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Too Close
A haunting, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller about a woman who has been institutionalized for a heinous crime, and the psychiatrist assigned to her case who must uncover the truth beneath the madness.
How close do you get before it’s too late…?
Working as a dedicated forensic psychiatrist for many years, Emma is not shocked so easily. Then she is assigned to work with Connie, a wife and mother accused of a despicable crime. Connie is suffering from dissociative amnesia—or at least seems to be.
Now it is up to Emma to decide whether Connie can stand trial for her sins. But there is something about Connie that inexorably pulls Emma into her orbit. Perhaps it is the way she seems to see right through Emma, speaking to Emma’s deepest insecurities about her life, marriage, and her own tragic past. And soon Emma begins to understand how Connie’s complicated marriage and toxic relationship with her beautiful best friend Ness could have driven Connie to snap—or maybe, she is simply getting too close to a woman who is unforgivable…
Alternating between the two women’s points of view, before and after Connie’s breakdown, Too Close is a masterfully written page turner about the powerful—yet dangerous—closeness between women.
How close do you get before it’s too late…?
Working as a dedicated forensic psychiatrist for many years, Emma is not shocked so easily. Then she is assigned to work with Connie, a wife and mother accused of a despicable crime. Connie is suffering from dissociative amnesia—or at least seems to be.
Now it is up to Emma to decide whether Connie can stand trial for her sins. But there is something about Connie that inexorably pulls Emma into her orbit. Perhaps it is the way she seems to see right through Emma, speaking to Emma’s deepest insecurities about her life, marriage, and her own tragic past. And soon Emma begins to understand how Connie’s complicated marriage and toxic relationship with her beautiful best friend Ness could have driven Connie to snap—or maybe, she is simply getting too close to a woman who is unforgivable…
Alternating between the two women’s points of view, before and after Connie’s breakdown, Too Close is a masterfully written page turner about the powerful—yet dangerous—closeness between women.
313 pages, Paperback
First published November 24, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 540 reviews
November 30, 2018
Just imagine this. You wake up in a psychiatric facility (and it is not a posh star rehab one, mind you). You have no idea why you are there. You look in the mirror and you are shocked at your appearance. You have bald spots where your hair has been torn from your head, scars all over your body and your frame is nothing more than skeletal. How did you get in this state? You can't figure out why your family doesn't visit you and the staff members stare at you with a type of fascination as if looking at a monster. You know you did something bad, but what exactly? You have been coined the Yummy Monster so it must be quite remarkable.
Wow, this book is a page turner! Connie has no idea how she ended up in this psychiatric facility, or does she? Is she just leading everyone to believe that she does not recall what lead up to her being sent there against her own will? Does everyone have a breaking point? A point where they mentally are not able to take on any more and eventually they just break? Even driving them to unthinkable behaviors? You hear it everyday from people around the individuals that make the news for the horrible actions they have taken. Often people say they never saw it coming. Is that true or did they just miss the signs? This book will make you question all of that!
We are allowed to travel along with Connie's innermost thoughts as she reveals more and more what has landed her here. With the help of her psychologist Emma Robinson and her own daughter's diary, pieces of this puzzle are filled in. I literally could not wait to find out what Connie had done.
I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for the truth to be revealed as I had no idea what to think. This is one of those books that will stay in your head and you will find yourself thinking about it well after you have finished it. For a fantastic page turner that you won't want to put down until you devour the whole thing, you need to get your hands on Too Close!
Wow, this book is a page turner! Connie has no idea how she ended up in this psychiatric facility, or does she? Is she just leading everyone to believe that she does not recall what lead up to her being sent there against her own will? Does everyone have a breaking point? A point where they mentally are not able to take on any more and eventually they just break? Even driving them to unthinkable behaviors? You hear it everyday from people around the individuals that make the news for the horrible actions they have taken. Often people say they never saw it coming. Is that true or did they just miss the signs? This book will make you question all of that!
We are allowed to travel along with Connie's innermost thoughts as she reveals more and more what has landed her here. With the help of her psychologist Emma Robinson and her own daughter's diary, pieces of this puzzle are filled in. I literally could not wait to find out what Connie had done.
I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for the truth to be revealed as I had no idea what to think. This is one of those books that will stay in your head and you will find yourself thinking about it well after you have finished it. For a fantastic page turner that you won't want to put down until you devour the whole thing, you need to get your hands on Too Close!
December 30, 2018
This is one hell of a read.
The blurb already tells us that something bad has happened. Something terrible.
And Connie is now in a psychiatric hospital being drugged up to the eyeballs remembering nothing.
But we get to know the character Connie and like her psychiatrist we learn there’s more depth to her.
But what about Ness.
Ness she met in the park one day, they clicked and became good friends. When Ness marriage breaks down its reasonable for her to turn to Connie isn’t it?
But Ness seems to be in Connie house more than she’d like giving less and less time for Connie and her husband.
I especially liked the forming relationship between the physiatrist, she herself had her own problems.
This was a flippin’ Good read. I’d have finished this sooner but for it being the week of Christmas and no time to myself.
It’s my birthday tomorrow (31st) so today I’ve had time to myself as the family have been out.
I’ve loved everything in this book.
It’s not exceptionally fast paced more consistently opening a readers thoughts about it along the way which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Great book by a great author.
Thank you Bookoutour and Net Galley
November 12, 2018
Where do I start with this review to give this great book all the justice it deserves!!
When Connie is in the park with her daughter Annie she meets Ness who is also with her daughter and they become instant friends. The 2 families become 1 and when Ness splits up with her partner Leah, she spends all of her time at Connie’s. But Connie starts to feel suffocated by her.
We know at the beginning that something bad has happened to Connie, as she is in a psychiatric unit with no memory of how she got there.
Loved the friendship between Connie and Ness and how it would change their lives forever, but not for the good.
This story pulls no punches. You are instantly drawn in, there are so many questions you want answering, What did Connie do for a start?
Wonderfully written, with various narratives. We find out what Connie’s life was like before and why she is in the psychiatric unit. Mixed in with the narratives are her daughters diary excerpts which added a light humour at times.this is a non stop drama that will make you’re head spin.
What was there not to like. So many topics covered and even the old memories were so descriptive you actually feel like you are there experiencing it.
It’s definitely not a book you read and forget about. Surprised just how connected I felt with the characters and their stories. You made me care about them and that is a sure sign of a good author!! I will be looking out for you’re other books.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
When Connie is in the park with her daughter Annie she meets Ness who is also with her daughter and they become instant friends. The 2 families become 1 and when Ness splits up with her partner Leah, she spends all of her time at Connie’s. But Connie starts to feel suffocated by her.
We know at the beginning that something bad has happened to Connie, as she is in a psychiatric unit with no memory of how she got there.
Loved the friendship between Connie and Ness and how it would change their lives forever, but not for the good.
This story pulls no punches. You are instantly drawn in, there are so many questions you want answering, What did Connie do for a start?
Wonderfully written, with various narratives. We find out what Connie’s life was like before and why she is in the psychiatric unit. Mixed in with the narratives are her daughters diary excerpts which added a light humour at times.this is a non stop drama that will make you’re head spin.
