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Concealed Anguish
After a chaotic divorce from her childhood sweetheart, where she was cheated on by a man she once loved - Left shattered by his lies and abandoned to raise a teenage daughter alone, life was certainly a challenge for heartbroken Tina. But what if, just when she thought the love of her daughter would carry her through the tough emotional turmoil, that daughter then turned against her?
This is Tina Stevens story, as she finally comes to terms with her very messy divorce, thinking nothing would ever hurt her again, only to face her sixteen year old daughter. Sixteen year old Natasha, ready for sexual relations – A teenager, full of sordid secrets - Natasha, planning to show mummy - The pain she endured yesterday is nothing compared to the excruciating torment heading her way today.
An emotional psychological thriller, where a daughter misbehaving isn't the new chapter they needed in their lives, but an entirely new book, looking for immediate closure.
This is Tina Stevens story, as she finally comes to terms with her very messy divorce, thinking nothing would ever hurt her again, only to face her sixteen year old daughter. Sixteen year old Natasha, ready for sexual relations – A teenager, full of sordid secrets - Natasha, planning to show mummy - The pain she endured yesterday is nothing compared to the excruciating torment heading her way today.
An emotional psychological thriller, where a daughter misbehaving isn't the new chapter they needed in their lives, but an entirely new book, looking for immediate closure.
212 pages, Paperback
Published February 22, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 27, 2017
4.5Stars.
.5 stars for climax.
Lovely and aggressive kind of writing as Miss. Clancy known about as per "The cure hotel" is concerned.
Great psychological thriller.
Highly recommended.
Easy read.
'Mom and her daughter's relation turned up in a old secret mystery and Thriller at crucial moment of the story.'
Great thanks to writer to mention my name in the book and convey this book to me.
Hope, I would wait for next book of you, Madame !
.5 stars for climax.
Lovely and aggressive kind of writing as Miss. Clancy known about as per "The cure hotel" is concerned.
Great psychological thriller.
Highly recommended.
Easy read.
'Mom and her daughter's relation turned up in a old secret mystery and Thriller at crucial moment of the story.'
Great thanks to writer to mention my name in the book and convey this book to me.
Hope, I would wait for next book of you, Madame !
February 22, 2017
Once again Ashley takes you in one direction and then completely twists you in another! It was a book I just had to finish even though two of the characters just enraged me, which I think is all part of the experience. I really felt for Tina throughout it and Natasha was just one of the most vilest teenagers ever written!! All in all it was a good, easy read and I feel another success for Ashley!
March 6, 2017
I can't believe it, but during the reading of this dramatic story, after hating most of the characters at some point in the book, I actually felt my heart breaking for Tina. It's one thing writing a gripping book with twists at every turn, but to write one that makes you connect with the characters so well, priceless!! I love Ashley's style of writing it really is as though she writes it living through every emotion a character has. Great book, well written.
April 13, 2017
What a rollercoaster!! Just when you think that there can't be anymore crazy twists another one is thrown in.
I felt sorry for Tina for having a brat of a daughter but as the story goes on, all sympathy left, as for Claire, I didn't see that coming, she was one character I didn't like, even less so by the end of the book.
Another great read from Ashley.
I felt sorry for Tina for having a brat of a daughter but as the story goes on, all sympathy left, as for Claire, I didn't see that coming, she was one character I didn't like, even less so by the end of the book.
Another great read from Ashley.
March 5, 2017
Wow. Just wow. First of all, I get this book through the post and my name is on the acknowledgements and if that isn't enough to make this book awesome, the story is so freaking captivating! I didn't like Claire from the beginning she was an annoying person and not a very good friend, and I was so frustrated with everything Tina and Natasha did! But that's the beauty of a book that makes you feel what the characters are feeling! Every twist and turn kept me captivated and wanting to read more! Honestly another great book by Ashley.
March 19, 2017
Wow, what a book! full of sex, twists and head fu$king drama! Loved it!!
February 25, 2017
What do I say?
Not only do I love Ashley's writing style, the short chapters and fast paced story keep you gripped. Another fabulous twisted story!
Not only do I love Ashley's writing style, the short chapters and fast paced story keep you gripped. Another fabulous twisted story!
April 8, 2017
Something a bit different
Really enjoyed this, it's another story that lends itself well to holiday reading, or reading in short bursts on a commute etc., I really liked Tina, although at times found myself cringing with her during her more awkward moments, which I feel added perfectly to her character seeming quite 'real', my heart went out to her a few times due to her relationship with her daughter, I hated her ex with her and felt both hopeless and hopeful for her when she was at her lowest.
