The Sleepover by Keri Beevis

It’s my stop today on the blog tour for The Sleepover by Keri Beevis.

The story begins with Hannah receiving a call from her friend Rosie saying she’s in this guy’s house and wants to be picked up soon. Hannah thinks of all the worse things that Rosie might probably in but when she arrives at the destination to pick Rosie up, she’s angry to see Rosie walk out the door coolly. Rosie says Hannah believed she was in trouble and Rosie didn’t bother to correct her.

Rosie has been a bit dramatic since the incident. The Hixton Five, as the girls were known as when they were teenagers, were caught up in a drama involving a creepy lady in a farm. Though Hannah too was a victim, it was Rosie who suffered the worse. And then there was Miles… he was killed.

When Hannah and Rosie return to Hannah’s apartment, she sees a man waiting for her. He introduces himself as a journalist named Liam Quinn and he wants to question her about Eileen Wickham. Mrs. Wickham was released from prison six weeks ago, after serving her sentence of twenty years. She was the one who abused the Hixton five. She was the one responsible for killing Miles.

Things start worse soon after Liam’s arrival. Rosie finds her apartment broken into – and there’s evidence to suggest it was Mrs. W. Is Eileen Wickham seeking revenge? Only time will tell.

I knew this is one of those books that isn’t supposed to be read at bedtime. Believe me, certain scenes are so creepy that they might give you nightmares. As the story began, readers aren’t told of the incident that made Hixton Five ‘famous.’ But it is pretty clear that whatever they went through affected them psychologically.

Eileen Wickham met the teenaged girls when one of them had a bruised knee. They refused to go with her to the farm and get the bruise looked at. But when she promised cornettoes, they agreed. Mrs. W was being all sweet and kind, and invited the girls to her farm often. Mrs. W’s teenage son Bill was two years ahead of the girls in school. One day, Hannah saw something… something that made her afraid of Mrs. W.

The story alternates between various PoVs – we have the present divided between Hannah, Rosie, Liam, Mrs. W and Bill. Then a flashback of the events that finally led to Miles’ death. Twenty years since the imprisonment and we readers are given a clear picture of what Mrs. W wants. She’s still looking for revenge. She still has a hold over her son Bill. But this time, Bill promises to take revenge… on behalf of his mum. The girls shouldn’t have complained… Bill lost his mother in the process and that wasn’t fair.

I really loved the storytelling and the characters. I had my doubts on Liam’s real identity. There were times when I thought he was Bill… Was I right? Well, you have to read the book to find out. 😉 There’s a twist in the second half – something to do with the Hixton Five. And my doubts on Liam’s role in this drama increased a notch.

The final twist blew my mind. I admit I had this feeling that something’s still not right… but I did not expect a mind-blowing and shocking revelation. Nor did I expect this person to play a vital role in the creepy drama that had unfolded.

I was hooked on to the story and could not put it down until the end. It kept me second guessing. It kept me doubting the roles of a few characters. I was also curious to see what happens if/when Hannah comes face to face with Bill and her dark past.

The Sleepover by Keri Beevis is a mind-blowing, gripping and intense psychological thriller. A perfect read for Halloween, if you ask me.

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