Hi friends, it’s that time again.. Blog tour for What I Did by Kate Bradley. What a treat! It must be said that this book caught my attention as soon as I started to skim over the blurb. (I’ve spoken about me not reading the full blurb properly, especially for thrillers as I’m too scared for spoilers!). Family dramas, obsessive and dysfunctional family storylines have always intrigued me. What that says about me, I don’t actually want to know! But I am so grateful that it ended up in my hands and started off my reading year with an absolute bang. Thank you so much to Zaffre for sending a copy my way to read and review!
What I Did – Kate Bradley
4.5 out of 5
Pub Date 21 January 2021, by Zaffre
Available to (pre)order now from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookdepository.
Blurb: Lisa is running.
She has taken her child, Jack, and she has run from his father.
Lisa thinks she’s safe. She’s found a remote house where no one will be able to find them. Lisa is about to wake up in her worst nightmare. And now she must face what she’s tried to escape. Risking everything to protect her little boy, Lisa knows that in order to survive she will have to fight, but it’s hard to face someone you loved, especially someone you still love, who knows who you really are – and what you are really capable of.
Family is everything. What would you do to protect it?
My thoughts: We start our journey with Lisa waking up dazed on her kitchen floor. She knows she’s been found, she knows Jack is in danger and she is helpless to do anything about it.
In the chaos of my life was this little island that I visited once a week and I was watching it being smashed by a cyclone.
The story-line is split into two timelines, now and before. I really enjoyed the alternative chapters, both of which kept me on the edge of my seat for different reasons.
The atmosphere in the “Before” is deliciously tense as we unravel the dark history of Lisa and her family; “Now” timeline gives us the nail biting, action packed narrative that’s hard to put down. Pacing throughout the book was just perfect for me and I was just obsessed with finding out how it all ends.
I jumped into conclusions and boyyyy did I get shocked when a twist hit me in my face. I had to go and re-read some of it because it just crept up on me and I refused to believe I’d missed the signs.
Love is amazing: how it endures even through the duress of such wanton destruction. IT seems even fire doesn’t turn it in to ash, but instead melds into something tougher, more enduring.
What I also really enjoyed reading about was the unspoken, unconditional love between Lisa and her mother. The love between a parent and a child knows no boundaries, and I really enjoyed how Bradley explored the idea around love and forgiveness.
If I had to sum it up in one sentence then I would say that What I Did is a fast-paced, thrilling and utterly addictive family drama, as well as a truly well written psychological thriller that will keep you reading well into the late hours of the night.
And of course the main question throughout the book is – is love enough to forgive? Read it to find out if it is for our characters.
Kat x
About Author
Kate Bradley worked for many years managing services for people who are marginalised by society; her work has taken her into prisons, mental health hospitals and alongside the homeless. She currently works in education. She holds a first-class degree in English Literature, in addition to qualifications in creative writing and teaching. Kate lives in a small coastal town just outside of Brighton with her husband and sons.
Find her on twitter as @kate__bradley
