‘If you don’t know who is walking through the door, how do you know if you should let them in?’
How excited am I to be on the tour bus with Jenny Blackhurst!!
Published by Headline, Before I Let You In is the latest psychological thriller from Jenny Blackhurst.
WOW…is the reader in for a rather bumpy ride!!
I received my copy of Before I Let You In in exchange for an honest review.
Read on to see my thoughts….
‘Karen is meant to be the one who fixes problems.
It’s her job, as a psychiatrist – and it’s always been her role as a friend.
But Jessica is different. She should be the patient, the one that Karen helps.
But she knows things about Karen. Her friends, her personal life. Things no patient should know.
And Karen is starting to wonder if she should have let her in . . .’
Dr Karen Browning attends to a new client Jessica Hamilton.
Jessica is young, at 23 years of age, with no previous diagnosis of any disorder, either anxiety or depression.
From the get-go her attitude and demeanor causes Karen to feel a little uncomfortable. Jessica seems to know a lot about Karen and her friends, information she should have no prior knowledge of.
Karen, uneasy with the predicament she finds herself in, decides to circumvent any disaster and attempts to delve further into Jessica’s background. A chain of events is unfurled leading Karen and her friends down a very dangerous path.
Karen has an extremely close relationship with her two best friends Eleanor and Bea. From childhood they have lived in each others pockets with each playing out a role, as is common in many friendships.
Eleanor, married, is stressed out after recently giving birth. She is exhausted and her self esteem has taken a battering. The whole prospect of motherhood is hugely overwhelming to Eleanor and she leans on her two friends for emotional help and support.
Bea is the single party girl. Bea is the character that I had most empathy with. Bea is a hard working girl living the life expected of her….regular gym bunny, drinks hard and plays hard. But Bea has her own emotional baggage that her two friends have supported her through.
Karen lives her life very preoccupied and concerned with her friend’s day-to-day lives. Karen is the crutch of the group and she seems more than happy to play that very involved role.
Before I Let You In is written from the perspective of each of the three friends. What makes the novel extremely interesting is each of these perspectives vary. As a reader you are left confused and intrigued and in all honesty not at all sure which way to turn.
There is an underlying sense of foreboding throughout and there are quite a few shocking revelations as the reader is completely drawn in to the very complicated web that Jenny Blackhurst has so expertly woven.
We are brought back into the history of each of the three friends. Slowly truths are drip fed and revealed. Just when you think you know what is going on..boom!!!
Karen, Bea and Eleanor are asked to question the closeness of their relationship as they come to realise that they have not all been as truthful with each other.
Female friendship can be a very strong bond but Jenny Blackhurst dissects this bond and would make all of us wonder how well do we really know our friends?!?!
It would be very easy to unwittingly reveal something in reviewing Before I Let You In and that would be disastrous to any of you would be readers.
What I will say is…this is a wonderful psychological thriller!!
It is a compulsive read.
It is a very gripping read.
It will confuse you and it will most certainly entertain you.
I would like to thank Millie Seaward at Headline Publishing and Jenny Blackhurst for giving me the opportunity of being involved in the BlogTour for Before I let You In.
In order to follow more of the tour please check out the dates below.
It’s my first time reading Jenny Blackhurst but it will not be my last!! 5* recommendation from me and I do hope you decide to have it in mind next time you go to your local bookshop.
If you cannot wait that long to purchase a copy, please click here:
Who is Jenny Blackhurst:
Jenny Blackhurst grew up in Shropshire where she still lives with her husband and children.
Growing up she spent hours reading and talking about crime novels – writing her own seemed like natural progression.
Inspired by the emotions she felt around her own son’s birth, How I Lost You was Jenny’s thrilling debut crime novel.