A couple of little grammatical glitches here and there but I found it easier to overlook due to the conversational nature of Tina's narration.
Again, the twist(s) at the end caught me off-guard and I'll definitely keep an eye out for future books from Clancey.
Really enjoyed this, it's another story that lends itself well to holiday reading, or reading in short bursts on a commute etc., I really liked Tina, although at times found myself cringing with her during her more awkward moments, which I feel added perfectly to her character seeming quite 'real', my heart went out to her a few times due to her relationship with her daughter, I hated her ex with her and felt both hopeless and hopeful for her when she was at her lowest.
A couple of little grammatical glitches here and there but I found it easier to overlook due to the conversational nature of Tina's narration.
Again, the twist(s) at the end caught me off-guard and I'll definitely keep an eye out for future books from Clancey.
March 3, 2017
Thank you to Ashley for this copy and for mentioning me" it really means a lot to show how much you appreciate your readers. I absolutely love reading your work. Once again I have stayed up to finish this book (not quite as late as I did with The Cure Hotel) I love the twists which you portray, constantly wondering what is going to happen next. Also seeing the dynamic of a mother and daughter relationship is a rarely seen concept.
I cannot wait to read the rest of your work in the future.
I cannot wait to read the rest of your work in the future.
February 26, 2017
**spoilers**
I had to read this book in one sitting!! I was gripped!
It took me a while to get into Concealed Anguish as I really didn't know what to think of the main character Tina. A complete pushover who I genuinely can't believe would give her daughter so much money each morning. It adds up, how often did she get paid and gosh must have been one hell of a salary!
Natasha, her daughter, I wanted to slap her throughout the whole book! The style of writing really swayed my views on Natasha and I felt really involved between her and Tina's relationship as mother and daughter. I felt like I was watching their arguments rather than reading about them and being stuck in the middle of the two, wanting to bash both their heads together! How did she get away with so much, and why was she pushing her boyfriend on to her mum? I get the whole revenge on her mum thing but Tina was clearly so attracted to Travis that surely she would have just loved the experience of sleeping with him. Would that not have pissed Natasha off more, unless there was something we didn't know about Travis.. did he have an STI for instance? Would explain why Natasha wouldn't sleep with him after all. Was one of the greatest scenes in the book, however would you honestly just lie there and do nothing, she clearly wasn't afraid of having sex with him!
This brings me to Claire... what a friend! I wondered from the beginning how they were friends as they seemed to be very different people, she seemed more interested in Tina's sex life than what she was going through. Completely unsupportive of the troubles Tina had with Natasha .. Tina didn't sense anything was up, genuinely thought they were friends even what happened with Claires daughter? Looking back Tina was a complete fool!
The ending of the book really made me think .. could Natasha ever really change back to the little girl Tina wanted her to be?
Is Tina even going to be alive when Natasha gets out of prison?
Does Natasha have an agreement with the club manager to get rid of her mum once and for all?
How did a teenage girl go that crazy over the death of a friend? Surely a part of her would have understood they were trying to protect her?!
This book would have been 4 stars but one of the scenes made me feel quite ill - Tina getting raped in the alley way for basically nothing and her daughter being ok with it, and the other thing that bothered me was the character of Becky appearing out of nowhere! Yes it made a fantastic twist but no one could have seen it coming after not knowing who she was! Perhaps a short prologue with a brief intro to what life was like between the characters before Becky died may have helped us understand the strong friendship between Becky and Natasha to show why Natasha was distraught enough to ruin her mothers life the way she did and make us feel and emphasise on a deeper level Tina's pain after the divorce.
Really enjoyed reading the book, genuinely can't stop thinking about it! It was a fantastic read just wanted to connect with the characters a bit more. Thank you Ashley for another great read! :)
I had to read this book in one sitting!! I was gripped!
It took me a while to get into Concealed Anguish as I really didn't know what to think of the main character Tina. A complete pushover who I genuinely can't believe would give her daughter so much money each morning. It adds up, how often did she get paid and gosh must have been one hell of a salary!
Natasha, her daughter, I wanted to slap her throughout the whole book! The style of writing really swayed my views on Natasha and I felt really involved between her and Tina's relationship as mother and daughter. I felt like I was watching their arguments rather than reading about them and being stuck in the middle of the two, wanting to bash both their heads together! How did she get away with so much, and why was she pushing her boyfriend on to her mum? I get the whole revenge on her mum thing but Tina was clearly so attracted to Travis that surely she would have just loved the experience of sleeping with him. Would that not have pissed Natasha off more, unless there was something we didn't know about Travis.. did he have an STI for instance? Would explain why Natasha wouldn't sleep with him after all. Was one of the greatest scenes in the book, however would you honestly just lie there and do nothing, she clearly wasn't afraid of having sex with him!
