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The Friend: An emotional psychological thriller with a twist
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Customer reviews
- The Friend: An emotional psychological thriller with a twist
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- Customer reviews
Top positive review
Another suspenseful read
30 June 2018
I sometimes wonder if a second thriller by the same author will be enjoyed as much as the first. Teresa Driscoll did not disappoint. Hopefully there will be more to follow.
In the mean time I will be seeking out Teresa's women's fiction books.
In the mean time I will be seeking out Teresa's women's fiction books.
5 people found this helpful
Top critical review
Chilling story of a friendship gone wrong
9 August 2018
I came across The Friend accidentally on Audible and it sounded too good to miss – a child in danger, a friend who is not who she seems, secrets, lies, a race against time. Just what the doctor ordered for my daily commute, I thought!
Driscoll’s writing drew me in rapidly and I really enjoyed the dual time format of the novel. Here we have Sophie, a young mother on a train who gets a phone call that her four-year old son Ben has been hurt in an accident and is being rushed to hospital as they speak. Straight away the alarm bells ring: What has happened and why is her son not with her? He is with a friend, we learn, a friend who had been trusted to take care of him, but who Sophie now doesn’t want anywhere near her child. Why? WHY? Dricoll knows how to build tension, and she had me on tenterhooks as I was listening, eager to find out more. It’s the second timeline which slowly explores the past to give us all the answers and outline the events leading up to Sophie’s current predicament, and a chilling tale it is!
For the first ¾ of the novel I was totally hooked, enjoying Driscoll’s portrayals of her characters and the underlying air of danger and menace that is ever present in the friendship between Sophie and newcomer Emma. I also liked the characters of Melanie and Matthew, who I found out had made an appearance in an earlier novel by the author (and which I must read). A few unexpected plot twists spiced up the story, and there is even a murder to enhance the sense of danger in the village. Up to almost the very end I loved the story and couldn’t get enough of it.
However, I felt that the ending was a huge let-down for me. Not only did it all end rather abruptly, but a lot of the loose threads are explained in a lengthy epilogue that is telling rather than showing and appeared rather dry to me, even though I appreciated the efforts the author made to answer all outstanding questions. There were also some huge plot-holes for me in regards to the final twist, which from a nurse’s point of view seemed farfetched, spoiling the previously well-constructed and believable narrative at the 11th hour. I felt frustrated and cheated at this turn of events, which most likely won’t bother a vast majority of readers, so unless you are a health-professional you should be safe in reading it and enjoying the final big reveal. Whilst I felt like flinging the book (i.e. my phone, as I was listening to the audio version) out of the car window, uttering a guttural cry and rolling my eyes so far into my head that I was probably a traffic hazard!
In summary, The Friend is a chilling story of a friendship gone wrong, with a few unexpected twists along the way. It can be safely read by most, except for health-professionals who find it difficult to suspend disbelief for the sake of entertainment (hold on to your phones, people!). Having really enjoyed Driscoll’s writing style and the characters of Melanie and Matthew, I will undoubtedly look up her previous novel to go back to their beginnings.
Driscoll’s writing drew me in rapidly and I really enjoyed the dual time format of the novel. Here we have Sophie, a young mother on a train who gets a phone call that her four-year old son Ben has been hurt in an accident and is being rushed to hospital as they speak. Straight away the alarm bells ring: What has happened and why is her son not with her? He is with a friend, we learn, a friend who had been trusted to take care of him, but who Sophie now doesn’t want anywhere near her child. Why? WHY? Dricoll knows how to build tension, and she had me on tenterhooks as I was listening, eager to find out more. It’s the second timeline which slowly explores the past to give us all the answers and outline the events leading up to Sophie’s current predicament, and a chilling tale it is!
For the first ¾ of the novel I was totally hooked, enjoying Driscoll’s portrayals of her characters and the underlying air of danger and menace that is ever present in the friendship between Sophie and newcomer Emma. I also liked the characters of Melanie and Matthew, who I found out had made an appearance in an earlier novel by the author (and which I must read). A few unexpected plot twists spiced up the story, and there is even a murder to enhance the sense of danger in the village. Up to almost the very end I loved the story and couldn’t get enough of it.
