Book Review – He Said / She Said by Erin Kelly

Title: He Said / She Said

Author: Erin Kelly

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 20th April 2017

Format: Hardback ARC

Note: This book was received from the publisher in return for an honest review

About the book:

In the hushed aftermath of a total eclipse, Laura witnesses a brutal attack.

She and her boyfriend Kit call the police, and in that moment, it is not only the victim’s life that is changed forever.

Fifteen years on, Laura and Kit live in fear.

And while Laura knows she was right to speak out, the events that follow have taught her that you can never see the whole picture: something – and someone – is always in the dark…

What I Thought:

I’m going to start off by saying this is going to be a short review. It’s no reflection on how much I enjoyed this book – I loved it! But I want to avoid any spoilers so minimum plot discussion to follow!

In 1999 the first total eclipse visible from the UK since 1927 occurred. In deepest darkest Cornwall there’s a festival to celebrate. Kit is a well established eclipse chaser and Laura joins him for her first one, clouded out they miss out on the best views of the eclipse, however they stumble across the aftermath of a rape. He Said/She Said is told from the dual points of view of both Kit and Laura, and the story is split into 5 sections, mirroring the different stages of the eclipse. The action in the story moves between the present day and the past, telling the story of how Kit and Laura met, moving through the festival and the attack, and then covering the aftermath.

For me the story took a little while to get going, having seen He Said/She Said popping up in WWW Wednesday posts on a few different blogs, I would say I’m not the only one who found this, but once it kicked in, wow! Erin Kelly created a world that kept me turning pages. I loved seeing Kit and Laura’s relationship develop, Erin Kelly does a wonderful job in capturing the changes within their relationship over the years, from the glow of the early relationship, to the changes that come both from being a part of a long term relationship, but also occur as a result of their unique circumstances. Erin also does an incredible of building suspense, with a series of twists and turns that keep you guessing and doubting yourself, becoming about much more that just the he-said-she-said scenario that the title suggests, and despite being a regular reader of all things thriller I have to admit to being caught out on at least one occasion!

Would I recommend it?

I honestly cannot recommend this book enough! If you like a good thriller go out and buy this book! I’ll certainly be hunting out some of Erin Kelly’s other books.