Book Review & Giveaway: Watching Edie by Camilla Way

Watching Edie by Camilla Way
Release Date: 28th July 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins
Buy: Hardback |  Kindle
Rating:

Beautiful, creative, a little wild… Edie was the kind of girl who immediately caused a stir when she walked into your life. And she had dreams back then—but it didn’t take long for her to learn that things don’t always turn out the way you want them to.

Now, at thirty-three, Edie is working as a waitress, pregnant and alone. And when she becomes overwhelmed by the needs of her new baby and sinks into a bleak despair, she thinks that there’s no one to turn to…

But someone’s been watching Edie, waiting for the chance to prove once again what a perfect friend she can be. It’s no coincidence that Heather shows up on Edie’s doorstep, just when Edie needs her the most. So much has passed between them—so much envy, longing, and betrayal. And Edie’s about to learn a new lesson: those who have hurt us deeply—or who we have hurt—never let us go, not entirely…

When we first meet Edie she isn’t in a good place. Living in a tiny flat on her own she has fallen pregnant by a chef whilst working as a waitress. He is now long gone and with a baby on the way Edie isn’t quite sure how she’s going to manage. Then Heather appears…
When Heather knocks on Edie’s door one day, it soon becomes clear that Edie is unsettled by her presence. The two girls were friends when they were teenagers; perhaps an unlikely pairing with beautiful, seemingly confident Edie and overweight, socially awkward Heather, but they had a particular unhappiness in common which helped them to form a bond.
So why is Edie so unnerved when Heather makes a return into her life? It soon becomes apparent that something happened to these two girls when they were younger which caused them to lose touch in the first place. But what? And is it entirely a coincidence that Heather appeared back into Edie’s life exactly when she needed her most?

I can’t even tell you how much I was looking forward to getting stuck into Watching Edie. There has been such a buzz and so many positive reviews around this book that I will admit I was slightly scared that it wasn’t going to live up to all the hype, as is the case with many of these much-talked about thrillers. But never mind living up to the hype; Watching Edie took the hype, screwed it up into a ball and did some kind of victory dance right over its squished remains. In English, it COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY overtook the hype because it was FAN-BLOOMING-TASTIC.
I love novels that don’t hold back, I always think it’s great to get right on into the story and let the creepiness begin and let me tell you, I felt that creepiness right from the off.
I was immediately unsettled by Heather’s sudden appearance in Edie’s life. Why would you suddenly drop in on someone like that after such a long time? I was sure she was up to something and felt immediately on my guard where Heather was concerned. Also, what had happened between them all those years ago to make them fall out in the first place? From the signs that Edie was giving off I guessed it must be something pretty big/scary/shocking and I was absolutely desperate to find out what.
However, as is often the case with these kind of novels, it’s best to not necessarily make too many assumptions because usually (in my case anyway) they are wrong. I was dead set on forming my opinions but of course, nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems. Books like this are probably the one time in life where I love to be proved wrong. I love a book that can make me squeal in outrage and/or surprise at what’s going on and Watching Edie did this to me so many times.

It’s told in such an effective format. You have the ‘After’ chapters and the ‘Before’ which are told by Edie and Heather simultaneously (but after what? Before what!?) It’s a brilliant way of gently nudging the reader into making their own assumptions and unfolding the story in their own head. It’s almost as though Camilla Way is stringing the reader along with her style of storytelling by never actually spelling anything out. This causes you to think of all sorts of scenarios, some of which might even be creeper than the truth and it’s such a powerful and compelling way of setting out the story.

The one thing I don’t want to do is ruin this story for anyone because I think all readers should get the chance to follow Edie and Heather’s unnerving and haunting story for themselves. All I will say is that if you looked up the words ‘psychological thriller’ in the dictionary, the description would be ‘Watching Edie’. It really is a textbook example of a story that will disturb, engage and ultimately creep-the-hell-out-of-you. It’s dark, it’s thrilling and it’s more addictive than Maltesers. It is in no way predictable and I promise you that you will not be able to even contemplate sleeping/eating/generally existing before you have turned the final page.

Along with Robert Bryndza’s Erica Foster series, Watching Edie is one of the most exciting and breathtaking reads of 2016 so far. Now I have finished it I am utterly lost (and also very jumpy. Gulp.)

What did I actually do with myself before I discovered this amazing read?

A huge thank you to Felicity at HarperCollins for sending me a review copy of Watching Edie & for having me on board the official blog tour.

 

Camilla Way was born in Greenwich, south-east London, and studied Modern English and French Literature at the University of Glamorgan. Her father was the poet and author Peter Way. Formerly Associate Editor of the teenage girls’ magazine Bliss, she is currently an editor and writer on the men’s style magazine Arena. Having lived in Cardiff, Bristol, Bath and Clerkenwell, she now lives in south-east London.

Camilla Way |  Twitter |  Goodreads |

 

 

 

Want to win your very own shiny, creepy, unsettling and blooming FANTASTIC copy of Watching Edie by Camilla Way? Good news – here’s how you can!

The lovely HarperCollins have two copies of Watching Edie up for grabs. Click HERE to be taken the the rafflecopter page and follow the on screen instructions. UK only, ends 5/8. Good Luck!

 

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