What was there not to like. So many topics covered and even the old memories were so descriptive you actually feel like you are there experiencing it.
It’s definitely not a book you read and forget about. Surprised just how connected I felt with the characters and their stories. You made me care about them and that is a sure sign of a good author!! I will be looking out for you’re other books.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
November 24, 2018
Too Close, Natalie Daniels's debut novel, is a tale of friendship, deceit, betrayal and mental illness and describing it as a thriller is inaccurate. That said, the author weaves an interesting yarn that was much more emotional and disturbing than is evident from the synopsis. However, the jumping back and forth between past and present with no prior warning has the potential to be confusing, although for me it worked like charm in ratcheting up the tension and creating a menacing atmosphere to the whole thing. It starts off very well and has lots of promise but there were no real twists or shocking surprises, and I found myself waiting in vain for something to happen but it never did.
Daniels infuses the story with plenty of emotion which was one of the major plus points of this read, and I truly felt sorry for the predicaments Connie found herself in. Unfortunately though, she was the only character that I found sufficiently developed as the rest of them were rather one dimensional, and I felt that a lot of them were only there to pad out the cast and added little or nothing to the advancement of the story. What the book perfectly illustrates is the potentially rapid decline in a persons mental health and the impact on both their wellbeing and that of their close relatives and friends. Well written, paced, and on the whole, an enjoyable reading experience. Recommended to those interested in women's fiction and the realistic and devastating consequences of the unravelling of an individual's mental health, but if you're looking for a light, easy story then you have come the wrong place as this is a book steeped in melancholy. I look forward to what the author produces next.
Many thanks to Transworld Digital for an ARC.
Daniels infuses the story with plenty of emotion which was one of the major plus points of this read, and I truly felt sorry for the predicaments Connie found herself in. Unfortunately though, she was the only character that I found sufficiently developed as the rest of them were rather one dimensional, and I felt that a lot of them were only there to pad out the cast and added little or nothing to the advancement of the story. What the book perfectly illustrates is the potentially rapid decline in a persons mental health and the impact on both their wellbeing and that of their close relatives and friends. Well written, paced, and on the whole, an enjoyable reading experience. Recommended to those interested in women's fiction and the realistic and devastating consequences of the unravelling of an individual's mental health, but if you're looking for a light, easy story then you have come the wrong place as this is a book steeped in melancholy. I look forward to what the author produces next.
Many thanks to Transworld Digital for an ARC.
November 15, 2018
This book really wasn't for me. It sounded like my kind of book from the blurb but it was not what I expected at all. All the female characters were unlikeable and annoying. The story dragged out and I really struggled with it. I was really looking forward reading it but was very disappointed and confused.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
June 9, 2024
Very interesting psychological thriller. A woman in a mental hospital is accused of an awful crime. The attorneys send a forsenic psychiatrist to talk to her and try to get information about the crime so this ends up being a story about both women and you don't find out what the horrible crime is until the end of the story. A really good mystery/thriller.
November 9, 2018
Where to start with this one!
Frantic and Chaotic...I think that sums it up, also incredibly dark and ’raised eyes’ shocking at times!
Connie is in a psychiatric hospital and the story starts haphazardly throwing you in at various angles ie what’s her life like now? what was her life like before? why she is in there and intermingled with experts from
her daughters diary... add to this her psychotherapist Emma trying to get her to open up about things whilst herself having major issues.....its a touch confusing at first but when all this ‘irons itself out’ it really is worth it
What follows is drama, fascinating drama and at times enough to make you pause and take a breath before continuing but utterly addictive as you find out why Connie’s life has spiralled so far out of control, and thats an understatement!!!
The various narratives are unrelenting in their brutal honesty, despair and grimness but then out of nowhere you get a line that had me laughing out loud such was the candour of all concerned
The story led you on to suspect one reason for Connie’s breakdown, cleverly it pointed all the markers for the conclusion...then abruptly with one overheard ‘call’ everything changed and you realised the story was going the complete opposite of what you thought!
The cast were sublime in their realness and got under my skin
Soooo many topics are covered in the book its probably easier to say what isent!!!
I absolutely loved the casual use of irreverence throughout and the authors ability to describe everything as we often think it ( but prob wouldn’t say it!!) I loved all 320 pages of this most unusually honest and challenging book and for that it has to be a
10/10 5 stars
February 7, 2019
Meet your new perfect friend...almost MORE perfect than you. Is she really your friend or replacement? What can be worse, right?
This book is so twisty and devious in its plot that it's hard to comment on it not giving anything crucial away. It almost felt like more than one story in one book.
The thing I liked the most about this book was how atmospheric the house felt...the high ceilings, big rooms, long staircase...all the walls with all the things that have happened between them...all that buildup to where it could lead if you poked your head in each of them. These creepy and yet beautifully written descriptions of the place took first place over the plot quite quickly.
Perfect for fans of domestic drama, friendship mysteries and twisty thrillers that tend to turn around unrecognizably.
Thank you Random House and Transworld Publishers for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.
This book is so twisty and devious in its plot that it's hard to comment on it not giving anything crucial away. It almost felt like more than one story in one book.
The thing I liked the most about this book was how atmospheric the house felt...the high ceilings, big rooms, long staircase...all the walls with all the things that have happened between them...all that buildup to where it could lead if you poked your head in each of them. These creepy and yet beautifully written descriptions of the place took first place over the plot quite quickly.
Perfect for fans of domestic drama, friendship mysteries and twisty thrillers that tend to turn around unrecognizably.
Thank you Random House and Transworld Publishers for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest review.
November 30, 2018
This book had me gripped from start to finish. I have read over 150 books this year and this is most definitely in my top five.
This book highlights mental illness, how certain events in your life can send you down the road of self destruction. It also shows how you can become Too Close in a friendship.
Absolute brilliant read.
This book highlights mental illness, how certain events in your life can send you down the road of self destruction. It also shows how you can become Too Close in a friendship.
Absolute brilliant read.
September 29, 2020
Connie and Ness met in the park while their children played. As they talked, they realised they were neighbours. Perhaps it was only natural that they and their families would become entirely inseparable.
But when Ness’s marriage ends in a bitter divorce, she is suddenly at Connie’s house all the time. Connie doesn’t have a moment to herself, no time alone with her husband, not a second to chat to her kids.
It’s all too much. Something has to give.
Connie has woken up in a psychiatric hospital. They say she committed a terrible crime but she says she can’t remember a thing.
But when Ness’s marriage ends in a bitter divorce, she is suddenly at Connie’s house all the time. Connie doesn’t have a moment to herself, no time alone with her husband, not a second to chat to her kids.
It’s all too much. Something has to give.
Connie has woken up in a psychiatric hospital. They say she committed a terrible crime but she says she can’t remember a thing.
October 26, 2019
Me ha gustado. Se trata de un thriller psicológico que nos intenta mostrar la fragilidad de la mente y sus consecuencias. Está bastante bien escrito y los personajes bien dibujados y no se me ha hecho pesado en ningún momento. Recomendable si buscáis una lectura ligera que os entretenga.
October 2, 2019
*thank you to Netgalley, Natalie Daniels and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers from a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
DNF.
