About the Book:

A gripping contemporary novel from a magnificent new talent that tackles the almost unbreakable loyalty of female friendships, the generosity of community and the lengths we will go to save a child.

Ren will do anything for her best friend, Anna. The news that Anna’s daughter Charlotte has terminal brain cancer sends them on a desperate hunt for a cure and their only hope lies in an expensive European drug trial.

Ren jumps on board Anna’s fundraising efforts, willing to put everything on the line – her reputation in their close-knit community and all the money she can beg or borrow – to secure Charlotte’s place. When the local charity drive quickly becomes a nationwide campaign, townspeople start asking questions about the trial. Questions Ren can’t answer.

The more she uncovers, the more Ren realises the truth is darker than she could ever imagine. Are there any lines that won’t be crossed in their fight for Charlotte?

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Australia – HQ Fiction AU

Released June 2022

My Thoughts:

I found this to be an impressive debut. Kylie Orr has crafted a compelling domestic thriller that digs deep into female friendship, raising questions of loyalty versus naivety and just how far one should go before they start asking questions about something that doesn’t sit right with them. I have to say, I have never been a fan of the go-fund-me movement. It’s stories like this one that make you realise that you just need to be careful about what you are putting your money into. Not everything can be taken at face value.

This is one of those tricky novels where I’d love to dig in and really discuss the themes at length, however, that would completely spoil the novel for you all. Suffice to say, even though I could see some writing on the wall, as I did not like Anna one bit right from the start, I certainly didn’t see everything that Kylie Orr had coming for us. One aspect of this story that I particularly liked was the focus towards the end, not so much on why a certain person did what they did and what might have been wrong with them to do such things, but more on the consequences of their actions rippling out and affecting those involved. The trauma that one person can inflict upon so many others through their actions: lasting, difficult to overcome and move on from and impossible to forgive sort of trauma. I liked how the author explored this to a certain degree within her ending.

A must read for fans of domestic thrillers. I could see this one translating well to the small screen as a compelling TV series.

Thanks to the publisher for the review copy.