However, I felt that the ending was a huge let-down for me. Not only did it all end rather abruptly, but a lot of the loose threads are explained in a lengthy epilogue that is telling rather than showing and appeared rather dry to me, even though I appreciated the efforts the author made to answer all outstanding questions. There were also some huge plot-holes for me in regards to the final twist, which from a nurse’s point of view seemed farfetched, spoiling the previously well-constructed and believable narrative at the 11th hour. I felt frustrated and cheated at this turn of events, which most likely won’t bother a vast majority of readers, so unless you are a health-professional you should be safe in reading it and enjoying the final big reveal. Whilst I felt like flinging the book (i.e. my phone, as I was listening to the audio version) out of the car window, uttering a guttural cry and rolling my eyes so far into my head that I was probably a traffic hazard!
In summary, The Friend is a chilling story of a friendship gone wrong, with a few unexpected twists along the way. It can be safely read by most, except for health-professionals who find it difficult to suspend disbelief for the sake of entertainment (hold on to your phones, people!). Having really enjoyed Driscoll’s writing style and the characters of Melanie and Matthew, I will undoubtedly look up her previous novel to go back to their beginnings.
2 people found this helpful
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9 August 2018
I came across The Friend accidentally on Audible and it sounded too good to miss – a child in danger, a friend who is not who she seems, secrets, lies, a race against time. Just what the doctor ordered for my daily commute, I thought!
Driscoll’s writing drew me in rapidly and I really enjoyed the dual time format of the novel. Here we have Sophie, a young mother on a train who gets a phone call that her four-year old son Ben has been hurt in an accident and is being rushed to hospital as they speak. Straight away the alarm bells ring: What has happened and why is her son not with her? He is with a friend, we learn, a friend who had been trusted to take care of him, but who Sophie now doesn’t want anywhere near her child. Why? WHY? Dricoll knows how to build tension, and she had me on tenterhooks as I was listening, eager to find out more. It’s the second timeline which slowly explores the past to give us all the answers and outline the events leading up to Sophie’s current predicament, and a chilling tale it is!
For the first ¾ of the novel I was totally hooked, enjoying Driscoll’s portrayals of her characters and the underlying air of danger and menace that is ever present in the friendship between Sophie and newcomer Emma. I also liked the characters of Melanie and Matthew, who I found out had made an appearance in an earlier novel by the author (and which I must read). A few unexpected plot twists spiced up the story, and there is even a murder to enhance the sense of danger in the village. Up to almost the very end I loved the story and couldn’t get enough of it.
However, I felt that the ending was a huge let-down for me. Not only did it all end rather abruptly, but a lot of the loose threads are explained in a lengthy epilogue that is telling rather than showing and appeared rather dry to me, even though I appreciated the efforts the author made to answer all outstanding questions. There were also some huge plot-holes for me in regards to the final twist, which from a nurse’s point of view seemed farfetched, spoiling the previously well-constructed and believable narrative at the 11th hour. I felt frustrated and cheated at this turn of events, which most likely won’t bother a vast majority of readers, so unless you are a health-professional you should be safe in reading it and enjoying the final big reveal. Whilst I felt like flinging the book (i.e. my phone, as I was listening to the audio version) out of the car window, uttering a guttural cry and rolling my eyes so far into my head that I was probably a traffic hazard!
In summary, The Friend is a chilling story of a friendship gone wrong, with a few unexpected twists along the way. It can be safely read by most, except for health-professionals who find it difficult to suspend disbelief for the sake of entertainment (hold on to your phones, people!). Having really enjoyed Driscoll’s writing style and the characters of Melanie and Matthew, I will undoubtedly look up her previous novel to go back to their beginnings.
Driscoll’s writing drew me in rapidly and I really enjoyed the dual time format of the novel. Here we have Sophie, a young mother on a train who gets a phone call that her four-year old son Ben has been hurt in an accident and is being rushed to hospital as they speak. Straight away the alarm bells ring: What has happened and why is her son not with her? He is with a friend, we learn, a friend who had been trusted to take care of him, but who Sophie now doesn’t want anywhere near her child. Why? WHY? Dricoll knows how to build tension, and she had me on tenterhooks as I was listening, eager to find out more. It’s the second timeline which slowly explores the past to give us all the answers and outline the events leading up to Sophie’s current predicament, and a chilling tale it is!
