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She and I
Best friends share everything. But murder is different. Isn’t it?
Keeley and Jude are closer than blood. Inseparable since childhood, they share everything: clothes, secrets, booze – and blame. So when they wake up after a new year’s party to find Keeley’s boyfriend stabbed to death beside them, they agree to share something else: the story they’ll tell the police. But who is that story really meant to protect? Is Jude risking her bright future to protect her friend? Is there more to sharp-eyed Keeley than she lets on? Or are they conspiring to let Keeley's brother get away with the drugs he's been selling in their small town? As the murder investigation sends ripples through their community, the history of the girls’ claustrophobic relationship comes under scrutiny – and they start to realise they might not, always, have shared as much as they thought. Can their friendship survive sharing everything?
Keeley and Jude are closer than blood. Inseparable since childhood, they share everything: clothes, secrets, booze – and blame. So when they wake up after a new year’s party to find Keeley’s boyfriend stabbed to death beside them, they agree to share something else: the story they’ll tell the police. But who is that story really meant to protect? Is Jude risking her bright future to protect her friend? Is there more to sharp-eyed Keeley than she lets on? Or are they conspiring to let Keeley's brother get away with the drugs he's been selling in their small town? As the murder investigation sends ripples through their community, the history of the girls’ claustrophobic relationship comes under scrutiny – and they start to realise they might not, always, have shared as much as they thought. Can their friendship survive sharing everything?
304 pages, Hardcover
Published January 22, 2022
26 people are currently reading
1252 people want to read
About the author
Hannah King
3 books15 followersHannah King is a novelist from County Down. She studied for both her BA in English and MA in Creative Writing at Queen's University Belfast, graduating in 2017. Her debut novel She and I, a literary thriller about claustrophobic friendship and the danger of assumptions, was published by Bloomsbury Raven in 2022. TV rights have been optioned and Hannah is working on her second Northern Ireland-based novel.
Hannah enjoys reading literary thrillers, contemporary fiction and any books that make you go right back to the start after finishing, wondering how on earth you missed THAT.
She lives in County Down with her husband-to-be, two dogs and three aquariums.
Hannah enjoys reading literary thrillers, contemporary fiction and any books that make you go right back to the start after finishing, wondering how on earth you missed THAT.
She lives in County Down with her husband-to-be, two dogs and three aquariums.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
November 18, 2021
3.5
This is the story of a friendship that is severely tested. Keeley Mackley and Jude Jameson have been best friends since childhood. It tells the story of their relationship ( and also in relation to others) which you could describe as claustrophobic as they most certainly live in each other’s pockets. They wake up one New Year’s morning after a drink and drug fuelled party to find Keeley‘s boyfriend Pete Denny has been stabbed to death. They agree on a story to tell the police but who is risking the most by suppressing information? Who killed Pete and why? The story is told from several points of view which works well.
This is a well written, intelligent debut and there are aspects of it that are extremely good. For example the characterisation is one of the greatest strengths especially of Keeley, Jude and Jude‘s mother Linda. Keeley comes across as an actress, she is full of life, she tends to externalise her thoughts and feelings but what I like most about her is her loyalty to Jude. Jude is more enigmatic, she seems quieter and more thoughtful and she is harder to get a handle on. What works so well is that they seem to be two halves of a whole or even like Siamese twins, this is especially true when they were younger. Jude‘s mum Linda comes across as a pain, she is judgemental and there are times when you just want to tell her to shut up!! It’s very good characterisation but she is so unlikable! There are any number of suspects as there are several who are ‘dodgy’ personalities. I like how the plot and friendship unravels and bonds are tested, broken or mended. It’s intriguing trying to work out who is protecting who and watching how outsiders such as the investigating detectives react to the key characters which is also very telling.
However, I find the backwards and forwards storyline interrupts the flow and I’m more interested in the present events than in the past, key though those are. It seems to make the pace drop off to and it causes there to be some repetition and it’s also way too long.
Overall, it’s an extremely promising debut as the author clearly has a lot of talent and is able to create intriguing dynamics between characters. I look forward to reading what she writes in future.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Bloomsbury Publishers PLC, Raven for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
This is the story of a friendship that is severely tested. Keeley Mackley and Jude Jameson have been best friends since childhood. It tells the story of their relationship ( and also in relation to others) which you could describe as claustrophobic as they most certainly live in each other’s pockets. They wake up one New Year’s morning after a drink and drug fuelled party to find Keeley‘s boyfriend Pete Denny has been stabbed to death. They agree on a story to tell the police but who is risking the most by suppressing information? Who killed Pete and why? The story is told from several points of view which works well.
