Second blog tour of the day, and second blog tour for Bookouture! I am delighted to be one of the two stops hosting, Louise Jensen, and ‘The Date’ today. Once again, thank you to Bookouture for the blog tour invite and the ARC of the book. Here is my review:
‘I know it as soon as I wake up and open my eyes… Something is wrong.’
Her Saturday night started normally. Recently separated from her husband, Ali has been persuaded by her friends to go on a date with a new man. She is ready, she is nervous, she is excited. She is about to take a step into her new future. By Sunday morning, Ali’s life is unrecognisable. She wakes, and she knows that something is wrong. She is home, she is alone, she is hurt and she has no memory of what happened to her.
Worse still, when she looks in the mirror, Ali doesn’t recognise the face staring back at her…
What does TWG think?
Oh….my…..goodness…me. OMG! Can I get away with just writing ‘OMG’ over and over again for my review? I don’t know what else I can say except, you guessed it, OMG.
I had never heard of Ali’s diagnosis before, and at first I thought my leg was being pulled. I had no idea that it was indeed a ‘thing’! I can’t even begin to imagine how scary it would be to live a life-like Ali, feeling as though every single person you meet is a stranger, regardless of whether you had met them before.
From start to finish, Louise Jensen has the intensity level on full blast, never faltering despite the hurdles Ali finds herself jumping over. In fact, it seemed that the more hurdles Ali did indeed face, the more intense the storyline became. To be honest, I thought it had reached its limit, but it didn’t take me long to realise that the intensity and suspense surrounding Louise Jensen’s characters, had absolutely no limit whatsoever. It just kept on giving.
Seeing as the author allows her readers to be on the same journey as Ali, it was incredible to watch her trying to piece her life back together, despite having only a few of the puzzle pieces left in her memory bank. I say incredible as in surreal, obviously I felt for her – she couldn’t remember a large portion of an evening and had found herself with more questions than answers. How scary is that?
The more of the book I read, the better picture I had created of who I thought was the culprit of Ali’s situation. Hmm, better doesn’t always mean correct. I couldn’t have been further from the truth if I tried! I was gobsmacked….literally. Yes, I slapped my hand to my gob in shock, and seeing as it seemed to take up residence around my mouth, I went to bed sporting a lovely sweaty face with a red mark around my chops. Classy!
I know that I read fast, but it honestly felt that I had just picked up the book to read when it reached its conclusion – honestly, it really is THAT type of read. You know, the one where you’re feeling as though you’re suspended in the air, dropping to the floor when you least expect it. Not that has actually happened to me, but I can guess what that would feel like seeing as my mind was racing with endless possibilities regarding Ali’s situation.
What a mind-blowing, phenomenally written, toe curling, spine tingling, and all round ‘OMG’ worthy, read this is. I knew that Louise Jensen was an outstanding writer after reading her previous novels, but after reading ‘The Date’? She has exceeded my expectations beyond belief. THIS is the addictive, gritty and highly suspenseful novel that I have been waiting for – OMG what a read. What a read, indeed.
About the author.
Louise Jensen is a Global No.1 Bestselling author of psychological thrillers The Sister, The Gift & The Surrogate. To date Louise has sold approaching a million books and her novels have been sold for translation to nineteen territories, as well as being featured on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestseller’s List. Louise was nominated for the Goodreads Debut Author of 2016 Award.
Louise lives with her husband, children, madcap dog and a rather naughty cat in Northamptonshire. She loves to hear from readers and writers and can be found at www.louisejensen.co.uk, where she regularly blogs flash fiction and writing tips.
The Writing Garnet 