A first-class thriller which ticks all of my boxes – meet your next read, Shiver by Allie Reynolds.
The plot:
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.
Absolutely faultless
I read a lot of thrillers. Like a lot. I find myself looking for faults in thrillers, because they can be predictable or slow and just not my cup of coffee. Shiver, however – absolutely faultless.
Chapters flick between 10 years ago and the present day – I’m not usually a huge fan of this but in Shiver, I loved it. You have the odd cliff-hanger where you must desperately read the next chapter and find out what happened. You had 2 stories going on which make perfect sense – they both linked coherently, which is seldom done well in my opinion, and the way they connect – insane.
It’s written in first person from Milla’s point of view, and at times, you think she’s unreliable and guilty alllll the way, and other times, you experience what she’s been through, so you’re really thrown as to how the story is going to end.
It’s intense and fast-paced, and an extremely quick read – there’s lots of conversations, as well an internal dialogue so you grasp the whole image, and there wasn’t a single moment which felt tedious or used as a filler.
The characters – beautifully written to grip you. The ‘present’ chapters act as a sort of ‘locked-door mystery’, so you’re really doubting everyone and everything that’s happening. Some were likeable, some not so likeable, and you’re constantly questioning them.
Not only is it an adrenaline-filled read, but it’s also set with a snowy backdrop and has multiple mouth-open-what-the-f-is-happening moments. Perfect.
That ending – shocking and JAW-DROPPING. Not only is it intense and just entirely unpredictable, it’s also genius. You’d never have seen it coming – and the author does well to push you in different paths.
I’ve been looking for a thriller which gives me that plot twist and is exciting the whole way through – from page 1 to the end – and I’ve found it here. An easy, easy 5-stars. I need more by Reynolds NOW.
Shiver, Allie Reynolds, RRP £12.99 (hardback); Book Depository
Pages: 421
Publisher: Headline
Genre: Thriller
