Thursday 22 February 2018

A Thrilling Book Review: Joss Stirling, Don't Trust Me

So, you no doubt have heard of Joss Stirling's new novel, Don't Trust me (2018).

Don't Trust Me is Stirling's first ever adult thriller, under her young adult's pen name, of which, she goes by three - the other two being, Julia Golding and Eve Edwards.

I first noticed that a new and unusual book may be on the scene, when Waterstones had Stirling's thrilling novel on their shelves, ready for eager fans to pre-order; it was in January that Stirling posted on social media about 20 lucky fans receiving the opportunity to read and review her novel on a first come first serve basis, me being one of the lucky 20 to ask Joss if I could review her first novel to be published as an adult thriller for the 18+ audience.

So enough with the chatter - you no doubt all want to know what this story has in store for you!

While, I have read gothic and dark novels, Don't Trust Me was in fact my first ever thriller to be read.
I've not always been one for reading scary stories (and definitely not one for watching scary movies) however, with having been a loyal Joss Stirling fan, eagerly awaiting her every book release, I new I just had to give this new and exciting story a try.
I decided to read Don't Trust Me since I have gotten used to Stirling's writing style, along with the twists and turns she takes her readers on - I thought Joss would be a fantastic author to introduce me to the dark and twisted world, that we all in fact live in, but can be blind to.

The thriller is set in busy and manic London - the type of London where neighbours don't really know one another and where a murder could most likely go unnoticed for a good few days, since people are too rushed in their day-to-day lives where they don't notice the small unusual change in behavior and habits that people may take on should they be involved in a crime.

Jess is our main character in this story and while she may be relatable in some ways - such as having a wandering mind, being clumsy and only half-completing hobby crafts, she is also a character that ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and will have you doubting and questioning her, despite reading her side of the story.

At the beginning of the story, we are introduced to a murder that had just taken place, with the murderer sneakily and calmly leaving the scene of the crime - it is this scene that our beloved and unlucky character Jess stumbles across and where the story well and truly starts to unfold - secrets being to unravel and stories and finally released out into the open.

Meanwhile, Stirling allows the author to get a greater understanding of Jess' boyfriend Michael and his deceased wife, Emma's side of the story, by having some chapters dedicated to them, allowing us to read the story from their view point - towards the end of the novel, I feel this really helped the story build in tension, preventing the reader from wanting to put the novel down.

This story plays  game on the reader - who committed the crime? Throughout the entire story, I was guessing who must have been the killer - who had reason enough to commit such an act - and while a chapter earlier, I guessed the correct person, I did not suspect the character to begin with and I have no doubt, this plot will also take you by surprise.

While, the story is a thriller, there are also elements of romance and love, which is also part of the reason I chose to read this novel - no Joss Stirling novel can be without handsome men and a blossoming romance!

I enjoyed how the story also connected with the audience - from scatterbrain friends and that moany elderly neighbour down the road - especially how people, such as Jess in the story, suffers from ADHD. Meanwhile, it also connects to readers on a personal level, covering topics such as young people running away from home, abuse (mental abuse and sexual abuse), self-harm, drug abuse and prostitution. In this day and age, I feel these topics, especially mental health are slowly being recognised and don't have as much stigma as they used to. We are still a progressing society who clearly need to deal with the issues at hand in a better way and who need to become more accepting of these issues, but I felt it was amazing how Joss Stirling covered these issues - issues that either ourselves or our friends and family members may have been though.

Whether you are a Joss Stirling fan, a person who enjoys thrilling stories, or a first time thriller reader like myself, go and treat yourself to this novel, sit down and get lost in yet another interesting, exciting and thrilling world!