Afternoon Everyone,

Happy Tuesday. I’m hoping that this week will be a little less manic than last, but I have some big work things this week so I think I’m clinging onto a dream. I’m feeling ok about it though. I’m going home to see friends this weekend so I have that to look forward to which is keeping me going.

Book 📖

Thank you to @michaeljbooks for this advanced copy of Your Word or Mine by @liamiddletonauthor in return for an honest review. Your Word or Mine was published on 1st September 2022 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

Ava Knight is a successful young criminal prosecutor and she’s a stickler for rules. That goes out the window though when she picks up Lily Hawthorne’s case. She’s a troubled fifteen year old who stands accused of stabbing powerful hotel magnate Michael Osborne.

It seems like a cut and dry case but Ava suspects something that nobody else does; Michael is lying. The reason she thinks this is because eighteen years ago, Ava was a victim in court following a brutal attack. The defendant was found not guilty. His name was Michael Osborne.

Way back then, it was Ava’s word against Michael’s but now there is another young girl in court, how far will Ava take it to make sure that her word is believed?

General Thoughts 🤔

Ever since I read When They Find Her by Lia Middleton I was excited for her to release more books. Fast forward to now and I was over the moon to get an ARC for Your Word or Mine. Thankfully, I was by no means disappointed and loved this book too. I think I may have been craving a thriller without knowing it and this book came along to satisfy my craving at just the right time.

It also helped that the subject matter of this story played into one of my truest fears; false imprisonment or being falsely accused of something. I think it’s truly petrifying to think that you can be a victim, do all of the right things, go through all of the pain a court trial can bring and still end up not getting justice. I think it’s equally frightening to be accused of something that you did not do and have nobody believe you. I can’t imagine how lonely it must feel, but this book certainly did a great job of making me experience what it might feel like.

Characters 👫👭👬

I thought that Ava was a very admirable main character. She didn’t always go about things the right way and ended up getting herself into some situations I wouldn’t fancy being in, but she had all of the best intentions. On top of that, I thought it was impressive that after all she had been through in her teen years, she had managed to move on and make a great success of her life.

My heart broke for Lily. Bluntly put, she didn’t have a childhood. Just when she thought she’d gained a best friend that she could trust and depend on, that all got messed up through no fault of her own. I thought that Lily was incredibly brave and she was one of those characters I’d love to read a spin off about.

Writing Style ✍️

Again, Lia Middleton came through with the tension. There were entire scenes of this book where I was holding my breath. The feeling you sometimes get where it feels like someone brushes past the back of your neck? I had that multiple times.

She had me screaming at the characters at some points and wanting to give them a huge hug at others. The characters in this book all felt real and I felt their pain and their bravery whilst I was reading. I love that this author chose such a hard hitting subject matter and I think she covered it fantastically.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖

This book came along at the perfect time for me. Just when I wanted to cosy up and dive into a story that would have me turning the pages frantically trying to unearth all of the secrets, along came Your Word or Mine. I hate the thought of not being believed but it’s what added to the tension and the angst I felt whilst reading. A great thriller from a great author.

😍😍😍😍😍