This is a well written, intelligent debut and there are aspects of it that are extremely good. For example the characterisation is one of the greatest strengths especially of Keeley, Jude and Jude‘s mother Linda. Keeley comes across as an actress, she is full of life, she tends to externalise her thoughts and feelings but what I like most about her is her loyalty to Jude. Jude is more enigmatic, she seems quieter and more thoughtful and she is harder to get a handle on. What works so well is that they seem to be two halves of a whole or even like Siamese twins, this is especially true when they were younger. Jude‘s mum Linda comes across as a pain, she is judgemental and there are times when you just want to tell her to shut up!! It’s very good characterisation but she is so unlikable! There are any number of suspects as there are several who are ‘dodgy’ personalities. I like how the plot and friendship unravels and bonds are tested, broken or mended. It’s intriguing trying to work out who is protecting who and watching how outsiders such as the investigating detectives react to the key characters which is also very telling.
However, I find the backwards and forwards storyline interrupts the flow and I’m more interested in the present events than in the past, key though those are. It seems to make the pace drop off to and it causes there to be some repetition and it’s also way too long.
Overall, it’s an extremely promising debut as the author clearly has a lot of talent and is able to create intriguing dynamics between characters. I look forward to reading what she writes in future.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Bloomsbury Publishers PLC, Raven for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
July 2, 2022
there’s just nothing like an obsessive homoerotic and codependent female friendships with a little bit of murder❤️
January 9, 2022
So much I want to say about this book, it is really well done and fairly intense. There was so much involved and alot that I was not expecting at all. The story jumps around between the now and the past which I found worked really well. It didn't give away too much information too quickly. I loved that we had a balance of the girls lives as well as the police investigation. It was never obvious who the killer was and even towards the end I was still doubting everything I thought.
Keeley and Jude have been best friends forever. They do everything together, tell each other everything and are always there for each other. They are polar opposites and Jude looks up to Keeley as the popular and attractive girl. But their lives change forever at a New Years party at Keeley's house....her boyfriend Peter is stabbed to death. Who killed him and why? You will find that there is a very long list. The party was a haze of alcohol and drugs and events are fuzzy. The girls decide on a story to tell the police, but who is it protecting?
Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me an advanced copy of this book to read. It is ot now and really worth the read
Keeley and Jude have been best friends forever. They do everything together, tell each other everything and are always there for each other. They are polar opposites and Jude looks up to Keeley as the popular and attractive girl. But their lives change forever at a New Years party at Keeley's house....her boyfriend Peter is stabbed to death. Who killed him and why? You will find that there is a very long list. The party was a haze of alcohol and drugs and events are fuzzy. The girls decide on a story to tell the police, but who is it protecting?
Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me an advanced copy of this book to read. It is ot now and really worth the read
April 4, 2024
personally i think jude jameson should be allowed to go on a killing spree after everything she had to endured
May 23, 2023
we need more homoerotic female friendships with a dash of murder in literature and media!
April 15, 2023
Interesting enough premise. Execution somewhat lacking though, including being clear who was responsible for the murder very early on. The characters were more 2D tropes rather than the complex characters they were pretending to be e.g. old, fat cop who is sloppy at his job yet somehow figures out the culprit when no one else does. He did have an interesting backstory with his daughter but this wasn't fully developed. I think it was supposed to be used as a juxtaposition -- a 'good' person who accidentally did the wrong thing opposed to a 'good' person who was deliberately being violent -- but this wasn't very obvious. The novel did explore some difficult topics like bullying, drug use, sexual assault, relationships (parental and friendship), and obsession but again it was all very surface level.
January 20, 2023
A solid spontaneous library selection which worked better than I expected it to. What could have been a pretty conventional ‘who did it and when will they find out’ narrative was strengthened by some well-drawn characterisation of intense adolescent girl friendships. I found this part of the novel really convincingly executed, in such a way that it supported the mystery. Pleasing.
May 30, 2022
this book is for the girls who are kinda psychotic, jealous and would totally kill the boyfriend of their codependent bff. this book is for me
May 29, 2024
jude mi princesa 🩷🧸🙁
August 5, 2022
homoerotic codependent friendships WE LOVE YOU
January 13, 2022
This is a strong and assured psychological thriller set in the world of close friendship.