This is my first time DNFing a Netgalley/ARC book. But for personal/mental health reasons, I found this book to be too triggering to continue. I thank the author and publishing company for giving me a copy of this and do apologise. I will add that I love the cover though (the coffee cups version).
DNF.
This is my first time DNFing a Netgalley/ARC book. But for personal/mental health reasons, I found this book to be too triggering to continue. I thank the author and publishing company for giving me a copy of this and do apologise. I will add that I love the cover though (the coffee cups version).
December 8, 2018
3.5* (rounded up to 4)
When we first meet Connie and Ness it is in the park where their children are playing and they realise that they live nearby to each other. We next encounter Connie in a psychiatric hospital with horrific injuries. What on earth has happened.
Recounted mainly in the first person by Connie together with chapters from the perspective of Dr Emma Robinson, her psychiatrist. Emma has been assigned to her in order to encourage Connie to remember what happened. This is an intriguing story showing the devastation that results when a close friendship turns toxic.
Ness and Connie were each married when they met. Ness to Leah, a TV personality and Connie to Karl. Their two daughters got on well together and became best friends – there are some diary extracts from Connie’s daughter 9 year old Anna, complete with childish spelling, which at times are hilarious, and also so insightful. It’s surprising what children pick up on.
Don’t expect a fast paced read – this is more character based. For much of the story, we learn the backstory with only little teasers of what may have happened to put Connie in the hospital. We don’t find out what has actually happened until much later on and well done to the author for the ambiguity and some misdirection here. For much of the story my mind was in freefall, wondering what Connie had done to deserve being isolated in an institution and I made my own assumptions. However, there was a point when the rug was pulled from under me and I was completely taken by surprise.
All the characters are so realistic, in fact their lives are frighteningly so. Marriage difficulties, family problems, emotional meltdowns. In addition to Connie’s story, we also have Emma’s. She has her own marriage and life issues to deal with – in fact sometimes I thought that she should have been the patient instead of Connie.
Connie may have been accused of something dreadful but I couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for her. She was forthright and honest and her character was very well developed. With a family, as well as ageing parents to look after including a mother with dementia, she was trying to keep all the balls in the air, it was perhaps inevitable that one would drop.
Too Close is a disturbing novel of deceit and betrayal. I’ve seen it described as a psychological thriller however in my opinion it’s more of a domestic/suspense/drama. But whatever the description, it is an extremely well written debut novel and I’m looking forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
When we first meet Connie and Ness it is in the park where their children are playing and they realise that they live nearby to each other. We next encounter Connie in a psychiatric hospital with horrific injuries. What on earth has happened.
Recounted mainly in the first person by Connie together with chapters from the perspective of Dr Emma Robinson, her psychiatrist. Emma has been assigned to her in order to encourage Connie to remember what happened. This is an intriguing story showing the devastation that results when a close friendship turns toxic.
Ness and Connie were each married when they met. Ness to Leah, a TV personality and Connie to Karl. Their two daughters got on well together and became best friends – there are some diary extracts from Connie’s daughter 9 year old Anna, complete with childish spelling, which at times are hilarious, and also so insightful. It’s surprising what children pick up on.
Don’t expect a fast paced read – this is more character based. For much of the story, we learn the backstory with only little teasers of what may have happened to put Connie in the hospital. We don’t find out what has actually happened until much later on and well done to the author for the ambiguity and some misdirection here. For much of the story my mind was in freefall, wondering what Connie had done to deserve being isolated in an institution and I made my own assumptions. However, there was a point when the rug was pulled from under me and I was completely taken by surprise.
All the characters are so realistic, in fact their lives are frighteningly so. Marriage difficulties, family problems, emotional meltdowns. In addition to Connie’s story, we also have Emma’s. She has her own marriage and life issues to deal with – in fact sometimes I thought that she should have been the patient instead of Connie.
Connie may have been accused of something dreadful but I couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for her. She was forthright and honest and her character was very well developed. With a family, as well as ageing parents to look after including a mother with dementia, she was trying to keep all the balls in the air, it was perhaps inevitable that one would drop.
Too Close is a disturbing novel of deceit and betrayal. I’ve seen it described as a psychological thriller however in my opinion it’s more of a domestic/suspense/drama. But whatever the description, it is an extremely well written debut novel and I’m looking forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
June 18, 2022
Ligero.
December 2, 2018
What can I say about this book which caused my head to spin, my brain to rattle in my skull trying to figure out what I feel?!!
The story of Connie was a total mind fuck. I felt sad at her betrayal, shocked at her actions and absolute anger, burning hot lava spewing out of me, against the man, the husband who was the root cause of evil, the philanderer. He escaped scot free, he got to eat his cake and have it too.
The book starts out as a thriller then gets a bit philosophical with the paragraphs of forgiveness. Connie is in a mental facility awaiting trial, for driving into the river with 2 children, both apparently critical. The shock causes amnesia, and the forensic psychologist, Emma or Dr R, has to then peek into her brain, catch that single thread which would cause the knots of memory to untangle and flow out...
The entire book is the story of Connie both in the facility and in the days months years preceding that. One casual meet in the playground causes the door to open a crack and the snake is left with the temptation to slide right in and make its home. The old residents have to then move out or try to kill the snake. What do you think happens then? Who wins? Read the book to know.
The story has many niggles, description of her life at the psychiatric facility is more than the friendship turned bad. For me the story is too disjointed, not cohesive. There were pages on forgiveness, I am not very sure if that is even possible. My sense of justice did not like that only Connie suffers, the perpetrators escape. The reveals in the story are fabulous, they come in the latter half.
The book captivated me, incited my emotions, not for the narrator but for the infidel husband, who was never the main part of the story... Well, it was an enjoyable read.
The story of Connie was a total mind fuck. I felt sad at her betrayal, shocked at her actions and absolute anger, burning hot lava spewing out of me, against the man, the husband who was the root cause of evil, the philanderer. He escaped scot free, he got to eat his cake and have it too.
The book starts out as a thriller then gets a bit philosophical with the paragraphs of forgiveness. Connie is in a mental facility awaiting trial, for driving into the river with 2 children, both apparently critical. The shock causes amnesia, and the forensic psychologist, Emma or Dr R, has to then peek into her brain, catch that single thread which would cause the knots of memory to untangle and flow out...
The entire book is the story of Connie both in the facility and in the days months years preceding that. One casual meet in the playground causes the door to open a crack and the snake is left with the temptation to slide right in and make its home. The old residents have to then move out or try to kill the snake. What do you think happens then? Who wins? Read the book to know.
The story has many niggles, description of her life at the psychiatric facility is more than the friendship turned bad. For me the story is too disjointed, not cohesive. There were pages on forgiveness, I am not very sure if that is even possible. My sense of justice did not like that only Connie suffers, the perpetrators escape. The reveals in the story are fabulous, they come in the latter half.
The book captivated me, incited my emotions, not for the narrator but for the infidel husband, who was never the main part of the story... Well, it was an enjoyable read.
January 31, 2019
Best writing I have read in ages
Natalie Daniels is the pseudonym for Clara Salaman, an English actress well known for her roles in The Bill and EastEnders. If I could give more than 5 Stars I would. The quality of her writing is outstanding, and I could not put the book down. Her gritty, very moving account of a woman driven to the very brink of the precipice is so real and written with such humour that at times I laughed out loud.
