Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

‘Behind Closed Doors is getting a lot of buzz in the book reading community. Often I don’t like reading the current ‘buzz’ book as they rarely live up to the hype. This book sounded good and I wanted to know what everyone was going on about, so I decided to give it a go.

The book is a steady story about Grace and her relationship with Jack, complicated somewhat by her much loved sister Millie, who has downs syndrome. I’m not giving anything away when saying that Jack is not what he seems and soon Grace finds herself very much stuck in an abusive relationship. The abuse is about control and emotional abuse, there is no physical or sexual abuse. I have read others say that they found the book hard to read because of the level of emotional abuse, but I didn’t find this. I felt that Grace told her story with a degree of detachment, which made it easier to read, and didn’t take away from the true horror of what she went through.

I read the book very quickly (for me!), which says a lot but I still thought that this would be a 4* read, a 5* book has to really really blow me away. And then I finished the book and I literally wanted to throw my Kindle across the room in frustration. I did not want the book to finish, I wanted to know more!!! I then attempted to go to sleep but an hour later I gave up and re-read the final chapter, I just wanted to make sure that I’d read it right! I then went onto Amazon and pre-ordered B.A. Paris’ next book out in September!

So I’m writing this review giving it 5*, absolutely no doubt in my mind that it deserves that. I’m actually kinda tempted to give it more. I am stunned that Behind Closed Doors is the author’s first novel, it is so well written and constructed. This is easily the best book that I have read this year and I have no doubt that it will be high up on my top ten list at the end of 2016.’

All I can say about this book is ‘wow’! I finished it last night and I have been thinking about it a lot today. I feel like I have a book hangover. I haven’t started another book yet, I sort of feel like I don’t want to, but I’m sure that I will. I really cannot believe that the author hasn’t written a book before, this is an amazing debut. I’m pleased that I finally love a current ‘buzz’ book too!!

Behind Closed Doors is out now from Amazon UK and all the usual places.