Love is a dangerous game. Throw the dice, take turns and play by the rules..no one will get hurt…
Today I am on the blog tour for The Sunday Girl (Published 4th April 2019) By Pip Drysdale. A big thank you to the publishers Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy to review, much appreciated. And as always to the wonderful Anne for the invite, thank you!
About The Author
Pip Drysdale is a writer, actor and musician who grew up in Africa and Australia. At 20 she moved to New York to study acting, worked in indie films and off-off Broadway theatre, started writing songs and made four records. After graduating with a BA in English, Pip moved to London where she dated some interesting men and played shows across Europe. The Sunday Girl is her first novel and she is working on a second. She currently lives in Australia.
The Sunday Girl
The Girl on the Train meets Before I Go to Sleep in this chilling tale of love gone horribly wrong …
“Some love affairs change you forever. Someone comes into your orbit and swivels you on your axis, like the wind working on a rooftop weather vane. And when they leave, as the wind always does, you are different; you have a new direction. And it’s not always north.”
Any woman who’s ever been involved with a bad, bad man and been dumped will understand what it feels like to be broken, broken-hearted and bent on revenge. Taylor Bishop is hurt, angry and wants to destroy Angus Hollingsworth in the way he destroyed her: ‘Insidiously. Irreparably. Like a puzzle he’d slowly dissembled … stolen a couple of pieces from, and then discarded, knowing that nobody would ever be able to put it back together ever again.’
So Taylor consults The Art of War and makes a plan. Then she takes the next irrevocable step – one that will change her life forever.
Things start to spiral out of her control – and The Sunday Girl becomes impossible to put down.
My Review
Upon first meeting Taylor she could easily come across as your typical bunny boiler. She is hurt and angry at her ex boyfriend Angus for uploading a sex tape of them and another woman onto the internet. Driven by betrayal Taylor is on a mission, determined to destroy him and get justice. Thankfully dear reader, you’l be happy to know the bunnies are safe. As the narrative unfolds we emotionally bond with Taylor, she is heartbroken and humiliated. I wanted her to succeed and was furious on her behalf for how Angus treated her. She may have had a few mad moments like breaking into his apartment and taking his lucky socks but she is relatively harmless as she feels guilt and regrets her actions. She is a woman who has recently been burned by love, her wounds haven’t had time to scab over. It soon becomes apparent what was originally a plan for revenge ends up being a fight for survival. It’s intoxicating to read and I could not get enough. I refused to put it down till I was finished. I had to know! This book should come with a warning that it’s ‘Highly addictive’ as it left me in a bewitching trance, greedily hungry for more.
From the moment I met Angus, I knew I didn’t like him. He reminded me of a snake, slowly stalking its prey in darkness before striking for the kill. He twists his scaly body around Taylor, slowly suffocating her to the point you are screaming at the page for him to release her. I was horrified and scared for Taylor when his true nature made an appearance. You look back and it all fits neatly into place. He’s controlling, manipulative and always one step ahead of her. By the time the plot thickens, it’s too late. Drysdale entraps the reader, there’s nowhere to hide and no escape. You are backed into a corner with only one option…fight!
“Sweetheart, you can’t just fold every time there’s some risk, you know. The risk is where the fun is…it’s like that song says : you gotta know when to bluff and when to run away.”
One of the many things I enjoyed about this book was that it kept me guessing. I never knew what to expect each time I turned the page. Drysdale sets out the narrative through a maze of labyrinths with dead ends and winding paths going round in circles. There were sinister dangers and hidden skeletons lurking in the shadows, waiting to terrify. It was intense to the point you didn’t realise you were holding your breath. It’s fascinating storytelling as you watch in slow motion, open mouthed as the dominoes tumble down. Each interaction, discovery and secret that Taylor found set off its inevitable events. The tension constantly built until it exploded with traumatising results. Well played Drysdale.
“And that was it: the moment I could have changed everything. The moment I could have changed my destiny. The weak spot in Fate’s carefully set up game of dominos. The only moment in which, had I chosen well, I could have stopped those pieces falling altogether. Stopped them in their tracks.”
The Sunday Girl is a engrossing read. You get entwined in the mind games and deception as Taylor plays the role of Angus’ Sunday Girl. She is desperate to believe Angus has changed, that he wouldn’t set her up and convinces herself he doesn’t know the truth about his ‘surprise’ birthday present. She quickly becomes increasingly more paranoid and aware before slotting pieces into place while still hopelessly avoiding the truth. She is at constant war with herself, fighting the urge of temptation but also listening to her heart. It’s torture and you are left dangling over a cliff edge on a fraying rope, waiting and hoping she will get her vengeance before SNAP!
“All I needed to do was play the role he’d primed me for – the Sunday Girl. I would smile, defer to him, be charming and sweet, while covertly collecting what I needed to buy my freedom. It was a good plan; I just wasn’t sure I had the strength for it. Because how could two people who’d loved each other the way we had come to this?”
I give The Sunday Girl By Pip Drysdale a Five out of Five paw rating.
I was not expecting that dear reader, the sudden shock and realisation of everything messes with your head and implores you to read on. I absolutely loved it. I was on edge the whole time. It stole my breath along with my rational thinking.
Another top read for this year added to the list. Outstanding, Drysdale has a talent for writing a story elegantly and effortlessly. Congrats and thank you, I look forward to reading more of your writing.
Don’t forget to follow the rest of the blog tour, dates below!
Links
Buy A Copy
@simonschusterUK
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Bunny’s Pause 