Constance Mortenson is not your typical heroine, but in my eyes, she represents a very modern-day woman, juggling a career, two children and a marriage that is starting to crack. She is also struggling to cope with her ageing parents, especially her beloved mother that has been diagnosed with dementia. Then she meets Ness in the local park, discovers that she lives around the corner, has a daughter the same age and the die is cast. Connie and Ness, her wife Leah, and Connie’s husband Karl become firm friends, sharing their homes and their holidays, in and out of one another’s lives. Do they share too much, are they too close to one another?
There are so many serious themes that are touched upon, and the way they are woven through the storyline is nothing short of genius. The casual way in which benzodiazepines are prescribed by GP’s, without a thought to the long-term effects and the way in which mental health is dealt with in our modern-day society. Dr Emma Robinson is a ray of light in Connie’s bleak world. She is the court-appointed Forensic Psychiatrist tasked with unravelling the events that have led to Connie’s incarceration in a mental institution and the reader learns more about her from both her own voice and Connie’s clever investigation. Emma ends up crossing the line between patient and doctor, partly because she seems beguiled by Connie and partly because of her genuine desire to help Connie make sense of her world. I loved both characters and was once again so very impressed by the quality of the writing and the beautiful relationship that blossoms between the two women.
Natalie Daniels has written a truly brilliant book and she is one to watch.
I highly recommend this book.
Gillian
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review
Natalie Daniels is the pseudonym for Clara Salaman, an English actress well known for her roles in The Bill and EastEnders. If I could give more than 5 Stars I would. The quality of her writing is outstanding, and I could not put the book down. Her gritty, very moving account of a woman driven to the very brink of the precipice is so real and written with such humour that at times I laughed out loud.
Constance Mortenson is not your typical heroine, but in my eyes, she represents a very modern-day woman, juggling a career, two children and a marriage that is starting to crack. She is also struggling to cope with her ageing parents, especially her beloved mother that has been diagnosed with dementia. Then she meets Ness in the local park, discovers that she lives around the corner, has a daughter the same age and the die is cast. Connie and Ness, her wife Leah, and Connie’s husband Karl become firm friends, sharing their homes and their holidays, in and out of one another’s lives. Do they share too much, are they too close to one another?
There are so many serious themes that are touched upon, and the way they are woven through the storyline is nothing short of genius. The casual way in which benzodiazepines are prescribed by GP’s, without a thought to the long-term effects and the way in which mental health is dealt with in our modern-day society. Dr Emma Robinson is a ray of light in Connie’s bleak world. She is the court-appointed Forensic Psychiatrist tasked with unravelling the events that have led to Connie’s incarceration in a mental institution and the reader learns more about her from both her own voice and Connie’s clever investigation. Emma ends up crossing the line between patient and doctor, partly because she seems beguiled by Connie and partly because of her genuine desire to help Connie make sense of her world. I loved both characters and was once again so very impressed by the quality of the writing and the beautiful relationship that blossoms between the two women.
Natalie Daniels has written a truly brilliant book and she is one to watch.
I highly recommend this book.
Gillian
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review
August 30, 2019
Apparently the author is a minor celebrity so I don't feel too bad about roasting this debut. There seems to be rule in publishing that if the author is famous enough, they don't have to do a lot of editing, even if it's sorely needed (see: Andy Weir, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King and his son Joe Hill). That is certainly the case here.
At its core, this book has a surprisingly well-written and insightful story of a woman losing her mind that is unfortunately encased in one of the most ABSURD and poorly researched framing stories I have ever encountered. I actually only stuck with this book because it was so unbelievably stupid in the beginning that I continued to read it as an unintentional comedy. I'm glad I did because there were some gems in here but good Lord do you have to work your way past some bullshit to find them. The other main character is a psychiatrist and, hilariously, the author seems to have no idea what a psychiatrist is or even does. A trained psychiatrist visiting a crime scene and turning up at the victim's houses is the kind of video game logic I would expect out of Ace Attorney. She has no sense of professional ethics (which is a plot point but still), misuses the term "family annihilation" TWICE, and at one point looks at a brain scan, confidently stating that she doesn't see a problem. Did this book just become science fiction??
I almost get the sense that the better portions of this book were part of some original vision and the rest was sloppily added later after publisher feedback. Maybe it could have worked if it was better polished but as it stands it reads like a draft.
At its core, this book has a surprisingly well-written and insightful story of a woman losing her mind that is unfortunately encased in one of the most ABSURD and poorly researched framing stories I have ever encountered. I actually only stuck with this book because it was so unbelievably stupid in the beginning that I continued to read it as an unintentional comedy. I'm glad I did because there were some gems in here but good Lord do you have to work your way past some bullshit to find them. The other main character is a psychiatrist and, hilariously, the author seems to have no idea what a psychiatrist is or even does. A trained psychiatrist visiting a crime scene and turning up at the victim's houses is the kind of video game logic I would expect out of Ace Attorney. She has no sense of professional ethics (which is a plot point but still), misuses the term "family annihilation" TWICE, and at one point looks at a brain scan, confidently stating that she doesn't see a problem. Did this book just become science fiction??
I almost get the sense that the better portions of this book were part of some original vision and the rest was sloppily added later after publisher feedback. Maybe it could have worked if it was better polished but as it stands it reads like a draft.
March 30, 2019
3.5 stars. The right triggers & wrong medication for a middle-class mother’s meltdown.. Scintillating prose, authentic dialogue.
Read the blurb for Natalie Daniels’s debut novel and you’d be forgiven for assuming it would be another of the endless stream of psychological thrillers exploring toxic female friendships and not really knowing your best-friend at all, but be warned, this is nothing of the sort. Too Close is instead an exploration of what happens when it has all gone wrong, life has imploded and the hamster wheel spins out of control. In fact this character driven novel is a darker and far more emotive read than ninety-percent of the genre with serious themes and a searingly honest first-person narrator who doesn’t pull any punches and takes caustic barbs and honesty to another level! Intense female friendship and betrayal there might be, but it is matched by declining mental health, unsuitable medication and whilst Too Close is in no way a thriller it has an abundance of intrigue and I had a far harder time guessing where the story was going compared to the more generic psycho thrillers.
Too Close opens with the inauspicious first meeting of Connie Mortensen and Vanessa (Ness) Jones as their children play together in the local playground and sees Connie reflect back on this inaugural meeting. Loaded with ominous hints as to the slippery downward spiral that it sets in motion and is to a significant degree responsible for Connie’s predicament, it then shows Connie in the psychiatric wing of a mental health facility her body a mass of burns, scars and livid marks and there are some heavy hints that she has committed at an unthinkable crime, the exact nature of which is shrouded in doubt until far further into the story. Treating the spirited and sarcastic, Connie, whose forthright and at times vitriolic abuse makes her emotions difficult to access is an unenviable task but knowing that Connie is a writer see forty-seven-year-old respected psychiatrist, Dr Robinson, give her an old laptop to write her story down. As Connie describes the course of her friendship with Ness in the form of a directly addressed script to her psychiatrist, her story is interspersed with therapy sessions, Connie’s painful reading of her nine-year-old daughter’s phonetically spelt diary complete with observations seen through the eyes of confused child and also third-person accounts of Dr Emma Robinson’s own life. Alongside the therapy sessions Connie also offers a wryly humorous look at the goings on inside Tatchwell mental health facility, including fellow patient “Mental Sita” and her brutish nurse, “the Squeak” which undoubtedly lighten the mood of a novel that some might find gloomy.