Jude and Keeley have been friends since they were small, despite very obvious differences in their backgrounds. Keeley has an older brother and a mother with issues whilst Jude is the daughter of committed parents and a younger brother. Both girls live close to each other in a small town in Northern Ireland.
After a New Year's Eve party just before Jude's 18th birthday the girls wake up to find a dead man, Pete, in the room with them.
Naturally the police become involved - great casting here of those who are determined to get to the truth! Throughout the book we reach back into the history of the two friends. The friendship feels desperately claustrophobic yet the author's writing allows the reader to feel as though they are viewing the action from the side-lines, thereby allowing us to try to work out where the truth lies!
Great debut and I will be looking for more by this author..
Jude and Keeley have been friends since they were small, despite very obvious differences in their backgrounds. Keeley has an older brother and a mother with issues whilst Jude is the daughter of committed parents and a younger brother. Both girls live close to each other in a small town in Northern Ireland.
After a New Year's Eve party just before Jude's 18th birthday the girls wake up to find a dead man, Pete, in the room with them.
Naturally the police become involved - great casting here of those who are determined to get to the truth! Throughout the book we reach back into the history of the two friends. The friendship feels desperately claustrophobic yet the author's writing allows the reader to feel as though they are viewing the action from the side-lines, thereby allowing us to try to work out where the truth lies!
Great debut and I will be looking for more by this author..
March 16, 2022
The novel starts of with the murder of one the two girls featured boyfriend... We get to see the bond of friendship what one will do for the other how their lives become interwoven... The secrets that are kept and revealed throughout as the burned out tired alcoholic detective attempts to solve the case. A good read.
June 27, 2023
Jude 🫶🏼🤕
December 21, 2023
the consequences of homoeroticism in modern society.
February 14, 2025
what the hell just happened
January 27, 2022
Thank you so much to Bloomsbury for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Keeley and Jude have been best friends since they were 4 years old. Jude’s mum has always been hesitant about Jude and Keeley’s friendship. Keeley’s mother had loud parties with unsavory people until all hours of the night, until she died, and she thinks Keeley is much the same. After Jude attends a New Year’s Eve party at Keeley’s house, the girls wake up with Keeley’s boyfriend dead. One of them has blood on their hands and one decides they’ll come up with a story for the police, but which is which?
Police officer Rice is fighting his own life challenges when the murder case lands in his lap. He’s determined to solved the crime, even if he is being accessed of needing to retire.
As the police examine Keeley and Jude’s intense friendship, they have to piece together the lies and times the girls have covered for each other to get to the truth.
This was a great debut novel with a sinister undertone and interesting characters. I did work out the ‘who’ and ‘why’ about half way through, but it didn’t detract from the enjoyment of getting there in the end. Told from multiple perspectives, in both past and present timelines, the author cleverly wove together all of the threads, so that sometimes the police made discoveries first and sometimes we learned them first as the reader.
If you’re looking for a ‘best friends with a dark twist’ type of story, definitely pick this one up!
Keeley and Jude have been best friends since they were 4 years old. Jude’s mum has always been hesitant about Jude and Keeley’s friendship. Keeley’s mother had loud parties with unsavory people until all hours of the night, until she died, and she thinks Keeley is much the same. After Jude attends a New Year’s Eve party at Keeley’s house, the girls wake up with Keeley’s boyfriend dead. One of them has blood on their hands and one decides they’ll come up with a story for the police, but which is which?
Police officer Rice is fighting his own life challenges when the murder case lands in his lap. He’s determined to solved the crime, even if he is being accessed of needing to retire.
As the police examine Keeley and Jude’s intense friendship, they have to piece together the lies and times the girls have covered for each other to get to the truth.
This was a great debut novel with a sinister undertone and interesting characters. I did work out the ‘who’ and ‘why’ about half way through, but it didn’t detract from the enjoyment of getting there in the end. Told from multiple perspectives, in both past and present timelines, the author cleverly wove together all of the threads, so that sometimes the police made discoveries first and sometimes we learned them first as the reader.
If you’re looking for a ‘best friends with a dark twist’ type of story, definitely pick this one up!
