Title– Shiver
Author- Allie Reynolds
Publisher– Headline Books
Publication Date- Jan 21st 2021
Comment- I received a free copy of this book from Headline books and Allie Reynolds in exchange for an honest review. I was not blackmailed by anyone who knows what happened that summer.
Synopsis
They don’t know what I did. And I intend to keep it that way.
How far would you go to win? Hyper-competitive people, mind games and a dangerous natural environment combine to make the must-read thriller of the year. Fans of Lucy Foley and Lisa Jewell will be gripped by spectacular debut novel Shiver.
When Milla is invited to a reunion in the French Alps resort that saw the peak of her snowboarding career, she drops everything to go. While she would rather forget the events of that winter, the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can’t seem to let go.
The five friends haven’t seen each other for ten years, since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. But when an icebreaker game turns menacing, they realise they don’t know who has really gathered them there and how far they will go to find the truth.
In a deserted lodge high up a mountain, the secrets of the past are about to come to light.
Summary
Ten years ago, Milla, Brent, Curtis, Heather, Dale and Saskia were at the top of their game and the pinnacle of their career in snowboarding. With sponsorships and the promise of an Olympic future, tempers are high, and the competition is fierce.
Then the unthinkable happens and lives are shattered.
Ten years later Milla is invited to a reunion in the French Alps with the four remaining members of their little group- people she hasn’t seen since that fateful winter.
During the first night there, an Icebreaker game turns menacing and, as the five of them wonder who really invited them all up to the deserted chalet in the middle of nowhere, events start to spiral out of control.
It seems that someone knows what happened that winter and they will stop at nothing to make the truth come to light.
Review
I know what you did last summer on Ice.
I am a massive fan of teen slasher movies from the nineties. Scream, Urban Legend even Final Destination will always be dear to my heart.
This book felt like a fantastic take on that genre, executed brilliantly with twists and turns and revelations you truly weren’t expecting.
Although I guessed parts of the ending, the actual reveal was brilliant and unexpected but foreshadowed enough that it wasn’t ridiculously left field.
I’m going to admit that the string of coincidences that led to one of the characters deaths was so plausible yet convoluted in a Rube Goldberg device kind of way, that it made me laugh out loud.
That could be because I have a dark sense of humour (or I’m a psychopath.)
The plot was gripping, and I took the book to work and got very annoyed whenever my boss came in and I had to pretend to be working rather than reading.
It was well paced with equal amounts action, tension and character development that never felt rushed or drawn out.
The Flashbacks added to the tension without interrupting the flow of the story.
I think the only downside for me was the character of Milla. She was our narrator but I thought she was annoying, self-centred and I kept hoping she’d get killed and someone else would take up the story. (See previous theory on me being a psychopath).
I found it hard to justify her actions with regards to Saskia and Brent. I also really, really wanted to smack her.
The rest of the characters had such evolved character development between the ten-year gap that it was interesting to see the growth, or lack thereof, after people experience a tragedy.
Overall a great thriller with early slasher vibes that would make for a great movie.
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