The narrative is compromised of Connie’s own first-person thoughts on her sessions with Dr R, the punchy and self-deprecating journal she writes reflecting the events as Ness and her wife, Leah, soon form a firm friendship with Connie and husband, Karl, and their four children become inseparable. As an intense female friendship flourishes between Connie and Ness, complete with Connie’s own (undisclosed) admission of attraction to her friend, the abrupt end of Ness and Leah’s union soon sees melancholy Ness become a resident fixture in the Mortensen household. Suddenly Connie barely has time to herself as she struggles to spend time with her husband or children, run a household with little or no help and care for her ailing parents and manage her mother’s debilitating Alzheimer’s. As Connie feels the strain and struggles to keep up with the demands of modern life, Natalie Daniels’s story offers a perceptive look at how blithely general practitioner’s prescribe antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Crucially the author also illustrates the medications part in protagonist Connie’s swift decline and how the absence of follow-up or talking therapy sees this so often go awry.
As Dr R (forensic psychiatrist, Emma Robinson) spends time assessing Connie in preparation for her trial, it falls to her to try to make progress is breaking through Connie’s dissociative amnesia and accessing the trauma that her mind has shut down in order not to confront. But Dr Robinson’s own life is far from perfect and through glimpses into her home life and awareness of her own personal dissatisfaction she is drawn to the indomitable Connie whom is something of an inspiration and has thrown of the shackles that conform so many. As the parallels between both women’s lives begin to appear and a fragile and slightly awkward relationship blossoms it presents the opportunity for the pair to each learn something from their interaction. As a reader I found myself vying for both Connie and Emma and appreciated the growing bond between the two women and their mutual concern for each other’s welfare.
Thought-provoking, emotionally involving and refreshing realistic, Natalie Daniels’s prose is vivid and her dialogue rings far truer than many a seasoned author. A highly promising debut novel with a flawed female lead whose character is continuously in development and whose “piercing search for authenticity in the everyday” and scathing humour is something to be admired! Daniels’s makes an excellent point in showing how mental illness can isolate even your nearest and dearest friends and family purely because of how terrifying it can often seem to those who are fortunate enough not to have experienced. On writing alone Too Close undoubtedly deserves a four star rating but with the slightly ambiguous blurb being something of a misnomer as to the darker contents I opted for 3.5 stars. A steadily paced and insightful look at friendship, marriage, betrayal and deceit and one of the most honest takes on middle-class mental illness that I have read.
Read the blurb for Natalie Daniels’s debut novel and you’d be forgiven for assuming it would be another of the endless stream of psychological thrillers exploring toxic female friendships and not really knowing your best-friend at all, but be warned, this is nothing of the sort. Too Close is instead an exploration of what happens when it has all gone wrong, life has imploded and the hamster wheel spins out of control. In fact this character driven novel is a darker and far more emotive read than ninety-percent of the genre with serious themes and a searingly honest first-person narrator who doesn’t pull any punches and takes caustic barbs and honesty to another level! Intense female friendship and betrayal there might be, but it is matched by declining mental health, unsuitable medication and whilst Too Close is in no way a thriller it has an abundance of intrigue and I had a far harder time guessing where the story was going compared to the more generic psycho thrillers.
Too Close opens with the inauspicious first meeting of Connie Mortensen and Vanessa (Ness) Jones as their children play together in the local playground and sees Connie reflect back on this inaugural meeting. Loaded with ominous hints as to the slippery downward spiral that it sets in motion and is to a significant degree responsible for Connie’s predicament, it then shows Connie in the psychiatric wing of a mental health facility her body a mass of burns, scars and livid marks and there are some heavy hints that she has committed at an unthinkable crime, the exact nature of which is shrouded in doubt until far further into the story. Treating the spirited and sarcastic, Connie, whose forthright and at times vitriolic abuse makes her emotions difficult to access is an unenviable task but knowing that Connie is a writer see forty-seven-year-old respected psychiatrist, Dr Robinson, give her an old laptop to write her story down. As Connie describes the course of her friendship with Ness in the form of a directly addressed script to her psychiatrist, her story is interspersed with therapy sessions, Connie’s painful reading of her nine-year-old daughter’s phonetically spelt diary complete with observations seen through the eyes of confused child and also third-person accounts of Dr Emma Robinson’s own life. Alongside the therapy sessions Connie also offers a wryly humorous look at the goings on inside Tatchwell mental health facility, including fellow patient “Mental Sita” and her brutish nurse, “the Squeak” which undoubtedly lighten the mood of a novel that some might find gloomy.
The narrative is compromised of Connie’s own first-person thoughts on her sessions with Dr R, the punchy and self-deprecating journal she writes reflecting the events as Ness and her wife, Leah, soon form a firm friendship with Connie and husband, Karl, and their four children become inseparable. As an intense female friendship flourishes between Connie and Ness, complete with Connie’s own (undisclosed) admission of attraction to her friend, the abrupt end of Ness and Leah’s union soon sees melancholy Ness become a resident fixture in the Mortensen household. Suddenly Connie barely has time to herself as she struggles to spend time with her husband or children, run a household with little or no help and care for her ailing parents and manage her mother’s debilitating Alzheimer’s. As Connie feels the strain and struggles to keep up with the demands of modern life, Natalie Daniels’s story offers a perceptive look at how blithely general practitioner’s prescribe antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Crucially the author also illustrates the medications part in protagonist Connie’s swift decline and how the absence of follow-up or talking therapy sees this so often go awry.
As Dr R (forensic psychiatrist, Emma Robinson) spends time assessing Connie in preparation for her trial, it falls to her to try to make progress is breaking through Connie’s dissociative amnesia and accessing the trauma that her mind has shut down in order not to confront. But Dr Robinson’s own life is far from perfect and through glimpses into her home life and awareness of her own personal dissatisfaction she is drawn to the indomitable Connie whom is something of an inspiration and has thrown of the shackles that conform so many. As the parallels between both women’s lives begin to appear and a fragile and slightly awkward relationship blossoms it presents the opportunity for the pair to each learn something from their interaction. As a reader I found myself vying for both Connie and Emma and appreciated the growing bond between the two women and their mutual concern for each other’s welfare.
Thought-provoking, emotionally involving and refreshing realistic, Natalie Daniels’s prose is vivid and her dialogue rings far truer than many a seasoned author. A highly promising debut novel with a flawed female lead whose character is continuously in development and whose “piercing search for authenticity in the everyday” and scathing humour is something to be admired! Daniels’s makes an excellent point in showing how mental illness can isolate even your nearest and dearest friends and family purely because of how terrifying it can often seem to those who are fortunate enough not to have experienced. On writing alone Too Close undoubtedly deserves a four star rating but with the slightly ambiguous blurb being something of a misnomer as to the darker contents I opted for 3.5 stars. A steadily paced and insightful look at friendship, marriage, betrayal and deceit and one of the most honest takes on middle-class mental illness that I have read.
August 25, 2020
The answer is yes. Two women can absolutely be too close. In fact, unless they are sleeping together, they should establish distance right away, distance is good, it gives one perspective and space. This proved to be surprisingly exciting. Exciting is generally what you would expect from a thriller, but there has been too many of too similar of these books lately to really go into reading them with high expectations. This book, though, absolutely delivered. It promised to be dark and really went there. Not quite a traditional genre work, the body count is off, the chapters alternate more organically, it doesn’t quite twist and turns in a way these things normally do, this was much more along the lines of dark psychological drama centering on the subject of female friendships. Toxic and otherwise, but, of course, mostly toxic, because it makes for a more fun story. The main protagonist is Connie, a thoroughly prototypical suburban yummy mummy with a nice life, one man, two kids, etc. Maybe slightly lonely. But then one day she meets another yummy mummy in the park, the woman who has just conveniently bought a place right down the street with her wife and their two kids, friendship sparks go off like fireworks and from then one Ness and Connie are inseparable. Fast forward six years and Connie is locked up in a loony bin, severely messed up physically and mentally, with only a well meaning shrink named Emma determined to unravel the puzzles tangled up in Connie’s dissociative amnesia ridden mind. We’re clued in that Connie’s done something terrible, but it’s going to take time to find out what and meanwhile her madness undeterred charisma and character draw Emma in entirely too much and her own professional and personal life get affected and confused by association. So it’s essentially a story of boundaries in female relationships on various levels, the way they seem to be impossible to maintain as the personal involvement progresses. It’s messy, it’s complicated, it’s…it’s kind of fascinating, in that train wreck way. All the main characters in this story are married people of a certain social class/status struggling with their individual challenges and dissatisfactions, none of their relationships are quite functional or happy, with possible exception of Connie’s elderly parents. This book says a lot about marriage and almost none of it is positive or promising, but it’s certainly compelling to read about. In fact, this book really drew me in. I remember thinking…wow, this must be what women’s fiction can be when done right. Because, you know, usually it’s complete sh*te. And then there was that omnia vincit amor ending as incongruous as Jeff Bezos in Walmart, the people pleasing female pandering estrogen infused happy ending the book didn’t need and shouldn’t have had. After all the heavy subject discussed, struggles with mental soundness, addictions/dependencies, marriage, motherhood, friendships, etc. you’d think this book would deliver an appropriately dark doozy of a finale, alas, the author went at it sunny side up. I can understand the choice, but…it wasn’t ideal. It did dampen the overall effect somewhat, but otherwise this was really fun, so I'll be uncharacteristically generous for once. Thoroughly engaging well written and relatively quick trip down the uncharted territories of the psychological darkness. Recommended.
April 2, 2019
The story revolves round Connie, from the day she met Ness in the park. They both had children that after a brief smartie war moment became best friends so it was enviable that they became friends too, then both families. In no time at all Connie became a little concerned, Ness took on the same hair style as her, then was wearing her favourite perfume. When Ness and her partner broke up she began to spend more time at Connie’s and Connie had, had enough. Then the story jumps to find Connie in a psychiatric unit,
This is one of those stories that lets you know that something massive has happened but not what it is, then it drops back to drip feed the story of the terrible event that happened and finishes a few chapters down the line from where it started. I must admit that this type of story really hooks me every time.
Connie was as clueless as me as to why she was in this secure unit but Emma, her psychiatrist, was working with her from a point she could remember in her own time. As well as all this going on there are diary entries from Connie’s daughter and the problems of Emma in her private life. This story is so well written though that it is easy to follow. I have to admit here that Emma’s story became quite a fascination too as a more than weird relationship developed between her and Connie.
This is such a dark story, that takes you down roads that you should really step back from and think, ‘Is this what I want?’ because sometimes when a line is crossed it can’t be erased. My mind was ready for exploding in a cascade of fury, hurt and betrayal, as my heart went out to Connie. The author masterfully takes you into the mind of Connie to share how she sees the world and at times it is overwhelming with such extreme emotions. The question is will Connie be able to finally face what happened as her mind had shut down once already. A brilliant read.
I wish to thank NetGalley and Ella at Transworld Publishing for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
This is one of those stories that lets you know that something massive has happened but not what it is, then it drops back to drip feed the story of the terrible event that happened and finishes a few chapters down the line from where it started. I must admit that this type of story really hooks me every time.
Connie was as clueless as me as to why she was in this secure unit but Emma, her psychiatrist, was working with her from a point she could remember in her own time. As well as all this going on there are diary entries from Connie’s daughter and the problems of Emma in her private life. This story is so well written though that it is easy to follow. I have to admit here that Emma’s story became quite a fascination too as a more than weird relationship developed between her and Connie.
This is such a dark story, that takes you down roads that you should really step back from and think, ‘Is this what I want?’ because sometimes when a line is crossed it can’t be erased. My mind was ready for exploding in a cascade of fury, hurt and betrayal, as my heart went out to Connie. The author masterfully takes you into the mind of Connie to share how she sees the world and at times it is overwhelming with such extreme emotions. The question is will Connie be able to finally face what happened as her mind had shut down once already. A brilliant read.
I wish to thank NetGalley and Ella at Transworld Publishing for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
March 25, 2019
This one started slow, but builds in to this story you can't stop reading. The main character pulls on your sympathies as well as tweaks your "yikes, she is crazy" button. Very well done and the author is great at keeping you turning the pages. Definitely will be searching out more of her work
May 3, 2019
Wow. What did I just read? Although it was very, very dark at times it was full of black humour. You know how you shouldn’t be laughing at Villanelle in the TV series Killing Eve (not the book, that was pants) but you just can’t help yourself? Well, this was similar for me. I 😂 out loud on several occasions and I’m not convinced there wasn’t the odd unladylike snort. The central character is Connie who is in a mental hospital although you aren’t sure why to start with; you just know she’s done something awful but not what or why. She is very damaged both literally in body but also in mind. She’s also deeply perceptive, caring, kind and very funny. Connie’s story is told via herself, through Emma her forensic psychiatrist and her young daughter Annie’s diary. Annie and her best friend Polly are hilarious, they are terrific characters if not somewhat macabre for being so young!
I loved a lot about this book not least how affectionately Connie wrote about her warrior mum who sadly lost her warrior nature to Alzheimer’s. I know a lot about that unfortunately as I’ve lost my witty, clever dad and in his place is a foul mouthed pugilist. I liked the way she described her husband Karl - The Weasel - as ‘a grand master of lethargy; he’d made uselessness a tool in his bid for idleness’. I think we could all name a few of those (actually my foul mouthed pugilist was pretty good at this!!). I liked how Emma and Connie made a real connection and I was glad that someone was on Connie’s side as she has lost so much. I liked the way that despite all the trials and tribulations in her life, Connie gives Emma strength and in many ways they save each other.