January 14, 2024
I read this really quickly. Even though it tells you who the murderer is in the prologue I actually forgot so it made it even more enjoyable to read. I loved the characters and would have loved more of Mason and to delve a little deeper in his Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I loved how the bullying was delicately yet depicted really well especially with social media involved. It was such an interesting and gripping book hugely recommend! 4.5
September 17, 2022
so.
the first 80% had its ups and downs, overall good with some great moments and some boring ones. didn’t much feel like a thriller.
but my god did the last 20% make up for it.
it feels like someone reached a hand into my stomach and twisted my organs. i’m just so.
jude :(
3.5 stars probably. i am very close to crying, idk how to feel. the last part really got me :,)
the first 80% had its ups and downs, overall good with some great moments and some boring ones. didn’t much feel like a thriller.
but my god did the last 20% make up for it.
it feels like someone reached a hand into my stomach and twisted my organs. i’m just so.
jude :(
3.5 stars probably. i am very close to crying, idk how to feel. the last part really got me :,)
January 6, 2025
jude jameson you crazy fucking bitch (hmu)
January 21, 2022
Such an engrossing read, what a strong debut novel. The use of flashbacks and dual time line to tell the story along with the present day timeline told the story so wonderfully without feeling forced, it kept it slow and fast paced at the same time, and it never felt confusing. Each perspective was written quite distinctively that I never doubted which character was telling this current part of the story and never had to flick back a few pages to double check. It was so well written, being set in Northern Ireland but not based on the troubles was refreshing, a beautiful take of female friendship, class divides, and touched on what education and school life can be like for young women.
The author wrote the concept of 'who dunnit' so well, at no stage did you fully believe yourself that you knew who the killer was; there was always a feeling that new information may about to be revealed. The reader isn't being told everything but not in a frustrating way, everything was given and explained to the reader at the perfect time that we could have our own guesses and follow planted seeds, but never worry that this is what may spoil the book for you.
I'm so baffled that this is a debut, and it makes me so excited for what I hope is still to come.
The author wrote the concept of 'who dunnit' so well, at no stage did you fully believe yourself that you knew who the killer was; there was always a feeling that new information may about to be revealed. The reader isn't being told everything but not in a frustrating way, everything was given and explained to the reader at the perfect time that we could have our own guesses and follow planted seeds, but never worry that this is what may spoil the book for you.
I'm so baffled that this is a debut, and it makes me so excited for what I hope is still to come.
July 13, 2025
I really liked this book only one thing bothered me cause wtf the author decided that jude hurt her disabled brother was a good idea? like this detail bothered me because it’s not something I think is right to do with a child (older sister here) apart from that I loved it and keeley is such a complex character goes beyond what it appears on the surface we discover layers and layers of it according to the reading, mack’s situation destroyed me being inside his head he deserved more but I think he is fine as he is now and it was very empathetic to assume a crime that he didn’t do I believe it’s a little because he didn’t call the police when peter raped jude I feel like he owed it to her and talking about judekeeley as a shipp their love is so genuine they have known each other practically all their lives 3
talking about peter what a disgusting man all these guys in their group were disgusting the way they talked about keeley ?? not to mention peter with almost 30 years old getting with young girls disgusting profiteer deserves to burn in hell .
ooh and i love the ending they deserve good things coming to them !!!
talking about peter what a disgusting man all these guys in their group were disgusting the way they talked about keeley ?? not to mention peter with almost 30 years old getting with young girls disgusting profiteer deserves to burn in hell .
ooh and i love the ending they deserve good things coming to them !!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2022
There’s just something ab obsessive homoerotic co dependent best friends (that are lesbians to ME).
September 10, 2022
“and I think Jude is one of the most miserable teenagers I have ever met.”
so am i bbg 💋
so am i bbg 💋
September 25, 2022
keeeley mackleeey and jude jameson i hope you guys are doing all right omg
January 9, 2024
two obsessed codependent girls and instead of staying together they go their separate ways and heal?? makes me upset
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2025
you expect me to not push my disabled little brother down the stairs when you don’t let me talk to my girlfriend I mean best friend?
January 20, 2022
This was a great thriller for a debut author, Hannah's writing is very descriptive and the way she tells the story is like you are part of the story. Two best friends but after a party they wake up to find one of their boyfriend's has been stabbed to death, they go to the police but tell them their story. What will happen as the murder investigation gets underway? will it all come out eventually? The bond between both girls I found was a little claustrophobic and I had a feeling of uneasy just a few chapters in. It is a very well laid out story that you wonder where it will lead to, It is set in a small town in Northern Ireland and Hannah has definitely set the scene. I feel as though reading more into the girls lives, it is like peeling an onion, each layer has to come off to discover something new. It was suspenseful and brilliant and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good psychological thriller.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews