The Girls meets The Little Stranger in this dark and captivating debut about sisterhood, family secrets, and a dangerous game that becomes all too real. THEN 1976. Loo and her sister Bee live in a run-down cottage in the middle of nowhere, with their artistic parents and wild siblings. Their mother, Cathy, had hoped to escape to a simpler life; instead the family find themselves isolated and shunned by their neighbours. At the height of the stifling summer, unexplained noises and occurences in the house begin to disturb the family, until they intrude on every waking moment . . .
NOW Loo, now Lucy, is called back to her childhood home. A group of strangers are looking to discover the truth about the house and the people who lived there. But is Lucy ready to confront what really happened all those years ago?
My Review:
Rating: 4/5 stars.
Firstly, I would like to thank Net Galley and Readers First for giving me a copy of 'The Wayward Girls' by Amanda Mason, for an honest review. I was really happy to receive a hardback copy of this book as it made it a better experience to read as I still enjoy a physical book over an ebook any day. This book is unlike any book I have ever read before. It had me intrigued from the very first page and I couldn't guess what was going to happen at all. I have read many thrillers but only a few about the paranormal and they all are very predictable. This book definitely stands out from the rest. I have to say it isn't a light fluffy read and if that is what you want to read then this is not the book for you. My head actually hurt while reading it, especially when I got nearer the end of the book. There is so many twists and turns and secrets that are so hard to figure out but that is what I loved so much about this book. You had to truly invest time into this book and I haven't done that for a long time while reading. Lucia and Bianca are perfectly formed characters and I loved getting to know each of them. What started out as a story about two sisters with a considerable age gap really turned into something much more sinister. Amanda Mason did a brilliant job with every character in this book and they were so real for me. With all their flaws at the forefront. Chapter 29 was when the biggest twist occurred and I was plunged into a pool of emotions as to how children could do such a thing! I won't go into too much detail but it really hit me hard and always shocks me how people can be so cruel. I enjoyed that the book flitted from 'Now' and 'Then' because it gave us they whole back story and slowly throughout the book we were able to piece things together. It took me just over two weeks to read this book because I refused to read it before bed! I didn't want any bad dreams! I highly recommend this book to those readers who enjoy paranormal thrillers because this is one of the best I've read. Amy x
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