When Connie’s story finally emerged I felt really sorry for her and I wasn’t surprised that events in her life tipped her over the edge. The book ended on an optimistic note as Connie is on the road to recovery and Emma made a vital change in her life. A great read.
I loved a lot about this book not least how affectionately Connie wrote about her warrior mum who sadly lost her warrior nature to Alzheimer’s. I know a lot about that unfortunately as I’ve lost my witty, clever dad and in his place is a foul mouthed pugilist. I liked the way she described her husband Karl - The Weasel - as ‘a grand master of lethargy; he’d made uselessness a tool in his bid for idleness’. I think we could all name a few of those (actually my foul mouthed pugilist was pretty good at this!!). I liked how Emma and Connie made a real connection and I was glad that someone was on Connie’s side as she has lost so much. I liked the way that despite all the trials and tribulations in her life, Connie gives Emma strength and in many ways they save each other.
When Connie’s story finally emerged I felt really sorry for her and I wasn’t surprised that events in her life tipped her over the edge. The book ended on an optimistic note as Connie is on the road to recovery and Emma made a vital change in her life. A great read.
November 24, 2019
RATING: 2.5 STARS
2019; Harper Paperbacks/HarperCollins Canada
(Review Not on Blog)
Have you ever read/listened to a novel and then the next day forget what it was all about...yeah, that just happened to me I never got into this novel so it is hard to really relate this review. I am not sure if it was me being distracted or the story and the characters didn't connect. The story sounded intriguing but Emma and Connie (the main characters) were a bit hard to take after awhile. Take a look at other reviews to see if this one is for you!
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
2019; Harper Paperbacks/HarperCollins Canada
(Review Not on Blog)
Have you ever read/listened to a novel and then the next day forget what it was all about...yeah, that just happened to me I never got into this novel so it is hard to really relate this review. I am not sure if it was me being distracted or the story and the characters didn't connect. The story sounded intriguing but Emma and Connie (the main characters) were a bit hard to take after awhile. Take a look at other reviews to see if this one is for you!
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
July 23, 2019
I first want to address the marketing of this book. The publisher opted to label this as a "psychological thriller." It's not a thriller at all, and the overuse of that genre label has become problematic. "Thriller" sets certain expectations, which readers then bring with them into the story. The nonexistence of thriller content inevitably leads to disappointment. Too Close is slow-burning psychological suspense. This book is absolutely not a fast-paced thriller.
The story is dark, dramatic, and intense. The author provides incredible insight into the spiraling destruction of mental illness. We take an in-depth look at relationships of all sorts, exploring a wide range of emotions against the backdrop of a shattered mind. I really loved this aspect of the book.
The writing style occasionally reaches literary standards, but other times the sentences lack rhythm and become repetitive - not in content but in form. A little editing would easily make this a more absorbing read.
The story's format could be irritating for some readers. We float between the present and the past, filling in the gaps of Connie's memory. I wasn't bothered by this stylistic choice, but I would've liked the sections to be labeled. Often I'd assume I was in the present or a particular part of the past, and it would take a few paragraphs before I realized I was in a totally different time period.
While I had some quibbles with the story's execution, I was totally invested in the characters' tangled relationships.
*I received a review copy from the publisher, via LibraryThing.*
The story is dark, dramatic, and intense. The author provides incredible insight into the spiraling destruction of mental illness. We take an in-depth look at relationships of all sorts, exploring a wide range of emotions against the backdrop of a shattered mind. I really loved this aspect of the book.
The writing style occasionally reaches literary standards, but other times the sentences lack rhythm and become repetitive - not in content but in form. A little editing would easily make this a more absorbing read.
The story's format could be irritating for some readers. We float between the present and the past, filling in the gaps of Connie's memory. I wasn't bothered by this stylistic choice, but I would've liked the sections to be labeled. Often I'd assume I was in the present or a particular part of the past, and it would take a few paragraphs before I realized I was in a totally different time period.
While I had some quibbles with the story's execution, I was totally invested in the characters' tangled relationships.
*I received a review copy from the publisher, via LibraryThing.*
December 3, 2018
Sometimes a cover really calls to you and this one, showing the everyday normality of two takeaway coffee cups, really did call to me from the first moment I saw it. As a psychological thriller, it also had all the elements within those pages that I love with a darkly atmospheric setting, well drawn and often unlikeable characters and a trail of subtly placed breadcrumbs that lead to a twisty finish!
Women’s friendships can be lifelong and often life SAVING when they work well but often they can turn toxic, with accusations of betrayal of those female bonds. So it’s intriguing to watch the burgeoning relationship between Connie and Ness and pick out the clues as to what has happened to lead to the Connie we see in the present day. Connie is in a psychiatric hospital and psychiatrist Emma has been sent in to help her remember what happened. She’s obviously committed a heinous act but is unable to recall why she is now one of the most hated women in the UK. The reader is able to follow the friendship that develops between Connie and Ness from the moment they meet in a children’s park and how that attachment starts to change as life throws a few curveballs their way. I loved how we saw the developments in hindsight whilst watching Emma bring memories back to Connie, who is a world away from the glamorous “yummy mummy” we first meet-now a “yummy monster”.
The plot is very dark and I will warn you now that it can be deeply distressing at times, especially towards the end. But it’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel due to the depths of feelings it evoked in me. The slow build up was perfectly pitched so that the ending was as shocking as it was unexpected. This is one of those books that I guarantee will have you flicking back the pages once you get to the end to reread the last few pages again.
Natalie Daniels has done a great job here with her first psychological thriller and I can’t wait to see where she goes from here!
Women’s friendships can be lifelong and often life SAVING when they work well but often they can turn toxic, with accusations of betrayal of those female bonds. So it’s intriguing to watch the burgeoning relationship between Connie and Ness and pick out the clues as to what has happened to lead to the Connie we see in the present day. Connie is in a psychiatric hospital and psychiatrist Emma has been sent in to help her remember what happened. She’s obviously committed a heinous act but is unable to recall why she is now one of the most hated women in the UK. The reader is able to follow the friendship that develops between Connie and Ness from the moment they meet in a children’s park and how that attachment starts to change as life throws a few curveballs their way. I loved how we saw the developments in hindsight whilst watching Emma bring memories back to Connie, who is a world away from the glamorous “yummy mummy” we first meet-now a “yummy monster”.
The plot is very dark and I will warn you now that it can be deeply distressing at times, especially towards the end. But it’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel due to the depths of feelings it evoked in me. The slow build up was perfectly pitched so that the ending was as shocking as it was unexpected. This is one of those books that I guarantee will have you flicking back the pages once you get to the end to reread the last few pages again.
Natalie Daniels has done a great job here with her first psychological thriller and I can’t wait to see where she goes from here!
December 9, 2018
So when your main character wakes up in a psychiatric hospital with a memory loss, you know that the box of unreliable narrator is ticked straight away. What ensued was a dark and twisted look at family life slowly crumbling beyond repair.
Oh Connie, how did you let it all go so wrong?
I didn’t know whether to believe Connie or not. There is a massive elephant in the proverbial as I read. What drove Connie to do what she did? Was she mentally unstable or a victim of circumstance which I was yet to find out.
‘Maybe we’re all just ticking bombs . . .’