This brings me to Claire... what a friend! I wondered from the beginning how they were friends as they seemed to be very different people, she seemed more interested in Tina's sex life than what she was going through. Completely unsupportive of the troubles Tina had with Natasha .. Tina didn't sense anything was up, genuinely thought they were friends even what happened with Claires daughter? Looking back Tina was a complete fool!
The ending of the book really made me think .. could Natasha ever really change back to the little girl Tina wanted her to be?
Is Tina even going to be alive when Natasha gets out of prison?
Does Natasha have an agreement with the club manager to get rid of her mum once and for all?
How did a teenage girl go that crazy over the death of a friend? Surely a part of her would have understood they were trying to protect her?!
This book would have been 4 stars but one of the scenes made me feel quite ill - Tina getting raped in the alley way for basically nothing and her daughter being ok with it, and the other thing that bothered me was the character of Becky appearing out of nowhere! Yes it made a fantastic twist but no one could have seen it coming after not knowing who she was! Perhaps a short prologue with a brief intro to what life was like between the characters before Becky died may have helped us understand the strong friendship between Becky and Natasha to show why Natasha was distraught enough to ruin her mothers life the way she did and make us feel and emphasise on a deeper level Tina's pain after the divorce.
Really enjoyed reading the book, genuinely can't stop thinking about it! It was a fantastic read just wanted to connect with the characters a bit more. Thank you Ashley for another great read! :)
February 27, 2017
Love knows no bounds, all the way through I kept thinking this saying is so fitting for this book
April 14, 2017
Had my attention from the very beginning. so easy to read! and what a twist!! defiantly worth a read!!!
March 31, 2017
This is the second Ashley book I've read that made me feel like this. A sense of anger, a sense of frustration, a sense of not being able to say or do anything about what was going on. I love a book getting inside my head and I love a book where the characters piss me off!
Concealed Anguish follows the relationship of a mother and daughter and what a bitch the daughter is! This was a fast read, a gripping read and one that left me wanting more. I really enjoyed it
Concealed Anguish follows the relationship of a mother and daughter and what a bitch the daughter is! This was a fast read, a gripping read and one that left me wanting more. I really enjoyed it
March 4, 2017
Gosh Ashley what to say you seriously never know where your books are going to go ! There's a bit of everything in your books a little of the shock aspect something naughty again a wee bit of weird and so many twists well done. Fell asleep right on the last couple of pages little did I know there would be another surprise on the last page when I woke looking forward to your next book and a thank you mention to me !! I was chuffed Keep going Ashley I truly wish you every success xx
March 2, 2017
Once again Ashley has successfully written a great book. After reading The Cure Hotel I thought she couldn't top it but she has done it. Tina seems like she is a pushover but I don't think she is I think she is just like every other person in the world with drama and teenagers and a crappy ex husband. Thank you for mentioning me in the book I feel so privileged to be part of this experience with everyone else.
February 25, 2017
Sex, taboo, emotional & gripping. This book has it all.
May 28, 2017
This is my first review ever. Years of using goodreads and never once did I feel the need to write something until this disaster. I am utterly confused as to how the ratings are so good?? What a scam! That is he reason I read this! I trusted you guys and y'all thought this was amazing?
A week later and I cannot put to words my disappointment. I understand it's fiction but a good author makes us connect to certain characters and everything was so unbelievable. Why is what's her face I already forgot her name. But why is the mom always "miles away" is something wrong with her? She can never stay focused. And what a mom!! Is it a white people thing to not discipline your children? She was completely unfit to be a mom. I'm just in disbelief in it all. Save your time don't read this mess.
A week later and I cannot put to words my disappointment. I understand it's fiction but a good author makes us connect to certain characters and everything was so unbelievable. Why is what's her face I already forgot her name. But why is the mom always "miles away" is something wrong with her? She can never stay focused. And what a mom!! Is it a white people thing to not discipline your children? She was completely unfit to be a mom. I'm just in disbelief in it all. Save your time don't read this mess.
June 3, 2017
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. *
Mega spoilers THAT AREN'T CONCEALED BTW, if the first warning wasn't enough.
Firstly, I would like to point out two things before delving into the review. One, this isn't a book I would normally ever read. I don't like reading books that are less than 300 pages (reason will be explained later). The last time I read a book shorter than this was I believe a short story from a series and some marketing book, lulz. Two, I don't really read thrillers... At all... If ever... I'm always open to reading new genres of books, but thrillers were never something I wanted to read on my own accord. Never really jumped the Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train hypes. They were just never of my interest.
