt a person when they fall for the wrong man. Some parts are hard to read, not because it is badly written, the opposite, it is so true to life if anyone has a loved one in an abusive relationship this story will strike chords. The manipulation and destruction of one persons individuality due to a controlling partner is hard going, especially when everything takes a back seat. Their own choices, who they are as a person, family, friendship and even self identity. Done in such a masterful way that the person doesn't even realise what has happened or how they are being controlled. I really hated some of the main characters, Paddy for obvious reasons and Vicky because I was so frustrated at her choices and actions. Lucy, her partner Danny, and Gurdy were likable characters so you have a decent mix of those you can relate to or empathize with and those we love to hate.
The story is so much more than just the dominating abusive partner, friendship plays a huge part too but there is also love, murder, drugs, violence and illegal activity to name a few. Racism also rears its ugly head, adding weight to how despicable one person can be especially in the casual way he bands it about. Stories like this will always impact on readers differently, for me it was the abusive relationship between Vicky and Paddy that took center stage. Hard to read in parts because of the reflective realism on domestic abuse, especially such a young girl and we see how it plays out slowly without her even being aware. It highlights also that abuse isn't just violence, there are many forms and how it can impact upon the many lives it touches, choices and consequences. 3.5 initially for me as the spoiler really annoyed me but 4 stars overall because the book itself is very well written and had many layers to it. I have read Shaw before and I will read her again.
Pages - 336
Publisher - Harper Element
Blurb from Goodreads
It’s 1983 and best friends Vicky and Lucy swear that they will always be there for each other, that they’ll never let anyone come between them. But fast forward 4 years and life on the Canterbury Estate has gotten very messy.
Lucy has fallen for local policeman’s son, Jimmy. And Vicky is madly in love with Paddy, the charming but ruthless local bad boy. The boys are bitter enemies and determined to keep the two girls apart. But then Vicky is accused of murder, and even her drug-dealer boyfriend wants her mouth shut, permanently. Maybe Lucy is the only one who can save her
Love, murder, revenge. Who can you really trust when there’s blood on your hands?
My Review
We open in 1983, two little girls on the cusp of turning teens, share the old blood oath of friendship, never to let anyone come between them, sealed in blood. Fast forward four years and both girls have boyfriends, Lucy has fallen for a policeman's son and Vicky is head over heels for the local bad boy. Both men are natural enemies and hate each other on sight forcing a strain on the friendship of Lucy and Vicky. As the story unfolds, hatred grows and with horrifying consequences taking the girls down a road that there can be no return.
If you can I would avoid the blurb, for me there is a huge spoiler in that an event is mentioned that doesn't take place until the last quarter of the book. I found myself constantly waiting for it as it would have a huge turning point in the dynamics of the story. I think that also dampened my enjoyment of the overall story as I was constantly looking out for the twist, I will feed this back to the publishers too.
A tale about friendship and how love and manipulation can corrupt a person when they fall for the wrong man. Some parts are hard to read, not because it is badly written, the opposite, it is so true to life if anyone has a loved one in an abusive relationship this story will strike chords. The manipulation and destruction of one persons individuality due to a controlling partner is hard going, especially when everything takes a back seat. Their own choices, who they are as a person, family, friendship and even self identity. Done in such a masterful way that the person doesn't even realise what has happened or how they are being controlled. I really hated some of the main characters, Paddy for obvious reasons and Vicky because I was so frustrated at her choices and actions. Lucy, her partner Danny, and Gurdy were likable characters so you have a decent mix of those you can relate to or empathize with and those we love to hate.
The story is so much more than just the dominating abusive partner, friendship plays a huge part too but there is also love, murder, drugs, violence and illegal activity to name a few. Racism also rears its ugly head, adding weight to how despicable one person can be especially in the casual way he bands it about. Stories like this will always impact on readers differently, for me it was the abusive relationship between Vicky and Paddy that took center stage. Hard to read in parts because of the reflective realism on domestic abuse, especially such a young girl and we see how it plays out slowly without her even being aware. It highlights also that abuse isn't just violence, there are many forms and how it can impact upon the many lives it touches, choices and consequences. 3.5 initially for me as the spoiler really annoyed me but 4 stars overall because the book itself is very well written and had many layers to it. I have read Shaw before and I will read her again.
October 1, 2022
Don’t bother dull predictable tale didn’t like the characters
June 3, 2017
I grew up during the era that this book is set - the 1980s - so some of the background of this resonates with me - names, fashions etc. I wasn't too far behind the two main female characters (Lucy and Vicky) age-wise, meaning that I really did relate to many of the emotions they went through. Can today's teenagers relate to this book? Yes, I think so. Whatever may have changed in the world since I was 16, the complications and reality of the emotions you experience as a teenager are things that are always going to resonate.
As the blurb says, life certainly does get very messy for the girls, not least because of Vicky's boyfriend, Paddy. A bad-lad to the core, proving that it doesn't matter if you come from a good family, you can still grow up to be a criminal who has more than a little cruelty, obsession and paranoia. Bitter enemies with Lucy's boyfriend, Jimmy, son a local police officer, Paddy does everything he can to control Vicky and remove Lucy from her life.
I'm trying hard not to add spoilers here, but also give you an idea of what the book is about. The blurb will have already told you that a murder is committed, and I have to say it is one that is particularly cruel. There is no hiding what has happened, this isn't a murder mystery, but rather the tale of two girls growing up and how their lives are shaped and changed by the events they encounter.
One of the other main secondary characters is Gurdy, an Indian lad who grew up with Lucy and Vicky; the three of them being firm friends. His story forms a very interesting sub-plot and honestly, I'd have enjoyed the book because of his tale alone.
This isn't some easy, light read, but a hard, gritty tale of love, betrayal and murder. It is well written and after reading this I would happily read more of Julie Shaw's work. I read this in two sessions, because I couldn't put it down. Happy to recommend this not only to young adults, but also any adults who enjoy a really good, realistic crime novel.
As the blurb says, life certainly does get very messy for the girls, not least because of Vicky's boyfriend, Paddy. A bad-lad to the core, proving that it doesn't matter if you come from a good family, you can still grow up to be a criminal who has more than a little cruelty, obsession and paranoia. Bitter enemies with Lucy's boyfriend, Jimmy, son a local police officer, Paddy does everything he can to control Vicky and remove Lucy from her life.
I'm trying hard not to add spoilers here, but also give you an idea of what the book is about. The blurb will have already told you that a murder is committed, and I have to say it is one that is particularly cruel. There is no hiding what has happened, this isn't a murder mystery, but rather the tale of two girls growing up and how their lives are shaped and changed by the events they encounter.
One of the other main secondary characters is Gurdy, an Indian lad who grew up with Lucy and Vicky; the three of them being firm friends. His story forms a very interesting sub-plot and honestly, I'd have enjoyed the book because of his tale alone.
This isn't some easy, light read, but a hard, gritty tale of love, betrayal and murder. It is well written and after reading this I would happily read more of Julie Shaw's work. I read this in two sessions, because I couldn't put it down. Happy to recommend this not only to young adults, but also any adults who enjoy a really good, realistic crime novel.
May 27, 2017
The title of the book attracted me to it as I assumed there would be a strong bond between siblings/friends. The scenario is two best friends whose boyfriends try to prevent their friendship developing.
The information on the back referred to one of the girls being accused of murder. I kept waiting for this to happen but it didn't occur until at least 3/4 of the way into the book, which I found a little frustrating.
I found one of the girls difficult to empathise with and rather difficult to fathom, which could be a reflection on me rather than author.
The information on the back referred to one of the girls being accused of murder. I kept waiting for this to happen but it didn't occur until at least 3/4 of the way into the book, which I found a little frustrating.
I found one of the girls difficult to empathise with and rather difficult to fathom, which could be a reflection on me rather than author.
June 8, 2017
An emotional roller coaster ride
Wow!! What a fantastic read. I could not put it down. In fact my house is in dire need of TLC now as it has been neglected for 2 days. I can't wait until Julie brings another gripping drama into my head. Fantastic.
If you're unsure buy it as you will not be disappointed.
I shall go and wipe my eyes dry now.
Thanks again Julie you are FAB
Wow!! What a fantastic read. I could not put it down. In fact my house is in dire need of TLC now as it has been neglected for 2 days. I can't wait until Julie brings another gripping drama into my head. Fantastic.
If you're unsure buy it as you will not be disappointed.
I shall go and wipe my eyes dry now.
Thanks again Julie you are FAB
May 14, 2017
excellent read....justice served would recommend this book very highly!!
June 28, 2017
Great read just wanted to keep reading really like Julie shaw,s books
March 15, 2024
I listened to this on audiobook.
This is the 6th book to the series, but I’d definitely say that these books can be read as stand alone as each story is individual with no continuing characters from previous books.
It was an enjoyable and entertaining story, from start to finish and very well written. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, most of whom were very likeable but there was a couple who you automatically dislike, but pretty sure that was the author’s intention. There was lots of drama and emotions throughout the story.
Another great story from this author, very gritty stuff.
This is the 6th book to the series, but I’d definitely say that these books can be read as stand alone as each story is individual with no continuing characters from previous books.
It was an enjoyable and entertaining story, from start to finish and very well written. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, most of whom were very likeable but there was a couple who you automatically dislike, but pretty sure that was the author’s intention. There was lots of drama and emotions throughout the story.
Another great story from this author, very gritty stuff.
May 26, 2017
I received this book free from Goodreads for a honest review. This is a really good book , really realistic and gritty, a realistic and true to life account of a abusive relationship and what it's like to be the friend of someone in one .it will pull at the heart strings of anyone who has ever been in either situation. Definitely worth a read and I'll be reading more by this author for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2018
Tragically real
Amazingly tragic and brutally real story. Paranoia, drugs, control and emotional abuse. This story could have truly been any young girl besotted with her bad boy boyfriend. Every girl has had one. Brilliant!
Amazingly tragic and brutally real story. Paranoia, drugs, control and emotional abuse. This story could have truly been any young girl besotted with her bad boy boyfriend. Every girl has had one. Brilliant!
September 28, 2018
Blood sisters till the end .
I have rated this book 4 stars it was a bit slow to start with so I perceived then found it started to get much better half way through so I was glad I had finished it if you are a fan of Julie Shaw then I would recommend that you buy it .
I have rated this book 4 stars it was a bit slow to start with so I perceived then found it started to get much better half way through so I was glad I had finished it if you are a fan of Julie Shaw then I would recommend that you buy it .
May 31, 2018
Brilliant Read
Really enjoyed reading this book. True friends never give up on each other no matter what and Vikki and Lucy's friendship definitely shows this.
Really enjoyed reading this book. True friends never give up on each other no matter what and Vikki and Lucy's friendship definitely shows this.
June 30, 2021
Unlike anything I've ever read - truly thrilling book!
February 18, 2022
As a big fan of Martina Cole and Kimberley Chambers books I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it’s quite similar. I would definitely like to find some more by this author
March 25, 2023
Really enjoyed this one, not an author I'm familiar with and wouldn't say it was one I couldn't put down but I liked it
August 15, 2024
Put me into a reading slump. Such a hard read.
September 6, 2024
Such an amazing book, I couldn't put down and read in a day
May 30, 2017
This was a goodreads give away. A gripping gritty story
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews