I'm not a big reader of domestic and/or psychological thrillers, nor romance. I'm not dissing them; they're simply not my bag. I don't remember how this one came to my attention, but it was a long time ago, and I finally got my hands on it. I'm not sure what I expected of it, but I must of thought something about it would appeal to me.

These are things that did: I quite enjoyed Jennings writing, and I thought some of the turns of events made for a meaty story. Nothing felt overly contrived to me. Well, almost nothing. Most of the major plot points were predictable, but none of them happened in the way I expected, and that's what made it a pretty good read. Henry and Elaine are the characters with whom I took the biggest issue. Henry is a self-described weak-willed man, Elaine is criminally unstable. I've met couples like this. It makes the world a scary place.

Through her heroine, Jennings takes on the complex interplay of trust, identity, mental health, betrayal, family, ethics, and agency. Why are you who you are? What enables you, what frees you, what shackles you? In reading this, you may ask yourself, who do you think you are? When you've turned the last page, put on the Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime" and think about it. ( )

Warning: this review contains spoilers

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Bella Campbell has always lived in the shadow of others. Her mother was overprotective to the point of smothering, and once Bella finally left home, she ended up marrying one of her professors, who is just as suffocating an influence. Then her mother dies, and Bella’s family implodes—she discovers a long-held secret that sends her to Cornwall and to an entirely new identity.

At first I was kind of lukewarm about this story, mainly because of the two gratuitous-to-me sex scenes right at the beginning of the book, but eventually I was fully invested in the story. It helped that it was set in St. Ives, where I’ve been, so I could picture it very well. And while the plot could be considered a bit melodramatic at times, I was swept along, nearly yelling out loud in surprise at one point and being fully prepared to toss the book in the bin if Bella (as she is introduced) went back to that prick of a husband of hers. (Spoiler alert: she leaves him! Yaaaaaay! Good riddance to bad rubbish; he struck me as a control freak from page 1.)

The chapters are short and the book reads very quickly. These chapters do dart about a bit in time, but each chapter clearly indicates what time we’re in and whose POV we’re following.

All in all, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. ( )

The storyline was good even if a bit far fetched, however, the protagonists portrayal just didn't ring true and spoiled the book somewhat for me ( )

Great mystery! ( )

In Her Wake – Breathtaking

Amanda Jennings has written what will be one of the books of the year, In Her Wake is absolutely breathtaking, a psychological thriller that will haunt you. In Her Wake is like an onion, as you peel away each layer it will leave a tear in your eye especially as you get closer to the core. To actually put in to words how deep this book will get hold of you I cannot put in to words and I do not believe I am the only person to say that. This is a book you have to read and tell others about.

The characters have hidden depths and the setting of the book from an Old Vicarage to the craggy coast line of Cornwall and St Ives reflects the book perfectly. The haunting beauty that is Cornwall is perfect setting, with legends of the sea and the coast run deep throughout the book.

Bella is returning to her childhood home with her husband David for the funeral of her mother Elaine, who until she left for university would never allow her out of her sight. Going through her memory of all the times her mother would never let her mix with others and kept her isolated, she still fears the house and its history, but she does not know why.

After the funeral, which was poorly attended, having had no contact with Elaine’s or her father’s extended family, her father wants to tell her something but is unable. Something has deeply affected her father and she can feel that it is something deep. When about to leave for home she searches for her father and eventually finds him in his study with his wrists slit and slumped dead over his desk.

Her father Henry has left her a letter, written on his best paper and it drops a bombshell she was not expecting, that her perfect life was not her own, that she was not really Bella. That she had been taken from a family and smuggled back in to the country from France. The letter tells her where to find her family, in St Ives. She is devastated, she now does not know who she is and that her life to that point has been a lie.

She decides to discover her family that was stolen from her and that means going to St Ives and discovering a life lost. While her controlling her husband, David, thinks she has lost the plot and needs help.

Through Bella’s voice as our narrator we discover the hidden lies, betrayals and some quite traumatic discoveries, with the rugged beauty of St Ives and Cornwall as the back drop. We also enter the mind of Henry Campbell as the story unfolds as Bella begins her discovery of who she really is and what really is her name. At the same time things start making sense to her and explain some of the blanks and some of the queries she has about her life.

In Her Wake helps us to question the nature of family and that some of the most shocking crimes are committed by those closest to us. This really is a gripping psychological thriller that gets hold of you from the beginning and you really do not know how this will end.

All I can say is read this book and you too will be gripped by this stunning and breathtaking book. ( )