Now onto the book itself. This book had potential. However, I believe where it falls flat could be due to the fact that the book was so short. There were so many different stories in this plot that having it in just 200 pages was just not enough. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what exactly happened in maybe the middle and end parts of the novel because I was still so hung up on the beginning of the novel? Like what about this club thing? I just wanted Travis to live dammit. It moves waaayyy too fast for maybe my own liking but I feel like there were a lot of loose ends from the beginning of the book to the end of the book.
Okay, first let's talk about all of the different aspects of the book. Firstly, Natasha, Tina's daughter, wants to ruin her mother's life. Why? God knows why. Honestly, I just kept picturing Natasha as that girl from Dr. Phil (catch me outside or whatever), and that already had me rolling my eyes and deadpanning at every single action she did. Her attitude was wow, amazing. If you want an example of how you don't want your daughter to grow up, she's perfect. I'm sure that is what Ashley S. Clancy wanted to showcase, but I actually found it very... Annoying rather than being fearful of the girl. Like I don't think she was particularly clever or anything, she was just not as dimwitted as the mother.
AS FOR TINA. Jesus Christ. Why oh why was she characterized to be so dumb, lost, and a pushover? I'm not trying to hate on characters that are weak, I understand their importance in novels and such, but Tina was just too much for me. If I was rolling my eyes at Natasha, I was seriously face-palming and sighing loudly with Tina. She always wanted to talk with her daughter, but she's always too afraid that she's going to hurt her daughter more or push her away because she's confronting her. Uh, hello? It's your daughter, not your best friend. As Supernanny would put it, "where is the respect and discipline in this household?" Tina as a pushover was just too much absurdity for me that I genuinely couldn't feel sympathetic for her at all throughout the novel. And because she was such a pushover, that made Natasha's character sooo much more annoying. I seriously could not handle the relationship and dynamic with each other. ANOTHER THING ABOUT TINA. She flip-flopped so much. Like telling her daughter to go do what she wants, but then wanting to know where she was going. Supernanny once again, "where's the consistency!?"
Okay, before I go into detail about the aspect I'm heartbroken over, let's talk about the "twist." This is going to be a spoiler. So in reality, the one pulling all the strings to ruin Tina's life was Claire, Tina's supposed best friend. What the fuck. I guess it was supposed to be one of those twists that tries to catch you off guard because you would have NEVER suspected it. Well, I didn't suspect it. But I didn't gasp. I squinted at my iPad and asked aloud, on the Tube, to no one in particular, "why." Just why was this necessary. Okayokay, yes. Lyle, Tina's ex-husband, killed Claire's daughter Becky (I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt that this was just a nickname, and her real name is Rebecca) because he ran her over or something like that. Becky was Natasha's best friend Claire went cuckoo, but these damn fucking adults - yes, they are supposed to be adults - told Natasha that Becky just went to Canada with her cousin. What. The. Fuck. They said that they were just trying to protect her but what the fuck? Why would you protect someone from the inevitable? The stupidity of the adults just bewilders me. So back to what I was saying before, Claire went cuckoo, and manipulates Natasha to ruin Tina's life. Natasha, being the vulnerable girl she was before, totally falls for Claire's wishes and does what is needed to ruin her mother's life. But in reality, Claire wants to kill Natasha so that Tina and Lyle can suffer the same way she did when losing Becky! Wow, amazing.
There was this whole club scene where Natasha was working in. TBH, I had to skim it. Those chapters that featured it? Skimmed. Could not get into it. All too "what the fuck" for me. Tina raped someone to get her daughter out of the club, I think? And also, she was raped to get her daughter out of the club? I don't know. I didn't care. It was so dreadful. So I can't even go into detail about the club scene because lo' an behold, I didn't really read it. This was also part of Claire's doing but still. I was just like, "why is this necessary." Troy and Vincent were such damn throwaway characters (I'm honestly shocked I know their names). I felt as though they were just added because you can't get raped unless it's by a human. That was their only need.
Now let's talk about the throwaway character that I honestly thought should have a main or prominent character. Travis Davies. He was the sole reason as to why this book could have had two stars. The point of him trying to seduce Tina was honestly brilliant. I loved the first few chapters just because I could feel my inner cougar coming out (I'm twenty-one for God's sake, snorts). The fact that he actually wasn't into it, and it was Natasha (or is it really Claire) wanting him to do so. I loved that. Honestly, if this was the main focus of ruining Tina's life, I would have been completely satisfied. I was so disappointed when it ended so abruptly. I wanted more of it. But then he fucking dies. What. The. Actual. Fuck. Why did he need to die? Like this isn't some book about murder, and yes some of the characters seemed a bit loony, but none of them seemed to be the ones to murder? Okay, Natasha was on drugs (the excuse the book gives), but seriously? Murdering a poor boy because why? HE DID NOT DESERVE THIS. What? What!? I couldn't take that seriously.
