Review: You Are Not Alone

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ooooh what a thriller!

It's clever and different and though some twists were predictable I still wasn't sure where we were going to end up. So I just read it in a day so I didn't have to wait too long to find out. XD

Plot: Shay's a bit of a loser. No job, no relationship, no friends. So when the charismatic Moore sisters come into her orbit, she can't help but get swept up. That two such people would want to be her friend feels like a miracle. But perhaps there's something sinister in the sisters' motives ...

My favourite part of this book is that Shay is just so oblivious. I mean, she's smart - she records all kinds of fascinating data that gives her a wealth of random knowledge - but the Moore girls are trying to work out what she's up to, when in fact Shay seems to be up to nothing particularly suss at all. She just wants to be friends.

It's mysterious, and includes a few different viewpoints so that we get to know some of the other ladies involved, which allows clues and hints to filter through sporadically and with subtlety.

The thing that makes this book so successful is that Shay is someone a lot of people might relate to. She's lonely. She doesn't have a fulfilling job, she's not in a relationship like everyone around her seems to be, and the only person she considers a friend is far too busy being a Mum to really support or understand her. So when these brilliant Moore girls seem to want to be her friend, she latches on.

Loneliness is detrimental and its harm is often overlooked. That's the driving force behind the thrills here. Shay's desperation to be liked, and to feel valued, puts her in a position that we know is not going to end well for her.

So while it's a great thriller, tense and tight and unpredictable, I hope it also gets people thinking about friends they might be overlooking.

With thanks to Macmillan for my ARC

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