Whilst this wasn’t a novel where I had strong feelings about the characters, with the exception of Simon who I detested almost immediately, I did have some sympathy for both Emily and Anna. When I read the synopsis for this novel I expected it to be similar to my usual type of book but it was a little bit different. I’m the author of five novels so far, and have alsio written a number of non-fiction, health-related books as well as hundreds of features for magazines.

Stalker is a psychopath) it’s such an overdone trait that there wasn’t a single twist that caught me out! As time goes on, Anna seems to know more than she should about Emily, who is having marriage difficulties. Subtle, yet clever details let us know that Emily was one of the characters involved in an accident in the book’s prologue, and it was nice to let my brain piece things together, things that we aren’t told outright. That's exactly the case with happy Emily as Anna brings her missing cat to the family home and the pair instantly hit it off. She misses the friends who largely deserted her since they discovered that Simon had been engaged to someone else when he and Emily first got together.From her husband, to her new friend, to her husband’s ex partner, Emily has a lot to balance, and as we regularly enter her thoughts and feelings, it’s clear she isn’t kind to herself about a lot of things in her life.

instead a scene where emily confronts simon for being the most pointless character to emily and the readers would be appreciated. If you love family drama, can’t-put-down thrillers and obsessive characters, you’ll adore this book! Are her thoughts out of control or is that annoying low-level niggle that something is very wrong in her life when everything appears to be right, a true indicator? To round off part one of the book, Emily discovers something really unnerving and unexpected… and before I could think about this further, part two of the book began, which alternated between Emily and Anna’s perspective – it had me super excited for what was to come!Not the kind of person she would normally be drawn to, there’s something about Anna that suggests they could be friends. the simple fact that emily hardly even confronted simom about what he did was shocking - i'd be more mad at simon than anna tbh. The plot had me constantly thinking, the feeling of knowing something wasn’t right was so satisfying and impressed me more with each passing chapter. You think you can just drop me when an old friend comes along, then pick me back up again when you feel like it. When a strange woman turns up on Emily’s doorstep with their lost cat, she doesn’t think anything of it.

I knew things would escalate and even though I wanted to protect Emily and her family at all costs, I also secretly couldn’t wait for what came next in their friendship. There was so much to explore in this book, the chapter endings always forcing me to read another chapter, and then another. It’s also clear just how busy and pretty hectic Emily’s life is right now as she balances work and family life with her one-year-old daughter. Susan grew up in South East London, left school at 16 and only later began to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a novelist.It's always a joy to delve into the latest offering from her and this one really doesn't disappoint. Poor Emily seemed to be gaslit by everyone around her, loved her POV when she gradually comes to the realisation that something is not right. The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood was published in 2019 to critical acclaim, appearing on a number of ‘best of’ lists that year. All You Ever Wanted is a change of genre for the author as it's more of a psychological thriller and it took me a while to get used to the author writing in this genre.

I found this to be a gripping and compelling read and I was intrigued to find out if Emily was a reliable narrator. Susan cranks up the creep factor in all the right places making this a slow-burning domestic thriller with a deep heart. I shake my head and continue listening, certain that I can hear the person on the other end, standing there and listening back. I knew this was my kind of book as soon as I started reading, and it’s absolutely one of my top reads of the year! I really felt for Emily as we learn about her friend situation; ever since she had her daughter, Bonnie, her friends seem to have disappeared, which is why Anna’s presence was a welcome surprise.Her powerful contemporary novels about women’s lives have been published in many languages, shortlisted for prizes, and rank high in the Nielsen bestseller chart. looking after her 1 year old daughter Bonnie and living with a growing sense of paranoia regarding both her husband's fidelity and a sense of being watched.