She wants your life – and she’ll do anything to get it…
Erica has always wanted to be exactly like her neighbour, Faye: beautiful, thin, and a mother. But Faye’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems – she has a terrible secret, and slowly but surely, it is threatening to destroy her and everything she holds dear.
When Faye’s daughter Tamsin goes missing after school, the police turn to Erica. But is Erica the only one who has been enviously watching Faye? Or is there another threat hiding in the shadows…?
Envy by Amanda Robson was published on 4 April by Avon, in paperback, digital and audio. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review and who invited me to take part on this Blog Tour.
Envy
noun
- 1.a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck."she felt a twinge of envy for the people on board"
synonyms: jealousy, enviousness, covetousness, desire;
verb
- 1.desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable thing belonging to (someone else)."he envied people who did not have to work at the weekends"
synonyms: be envious of, be jealous of;
Oh my good God! I read this book in a day. It's a long long time since I've been so hooked by a storyline that I've been unable to put it aside for long.
Envy is an unsettling, dark and at times, quite terrifying story filled with a cast of characters that make Don Juan seem reliable. The main focus of the story is one woman; Faye.
Faye is beautiful, her body is toned to perfection, her hair is shiny, her children are adorable and her husband is adoring.
Erika is overweight, unemployed and living in a dank and damp one-bedroomed flat. The product of a dysfunctional childhood, with memories of a mother who entertained men and abused drugs and an absent father. Erika's only friend is Mouse; a quite, introverted man who lives in the flat above and offers her an escape from her dreary life.
Erika's only aim in life is to have Faye's life. She can see, as Faye drags her children to school each day that Faye doesn't deserve those two girls. Erika is suspicious of a frequent visitor to Faye's house too. How dare Faye take her handsome husband and her delightful children for granted? Erika will soon put a stop to that.
Erika is not the only person who is obsessed with Faye though, and the reader is privy to the slow but sure breakdown of Faye's marriage; the total turnaround of her loyal devoted husband and just how one mistake can totally ruin lives.
Amanda Robson has created a cast of characters here who are dangerously addictive. I had absolutely no empathy or trust in Faye whatsoever, and despite Erika's obvious problems and her utterly destructive behaviour, there's a vulnerability and determination within her that makes the reader want to cheer for her.
The male characters! Oh, those men! Where on earth to start? Let's just say that they are deliciously dark and incredibly evil. Totally determined and unable to bear anyone getting in their way; resorting to the darkest and dirtiest of deeds to get exactly what they want. Apart from Mouse that is. Mouse is a delightful and calming contrast to the desperation and cunning of Faye's husband Phillip and his lifelong friend Jonah.
A wickedly compelling and taut story that strayed a little bit near to the ridiculous towards the end. Nevertheless, this is a book that had me turning the pages like a woman possessed and is utterly entertaining.
After graduating, Amanda Robson worked in medical research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and at the Poisons Unit at Guy’s Hospital, where she became a co-author of a book on cyanide poisoning.
Amanda attended the Faber novel-writing course, and is now a full-time author.
Her debut novel, Obsession, was a #1 ebook bestseller and her second novel, Guilt, was a Sunday Times bestseller.
Website: www.amandarobson.co.uk
Twitter : @AmandaRauthor
Author Page on Facebook
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