Emma seems an unhappy soul. Unhappy in her personal life, she sees Connie as her challenge, consuming her thoughts. But as Connie retells aspects of her life, Emma questions her own life as well as delving further into Connie’s psyche.
I loved reading Annie’s diaries. The phonic spelling used felt like an 7/8 year old had written them. I think the author picked the right words to spell as they sounded, just like a child developing the vocabulary and handwriting would do!
The author lulled me into a total false sense of security. I thought I knew where I was heading but no, Ms Daniels blew my ideas out the water and sent me reeling in a different direction. This is a brilliant debut and I look forward to what Ms Daniels has to offer next!
Oh Connie, how did you let it all go so wrong?
I didn’t know whether to believe Connie or not. There is a massive elephant in the proverbial as I read. What drove Connie to do what she did? Was she mentally unstable or a victim of circumstance which I was yet to find out.
‘Maybe we’re all just ticking bombs . . .’
Emma seems an unhappy soul. Unhappy in her personal life, she sees Connie as her challenge, consuming her thoughts. But as Connie retells aspects of her life, Emma questions her own life as well as delving further into Connie’s psyche.
I loved reading Annie’s diaries. The phonic spelling used felt like an 7/8 year old had written them. I think the author picked the right words to spell as they sounded, just like a child developing the vocabulary and handwriting would do!
The author lulled me into a total false sense of security. I thought I knew where I was heading but no, Ms Daniels blew my ideas out the water and sent me reeling in a different direction. This is a brilliant debut and I look forward to what Ms Daniels has to offer next!
January 16, 2019
Its not often I abandon a book without finishing it but I just couldnt bear to waste any more time on this.
The main character is just so unlikeable and the story is just so slow and boring.
Thankfully it only cost me 99p.
Now onto something enjoyable
The main character is just so unlikeable and the story is just so slow and boring.
Thankfully it only cost me 99p.
Now onto something enjoyable
March 14, 2024
3.75⭐ really enjoyed this book and storyline. Characters were also super intriguing. I was a tad disappointed in the ending as I felt like this book had so much build up for something really wild to happen at the end, but it didn't.
September 15, 2024
This one wasn't for me.
I love me an unreliable narrator in books, but it's still gotta be cohesive. That's where this one fell short.
It was 313 pages of stream of consciousness that never really came together.
It switches between a couple character's POV and adds in flashbacks but doesn't have a linear movement to follow.
Never really made sense to me🤷♀️
I love me an unreliable narrator in books, but it's still gotta be cohesive. That's where this one fell short.
It was 313 pages of stream of consciousness that never really came together.
It switches between a couple character's POV and adds in flashbacks but doesn't have a linear movement to follow.
Never really made sense to me🤷♀️
February 1, 2019
Ness and Connie came into each other’s lives 6 years ago. They met one afternoon in the park and they struck up a conversation. Connie and Ness have a lot in common: they both were writers, they both had two kids the same ages and they happened to live 4 houses down from each other. Ness had just moved into the neighborhood with her wife, Leah, and Connie figured her and her husband, Karl, could welcome them to the area.
The two families became intertwined. The kids became inseparable and the two couples got along great. What should’ve been a wonderful friendship between Ness and Connie happened to be toxic and co-dependent. But despite that, they remained close for 6 years. Until the unthinkable happens and Connie’s life is ripped away from her.
Now Connie is in a psychiatric ward. Her husband, her kids, her job, are nowhere in sight. She takes medication like clockwork, spends her time with nut jobs and doctors, trying to figure out just what happened that fateful night. Connie’s psychiatrist, Dr. Robinson, urges Connie to tell the truth.
The truth will set you free—isn’t that what they always say? But the truth won’t change the past. No amount of confessions will clear Connie’s chaotic mind. No amount of honesty will make things right. If only Connie had never met Ness all those years ago, then maybe the life she once knew wouldn’t be just a memory.
Instead of working on her own treatment, Connie manages to get inside the mind of Dr. Robinson, manipulating her thoughts. Although Dr. Robinson remains professional, Connie’s words linger in her mind well after their sessions end. She’s left wondering if Connie truly is a victim of circumstance or a very convincing manipulator. Connie isn’t just an ordinary patient—she is much more clever than anyone gives her credit for.
Through Connie’s memories and her daughter’s diary, we get to piece together the puzzle, learning just what landed Connie at that psychiatric hospital. We see the events leading up to that terrible day, where Connie’s whole life—and mind— finally disintegrates.
Too Close is Natalie Daniel’s debut novel. This book had me hooked from the very beginning. Connie is a tricky character—you can’t decide if she’s good or bad. She’s clearly mentally unstable, but I was dying to know how she got herself in such a predicament. I loved seeing her weave her way inside Emma Robinson’s mind and life, psychologically messing with the psychiatrist. Although this book isn’t particularly fast-paced, it’s a definite psychological thriller. Seeing the toxic relationship unfold between Ness and Connie made me anxious because I knew it could only lead to destruction and I was just waiting for things to fall apart. Great first novel by Natalie Daniels; I look forward to reading more by her in the future—4/5 stars.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Harper Paperbacks and Natalie Daniels for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The two families became intertwined. The kids became inseparable and the two couples got along great. What should’ve been a wonderful friendship between Ness and Connie happened to be toxic and co-dependent. But despite that, they remained close for 6 years. Until the unthinkable happens and Connie’s life is ripped away from her.
Now Connie is in a psychiatric ward. Her husband, her kids, her job, are nowhere in sight. She takes medication like clockwork, spends her time with nut jobs and doctors, trying to figure out just what happened that fateful night. Connie’s psychiatrist, Dr. Robinson, urges Connie to tell the truth.
The truth will set you free—isn’t that what they always say? But the truth won’t change the past. No amount of confessions will clear Connie’s chaotic mind. No amount of honesty will make things right. If only Connie had never met Ness all those years ago, then maybe the life she once knew wouldn’t be just a memory.
Instead of working on her own treatment, Connie manages to get inside the mind of Dr. Robinson, manipulating her thoughts. Although Dr. Robinson remains professional, Connie’s words linger in her mind well after their sessions end. She’s left wondering if Connie truly is a victim of circumstance or a very convincing manipulator. Connie isn’t just an ordinary patient—she is much more clever than anyone gives her credit for.
Through Connie’s memories and her daughter’s diary, we get to piece together the puzzle, learning just what landed Connie at that psychiatric hospital. We see the events leading up to that terrible day, where Connie’s whole life—and mind— finally disintegrates.
Too Close is Natalie Daniel’s debut novel. This book had me hooked from the very beginning. Connie is a tricky character—you can’t decide if she’s good or bad. She’s clearly mentally unstable, but I was dying to know how she got herself in such a predicament. I loved seeing her weave her way inside Emma Robinson’s mind and life, psychologically messing with the psychiatrist. Although this book isn’t particularly fast-paced, it’s a definite psychological thriller. Seeing the toxic relationship unfold between Ness and Connie made me anxious because I knew it could only lead to destruction and I was just waiting for things to fall apart. Great first novel by Natalie Daniels; I look forward to reading more by her in the future—4/5 stars.
Thank you to Edelweiss, Harper Paperbacks and Natalie Daniels for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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