I hate to be unkind when I review a novel, especially when it is a debut novel. However, I must be honest and say that this story didn’t appeal to me at all…
Pen Sheppard comes from a dysfunctional family with skeletons in her closet. This alone normally makes me love a character, however, with Pen, there is little to love. She enters university thinking that it is a fresh start for her.
Her Australian university though, is a toxic place filled with venomously ‘mean girls’ and malicious hazing practices, making the read an uncomfortable experience.
The writing, though well formed in and of itself, resulted in an unorganized and somewhat chaotic plot that I was eager to end. The narrative jumped from past to present and the protagonist was unreliable and not easy to like. I didn’t care what kind of a mess she found herself in, so I was not invested in the outcome of her life in any way.
Pen was involved in murder before university AND after she got there. Realistic, I think not. The entire time I was reading it, I felt that the author was trying too hard, resulting in a novel that was somewhat cliched and unimpressive.
Though this book was not for me, it was long listed for Australian Book Industry General Fiction Book of the Year 2017 & Voss Literary Prize 2017. Take my opinions with a grain of salt…
This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Random House via NetGalley. Whittling away at my NetGalley backlist – one title at a time…
Publication date: July 12, 2016
Publisher: Alibi imprint/Random House Publishing
ISBN: 9780399593932 ASIN: B0CHF78XZ4 – 413 pages
Aoife Clifford was born in London of Irish parents, studied Arts/Law at the Australian National University, and now lives in Melbourne, Australia. Aoife is the author of best selling literary crime novels, Second Sight, runners up in 2019 for Crime Book of the Year in the Davitt Awards, and All These Perfect Strangers, which was long listed for both the ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year and the Voss Literary Prize. When We Fall was the only book shortlisted for Best Crime Fiction in both the Ned Kelly and Davitt Awards in 2023.
She is an S.D. Harvey award winner, has won the Scarlet Stiletto and been shortlisted for the UK Crime Association’s Debut Dagger among other prizes. Her award winning short stories have been published in Australia, UK and US.
Melissa Payne is the bestselling author of six novels, including In The Beautiful Dark and The Wild Road Home. After an early career raising money for nonprofit organizations, a brief attempt at selling jewelry, and a wildly unsuccessful stint as a barista, Melissa wrote her first novel, The Secrets Of Lost Stones. Her stories feature small mountain towns with characters searching for redemption, love, and second chances. They have been three-time Colorado Book Award finalists and Colorado Authors League 2020 and 2023 winners for mainstream fiction. Melissa lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her husband and three children, a friendly mutt, a very loud cat, and the occasional bear.
A former crime reporter, Lori Duffy Foster was born and raised in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, where a piece of her heart remains. Her previous novels include NEVER LET GO, a thriller, and the Lisa Jamison Mystery Series. Her books have been nominees or finalists for Agatha, Silver Falchion and Shamus awards. Lori is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, The Historical Novel Society, International Thriller Writers, The Finger Lakes Authors & Readers Experience and Pennwriters. After several moves about the country with her family, Lori now lives and writes in the hills of Northern Pennsylvania. Look out for two new novels in 2026 and 2027 from Speaking Volumes LLC, SPRING MELT, an historical courtroom drama, and NO STRANGER HERE, a thriller.
Laura Shepherd-Robinson was born in Bristol in 1976. She has a BSc in politics from the University of Bristol, an MSc in political theory from the London School of Economics, and an MA in creative writing from City St. George’s, University of London. She is the author of four novels, Blood & Sugar, Daughters of Night, The Square of Sevens, and The Art of a Lie. She lives in London with her husband.
ANNA QUINDLEN is a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, nonfiction, and self-help bestseller lists. She is the author of many novels: Object Lessons, One True Thing, Black and Blue, Blessings, Rise and Shine, Every Last One, Still Life with Bread Crumbs, and Miller’s Valley. Her memoir Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, published in 2012, was a number one New York Times bestseller. Her book A Short Guide to a Happy Life has sold more than a million copies. While a columnist at The New York Times she won the Pulitzer Prize and published two collections, Living Out Loud and Thinking Out Loud. Her Newsweek columns were collected in Loud and Clear.
Cammie McGovern is the author of HARD LANDINGS, a memoir about the transition her oldest son, who has autism, made into adult services. She has also written three books for young adults, SAY WHAT YOU WILL, A STEP TOWARD FALLING, and JUST BREATHE, and three books for middle-grade readers, JUST MY LUCK, CHESTER AND GUS, and FRANKIE AND AMELIA. All feature young people with a variety of disabilities at the center. She has been widely honored for her work advocating on behalf of people with disabilities. Her books have been called “joyful, inspiring and unforgettable,” by Katherine Applegate. In addition to writing for The New York Times, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, and other magazines, she has also written three adult novels and is one of the proud founders of Whole Children/Milestones, a resource center for children and young adults with disabilities and their families. She lives in Amherst, MA with her husband and three sons.
Fictionophile 