Who's Christopher? What his point again? The guy who fancies Tina and is dragged into this mess (the poor bastard), right. Okay. What else. He was accused of touching Natasha when she came to his place. I don't know why the fuck Tina believed her daughter when she confessed this even when her daughter has been a blatant lying bitch the whole fucking novel? Like Jesus Christ, Mom. Get a grip on reality right now. You're really, really acting like a child. No, not even a child. You're acting like a brainless Barbie doll to the point where I only cringe when you try to do something. Anyway. Christopher who? Christoper Robin? Oh, the boy from Winnie the Pooh...! Yeah, he was so irrelevant, yet again.
I was not a big fan of the the writing. I don't know if it was my iPad being whack, but honestly I could not even handle the typography of the words? Is that weird? Can I also say that making five parenthesized sentences to explain the background of the story just seems really lazy?
(I don't think it looks very appealing)
(It seems like it was a note the author made but never went back to check on it)
(It also sounds like we're listening to a narrator)
(Which clashes with the fact that Tina had been narrating the whole time)
(Do you see what I mean)
Like no. What? Why? I couldn't handle the childish language of everyone in the novel. Everybody spoke like a sixteen-year-old fool. I just couldn't get a grip on all of it. I also did not see the need to add the time and date throughout the chapters? They were never put to use within the story so why did it matter? It Halloween at one part of the book so maybe instead of giving us dates, describe the weather outside or something. Maybe just even say it's Halloween. I don't care. And there was no need to put "(One Week Later)" when there has been consistent date stamping. I didn't even pay attention to the dates except when it was close to Halloween, but not because it was relevant to the story but just because it was Halloween. I also never want to read the words like "chirping," "singing," "in a singsong voice" again.
Alright, so I've written out a lot, but I feel as though I failed to mention the potential I see in this book. I get the story of "Best friend's daughter is killed by at-the-time-husband so best friend becomes crazy" (Tina's POV). Alright, decent premise. Now how to go about it, "get daughter to do all the dirty tricks to ruin mother's and father's life, and then kill the daughter so they suffer" (Claire's POV). I got that too. But the ruining of the mother's life was too much. There was too much going on that I could hardly believe any of it.
The only thing I could believe was Travis trying to seduce Tina. (Wait, was the reason he was killed was because he "failed?" Fucked up, man.) If this was the main storyline throughout the novel, it would have been so much better. Tina doesn't know about the scheme. She kinda, sorta falls for the kid. Guilt is eating her alive because he with Natasha. Yada, yada, yada. Oror, you know what else could have been believable? Natasha trying to seduce Christopher. That could've made a great life ruiner too! Or maybe whenever Tina tries to date someone, Natasha steps in and does something. I don't know. I feel as though the author had some really great ideas, but mashing them altogether for one novel in just 200 pages was just too much. There was so much unnecessary things happening that could have been used for a better development of characters. Maybe if Natasha and Tina were explored a bit more into their psyches, I would have appreciated them better. But all I got were one-dimensional characters. There were too many different aspects of the novel, and it all just couldn't be contained in this small novel.
The last part is going to be the one line that complete flung a that second star off for me. When Natasha said something:
"Duh, it's Halloween mum, I'm a rape victim"
I was absolutely appalled. Regardless if it was sarcastic or not, I almost DNF'd the book right there. I almost considered giving it two stars when I was finished, but the ending as well just really made sure that star wasn't coming back any time soon.
Maybe these are necessary elements of a thriller (a bunch of twists and turns), but I am just not a fan. However, I won't let this deter me reading her other novel The Cure Hotel because I'm getting a feeling that one is more erotic than this one? I'm honestly quite disappointed that there wasn't much action between Travis and Tina. Ah, listen to me. Cannot wait to be older. BUT ANYWAY. All in all, this could have been a book I really liked if it was just focused on Travis seducing Tina and ruining her life through there. But there was too much noise going on that by the end, it had me lose interest.
Thank you Ashley for the free copy of the book, I look forward to reading the next one~!
Mega spoilers THAT AREN'T CONCEALED BTW, if the first warning wasn't enough.
Firstly, I would like to point out two things before delving into the review. One, this isn't a book I would normally ever read. I don't like reading books that are less than 300 pages (reason will be explained later). The last time I read a book shorter than this was I believe a short story from a series and some marketing book, lulz. Two, I don't really read thrillers... At all... If ever... I'm always open to reading new genres of books, but thrillers were never something I wanted to read on my own accord. Never really jumped the Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train hypes. They were just never of my interest.
Now onto the book itself. This book had potential. However, I believe where it falls flat could be due to the fact that the book was so short. There were so many different stories in this plot that having it in just 200 pages was just not enough. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around what exactly happened in maybe the middle and end parts of the novel because I was still so hung up on the beginning of the novel? Like what about this club thing? I just wanted Travis to live dammit. It moves waaayyy too fast for maybe my own liking but I feel like there were a lot of loose ends from the beginning of the book to the end of the book.
Okay, first let's talk about all of the different aspects of the book. Firstly, Natasha, Tina's daughter, wants to ruin her mother's life. Why? God knows why. Honestly, I just kept picturing Natasha as that girl from Dr. Phil (catch me outside or whatever), and that already had me rolling my eyes and deadpanning at every single action she did. Her attitude was wow, amazing. If you want an example of how you don't want your daughter to grow up, she's perfect. I'm sure that is what Ashley S. Clancy wanted to showcase, but I actually found it very... Annoying rather than being fearful of the girl. Like I don't think she was particularly clever or anything, she was just not as dimwitted as the mother.
AS FOR TINA. Jesus Christ. Why oh why was she characterized to be so dumb, lost, and a pushover? I'm not trying to hate on characters that are weak, I understand their importance in novels and such, but Tina was just too much for me. If I was rolling my eyes at Natasha, I was seriously face-palming and sighing loudly with Tina. She always wanted to talk with her daughter, but she's always too afraid that she's going to hurt her daughter more or push her away because she's confronting her. Uh, hello? It's your daughter, not your best friend. As Supernanny would put it, "where is the respect and discipline in this household?" Tina as a pushover was just too much absurdity for me that I genuinely couldn't feel sympathetic for her at all throughout the novel. And because she was such a pushover, that made Natasha's character sooo much more annoying. I seriously could not handle the relationship and dynamic with each other. ANOTHER THING ABOUT TINA. She flip-flopped so much. Like telling her daughter to go do what she wants, but then wanting to know where she was going. Supernanny once again, "where's the consistency!?"
Okay, before I go into detail about the aspect I'm heartbroken over, let's talk about the "twist." This is going to be a spoiler. So in reality, the one pulling all the strings to ruin Tina's life was Claire, Tina's supposed best friend. What the fuck. I guess it was supposed to be one of those twists that tries to catch you off guard because you would have NEVER suspected it. Well, I didn't suspect it. But I didn't gasp. I squinted at my iPad and asked aloud, on the Tube, to no one in particular, "why." Just why was this necessary. Okayokay, yes. Lyle, Tina's ex-husband, killed Claire's daughter Becky (I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt that this was just a nickname, and her real name is Rebecca) because he ran her over or something like that. Becky was Natasha's best friend Claire went cuckoo, but these damn fucking adults - yes, they are supposed to be adults - told Natasha that Becky just went to Canada with her cousin. What. The. Fuck. They said that they were just trying to protect her but what the fuck? Why would you protect someone from the inevitable? The stupidity of the adults just bewilders me. So back to what I was saying before, Claire went cuckoo, and manipulates Natasha to ruin Tina's life. Natasha, being the vulnerable girl she was before, totally falls for Claire's wishes and does what is needed to ruin her mother's life. But in reality, Claire wants to kill Natasha so that Tina and Lyle can suffer the same way she did when losing Becky! Wow, amazing.
There was this whole club scene where Natasha was working in. TBH, I had to skim it. Those chapters that featured it? Skimmed. Could not get into it. All too "what the fuck" for me. Tina raped someone to get her daughter out of the club, I think? And also, she was raped to get her daughter out of the club? I don't know. I didn't care. It was so dreadful. So I can't even go into detail about the club scene because lo' an behold, I didn't really read it. This was also part of Claire's doing but still. I was just like, "why is this necessary." Troy and Vincent were such damn throwaway characters (I'm honestly shocked I know their names). I felt as though they were just added because you can't get raped unless it's by a human. That was their only need.
Now let's talk about the throwaway character that I honestly thought should have a main or prominent character. Travis Davies. He was the sole reason as to why this book could have had two stars. The point of him trying to seduce Tina was honestly brilliant. I loved the first few chapters just because I could feel my inner cougar coming out (I'm twenty-one for God's sake, snorts). The fact that he actually wasn't into it, and it was Natasha (or is it really Claire) wanting him to do so. I loved that. Honestly, if this was the main focus of ruining Tina's life, I would have been completely satisfied. I was so disappointed when it ended so abruptly. I wanted more of it. But then he fucking dies. What. The. Actual. Fuck. Why did he need to die? Like this isn't some book about murder, and yes some of the characters seemed a bit loony, but none of them seemed to be the ones to murder? Okay, Natasha was on drugs (the excuse the book gives), but seriously? Murdering a poor boy because why? HE DID NOT DESERVE THIS. What? What!? I couldn't take that seriously.
Who's Christopher? What his point again? The guy who fancies Tina and is dragged into this mess (the poor bastard), right. Okay. What else. He was accused of touching Natasha when she came to his place. I don't know why the fuck Tina believed her daughter when she confessed this even when her daughter has been a blatant lying bitch the whole fucking novel? Like Jesus Christ, Mom. Get a grip on reality right now. You're really, really acting like a child. No, not even a child. You're acting like a brainless Barbie doll to the point where I only cringe when you try to do something. Anyway. Christopher who? Christoper Robin? Oh, the boy from Winnie the Pooh...! Yeah, he was so irrelevant, yet again.
I was not a big fan of the the writing. I don't know if it was my iPad being whack, but honestly I could not even handle the typography of the words? Is that weird? Can I also say that making five parenthesized sentences to explain the background of the story just seems really lazy?
(I don't think it looks very appealing)
(It seems like it was a note the author made but never went back to check on it)
(It also sounds like we're listening to a narrator)
(Which clashes with the fact that Tina had been narrating the whole time)
(Do you see what I mean)
Like no. What? Why? I couldn't handle the childish language of everyone in the novel. Everybody spoke like a sixteen-year-old fool. I just couldn't get a grip on all of it. I also did not see the need to add the time and date throughout the chapters? They were never put to use within the story so why did it matter? It Halloween at one part of the book so maybe instead of giving us dates, describe the weather outside or something. Maybe just even say it's Halloween. I don't care. And there was no need to put "(One Week Later)" when there has been consistent date stamping. I didn't even pay attention to the dates except when it was close to Halloween, but not because it was relevant to the story but just because it was Halloween. I also never want to read the words like "chirping," "singing," "in a singsong voice" again.
Alright, so I've written out a lot, but I feel as though I failed to mention the potential I see in this book. I get the story of "Best friend's daughter is killed by at-the-time-husband so best friend becomes crazy" (Tina's POV). Alright, decent premise. Now how to go about it, "get daughter to do all the dirty tricks to ruin mother's and father's life, and then kill the daughter so they suffer" (Claire's POV). I got that too. But the ruining of the mother's life was too much. There was too much going on that I could hardly believe any of it.
The only thing I could believe was Travis trying to seduce Tina. (Wait, was the reason he was killed was because he "failed?" Fucked up, man.) If this was the main storyline throughout the novel, it would have been so much better. Tina doesn't know about the scheme. She kinda, sorta falls for the kid. Guilt is eating her alive because he with Natasha. Yada, yada, yada. Oror, you know what else could have been believable? Natasha trying to seduce Christopher. That could've made a great life ruiner too! Or maybe whenever Tina tries to date someone, Natasha steps in and does something. I don't know. I feel as though the author had some really great ideas, but mashing them altogether for one novel in just 200 pages was just too much. There was so much unnecessary things happening that could have been used for a better development of characters. Maybe if Natasha and Tina were explored a bit more into their psyches, I would have appreciated them better. But all I got were one-dimensional characters. There were too many different aspects of the novel, and it all just couldn't be contained in this small novel.
The last part is going to be the one line that complete flung a that second star off for me. When Natasha said something:
"Duh, it's Halloween mum, I'm a rape victim"
I was absolutely appalled. Regardless if it was sarcastic or not, I almost DNF'd the book right there. I almost considered giving it two stars when I was finished, but the ending as well just really made sure that star wasn't coming back any time soon.
Maybe these are necessary elements of a thriller (a bunch of twists and turns), but I am just not a fan. However, I won't let this deter me reading her other novel The Cure Hotel because I'm getting a feeling that one is more erotic than this one? I'm honestly quite disappointed that there wasn't much action between Travis and Tina. Ah, listen to me. Cannot wait to be older. BUT ANYWAY. All in all, this could have been a book I really liked if it was just focused on Travis seducing Tina and ruining her life through there. But there was too much noise going on that by the end, it had me lose interest.
Thank you Ashley for the free copy of the book, I look forward to reading the next one~!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2017
This is book number two for Ashley S. Clancy and the second book I took an interest in reading. Because I remember the her first book and how many times it twisted, I didn't actually open this book with an open mind, more high expectations. Straight away the action kicked off in chapter one and we find ourselves in the middle of weird mum, daughter and boyfriend situation. Straight away you have to take opinion on the characters, straight away whatever that opinion Ashley writes the book that your opinion will change again very soon.
The main character is a strange one for me, because I didn't know which way to go with her. At one moment I felt sorry for her, the next found myself angry at her, then could actually feel her heart break as her daughter broke hers. If there's ONE THING Ashley does REALLY well - She lets you inside the characters and forces you to actually live what they are living and feeling. I've personally never come across an author that does this so well.
Towards the end of the book, I knew something was up, something not quite right, but I couldn't guess what it was. An Ashley special (a huge twist) greeted me and wow, what an ending!! Something I've noticed about this authors writing is - She seems to leave her books slightly left open at the end. Some readers aren't going to like this because they enjoy things wrapped up. I on the other hand, like it. I like being left with unanswered questions, thinking about the book way after it's closed. I believe she also writes this way, just so she can come back and write a second.
Concealed Anguish is a fast read and an easy one. It's a joy to speed through something, only to feel my heartbeat racing with excitement, not my head confused or ticking like it does with other books. 4 amazing stars for an amazing book!
The main character is a strange one for me, because I didn't know which way to go with her. At one moment I felt sorry for her, the next found myself angry at her, then could actually feel her heart break as her daughter broke hers. If there's ONE THING Ashley does REALLY well - She lets you inside the characters and forces you to actually live what they are living and feeling. I've personally never come across an author that does this so well.
Towards the end of the book, I knew something was up, something not quite right, but I couldn't guess what it was. An Ashley special (a huge twist) greeted me and wow, what an ending!! Something I've noticed about this authors writing is - She seems to leave her books slightly left open at the end. Some readers aren't going to like this because they enjoy things wrapped up. I on the other hand, like it. I like being left with unanswered questions, thinking about the book way after it's closed. I believe she also writes this way, just so she can come back and write a second.
Concealed Anguish is a fast read and an easy one. It's a joy to speed through something, only to feel my heartbeat racing with excitement, not my head confused or ticking like it does with other books. 4 amazing stars for an amazing book!
March 21, 2017
This is the second Ashley book I've read and I didn't think there was any bettering the Cure hotel. This is another high paced, grab onto your pants, get ready to hold your breath book. I love how devoted Tina was to her daughter and I love how bad Natasha was as a daughter. She actually makes me look like a saint!! Great read, well done Ashley, you've got a fan in me for life now.
May 18, 2018
I received and read this book last year, but it's a book that I find myself coming back to again, and will do in the future. Just when you think things couldn't get more twisted, they do! I find myself getting so sucked in and really feel for the main character. Ashley's style of writing is unique and grips me from beginning to end.
May 6, 2017
This book took much longer to read than it should've. I would've finished it sooner if I had been reading only this book. Once again, Ashley wrote an awesome book! I wasn't expecting what happened to happen. I'll definitely be reading more of her books!
August 26, 2025
this was the funniest fucking book i've ever read she had me on the edge of my seat and crying don't hesitate just read it
March 19, 2017
What a bitch Natasha is!!
This is the second book I've read by Ashley and I'm left impressed once again. A more slightly riskier storyline I feel, but gripping yet again. I really enjoyed it and defo want to read more of her future books.
This is the second book I've read by Ashley and I'm left impressed once again. A more slightly riskier storyline I feel, but gripping yet again. I really enjoyed it and defo want to read more of her future books.
March 3, 2017
I enjoyed it as it was an easy read and full of surprises but again it was quite unbelievable but maybe that's just the genre?
April 4, 2017
She's a seriously BAD girl!
April 4, 2017
Great little read
April 7, 2017
Full review TBC
April 18, 2017
This is the second Clancy book I've read and the twists, turns and very dark storyline doesn't let up. The daughter is a complete bitch to her mum, yet you quickly forget that she lost her father. Tina is a mother that would do anything to protect her daughter and is constantly left heartbroken. It's a wonderful page turner, that always makes you want to find out what's going on next and leaves you on edge. I really enjoyed it.
April 18, 2017
Should a Clancy book turn you on?
I always feel slightly uncomfortable, slightly excited and slightly turned on by a Clancy read and this was no exception. It's as thought she takes a terrible subject that others don't write about then throws it in your face. Slightly scared, slightly aroused, slightly loved this book in secret.
I always feel slightly uncomfortable, slightly excited and slightly turned on by a Clancy read and this was no exception. It's as thought she takes a terrible subject that others don't write about then throws it in your face. Slightly scared, slightly aroused, slightly loved this book in secret.
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