For the first ¾ of the novel I was totally hooked, enjoying Driscoll’s portrayals of her characters and the underlying air of danger and menace that is ever present in the friendship between Sophie and newcomer Emma. I also liked the characters of Melanie and Matthew, who I found out had made an appearance in an earlier novel by the author (and which I must read). A few unexpected plot twists spiced up the story, and there is even a murder to enhance the sense of danger in the village. Up to almost the very end I loved the story and couldn’t get enough of it.
However, I felt that the ending was a huge let-down for me. Not only did it all end rather abruptly, but a lot of the loose threads are explained in a lengthy epilogue that is telling rather than showing and appeared rather dry to me, even though I appreciated the efforts the author made to answer all outstanding questions. There were also some huge plot-holes for me in regards to the final twist, which from a nurse’s point of view seemed farfetched, spoiling the previously well-constructed and believable narrative at the 11th hour. I felt frustrated and cheated at this turn of events, which most likely won’t bother a vast majority of readers, so unless you are a health-professional you should be safe in reading it and enjoying the final big reveal. Whilst I felt like flinging the book (i.e. my phone, as I was listening to the audio version) out of the car window, uttering a guttural cry and rolling my eyes so far into my head that I was probably a traffic hazard!
In summary, The Friend is a chilling story of a friendship gone wrong, with a few unexpected twists along the way. It can be safely read by most, except for health-professionals who find it difficult to suspend disbelief for the sake of entertainment (hold on to your phones, people!). Having really enjoyed Driscoll’s writing style and the characters of Melanie and Matthew, I will undoubtedly look up her previous novel to go back to their beginnings.
30 June 2018
I sometimes wonder if a second thriller by the same author will be enjoyed as much as the first. Teresa Driscoll did not disappoint. Hopefully there will be more to follow.
In the mean time I will be seeking out Teresa's women's fiction books.
In the mean time I will be seeking out Teresa's women's fiction books.
29 August 2018
I liked this book even more than "I Am Watching You". The book started with a parent's worst nightmare, Sophie's son is badly injured in an accident with another child and she is many many hours away. Hospital staff don't know which of the boys is her son. The story goes back and forth between her time on the train, where she is having a meltdown and the events which led up to this. Sophie's friendship with newcomer, Emma is not shared by anyone else in the village and we get little snippets of unease until we are finally privy to her really concerning relationship with her small son Theo. This book was totally engrossing and I couldn't look away.
17 August 2018
The way this author writes has you hooked from the beginning of the book right up to the end.
I've read 'I am watching you' by this author and thought it was a great read so I decided to try this book out and it did not disappoint. It was just as engrossing and riveting as the previous book I read and I would be looking out for any other books this author writes in the future.
Definitely would recommend this book.
I've read 'I am watching you' by this author and thought it was a great read so I decided to try this book out and it did not disappoint. It was just as engrossing and riveting as the previous book I read and I would be looking out for any other books this author writes in the future.
Definitely would recommend this book.
24 March 2019
I found the book a pleasant read but found the plot too predictable for my liking. In part it was also rather unbelievable and I did not enjoy the going backwards and forwards in the chapters. It was disconcerting on occasions.
Already had guessed about the husband and his relationship with 'the friend' and found it hard to credit his wife did not realize by his obvious antagonism.
Already had guessed about the husband and his relationship with 'the friend' and found it hard to credit his wife did not realize by his obvious antagonism.
26 August 2018
Weird, but in a way that wanted me to figure out what was really going on - and yep I figured that out before the ending of course, but still pretty good storyline and fairly easy reading. There's none so blind that them that do not wanat to see applies to much of this story and how true that is in real life as well.
26 July 2018
I won't go into the story line of this novel as that is outlined in the kindle purchase. This book was incredibly well written and has depth and understanding of the complexities of the characters. To sum up a compelling read.
I loved the book and will be seeking more from the author.
I loved the book and will be seeking more from the author.
10 April 2019
The ending is one of the compelling I've ever read. The build-up to it skilfully done although at times a little slower than I like. The way it evolves had me glued to the pages as it neared the end. A sad story in many respects but well written.
30 April 2018
This situation could easily happen in our lives even though it seems unbelievable. It emphasises the possibilities of the impact of a person with a sociopathic personality which most of us do not wish to believe exists. An excellent read.
10 September 2018
This was a good enough read though there was a great deal of 'descriptive passages' which got a bit lengthy.
However the basic story was good with some twists and turns along the way.
I did enjoy this book and would read more from this author again
However the basic story was good with some twists and turns along the way.
I did enjoy this book and would read more from this author again