And I'm staying Stateside (see yesterday's post) with If She Dies by Erik Therme with my review for the blog tour. I've enjoyed previous books by Erik so saying yes to this was a no brainer. Thanks to Emma Welton at damppebbles.com for asking me and to the publisher for my review copy.
The Blurb:
How far would you go to right a wrong?
Nine months ago, Tess’s five-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident. The driver, Brady Becker, was sentenced to two years in prison. It didn't make Tess’s pain go away.
Brady also has a daughter: A twelve-year-old named Eve who walks to Chandler Middle School every day. Tess knows this because she's been watching Eve for the last three weeks. It isn’t fair that Brady’s daughter gets to live, while Tess’s daughter does not.
When Eve goes missing, all eyes turn to Tess, who doesn’t have an alibi. But Tess isn’t guilty.
Or so she believes.
If She Dies was published by Thecker Books on 21st February 2021.
Purchase Links:
Amazon UK
Amazon US
My Review:
Tess is hurting badly following the death of her young daughter. She is mired in grief, unable to move forward and her relationship with husband Josh is suffering as a result. Since Lily's death they have moved away from the town where it happened to try for a fresh start, but Tess heads back there every day to drink coffee, visit Lily's grave and follow the daughter of the man who killed Lily.
This is the fourth of Therme's books I have read after Keep Her Close, I Know You and Roam. What I really like about his books is how character driven they are, and this one is no different. If She Dies is all about Tess. It's quite claustrophobic as we're in Tess's head, and she's in all kinds of turmoil. She can't focus on her relationship with Josh, she doesn't want therapy, she doesn't want a job, she hates the new house and she hates all the new town. She's barely eating, barely existing, just grieving for Lily and obsessing over Eve. She knows she shouldn't be, but she just can't help herself.
It's impossible not to feel for Tess. She has been through so much, and as a mother myself, I can't even begin to imagine the pain she would be going through. But I did get the teeniest but frustrated with her not trying to help herself just a little by focussing on what she still had. But, of course, grief affects everyone differently.
When Eve goes missing, Tess becomes a suspect but all she is worried about is finding Eve. What follows is a cat and mouse chase with false leads, mysterious Facebook messages and anonymous texts. Sometimes following Tess's train of thought as she tried to figure things out is exhausting, and she fixates on her brother's girlfriend, of whom she is jealous. She doesn't think things through and puts herself in potential danger more than once. I did find myself getting frustrated with her when she took what I considered to be a rash course of action, and I was cross at the way she treats her husband who, frankly, is a saint! But this is a woman on the edge, a desperate, broken woman.
If She Dies is a character driven, emotional tale of motherhood, family, love, loss and possible redemption. It's a tale of ordinary people caught up in difficult situations and making bad decisions. It's about how one incident can impact so many people over time. There were parts I found a little repetitive but overall this was another enjoyable read from Therme.
The Author:
Erik Therme has thrashed in garage bands, inadvertently harbored runaways, and met Darth Vader. When he’s not at his computer, he can be found cheering on his youngest daughter’s volleyball team, or watching horror movies with his oldest. He currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only twenty-eight places in the world that UNESCO has certified as a City of Literature. Join Erik’s mailing list to be notified of new releases and author giveaways: http://eepurl.com/cD1F8L
Author Social Media Links:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Thanks for being part of the blog tour x
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. xx
Delete