Better Served Cold: Don’t Ever Tell by Lucy Dawson @bookouture @lucydawsonbooks #BooksOnTour

Ready for a cold dish? Meet Charlotte and Mia, brought to life by the lovely Lucy Dawson!

My biggest thanks to Kim and Bookouture for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Don’t Ever Tell
Author: Lucy Dawson
Publisher: Bookouture
Date of publication: 25 June 2019
Format: NetGalley copy
Source: publisher
Number of pages: 284

Our lives are made up of stories. Our own. The those of our family and friends. Our world collides with strangers, forming imperceptible bonds. Most of which won’t lead to anything. But some change the scenery of our days forever.

When I met Charlotte, I judged her based on the basic information released by the author. Charlotte is a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a writer. Alright. So, even if we all have a story, could Charlotte hide several, being a writer? Quickly, it becomes apparent she is struggling. Marriage is complicated, juggling kids and work is hell, and it doesn’t help that your husband think being a writer is not a real job. While enjoying the setting brought to me by the author, I did not know where the book would lead me. I was even less sure of what I was reading when Charlotte meets Mia, a young woman who looks a lot like her. Boom. A bond. A tiny thread connecting the two women after a lucky encounter in Edinburgh. Well, you don’t know it at the time, but this the moment the novel spreads its wings. It starts here.

How? Why? I couldn’t figure out a plot that would reunite those women. They have nothing in common, they meet by chance, and yet, I knew there was a meaning to it.

More of Charlotte’s life. A husband who seems to have his head on something else, the feeling of suffocating in your own house and skin… I felt bad for Charlotte. Nice and sweet Charlotte who didn’t deserve this.

But that assessment was a mistake! I laugh at how I took things for what they were. Lucy Dawson really fooled me! A teeny tiny bit of information appears and then another boom! What started as a slow-paced novel suddenly turns into a dark pool and each chapter drags you deeper into the water. When Charlotte and Mia meet again, the older woman has a plan. What if they could take fate in their own hands and change their lives?

Mia, young, lovely, and struggling actress, is confused at first. Why would someone you met a year before seeking you out to help her with a wicked plan? I remembered my ‘tut’s. I was weary. Suddenly, Charlotte appeared different to me but I couldn’t pinpoint what had changed, and what was on her mind! Do you like being kept in the dark? If done right, it only adds a cool and dangerous thrill to your read. Let me tell you that in this case, it totally worked! I was forced (not that is was so hard for me to read, haha! I was already hooked and NEEDED to know what was next) to follow our two main characters with my hand tied and my eyes shut. I had no control and I loved the feeling. I was in the truck of a car, feeling every bump in the road, every twist, the sweat dripping down my back as I could sense the car speed up. I could imagine the giant wall it would crash into. Except I didn’t know what kind of crash it would be.

Nearing the end, pieces of different puzzles appeared, making me doubt my first impressions, my judgement. Don’t Ever Tell is made of many layers, so many that when the bigger picture appeared, I was gobsmacked! Had I been reading the right book??? How could I have missed the hints? Far from a simple domestic tale, this novel is about revenge, pure and twisted. I am not talking about the revenge of someone who plots forever in their basement, or those of people bidding their time to hit hard, fuelled by malice. Lucy Dawson explores revenge from wronged people, people who don’t mean things to turn bad. People who want to teach a lesson. But revenge has its own way, it always does. No matter how good the plan, expect the unexpected. Don’t Ever Tell is a tale of revenge gone terribly wrong. It brings out the best and the worst in people. It stains life, it teaches, it takes whatever it wants, leaving all sides involved reeling.

Special mention to sisterhood in this book! I loved how the author showed the effect of the wave of events on both women’s families. Kids, parents, sisters. Life is just like this, ordinary, and affecting everyone around us!

Don’t Ever Tell is a twisted psychological thriller with a highly original structure built to allow the characters to lead the dance. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a fantastic read with a mind-blowing ball of twists and turns!

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